Chapter 23: Chapter 23: Going Home

Use the strengths of others to control them.

Liu Chengqi, in unbearable pain, couldn’t help but widen his eyes, shocked by Chu Huaixu’s “Divine Hand.”

This was clearly the first move of the “Heaven and Earth Infinite Eight Trigrams Palm” that he taught!

Senior Brother Liu, who had fallen to the ground, was severely injured and incapable of fighting back.

He couldn’t help but cough, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth, chest throbbing with pain.

But as he looked at Chu Huaixu, his expression gradually changed, as if he were looking at a dead man.

“Don’t look at me like that. I can guess you have some background,” Chu Huaixu squatted down, his expression unchanged.

He raised his right hand and gently patted Liu Chengqi’s right cheek, saying as he tapped:

“Teaching martial arts can even relate to being ungrateful.”

“Didn’t I pay you? Hmm?”

“Answer me!”

With each word Chu Huaixu said, he lightly patted Liu Chengqi’s face.

Liu Chengqi had never suffered such humiliation, his eyes were nearly aflame with rage.

He struggled to raise his right hand, still possessing some vicious strength despite his severe injuries.

However, Chu Huaixu, squatting on the ground, was faster, and with a crunch, disabled that arm as well.

“Wasn’t it just this hand being impudent earlier?” He remained calm in his tone.

Senior Brother Liu, whose arm was fractured, only cried out in pain.

Han Shuangjiang watched from the side, her fingers involuntarily clenched slightly.

This was the first time she’d seen this side of Chu Huaixu.

Indifferent, ruthless, decisive!

Since the opponent made the first move, he would show no mercy.

In her heart, those four words appeared again⁠—crane’s visage, hawk’s heart!

Since Liu Chengqi had just attempted to extend his lecherous hand, Han Shuangjiang felt no sympathy for him.

In “Borrowed Sword,” among the four main characters, she took the female protagonist’s script, naturally not a nauseating pretender saint.

Chu Huaixu stood up for her, so she would clearly take sides.

After a brief shock, this poor fellow’s heart birthed the small thought: “An hour as a lesson, and we’ve only been here for an incense stick’s worth of time. This is ten taels of silver, ten taels…”

In the next moment, she saw Chu Huaixu extend his right hand and once more gently slapped Liu Chengqi’s cheek, staring at him: “Withdraw, hear me?”

Seeing Liu Chengqi unresponsive, Chu Huaixu stared at him, eyes growing ever colder, and with each unconscious slap of his right hand, he used more force.

Before long, Chu Huaixu walked out of the small courtyard with Han Shuangjiang, contentedly placing the ten taels of silver back into his Storage Token.

He had his own set of rules and hadn’t taken a single extra tael.

…

…

With this small incident over, the two returned to the marketplace.

It was already noon, and Chu Huaixu saw a small stall and was about to sit down and eat, but was pulled away by Han Shuangjiang.

He glanced down at her delicate hand holding his sleeve, and Han Shuangjiang immediately let go.

“Still, let’s just buy groceries.” She persisted in this point.

Learning just Mortal Martial Arts almost cost 20 taels of silver. Because the other harbored impure intentions, it was only ten taels.

This made Han Shuangjiang increasingly feel that the “surplus food” at home was, in fact, not much, and the financial situation was very unhealthy.

Chu Huaixu never imagined that in “Borrowed Sword,” the beloved female protagonist Han Shuangjiang, was frugal to the bone.

Since it was all his money being spent, when expressing her opinions, her tone was no longer cold but carried a negotiating demeanor.

“Alright.” Chu Huaixu agreed, this experienced companion saying: “As you wish.”

Those simple words brought joy to this poor fellow’s heart, and he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

During the process of buying food, this cold mountain was more meticulous than usual, insisting on comparing prices from three different vendors.

While usually sparing with words, even just before paying, she would coldly bargain as much as she could.

“Quite good at managing life,” Chu Huaixu thought.

Along the way, the two also passed by a small wine shop.

Someone called out from outside: “Er Lang Wine, top-quality Er Lang Wine.”

Han Shuangjiang watched in dismay as Chu Huaixu stopped in his tracks.

Suddenly, a terrifying thought flashed through her mind.

—About to splurge!

“Er Lang Wine, isn’t this the famous wine of Moon Country?” Chu Huaixu stopped and asked.

“Yes, this senior brother is indeed knowledgeable. This wine’s earliest craft originated from Moon Country’s Er Lang County,” said the vendor.

Chu Huaixu nodded slightly, recalling the famous Langjiu from Earth.

