Chapter 80: A Heart of Chivalry—When Will the Cycle of Vengeance End?
Chapter 80: Chapter 80: A Heart of Chivalry—When Will the Cycle of Vengeance End?
Bazhou wasn’t far from Tongzhou. On a fast horse, you could leave at dawn and arrive by dusk. Even at a slower pace, the journey would only take two days.
Yet after four days, Ye Yu was still on the road.
It had all started three days prior. After coming down from the mountain, he’d led his horse into Bazhou City, planning to treat himself to a grand meal before continuing his journey.
’It’s not every day I get to come down from the mountain. I have to enjoy myself to the fullest.’
He stopped in his tracks as he passed a brothel.
In these times, transportation was inconvenient and inlanders rarely ate seafood, so he wanted to try an abalone feast.
’Master always said lust is a man’s greatest weakness. Today, I shall challenge that weakness!’
With a resolute expression, Ye Yu tossed the reins to a brothel attendant and strode inside with steady steps.
He didn’t emerge for three days.
It was all because he had a heart full of chivalry.
Every girl here had a tragic backstory.
’A gambling-addicted father, a sick mother, a young brother, a broken home... If I don’t help her, who will?’ Ye Yu’s heart was filled with pity. And so, he spared no expense, generously spending a thousand gold.
By the fourth day, he was, in every sense of the word, completely drained.
Only then did he reluctantly set out on his journey again.
This time, he rode with great haste. With only a few coins left, he had to get to Tongzhou and see his master’s wife as soon as possible, or he wouldn’t get to eat. An empty stomach was a miserable feeling.
By the time he crossed from Bazhou into Tongzhou territory, it was already high noon, and Ye Yu’s stomach was GROWLING with hunger.
After another hour of travel, the tantalizing aroma of food and wine wafting from a roadside tavern made his mouth water.
Seven fine steeds were tied up outside the tavern.
Inside, seven men were seated. The leader was a young man in brocade robes with a face as handsome as jade. The other six wore black robes and looked like Guards.
Their table was laden with hearty, generous portions of meat dishes—not refined, but greasy and plentiful—and they were digging in with gusto.
This made Ye Yu even hungrier. He had to get something to eat.
He felt for the few copper plates in his robes.
He urged his horse forward, dismounted, tied it up securely, and called out, "Innkeeper, two large flatbreads, please."
"Right away! Find a seat, sir. The water and flatbreads will be right out," the hunchbacked innkeeper said warmly.
A moment later, the innkeeper’s granddaughter, a girl of about ten, came over and placed the water and flatbreads on his table.
Ye Yu was taken aback. "I didn’t order any tea."
"It’s on the house," the little girl said with a grin. "Grandpa said that a man of the Jianghu like you, sir, wouldn’t order just two flatbreads unless you were short on cash. Dry bread is hard to get down, so he said to bring you a pot of tea to help wash it down."
Ye Yu felt a flush of shame. It was true he’d ended up in this state only after spending all his money at the brothel. He pressed his lips together and said, "Thank you, miss. And please thank your grandfather for me."
Having learned his painful lesson, he made a silent vow.
’Starting today, I’m done with women!’
’I must never again be tempted by beauty!’
"Innkeeper, another pot of warm wine," the young master in brocade robes, who was sitting diagonally from Ye Yu, said coolly.
"Yes, right away!" the girl called back. She gave Ye Yu a quick smile before turning to leave.
As Ye Yu chewed on his flatbread, his eyes were glued to the meat dishes on the opposite table, as if he were the one eating them with great relish.
’If you believe there’s meat in your heart, then whatever you eat tastes like meat.’
The little girl was walking toward the young master with a pot of warm wine when her foot suddenly slipped on a bone one of the men had just tossed aside. With a cry of "AH!", she pitched forward, and the wine pot flew from her grasp.
Seeing the pot hurtling toward his master, one of the Guards leaped up. With a flick of his finger, the pot exploded in midair.
An aura of True Qi erupted from the young master in brocade, blasting away the splashing wine, but his expression soured.
"My lord, forgive me!" the Guard cried in alarm. Desperate to deflect blame, he viciously kicked the girl just as she was regaining her footing. "Worthless wench!" he roared. "You’re so clumsy! How do you do anything right?"
The little girl crumpled to the ground, howling in agony. Her face was contorted in pain, tears streaming down her cheeks as sweat beaded on her forehead.
