Establishing Authority

A crowd had already gathered in front of Wang Zhao's little hut.

"Brother Zhao, I really didn't steal anything."

The guard Zhao Mazi stood with his arms folded, eyeing him sidelong with a cold sneer. "Don't you know yourself whether you stole something or not?!"

"Then tell me, how did Second Madam's earring end up in your room?"

"Speak!"

Zhao Mazi's tone grew harsher.

Several guards stood behind him, their faces unfriendly. In his hand, he held an exquisite pearl pendant, the sort of jewelry only the wives and young ladies of wealthy households could afford.

Daring to take the master's belongings in the Zhu Family was a grave taboo. It could get someone beaten to death.

Each of those guards was broad and burly, with fleshy, vicious-looking faces that made people shudder.

Even if some servants could tell something was wrong, they did not dare make a sound, afraid the calamity would be drawn onto their own heads.

That was only human nature.

Who did not know Zhao Mazi was Second Master Zhu Lie's man? Like master, like servant—both were unreasonable brutes. If Zhao Mazi was offended, this sort of filthy framing and false accusation would surely never end.

It had happened several times before.

But Zhao Mazi had Second Master Zhu Lie protecting him, and he only ever bullied lowly servants.

Master Zhu of the Zhu Family could not very well tear all pretenses of brotherhood apart with his own younger brother over such a trifling matter, so in the end, it was always dropped.

But that was a human life!

To the lowborn, though, a life was no life at all.

"Come. Come with me to see Master Zhu, and let him judge what is right."

The instant he heard they were going to see Master Zhu, Wang Zhao's face turned deathly pale.

The corpse of the new servant Master Zhu had beaten to death last month was probably still lying in the Mass Burial Grounds. If he truly went before Master Zhu, his own fate would certainly not be much better.

"Brother Zhao, I've been wronged. I really have been framed."

Wang Zhao frantically kowtowed again and again.

Early that morning, these men had burst into his room without a word, accused him of stealing, then rummaged through the place in a wild search. After that, Zhao Mazi had produced a pendant and insisted it was what he had stolen.

Zhao Mazi smiled without warmth. "You're saying I framed you?"

Wang Zhao was struck speechless and looked helplessly at the people around him.

This was mud splashed into his pants—there was no way to explain it clearly.

Zhao Mazi had long since become thoroughly familiar with such tricks.

As he spoke, Zhao Mazi moved to strike him again.

Of course he knew whether Wang Zhao had been framed. The pendant had been tucked on his person all along, and he had secretly planted it during the search.

"If you want someone to blame, blame your master for offending someone he shouldn't have!"

Li Rui had won the attention of Master Zhu and his son, so he was not easy to touch. But dealing with Li Rui's apprentice was far simpler, with no need for any lingering concerns.

Even if Master Zhu knew, he would never stand up for a mere servant.

In Master Zhu's eyes, Wang Zhao was merchandise, the kind with a clearly marked price.

"Stop!"

At that moment, Yang Yong and Li Rui pushed their way out of the crowd.

Yang Yong shouted sharply.

Seeing the man in question arrive, Zhao Mazi let out a mocking sound.

"Old Li, your apprentice has no conscience. He stole from the master's household. Tell me, what should be done about this?"

Li Rui ignored Zhao Mazi.

He stepped forward, helped Wang Zhao up from the ground, and brushed the snow from his clothes.

Seeing himself ignored, Zhao Mazi's anger flared at once.

It was one thing for Martial Master Yang to look down on him, but this seventy-year-old old man dared to look down on him too?!

"Old Li, you're like an old birthday star hanging himself—you think your life's too long."

Zhao Mazi took a step forward and raised his foot to kick.

Still, he did not dare put real force into it. If he actually beat Li Rui to death, it would be hard for him to explain himself.

But just as his foot was about to touch Li Rui's clothes—

Li Rui's swift kick struck first, slamming into Zhao Mazi's belly.

Bang!

A mask of agony instantly settled over Zhao Mazi's face. He rolled through the snow like a ball for several turns before finally stopping.

Zhao Mazi lay in the snow and wailed twice. His eyes rolled back, and he actually fainted.

"Who among you still wants to—"

Li Rui withdrew his foot and swept his gaze over the guards before him.

"—take my apprentice away?"

"Th-this..."

The few guards who followed Zhao Mazi looked at one another, each seeing fear in the others' eyes.

Zhao Mazi had become their leader not merely because he knew how to flatter people. He could fight, and like a mad dog, he feared no pain. Otherwise, Zhu Lie would never have valued him.

Now that even Zhao Mazi could not withstand a single exchange with Li Rui, how could they dare make another move?

"Since when did Old Li become so fierce?"

"I heard Old Li made something of himself practicing martial arts lately. See that black hair? He's turned young again. If he hadn't started training so late, he might've even become a Grandmaster."

"A Grandmaster?"

"Go ahead, blow that horn as hard as you like."

"But Old Li really does have some skill."

The Zhu Family servants watching the spectacle were all stunned by Li Rui's thunderous methods.

In their memories, Li Rui had always been an easygoing, cautious old man with a cheerful smile. He greeted everyone he met, and many of them had grown up under Old Li's watch.

But the Old Li before them now carried a palpable ferocity, like a fierce tiger lying in wait.

The guards exchanged glances. How could they possibly dare provoke Li Rui again?

They hurriedly helped Zhao Mazi up from the ground and demonstrated what it meant to flee in utter disarray.

"All right, everyone, disperse."

Once Zhu Lie's men had left, Li Rui spoke to the crowd.

"Old Li, how did you become so formidable?"

A young servant with a sharp chin and monkey-like cheeks asked the question on everyone's mind.

Li Rui smiled faintly. "Lately, I've been practicing a martial art called Eight Section Brocade. I never expected it to suit me so well. I've already achieved minor mastery."

At those words,

the crowd erupted in uproar.

Old Li really had started practicing martial arts!!

No wonder he looked so much hardier than before. Many people had seen Li Rui's changes with their own eyes.

"What a pity. If it had been forty years earlier, perhaps he really could have become a Martial Master and escaped lowborn status."

An experienced old man pointed out the crux of the matter.

Li Rui might be formidable now, but he no longer had much potential. There was simply no chance of him becoming a Martial Master. At most, he could fight a little better than others, but as he grew older, even that advantage would vanish without a trace.

When it came to martial arts, timing was crucial.

Take Young Master Zhu, for example. He had begun practicing a child's martial foundation at the age of five, and no one knew how many costly medicinal herbs he had consumed. Ordinary people simply could not compare.

The crowd gradually dispersed.

Wang Zhao looked at Li Rui with both innocence and gratitude. "Master, I've caused you trouble."

Li Rui did not blame Wang Zhao.

Zhao Mazi had Zhu Lie backing him and had deliberately set out to frame Wang Zhao. There was no avoiding something like this; all one could do was accept the loss.

His sudden outburst today had been partly to protect Wang Zhao, but also because he intended to reveal an appropriate amount of his strength.

The changes in him after practicing martial arts were too obvious. The whispers about him within the Zhu Family had already reached his ears through Yang Yong. He could no longer keep it hidden.

Concealing one's abilities did not mean playing the fool.

Revealing a little edge at the right time could not only dispel those people's wild suspicions, but also intimidate the petty villains lurking in the shadows and avert much trouble.

Besides, he was now an Entering Rank expert.

If the Zhu Family pushed things too far, then at worst, he would take Wang Zhao and kill their way out of the Zhu Family in the dead of night, then hide in the mountains as a hunter—or a Blade Wielder.