Langjiu was named so because it came from Er Lang Town in Sichuan Province.

Due to the impending great calamity, the once constantly conflicted Mirror Country and Moon Country have eased their relations in recent years.

Even when the two nations were at odds, trade relations were unavoidable. Now it seems like they’re in a honeymoon phase, with trade even more frequent.

Even the taxes have been reduced somewhat.

Therefore, it’s not surprising that wines from Moon Country are for sale.

He even suspects that this tavern is an official property of the Daoist Sect.

After pondering for a moment, Chu Huaixu deliberately didn’t ask about the price and directly said, “Give me a jar.”

The ice mountain behind him was so startled that she hurried forward to start bargaining.

No way around it—the silver was his, and she could at most only offer suggestions, not make decisions.

Seeing Han Shuangjiang in this state, he found it increasingly amusing.

After teasing the main character of the world, Chu Huaixu took the Er Lang Wine handed by the vendor.

“Let’s go home,” he said.

Hearing the words “let’s go home,” Han Shuangjiang was momentarily stunned.

The two proceeded with their bounty, but halfway through, Chu Huaixu suddenly stopped and looked eastward.

“If I remember correctly, Steward Niu’s courtyard is in that direction, right?” He calculated the time in his mind and asked.

“Yes.” The ice mountain, losing its liveliness again, simply nodded.

“Take this jar of wine and give it to Steward Niu,” Chu Huaixu instructed.

“I should take it?” she asked, puzzled, frowning.

Han Shuangjiang wasn’t rejecting his orders; she simply didn’t understand. The money was clearly his, so why should I take it alone?

Chu Huaixu didn’t answer, just looked into her beautiful eyes, wanting to see if this world’s protagonist could figure it out.

A few seconds later, she spoke, “You’re afraid that…”

She hesitated.

Back at the courtyard, Chu Huaixu had told Liu Chengqi: I can guess that you have some background.

From various signs, Han Shuangjiang could also realize this point.

At that moment, Chu Huaixu nodded, indicating she was right.

In an instant, Han Shuangjiang’s delicate face clouded; the feeling that made her extremely uncomfortable surged in her heart again.

The matter began because of her.

No matter how the world is decorated, it’s survival of the fittest. And being beautiful and weak, that is the original sin!

This is also one of the reasons she yearned for cultivation and strength.

Unexpectedly, at that moment, Chu Huaixu laughed mockingly, “Ah, who are you putting on that face for? I look so tall and handsome; do you think I haven’t encountered similar things? You just have to get used to it!”

Upon hearing this, Han Shuangjiang thought how infuriatingly annoying that fox-like face was?

She took the Er Lang Wine from Chu Huaixu’s hands, followed his arrangement, and headed east.

After walking a few steps, she suddenly stopped and softly called, “Chu Huaixu.”

“Hmm?” Chu Huaixu turned back to look at her.

“Why aren’t you going with me?” she asked.

Having guessed that there might be potential danger, why act separately?

Chu Huaixu looked at her as if she were an idiot, “There’s no logic in thief-proofing for a thousand days?”

“If, and I’m saying if, Liu Chengqi wants to retaliate against us, and he surely has some backing, seeing us visiting Steward Niu’s home today, do you think he’d act today?”

“But there’s always tomorrow, do you understand?”

“You can’t be sure he’ll let this slide either, right?”

Upon hearing this, Han Shuangjiang found it reasonable too. She couldn’t place her safety entirely in the rationality of an adversary.

Chu Huaixu always considered the world as one big theater troupe, and no one was holding a “dimwitted halo” because of irrational actions.

How many people live their entire lives rationally?

In fact, many people exist purely because their fathers acted impulsively in moments of passion.

People are ultimately governed by emotions.

Chu Huaixu knew for sure trouble would come, so he chose to thoroughly insult Liu Chengqi.

This way, he could both enjoy the insults and provoke the other side to act swiftly, getting everything over with quickly instead of letting things linger.

At this moment, Han Shuangjiang looked at the young man standing not far away and spoke again, “So you choose to go home first, enticing them to come to you, deliberately putting yourself in danger, while letting me go fetch reinforcements?”

“Hmm!” Chu Huaixu responded.

“Are you convinced that Steward Niu will intervene?” Han Shuangjiang asked.

“Absolutely,” Chu Huaixu answered, thinking Old Niu might be more anxious than you.

“Alright,” the cold-faced girl replied.

Then, watching her stride forward, she handed the jar of wine back to Chu Huaixu with a face full of seriousness and determination, resolutely declaring:

“I’ll go home; you deliver the wine.”

…

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep