Chapter 143
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Fourth Master Wen finally regained his composure. After rushing with Zhang Xiaohu to his small house and seeing Zhang Xiaohua peacefully asleep on the kang, he truly calmed down.
Fourth Master Wen, still stroking his sparse beard, nodded repeatedly and smiled broadly, saying: “Good, good, good.”
His repeated exclamations of praise left Zhang Xiaohu puzzled, unsure whether it was because Zhang Xiaohua was alive or relieved that they had saved ten thousand taels of silver.
Thinking of the thick stack of silver notes, Zhang Xiaohu’s eyes grew hot with desire. What a huge sum of money it was, how nice it would be if it were his! But then, glancing at his brother’s sweet smile in his sleep, he felt that this happiness was far more precious. No amount of silver or gold could compare to it.
After a few more praises, Fourth Master Wen fell silent and stood quietly.
Zhang Xiaohu, unsure of his intentions, simply stood there as well.
After a while, Fourth Master Wen, puzzled, asked: “Zhang Xiaohu, you can’t just leave me standing here, can you?”
Zhang Xiaohu was taken aback and quickly pulled over a stool, saying: “Fourth Master, please sit.”
Fourth Master Wen stamped his foot and said: “Why would I sit? Am I here to sit on a cold stool in your small house?”
Zhang Xiaohu, confused, replied: “Then please wait a moment, Fourth Master. I’ll get you a soft couch.”
Fourth Master Wen grew angry and said: “You have no sense of awareness or sensitivity to the situation. You want to improve, but I see you’re just clueless.”
Zhang Xiaohu hurriedly stepped forward and said: “Fourth Master, what are you talking about? Haven’t I been trying to improve? What exactly do you mean?”
Fourth Master Wen, with a hint of self-mockery, said: “I’m standing here. Why haven’t you woken up your brother yet? I need to ask him some detailed questions.”
Zhang Xiaohu realized and thought to himself: “If you want to wake him up, just say so. How was I supposed to know you wanted that? I cannot read your mind.”
But he didn’t dare to say this out loud, so he kept smiling and said: “Fourth Master, it’s not that I didn’t call my brother. He has a problem with his sleep. Once he’s asleep, no matter how you call him, he won’t wake up. If you don’t believe me, why not try pushing him yourself?”
Fourth Master Wen was taken aback and said, unconvinced: “Is that really the case? I don’t believe it.”
After speaking, he stepped forward, forcefully pushed Zhang Xiaohua, and called out by his ear: “Zhang Xiaohua, Zhang Xiaohua.”
Zhang Xiaohua kept breathing evenly, still sound asleep.
Fourth Master Wen thought for a moment, then used both hands to pull Zhang Xiaohua out of the bed and vigorously shook him in the air. Zhang Xiaohua was already small in size, so being lifted in the air by Fourth Master Wen made him look like a human toy. Zhang Xiaohu almost burst out laughing.
Seeing Zhang Xiaohua completely motionless as if he had lost consciousness, Fourth Master Wen lost interest and stuffed him back into the bed. He turned around and smiled, saying: “It seems you’re right after all. Looks like I wronged you.”
Zhang Xiaohu hurriedly said: “I wouldn’t dare, I wouldn’t dare.”
Fourth Master Wen thought for a moment and said, “Since your brother has returned safely, Villa Owner Ou will definitely want to see him as soon as she knows. Tomorrow morning, tell your brother not to go anywhere; someone will likely come to take him back to the villa.”
Zhang Xiaohu nodded and said: “Alright, I understand, Fourth Master. I’ll keep an eye on him and won’t let him go anywhere.”
Fourth Master Wen laughed and said: “Good, then you should rest too. I’m going to find Xiao Si, the gatekeeper. How dare he let you disturb my sleep! I won’t let him off easily. I’ll send him to Huanxi Villa to deliver a message right away.”
Zhang Xiaohu nodded, not daring to say a word, fearing that Fourth Master Wen might also get angry with him.
Fourth Master Wen quickly walked to the door but couldn’t help turning back to look at Zhang Xiaohua, who was still sleeping as soundly as a pig, and enviously muttered to himself: “What a sweet sleep! Ah, to be young again! If I could sleep as soundly as that, I wouldn’t trade it for ten thousand taels of silver.”
After speaking, he left reluctantly.
Zhang Xiaohu, standing behind, hesitated to speak, thinking to himself: “Fourth Master if you’re offering ten thousand taels of silver, I’ll gladly trade places!”
The next morning, Zhang Xiaohua opened his eyes and carefully looked around, realizing that he was back in the familiar small room where he had previously been recovering. As soon as he sat up from the bed, Zhang Xiaohu, who was on the other side of the kang bed, noticed and quickly got up, saying: “You’re awake, Xiaohua?”
