White Marten Scarf

"Yo, whose young lady is this? She's truly fresh and lovely!"

"Isn't that so? Even dressed in such rustic clothes, you've somehow made yourself look like a fairy.

Looking across all of Yellow Snake County, it seems that apart from the pair of sisters from the Mountain-Breaking Stance Martial Arts Hall, it would be hard to find anyone whose looks could compare to this woman's."

"Good sirs, we merely wandered into your esteemed territory to conduct a small business.

Please take this silver and treat yourselves to tea." Duan Jiantao stepped in front of Duan Xin and took out a tael of broken silver from his robes.

He handed it to the two shifty-eyed gang enforcers with curved blades at their waists.

"You old bastard, you've got some sense, huh!"

Yellow Snake County was vast. Nearly every village nestled among the mountains and forests had one or two gangs entrenched within it.

By coincidence, Old Man Duan had brought Duan Xin to the county town to deliver goods today, only to run into two gang members collecting tolls.

"May I ask, good sirs, are you members of the Clear Snake Gang? You look somewhat unfamiliar. I have some acquaintance with your gang's Second Master, so I hope you won't make things difficult for my little business!"

"Pah! You old fool! Are you blind?" The gang member turned hostile without warning. He pocketed the silver and kicked Duan Jiantao sprawling.

Already in his seventies or eighties and unsteady on his feet, Duan Jiantao crashed to the ground, left dazed and disoriented, his mouth full of a fishy sweetness.

"The Clear Snake Gang has already been wiped out by our Flower Snake Gang. From now on, if you want to take this route into the county town to deliver mountain goods, you'll have to pay tribute to the Flower Snake Gang. Understand?"

"Why are you hitting people?" Duan Xin hurriedly helped the old man up.

Duan Jiantao regretted it so much his intestines had turned green. In the past,

he would always deliver goods together with his lazy, good-for-nothing second son, Duan Tao.

But today, Duan Tao had used raising money to buy Blood and Qi Pills for his son Duan Xu as an excuse and refused to come no matter what.

Duan Xin had not wanted her father to strain his back.

So she had volunteered to take his place. Who could have expected them to encounter members of a new gang they had never even heard of?

Most crucially, the girl of their family was simply too pretty. At a glance, she had made the two Flower Snake Gang enforcers salivate with desire.

"You filthy bitch, what are you talking about? That old fool offended us first. You ought to make him kneel and apologize."

The Flower Snake Gang members smiled ever more lewdly. Licking their dry lips, they closed in on Duan Xin step by step, about to lay their hands on her.

"Third girl, run! What are you standing there for?"

"Just try it! If you run, I'll chop off your father's head and hang it outside your family shop..."

Duan Jiantao's face turned deathly pale. These bandit bastards were the sort who killed without even blinking.

If they truly drew their blades, not only would he be finished, but his daughter would suffer humiliation and torment as well.

After struggling for a while, Duan Jiantao fell to his knees and repeatedly slammed his head against the ground. He exhausted every good word he knew and even promised to give them more money if they would spare his daughter.

But the gang members would not be swayed by oil or salt. Their minds were wholly fixed on Duan Xin's clean, pale face, like the first light of dawn.

Duan Xin picked up a stone, ready to fight to the death.

Suddenly, Duan Jiantao shouted, "I'm telling you, don't do anything rash! My eldest grandson is from the Broken Mountain Martial Arts Hall!"

"The Broken Mountain Martial Arts Hall?" What gang members feared most was offending a martial arts hall. No matter how many brothers they had, they could not withstand the devastation wrought by the hall's Dark Force and Transformed Force experts.

One of them could not help asking, "Lin Hu or Liu Mingze? No, no, this old bastard is flying the banner of the Duan Family Shop. Does the Broken Mountain Martial Arts Hall have someone surnamed Duan?"

The other shook his head and whispered to his companion, "The old man wouldn't dare make this up. There must really be someone in the martial arts hall.

That Broken Mountain Martial Arts Hall has recently become one of the county town's hottest prospects. So many forces have tried to curry favor with them, yet cannot even get in line.

Rumor has it that Lin Hu and Liu Mingze broke through to the Bright and Dark Forces after practicing martial arts for just three months.

We can't act recklessly over this. We should first look into that Duan fellow and see what level he's at.

Then we can decide what to do based on his relationship with Lin Hu and the other."

Once the two had made up their minds, they cursed Duan Jiantao, left Duan Xin with a few lewd remarks, and hurried away.

After they left, Duan Xin's lovely brows shot upright. "Old man.

Why did you mention Xuan's martial arts hall just now? Do you know this could bring him trouble?"

Duan Jiantao struggled to his feet and snorted. "Bringing trouble to that brat who doesn't know to show filial respect to his father is better than watching you get bullied.

