The farce at the Shen gate finally ended when the Eldest Young Master rushed out to stop it. He looked at the chaos with a twisted face and barked at Ji Xiu’s family: "What are you doing at the gates of my Shen family?!"
Ji Xiu chuckled, composed as ever. "That is a question for the Shen family's hospitality. Blocking guests at the door and refusing entry—truly, I have been enlightened by the Shen family's upbringing."
The Eldest Young Master’s face darkened. He noticed the gathering crowd of commoners whispering, and felt his prestige slipping. The orders to block the "worthless" son-in-law had come from his mother, Madame Shen, but to admit that now would confirm their lack of manners.
Just then, a group of people arrived at the gate. "Is this the residence of Shen Yao, descendant of the Moyang Sword?" a loud voice asked.
The Eldest Young Master seized the opportunity to change the subject. "It is. Who are you?"
The leader was a spirited young man who performed a martial arts salute. "I am Fu Luoyang of the Martial Arts Alliance, son of the Alliance Chief. I have come on behalf of my father to pay respects to Master Shen."
The Martial Arts Alliance! The crowd gasped and retreated. In an era where the Imperial Court was weak, the Alliance held the real power. The commoners didn't dare to stay and watch; they scattered like startled birds.
The Eldest Young Master beamed with pride. He hadn't realized his family still carried such weight in the Jianghu. He stepped forward with a smile. "Young Hero Fu—"
Ji Zian, watching from the side with a strange glint in his eyes, silently stuck out a foot. The Eldest Young Master tripped and slammed face-first into the stone floor with a sickening thud.
"Careful..." Fu Luoyang froze, his hand reaching out too late.
The Young Master scrambled up, his nose bloody and face distorted with rage. He glared at Ji Zian. "You little bas—" Bang! Ji Xiu’s foot landed on the man’s back, pinning him back to the ground and cutting off his suicidal words. The crowd looked at Ji Xiu in horror, as if he were a cold-blooded executioner.
Ji Xiu rubbed his nose and retracted his foot, feeling helpless. You don't understand, I'm literally saving his life! If Zian were allowed to kill him here, the whole Shen family would be next.
…
Inside the residence, Fu Luoyang watched the Shen Young Master with a sense of unease. His father had told him to leave immediately after the rites and not linger. Seeing the Young Master’s twisted, vengeful expression, Fu Luoyang understood why. The future head of the Shen family was truly pathetic.
Because Fu Luoyang was a "simple-minded" martial arts enthusiast, he didn't care why the scholar in green had stepped on the Young Master. He only saw that the scholar had no killing intent, while the Shen Young Master was screaming about making a whole family "suffer a fate worse than death." Thus, he instinctively leaned toward Ji Xiu’s side.
Madame Shen was too busy tending to her son's bloody face and flattering the Alliance guests to deal with Ji Xiu immediately. Seizing the moment, Ji Xiu let Shen Lang go to the back courtyard to investigate her mother's death, sending Ji Zian with her for protection.
"Remember, protect your mother," Ji Xiu whispered to his son. "If anyone doesn't listen, beat them until they do. Daddy will back you up!"
…
An hour later, Shen Lang and Ji Zian returned. Shen Lang looked even worse than before. After speaking with her mother's old maid and an elderly midwife, the truth was clear: her mother hadn't died of a natural difficult labor. Madame Shen had sent a bowl of "labor-inducing medicine" from the kitchen, and the moment it was consumed, Wang Yuniang suffered a fatal hemorrhage.
"I will make her pay in blood!" Shen Lang trembled with rage.
Ji Zian stood before her, his expression resolute. "Mother, I will help you take revenge!"
Ji Xiu’s heart skipped a beat. He had been disgusted by the Shens, but now he actually felt a twinge of pity for them. They had no idea what kind of monster they had provoked.
…
Ji Zian didn't wait. That night, he slipped out of the inn and headed for the Shen residence. Ji Xiu followed him closely, worried about Fu Luoyang’s presence.
At the Shen house, Zian moved through the shadows. He first hit the Eldest Young Master’s courtyard. In a matter of minutes, the Young Master was tied up like a "meat zongzi" with grass ropes, shivering in a corner in nothing but his undergarments, while his concubine was knocked out on the bed.
Ji Xiu followed Zian to Madame Shen’s courtyard. He arrived just as Zian jumped down from the roof. Madame Shen was inside, screaming: "Who are you? You... you're that Ji child!"
Ji Xiu sighed. Kid, you didn't wear a mask. I really need to buy you a night-suit. He stepped out of the shadows. Madame Shen gasped, "Ji Xiu? You... you know martial arts too?"
Zian looked at his father, pouting as if to say, I thought I was doing this alone. "Before you're eighteen, Daddy doesn't want you to kill," Ji Xiu said softly, patting Zian’s head. "If there’s a need for 'dirty hands,' just call me."
…
Madame Shen’s screams eventually drew the guards and the guests, including Fu Luoyang. The Young Master also came running in, disheveled and traumatized, followed by his concubine.
The scene was chaotic. The Young Master had been caught in "joyful activity" during the mourning period, a huge taboo. Madame Shen was being confronted about a murder from twenty years ago. And the Martial Arts Alliance was watching it all.
The Young Master, seeing Ji Zian, collapsed into a panic. "Ah! It's you! You're a demon! You little bas—" Slap! Just like during the day, Ji Xiu’s hand connected with the Young Master’s face, cutting him off.
Ji Xiu looked at the shocked faces around him and sighed. To save these hundreds of people from his son's future wrath, he was truly working too hard.
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