章節 18: Chapter 18 Disciple, Are You Afraid?_1
Such a pair of almond-shaped eyes, words could barely describe their complexity, yet they caused Huang An's heart to shudder drastically.
There were tears, light, hope, doubt, incomprehension, and most of all, a sense of entrustment that Huang An could not understand.
Huang An didn't know how he understood what these eyes meant, he unconsciously nodded.
"Disciple, master will take you to buy Guiyuan Soup, are you scared?"
Zhao Dun watched his daughter leave, then turned his gaze to Huang An.
Something's wrong!
I'm naturally scared.
Huang An's face turned stiff as he swallowed.
"Master, your disciple is not afraid!"
Somehow, Huang An thought of his senior's glimpse before she left, and bowed in response.
I hope it's not what I imagine.
He tightened his grip on the sharp dagger in his sleeve, and followed his smiling master.
He had a premonition, even if he had said he was afraid, he couldn't avoid this fate, it was simply better to say he was not afraid, at least it would leave a good impression.
With a "creak", the half-closed door of the Zhao Family Martial Arts Hall opened, revealing a street scene that surprised Huang An.
He saw Pang Han kneeling at the entrance of the martial arts hall, the "martial arts expert" with bulging temples was kneeling right at the entrance, in front of everyone's eyes.
He was like a quail, shrinking his head into his neck, his originally tall body was now resembling a little girl's posture.
If it wasn't for Huang An noticing his red ears hidden behind his long hair, he might have thought Pang Han was sleeping.
Outside the martial arts hall, there was a lively crowd, pointing and discussing.
For ordinary locals, it was quite rare to see the leading disciple of the Zhao family martial arts hall - Pang Han, kneeling at the door of the martial arts hall one day.
Some of them have been watching from six o'clock in the morning and they are still excited.
Vegetable vendors, firewood vendors, everyone had put their business aside.
They say Pang Han is the successor of the Pang Family pharmacy, and they don't know what mistake he made to be punished like this.
The expressions on people's faces varied, they kept pointing at Pang Han until Zhao Dun came out with Huang An.
After all, who in Feng'an doesn't know, in the big Zhao Family Martial Arts Hall, it is only Lord Zhao Dun who holds the power.
Pang Han?
The son of a pharmacy owner. There is nothing to be afraid of. After all, who doesn't have a few martial-arts-relatives?
Those who do not reach the Bronze Realm, can never be regarded with awe.
However, as soon as Zhao Dun appeared, the crowd quickly quietened.
Criticizing the disciple in front of his master is not something a smart person would do.
As for Huang An, who was following Zhao Dun, he was automatically ignored by them.
Huang An looked puzzled, staring at Pang Han's back with befuddlement.
Did I guess wrong?
The spectacle everyone was watching at, was it about Brother Pang Han?
It shouldn't be?
Was Master happy to see his disciple embarrassed?
My master seemed serious. Judging by his tone in the past few days, he should be a reliable person. Why would he tease me?
However, Huang An will soon realize that he had guessed wrong.
Pang Han, who was kneeling, had mixed feelings. His emotions of anger and humiliation were rising uncontrollably. The occasional laughter he heard made him wish he could find a hole to hide in.
However, he quickly sensed the strange atmosphere. It was eerily quiet all around him.
The crowd did not disperse, there was no sound of footsteps.
Someone must have come, and this person must be important.
Pang Han raised his red-faced head, and from the corner of his eye, he saw his master standing aside.
His heart was shocked instantly. Did Master recover?
And came in person to invite him in?
This was great news.
"Master!"
He called out, even he wasn't sure what his inner sentiment was when he called.
Pleading?
Shame?
Grief?
Excitement?
Gratitude?
The voice was not loud, but it was clear.
"Get back!"
Zhao Dun gave Pang Han a cold glance, then averted his gaze.
He stepped forward, standing with his hands behind his back, looking towards the end of the street.
He had already received news that the young master of the Li family would forcefully break in today.
With Zhao Dun's years of experience in the martial arts and the military, he understood that waiting passively would likely end in a difficult situation.
The Zhao Family Martial Arts Hall was built through his own relentless efforts, this great achievement had nothing to do with his ancestors, it was all due to his hard work.
By one man's effort, he was able to control the west of Feng'an county, which was quite an achievement.
Unfortunately, because the Zhao Family Martial Arts Hall was established not too long ago, it lacked time to accumulate wealth and merit. Thus, it was unable to cultivate a competent Bronze Realm expert. The number of connections it had also couldn't compare to those martial arts families passed down from generation to generation.
In the entire martial arts hall, the only one who could be considered as an expert was him alone.
He didn't care about the mob that the young master of the Li family brought along. What he truly worried about, were those people of the same realm as him who were sharpening their knives in the dark.
He was still far from recovery from his injuries. When he got the news this morning, he had no choice but to show up. After all, he couldn't let his good-for-nothing disciples stand in front.
Rather than passively awaiting death, it's better to take the initiative. At least there's a glimmer of hope for survival that way.
