Chapter 73: Four Carts of Betrothal Gifts
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At dawn, after finishing a set of Flying Stone movement techniques in the courtyard, Xu Yan felt refreshed and invigorated. With a misstep, a small stone on the ground was kicked flying, hit the wall and bounced back. Xu Yan caught it in one hand and, following the stone’s rebounding force, flicked his wrist to send it flying out again.
Only a woman’s startled “Ah!” was heard. Mei Sanniang, carrying her full fragrance, had just arrived at Xu Yan’s courtyard when she saw a stone fly past her ear, causing her to cry out softly.
“You brat, what are you throwing stones for so early in the morning!”
Mei Sanniang scolded playfully: “If you have energy, go help carry things in the front courtyard. If you damage Third Sister’s face, you’ll have to support me for life.”
Xu Yan grinned foolishly. He was used to Mei Sanniang’s jokes. As siblings who had shared hardships, either would willingly support the other. But Mei Sanniang hadn’t noticed that a bee, constantly circling around her and attracted by her fragrance, had been directly carried out of the courtyard by the stone.
“What good things need carrying? I’ll go help right away.” Xu Yan washed his face and was about to head to the front courtyard when he noticed Mei Sanniang looked somewhat dejected today.
“Betrothal gifts from Green Wood Hall.” Mei Sanniang sighed softly: “Yue Chengfeng wants to take me as his concubine. Today he’ll personally come to propose marriage. Look, he sent people early this morning to deliver four carts of betrothal gifts.”
Hearing this, Xu Yan’s steps halted. His handsome eyebrows raised slightly, and a trace of coldness appeared in his eyes.
“What does Third Sister plan to do?” Xu Yan asked with furrowed brows.
“Sigh…” Mei Sanniang sighed: “I thought he only coveted my body. After all, Third Sister is already damaged goods—at worst, I’d just give myself to him. I didn’t expect that Yue Chengfeng not only covets me, Mei Sanniang, but also has designs on Plum Fragrance Tower.”
Taking a concubine was different from visiting a brothel.
If Yue Chengfeng really took Mei Sanniang as his concubine, wouldn’t Plum Fragrance Tower also become his possession?
Mei Sanniang had miscalculated after all. Today, with betrothal gifts delivered, she knew she was caught between a rock and a hard place.
“At worst, we’ll just leave.” Xu Yan still spoke lightly, trying his best to dispel Mei Sanniang’s worries. With his master gone, this Third Sister before him had become Xu Yan’s only family.
“We can’t leave anymore. Our Plum Fragrance Tower is being watched.” Mei Sanniang glanced toward the main entrance: “The ones who drank tea all night at the entrance are from Green Wood Hall. I asked Eight Fingers Wang—he recognized them.”
No wonder Xu Yan had seen two martial artists drinking tea across the street at midnight yesterday. It turned out that before preparing to make his move, Yue Chengfeng had completely blocked all of Mei Sanniang’s escape routes, sending subordinates in advance to watch Plum Fragrance Tower.
Just a few ordinary martial artists—with Xu Yan’s abilities, he could easily deal with them. He glanced toward the main entrance: “There’s still a chance if we leave early. Third Sister, let’s go now.”
“Where would we go?” Mei Sanniang said as if talking to herself: “I’m just a jinx. Even my family doesn’t acknowledge me anymore. Where else can Third Sister go? Wandering about, depending on others?”
With a bitter smile, the woman looked gently at the youth before her: “That’s a Green Wood Hall master. Ghost King Gate isn’t Yuan Mountain Stronghold—we can’t fight them. This is Third Sister’s fate. I accept it. You’re still young. When you have the power to protect yourself, go explore the world. Don’t worry about Third Sister. Being a concubine isn’t going to my death.”
“Would my Third Sister Xu Yan accept fate?” Xu Yan smiled foolishly, his clear eyes holding a penetrating clarity that could see through hearts.
“You’re such a little demon. Are people’s hearts so easy to see through?” Tapping Xu Yan’s forehead without real anger, Mei Sanniang scolded: “Don’t act so smart. You should be a pig—eating, drinking, and playing should be what Mei Sanniang’s little brother does. Reading people’s hearts is tiring. Even if you see through them, what can you do? You’re just asking for trouble.”
