Enduring Humiliation to Beg for Ten Days' Grace

Moonlight pooled like water, spilling across the broken courtyard gate like a layer of frost laid over a wound.

Ye Qingxuan held his sister close, murmuring soothingly until her sobs faded and she drifted into a deep sleep in his arms. Only then did he carefully carry Ye Caiwei back inside and tuck her under a thin blanket.

The night wind outside gusted through the doorway, making the oil lamp's flame on the table flicker. The braised pork, with only a few bites taken, had long gone cold, its congealed fat gleaming white under the lamplight.

Ye Qingxuan walked back into the courtyard, bent down, and picked up the door panel that had been kicked off its hinges. He tried to fit it back into the frame, but the wooden tenons had snapped and the pivot was warped—a futile effort.

Just then, footsteps sounded from the mouth of the alley.

This time, the steps weren't the chaotic racket of Hu Jiudao's crew. They were steady and forceful, one after another, unhurried, as if each footfall landed squarely on a person's heart.

Ye Qingxuan stopped what he was doing and turned toward the courtyard gate.

Several figures appeared at the alley's entrance, silhouetted against the moonlight, their faces indistinct. But the oppressive aura they carried was several times stronger than Hu Jiudao's gang.

The man at the front led the way. Behind him followed Hu Jiudao, who had returned. Gone was his earlier arrogance; he now walked with his head bowed and back hunched, like a beaten dog trailing its master.

The newcomers entered the courtyard, and the moonlight revealed the leader's face.

He was about thirty-five or thirty-six, dressed in a well-tailored brocade robe. He wasn't tall, but his build was unusually solid. A smile was perpetually fixed on his face, but it never reached his eyes. Between the narrow slits of his triangular eyes gleamed a sharp light—a mix of a merchant's cunning and a gangster's ruthlessness.

One of the three hall masters of Fierce Tiger Hall, Duan Tianbao. Known as the "Little Tiger Lord."

Hu Jiudao hurried forward two steps, pointed at Ye Qingxuan, and said fawningly to Duan Tianbao, "Hall Master, it's this brat."

Duan Tianbao didn't even look at Ye Qingxuan. His gaze swept the courtyard before landing on the broken door panel on the ground. He raised an eyebrow and turned to Hu Jiudao. "Your doing?"

Hu Jiudao's body trembled. He stammered, "This... this kid wouldn't cooperate. The brothers got a little heavy-handed..."

"Slap!"

A sharp crack rang out.

Duan Tianbao's slap sent Hu Jiudao spinning half a turn, one side of his face swelling instantly.

"You worthless piece of trash!" Duan Tianbao scolded. "Did all the rules I taught you go to the dogs? We're businessmen—harmony brings wealth. Collecting debts is one thing, but smashing someone's door? What's that about? Word gets out, and people will think Fierce Tiger Hall is a bandit den."

After his tirade, he finally turned to Ye Qingxuan, his face instantly rearranging itself into that trademark smile. He clasped his hands in a polite gesture. "Young Master Ye, sorry for startling you. My men don't know their place. On their behalf, I offer my apologies."

This act—striking his own man first, then apologizing—was a classic carrot-and-stick routine. For an ordinary youth, such a display would likely leave them torn between gratitude and fear.

But Ye Qingxuan only watched him calmly, returning the gesture with neither arrogance nor servility. "Hall Master Duan is too kind."

"Oh?" A flicker of surprise passed through Duan Tianbao's triangular eyes. This boy was far more composed than he had expected.

He strolled over to the eaves, glanced at the braised pork on the table, and chuckled. "Living well, I see. Looks like I came at the right time. Otherwise, those fools under me would have botched the whole thing."

He paused, then shifted his tone. "Your father and I had some goodwill between us back in the day. He left in a hurry, so I shouldn't be pressing this debt. But I've got over a hundred brothers in the hall to feed, and rules are rules."

Duan Tianbao held up one finger. "Principal: ten taels. That's the promissory note your father signed."

He then raised three fingers. "Street rules: 'Lend nine, repay thirteen.' Borrow ten, pay back thirteen—that's the standard rate. Out of respect for Old Man Ye, I'll count the principal as ten taels and add only one tael of interest. Eleven taels—that's already an enormous favor. But you've been dragging this for nearly a year. With interest compounding, I'll call it fourteen taels. Not too much, is it?"

His words were laid out clearly, sounding reasonable and fair, as if he weren't a ruthless debt collector but a wronged creditor who had gone above and beyond.

But Ye Qingxuan knew the truth. The so-called "lend nine, repay thirteen" meant the lender gave only nine taels but demanded thirteen in return—a predatory loan that devoured people whole. Duan Tianbao talked about goodwill, but in reality, that fourteen-tael figure was even darker than the standard racket.

