Volume One: Carefree Journey Amidst Indistinguishable Paper Leaves Chapter Fifty-Nine: The Crown Prince of Shu

Yang Ning followed the sound and saw a group of officers wearing square hats and dressed in blue uniforms surging toward them, numbering no fewer than twenty or thirty. Each one looked fierce and menacing. Leading the group were several men in gray fitted attire, exuding an air of arrogance.

At the very front was a burly man with a tiger-like back and bear-like waist, his hand resting on the saber at his side. Next to him, a servant in green pointed at the young lord in yellow and said, “That’s him! That’s the one who almost hurt the young master.”

With a sharp sound, the burly man drew his saber and brandished it, shouting, “Audacious scoundrel, lawless and wild! Surround them all—do not let anyone escape!”

His officers, as fierce as wolves and tigers, rushed forward, instantly encircling the young lord in yellow and his entourage. The young lord’s attendants, heads wrapped in white cloth, looked solemn. They drew their blades, standing protectively by the young lord’s side.

The burly man, however, hurried first to the woman’s side. She clutched her child tightly and, seeing the man approach, looked as though she had seen her savior. Even before she could speak, the man said, “Madam, is the young master unharmed? Don’t worry, if anyone dares lay a finger on you, I’ll cut down his entire family.”

His words were rough, and the lady’s delicate brows furrowed slightly. “Ding’er is unharmed, but... but our benefactor is wounded.”

“Our benefactor?” the man was taken aback.

The lady turned toward Yang Ning. “It was this gentleman. If not for him, Ding’er... I fear Ding’er would have been...” Her eyes, already red-rimmed, now brimmed with tears as she spoke, overcome with lingering fear.

The burly man turned to Yang Ning without hesitation, stepped forward, and clasped his hands in salute. “Benefactor, I, Lei Yonghu, offer you my deepest gratitude!” He was about to kneel when Yang Ning quickly stopped him, smiling, “No need for such formality. One draws his blade in the face of injustice. Anyone with a conscience would not stand idly by.”

When Yang Ning first saw this menacing crowd approaching, he had been bewildered. Now he understood—they were the woman’s supporters. Seeing that they had brought officers with them, it was clear they held some sway in the capital. He had acted only because he could not ignore a child in peril; even if the child had been a little beggar, he would have intervened. He had not expected, however, to have rescued a young master.

In the capital, high-ranking officials were as numerous as cattle in the fields; it was no surprise that a random child saved would have such distinguished status. Yet, what struck him was the straightforwardness of Lei Yonghu—the kind of man who held clear distinctions between gratitude and enmity. Yang Ning found himself liking the man.

Lei Yonghu said, “Let me thank you properly another time. For now, I’ll deal with these lawless troublemakers.” He turned and saw the man in gray—the one called Master Ximen—watching him. After sizing up Master Ximen’s attire, Lei Yonghu’s face darkened. “Are you with that rascal?” he demanded.

The man in black remained calm and nodded, “Indeed. But may I ask why you’ve brought so many men here?”

“Why?” Lei Yonghu snorted. “Are you blind? You nearly harmed the young master of our house and act as though nothing happened! If I don’t teach you a lesson, you’ll never learn.” He reached out to grab Master Ximen by the front of his robes.

He was a full head taller than Master Ximen and moved quickly. Yet Master Ximen did not resist, allowing Lei Yonghu to seize his collar. A glint of coldness flashed in his eyes.

Lei Yonghu yanked hard, expecting his own strength would easily bring this unremarkable man in black to the ground, thus intimidating the yellow-robed youth before moving on to deal with the main culprit. To his surprise, Master Ximen stood as unmoving as a stone statue.

Somewhat surprised, Lei Yonghu pulled harder, but Master Ximen remained rooted to the spot. Now annoyed, Lei Yonghu realized that if he could not handle even such a plain-looking man in front of so many people, it would be a great loss of face. He mustered his full strength, giving a final, forceful tug. There was a ripping sound, and he managed only to tear off a piece of Master Ximen’s robe.

Lei Yonghu froze, finally realizing this unassuming man was no ordinary person but someone hiding formidable skill.

“Well, you do have some ability,” Lei Yonghu remarked, sizing him up. “Step aside for now. As for you, boy, come here...” He pointed at the young lord in yellow, who was still surrounded.

The young lord’s face was now ashen, twisted with anger. He sneered, said nothing, swung himself onto his horse, jerked the reins, and spurred his mount forward.

This was no ordinary steed. With a loud neigh, it surged ahead, charging straight at one of the officers blocking the way. The officer was startled but reacted swiftly, dodging aside just in time as the horse broke through the encirclement.

