Hurry and Fetch Young Master Xun!

Hurry and Fetch Young Master Xun!

Bai Yan, Ye Youcai, and Ye Lingdang all stared at Zhen Xiaoren as though he were an idiot.

Bai Yan could not help laughing aloud.

He had thought this fellow had some formidable background. As it turned out, all he had was a cousin who was a Brigade Leader.

Did having a Brigade Leader for a cousin give him the right to act so arrogantly?

Bai Yan himself had once had a father who was a Brigade Leader, yet he had never dared to be this arrogant.

One had to understand that this was Yongtang, the imperial capital, right beneath the Son of Heaven's feet.

High officials and powerful nobles were as common as oxen's hair. To put it bluntly, one could toss a brick into the street and very likely hit a fifth-rank official.

As for a Brigade Leader of the Imperial Guard, that was merely a Subordinate Sixth Rank position. Before a true big shot, it was utterly insignificant.

If one truly offended a big shot, having a Brigade Leader—or even a Hundred-Man Commander—backing one would be useless.

What did a Brigade Leader amount to?

Looking at Zhen Xiaoren's foolish appearance, Ye Youcai found it amusing, yet he also felt a few traces of pride as Bai Yan's father-in-law. He leisurely opened his mouth:

"Zhen Xiaoren, you probably didn't hear what this old man said just now, did you?"

"This old man said that my son-in-law is also an Imperial Guard."

He deliberately emphasized his words and pointed at Bai Yan.

"This man is the Imperial Guard's newly promoted Hundred-Man Commander, Bai Yan!"

"A Hundred-Man Commander? Impossible, absolutely impossible!"

The moment he heard the words "Hundred-Man Commander," Zhen Xiaoren was instantly frightened senseless and repeatedly shook his head.

"He's not even older than me. How could he possibly be a Hundred-Man Commander?"

"If you want to fool this young master, at least find a better excuse. Do you really think I'll believe your..."

Zhen Xiaoren's words abruptly stopped before he could finish.

Because he saw Bai Yan take out a command token, upon which the words "Northern Commandery Investigation Bureau Hundred-Man Commander" were strikingly written.

Bai Yan had come to the feast today without wearing his Flying Fish Robe or carrying the Snow Drinking Saber.

Thus, on the outside, he looked like a refined scholar.

But now that he had produced an Imperial Guard command token, Zhen Xiaoren had no choice but to believe him.

He had seen an Imperial Guard command token at his cousin's place before. The one in Bai Yan's hand was exactly the same—its material, patterns, and markings were identical in every detail. It could not be fake.

Moreover, no one in this world dared to forge an Imperial Guard command token. Once discovered, it was a grave crime that brought extermination upon nine generations of one's family.

"You... you're really an Imperial Guard Hundred-Man Commander?"

Zhen Xiaoren trembled all over, his teeth chattering as he stammered.

Bai Yan toyed with the command token and said with a half-smile:

"You were quite right just now. The Imperial Guard is the Son of Heaven's personal army. Daring to attack the Imperial Guard is equivalent to plotting rebellion, punishable by the extermination of three clans."

"Tell me, how should this official deal with you now? Should I simply confiscate your entire household?"

Bai Yan's tone suddenly turned cold, and bone-chilling killing intent burst from his eyes.

"Spare my life, my lord!"

Without a second word, Zhen Xiaoren dropped to his knees before Bai Yan and repeatedly knocked his head against the floor.

"Spare my life, my lord! Spare my life!"

"I didn't know you were an Imperial Guard Hundred-Man Commander, my lord. I offended you and deserve ten thousand deaths."

"I beg you, my lord, for the sake of my cousin, who is also an Imperial Guard, spare this dog's life."

"I will never pester Miss Ye again."

"Lord Bai is heroic and extraordinary, while Miss Ye is a peerless beauty. The two of you are a match made in heaven."

"I was merely a toad trying to swallow a swan. I won't dare do it again."

Zhen Xiaoren repeatedly knocked his head against the floor. He knocked twenty or thirty times in succession, until blood flowed from his scalp, yet he still did not stop.

