CH 52.1

The atmosphere was heated. In the hearts of young masters who had never been rejected, those who did not know how to appreciate favors had to be beaten up at least once. Cui Lang was the grandson of the chief minister, and his identity was more venerable, so his men would be even more domineering.

An Chui was like an unchained dog and rushed up to defend his master, barking furiously.

Meng Huan backed up, a little afraid of the reckless person. He wanted to ask the two guards to fight him, but unexpectedly, Cui Lang took An Chui by the shoulders and dragged him back.

“How dare you!” Cui Lang looked enraged and cupped his fist to Meng Huan. “Young master, don’t mind him. He’s just a brute that doesn’t know how to behave. He speaks loudly and is bold; even I often get startled by him.”

He said, kicking him, “Don’t scare people with your crap. How many times have I said that? Apologize to the young master.”

An Chui bent over as he kicked him, but his expression was no longer unruly, and his sharp eyes stared at Meng Huan, reminiscent of a flesh-eating hawk, as he lowered his head.

“I’m sorry, young master.” The words were not very sincere, but the courtesy was there. “This servant was rude and has offended you.”

You Jin also refused to relent. “Watch your dog. If you really hurt my young master even a bit, the Heavenly King Laozi* will come for your head!”

*Heavenly King Laozi: a metaphor for someone with great power.

Cui Lang couldn’t help but laugh and cup his fist again. “I’m sorry.”

Meng Huan also breathed a sigh of relief, thinking they had at least saved their lives. When he turned around, a figure entered the door.

An old man who sold plums, a little older, came in hunched over and asked, “Young masters, the weather is hot. Can I ask for a sip of water?”

Cui Lang hastily responded, “Someone! Pour a cup of water for the old man!”

The ladle was handed to him, and he handed it to the old man, smiling and asking, “Uncle, how much money did you make today?”

“Not much money. The plums are all spoiled by the heat.”

This older man belonged to the lowest class of the people of the Great Zong, with lice on his head, his body stinking of sweat, and a distressed look on his face.

Cui Lang shook his head and said under his breath, “It’s not easy.”

He then stood and climbed up to talk with the older man.

This scene was similar to the TV series in which the honest and upright official met with the common people. Meng Huan could not help but look at it more.

After the incident with Lin Bozhou, Meng Huan found that many things he saw in the original book differed from the surface layer. Was the rivalry between this Cui Lang and Lin Bozhou good or bad?

The original shou fled to Jianzhou; was it right or not?

Thinking along the way to the Lu residence, he let the gatekeeper notify his visit. After a while, the gatekeeper answered, “Sir, our young master is not in the house. He has visited the Mingtai Temple in the south for summer vacation and exam preparation.”

“……”

After walking for so long and hearing that he was not there, Meng Huan was numb.

But thinking of the inappropriateness of giving the letter to the subordinate, he had to nod, “Then I’ll go to Mingtai Temple to find him.”

It was silent on the way back, but returning without any achievement was also the norm of life. Although he did not find Lu Nanxing on this trip, he walked in the city and became more familiar with the road.

Halfway through the journey, the weather was stiflingly hot, and the sky was covered with large dark clouds. During the summer’s hottest time, a sudden rainstorm could easily occur. You Jin hurriedly held up an umbrella. “Young master, let’s go faster.”

Meng Huan turned his head. People on the street were busy going home, running in disarray. The water gradually drenched the ground, wetting the soles of his shoes as Meng Huan clicked his tongue. He had just jumped over a puddle and looked up to see many people congesting the road before him.

In the vicinity of an inn, it was all surrounded by people cramming the umbrella tips, and someone said, “What’s wrong? What’s wrong? I also want to see.”

Meng Huan thought there was something exciting and subconsciously went forward.

The crowd of onlookers stacked up, and he couldn’t get in after turning around. Looking down, he saw a line of light red blood flowing through the rain, curving to the bottom of his shoes and then flowing far away, gradually dispersing.

“Blood?”

Meng Huan raised his head the next moment, and a gap appeared between two people. He finally saw what happened in the middle of the crowd. A fat man bent over on the ground with his face to the ground, his arms spread wide and his legs apart, and the blood flowed precisely from underneath him.

Meng Huan always felt the man was lying in a somewhat bizarre position.

By his ears, a variety of voices rang out.

“Heaven, it’s a murder!”

“This is the restaurant’s owner, ah, Wang Lao Si. I’ve been eating in this restaurant for ten years. There’s a murder……”

“It is said that a group of foreigners drank and made trouble, molesting the little lady next to them. The boss went up to mediate the fight and was cut down with a knife by the head!”

“……”

Amidst the blurred voice, Meng Huan confirmed by looking at the blood-red center. There was a bloody hole in the middle of the shoulder, and white stubble emerged in the flesh. Drenched in the rain, Meng Huan initially did not see what it was, but now, he could finally see clearly.

–It was a corpse with its head cut off.

A vicious chill suddenly sprang up from the back of his body, like a pair of hands tightly squeezing his neck. Meng Huan retreated a step back and crashed the umbrella on You Jin’s hand. The cold water showered on the top of his head, and the red blood in his vision kept expanding.

Meng Huan moved his gaze away, but it was as if his body lost its spirit, maintaining the original posture of immobility.

In his ear, You Jin picked up the umbrella. “Young master, Young master?!”

The broken neck of the corpse kept returning before his eyes, even if he no longer looked. Meng Huan couldn’t move and slightly opened his eyes wide. He would cover the screen when he chose to see a movie and saw a horror scene. He vomited when he killed a chicken. This was the first time he saw a live beheaded corpse.

…… This was a beheaded man.

His lips went pale, and he turned his face. Dense rain and rumbling muffled thunder played in unison, and Youjin screamed at the top of his voice: “Young master is haunted! Young master is haunted!”

A fine person suddenly saw a bloody corpse; one was bad luck, and two, it was easy to be haunted by the dead. You Jin hastily grabbed his wrist, lest Meng Huan’s soul be hooked away.

Meanwhile, Meng Huan was utterly shocked to see a life disappear before his eyes. He was about to turn around and saw a dark brown figure beside the street in the rain, carrying a bag in his hand, with blood dripping down from the bag.

It was a middle-aged man dressed somewhat similarly to An Chui, obviously an outside clansman. He looked over to where the body was laid out, expression calmed as if observing something.

Meng Huan’s mind was empty for a moment, and out of some premonition, he broke away from You Jin’s wrist and ran wildly toward that man with big steps. At the same time, he shouted, “Catch him! Catch him!”

The guards were a little confused but still ran after him.

The man seemed slightly surprised and glanced at Meng Huan; the emotions in his eyes could not be distinguished. He dodged into the alley behind him.

Meng Huan ran to the alley and saw drops of water sliding down the wall, with only trample footprints. The man stood high up on the wall, staring at him, and when the lightning struck, his features appeared in white light.

A heavy thing was smashed down with a “pop” sound and heavily stuck on the ground.

Meng Huan looked down and found the innkeeper’s head, with pale lips, his teeth falling from the smash.