Pitiful Liu Zhao

Wang Family Valley.

On the winding mountain path, two households of villagers were locked in a violent brawl over water rights, blocking the way forward.

One family had simply dug a trench right in the middle of the road, and muddy water gushed out, severing the entire path.

Liu Zhao's carriage was forced to a halt.

"Move aside! You bunch of unruly peasants, if you dare block the road again, watch your heads!"

The Liu Family steward barked harshly, and several guards stepped forward to shove the crowd.

It was unclear who struck first, but the two families escalated from verbal abuse to a full-blown melee, clubs clashing and stones flying.

The few guards who had charged in were immediately beaten back.

"You suicidal fools!"

The steward's face turned livid, and just as he was about to order them to force their way through, Liu Zhao's icy voice drifted from inside the carriage: "Scatter some copper coins and broken silver by the roadside to lure them away quickly. If anyone still dares to block the path, kill them without mercy."

"Understood."

The guards took the order and tossed a handful of copper coins and silver shards to both sides of the mountain path.

Seeing this, the villagers' eyes turned red, and they swarmed toward the money, leaving only a few still brawling.

The Liu Family's axemen stepped forward with blades drawn, and those few, trembling in fear, scrambled away on their hands and knees.

However, even though the path was cleared, the trench the villagers had dug remained before them.

The irrigation ditch dug into the road was neither too large nor too small, exactly the width of a carriage wheel.

If the carriage tried to cross, it would undoubtedly get stuck.

The Liu Family steward gritted his teeth and ordered the carriage shafts unhitched. He summoned the accompanying martial artists, and with a shout, they actually lifted the entire carriage and stepped over the ditch.

This ordeal consumed quite a bit of time.

Only then did a trace of anxiety appear on the face of the usually composed Liu Zhao.

The series of unexpected events made him feel as if an invisible hand were manipulating him from the shadows.

Liu Zhao lifted the curtain and summoned the steward to ask: "Have you kept a tight grip on the Cui Family's driver?"

"Rest assured, Young Master, his entire family is in our hands. He will certainly trigger the mechanism as we instructed and lock Third Miss Cui's carriage."

Liu Zhao breathed a slight sigh of relief.

As long as Cui Xijun was still in the carriage, being late by a moment or two shouldn't matter.

Yet, for some reason, his eyelids twitched uncontrollably, and his heart hammered like a drum.

It felt as if something terrible had happened.

The convoy continued forward.

A moment later, everyone heard the sound of hooves rising from the mountain.

Coming from afar and drawing near, they swept down the mountain path like a sudden rainstorm.

Liu Zhao instinctively looked out and saw two riders galloping toward them. The figures on horseback were spirited, their robes fluttering in the wind.

When he focused his gaze on the face of the leading woman, Liu Zhao was instantly struck with terror.

The person riding the horse was none other than the protagonist he had arranged for today—Cui Xijun.

Cui Xijun also caught a glimpse of the Liu Family convoy. A flicker of suspicion crossed her eyes, but she did not stop, nor did she ask any questions.

She merely spurred her horse, kicking up dust as she brushed past the Liu Family's convoy.

Liu Zhao pulled the curtain shut with a snap, his face deathly pale, cold sweat beading on his forehead as he dared not show his face.

Once the sound of hooves faded into the distance, he could no longer sit still, pacing inside the carriage like an ant on a hot pan.

"Get out! Prepare the horses!"

He gave a low shout and hurried out of the carriage.

Then, taking two or three trusted aides, he mounted his horse and galloped toward Xiangguo Temple.

The sense of foreboding in his heart grew increasingly intense; he desperately needed to know what had gone wrong ahead.

An incense stick's time later.

Liu Zhao and his aides arrived at the bend of the narrow mountain pass.

Before they had even drawn close, the scent of blood drifted through the air.

He passed through the forest path and rounded the bend, only to be struck with horror at the sight of corpses strewn across the ground.

These bodies included not only people from the Cui Family but also some familiar faces he recognized.

He stumbled off his horse and walked into the pile of corpses, where he saw the severed head of Cai Heshuo.

