Jian Shan, who always greeted Chen Xian with a leering grin, now had one side of his face swollen, with a bloodied scab at the corner of his mouth.
Duan Cui was in even worse shape. His left arm was slung around his neck in a bandage, and he limped as he walked.
"What happened?"
Chen Xian dragged the two of them into the courtyard and slammed the door shut. His gaze swept over their injuries, and his brows knitted tightly.
Jian Shan hunched his shoulders and gave a dry laugh. "Granduncle-Master, it's nothing. We just accidentally fell off the Flying Boat when we were coming down the mountain..."
"Could a fall leave a fist-shaped mark?"
Chen Xian snorted, pointing at the obvious red fist mark on Jian Shan's face. "Tell the truth. I'm not senile yet!"
Duan Cui's eyes reddened. He lowered his head and said nothing.
"I told you we should wait until our injuries healed before coming to see Granduncle-Master. Sigh..."
Jian Shan nudged Duan Cui with his elbow. Seeing that he couldn't hide it any longer, he gritted his teeth and sighed.
"Yesterday evening, on East Street in West First Ward, Ask-Dao City... Junior Brother Duan and I were selling candied hawthorns at a stall when a group of masked men suddenly rushed out. Without saying a word, they smashed our stall and beat us up."
"The man leading them seemed to be a martial artist. He was extremely strong, probably a Hua Jin martial expert, and a little stronger than me."
"And there were a lot of them. Since martial arts weren't allowed in Ask-Dao City, the two of us were outnumbered... so..."
Jian Shan couldn't continue.
They were disciples of the mighty Sword Sect, yet they'd been beaten up by a bunch of martial artists. It was far too humiliating to tell anyone.
"Hua Jin..." Chen Xian mused. In the Martial Dao, the Body Tempering stages of skin, flesh, and bone were roughly equivalent to the Ninth Layer of Dao Disciple, while External Force, Internal Force, and Hua Jin were around the first through third layers of Dao Master.
The assailant had reached Hua Jin, which meant his strength was about that of a second- or third-layer Dao Master.
Jian Shan was only a third-grade Pill Master, with a cultivation level of first-layer Dao Master. Duan Cui was a sword cultivator, but he was only at the sixth layer of Dao Disciple. It was only natural that neither of them could beat a Hua Jin expert.
Still, the two of them were disciples of the Xuanyun Sword Sect.
Why would anyone go so far just because they were selling candied hawthorns?
Unless they'd gotten in the way of someone's interests.
"Did you find out who the men were? Or did you get anything that could prove their identities?"
After thinking it over, Chen Xian turned his gaze back to Jian Shan.
If they didn't know who the other party was, then they'd just have to swallow this beating. The Sword Sect might be protective of its own, but it still needed evidence to investigate anyone.
"Yes!"
Jian Shan hurriedly nodded. He reached into his robes and pulled out a somewhat misshapen, dark-red iron token, handing it to Chen Xian. "Junior Brother Duan tore this off the leader during the fight, risking his life to get it. Take a look."
Chen Xian took the token. A golden "Qian" had been written across it in bold, flowing strokes. His eyes widened.
He'd seen an identical token before!
The steward Li Youde at the Qian Mansion wore one just like it.
"The Qian Family did this."
Chen Xian stroked his beard, narrowed his eyes, and quickly turned it over in his mind.
He hadn't expected the Qian Family to act so domineeringly.
But Duan Cui and Jian Shan had only been selling candied hawthorns. If they'd been ordinary peddlers, maybe someone might have begrudged them their business and taken revenge. But the Qian Family was powerful and wealthy. How could they have been affected by the two of them?
For some reason, Chen Xian suddenly thought of Shou'er Tea. Could there be a connection between the two?
It was only a guess, though. He still needed to confirm it.
"The Qian Family?"
Duan Cui raised his head, looking bewildered. He couldn't remember ever offending anyone surnamed Qian.
He'd entered the Sword Sect through the Dao-seeking examination, and in the past two years, he'd hardly ever been down the mountain. He knew nothing about the situation in Ask-Dao City.
Jian Shan, a local of Ask-Dao City, clenched his fists at once. "I knew it was them! The Qian Family is so domineering. It's bad enough that they monopolize business in Ask-Dao City, but now they're even bullying little street vendors like us!"
