Heavy with Worries

Are there others?

Xu Yuan's heart sank. He felt that the waters around this matter ran deeper than they seemed.

"What's there to look at? Everyone, disperse!"

Xu Zheng drove away the crowd of onlookers. When he returned, his face was full of confusion. "I don't know how we provoked Li Daqiang. We used to get along fairly well."

"I'm afraid Li Daqiang wasn't acting on his own. Someone else is pulling the strings," Xu Yuan said gravely.

"Someone else?"

Xu Zheng froze, only then realizing how serious the matter was. After thinking for a moment, he said,

"But we don't usually have any enemies. Who would need to use such extreme methods to take revenge on us?"

"It's not certain that we have no enemies..."

Under Xu Zheng's questioning gaze, Xu Yuan slowly said, "Have you forgotten how Father gambled until the family was ruined?"

"You mean people from the Wild Wolf Gang?"

Xu Zheng's expression changed. He could scarcely believe it. "We already paid off Father's gambling debts. Isn't that the end of it?"

"When have jackals and wolves ever been fed full?" Xu Yuan sneered. After pondering for a moment, he said,

"When we paid the debt last time, we were probably too decisive. They thought we still had some family assets. Once they learned that you had taken out a loan, they fixed their eyes on us again, intending to squeeze out every last drop of oil."

Xu Zheng listened from the side, instantly shocked and furious. "That damned bunch, clinging to what little we have and refusing to let go!"

Just as the two were speaking,

Madam Zhang, having received word, hurried back.

Only after seeing that nothing unusual had happened at home did she let out a breath of relief. Then, anger appearing on her face, she asked, "What exactly happened?"

After quite a while, having heard the entire sequence of events,

Madam Zhang's face turned deathly pale. She clutched her collar nervously and murmured, "What do we do now? That's the Wild Wolf Gang!"

Almost every household in the area knew one saying.

Better offend a constable by three parts than provoke a Wild Wolf by one hair.

It referred to the Wild Wolf Gang, which held considerable influence in the outer district.

They ran gambling dens, brothels, moneylending shops, and other businesses—all blood-sucking trades.

No one knew how many people they had driven to ruin, tearing wives from husbands and children from parents.

"Sister-in-law, I'm sorry. This happened because of me," Xu Yuan said apologetically.

"How can you blame yourself? I was the one who wanted to take out the loan..."

Xu Zheng raised a hand and punched him lightly.

"Enough!"

Madam Zhang cut off their mutual buck-passing irritably. "Will blaming someone solve this matter?"

She stared at them with her delicate eyes for a while, until both brothers felt awkward.

Then, all of a sudden, she took the fresh fish from Xu Yuan's hands. "I'm going to cook. You two brothers caused this trouble, so solve it yourselves."

With that, she walked into the kitchen, leaving behind only a frail silhouette.

Xu Yuan turned back, took out the remaining money on him, and handed it to Xu Zheng. "I still have some money here. It should be enough to keep them steady for a month or two."

"No, this is your money for martial arts training..."

Xu Zheng hurriedly waved his hands. "The family is counting on you to rise up now. You can't let all your previous efforts go to waste."

"Rest assured, Brother. I already have confidence in my martial arts training." Xu Yuan forcibly stuffed the money into his hands, his tone resolute.

"You should both be careful when working outside these days too. Try not to come into conflict with them."

At the dinner table, Madam Zhang deliberately simmered the two crucian carp into soup. The broth was milky white, and its fragrance filled the air.

She then mixed the mashed fish meat with rice before spreading a layer of bean paste from the jar over it. The flavor immediately came alive.

Though the rice was old and the paste had been fried from tofu dregs and wheat bran,

with the fresh, delicious fish mixed in, it was not too bad after all.

If you can't find the book by searching its title, try searching for the author—it may simply have been renamed!

The three lowered their heads and chewed in silence. Clearly, none of them had much appetite.

After the meal, Xu Yuan did not linger and soon took his leave.

As he walked back to the residence, early winter sunlight spilled down inch by inch, yet it could not disperse the gloom surrounding him.

"Wild Wolf Gang, Li Daqiang..."

Xu Yuan murmured under his breath, his gaze growing sharper and sharper.

Even in the prefectural city, ruffians and hooligans still filled every corner. Ordinary people simply had no way to deal with them.

And this gang of hoodlums had even formed a faction of some scale. Since the authorities could tolerate them, there was surely some hidden collusion at work.

How could a commoner like you possibly report them?

You would probably vanish without a trace the very next night.

"Sheltered beneath the great tree of the Shangyang Family, I need to climb upward even faster. Only then will I have something to rely on when trouble comes."

Thinking of this, Xu Yuan quickened his pace, weaving through long streets and narrow alleys.

His youthful face gradually stretched into a fleeting shadow in the wind.

Hurried, heavy-hearted.

In the blink of an eye, three days passed.

Today, at the hour of the Snake.

As usual, Xu Yuan and the other two practiced in the courtyard.

With the deadline drawing ever closer, the atmosphere grew increasingly oppressive.

After training for only a short while, Sun Rong's body trembled as she stopped. Delight shone on her face as she deliberately lowered her voice.

"Everyone, my Qi and Blood Training is saturated. I can feel the bamboo-joint bottleneck Master Feng mentioned."

Xu Yuan's expression did not change. Smiling, he congratulated her. "Congratulations. Today is the fortieth day of our martial arts training. According to Master Feng, you should break through soon. Becoming a formal martial artist is already as certain as a nail driven into a board."

"A formal martial artist..."

Upon hearing those words, Sun Rong's eyes immediately reddened. The excitement in her heart was beyond anyone else's understanding.

Li Shan's expression paused, and his tone turned somewhat complicated.

"It seems Sister Sun truly has the best talent among the three of us... I wonder, what does that bottleneck feel like?"

"If Brother Li weren't so overly enthusiastic, he would surely be faster than me."

Sun Rong casually wiped her eyes. After exchanging a few polite words, she resumed her horse stance. Feeling it out for a moment, she said,

"I don't know how to describe it either. It feels like... the outer coating of a candied hawthorn skewer. As long as it melts away, you can eat the sweet-and-sour fruit inside."

Hearing this, Li Shan gave a bitter laugh. "Sister Sun, that comparison misses the mark a little. According to Master Feng, that outer layer is truly very thick, and it isn't sweet in the slightest."

"Is that so?" Sun Rong was stunned, then suddenly understood. "I've never eaten a candied hawthorn skewer. So it isn't sweet at all?"

"No way, you've really never had one?"

Xu Yuan and Li Shan exchanged a glance, somewhat surprised, before they could not help laughing together.

"Next time, I'll take you to eat one." Li Shan patted his chest, taking the task upon himself without hesitation.

"Alright, then I'll thank Brother Li in advance." Sun Rong deliberately put on a maidenly manner and gave a dainty bow.

"Sister Sun, when you make that gesture, you really are... mm, quite valiant and heroic."

Seeing this, Li Shan said in a strange tone.

"Looking for a beating!" Sun Rong understood that he was mocking her. At once, she raised her fair little fist and punched toward his shoulder.

"Don't, don't hit there. It's sore and aching from yesterday's training."

"Haha, who told you to make fun of me? That's exactly where I'm hitting!"

Standing to the side, Xu Yuan watched the two fool around and could not help shaking his head with a smile.

The winter morning air was growing colder by the moment.

Yet it could not conceal the blazing warmth of the moment, nor the unbroken stream of laughter.

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