Chapter 9

Muron Feiyan, upon seeing the scene before her, was not disappointed but felt a deep sense of relief. Hu Tianxiong’s timely intervention could be said to have pulled everyone back from a major disaster. Although her long sword was not an unparalleled divine weapon, it was made of high-quality steel, far superior to ordinary swords. Tang Qingxuan, who had practiced martial arts since childhood, had extraordinary arm strength. Coupled with her full-force throw in a fit of rage, the power of the sword was formidable. If this sword had struck Hu Xiaotian, he would have been either dead or severely injured.

Hu Tianxiong was the best martial artist in the Shangshu Mansion. His arrival immediately changed the situation. He stomped his right foot on the white marble lotus pillar of the railing and then leaped into the air. Although his posture was not as graceful as Tang Qingxuan’s or Muron Feiyan’s, his somersault was both high and graceful. In mid-air, he performed a forward flip and a twist, landing in front of Hu Xiaotian. He wielded a saber in front of him, creating a cold, gleaming saber flower. He lifted his outer robe with one hand and held the saber horizontally in front of him with the other, the blade facing outward, in a typical heroic stance. He puffed out his chest and declared with a powerful voice, “Hey! You audacious rats! With me, Hu Tianxiong, here, who dares to harm my young master!”

Hu Xiaotian was initially grateful for his timely rescue, but upon seeing his posture and hearing his words filled with a sense of superiority, he thought, “Damn, you can’t stop showing off, can you?”

Tang Qingxuan didn’t care who he was. Her mind was set on killing Hu Xiaotian. She tried to charge forward but was grabbed by Muron Feiyan. This time, Muron Feiyan was more cautious. Knowing that Tang Qingxuan was in a murderous rage and might attack her, she hugged Tang Qingxuan from behind and whispered, “Qingxuan, stop it!”

Tang Qingxuan struggled but couldn’t break free. At this moment, her two brothers, Tang Tihan and Tang Ticheng, arrived. Seeing their sister had been successfully rescued, they lost all restraint. Tang Ticheng roared, “Brothers, attack! Kill this lecher and avenge my sister!” Encouraged by him, the over a hundred brothers they brought with them regained their confidence and shouted in unison, “Kill the lecher, avenge Miss Tang!” The sound of over a hundred people shouting was deafening, audible for a mile around.

Although Hu Buwei had sent his personal guard Hu Tianxiong ahead, he was inwardly quite anxious. He had little confidence in his son Hu Xiaotian’s intelligence. Although his son had miraculously regained his sanity and started speaking half a year ago, Hu Buwei always felt that something was amiss and feared that his son’s condition might recur. So when he heard about the incident from Tang Wenzheng, his first thought was that his son might have had another episode.

Tang Wenzheng, sitting in Hu Buwei’s carriage, was also extremely anxious. Although the carriage was moving fast, he wished he could sprout wings and fly to the Shangshu Mansion to rescue his precious daughter. On his way to find Hu Buwei, he had already learned that his two sons had gone to the Shangshu Mansion to rescue her. Tang Wenzheng sent people to stop his sons from causing trouble and came to find Hu Buwei himself. He wanted to kill Hu Buwei’s foolish son, but as fellow officials, and with Hu Buwei being the Minister of Revenue, a much higher rank, he had many reservations. He even dared not think too much about what would happen if his precious daughter’s purity was violated by Hu Buwei’s foolish son.

When the two men arrived at the gate of the Shangshu Mansion, they heard the deafening shouts.

“Kill the lecher, avenge Miss Tang!”

Tang Wenzheng heard it clearly and was instantly shocked, thinking, “Oh no, has my daughter already been harmed by the lecher? If anything happens to my Qingxuan, I will risk my life to seek justice from you, Hu Buwei!”

Hu Buwei was also startled by the shouts. He had only one precious son, who had been mentally impaired for sixteen years and couldn’t even speak. He had only recently regained his sanity, but now he had caused such a disaster. