What a small world, to run into her again.
Xie Yanlai glanced at his surroundings—it was actually the Elegant Interest Pavilion again.
The girl stood by the third-floor window, surrounded by many other girls. Her aura and status were clearly different from last time.
Last time, according to the shop assistant, the girl had publicly beaten her elder brother, drawing contempt from everyone in the tavern. The other girls had all cursed her, making it obvious she was unpopular.
Now she was encircled by girls—some leaning against her shoulder, others clutching her arm. Those farther away spoke while glancing in her direction, clearly hoping to hear her opinion.
Impressive. One battle to fame, and congratulations pour in from all sides.
He looked at the girl's utterly shocked expression and felt somewhat amused.
Scared, aren't you?
Never expected that courier A Jiu would be such a person.
The Xie family's good-for-nothing, committing murder and arson, harming nature and reason, worse than beasts.
Perfect. Meeting in this setting was most appropriate—it saved a lot of trouble. No need to worry about this girl rushing up to cause him problems.
He tilted his head back, his phoenix eyes lifting slightly as he smiled.
"He still dares to provoke."
The gazes from above the street snapped awake, once again stirring with agitation, anger, disdain, and mockery.
More people hurled their teacups downward.
"Scum of the Xie family," they cursed.
......
......
One girl clutched Chu Zhao's arm, hoping for her agreement: "Although this man is Young Master Xie the Third's brother and looks somewhat similar, he's nowhere near as good as Young Master Xie the Third."
The surrounding girls nodded repeatedly, barely glancing before looking away—his features weren't exactly ugly, but **shirtless and covered in bloody wounds, he was too terrifying to look at. Everyone found him disgusting.
Qi Leyun grew even angrier, saying, "His very face is an insult to Young Master Xie the Third."
Chu Zhao remained silent, her mind still reeling.
Perhaps it was because of A Jiu's appearance—the A Jiu at this moment was completely different from the courier A Jiu she'd become familiar with on the road (though not really familiar). Back then, A Jiu had used hats and scarves to conceal his face, preventing others from seeing him clearly.
But she had recognized him at a glance.
Perhaps it was because of A Jiu's identity. She had speculated—someone from the Zhao Family, Yang Family, the Crown Prince, the Third Prince, even the Emperor's people—but never expected he would be from the Xie family, and not just any member, but Young Master Xie the Third's younger brother.
The Xie family had dealings with her father before. Was that why they later hated him so much?
She stared at the young man in the street. Could she still ask him to deliver a letter for her father?
She had already known during the journey that this young man was unruly, but she never expected he would take so many lives.
He—
"Qi Leyun, what exactly did they say?" she turned and asked. "What evil did he commit?"
Qi Leyun froze, then grew more displeased: "Chu Zhao, are you so dazzled by his looks that you've lost your mind? Didn't we already talk about this?"
"I didn't listen," Chu Zhao said matter-of-factly, urging, "Quick, tell me again."
"It's this Xie Yanlai who insulted Miss Liang." "Rejected the marriage, rejected it." "Then his family punished him by sending him away from the capital." "I think his family originally meant well, having him leave to lay low." "But then, while escorting the family's goods through Han County, he was careless—drank and caroused at night, got drunk and fell asleep. The bonfire ignited the goods, and the entire village burned down. The casualties were devastating."
Qi Leyun narrated while the other girls chimed in, talking over each other. When they finished, they looked at Chu Zhao's dazed expression."What's wrong?" Qi Leyun glared. "Didn't understand or are you confused again?"
Chu Zhao's hands tightened on the railing. How could A Jiu, while escorting goods, possibly get drunk and cause a fire that burned both the cargo and the village?
She knew better than anyone how sharp and meticulous this A Jiu was - she had nearly lost her life to him.
A sharp crack echoed from the street.
Chu Zhao looked down to see a long leather whip landing on the young man's bare back, blood spraying under the sunlight. She inexplicably recalled the scars on that young man's palms.
Probably from whip lashes too.
"Xie Yanlai of the Xie family, misconduct and moral deficiency, causing loss of human life!"
"Well deserved!"
"Serves him right!"
Shouts boiled up from the street.
A strange thought occurred to Chu Zhao - how would his mother feel if she saw her child like this?
Did he even have a mother?
She vaguely remembered the girls mentioning that Xie Yanlai was a concubine's son, or something?
She suddenly recalled what A Jiu had said: "You've never seen what it's like when a mother is dying and her child has no one to rely on."
Chu Zhao slapped the railing and turned to rush downstairs.
The chatting girls were startled.
"Chu Zhao?" "A Zhao?" "Where are you going?"
Why was she suddenly running off?
Was she frightened by the beating on the street?
"She's not that timid - she beats people herself," Qi Leyun said. "She probably wants to get a closer look downstairs."
Was that it? The girls hurriedly crowded at the window to look down.
Chu Tang was among them, her hands gripping the railing tightly. Her intuition told her that whenever Chu Zhao moved, nothing good would come of it.
......
The young man carried thorns on his back while being whipped, but neither staggered in haste nor hobbled to a stop. With his hands bound behind him as if casually clasped, he lifted his head and strode forward with chest out.
Only when the whip landed on his body would the impact pause his steps momentarily. Otherwise, he walked steadily.
Step by step, he soon passed by, leaving a trail of blood behind.
Xin Ding watched with terror, shocked by the Imperial Uncles' audacity in disregarding human life, astonished by the noble families' severe punishments, and most alarmed by this young noble's ferocity.
This was indeed a scene one would never witness in the countryside.
"Chief Zhang," he said, turning to look beside him, but couldn't find Zhang Gu who had been clutching him tightly earlier.
Zhang Gu had already followed the passing Xie family young master forward.
"Chief Zhang," he hurriedly caught up, this time grabbing onto Zhang Gu. "What are you doing?"
The spectacle was nearly over - time to leave.
"Chief Zhang, even after being in the capital this long, you've never seen such a vicious person before," Xin Ding asked, curiously chasing after to watch.
Zhang Gu didn't look at him, his gaze fixed on the thorn-bearing, whipped young man.
A vicious person.
Someone who committed such heinous acts was naturally vicious.
But A Jiu—
The A Jiu he knew—if he were truly vicious, wouldn't they have been burned to death long ago when they bullied him?
He couldn't help feeling that there might be some... misunderstanding?
He wanted to step forward and ask, but—
Looking at the angry crowd around him and the continuously swinging whip, what could he, mere dust, possibly do?
A Jiu, what exactly is going on?
He clenched his fists, shook off Xin Ding's tugging, and only wanted to follow this young man.
"A Jiu—"
Zhang Gu started, instinctively covering his mouth. Had he called out?
But the next moment he realized it was a pleasant female voice.
A female voice?Amid the clamor of curses, this voice rang out with exceptional clarity, inciting the crowd to jeer and shout. Then a girl squeezed her way out of the throng and rushed toward the boy walking with thorns strapped to his back.
The boy seemed startled as well.
Just then, the man behind him raised his whip, poised to deliver another lash.
Like a flash of lightning, the girl dashed over and positioned herself between the boy and the whip.
"Wait!" she cried.
It happened so suddenly. As the whip was about to strike the girl's delicate frame, the boy in front swiftly turned and shielded her.
At the last moment, the middle-aged man twisted his body, sending the whip flying sideways with a sharp crack in the air.
...
...
"Have you lost your damn mind?"
The boy glared at the girl before him, his phoenix eyes blazing with fury as he gritted his teeth and cursed under his breath.
He did not call out her name.
In such a public setting, he couldn't afford to join her in this madness—he couldn't let anyone know he recognized her.
OpenNovel