Zhang Xiaohua smiled and said: “Yes, Second Brother. You can sleep a bit longer if you want, but I can’t sleep anymore.”
Zhang Xiaohu was indeed still tired and lay back down, saying: “Last night, Fourth Master Wen came by and said he had already sent a message to Huanxi Villa. This morning, they’ll definitely send someone to pick you up, so don’t wander off.”
Upon hearing this, Zhang Xiaohua asked: “Do you know how the Villa Owner and the others are doing?”
At this point, Zhang Xiaohu suddenly sat up straight from his bed, glaring at Zhang Xiaohua, and asked: “Now that you mention it, I really need to ask you something. Yesterday, Fourth Master Wen said you sacrificed your life to save Villa Onwer Ou. Everyone thought you had died. What’s the meaning of this? Why didn’t you tell me earlier? You have to explain everything to me today.”
Zhang Xiaohua was taken aback and said awkwardly: “It’s a long story. I’ll tell you the details later. Besides, I’m fine now, so I didn’t feel like bringing it up. Talking too much about it would only make you worry.”
Zhang Xiaohu looked into Zhang Xiaohua’s eyes and said seriously: “Xiaohua, even if you don’t tell me, wouldn’t I still worry once I find out?”
Zhang Xiaohua smiled apologetically and said: “I understand, Second Brother. From now on, I’ll be sure to tell you everything, okay?”
Zhang Xiaohu thought for a moment and then said: “Forget it. You’ve grown up and have your own way of thinking. Do what you feel is best. If you want to talk about it, come to me and tell me. If you don’t want to, you can keep it to yourself.”
Zhang Xiaohua replied: “Even if I grow up, you’ll still be my Second Brother. If I have something important to discuss, I will definitely come to you. Don’t worry. By the way, from what you said, Villa Owner Ou should be fine, right?”
Zhang Xiaohu thought for a moment and said: “That should be the case. Otherwise, Fourth Master Wen would have mentioned it last night.”
Zhang Xiaohua nodded and said: “That’s good. Alright, Second Brother, I’m going to practice my martial arts now. You go back to sleep.”
Zhang Xiaohu jumped up from the bed and said: “I’ll go with you. After what you said, I can’t sleep anymore either.”
Thus, the two brothers went one after the other to the martial arts training grounds of the escort agency.
The twenty horse-drawn carriages that had returned the night before were still parked at one end of the square. It was still early in the day, so there weren’t many people practicing martial arts in the square. Zhang Xiaohua looked around and was very pleased. Although he felt that his Big Dipper Divine Fist was perfect in his own practice, it wasn’t a widely known martial art, so he always felt a bit awkward demonstrating it in public, as though it lacked refinement and wasn’t worthy of being shown on a big stage.
Zhang Xiaohua found an empty spot, stood firmly, and began practicing his Big Dipper Divine Fist, going through each move step by step. Zhang Xiaohu did the same, running through the entire set of his most proficient martial art, the Six Harmonies Fist. After Zhang Xiaohu finished and left his stance, he felt a deep sense of relaxation and exclaimed: “The ancients were right: ‘Life lies in movement’. They certainly weren’t lying.”
When he looked up, Zhang Xiaohua was still practicing his moves. Observing his fluid and graceful movements, Zhang Xiaohu realized that Zhang Xiaohua had indeed figured out the set of moves he had developed on his own. Intrigued, Zhang Xiaohu watched closely and, sure enough, he noticed that six moves in Zhang Xiaohua’s routine vaguely resembled those of the Six Harmonies Fist. Zhang Xiaohu couldn’t help but think to himself: “Xiaohua’s martial technique is really strange. He’s modified it beyond recognition, but somehow, it all flows together seamlessly. It’s truly a rare and amazing sight.”
The strangest part was that Zhang Xiaohua just kept practicing, and Zhang Xiaohu became more curious. Just how many moves were there in this routine? But as he observed closely, he realized that Zhang Xiaohua was simply repeating the same routine over and over again.
When more people started to gather in the square, Zhang Xiaohua finally finished practicing his nine rounds of Big Dipper Divine Fist. The warm energy that circulated throughout his body flowed through him completely by the last punch, and Zhang Xiaohua finally stopped. Seeing his brother watching him, he quickly ran over.
Zhang Xiaohu, surprised, asked: “Xiaohua, do you practice your martial arts this diligently every day? Do you always go through so many rounds?”
Zhang Xiaohua smiled and said: “It’s not that many, just nine rounds. Doing more wouldn’t have much effect.”
Zhang Xiaohu didn’t think much of it and said: “The ancient’s words are good, ‘Too much is as bad as too little’. You should be careful not to overdo it.”
