Chapter Seventy-Three: Sowing the Seeds of Calamity

The cold, hard ribs of the fan jabbed painfully at Red Silk’s chin. She forced herself to remain calm as she looked at the young gentleman before her, unable to understand why her fate was so bitter. She had escaped danger at the Yu family before, but this time she had truly fallen into the clutches of wolves.

Red Silk turned her face toward her elder brother, seeking help.

Lin Yusheng repeatedly kowtowed to Young Master Zhang. “I am useless and have brought nothing but hardship to my sister. The gambling debts are mine alone. Please, Young Master Zhang, show mercy.”

Young Master Zhang said little, merely beckoning with his hand. Several servants closed in and gave Lin Yusheng a thorough beating.

Mother Lin could not bear to witness her son’s suffering, yet dared not intervene against the burly men. She whispered to Red Silk, “Save your brother. You’ve been sold once already; being sold again is nothing. Are you going to watch him be beaten to death before your eyes?”

Red Silk’s heart grew cold; the last remnants of hope shattered. She had assumed that, despite her mother’s daily harshness, she was still valued as a daughter.

Bloodied, Lin Yusheng hurriedly begged for mercy. “Spare me, Young Master Zhang. My sister is yours now!”

“That’s more like it.” Young Master Zhang reached out to touch Red Silk’s smiling face. Seeing that this beauty, though resistant, dared not fight back, he was delighted. For men like him, every bit of a woman’s resistance was merely the thrill of reluctant surrender.

No one noticed the youngest Lin child, Lin Shuisheng, quietly gripping the hatchet in his hand.

The guilt on Lin Yusheng’s face flickered and vanished, replaced by calm acceptance. Truthfully, he was willing to repay the debt with his sister’s body. His earlier resistance had merely been for show.

Just as Young Master Zhang’s large hands were about to explore further, a hatchet plunged into his chest and abdomen. He stared in disbelief at the boy before him, who was not yet ten years old.

“Kill that brat!” Young Master Zhang commanded, clutching his bleeding wound.

Lin Shuisheng dragged the bloodied hatchet, his young age belied by his precocious wisdom. From the moment he decided to pick up the hatchet, he had not expected to escape alive.

He simply wanted his death to show these thugs that the Lin family still had sons.

Inside the small courtyard, the gang formed a circle around Red Silk, whose tearful smile belied her despair, and the boy Lin Shuisheng, standing protectively with his weapon.

Outside the circle, the rest of the Lin family trembled with fear.

This ring of thugs had irrevocably torn the family apart.

The gang, empty-handed, eyed the bloodied hatchet warily. Normally, they relied on numbers to bully the weak, but lacked the courage for a real fight. They dreaded that the boy might lash out again. Thus, they exchanged nervous glances and no one dared to make the first move.

Lin Shuisheng was only ten. He had summoned all his courage to wound Zhang Tianba, but seeing the blood, his spirit faltered. He forced himself to stand firm, but his legs trembled uncontrollably, and at last he collapsed under the pressure, dropping the hatchet.

The thugs laughed heartily and rushed forward, eager to subdue the boy and curry favor with their master.

Outside the courtyard, Obaba anxiously asked Yu Lang, “Aren’t you going to intervene?”

Obaba had come to deliver belongings Red Silk had left at the Yu family. Seeing the menacing gang, she had not acted rashly, but quickly alerted Yu Lang. The two arrived just in time to witness the boy’s desperate rescue.

“Go find Xue Wenyang. Zhang Tianba’s chest wound is severe—if it isn’t treated in time, he may die. Leave the rest to me,” Yu Lang said.

“Alright.” Obaba, trusting Yu Lang completely, hurried off toward Crescent Academy.

The thugs were just about to butcher Lin Shuisheng and snatch Red Silk when a figure swept gracefully through the crowd, landing before the siblings.

Zhang Tianba recognized the newcomer, clutching his wound as he loudly ordered his men to stop.

“Brother Lang,” he greeted respectfully. Zhang Tianba was a distant relative of Zhang Chengxing, and as a minor branch of the Zhang family, had met this rare genius of Crescent Academy. His status in the Zhang family was never as high as Zhang Chengxing’s, and he always had to defer to him. Yu Lang, whom Zhang Chengxing called “Brother Lang,” was not someone Zhang Tianba dared offend.

The gang, hearing that this young man was indeed Yu Lang Yu Ziyou, dared not make trouble. He had severed the arm of the Grand Lama’s disciple without hesitation; dealing with lowly thugs would be even easier.

The Yu family was respected in Yangzhou. Zhang Tianba didn’t believe Yu Lang had any connection with the slum dwellers of Changxing Lane, but forced a smile onto his pale face. “Are you here to stand up for these people, Brother Lang? First Lin Yusheng refused to pay his debts, then this boy wounded me. Surely they’re in the wrong? I can’t imagine you know such lowly folk; perhaps you’re simply moved by the sight of injustice and assumed we were bullying them. Now that I’ve explained the situation, may I teach them a lesson?”

Yu Lang was utterly cold toward Zhang Tianba. “Red Silk is a servant of the Yu household. She’s only returned to visit her family. If she’s bullied, I will intervene.”

Red Silk was deeply moved by Yu Lang’s protection. She clutched her brother Lin Shuisheng’s cold hand, whispering reassurance.

Damn it, what nonsense about being a servant? Zhang Tianba knew this woman had been back for over half a month. He might seem brazen in collecting debts, but he was cautious by nature—never risking trouble with powerful connections, even in the slums. He had investigated carefully, and never heard Red Silk was a Yu family maid.

Yu Lang must be smitten with Red Silk’s beauty. Though Zhang Tianba was indignant, he dared not show it, adopting a posture of humble submission. “Brother Lang, I was too rash. I failed to check this family’s background…”

Yu Lang found his stubbornness both amusing and exasperating. “Your fault is bullying the weak, not failing to investigate their background.” He knew that reasoning with such a man was pointless.

Red Silk was now untouchable, but Zhang Tianba was not one to back down easily. He bowed to Yu Lang. “The boy with the hatchet has nothing to do with the Yu household, surely? He wounded me; I have a right to seek justice, don’t I?”

Yu Lang looked toward Red Silk and Lin Shuisheng.

Red Silk clung tightly to Shuisheng, resolved to live or die with her brother.

Yu Lang smiled roguishly at Zhang Tianba. “He’s my apprentice.”

“So he’s your apprentice—no wonder such courage at such a young age. Truly, heroes emerge early!” Zhang Tianba smiled broadly, but inwardly felt deeply humiliated, silently cursing Yu Lang.

Yu Lang led the siblings out, then turned back to Zhang Tianba. “The rest of the Lin family have nothing to do with me. Collect your debts as you wish—don’t hold back.”

Yu Lang had grown more mature since his youth, but his love and hate remained absolute. The Lin family had shown him the depths of human selfishness, and he did not mind letting them experience more of the world’s cruelty.

If some people consider selfishness a form of maturity, then let them become even more “mature.”

Zhang Tianba’s expression finally eased. He turned away and closed the Lin family door. Soon, Lin Yusheng’s cries echoed from within.