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墨書 Inktalez
Ye Chen still had the military stipend he received when he enlisted. After finishing his business at the Mountain Temple, he made his way down to the small town, intending to buy some food. Along the way, he picked up snacks that wouldn’t fill him up but were merely meant to pass the time.
With his bundle slung over his Submissive lder, Ye Chen walked confidently, but soon his extravagant demeanor attracted a group of local thugs.
Seeing Ye Chen’s slender frame and that he was alone, the thugs began to hatch a plan. They gathered together and decided to sell him to Pavilion of Floral Pursuit. After all, it was rare to find a handsome young man like Ye Chen in these times; capturing someone with even a bit of charm like Zhong Yong could fetch a good price from a brothel madam.
The group, dressed in coarse linen clothes, approached Ye Chen with ill intentions.
Ye Chen lowered his head, trying to sidestep them, but they blocked his path repeatedly. Looking up at the burly man standing in front of him, Ye Chen forced a strained smile and asked, “Gentlemen, is there something you need?”
The leader of the group, with a round belly that jiggled as he moved, rubbed his shiny stomach and grinned maliciously. “We’d like to buy you a drink. Care to join us?”
Being a man himself, Ye Chen understood their ulterior motives all too well.
He silently cursed his luck for running into such trouble again. If he had known this would happen when leaving the army, he would have smeared his face with mud.
Ye Chen chuckled awkwardly as he began to assess the combat capabilities of both sides.
Hmm… not good; he couldn’t win this fight. What about running?
As he turned around, he realized that the thugs had already surrounded him from behind. Their eyes were filled with scrutiny and mockery, making him extremely uncomfortable.
Gripping his bundle tightly, Ye Chen looked for an opportunity to break free. He pivoted and aimed for a gap in their formation, charging forward. However, just as he took a step, someone grabbed him by the collar and yanked him back like a chick being pulled by its neck.
After being heavily thrown to the ground, Ye Chen quickly scrambled to his feet. The group of people continued to close in on him, and in a panic, he crawled backward until his back hit the corner of the wall, leaving him with nowhere to retreat.
The boy's once pristine hands were now smeared with dirt and grime, and his doe-like eyes, as captivating as autumn waters, were filled with fear. His frail body seemed as if it could be crushed with the slightest force. All of this was particularly striking to someone not far away.
Pei Guanjing stood at a distance, carrying a Medicine Chest on his back, quietly observing the scene. His eyes reflected a myriad of emotions that were difficult to decipher. After a long moment, he still did not take a step forward.
"Hey, you look quite handsome like this, even more so than the top performer at the Pavilion of Floral Pursuit, Young Master Yuanxin. He’s Kun Ze, and you, a Zhong Yong, looking like this is quite rare," one person remarked with a grin as he reached out his hand toward Ye Chen.
Ye Chen furrowed his brow tightly and quickly drew the dagger hidden in his chest, swinging it defensively. With a scream, the onlookers around him instantly recoiled in fear, but Pei Guanjing remained motionless among the crowd, standing tall like a crane among chickens.
A severed finger fell to the ground, leaving Ye Chen momentarily stunned.
The dagger from Xiao Feng was surprisingly powerful! In just an instant, Ye Chen regained his composure, grabbed a nearby bundle, and turned to flee.
"Catch him!" The group snapped back to reality and immediately ordered to seize Ye Chen. They had never expected that such a seemingly weak boy could injure their leader.
Seeing Ye Chen dart into the crowd, his small figure about to vanish from sight, they anxiously shouted to disperse the people around them. Some citizens who were already reluctant to provoke them began to retreat upon hearing the loud scolding. In the blink of an eye, the spacious roadside was left with only Ye Chen's desperate silhouette as he ran.
Hearing the relentless pursuit behind him that he couldn't shake off, Ye Chen's heart raced with anxiety. In his panic, he spotted a half-open back door at the corner and dashed inside without thinking twice. He slammed the door shut behind him and leaned against it, gasping for breath.
"Where did that kid go?" a rough voice called out.
"Hey, I clearly saw him run this way; how did he disappear in an instant?"
"Go chase them over there, and you all come with me this way. Move, keep pursuing!"
As the voices of that group gradually faded away, Ye Chen's tense body instantly deflated like a punctured balloon, sliding down slowly against the door.
After a while, as Ye Chen relaxed, he caught a strong and pungent scent of Fragrance of Medicine. Following the smell, he raised his eyes and saw that the yard was empty, devoid of any people. The drying rack was filled to the brim with dried herbs.
"Hey, is anyone there?" Ye Chen called out tentatively, his voice echoing in the desolate yard.
After Submissive ting for a while without receiving any response, Ye Chen mustered his courage and walked into the Inner Hall to investigate.
He checked each room but still saw no one. Turning back to the kitchen, he scooped himself a ladle of hot water, mixed it with cold water, and gulped down several large mouthfuls. He also grabbed his Cowhide Water Bag and filled it up.
How strange; where had everyone gone? The water was still boiling—how could there be no one around?
He figured the owner must have gone visiting a neighbor and would be back shortly. Given that the place was filled with dried herbs, it was likely that the owner was a healer. After some thought, Ye Chen took out a few coins from his pocket and placed them by the pot as payment for the water.
To avoid being recognized by that group of ruffians, Ye Chen smeared ash from the bottom of the pot on his face and changed into clothes from his bundle. Once he was dressed, he gently opened the door and listened carefully; hearing no unusual sounds outside and noticing that pedestrians had resumed their normal activities, he cautiously stepped out. He then closed the door behind him and tightly clutched his bundle as he ran desperately toward the City Gate.
The outside world was too frightening; staying in the Military Camp felt much safer.
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