A surge of anger rose in Xu Qi An’s heart. As the horse’s hooves rose, he pulled out the string of copper coins from his bosom and hurled it with all his might. Simultaneously, the blue bricks beneath his feet cracked, and his figure shot forward like lightning.
The seventy-two copper coins whistled through the air, showering towards the brocade-clad young master.
The young master showed no reaction to the incoming deadly attack, the amused expression of stepping on an ant still lingering on his face.
Instead, it was one of the attendants who reacted, his face changing dramatically as he leaped towards the young master, knocking him off the horse. The two tumbled to the ground in a mess.
Puff puff puff… Some of the coins missed their target, while others embedded themselves in the horse, splashing fresh blood onto Xu Ling’yin’s face.
Bang!
At the same time, Xu Qi An arrived. His body tilted his shoulder and back colliding with the horse, sending it flying.
The tall steed crashed several meters away, leaving a glaring trail of crimson on the bluestone-paved street.
The commoners scattered, retreating to a distance to watch the commotion.
Xu Qi An immediately embraced the little girl, holding her tightly while observing her expression and urgently comforting her, “Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid. Big brother is here.”
The little girl’s lips quivered, finally breaking free from her daze, and burst into tears.
The attendants surrounding Xu Lingyue no longer paid attention to her, rushing towards the brocade-clad young master instead.
Xu Qi An took the opportunity to hand his young sister to the pale-faced Xu Lingyue, whispering, “Take her to the Langle County yamen, beat the drum, and say I sent you. Then ask Captain Wang to send someone to Second Uncle’s house in the Imperial Blade Guard, on Huanglin Street. Hurry!”
Xu Lingyue gave Xu Qi An a deep look before fleeing with the little girl in her arms.
“You dare kill my horse,” the brocade-clad young master snarled, breaking free from his attendants and waving his hand, ordering them to surround Xu Qi An.
I wanted to kill you too… Xu Qi An thought.
That was a Snow-hoofed Black Dragon Steed, worth a thousand gold pieces. In the military, only those of vice general rank and above could ride such a horse.
Second Uncle Xu had a military background, and Xu Qi An, having grown up hearing about such things, immediately recognized the grade of this horse. In modern terms, it would be equivalent to a Lamborghini.
Those who could afford to drive a Lamborghini were undoubtedly top-tier second-generation elites, and specifically, children of officials. In this era, the children of the wealthy weren’t worth much and had no status.
Besides the Snow-hoofed Black Dragon Steed, the elaborate sky-blue and smoke-purple embroidered outfit, the white jade belt carved with chi dragon patterns, and the jingling pouches and jade pendants hanging from his waist… all these details proclaimed the young master’s identity.
A top-tier official’s son.
“I am Xu Qi An, nephew of Xu Pingzhi, a Captain of the Imperial Blade Guard. Those two earlier were my sisters. I wonder how they have offended the young master,” Xu Qi An clasped his hands and spoke politely, suppressing his temper:
“To save my young sister, I accidentally killed the young master’s beloved steed. I will certainly compensate for it.”
Xu Qi An could easily guess the cause of this conflict. This young master must have seen Xu Lingyue’s outstanding beauty and wanted to harass her, perhaps even abduct her.
Having spent a month in the yamen, Xu Qi An was well aware of how these young masters behaved – arrogant, domineering, and unrestrained.
Forcibly abducting women and casually taking lives were common occurrences.
It was also easy to settle such matters, through threats or bribes. For those who resisted, well, their entire family might not survive.
The higher the rank of their family elders, the more they behaved this way. Would the imperial court dismiss a high-ranking official for the sake of a few commoners’ lives?
In the eyes of these yamen officials, bullying ordinary people wasn’t even considered causing trouble.
The only ones who could defeat the children of officials were other children of officials.
Xu Qi An barely qualified as an official’s son. Xu Pingzhi wore the green robe of the seventh rank, at least he had an official position and wasn’t a common citizen.
While the children of officials bullied commoners without restraint, they would be more cautious with those who also ate the imperial court’s salary.
Because the waters of the capital ran deep!
After listening, the young master was stunned for a moment, then asked, “Xu Pingzhi, the one who lost the tax silver?”
“That’s right!” Xu Qi An breathed a sigh of relief.
The young master’s face suddenly darkened, and he said sinisterly, “Cripple him, just leave him barely breathing.”
Are you fucking insane… Xu Qi An almost cursed out loud.
The attendants were all trained fighters, not weak in skill. One by one, they pulled out daggers from their pockets.
In the capital, those without official positions couldn’t carry swords, and those not wearing official uniforms couldn’t carry swords. Violators would receive 80 strokes of the cane and a fine of 100 taels.
Gathering with weapons would result in immediate execution.
Daggers weren’t included in this rule, so these people were exploiting a loophole in the law.
The five attendants were not only trained fighters but had also learned group attack techniques, coordinating flawlessly.
Two attendants attacked together, thrusting their daggers simultaneously. Xu Qi An raised his hands to grab their wrists, about to counterattack, when he suddenly saw the two split to the left and right. The attendant who had saved the young master earlier leaped into the air, delivering a fierce knee strike.
Xu Qi An had to withdraw his hands, crossing them in front of his chest.
Bang!
The sturdy kneecap struck his arms, causing a burning pain.
The remaining two attendants flanked him from the sides. One’s dagger missed, while the other slashed Xu Qi An’s waist, leaving a bloody gash.
“Cut his tendons, cripple him,” the brocade-clad young master snarled.
Xu Qi An glanced at him without a word, analyzing the situation in his mind.
They’re all at the Refining Essence realm, but not at the peak. In a one-on-one fight, I could beat any of them to a pulp, but they’ve learned group attack techniques…