Chapter 10

“You, young master, are quite difficult. I kindly helped you retrieve your money pouch, and you repay me with swords and knives?” The young man looked surprised, but unexpectedly, he wasn’t angry. He twirled the dagger in his hand and asked seriously, “Could it be that there’s something wrong with your head?”

“How dare you! You… you are the one!”

Pei Xuanming, though born into a family of generals, had also studied poetry, calligraphy, and painting since childhood. His master and elder brother had cultivated a scholarly aura in him, so he couldn’t even utter the simplest of insults.

His face turned red with frustration, and after a moment, he decided not to trouble himself further. With a fierce momentum, he thrust his long sword straight at the handsome young man.

However, Xie Ye didn’t even bother to pull the dagger from his chest. With a gust of wind at his feet, he spun lightly, his movements so fast that they almost left afterimages.

His lightness skill was excellent. With a leap, he flipped onto the table. As Pei Xuanming thrust his sword, the young man’s toes landed precisely on the sword, neither too far nor too close.

The sword’s tip gleamed, and the young man looked down at him with a smile, his eyes full of provocative sharpness, shining even more brightly than the sword’s edge.

Pei Xuanming was momentarily stunned.

In the next instant, a powerful wave of energy surged from the sword’s edge. Pei Xuanming was shocked, and the sword vibrated suddenly. He quickly reversed his grip and lifted the sword, only to see the young man lean back and retreat several meters away.

“Young master, you’re no match for me,” the young man said with a smile. “It’s good to fight evil and support justice, but… you need to have the skills for it.”

Pei Xuanming stood there, gripping the sword hilt, his face turning pale with anger.

He, Pei Xuanming, had been born into wealth and luxury, always surrounded by admirers. When had he ever been treated with such disdain?

The people in the inn began to whisper among themselves. Some well-meaning individuals raised their voices to advise him, “Young master, that thief deserved a beating. This young hero only acted to retrieve your money pouch. Why make things difficult for him?”

“Yes, indeed!”

“Yes, young master, harmony brings wealth.”

Pei Xuanming’s expression grew increasingly displeased. At this moment, he saw the thief on the ground still clutching his injured arm and whimpering, which only added to his irritation.

He took out the money pouch that the young man had snatched back for him and tossed it to the thief, saying loudly, “Martial artists should have compassion, do good for the world, and take it upon themselves to rob the rich to help the poor, not use their skills to oppress others. If you act like this, no matter how many righteous excuses you have, you will eventually be rejected by society.”

With that, he turned and left, leaving the thief clutching the money pouch, trembling on the ground.

The crowd fell silent, and after a long time, they resumed their conversations and laughter, treating the earlier commotion as a foolish young man’s little episode, with no one taking it to heart.

The silver-armored young man, however, remained still, squatting in place, thoughtfully watching Pei Xuanming’s departing figure. After a while, he lowered his head and chuckled.

His eyes held an expression that was hard to define as either mocking or indifferent.

The thief, clutching the money pouch, cowered and timidly looked up at him, just in time to meet his cold gaze.

The thief shivered at the sight of him, but his legs were too weak to run, so he could only watch helplessly as the young man approached.

The young man had a jingling green jade bead hanging from his waist. His eyelashes lowered as he glanced down at the thief, his gaze cold and numb, as if looking at a corpse.

Just when the thief thought the young man was finally going to kill him in anger, the money pouch in his hand suddenly emptied, snatched away by the young man.

He held a blood-stained dagger in one hand and claimed the money pouch with the other.

“The thing is mine,” the young man said, tilting his head. “You can scram now.”

The thief, hearing this, was greatly relieved and hurriedly rolled out of the inn.

Meanwhile, Pei Xuanming, in his room, angrily drank several cups of tea before barely calming his agitated mood.

The tea seemed to have a calming effect, and after a while, Pei Xuanming couldn’t help but fall asleep at the table.

But when he woke up, his master still hadn’t returned.

Pei Xuanming propped himself up from the table, intending to use his inner strength to light the nearby candles. However, as soon as his inner strength reached his fingertips, a sudden pain shot through his meridians, forcibly blocking his inner strength.

