Chapter 22

A Lesson For The Young Nobleman

A ball of rage erupted from Xu Qian’s chest. As the horse reared up on its hind legs, he whipped out the string of copper coins and hurled it at the beast. The attack was quickly followed by lightning footsteps that broke the pavement.

72 copper coins were scattered in the air around the young nobleman dressed in an embroidered robe.

The nobleman made no move to dodge the attack. He still had that entertained look on his face.

One of his followers reacted instead. The man lunged for the young nobleman, and the two men fell onto the ground.

A portion of the copper coins shot out and sliced the horse. Fresh blood erupted from the wound, coating Xu Lingyin’s face red.

Ping!

Xu Qian slammed into the horse with his shoulder.

The muscular horse was knocked a few meters back. A red streak decorated the green flagstone street.

People hid away to watch the unfolding drama.

Xu Qian pulled Xu Lingyin into his embrace. He noted the fear on her face and consoled her, “Don’t be scared. I’m here.”

The little bean’s lips trembled. Then, as if the fog had lifted from her mind, Xu Lingyin sobbed.

The men abandoned Xu Lingyue and rushed over to the young nobleman.

Xu Qian took this moment to hand Xu Lingyin over to her sister. He muttered softly, “Get to the Changle County Courts. Sound the gong and tell them I sent you. Get Constable Wang to send someone to Zhu of the Armed Guards on Huangling Street. He’ll look for your father. Go!”

Xu Lingyue locked eyes with Xu Qian for a moment, then she carried her younger sister and ran.

“How dare you kill my horse?” The young nobleman in an embroidered robe waved his hand and his followers surrounded Xu Qian—an evil grin plastered on his face.

Xu Qian thought, ‘I want to kill you too.’

The white-hoofed, black-bodied stallion was a rare find. In the army, only a lieutenant general and above could ride on such a horse.

Xu Qian had some army knowledge thanks to his uncle and could identify the quality of the horse. In the modern era, the horse would be equivalent to a Lamborghini.

Those who drove Lamborghinis were the children of the upper echelon—sons of the high-ranking officials in this era. Wealth was not the ultimate symbol of power in the ancient period, status was.

As if the white-hoofed, black-bodied stallion was insufficient as a status symbol, the young nobleman wore an extravagant robe with azure and violet embroidery. At his waist was a dragon carved out of white jade and a heavy-looking pouch. From his wardrobe alone, one could tell he was a man with connections.

No doubt a son of a high-ranking official.

Xu Qian folded his hands in respect. “I’m Xu Qian, the son of Xu Pingzhi from the Armed Guards. The two girls are my sisters. We did not mean any offense.”

Then, he swallowed his pride and anger. “To save my sister, I killed your horse by mistake. I promise to compensate you.”

Xu Qian knew the reason behind the provocation. The young nobleman noticed Xu Lingyue’s unparalleled beauty and wanted to take advantage of an unchaperoned girl—maybe he even thought of kidnapping her.

After spending a month in the county courts, he had heard many stories about the young noblemen’s arrogant and barbaric behavior.

Kidnapping women was not below them, so was putting civilians’ lives on the line.

To placate the commoners, they would make threats and promises. The families who were unwilling to settle would be executed.

The plebeians were not worth dismissing a high-ranking official of the imperial courts. Hence, the children of said officials were given a free pass in society.

In the eyes of the courts, their actions were not regarded as a threat to peace.

One had to be of equal or higher standing to challenge an official’s son.

Xu Qian barely counted as the second generation of an official. Xu Pingzhi was a seventh-ranked, green-robed official.

The young nobleman had picked on the children of an official—the courts would have to take the case into consideration.

Connections in Jingzhao City ran deep.

The young nobleman was surprised. “Xu Pingzhi? The one who lost the tax silvers?”

“Yes!” Xu Qian breathed a sigh of relief.

After a moment’s thought, the young nobleman’s face darkened. He ordered his men. “Cripple him but let him live.”

‘Is this man crazy?’ Xu Qian nearly let out a string of profanities.

The men were all practicing martial artists—they each pulled out a dagger.

In Jingzhao City, a person could not carry a sword if he was not an official wearing the official uniform. The offender would receive 80 lashes and a fine of 100 silver taels if he did so.