Besides, Xu is about to break through to the Dark Force. He needs to focus wholeheartedly at the martial arts hall and must not be disturbed.

This little bit of trouble doesn't need him to handle it.

And besides, what can those gang members possibly do to Duan Xuan? He's Lin Hu and Liu Mingze's fellow disciple, after all. Could he really be bullied?

You don't even understand something as simple as weighing the pros and cons. How will you take over my shop in the future?

Then again, that brat Duan Xuan ought to be tempered a little. Let the gang members teach him a lesson.

He'll realize he isn't cut out for martial arts and hurry up and get back the tuition money for Xu.

Hey, hey, hey, listen to me first! There's so much stuff here, your father can't carry it alone.

Third girl, come back!"

"Auntie!" Duan Xuan's voice came from outside the shabby shop.

The anger on Duan Xin's face immediately melted away. Turning back, she saw that her dear nephew Duan Xuan had indeed arrived.

Duan Xuan carried a white marten in his hand.

Although the snow on the mountains had melted and the sweltering summer had arrived, white martens and purple martens could still occasionally be found deep in the mountains.

Moreover, he was now employed at Benevolent Harmony Hall's medicinal garden, and that area was a prime hunting ground marked out by Wolf Stronghold.

White martens could be spotted there from time to time.

"Huh? What happened to Grandpa? Why is he limping?"

Duan Jiantao gave Duan Xuan a cold look, snorted, and carried the raw materials into the shop.

Then he shouted from inside, "Show a little awareness! Do you really think this shop is your home?

Coming whenever you want and leaving whenever you please?"

Duan Xuan naturally understood that this was directed at him.

Duan Xin gritted her teeth in anger, picked up a stone, and viciously hurled it into the house.

"Ow! Who threw that stone?" Rubbing his forehead, Duan Jiantao headed into the back courtyard.

"It's nothing major, but it may bring you some trouble.

On our way back, we were stopped in Yellow Snake County by Flower Snake Gang members demanding toll money.

Those little lecherous thieves actually tried to make a move on me, so the old man got beaten up.

You must be extra careful at the martial arts hall these next few days. The old man let it slip earlier and mentioned you." With some guilt, Duan Xin gently patted Duan Xuan's head.

Duan Xuan smiled calmly and handed the white marten to his aunt. "It's fine. With the four words 'Broken Mountain Martial Arts Hall,' they probably won't dare come and cause trouble again.

This is for you, Auntie. I caught it in the back mountain a few days ago, and it doesn't have even a scratch on it.

I had my mother make it into a marten-fur scarf and brought it to you at the first opportunity.

I remember when I was little, you had a white towel you especially liked, but I got it dirty.

You were afraid I'd be cold, so you wrapped it around my neck and made me wear it home.

Unfortunately, I was too young and ignorant then. In the end, the white towel couldn't hold on and got torn apart by branches in the mountains."

Duan Xin giggled, the corners of her eyes curving into crescents. "You still remember?

Back then, you weren't even as tall as that towel.

In the depths of winter, you didn't even have thick clothes to wear, yet you ran wild through the village behind Zhao Rui.

The other children only had red faces from the cold, but there wasn't a single spot on your whole body that was all right.

Your grandmother spent several days weaving that towel. I loved it dearly back then.

And now you've given me a flawless white marten pelt. You've got a conscience after all, brat!"

The two chatted for a while longer about childhood memories. Seeing them laughing and talking together, Duan Jiantao was furious.

He truly could not bring himself to like this grandson of his very much.

The boy had too many thoughts of his own and never told him anything. Every time he came, he brought nothing, as though he had no grandfather in his eyes.

Most hateful of all, his second grandson Duan Xu was now close to cultivating to the Dark Force and was bound to become someone great in the future.

Who knew how many years their ancestors below had spent begging grandfathers and grandmothers before such good fortune had finally sent smoke rising from their ancestral incense.

Yet this brat and his tactless mother were actually so blind to what was good for them.

Recently, who knew where they had gotten money and meat from? Their lives had become quite comfortable.

But precisely because of that, they should have pooled all their money onto Duan Xu to help him break through to the Dark Force.

When the martial examination came around and Xu won a ranking, would that not bring glory to the family name? Would their family not benefit at all?

Even a glimmer from the very tip of a hair would be enough for Duan Xuan and his mother to live on for the rest of their lives.

Yet Duan Xuan was indifferent, and Zhou Fang was indifferent too. Neither was willing to take out even a single coin.

The fire in Duan Jiantao's heart only smoldered ever hotter.

Duan Xuan said no more. Seeing how much his aunt loved the scarf, he was quite satisfied as he bid her farewell and left.

The next day.

"Young Master Ren, I'd like to ask you about a gang called the Flower Snake Gang..."