The latter's eyes were wide open, staring in death.

He continued forward, standing before that meticulously prepared carriage.

At this moment, the mechanism on the carriage had been triggered; the cabin door swung wide open, revealing an empty interior.

Liu Zhao shuddered, nearly losing his footing as his last shred of reason completely collapsed.

He kicked Cai He's severed head away with a violent strike, his voice raspy with rage: "Useless trash! You've ruined my grand plan!"

The steward behind him turned ashen, hurriedly stepping forward with a trembling voice: "Young Master... what should we do now?"

Liu Zhao gasped for air, forcibly suppressing his surging emotions before gritting his teeth to command: "Turn the convoy around immediately. We aren't returning to the Capital City; we head straight for Cloud Center. Send men on fast horses to notify my father so he can prepare early."

The steward's heart skipped a beat.

Cloud Center was the ancestral land of the Liu Family.

Unless the situation had spiraled out of control, the Young Master would never retreat so easily.

Because once he left the Capital City, it meant distancing himself from the center of power and losing his eligibility for the full-scale cultivation of the family.

The Young Master this time... was truly panicked.

Chen Ye did not know how to ride a horse.

He could only lead the horse that Third Miss Cui had gifted him by the reins.

After leaving the narrow mountain pass, he did not head down the mountain to return to the Capital City, but instead turned and ducked into the Hidden Dragon Mountain Range on the outskirts of the city.

The mountain was not high, but its forests were deep and its ridges vast, making it easy to hide.

After traveling a short distance up a secluded path, he spotted a crude thatched hut.

This was a place used by villagers from below for brief rests while hunting, and it was rarely visited during ordinary times.

Before the operation, the group had agreed to meet here.

Chen Ye looked around, confirming no one was following before stepping forward to knock on the door: one long, two short.

The wooden door was pulled open.

Zuo Dongxi and Su Guang stood inside, both stunned to see him leading a horse.

Su Guang hurriedly reminded him: "The horses of all the major noble families in the Capital City are branded; we can't take them, and the horse markets won't accept them."

Chen Ye stroked the horse's mane and smiled: "This was a gift from Third Miss Cui, so it should be fine."

Su Guang's eyes lit up: "Did the matter of getting into the Cui Family succeed?"

"There's no conclusion yet." Chen Ye shook his head: "But it's a good start. Let's go inside and talk."

Chen Ye tied the horse to a tree beside the hut, stepped inside, and locked the door.

The hut was cramped, with firewood and thatch piled in the corner, but beside the woodpile sat a wooden chest measuring two feet and three inches.

Chen Ye walked over and nudged it open with his toe, revealing stacks of silver ingots, gold coins, and scattered jewelry inside.

For a moment, the room was filled with a faint, golden glow.

Zuo Dongxi stepped forward and whispered: "Brother Su and I did a rough count; it's about fourteen hundred taels. The incense money from the Cui Family accounts for eleven hundred, and the remaining three hundred was scavenged from those men."

Chen Ye scoffed: "These noble families are truly wealthy."

"With the Imperial Preceptor presiding over Xiangguo Temple, all the noble families in the Capital City are eager to curry favor, so the incense money is naturally substantial. It's just unexpected that the Liu Family would spend so much this time."

Chen Ye said: "They likely never intended for those men to return alive. If we hadn't intervened, this money would have circled around and eventually ended up back in their pockets."

As he spoke, he leaned toward the window to scan the outside, confirming no one was tailing them before turning back: "This operation went smoothly, thanks to the concerted efforts of you two brothers, and we even gained this unexpected windfall."

"Whether we can enter the Cui Family later is a matter for another time; for now, let's divide this silver."

Su Guang and Zuo Dongxi sat up straight, listening intently.

Although they were not exactly short on silver and were not particularly greedy, they couldn't help but feel a stir of excitement at such a massive fortune.

Without waiting for them to speak, Chen Ye said directly: "Let me state my thoughts first. How we divide the silver must be proportional to the effort each person put in; otherwise, if there is resentment, it will inevitably affect the bond between us brothers."

"Only with clear rules can our brotherhood last."