"Qian Family, Wang Family, or whatever family they belong to, if they lay a hand on my people, they'll have to pay for it."
Chen Xian calmly sat back down on the stone stool, his fingers tapping a steady rhythm against the stone table.
Jian Shan and Duan Cui had both been working for him. If he simply left them in the lurch, who would put their heart into working for him in the future?
Besides, he was the Xuanyun Sword Sect's Granduncle-Master.
The sect's disciples had come to him after being bullied. There was no way he could sit by and do nothing.
What kind of elder would that make him? How could he expect the disciples to respect him after that?
Still, his own strength as Granduncle-Master wasn't exactly impressive right now...
Chen Xian sighed inwardly. Then his gaze fell on Lin Xiaoyan, who was standing off to one side, studying the candied hawthorns.
A smile immediately spread across his face. "Xiaoyan! You can't keep brooding like this. Why don't I take you into the city to clear your head?"
Lin Xiaoyan looked up and glanced at the two men beside him. "I'll do as you say."
Jian Shan and Duan Cui were startled by the sudden appearance of the "beggar."
Why was the Heavy Sword Hall's chief disciple at Granduncle-Master's place, looking so down and out?
Jian Shan was a disciple of Pill Peak, and he suddenly remembered some recent rumors circulating there.
A junior sister from Talisman Peak had been coming to look for Senior Brother Tang Yu. He'd heard that she'd kicked her fiancé to the curb, then immediately started pursuing Senior Brother Tang.
When Senior Brother Tang ignored her, she kept coming back day after day.
Could Senior Brother Lin be the one she'd dumped?
Jian Shan discreetly shot Lin Xiaoyan a sympathetic look.
Then he cupped his hands and bowed to Lin Xiaoyan. "Jian Shan, a disciple of Pill Peak, greets Senior Brother Lin."
Duan Cui finally reacted too and hurriedly bowed as well.
Lin Xiaoyan's gaze rested on Jian Shan for a moment. Then he gave a cool nod. "Mm."
At the moment, he had no good feelings toward Pill Masters whatsoever.
"Get ready. We're going down the mountain. I'll get you two some justice."
With Lin Xiaoyan coming along, Chen Xian felt much more at ease. After all, Lin Xiaoyan was a sixth-layer Sword Master. Unless Qian Yue personally intervened, no one in the Qian Family would be able to do anything to him.
"Granduncle-Master... We took pills. These injuries will heal in a day or two."
"Besides, Junior Brother Jian and I can just move to another street next time. It wouldn't be good for you to make an enemy of the Qian Family!"
Duan Cui was a blockhead, but he still tried to dissuade Chen Xian.
Chen Xian raised his brows. Duan Cui was far too honest. Honest people were the ones who got taken advantage of, and he couldn't stand to see that happen.
He casually stuck a candied hawthorn into the straw bundle and smiled faintly. "I've already made an enemy of the Qian Family. One more time won't make any difference."
"Uh..."
Duan Cui froze. Jian Shan looked curious too, but Granduncle-Master offered no explanation.
"Take this! We're going out on business. No drinking."
Chen Xian slapped the wine gourd Lin Xiaoyan had just taken out of his hand and stuffed the straw bundle full of candied hawthorns into his arms.
Lin Xiaoyan stared at the gourd rolling on the ground, wine spilling out of it, looking conflicted.
"Get lost!"
Seeing that Lin Xiaoyan still wasn't giving up, Chen Xian kicked the wine gourd over the courtyard wall.
A moment later.
All four of them carried a bundle of candied hawthorns as they climbed aboard a tiny Flying Boat.
"Jian Shan, is this Flying Boat reliable?"
Chen Xian clung tightly to the side of the boat, feeling the tiny vessel wobble beneath him, as if it might fall out of the sky at any moment.
"It should... be reliable, right? This disciple doesn't know!"
Jian Shan swallowed nervously. His Flying Boat had a rated capacity of three passengers, and they were now completely overloaded!
And so, the four of them flew toward Ask-Dao City with their hearts in their throats.
Meanwhile, screams and wails filled the Qian Family's Discipline Hall.