But what could he do? He had no one beside him to order around or take a hit for him. The man burst into frightened tears. He had less courage than a chicken, and this scare had nearly killed him.
Through his tears, he tried to intimidate the person before him by claiming to be the city lord's adopted son. But the other man cut straight to the point, bringing his sword down.
The man rolled aside, dodging the strike that would have severed both his hands, then fled, his heart still pounding. As he ran, his foot caught on a stone, and he took a nasty tumble, knocking out his two front teeth.
That made the man cry even harder. His attitude did a complete about-face. He dropped to his knees with a thud and said to Chu Xuanzhen, "Y-you're not from around here, are you? How about this? Not only will I keep your secret, I'll give you a residence where you can keep your fish demon. What do you think?"
Seeing that the other man seemed somewhat interested, he immediately raised his offer. He could no longer spare a thought for his two missing teeth or his mouth, which would not stop bleeding. "Rest assured, if I reveal this secret, then I'll... die without even a place to be buried. I can swear to it!"
The man knew he had been chosen as the city lord's adopted son because he was eloquent and knew how to read people's expressions and act accordingly. He had never shown the slightest hint of his cowardice around people he knew. He was very good at acting and putting on a front.
If his deeds had not been exposed this time, and if he had not run into such a formidable opponent,