Chapter 216 – The War King’s Fury
Crouched in the nearby bushes, Ms. Wang’s face nearly cracked upon hearing this, seething with rage.
That vile Ms. Hu!
She grit her teeth, gripping a blade of grass so tightly it was as if wringing Ms. Hu’s neck, wishing to snap it.
So it was true, as Yan Xiaosi claimed – that wretched Ms. Hu had schemed to make Tian Dazhuang a cuckold.
Having confessed everything, Yan Shujing went limp.
Now her reputation was utterly ruined, no way that General Zhan would want her anymore.
“I’ve told you everything, can you let me go now?”
Having achieved their aim, Tian Dazhuang was about to ask Yan Xiaosi to release her. But before the words left his mouth, he saw Yan Xiaosi swing her blade in a fierce arc, striking Yan Shujing squarely on the back of the head.
Yan Shujing’s body went slack as she collapsed motionless to the ground.
Fearing Yan Xiaosi might have struck too hard and severely injured or even killed Yan Shujing, inviting calamity, Tian Dazhuang hurriedly crouched to check her breathing.
“Brother Dazhuang, don’t worry, she’s just unconscious. If she weren’t, how could you and Auntie Tian return to the Village?”
Confirming Yan Shujing still breathed, Tian Dazhuang exhaled in relief.
“Xiaosi, it’s so late, won’t you come back to Shaoyao Village with us?”
“Go back with you? Where would I stay?”
Tian Dazhuang naturally replied, “Of course, at my place.”
“Your home only has two rooms.”
Tian Dazhuang’s home only had two bedrooms, and Yan Xiaosi didn’t want to squeeze in with Ms. Wang.
“Two bedrooms is plenty. We’re both males, we can share a bed.”
In Tian Dazhuang’s eyes, Yan Xiaosi was a man, so two men sharing a bed was no issue.
Not far away in the woods, two shadowy figures stood perched in the treetops.
The dense canopy overhead and the darkness concealed them as they held their breath, undetected by Yan Xiaosi.
Snap!
The crisp sound of a branch breaking reached Long Yi’s ears. Following the noise, he saw a perfectly solid branch now split in two in his master’s grip.
His master’s body emanated a smoldering fury.
As Long Yu twisted the branch apart, a cold smile curled his lips. His gaze pierced the hazy darkness to fix on that slender figure.
That little rascal had humbly pleaded for his aid, only for the sake of Tian Dazhuang.
Excellent!
Sensing his master’s wrath intensifying, Long Yi tensed his muscles apprehensively.
“Master, it’s late, perhaps it’s too dangerous for Young Master Yan to travel the mountain alone. Shall this subordinate provide an escort?”
Long Yu waved him to silence before he finished.
“Unnecessary. That little rascal is brave enough that traveling in the dark is nothing.”
In truth, he wanted to hear how Yan Xiaosi would respond to Tian Dazhuang – if he would cite the darkness as an excuse to eagerly stay the night at his place, sharing his bed, or return to the cave on Big Sister Peak. If the former…
Hmph!
The thought made him snort coldly, his heart flaring with inexplicable rage.
Hearing the snort, Long Yi inwardly chanted for Yan Xiaosi to absolutely refuse Dazhuang, lest his master’s fury tonight prompt him to directly demolish the peasant’s residence.
To order destruction of a civilian’s home due to jealousy would bode ill for his master’s reputation if word spread.
The word “jealousy” echoed loudly in Long Yi’s mind. Using it to describe his master felt deeply disrespectful, yet his master did seem…jealous.
“Forget it, Brother Dazhuang. Your feet reek so badly they could suffocate rats. I won’t squeeze into a bed with you. You and Auntie Tian head back – I’ll return alone to the cave on Big Sister Peak. I practically walk that mountain path daily, I could make it back blindfolded.”
As Yan Xiaosi’s voice reached them, Long Yu’s expression eased slightly as his clenched fist relaxed.
Long Yi exhaled deeply in relief, patting his chest in lingering trepidation.
Thankfully Young Master Yan responded properly.
Not far away, Tian Dazhuang scratched his head sheepishly. “Xiaosi, are my feet really that smelly?”
“Of course, Brother Dazhuang. You should wash your feet properly, lest you suffocate your future wife.”
Tian Dazhuang’s future wife was Yan Shuqin. Recalling bathing in the river together and catching a whiff of Tian Dazhuang’s foul feet, Yan Xiaosi deeply pitied her sister.
“This little rascal actually knows about Tian Dazhuang’s smelly feet. Excellent!”
Long Yi felt his master was near being infuriated to death by Young Master Yan. Yet he scorned his master’s pettiness in raging over such a trifling matter. Realizing such scorn was disrespectful, he quickly shook his head to dispel the thought.
Not far away, Tian Dazhuang remained uneasy. “Xiaosi, why don’t you wait here a moment? I’ll send my mother back first, then return to escort you to the Big Sister Peak.”
Yan Xiaosi glanced at the collapsed Yan Shujing.
In this adolescent body, she lacked significant strength. Earlier, she had struck a pressure point on Yan Shujing’s neck to render her unconscious. At most, Yan Shujing would awaken within three quarters of an hour.
“Brother Dazhuang, you fool. If I wait here, what happens when Yan Shujing wakes and sees me?”
Tian Dazhuang hesitated.
“Brother Dazhuang, just go back with Auntie Tian. There are no ferocious beasts on Big Sister Peak – I’ll be safe traveling alone at night. Even if I encountered wildlife, I could take down a plump mountain goat with a single stone. What is there to fear?”
Considering her logic, Tian Dazhuang nodded in agreement.
Ms. Wang, bottling her resentment, angrily charged from the bushes upon seeing the unconscious Yan Shujing. She delivered a vicious kick to Shujing’s rear.
“There’s not a single decent person in the Yan family!”
The kick made Yan Shujing’s brow furrow with a soft groan in her daze.
Tian Dazhuang’s heart skipped as he hurriedly restrained his mother.
Yan Xiaosi cautioned, “Auntie Tian, don’t kick her. If you wake Yan Shujing and she sees us, we’ll be in trouble. Malicious intimidation is illegal under Great Chu’s laws – twenty strokes of the board!”
Only then did Ms. Wang halt, shooting Yan Shujing a vicious glare before looking at Yan Xiaosi gratefully.
“Xiaosi, thank you for exposing the Yan family’s plot. Otherwise Dazhuang would have been a cuckold, maybe even tricked into raising another man’s child.”
Hands behind her back, Yan Xiaosi smiled at Ms. Wang.
“So now you know I’m a good person, Auntie?”
“Indeed, auntie was blind before, misjudging your intentions.”