"My child! My child!" The busy, hunchbacked old innkeeper rushed out and scooped up his granddaughter. He then turned to the men and apologized, "Honored guests, please calm your anger! Please, you are magnanimous men, don’t hold this against a child!"
"How dare you!" Ye Yu slammed his hand on the table and shot to his feet, his face a mask of fury. He glared at the men and said icily, "The girl just slipped! Was it necessary to be so vicious? Have you no compassion? Don’t you have families? Or are you all orphans?"
"Slap him," the young master in brocade ordered, his voice like ice.
"Yes, my lord!" One of the Guards charged at Ye Yu.
"Bring it on!" Unafraid, Ye Yu drew his sword to meet the attack. But fearing he might accidentally injure the old man and his granddaughter or damage the tavern, he deliberately led the fight outside.
The two were evenly matched, trading blows back and forth.
Seeing the displeasure on their master’s face, three more of the remaining five Guards flew into the fray.
Two fists are no match for eight hands. Ye Yu was quickly overwhelmed. "Ganging up on one person! What kind of Jianghu heroes are you?!"
"Stand down," the young master in brocade commanded.
The four Guards immediately ceased their attacks and fell back.
The young master shot forward like a bolt of lightning, striking at Ye Yu with his palm. One blow followed another without pause.
His vast True Qi surged like an unending tide.
’The Wandering Dragon Realm!’
Ye Yu was horrified. He knew he was no match for this man, but he refused to surrender or beg for mercy. Gritting his teeth, he endured, but was quickly sent flying several meters, spitting blood as the cloth-wrapped bundle on his back fell loose.
"My sword!"
He struggled to his feet and rushed towards the bundle.
But the young master was faster. He strode forward and kicked the bundle away. Then, with a tap of his toe, a burst of True Qi sent the bundle flying into his hand. He gave it a shake, and the silk wrapping tore away, revealing a brocade box.
He opened the box, and his eyes lit up at the sight of the sword within. Even in its scabbard, he could feel its restrained power. "A fine sword," he praised.
"Give it back!" Ye Yu said anxiously.
"I’m buying this sword," the young master declared. He pulled the sword from the brocade box, tossed the box aside, then casually produced a purse and threw it at Ye Yu’s feet. With a single leap, he was on his horse. "Let’s go," he shouted.
The six Guards all leaped onto their horses.
"HYAH!"
The thunder of hooves faded as they galloped toward Tongzhou.
Ye Yu clutched his chest, his face pale as he watched their figures disappear, his heart filled with self-blame.
’I lost the sword Master was sending to his wife.’
He quickly felt inside his robes. Fortunately, the letter was still there.
"Sir, are you alright?" the little girl stumbled over to support him, asking with concern.
"You shouldn’t have gotten involved, sir!" the old man said as he walked over. "Our lives as commoners may be worthless, but they wouldn’t dare kill us without cause. It would have been better to just let them vent their frustrations. Instead, you’ve gotten yourself hurt because of us."
"I’m fine," Ye Yu said, forcing a smile. "When you see injustice, you’re supposed to draw your sword and help. It’s my own fault my skills weren’t good enough. You’re not to blame." He picked up the purse, opened it, and took out a silver ingot, tossing it to the old man. "For their wine."
Then, staggering, he turned, mounted his horse, and rode away.
The old man clutched the silver, his feelings complex as he watched Ye Yu’s retreating figure. He’d often had Jianghu folk start brawls in his tavern, but afterwards, no one ever paid for their drinks or compensated for the damages.
This young man was the sole exception.
"I hope the heavens are watching," he murmured. "May good people be rewarded."
He muttered to himself.
But in his long life, he had far too often seen that it was precisely these kinds of good people who came to bad ends.
.........
The Tongzhou Jing’an Guard, Hundred Households Post.
"Sir, the men sent to the Prefecture City to investigate the Shu Royal Mansion have returned," Chen Zhongyi reported to Pei Shaoqing.
Pei Shaoqing replied at once, "Have them come in."
"Yes, sir!" Chen Zhongyi turned and left.
Soon he came back in with two Jing’an Guards.
"Greetings, Sir!"
Pei Shaoqing said quickly, "Dispense with the formalities. Please, rise. Tell me what you’ve found."
"Yes, sir!" the two replied. One began the report, while the other stood ready to add details.
"Sir, for years the Shu Royal Mansion has been annexing land during natural and man-made disasters, earning it a terrible reputation. King Shu himself lives in seclusion, associating only with scholars and poets. He is close with the Prefect, but Lu Households Commander rarely has any dealings with him.