“I only seem a bit smart in front of Third Sister, hehe.” Xu Yan laughed: “When you reach the mountain, there will be a way through. Third Sister needn’t worry. Tomorrow I’ll go out and get a few good horses back.”
“What do you need horses for?” Mei Sanniang was puzzled.
“For running away. I don’t want to carry Third Sister while chasing a pig to escape.”
The youth’s joke finally made Mei Sanniang laugh despite herself. She pinched her little brother’s arm, though not hard, then swayed her hips as she went about her business.
Fortunately, there was still someone close in this world…
The woman who had been driven from her family home always felt warm when she saw Xu Yan. Two people suffering together was easier than one person bearing it alone. At least when facing difficulties, there was someone to share the burden.
After Mei Sanniang left, Xu Yan’s expression gradually darkened.
The sixteen-year-old youth was a head taller than last year, his physique much stronger. With a slim waist and broad back, handsome features, once his expression turned grim, he had quite the fierce presence of a martial artist.
“Yue Chengfeng…”
Clenching his fists, which were obviously larger than last year, Xu Yan spoke coldly in the courtyard: “Dare to touch my Third Sister, and I’ll feed you to the pigs!”
Snort! Snort!
Excited squealing came from the nearby pigpen, and Xu Yan’s murderous aura was completely scattered by the pig sounds.
“You’d eat people too?” He patted Little Black’s head without good humor, getting a handful of saliva from the long pig snout.
“Little Black, do you have pinkeye? It’s been a year and it still hasn’t gotten better?”
Since last year, Little Black had developed small red spots in its eyes. You couldn’t see them without looking carefully, but Xu Yan, who was with the pig all day, naturally knew very well.
He’d thought Little Black had gotten overheated, so Xu Yan had fed the pig many heat-clearing herbs. Little Black lost at least three jin, losing all the weight it had gained last year.
Prying open the pig’s eye, Xu Yan examined it worriedly and muttered: “It should be better by now. Maybe it didn’t eat enough medicine. I’ll give you more tomorrow.”
Snort snort! Snort snort!
Little Black, shaking its snout desperately, was obviously protesting. It wanted to eat meat, not medicine.
Although there were red spots in its eyes, Little Black was lively and energetic every day, so Xu Yan stopped worrying and went to the front courtyard to help the servants unload the carts.
The Green Wood Hall master’s marriage proposal came with truly generous betrothal gifts—four full carts.
One cart of fatty meat, one cart of scallions, one cart of tea leaves, and one cart of sugar.
Good heavens, what a grand gesture indeed—scallions, meat, tea, and sugar by the cartload. Seeing these four carts of betrothal gifts, Xu Yan nearly spat blood in anger.
If he’d known taking a concubine was this cheap—not even a hundred taels of silver needed—he’d want to visit Ghost King Gate’s Green Wood Hall too, to see if Yue Chengfeng had any sisters or sisters-in-law. With over six thousand taels on him, Xu Yan could probably take fifty or sixty as concubines.
Age wasn’t a problem. At a hundred-odd taels each, buying them back as servants would be worth it.
This was bullying with power.
Cursing the old dog under his breath, the helpless Xu Yan lost interest in moving those cheap betrothal gifts. Glancing at the tea stall across the street, those two tea-drinking martial artists were still there—not yesterday’s two, but new faces.
They really thought highly of Plum Fragrance Tower. Xu Yan sighed inwardly and was about to go back—out of sight, out of mind. Right now, seeing Ghost King Gate people made him sick.
In martial world sects, not only did righteous and evil compete, but the various halls within sects also engaged in open and covert struggles. Whoever had greater power and more money could gain the upper hand and maintain their position. Sometimes martial skill levels seemed insignificant before power, unless one was a true cultivator. Otherwise, the gap between two-meridian, three-meridian, or even one-meridian martial artists wasn’t actually that great.
Just as Xu Yan entered the door, from the distant street end, a group of over a hundred Green Wood Hall disciples strode forward, led by the high-spirited Yue Chengfeng.