Zhang Xiaohua brushed it off and said: “Sometimes, I even practice eighty-one rounds in a day. What’s the big deal? Look at me, I’m not even short of breath or red in the face, so there’s obviously no problem.”
Zhang Xiaohu wanted to advise him further, but then he remembered how he used to practice the Six Harmonies Fist over and over again, just like Zhang Xiaohua was doing now. So, he decided to keep quiet.
By this time, more people had gathered in the square to practice martial arts, so Zhang Xiaohua and Zhang Xiaohu began to leisurely walk back. Just as they reached the courtyard gate, they heard a familiar voice behind them, excitedly shouting: “Zhang Xiaohua, is that really you?”
Hearing this, Zhang Xiaohua was equally excited and turned around, exclaiming: “Captain He, you’re still alive?”
When Zhang Xiaohu turned around, he saw none other than Captain He Tianshu from the medicinal fields at Huanxi Villa, running toward them.
He Tianshu ran up forward with a face full of joy and, upon hearing Zhang Xiaohua’s words, pulled a bitter face and said: “Zhang Xiaohua if you’re alive, why wouldn’t I be?”
Zhang Xiaohua blushed bright red and muttered: “It’s been so long since I last saw you all. I didn’t know what had happened to you, and seeing you now makes me really happy.”
He Tianshu affectionately patted Zhang Xiaohua on the head and laughed, saying: “It’s fine, Zhang Xiaohua. How could I be upset with you?”
After that, He Tianshu turned to Zhang Xiaohu and said: “Zhang Xiaohu, we’ve met before. I’m He Tianshu from Huanxi Villa. Yesterday, we received a message from Fourth Master Wen, and the Villa Owner was delighted to hear it. She sent us early this morning to bring Zhang Xiaohua back to the villa. So, if you don’t mind…”
Zhang Xiaohu smiled and said: “Fourth Master Wen told me last night. You can go ahead and take him back to the villa.”
He then turned to Zhang Xiaohua and said: “Xiaohua, be more careful from now on. Try to avoid dangerous situations.”
Zhang Xiaohua laughed and said: “I know, Second Brother. Oh, by the way, didn’t you want to know the full story? Why not come to the villa with me? The Villa Owner will definitely want me to tell everything.”
Zhang Xiaohu thought for a moment, then shook his head and said: “No, I’d better not. The escort team only returned last night, so there will definitely be a lot of work to handle today. I’ll take care of things here first, and then we can talk later.”
Seeing this, Zhang Xiaohua didn’t push further. He said goodbye to Zhang Xiaohu and followed He Tianshu out of the escort agency.
Zhang Xiaohu watched as his younger brother walked off into the distance, and then turned back to the house. He took out five taels of loose silver from his purse and went to the accountant’s residence. Handing the silver to the sleepy accountant, he finally went to have breakfast and began attending to the various matters related to the escort team’s return.
Meanwhile, Zhang Xiaohua followed He Tianshu out of the escort agency, and they were met by a large, black carriage. This carriage was more than twice the size of the one Zhang Xiaohua had ridden in before. Zhang Xiaohua couldn’t help but be taken aback. At that moment, the carriage curtain was lifted, and a crisp voice called out: “Xiaohua, hurry up and get in.”
Zhang Xiaohua looked closely, who was it if not Qiu Tong?
Zhang Xiaohua called out, “Sister Qiu Tong, you came too?” and quickly ran forward.
As Zhang Xiaohua climbed into the carriage, He Tianshu also followed.
The first thing Zhang Xiaohua said was: “Big Sister Qiu Tong, this carriage is really big.”
Qiu Ttong smiled and said: “Yes, this is Miss’s carriage. She specially sent it today to pick up our great benefactor, you.”
He Tianshu also smiled and said: “We’re only able to ride in such a grand carriage because of you.”
Zhang Xiaohua blushed slightly and said: “It’s nothing. Sister Qiu Tong, you’ve always treated me well. It’s only right that I helped.”
He Tianshu shook his head and said: “Ah, it’s something I should have done, but I couldn’t manage it. Zhang Xiaohua, I don’t even know how to express how impressed we all are with you. You’ve truly exceeded all of our expectations.”
Zhang Xiaohua, still feeling bashful, then asked: “By the way, Captain He, what happened afterward? Nothing happened to Big Sister Ou, right? I’ve been wanting to know everything.”
He Tianshu smiled and recounted the events that took place after Zhang Xiaohua had lost consciousness, explaining everything in detail.
Upon hearing that Ou Yan was unharmed and that the men in black had not pursued them further, Zhang Xiaohua couldn’t help but pat his chest in relief. Qiu Tong, smiling, said: “We have you to thank for that.”
Zhang Xiaohua was surprised and said: “But I had already fallen into the water. How could I have helped?”