What was going on?

Pei Xuanming was puzzled and tried again. As he gathered his strength, a wave of energy surged through his heart, flooding into his limbs and exploding.

Pei Xuanming gasped heavily, his gaze falling on the tea cup on the table. He pulled out a silver needle from his chest and dipped it into the cup for a moment.

A layer of greenish-black spread to the tip of the needle.

The tea was poisoned.

Who would poison him?

In an instant, countless thoughts flashed through Pei Xuanming’s mind. The next second, the window beside him was suddenly pierced, and several arrows shot through the air.

Pei Xuanming dodged with lightning speed, narrowly avoiding the arrows.

“Who dares to attack from the shadows! If you have the guts, come out and face me head-on!”

In response, the window frame was suddenly shattered from the outside, splintering and falling apart.

Black-clad figures leaped through the window.

Three silver spears charged at him simultaneously. Pei Xuanming’s inner strength was blocked, and his meridians were injured, leaving him with no strength to fight back.

His master still hadn’t returned.

He struggled to hold his ground, exchanging a few moves with the attackers. His arms and legs were struck by spear tips, leaving shocking wounds that bloomed on his clothes.

Pei Xuanming gradually couldn’t hold on. With his last bit of strength, he drew his sword and feigned an attack on the three.

Just before the three silver spears closed in, he suddenly flipped out of the window.

His figure disappeared into the darkness.

Pei Xuanming was ambushed and seriously injured, his martial arts greatly diminished, and he was penniless.

Fearing that the attackers would catch up, he didn’t dare linger in the city and hid in the wilderness outside for several nights.

At that time, Pei Xuanming was only fifteen years old. Even though he practiced martial arts diligently, he had been raised in luxury and had never suffered like this. In just a few days, he was in a sorry state.

He began to regret why he had acted impulsively and given the money pouch to the thief.

On the fifth day, heavy rain poured down outside the city. Pei Xuanming temporarily found shelter in an abandoned temple. The temple leaked and didn’t block the wind. After a night, he developed a high fever and fell seriously ill in the temple.

In his delirium, a hot forehead was gently touched by someone. That person squatted beside him, smiling mischievously, “Young master, how did you end up in such a sorry state?”

The handsome young man from the inn was lounging beside him, still in his elegant silver robe, with a playful expression that held undisguised malice.

He leaned down and pressed a dagger to Pei Xuanming’s neck, making him shiver from the cold.

“You troubled me that day, and I haven’t settled the score with you. How about I give you an end?”

Pei Xuanming trembled and closed his eyes, looking as if he was ready to face death.

…

Xie Ye suddenly let out a choked sob of extreme pain, his fingers clutching Li Jingci’s back, tears welling up from the overwhelming pain and pleasure.

“Your Highness…” he pleaded weakly.

“What did you call me?” Li Jingci’s movements on the bed didn’t slow, maliciously whispering in his ear.

Xie Ye’s slender wrist was held in his hand, his eyes filled with desire, and he gasped, “Xiao Jing.”

“Gently… I beg you.”

Li Jingci was greatly pleased by this, pressing down on him even tighter, leaning down to kiss Xie Ye’s red and ravaged lips forcefully.

“You were distracted just now,” Li Jingci said lowly between their entwined lips. “What were you thinking about?”

“It’s nothing, just that seeing you like this reminds me of an old acquaintance. He was just like you back then.”

Xie Ye’s eyes were unfocused, too tired to concentrate, but he wore a smile at the corner of his mouth. “Inexperienced, rough, without any technique…”

Li Jingci’s anger flared, and he grabbed a belt, wrapping it around Xie Ye’s teeth, tying it behind his head, leaving him unable to speak clearly, only able to make broken and pitiful whimpers.

“I’d like to see if the Pavilion Master has any strength left to think of others tonight.”

Xie Ye, his mouth bound, couldn’t utter a word, and after a while, he turned his head in trembling exhaustion, tears of pain streaming down his flushed cheeks.