Chapter 37: Second Young Master, I Knew This Was Exactly to Your Taste!

Qian Wu examined the wound carefully. The injury at the neck did not resemble a clean cut made by a sharp blade; rather, it looked as though it had been savagely torn apart by some brute force. Feeling such a wound, Qian Wu suspected the road ahead would be anything but pleasant.

He dared not use a fire striker in the darkness, especially since tonight there was neither moon nor stars. The Tang Escort Agency was shrouded in pitch black, making it impossible to see anything. Thus, he could only fumble his way forward, his hands brushing against various corpses along the way—most of them mangled, with missing limbs, their bodies incomplete. The pungent stench of blood overwhelmed his senses, even stinging his eyes. Fortunately, he had been trained from a young age; even knowing the ground was littered with corpses, he felt little fear in his heart.

These bodies seemed to have been dead for some time. Could it be that the murderer had already left? Qian Wu pondered this as he groped through the darkness. He encountered no danger for quite a while. Now, the Tang Escort Agency was utterly silent; surely the killer wouldn’t linger here after such carnage?

After a moment’s hesitation, Qian Wu finally decided to strike a light. By the faint glow, he beheld, as expected, countless severed limbs and broken bodies—a living hell. Who could have so thoroughly slaughtered the entire Assassin’s Hall? The Assassin’s Hall had long plied their trade, making plenty of enemies, but which faction was responsible for this massacre?

Searching for a while longer, Qian Wu finally found the corpse of the Assassin’s Hall master in the main hall. The master was pinned to the wall by a sword, half his body hollowed out, eyes wide open, blood streaming from every facial orifice. Rifling through the corpse, Qian Wu found a manual with four bold characters on the cover: “The Heart-Slaying Sword Technique.”

Delight surged in Qian Wu’s heart—this was precisely the manual the boss had long coveted. If the Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiends possessed this technique, their strength would surely ascend to a new height!

Yet just as he was rejoicing, a chill ran down his spine and he instinctively looked toward the darkness. From the shadows, a pair of eyes suddenly appeared—crimson, shining, and unblinking.

...

Ji Huo had been in high spirits lately. Ever since he’d caught the Thunder Child, he no longer had to stay up all night, and his sleep was sweet and deep. He woke refreshed at dawn, his dark circles finally gone.

He examined himself in the mirror: no white hairs, no dark rings, and none of the receding hairline that beset middle-aged tech geniuses. He was still a handsome youth and nodded in satisfaction. “Little Red Sugar calls me ‘Uncle,’ but that must be just to tease me—I certainly don’t look that old,” Ji Huo thought, quite pleased with himself.

Rested, he no longer felt drowsy during the day, and his father had finally stopped nagging him about it. Still, whether it was his father or his eldest brother, they occasionally shot him odd looks. In fact, not just them—the maids and servants around the residence also eyed him strangely.

Today, Lü Shui came to the Duke’s mansion, paid Ji Huo a visit, and, glancing around, slipped a few illustrated books into his hands, whispering with a grin, “Second Young Master, this is a little gift from the Flying Bear Army. No need to be shy!”

Before Ji Huo could decline, Lü Shui had already left, beaming with excitement.

Ji Huo opened the books, only to find they were filled with scandalous drawings of mature, seductive women in provocative poses—utterly indecent, to the point of being offensive.

“What a disgrace!” Ji Huo was indignant. In this world, where there were no photos or videos, just a few amateurish sketches by scholars—they expected this to be a temptation? As an upstanding youth from the twenty-first century with a private stash of eight gigabytes, who could possibly be swayed by such feeble efforts? Insulting!

Ruining my reputation!

“Ji Huo, you really do like this sort, huh?” came Little Red Sugar’s sly voice from behind.

Ji Huo snapped the book shut and tucked it away, protesting righteously, “Absolutely not!”

Little Red Sugar floated leisurely in the air, swinging her little feet and muttering, “Well, Ji Huo is at that age. It’s normal for a young man to be impulsive sometimes. But he doesn’t like the noble ladies of the capital; he prefers other people’s wives. What are we going to do? Who would have thought his tastes were so unique—even I can’t bear to watch.”

Ji Huo’s face darkened. “Aren’t you the one spreading that rumor? Now even the Flying Bear Army knows!”

Little Red Sugar pouted with pride, “What can you do about it?”

Suddenly, the heavy thudding of footsteps sounded outside the courtyard—like an elephant charging across the ground. Little Red Sugar quickly dropped to the floor and sat obediently on a chair.

With a loud bang, Ji Xiaoxiong burst in, exclaiming with excitement, “Sugar! Where’s my little Sugar?”

“Papa Bear!” Little Red Sugar scampered over, clinging to his leg, and was promptly lifted high into the air.

“Good girl! Papa Bear is taking you somewhere fun today. You’ll love it!” he said.

Little Red Sugar’s eyes lit up. She rubbed her hands together excitedly. “Where is it? The Flying Bear camp? The theater? Or are we visiting the prison? (～￣▽￣)～”

“None of those,” Ji Xiaoxiong grinned, anticipation written all over his face. “It’s Hanlin Academy.”

Little Red Sugar’s face froze instantly: (´•༝•`)

Oh no!

Ji Huo couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

“You’re old enough for school now. Today I’m taking you to Hanlin Academy. Happy?” Ji Xiaoxiong said.

“…Happy,” Little Red Sugar replied, her face drooping, her forced smile utterly unconvincing.

“There are lots of children at the academy, and wise, kind teachers. You’re sure to make friends,” Ji Xiaoxiong encouraged her.

Little Red Sugar pointed at Ji Huo and asked, “Why isn’t big brother going?”

Ji Xiaoxiong’s smile vanished at once as he glanced over. “Oh, you’re here too, Huo’er.”

Ji Huo: “…”

Ji Xiaoxiong turned back to Little Red Sugar, his face breaking into a grin. “Your second brother clearly isn’t cut out for books. One day, we’ll marry him off to a good wife—let her keep him in line.”

“Yes, yes, let’s get him married off soon!” Little Red Sugar shot Ji Huo a glare and stuck out her tongue. “Then he won’t annoy me every day.”

Ji Xiaoxiong, still holding Little Red Sugar, strode out of the courtyard, laughing. “Don’t worry, I’ve already arranged it. Matchmakers will be coming soon.”

“Then I must see what sort my brother likes…” Little Red Sugar’s voice trailed off.

Her father’s laughter abruptly faded. The two of them walked farther and farther away, and only Ji Xiaoxiong’s faint muttering could be heard from a distance: “Might not be easy to find…”

With a thud, Ji Huo slammed his teacup down on the table. “I can’t stay in this house any longer. I have to run—run as fast as I can!”

The thought of a swarm of matchmakers descending on him in the coming days made his scalp tingle, as if he were reliving a nightmare from his previous life.

“Luckily, I have nothing pressing right now. Father won’t be giving me any tasks. I can take my time wandering on the way to Hongzhou, and by the time I get there, those fellows should have arrived as well.”

“But before I go, there’s something I must do.” With that, Ji Huo snapped open his folding fan and, fanning himself in style, stepped out the door.

Truth be told, he was starting to get the hang of this—though in this weather, the fan was hardly necessary.

Still, it was all about style.