Ye Qingxuan lowered his head, his body trembling slightly, his voice tinged with panic and a quaver. "Hall Master Duan, fourteen taels... that... that's too much. My father's medical treatment drained our savings. I... I really can't come up with it."

This reaction was exactly what one would expect from a boy his age.

The smile at the corner of Duan Tianbao's mouth deepened. He loved watching his prey squirm.

"Can't come up with it?" he drawled. "That's a problem. I'm a soft-hearted man—I hate violence. But... I hear you have a younger sister?"

Those words again.

The fist hidden in Ye Qingxuan's sleeve clenched instantly.

He jerked his head up, his face a mask of "panic," and blurted out, "No! Don't touch my sister! The money... I'll pay it back, I swear!"

"Oh? With what?" Duan Tianbao asked leisurely.

"I... I work for the Fengtian Division!" Ye Qingxuan said, as if grasping at his last straw. "I eat the government's rice! I have a monthly salary! Give me time, and I'll definitely pay it off!"

"The Fengtian Division?" Duan Tianbao laughed, his voice dripping with mockery. "A temporary runner without a formal post? Five hundred coppers a month? By the time you save up fourteen taels, your sister could be married off. I'll give you five days. Bring the money in five days. Otherwise, I'll have to invite your sister to sit with us at the hall."

"Five days? That's too short!" The color drained from Ye Qingxuan's face. "Hall Master Duan, please, give me a few more days! Ten days! Just ten days!"

He looked like a cornered man, desperate and babbling. "In ten days, I'll definitely scrape the money together! I beg you!"

Duan Tianbao squinted at him, weighing the truth of his words. A poor kid pushed to the edge would say anything to protect his sister.

He toyed with a jade thumb ring, speaking slowly. "Ten days... that's not impossible. But breaking my rules means the brothers deserve a little compensation for their trouble, doesn't it?"

Ye Qingxuan nodded frantically, as if afraid he'd change his mind. "Of course! Of course!"

"Then fourteen taels, not a single coin less." Duan Tianbao sealed the deal. "Ten days from now, I'll come collect in person. Young Master Ye, take care of yourself."

With that, he didn't spare Ye Qingxuan another glance and turned to leave.

Hu Jiudao and the other thugs hurried after him. As Hu Jiudao passed Ye Qingxuan, he shot him a gloating look.

The group soon vanished into the alley.

The courtyard fell back into dead silence.

Ye Qingxuan, who had been trembling and panicked moments before, slowly straightened up. The fear and pleading on his face faded the instant Duan Tianbao's back disappeared, leaving only a calm as deep and bottomless as an abyss.

He walked to the courtyard gate, picked up the broken door panel, and leaned it against the wall.

Everything just now had been an act.

He had to be "panicked," had to "beg," had to appear like a helpless youth backed into a corner. Because in front of someone like Duan Tianbao, any trace of calm or rationality would be interpreted as "having backing" or "harboring ulterior motives," only inviting deeper probing and harsher exploitation.

Only by showing weakness, by disguising himself as an ant that could be crushed at will, could he let the man lower his guard and buy himself the most precious thing—time.

From five days to ten days, the price was that the two taels of silver Hu Jiudao had mentioned Duan Tianbao "forgave" were added back.

But Ye Qingxuan didn't care.

Sixteen taels or fourteen taels made no difference to him—both were astronomical sums he couldn't possibly reach right now. Yet those extra five days could let him do many things.

He slowly exhaled a mouthful of stale air.

This feeling of placing his fate in another's hands, trading a sliver of hope through acting and pleading, disgusted him to the bone.

In this turbid world, without strength, there was no dignity. So-called cunning, so-called caution, were merely survival tactics for the weak—no path to lasting success.

He turned and walked into the house.

Looking at his sleeping younger sister, her thin face still bore tear stains, and even in sleep, her brows were tightly furrowed.

Ye Qingxuan reached out and gently smoothed the creases between her brows.

His gaze fell upon his own hands. They were a youth's hands, still somewhat slender, but with distinct knuckles. The palms, from years of holding a blade while patrolling the streets, were worn with a thin layer of calluses.

"Ten days..." he murmured to himself.

In his mind, that illusory scroll unfurled once more.

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[Name: Ye Qingxuan]
[Realm: None]
[Martial Art: Indestructible Vajra Body (Scale: Zero Inch, Merit: 0/5)]

This was his true reliance.

"In ten days, I'll repay the fourteen taels of silver, principal and interest!"

The promise he had just made to Duan Tianbao still echoed in his ears.

This wasn't an empty threat born of desperation, but an oath he had sworn to himself.

Within these ten days, he would turn this world upside down!