Going to the Streets

Duan Xuan carried his mother on his back all the way from Shetougou, crossing mountains and valleys, into the outer city of Huangshe County.

Initially, each village had its own small market, but nearby gangs frequently came to extort money from them, making it impossible for them to operate in peace.

Left with no other choice, all the villages moved their goods to the outer city of Huangshe County.

It boosts the local economy while also providing protection, creating a win-win situation for both parties.

Today is the county town's grand market day, with crowds coming and going, creating a lively and bustling atmosphere.

Small vendors occupy both sides of the street, and all sorts of hawking cries emerge endlessly.

Fruit stalls, tea shops, and peddlers going from street to street all vigorously promoted their products.

Most of the passersby were ordinary people, interspersed with a few martial arts school disciples and maids from wealthy families.

"Xuan'er, you've been carrying your mother for so long, are you tired? Put your mother down quickly!" Zhou Fang gently wiped the sweat from her son's forehead.

Duan Xuan smiled faintly: "What are you saying, Mother? You have no flesh on your body, where does your weight come from?"

Moreover, I am a Ming Jin martial artist, practicing stance training and honing my Qi and blood every day. Even if I carried you to a village more than ten miles away, I wouldn't easily be out of breath.

The mother and son naturally became the brief focus of attention for others, after all, both of them were dressed rather shabbily and appeared on the street in this manner.

"Xuan'er!" Duan Xuan, carrying Zhou Fang on his back, was about to enter a cloth shop.

A crisp, melodious sound gently rang in my ears.

  

Duan Xuan and Zhou Fang looked over at the same time and sure enough, they saw the cheerful and bright girl—Duan Xin!

"Xiao Xin, what a coincidence!"

Duan Xin strode over like a dragonfly skimming the water, first gently patting Duan Xuan's head, then bowing to Zhou Fang.

"It's all because of that annoying guy Duan Xu, who kept saying he was about to break through to the Dark Force realm."

The whole family was in turmoil, and the old man had to spend money and effort to buy Qi and Blood Pills that cost ten taels of silver per gram.

One wasn't enough, so he insisted that his father and mother borrow money from all over the place to buy a second one.

"I'm too lazy to deal with him, so I'll just go for a walk!" Duan Xin looked Duan Xuan up and down; the two hadn't seen each other for a while.

Those beautiful phoenix eyes narrowed into crescent shapes again: "It hasn't been that long since we last met, and Xuan'er is already taller than her aunt."

"Duan Xu needs those Qi and Blood Pills, you probably need them too, right?"

As she spoke, Duan Xin pulled a small pink sachet from her sleeve, which was decorated with exquisite peonies and birds.

"Did you make the sachet yourself, Aunt? Your skills are getting better and better. I don't need it for now. Please keep the money safe and don't let anyone see it," Duan Xuan politely declined Duan Xin's offer.

No matter how good their relationship was, it was all thanks to her aunt's hard work. Duan Xuan felt embarrassed to receive favors every time they met.

Duan Xin was secretly delighted. After a few moments of back and forth, Duan Xuan ultimately declined.

"Okay, then I'll save up some more and then I'll just buy you a Qi and Blood Pill."

But that will take a very, very long time.

Duan Xin didn't rush to leave. Instead, she accompanied Duan Xuan and Zhou Fang to select several pieces of fabric with the best value for money.

I also asked the boss for some leftover scraps.

The three of them walked along a dirt road in another county towards Shetougou.

Suddenly, Duan Xuan tugged at his right ear and noticed a subtle footstep.

The footsteps were slightly unsteady, and one could tell at a glance that the person was a martial artist.

It has a bright, forceful quality, but the heat is not quite right!

The footsteps followed the three of them until they arrived at Snakehead Gully.

They lingered outside, seemingly because members of the Golden Leopard Gang were doing business nearby and hadn't entered the village.

Duan Xuan raised an eyebrow: "Little Zhu, have you offended anyone lately?"

"Hmm..." Duan Xin bit her lip and looked up at the sky: "No, I usually don't leave the house, how could I possibly offend anyone?"

