Dads, Disciples, Wives
As her hearing wasn’t as keen as Hong Jiu’s, Master Qi moved a tile to give herself a small gap to see through. In spite of the heat, both the large man and lanky man wore bear fur and an overcoat, respectively. The fact that neither of them had a single bead of sweat on them was a sign that their internal strength had been cultivated to a respectable degree.
“You’re finally here. We’ve been waiting,” the large Liaodong man remarked.
The young man who came through the door saluted the duo politely. “This one is younger than you. If there is an issue, you, as this one’s elders, can just deal with him. Why did you have to meet here in the middle of the night?”
“Cut the rubbish. Until you hand over the blade, we’re all swatting flies. What use does dealing with you serve? Why would we call for you? For you to put on a broadsword performance?”
“This one is not holding onto the broadsword. He just dares not to use his mentor’s weapon unless there is no risk. As veterans in the martial world, you would understand.”
The other man, who resembled a foreigner, simpered. “As reasonable as you sound, there is no such thing as zero risk. Are we going to just keep counting the stars here until there is no risk? Teacher Ning said to wait a few days if there is a 30% chance of success. Who knows what the situation is inside?”
The young man shook his head. “There is only one copy of the broadsword. If it was just any weapon, then so be it. This one’s mentor would not chide him even if this one lost a rare item. However, how can this one make rash decisions when failure would threaten his teacher’s safety?”
The Liaodong man debated, “Your shifu’s safety? What about my son and daughter-in-law’s lives? You’re handing it over whether you like it or not tonight.”
“Elders, do you intend to steal it by brute force?”
“Abnormal times call for abnormal approaches!”
The lanky man voiced, “Don’t accuse us of bullying a junior now. We won’t work together. We’ll fight you one on one. Defeat me, and I shall ignore my son’s life. I won’t shameless try to rob you, either.”
The young man smiled. “You truly are an upright man, Senior Yan.”
Master Qi instantly recognised the man from the north had plenty of power in his body and a skill to protect him from blades. Considering their age gaps, the young man shouldn’t have been his match, yet the young man snickered. “That being the case, why carry on with this farce? The two of you are dead set on obtaining this jade broadsword. What one on one? We all know it is a means to the same end, so how about letting me learn a thing or two from you both? That will save people saying I was such a chicken that I didn’t dare to fight two pieces of scum at once.”
“Let’s see if you’re as good with your hands as your mouth. Brother Yan, stand back. Allow this old one to see how capable Lang Qing’s disciple really is.” The Liaodong man’s voice created ripples in the air, disrupting everyone’s flow of qi and blow.
Yu Yeshan scoffed as he assumed his defensive stance with his broadsword. Since his voice didn’t do the trick, the Liaodong man took out a black iron cudgel that easily weighed twenty-five kilograms from behind.
“Why are you fighting each other when we’re all on the same boat? Besides, why are you so intolerant when he’s younger than you?” A middle-aged man in green garments sauntered over from the centre of the hall. As soon as he placed his hands on the weapon’s, the tense atmosphere eased off.
Yu Yeshan respectfully expressed, “Greetings, Mr. Ning.”
Mr. Ning acknowledged Yu Yeshan with a nod, then turned to the Liaodong man and smiled. “The weapon is Young Master Yu’s property. We may be in a pinch, but that does not justify stealing. Your reputations will be compromised if the public hears about this. Gu, you’re too impulsive.”
Gu Bushang may have been one of the scariest men in Liaodong, but he wasn’t an unreasonable individual. In fact, he was somewhat considered a hero in Liaodong for distancing himself from material wealth and protecting the innocent. Had it not been for his emotions running high due to his family being kidnapped and Yu Yeshan’s provocations, he wouldn’t have gotten physical. Since he was Mr. Ning’s in-law, they were friendly with each other and could accept criticism. The troublesome person in the ordeal was the foreigner.
The foreigner offered Mr. Ning a cupped-fist salute. “Compared to your impartial and virtuous conduct, my behaviour has been disgraceful. Having said that, all I know is that the fates of my two sons depend on Young Master Yu’s jade broadsword. If he refuses to cooperate, I will have to take it by force. If it costs me my reputation, then so be it. Compared to my sons, my reputation is worthless.”
“My shifu is also among the hostages. You speak as if you are the only anxious one. This broadsword is the only hope to rescue him. I’m not giving it away unless it’s guaranteed to get him out.”
“Mr. Ning said to take action as long as we’re 30% confident, but you insist on 100%. When in life is anything 100% guaranteed? Nobody knows what the hostages’ circumstances are. If we don’t take a risk, are we just going to wait to regret it for the rest of our lives?”
“Mr. Yan, you’re being impulsive. The letter stated that there was enough food for another month. The more anxious you are, the more likely you are to make mistakes. Are you not afraid of making the wrong move?” responded Yu Yeshan.
“All of us are anxious; you’re the only one who’s so calm. Is it because you’re not related by blood, or are you hoping your shifu perishes so that you can surpass him?”
The upward curves at Yu Yeshan’s lips dropped to a horizontal line. “What was that?”
“Hahaha, what was that? Our children who’ve been taken hostage don’t have a fraction of our shifu’s knowledge or experience. If anything happens, your shifu will survive, but our family members are doomed. You think I don’t know what sort of calculations you’re running in your head?”
Yu Yeshan’s complexion changed for the worse.
The foreigner then asked the person beside him, “Wu Clan’s sister-in-law, don’t you agree?”
The young lady sitting beside him emotionlessly exhaled. “This one is but a useless woman. She can only entrust her husband’s safety to you gentlemen. She shall follow your lead.”
Her words replaced their rage with helplessness.
“We all share the same wish. Why, then, do we need to test who is superior to who? In this old one’s opinion, we should evaluate our options and plan. He just went to check the lock hole and found…” Mr. Wu suddenly raised his volume. “How about you show yourself? A gentleman does not snoop around!”
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