Chapter 6

Jin Qiyen was pacing at the edge of the camp, seemingly aimlessly, but in fact, he was on guard.

The Wang family was one of the five great clans, and Wang Douxiang, as the brother of the family head, was certainly not a weak scholar. In the Tang Dynasty, being unable to tie a chicken was almost synonymous with weakness. Even in the National University, after the study of mysticism took over, pure scholars disappeared.

This assassination attempt was aimed at the young lady!

Jin Qiyen's cheeks trembled slightly. Even at this moment, thinking about the danger at the time, he still broke out in a cold sweat. If anything happened to the young lady, he would be unable to redeem himself even if he died a hundred times.

Thinking of this, he looked at Yang Xuan, who emerged from the dense forest, and his brows softened, "Why did you take so long?"

Yang Xuan wanted to say he had diarrhea, but the words on his lips changed to, "I went to look for the assassin."

After this incident, Huang Laoer's attitude towards Yang Xuan changed greatly. Hearing this, he couldn't help but laugh, "The assassin was cunning, with bodyguards to cover their retreat. Those bodyguards delayed us for a moment, and in that moment, the real assassin escaped... You were thoughtful."

What Huang Laoer really wanted to say was, "We couldn't catch the assassin, so what could you do?" But since he was Yang Xuan's roommate, his words became softer.

The guards smiled, some even with a mocking tone.

Jin Qiyen saw the mockery and thought that if it weren't for Yang Xuan, all the guards would have died today. Even so, some guards still resented Yang Xuan.

He knew this wasn't a lack of gratitude, but rather envy and jealousy had surpassed gratitude.

He cleared his throat, and those people lowered their heads.

Jin Qiyen then glanced at Yang Xuan, thinking that this young man from the countryside didn't understand the complexities of human nature.

Yang Xuan sensed something and sniffed. Although he wanted to take credit for killing the assassins, his initial intention was to repay the Wang family for taking him in. Otherwise, he would have walked to Chang'an, and who knew when he would arrive.

So he didn't mention that he had killed the four assassins. He felt a bit sad about losing the Wang family's reward, but also relieved, feeling that he hadn't done anything wrong.

Yang Xuan then mixed into the group of guards, while Jin Qiyen and Huang Laoer spoke in low voices, discussing their thoughts on Yang Xuan.

"This young man is carefree. He slept in the tent with me on the first night," Huang Laoer said, crossing his arms and watching Yang Xuan play with the guards.

"Carefree?" Jin Qiyen nodded slightly, knowing that Huang Laoer was good at observing people. Though he seemed unremarkable among the guards, he was often involved in important matters, "No wonder..."

Huang Laoer turned to him, knowing that Jin Qiyen was still blaming himself, and said solemnly, "Who could those people be?"

Jin Qiyen was blaming himself but also feeling relieved. He narrowed his eyes, hiding his anger, "The Tang Dynasty doesn't prohibit civilians from owning weapons, so making weapons has become a big business. But to make weapons, you need iron ore. The Wang family controls many mines but only cooperates with one of the five great clans, the Chunyu family. The Wang family provides the iron, and the Chunyu family makes the weapons. Together, they earn a fortune every year... How many people are envious?"

Huang Laoer leaned closer, feeling that he should say something good about the honest young man, and said softly, "Those wealthy merchants are bold. I bet they would set fire to the imperial city to make money. They have many skilled people under them, and today we owe it to Yang Xuan. I'm thinking, our family isn't short of money or food. How about... you talk to the second young master and get Yang Xuan into the Wang family?"

Jin Qiyen nodded in approval, a smile on his lips, "He saved the young lady by chance, which is a matter of fate and destiny. But he is still too honest. If someone else had saved the young lady, they would have lingered around the second young master to gain favor. Eh! Those fools are teasing him, trying to give him a private lesson? Huang Laoer..."

Huang Laoer had already seen it. Two guards were grinning falsely, pushing Yang Xuan towards a nearby tent.

Huang Laoer frowned, about to step in, but Jin Qiyen suddenly put a hand on his shoulder and said, "He's preparing to go to Chang'an, which is like a big pond where big fish eat small fish, and small fish eat shrimp. His honest nature will get him into trouble. You go and watch. After those fools act, you step in."

This was a lesson for Yang Xuan, a well-intentioned one.

Huang Laoer understood and quietly approached the tent.

Inside the tent, the two guards suddenly changed their expressions.

"You bumped into me earlier!" one guard said sternly, "Apologize!"

This was the young lady's savior, so they didn't dare to act directly but found an excuse.

Yang Xuan instinctively backed away, but he hit the edge of the tent. The two guards grinned maliciously, and one shouted, "Yang Xuan attacked!"

Outside, Huang Laoer rolled his eyes, determined to beat those fools later to vent for Yang Xuan.

Bang!

Inside, the fight started.

In an instant, the sounds of punches and kicks filled the air.

Then someone walked out of the tent.

"Yang Xuan?" Huang Laoer's mouth opened wide and didn't close.

Meanwhile, Jin Qiyen was arranging matters, "Remember to leave an opening tonight. If any rats try to get in, kill them on the spot. Eh!"

Both turned their heads to look at Yang Xuan.

What about the two guards?

Jin Qiyen was puzzled, thinking those fools were really just talking to Yang Xuan?

He saw Huang Laoer go in.

Inside the tent, the two guards were groaning on the ground, curled up like two grilled shrimp.

