Chapter 20: Coincidences and Connections

Chapter 20: Coincidences and Connections

“I’m making sure Wei Liang gets back safely. He was barely able to defeat those two weaklings. Look at the state he’s in.”

Li Jie stared at William with a raised eyebrow. “Is that true? You were able to kill them?”

William was looking between the two in shock. They had the same family names, but he didn’t pay that much attention since he thought it was simply a coincidence. That was especially true when Li Xinyue referenced Li Jie as ‘the guard.’

“Sister Li, you’re related to him!”

“Yes, she is,” Li Jie answered in her place, “Answer my question before we talk about that, Wei Liang.”

William didn’t miss how Li Jie changed the way he addressed him, nor did William miss the suddenly cold tone that he was using. “... Yes, I was. But I almost died in the process.”

William tried to step back when Li Jie moved into his personal space but was stopped by a tight grip on his arm.

“Interesting, your muscles are more defined than anyone without training has a right to possess.” Li Jie let William go and asked Li Xinyue, “What did you do to him, Cousin Xinyue?”

“I treated Wei Liang to a meal at the Phoenix’s Nest, but that wouldn’t explain everything.”

William fidgeted when two sets of curious eyes locked onto him. When they didn’t let up, he blurted out, “I don’t know either.”

“I suppose it doesn’t matter,” Li Jie said reluctantly, “Wang Xiaoling can still easily beat you if needed.”

William blinked owlishly at that claim and wondered if that was a joke. If that was true, wouldn’t that mean that Wang Xiaoling could deal with Zhang Biao like he was an unruly child?

Just thinking of that man’s name brought up unpleasant memories. He shuddered as he remembered the wet gurgle as Zhang Biao’s blood drowned him.

“You can talk to Wei Liang later,” Li Xinyue interjected, “I have to get back to the clinic soon.”

“Hold on for a minute, Cousin Xinyue,” Li Jie stopped her from leaving and returned to his men.

William could see Li Jie gesturing orders while often pointing at the dead bodies of Zhang Biao and Zhou Chou. He averted his eyes and cleared his throat. “Sister Li, why didn’t you tell me about-”

“Stop,” Li Xinyue interrupted, “You can ask him about that. It’s his story to tell.”The initial posting of this chapter occurred via N0v3l.B11n.

William’s mind went wild thinking about Li Jie being a protagonist-like character bullied into his menial role as a guard captain by someone in his clan. Just as he shifted his gaze to stare at Li Jie, he wished he didn’t.

Li Jie pulled a flawless sword that William had never seen him use out of the scabbard and smoothly cut off the dead bandits’ heads. Two of his men each picked up a detached head before walking off in the direction Li Jie pointed.

William knew he should get used to this but wasn’t ready to watch casual dismemberments yet.

“I’m finished. Let’s go,” Li Jie said with a smile.

William acted like a barrier between the two until they reached the Golden Lotus Inn. Honestly, the painful silence let too many thoughts appear in his head. He distracted himself by looking at his stat screen.

Name: Wei Liang (William Davis)

“Brat! What took you-” Wang Xiaoling goggled at William and shrieked, “What happened to you!”

“I was attacked,” William stated obviously, before trying his attempt at humor with an ugly smile, “But you should see the other guys.”

Wang Xiaoling stared at him before looking at Li Jie in question.

“Little Brother Wei Liang is right. You should see the other guys,” Li Jie agreed with a smirk, “They’re currently headless.”

“Wei Liang, I’ll be heading back,” Li Xinyue interjected, “Remember to arrive early tomorrow.”

“Yes, Sister Li,” William nodded his head. She disappeared in a blur as if to let him know how patient she had been to walk that slowly with him.

“Tsk, she’s still a bitch,” Wang Xiaoling muttered.

It surprised William, who was barely able to catch what she said. Li Xinyue had pretended that she had no idea who Wang Xiaoling was and called her the merchant girl. The part of him that loved office gossip yearned to ask questions about it, but the fierce look in Wang Xiaoling’s eyes discouraged him.

“Li Jie, fill me in on what happened,” Wang Xiaoling ordered.

As Li Jie did just that. William wondered why she had such power over the odd guard. He might not have researched the major clans in the city, a mistake he needed to rectify soon, but having a relative of Li Xinyue likely meant that the clan wasn’t in too bad of a standing.

However, Wang Xiaoling had admitted to William when they met that she was an independent merchant with no backing and was kicked out of her clan. None of which he truly believed at this point. He didn’t even blame her for lying since she didn’t really know him at that point.

“I knew you were a worthy hire, brat!” Wang Xiaoling exclaimed, “Instead of being a helper, you can also be a guard! And just in time. I was going to leave the city tomorrow to pick up more goods.”

William found it funny that what he told Zhang Biao about Wang Xiaoling’s departure had been right. However, he had to give her some bad news.

“I’m sorry, Sister Xiaoling, I won’t be able to come with you. Elder Huang used an immortal pill to heal me and wants me to work for him for a month to repay it.”

Wang Xiaoling puffed up in rage before deflating when she heard William mention Elder Huang. “Great, now I have to get an escort because some idiots want to rob me.”

William wanted to ask her how that would change if he had been able to come with her but figured it was better not to ask.

“Fine,” Wang Xiaoling sighed before narrowing her eyes, “But don’t expect me to keep paying for a room. If Elder Huang wants you to work for him, he can deal with it.”

William accepted that without argument. It was perfectly reasonable for her to make that decision. Besides, he thought she already went above and beyond by letting him stay in the Golden Lotus on her coin. Especially with how it looked like someone was stabbing her every time she had to pay for another night.

“This might work out perfectly. It’ll take over a month for me to return, and you’ll be here to help me sell what I bring back. Plus, I’ll save a fortune on food!”

“Understood,” William saluted.

“Go to your room and get cleaned up, brat.”

“I’ll see you off tomorrow, Sister Xiaoling,” William waved as he slightly nodded to Li Jie, who was predictably too engrossed to notice his existence.

He wasn’t fazed by the snub and eagerly rushed to his room, wanting nothing more than to get out of the ruined clothes and wash the blood off his body.