The current Princess of Shu is his second wife, and she has borne him two sons and two daughters. The second son, Yan Sikun, is a brilliant scholar and greatly favored by King Shu. The current Heir, Yan Sichen, is the posthumous son of the King’s deceased first wife. He favors martial arts over scholarly pursuits and is known to be domineering, obstinate, and insatiably greedy, which has earned him King Shu’s disfavor.
Yan Sichen resides in the Prince’s Mansion, but he also owns several residences outside its walls. He controls numerous lucrative businesses and maintains a contingent of Death Warriors under the pretext of them being household security. He frequently takes these men out of the city on ’hunting’ trips."
Pei Shaoqing fell into contemplative silence after hearing the report.
’Based on their report, King Shu is likely unaware of what his ’dear’ son, Yan Sichen, has been up to.’
’However, the father is linked to the son. If I find proof of Yan Sichen’s crimes, King Shu will inevitably be implicated as well.’
’Setting aside their father-son relationship, from a purely practical standpoint, King Shu would hate my guts forever.’
’He would almost certainly retaliate.’
’As the saying goes, when will the cycle of revenge ever end? The hatred of one generation shouldn’t be passed down to the next.’
’To prevent that from happening,’ Pei Shaoqing concluded, ’it was necessary to have the entire Shu Royal Mansion buried along with Yan Sichen.’
’To cut the grass and pull up the roots—that is the true way of a gentleman.’
"Young Master!" Just then, Zhao Zilan, who should have remained at the mansion, rushed in.
Pei Shaoqing raised an eyebrow, "What is it?"
"Lady Liu has an urgent matter and requests your presence at the mansion."
"You two have worked hard. Go and rest for two days," Pei Shaoqing said to his two subordinates.
The two subordinates accepted the order and left.
Pei Shaoqing followed Zhao Zilan back to the mansion.
They went straight to the main hall. Inside, besides Liu Yuheng, there was also a pale-faced young man.
"Young Master," Liu Yuheng came forward to greet him.
"Who is he?" Pei Shaoqing looked at the weak young man and asked again, "What happened?"
"In answer to your question, Young Master, this is my second disciple, Ye Yu," Liu Yuheng explained. "To show his gratitude to you, my husband ordered him to bring our Iron Sword Sect’s most prized treasure, the Mo Tan Sword, down from the mountain as a gift. But he was ambushed on the road. Yu’er said the thieves were also headed in the direction of Tongzhou City."
’She had never fully approved of her husband’s decision to gift the sword, but now that it was lost, she thought it might as well have been given to Pei Shaoqing. All she wanted now was to get it back as quickly as possible.’
"The nerve! Daring to steal my property!" Pei Shaoqing’s expression turned frigid as he looked at Ye Yu. "Do you remember anything about them? Any distinguishing features? How many were there?"
’He had never even seen the sword...’
’...but if Gongsun Yi dared to offer it as a gift...’
’...it must be a superior blade.’
’And now someone had stolen it! The audacity!’
’He was the one who robbed others, not the other way around!’
"Answering the Young Master, there were seven of them," Ye Yu replied in a low voice, forcing himself to stand by leaning on a chair. "Their leader was a young nobleman dressed in crimson brocade with a golden coronet. The other six were all dressed in black."
Pei Shaoqing was about to send Ye Hanshuang to tell Chen Zhongyi to launch a city-wide search when a servant rushed in, holding a formal invitation. "Master, there is someone at the gate claiming to be the Heir of King Shu. He has come to pay a visit."
"The Heir of King Shu?" Pei Shaoqing raised an eyebrow. He never thought the man would come knocking on his door.
He let out a slow breath. "Show him in."
"Yes, sir!" The servant lowered his head, turned and left.
A moment later, the servant returned.
A group followed behind him, led by a young man holding a folding fan, a longsword at his hip. He was the very picture of elegance.
"It’s him! It’s him! That’s him!" Ye Yu pointed at the leading man in brocade, his voice shaking with emotion as he spoke through gritted teeth. "He’s the one who stole the Mo Tan Sword!"
At that very moment, the Heir of King Shu, who had just stepped into the main hall, also spotted Ye Yu, whom he recognized from their brief encounter.
And Pei Shaoqing’s gaze fell upon the longsword at the man’s waist.
’That was his sword!’