Huang Laoer poked his head out, shaking his head at the puzzled Jin Qiyen with a bitter smile.

"Good boy!" The Wang family's guards weren't easy to fool, and the honest young man could actually handle those two guards, showing great potential. Jin Qiyen then went to find Wang Douxiang.

Wang Douxiang was reading, and Wang Xian'er couldn't sit still, "Uncle, let's go out and look."

Wang Douxiang remained calm, "If it weren't for your swift ride, the assassins wouldn't have had the chance."

Wang Xian'er sighed, "Uncle, that boy was watching!"

Wang Douxiang was surprised. The Wang family's women could even be empresses, so why would they care about a country boy? But his niece's attitude was quite friendly, "That young man saved you by chance. Uncle will send good guards to protect you."

Wang Xian'er thought about the moment she was held and fell off the horse, and the unfamiliar look in Yang Xuan's small eyes. After much thought, she summarized it in two words.

Wildness!

She had been pampered since childhood, and the people around her had always been gentle. Where had she seen a wild boy like Yang Xuan?

She pouted, "I don't care about that wild boy. Uncle, let him feed the horses."

Wang Douxiang smiled, and at that moment, Jin Qiyen requested an audience.

"Come in."

Wang Douxiang put down his book. In the wilderness, even the most formal rules had to be simplified. Wang Xian'er sat behind her uncle, looking up as Jin Qiyen entered, glancing at him over Wang Douxiang's shoulder, then lowering her head to look at her white, jade-like hands, her mind wandering.

Jin Qiyen bowed, "Second young master, that young man is quite skilled. I think... he has a simple background. Could he join the Wang family?" He looked up at Wang Douxiang, then lowered his head, "I am willing to personally train him."

The Wang family wasn't ungrateful. Wang Douxiang said calmly, "Very well."

Jin Qiyen was secretly delighted and then left.

"Uncle, is that boy coming to our family? Then let him feed the horses for me?" Wang Xian'er thought about the honest and wild young man, feeling excited. She planned to ask him about life in the countryside, what they ate daily, and how they hunted...

Wang Douxiang picked up his book, "Jin Qiyen and others failed today. They will be held accountable when we return. Now he is asking to take in that young man to make up for it. The Wang family has many talented people, but he did save you, so we must repay him. Ensuring his life of comfort is enough."

Wang Xian'er sighed, "Uncle, he will have to bow to me in the future."

Thinking about the wild young man bowing to her in the future, Wang Xian'er felt a bit melancholic.

Jin Qiyen found Yang Xuan.

Yang Xuan was curious about his happiness, thinking that perhaps Wang Douxiang was giving him a reward. What should I ask for? Money isn't reliable. He was alone in Chang'an, with no relatives, and needed money. But the Wang family seemed very wealthy, and their reward would certainly be generous. He was torn between wanting and not wanting the money, worried about how to keep it safe in Chang'an.

He had almost no private wealth since childhood. After being mistreated by the Yang family, he learned to hide money. He knew that too much private money would attract the attention of the Yang family.

Jin Qiyen cleared his throat and said, "What are you preparing to do in Chang'an?"

Of course... I don't know.

Originally, Yang Lue was going to tell him about Chang'an, but he was soon assassinated. So Yang Xuan now had only a vague idea of Chang'an, thinking he could make a decent life there.

Yang Xuan thought that saying he didn't know would be suspicious. He thought of his non-existent relative and changed his words, "I'm going to seek out a relative, and then..."

Then what can I do?

Yang Xuan thought about hunting. He imagined that there would be many animals around Chang'an. He could hunt and sell the game, making a fortune in no time, then return home in glory, using money to make the Yang family regret their actions.

He fantasized about using money to make the Yang family bow and smile.

"Then I will study," Yang Xuan remembered Yang Lue's words: A man who doesn't study is as good as dead.

He didn't want to be dead, but he knew studying was difficult. In the county, only the children of officials and wealthy families had the right to study. Even the children of merchants had to work hard to find connections to study.

He knew he had no chance to study, but then he thought of the scroll. Yang Lue had given him the scroll, saying it was a toy. Yang Xuan didn't know the secret of the scroll until he was eleven. He had nothing to do at night, so he played with the scroll. One night, he accidentally opened a new world. The scroll worked for over twenty days before it automatically shut down. Since then, the scroll could only be used for a short time every few days.

The girl in the scroll had a beautiful voice, and Yang Xuan learned a lot from her. He didn't know what those things were, but he felt they were not simple.

Studying in Chang'an was very difficult. You needed a good background, and the chances of a commoner's child studying were as slim as meeting the emperor in disguise.

Jin Qiyen didn't expose Yang Xuan's lie and smiled, "Let me tell you about the Wang family. The Wang family is one of the five great clans, and I won't elaborate on their power. Joining the Wang family will ensure your life. Your clothing, food, housing, and even marriage and children will be taken care of by the Wang family. If you can make contributions, you can get promotions and raises... Do you want to?"

Huang Laoer grinned, thinking that if the Wang family announced they were recruiting guards, the threshold would be trampled. But the Wang family's guards were mostly selected internally, ensuring their loyalty, so such opportunities were rare.

Young man, you're lucky!

Jin Qiyen and Huang Laoer smiled, waiting for Yang Xuan to nod.

"Thank you," Yang Xuan looked up and said seriously, "I won't go."

...

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