Without Bai Yan's word, he did not dare stop.

In Yongtang, every spoiled young master knew one thing: people with powerful backgrounds could not be provoked.

He had a cousin who was an Imperial Guard Brigade Leader as his backing, so he had dared oppress the Ye family.

But now that the Ye family had an Imperial Guard Hundred-Man Commander backing them, he had no choice but to admit defeat.

What did kneeling and kowtowing matter? Preserving his life was what mattered most.

This boy is no ordinary man.

Bai Yan narrowed his eyes slightly, and a cold glint flashed within them.

Spoiled young masters were not frightening.

Most ordinary spoiled young masters were brainless fools who knew only how to bully others through their power.

But this fellow could bend and stretch. To stay alive, he had knelt and kowtowed without the slightest hesitation. That instead made Bai Yan regard him more highly.

People who could bend and stretch were the most frightening.

As the old saying went, only one who could bend and stretch was a true man.

Goujian had endured hardship in silence, and Han Xin had suffered the humiliation of crawling between someone's legs. In the end, both had accomplished great things.

They were like venomous snakes in a foul ditch. The moment they seized an opportunity, they would spring out and bite you.

With such people, one either did not provoke them at all, or one uprooted them completely. One absolutely could not give them the chance to rise again, or they would become a grave threat in the future.

Bai Yan had originally only wanted to break all four of Zhen Xiaoren's limbs and teach him a lesson.

But now, killing intent had arisen in his heart.

"You intended to harm an Imperial Guard. Though the death penalty can be spared, punishment in life cannot."

"Go lie in bed for a few months."

The moment his voice fell, Bai Yan shot forward. In an instant, he twisted and broke all four of Zhen Xiaoren's limbs. Immediately afterward, his sword fingers struck the Tanzhong acupoint on Zhen Xiaoren's chest like lightning.

Zhen Xiaoren was sent flying backward and crashed heavily to the ground, letting out a heart-rending howl. The sight made the four guards' hearts pound with fear.

"Take your young master and get lost."

"Yes, yes, yes! Thank you for sparing his life, my lord!"

The four guards kowtowed as they scrambled and rolled, then endured the agonizing pain in their thighs as they limped away, carrying Zhen Xiaoren. They fled in utter disarray.

Only after watching them disappear from sight did Bai Yan quietly withdraw the True Essence he had been circulating in secret.

With that finger strike just now, Bai Yan had driven a strand of obscure True Essence into Zhen Xiaoren's body.

This strand of True Essence would remain dormant in ordinary times, without revealing the slightest abnormality. But once the right moment arrived, it would erupt in an instant and cause him to die silently. No one would be able to discover the cause of death.

Unless a Grandmaster acted to expel the True Essence from Zhen Xiaoren's body, he was certain to die!

"Son-in-law, this... this won't cause trouble, will it?"

Ye Youcai stepped forward, a trace of worry on his face.

"The Zhen family has a Brigade Leader behind them, after all. Won't this bring trouble down on you?"

Bai Yan smiled and shook his head.

"It's nothing. It's merely a Brigade Leader."

He had even beaten a Hundred-Man Commander during the day. How could he care about a mere Brigade Leader?

No matter how great Zhen Xiaoren's background was, could it possibly be greater than Wang Zheng's, who stood behind Zhao Gaozhong?

"It's good that nothing will happen."

Ye Youcai breathed a sigh of relief. Then his eyes lit up, and he said eagerly:

"Son-in-law, shouldn't we discuss your marriage to Lingdang? When do you think it would be suitable to hold the wedding?"

In his eyes, Bai Yan was a super potential stock, one in a million. Every day he delayed marrying his daughter off was another day in which he risked someone else snatching Bai Yan away.

Bai Yan smiled. "Father-in-law, you may decide."

His parents had both died, and there were no elders left in his household to arrange such matters. Having Ye Youcai make the decision would actually be more convenient.

Ye Youcai nodded and immediately began making plans, unable to conceal the smile on his face.