A group of people brandishing swords would instantly be executed.

However, the law said nothing about daggers, and the group clearly knew about the loophole.

The five men were martial artists who had trained in combined assaults.

Two men rushed forward with their daggers drawn. Xu Qian caught their wrists and was about to strike when another two men came at him from his sides. The man who had pushed the young nobleman off his steed was flying toward Xu Qian with his knee raised.

Xu Qian was forced to release the men to defend himself.

Thud!

The flying knee struck against Xu Qian’s arms. A jolt of pain shot through his body.

The two men at his side struck out with their daggers. One missed, but the other drew blood from Xu Qian’s waist.

The young nobleman said with a ghoulish grin, “Sever the tendons in his limbs.”

Xu Qian glanced at the nobleman but stayed silent—he was analyzing the situation.

‘The men are at the refinement stage but none of them are at maximum refinement. I can take them one-on-one. They’re winning because they’ve trained for combined assaults…’

The daggers were back. Xu Qian employed the close-quarters combat techniques from his past life and pretended to be losing steam.

Whereas in reality, at maximum refinement, his physical energy was boundless. However, he did not want others to know his true strength lest he misses the opportunity.

The young nobleman was frustrated—his men still struggled to capture Xu Qian. Standing a distance away, he shouted mockingly, “Kneel, kowtow, and call me your elder. Then, I’ll let you go.”

Xu Qian shouted his response, “Elder, your grandmother tastes good!”

Angered that his teasing backfired, the young nobleman screamed, “Kill him!”

Thunk!

Xu Qian’s fist clashed with the strongest fighter among the five men. Then, Xu Qian pretended he was too weak to fight and staggered backward.

The other four men noticed his retreat and encircled him.

At that moment, the stone beneath Xu Qian’s feet cracked. The tension in the muscles of his lower body was released and he shot toward the man on his left. Blood rose to the man’s throat—his sternum was broken.

The men were not expecting Xu Qian to hide his abilities, hence they were unprepared when he broke out.

However, Xu Qian did not escape. He ran straight toward the young nobleman. Fear registered on the young nobleman’s face—Xu Qian had one hand around his throat and another in his gut. He had punched the young nobleman.

The young nobleman was hunched over like a prawn, vomit dripping from his mouth.

Xu Qian continued the onslaught until the young nobleman collapsed onto the ground, arms hugging his stomach.

The fire in Xu Qian’s chest slowly diminished and he stopped the violence. He shouted at the approaching men, “Stand still, or else I’ll kill him.”

The followers did as they were told.

“Good, very good.”

“Do you know who I am?” The young nobleman raised his head—there was venom in his eyes.

Thud!

Xu Qian stepped on the nobleman’s head, making him cry out in pain. The young nobleman’s face hit the ground and was smeared with his own vomit.

“Let me teach this nobleman a lesson. Even the ordinary man has a temper, and when angered, bloodshed ensues,” Xu Qian warned darkly.

The two young men locked eyes. At that moment, a group of uniformed constables arrived with a dozen civilian guards.

Constable Wang was at the head of the group.

He was furious to hear that Xu Qian was being bullied. However, his face froze when he saw the young nobleman in the embroidered robe. A second later, he regained his senses and shouted, “Who dares threaten the peace of Changle County? A street fight in the administrative region?”

Xu Qian released the young nobleman when he saw his colleagues had their swords drawn and the men surrounded.

The young nobleman commanded. “Arrest him! I want him to be cut into pieces.”

Constable Wang pretended to not hear the nobleman’s order and said, “Arrest all of them!”

He played his role as the uncivilized low-level official—the young nobleman’s attempts to clarify his identity went unattended.

After a while, the young nobleman gave up trying, choosing to believe the constables were uncultured fools. The group made their way to the Changle County Courts.

Constable Wang hung back and walked alongside Xu Qian. “You f*cked up. That man isn’t an easy case. Do you have any idea?”

Constable Wang shot Xu Qian a scathing look.

‘Like I had a choice.’ Xu Qian asked in a low voice, “Have you called in my uncle?”

They talked as they walked and the county courts appeared moments later.