Clearly, the young lord in yellow sensed things were getting troublesome and wanted nothing more than to escape the scene.

The crowd gasped as the young lord suddenly rode off, scattering in all directions to avoid him. Just as he was about to make good his escape, a figure shot out like a panther, then leapt like a monkey, and in an instant, the young lord let out a cry of terror—he had been pulled from his horse. The steed galloped on a short distance before coming to a stop.

Yang Ning, seeing the young lord attempting to flee, had no intention of letting him succeed.

He had bled from his forehead in rescuing the child, and all of today’s troubles stemmed from this young lord. To simply let him go would have rankled deeply.

As the young lord broke through the encirclement, Yang Ning dashed forward, seized him from his horse, and as they fell, made sure the young lord hit the ground first, landing atop him to cushion his own fall.

The young lord grimaced in pain as he hit the ground. Master Ximen, seeing this, was shocked. His figure flashed forward like a phantom, grasped Yang Ning by the shoulder, and with a deft tug, sent Yang Ning floating away. He vaguely heard a woman’s anxious cry—“Be careful!”—but before he could react, he landed hard on his backside several meters away.

Master Ximen’s control was precise. Though Yang Ning’s landing stung, he was otherwise unhurt.

Even so, Yang Ning was taken aback. With all that had just happened, he realized Master Ximen was a master concealing great skill beneath an unremarkable exterior.

He was now intensely curious about the backgrounds of the young lord and Master Ximen. He also recalled, as he was flung away, hearing a woman’s concerned voice. Looking in that direction, he saw a crowd gathered, including five or six women, but couldn’t tell who had shouted.

At that moment, Yuan Rong hurried over to steady Yang Ning. “Are you all right, brother?” he asked.

Yang Ning frowned but said nothing. Seeing that Yang Ning was uninjured, Yuan Rong leaned in and whispered, “Brother, best to let things end here. This should not escalate further. That... that seems to be the Prince of Shu’s son!”

“What?” Yang Ning was surprised, realizing Yuan Rong had recognized the young lord’s identity.

Yuan Rong whispered, “The Prince of Shu is the only non-royal prince in our Great Chu. Even the court must defer to him. As for his son... we would do well not to provoke him.”

Yang Ning had already noticed Yuan Rong’s reticence and now understood his caution. After all, Yuan Rong was himself the son of the Minister of Rites, yet he clearly feared the Prince of Shu—a testament to the prince’s formidable reputation.

As for Lei Yonghu, seeing Yang Ning take a blow, he charged over, shouting, “You villain, how dare you strike a man!” Although he knew Master Ximen was a man of hidden depths, he showed not a trace of fear. He rushed forward and brought his saber down on Master Ximen, though he used the back of the blade and aimed at the shoulder, clearly not intending to kill.

Master Ximen, supporting the young lord as he sat up, did not even turn his head. Between the fingers of his free hand, a pebble had appeared as if by magic. With a flick of his finger, the pebble shot out, striking Lei Yonghu’s knee with a thud. Lei Yonghu cried out, stumbled, and fell to his knees, unable to move.

Master Ximen, his expression now cold, was far less courteous than before. In a low voice, he said, “Excess in all things is never wise. To forgive when possible is a virtue; pushing matters too far benefits no one.” He glanced at Yang Ning, a cold gleam in his eyes. “It’s good for a young man to have passion, but when passion clouds reason, it is seldom wise.”

He said no more, and tried to help the young lord back onto his horse. The young lord, face twisted with resentment, pointed at Yang Ning and spat, “Remember this—you’ll pay for today. This will not end here.”

Yang Ning stood, sneering. “You’re right, it won’t end here. If you want to leave now, you won’t get far.” With that, he began walking toward the young lord step by step.

The crowd, having seen Master Ximen’s display, knew he was not to be trifled with. Most thought Yang Ning, having been so easily thrown aside, would not dare press the matter. Yet, to their surprise, he advanced undaunted. Some were filled with admiration, while others thought him reckless, courting disaster.

“What exactly do you want?” Master Ximen asked, frowning, clearly surprised at Yang Ning’s persistence.

Yang Ning stopped two steps away, pointing at the young lord. “I said he must apologize—to everyone here whom he has harmed. Otherwise, he’s not leaving.”

“And if we insist on leaving?” Master Ximen replied coolly. “Do you think you can stop us?”

At that very moment, a flash of light streaked through the air. With a metallic ring, something struck the ground before the young lord’s steed. Looking closely, the crowd saw a steel saber embedded upright in the flagstones, its tip buried deep, the blade still quivering.