The Zhen Residence.

When the four guards limped as they carried Zhen Xiaoren back to the Zhen Residence, the entire household instantly descended into chaos.

When Zhen Xiaoren's mother saw her son lying there in a miserable state, all four limbs broken and unconscious, she immediately wept with heart-rending grief.

"My son, my poor son! Who was so cruel as to beat you into this state?"

"Husband, you must seek justice for our son! You absolutely cannot let that culprit off!"

Master Zhen glared darkly at the four guards kneeling before him and asked furiously:

"Who exactly beat the young master into this state?"

"What did you go out and do today? Explain everything to me, from beginning to end!"

The four guards did not dare conceal anything and hurriedly recounted the entire sequence of events.

When Master Zhen heard that Zhen Xiaoren had been beaten into this state because of Ye Youcai and his daughter, he was so furious that he nearly ground his back teeth to pieces.

"The Ye family's son-in-law! What incredible nerve!"

"And Ye Youcai—he actually dared do this to my son. My Zhen family will never let him off!"

"My lord, you mustn't!"

One of the guards spoke fearfully:

"That son-in-law of the Ye family is an Imperial Guard Hundred-Man Commander. We can't afford to provoke him..."

"So what if he's a Hundred-Man Commander?"

Master Zhen slammed the table and rose in uncontrollable fury.

"Can a Hundred-Man Commander injure people for no reason? Does he have any regard for the law?"

Even if Bai Yan was an Imperial Guard Hundred-Man Commander, he still had to seek justice for his son.

Another guard said anxiously:

"The young master struck that Hundred-Man Commander first. Even if we report this to the authorities, we would still be in the wrong."

Although Bai Yan had crippled one of this guard's legs, the guard did not dare harbor the slightest resentment.

Being able to preserve his life after provoking the Imperial Guard was already a stroke of great luck. How could he still dare cause trouble?

Master Zhen glared hatefully at the guard who had just spoken. Though he knew the man was right, his heart still burned with fury.

"Could this matter really be written off just like that?"

"My son's four limbs are broken, and I can't even seek justice for him?!"

Master Zhen dropped heavily into a chair. He felt a surge of anger lodged in his chest, pressing down on him until he was utterly miserable.

On one hand, he wanted revenge for his son. On the other, he feared Bai Yan, an Imperial Guard Hundred-Man Commander.

That guard was right. His son had been the one to strike first, and the Zhen family had no grounds on its side in this matter.

Attacking the Imperial Guard was a grave offense. Bai Yan had spared his son's life already, which meant he had shown mercy.

If they continued to pursue the matter relentlessly, disaster might well befall the entire household.

"Master, we can't just let this go."

Zhen Xiaoren's mother howled from the side:

"That damned beast treated our son this way! Unless we skin him and pull out his tendons, I won't be able to relieve the hatred in my heart!"

Mrs. Zhen's face was hideous, her expression twisted. She looked as terrifying as an evil ghost ready to devour a person.

The venom in her eyes made the four guards' hearts pound with fear.

As the saying went, like mother, like son.

The reason Zhen Xiaoren had become so overbearing and arrogant was inseparable from Mrs. Zhen.

A doting mother ruined her son. The words of the ancients had always held truth.

Master Zhen waved his hand irritably.

"Then tell me what we should do. The man who injured Xiaoren is an Imperial Guard Hundred-Man Commander. What qualifications does my Zhen Residence have to oppose a Hundred-Man Commander?"

An Imperial Guard Hundred-Man Commander held an Imperial Court Subordinate Fifth Rank position.

Combined with the Imperial Guard's special status as the Son of Heaven's personal army, even a fourth-rank Imperial Court official had to show him some respect.

Before such a great figure, what did the Zhen family amount to?

"Xun'er! Isn't Xun'er serving in the Imperial Guard?"

Mrs. Zhen suddenly shrieked:

"We should ask Xun'er about this and have him think of a solution!"

Master Zhen's eyes lit up, and he hurriedly called for the steward.

"Quick! Hurry and fetch Young Master Xun!"