Xiao Weishan

Peaceful Reach Escort Bureau.

"Brother Yang, what brings you here today?"

After being informed by the gatekeeper, the young man hurried out through the side entrance. Seeing Cheng Yang, his face was full of surprise.

"Haozi, I came to repay the silver I borrowed from you some time ago," Cheng Yang said without beating around the bush.

"Repay it? Wasn't that money meant to help you get by? If you return it, then you and your aunt..."

Haozi stopped halfway through. At first, he had assumed Cheng Yang was wearing an old training uniform from Spirit Crane Martial Hall and had not paid it much attention. But when he stepped closer and looked carefully, he saw a bold, vigorous "Chen" embroidered on the lapel.

"Brother Yang... y-you're wearing..." Haozi's eyes widened into circles, and even his words began to stammer. "Don't tell me it's from the Chen Clan Martial Hall...?"

"It is." Cheng Yang's tone was calm. "And not only that—I'm now a core disciple of the Chen Clan Martial Hall."

"C-Core disciple?!" Haozi's mouth fell wide open and would not close for a long while. His mind buzzed. The words "core disciple" were connected to his good brother? In just a few days, Brother Yang's identity and status had turned upside down? It was too unreal, as if he were dreaming.

"Brother Yang, am I dreaming..." Haozi murmured dazedly.

Cheng Yang raised a hand, placed it on his shoulder, and gave it a slight squeeze.

Haozi immediately bared his teeth in pain and shuddered all over. "Hiss—!"

"Can you tell dream from reality now?"

"I can, I can!" Haozi nodded repeatedly as he rubbed his shoulder. The pain was unmistakably real.

"What exactly happened to you, Brother Yang? And did you really become a core disciple of the Chen Clan Martial Hall? You're not pulling my leg, are you?" Haozi pressed on.

"No rush. I'll tell you in detail later." Cheng Yang waved his hand. "Are you busy right now?"

"No." Haozi shook his head.

"Then take half the day off first. We'll go find Xiaoxue, get something to eat and talk at a teahouse. It's been a long time since we got together."

The moment Cheng Yang finished speaking, Haozi's expression suddenly darkened, and his mood visibly sank.

"Brother Yang... Xiaoxue, she..."

"What happened to Xiaoxue?" Cheng Yang's expression turned grave as he fixed Haozi with a sharp stare.

"Xiaoxue... was sold into a brothel by that gambling-addict father of hers..." Haozi's heart tightened under Cheng Yang's gaze, and the words slipped out before he could stop them.

"Sold into a brothel?" Cheng Yang suppressed the surging fury inside him and continued questioning, "Did this happen before or after I borrowed the money?"

"The day before I lent you the money. She knew about your situation, and she knew she couldn't avoid being sent to a brothel, so she asked me to give you all the savings she had on her. She hoped your life could be a little easier." Haozi poured it all out in one breath. "I urged her to run, but she said her father gave her life. If she ran, what would happen to her father?"

"If you ask me, why care about that damned gambling addict at all? Xiaoxue is just too kind... It really isn't worth it for her!" The more Haozi spoke, the angrier he became, his clenched fists turning white.

"Xiaoxue..." Cheng Yang fell silent for a moment, without blaming Haozi for hiding it from him back then.

Because he knew that, under those circumstances, telling him would have been useless. Fortunately, it was not too late yet. He had money now and could ransom her back.

"Do you know exactly where Xiaoxue is?"

"No. She didn't tell me." Haozi looked lost.

"Then we'll go to Xiaoxue's home and get the truth out of that gambling-addict father of hers."

Xiaoxue lived in a narrow alley lined on both sides with low, single-story houses. Her home was one of them.

"Knock, knock, knock."

The sound of knocking was especially clear in the silent alley.

"Who is it?" Only after quite some time did a sleepy, languid voice come from inside.

The door creaked open, and a slovenly, greasy-faced middle-aged man poked his head out. His clothes were wrinkled, and the stench of last night's alcohol clung to him.

"You are?" Xiao Weishan squinted through drunken eyes as he sized them up.

"We're Xiaoxue's friends." Cheng Yang did not waste words and went straight to the point. "Where did you sell her?"

"Xiaoxue's friends?" Xiao Weishan's gaze swept over Cheng Yang and Haozi before settling on Cheng Yang's training uniform, embroidered with the character "Chen." His thoughts immediately began to stir.

That little brat never told me she had a friend practicing martial arts at the Chen Clan Martial Hall?

That was one of the best martial halls in Qinglin County. The apprenticeship fee alone cost dozens of taels of silver... This kid definitely isn't short on money.

A glint of greed flashed in his eyes as he pondered how to squeeze more profit out of Cheng Yang.

Unexpectedly, Cheng Yang took the initiative to hand over two taels of broken silver. "Uncle, this is for you."

Haozi looked at Cheng Yang in surprise, unable to understand why he was giving silver to such human trash.

"For Xiaoxue to have friends like you, that's truly her good fortune." Xiao Weishan accepted the silver with a beaming smile, weighed it in his hand, and tucked it into his robes with satisfaction. "My daughter should be at Magpie Jade House now."

Having taken the money, he was straightforward enough.

"Alright."

Cheng Yang's tone was flat, without the slightest ripple, as he looked at Xiao Weishan with eyes devoid of warmth.

The next second, he raised his hand and slapped him across the face.

Smack—!

The slap was astonishingly powerful. Xiao Weishan was sent flying, crashed into the wall behind him, then bounced onto the ground. Several teeth flew from his mouth amid a spray of blood, and he passed out on the spot.

"Brother Yang, you..." Haozi stared, dumbfounded and at a loss.

"This is why I practice martial arts." Cheng Yang shook the blood from his hand, his tone calm. "When you run into an idiot, you can just hit him."

"Won't... this cause trouble?" Haozi swallowed.

"What trouble could there be? Trash like this would not earn a second glance even if he died, much less when he isn't dead." Cheng Yang spoke with certainty. The Chen Clan Martial Hall stood behind him. Even if he really beat someone to death, he would not be afraid, let alone over a single slap. That was the advantage of having backing.

"But the way he looks now... isn't much different from being dead." Haozi lowered his head and glanced at the unconscious lump on the ground.

"That's exactly the point." Cheng Yang's lips curled slightly. "He has no silver for treatment, so no doctor will save him. While conscious, he'll slowly feel life draining from his body. Consider it atonement for his daughter."

A chill ran down Haozi's spine. As he looked at Cheng Yang, there was now a hint of unfamiliarity in his eyes.

Was this still his good brother? He was clearly a living King Yama.

Still, though the methods were somewhat cruel, it truly made Haozi feel much better.

"But I'm afraid this old bastard will come looking for trouble afterward. Especially since he saw your clothes, Brother Yang. What if he goes to the Chen Clan Martial Hall to make trouble?"

"Then it's even simpler."

Cheng Yang bent down, first picked up the two taels of broken silver from the ground and tucked them back into his robes. Then he lifted his foot and stomped twice on each of Xiao Weishan's thighs.

The muffled sounds of bones shattering rang especially clearly through the cramped room. Xiao Weishan's body twitched twice, but he still showed no sign of waking.

"Now he can't go to the Chen Clan Martial Hall."

Cheng Yang paused, his gaze falling on Xiao Weishan's two hands.

"Since both his legs are ruined, I might as well ruin his hands too."

Cold sweat had already seeped across Haozi's back. For some reason, he actually felt a little sympathy for Xiao Weishan.