"But last time I helped the old man deliver goods to Chun Song Martial Arts School, several male disciples from the school tried to talk to me, but I turned them down."

"That's most likely it..."

After applying an ancient remedy for bruises and massaging Zhou Fang's muscles and bones for a while, Duan Xin said she had to leave because she had other things to do. Duan Xuan then offered to take his aunt home on the way to Renhetang.

As soon as they left the village, the people who had been hiding all around followed them.

Duan Xuan remained silent, yet showed no fear whatsoever.

He chatted casually with his aunt, Duan Xin.

Just as the two were about to reach the county town, the person who had been following them stopped pretending and strode forward, blocking their path from both sides.

"Youngest daughter of the Duan family, we meet again!"

The speaker was a man with slightly fair skin and a strong physique, whose face practically screamed "lewdness."

The other person was probably his follower, not wearing the Chun Song Martial Arts School uniform, but just a simple plain-colored short outfit.

Upon seeing these two people, Duan Xin's smile vanished instantly, and she pulled Duan Xuan to walk around them.

"Youngest daughter of the Duan family, I still don't know your name. The pastries your shop made last time were really good. Would you like to expand your store a bit?"

Duan Xin remained silent, while the short-clothed servant cursed, "You filthy woman, my young master is talking to you, are you deaf or what...?"

Before he could finish speaking, the servant met Duan Xuan's unusually calm gaze. But the calmer he was, the more cold-blooded he appeared in Duan Xuan's eyes, as if he were staring at a bloodthirsty wolf king.

He shuddered and didn't finish his sentence.

"Young master, this guy's a trained fighter!"

"Judging from your clothes, you're from the Poshan Martial Arts School, right? Are you Lin Hu or Liu Mingze?" Xiao Rong asked tentatively.

Duan Xuan gently shook his head: "These two are my junior brothers."

"No way, these two are pretending to be something they're not..."

Xiao Rong slapped the servant's head hard with his large hand: "So it's Senior Brother. My apologies for my rudeness. I just wanted to ask if Miss Duan would like to expand her family's business? My family happens to have some business dealings with the Wu family's shop, so we could help out the shops in the village. But it seems Miss Duan isn't too keen on it, so we'll take our leave now!"

The two left in a hurry.

However, they took a long detour and did not completely leave, still hiding on the road that Duan Xuan would inevitably take home.

"Young Master, why are we back again? Wasn't that kid Lin Hu and Liu Mingze acting all arrogant? I'm not afraid of him at all!"

Xiao Rong's eyes flashed with ruthlessness: "Since he is Lin Hu's senior brother, he must also be a master of Ming Jin. In the dispute that just occurred, we were at a disadvantage."

But if it's a sneak attack, even his hidden strength will be broken!

"Young Master is wise!"

The two waited until nightfall. Xiao Rong took out two bamboo whistle swords, holding one in his hand and handing the other to his servant.

"Young Master, two hours have passed, and we still haven't seen that kid. Could he be staying put?"

"Impossible! That kid was probably carrying his mother. If he doesn't go home, we'll go to the village and drag his mother out."

That Duan family girl, in the entire Huangshe County, no one can compare to her in the slightest. I must have her.

Suddenly, alarm bells rang in Xiao Rong's mind.

A gust of wind blew past his neck, making him shrink back: "Er Gou, keep a close eye on him, don't let him get away...Er Gou?"

Having received no response, Xiao Rong turned his head and saw that his servant had turned his head to the side, blood spurting from the corner of his mouth, and was no longer breathing.

But there was an iron arrowhead aimed at him, piercing the servant's body from behind!

Xiao Rong's eyes widened instantly, and he stood up from the earthen slope, his throat just about to utter a sound.

With a whoosh, a sharp claw slashed across his chest.

Round beads of blood splattered out, hanging upside down on his face and the corners of his eyes.

"When did you get in front of me? Why didn't I notice you...?"

Before he could finish speaking, Xiao Rong's body went limp and he collapsed to the ground.