As for involving Huang An, it was a fleeting idea.
If he could make good use of this, it would indeed be valuable.
If it proved unhelpful, those who relied on others for their worth wouldn't see a nearly dead, critically ill man as a threat.
Huang An could survive, too.
As for his two daughters and those disciples, if today was a success, they could survive.
If not, and they failed to scare off their clandestine enemies, they wouldn't hesitate to take action in the ensuing battle.
He had already arranged for someone to rescue his daughters in the worst-case scenario.
Pang Han, who had just been harshly reprimanded by his master, initially had mixed emotions but now felt a surge of grievance.
He had been in the martial arts school for ten years, and his relationship with his master didn't need to be elaborated on. He thought the master was concerned about him and called him back.
But the words "Get back!" had turned his face pale.
Zhao Dun has accumulated authority over the years, and Pang Han dared not refute. He nodded with his head down, touching his sore knee with one hand while using the other to prop himself up from the floor.
He noticed Huang An standing silently behind the master. Although he resented him, he dared not offend him again. He simply made a mental note to settle scores later
"Don't come out without my order!"
Zhao Dun glared at Pang Han without looking at him further.
Pang Han paused for a moment, unsure why, but still complied.
"Yes, master!"
With that, Pang Han limped back inside.
As he passed Huang An, he paused momentarily without saying a word, then walked inside.
Watching Pang Han's departing figure returning to his normal gait, Huang An muttered an internal curse.
He had seriously offended Pang Han this time, even though he was innocent.
But who can truly understand human emotions?
If he put himself in Pang Han's shoes, he might feel even more wronged than Pang Han.
It seemed he would need to find an opportunity to clear up their misunderstanding; after all, a grudge could complicate matters.
Huang An just wanted to quietly practice his martial arts to stay alive, or even cure his cancer. He didn't want any trouble.
Huang An firmly believed there was no trouble that couldn't be solved by a timely and sincere apology.
But now wasn't the time to consider that. There was a more pressing issue at hand.
As if sensing something, or perhaps receiving some information, the previously curious bystanders became frantic all of a sudden. Everyone who had felt like leaving did not hesitate to depart now.
All at once, they scattered in all directions.
Before long, the vast street was empty. Although some curious heads occasionally popped up from the lofts on both sides of the alleyway, they quickly withdrew.
Actually, underneath the staircase and beside the pit filled with leaves that Huang An failed to notice, a family of four stood.
A couple about forty-years-old with their twin dragon and phoenix children.
The family of four looked rather strange compared to others.
The naive children stared at the bustling crowd while their parents, whose eyes were red and swollen from crying, held each other's trembling hands. Their terrified expressions made people's hearts ache.
The two children stood in front of the parents with tears held back.
In front of the entrance to the martial arts school.
A gust of autumn wind blew by. Even though the day was sunny, Huang An felt a chill and couldn't help huddling into his robe more and stepping back two steps to stand behind the master.
The dagger secretly held in his hand gave Huang An a certain sense of calm.
He didn't know how much time had passed. Maybe five minutes, maybe ten. But when Huang An's feet were numb from standing, a group of dark shadows appeared at the street corner.
As the shadows approached, the sight gradually became clearer.
About thirty or forty burly men, especially the seven or eight leading the front, had an impressive aura.
They were big-bodied, muscular, with scars visible on the bare parts of their bodies.
They were definitely martial artists.
As they moved closer, their pace quickened, resembling a massive dark cloud bearing down upon them.
The atmosphere grew tense, the air seeming almost still. Breathing became a struggle.
Huang An swallowed nervously. His eyes reflected fear. If not for the master standing in front of him and his inability to run fast, he would have fled by now.
His discomfort and his suspicions were correct.
These men were the ones the master had been waiting for.
Two sick men stood before the door, facing a group of burly men who didn't appear to be good-natured.
At this moment, Huang An's mind gradually calmed down. It was too late to run now, he had to seize any opportunity that came his way.
Three days ago, the combined life expectancy of him and his master was no more than half a year.
But now, they were confronting a group of bandit-like evildoers.
The constant turns of events was indeed worrysome.
The people approaching were led by Li Wei, representing the three powerful forces: the Li family of the City Lord's Mansion, the Yang family on the east side of the city, and the Yunshan Commercial Association on the north side of the city.
As if they had seen something unbelievable, Li Wei and his group, who had been laughing and joking, stopped about a hundred meters away from the gate of the Zhao martial arts school.
The team was in disorder briefly before it settled down again.
However, the domineering momentum was lost.
Li Wei's legs were trembling. He recognized the man in the green brocade robe as Lord Zhao Dun.
No wonder he looked so familiar.
What to do?
Li Wei's eyes fluctuated uncertainly. He wished the mysterious man who had sent the false information was dead.
If he retreated now, his reputation would be damaged, and how would he take over the City Lord's Mansion and suppress the forces in the city to seek wealth and power in the future?
Retreat, that was definitely not an option.
As long as he didn't infuriate Uncle Zhao today, he could still live.
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