Qiu Tong laughed and said: “Even though you fell into the water, the men in black didn’t know that. When you killed that old man with one strike, it terrified them. He was the strongest among them, so after that, they were too scared to cause more trouble.”
Though Zhang Xiaohua was young, he understood the situation and modestly said: “Sister Qiu Tong, don’t give me too much credit. I think the men in black were more afraid of reinforcements arriving.”
He Tianshu interjected: “Well, there’s no point speculating now. Who knows what they were thinking? The important thing is that we all made it back safely.”
Then Zhang Xiaohua seemed to remember something and asked: “Captain He, have you found out who the men in black were?”
He Tianshu frowned and said: “Not entirely sure. After we got back, the matter was handed over to the Law Enforcement Hall of our sect. I don’t know if they’ve uncovered anything yet, and I haven’t heard any updates.”
Zhang Xiaohua nodded and fell silent. He had a vague feeling that the people who had tried to ambush Ou Yan weren’t amateurs. If they dared to launch such an attack, they must have had a certain degree of confidence, not only in their chances of success but also in their ability to cover their tracks if they failed.
Qiu Tong, still concerned about Zhang Xiaohua’s injuries, couldn’t help but ask him about his condition.
Zhang Xiaohua chuckled and said: “That old man knocked me out completely, and I didn’t wake up until ten days later. Now my injuries are fully healed. Just now, I was practicing martial arts at the escort agency.”
Hearing this, Qiu Tong was finally somewhat relieved, and she said with some lingering fear: “We sent many people to search for you afterward, but you were nowhere to be found. Who would have guessed you’d end up in a coastal town? It was far beyond what we imagined. Miss was constantly worrying, thinking you might have…”
Zhang Xiaohua was about to explain when He Tianshu waved his hand and said: “Let’s save it for later. The Villa Owner will definitely ask you all about it. You can tell the full story then, so you won’t have to repeat yourself.”
Zhang Xiaohua smiled and nodded. “Captain He is right. Sister Qiu Tong, I’ll explain everything later.”
The carriage rolled on smoothly and swiftly. Before long, they arrived at the side gate of Huanxi Villa. The guards at the gate had doubled in number, and the security checks were more stringent than before. Even though it was the Villa Onwer’s carriage, it still underwent a thorough inspection before being allowed entry.
Once inside, the carriage stopped at the familiar courtyard where Zhang Xiaohua had left last time.
The inner courtyard wasn’t far from here, and Qiu Tong led them through a series of courtyards until they reached the grand hall.
Inside, only Elder Yu and Ou Yan were present, deep in conversation. When Zhang Xiaohua entered with Qiu Tong, Ou Yan was anxiously glancing toward the entrance, very anxious to see Zhang Xiaohua.
As soon as Zhang Xiaohua stepped into the hall, both Elder Yu and Ou Yan rose to their feet. Ou Yan immediately walked toward him. Zhang Xiaohua, not wanting to make her exert herself, quickly hurried over and called out: “Big Sister Ou, are you okay?”
Ou Yan’s face blossomed into a smile as she looked at him. “I’m fine, Zhang Xiaohua. What about you? Let me look at you. How are your injuries?”
She took Zhang Xiaohua’s hands and examined him carefully, looking him over. Zhang Xiaohua laughed and said: “I’ve been fully healed for a while now, Sister Ou. Don’t worry about me. I’ve always been lucky.”
Ou Yan nodded, her relief evident. “That’s wonderful. We were all so worried about you. We feared you might…”
She, like Qiu Tong earlier, left the grim thought unsaid.
Ou Yan then had Zhang Xiaohua sit down and ask him to recount what had happened after he was injured.
Zhang Xiaohua thought for a moment before narrating how he was rescued after being injured, how he recovered, his search for a way home, his reunion with his brother through meeting the escort team of the Lotus Escort Company, and how he eventually returned to Pingyang City.
However, he left out any mention of Master Jingxuan, Little Meng, and the events that transpired in the cave. After all, Jingxuan had asked him to keep those details secret, and he came across the cave by chance while chasing a rabbit, so he didn’t treat it as anything important.
As Zhang Xiaohua finished his story, everyone in the hall was left astonished. His tale was indeed remarkable, floating so far away yet still managing to reunite with his family. Most astounding was how Zhang Xiaohua had survived after such severe internal injuries, only to drift and recover fully in such a short time. It was truly a rare feat.
Ou Yan and Elder Yu wanted to inquire more about the mysterious Jingxuan, but Zhang Xiaohua, having promised not to reveal anything, kept his lips sealed. Since Jingxuan had saved his life, he felt even more obligated to protect her secret.
In the Jianghu, a promise was as valuable as gold, so they respected his silence and didn’t press further.
However, Elder Yu then asked: “Zhang Xiaohua, may I take a look at your little sword?”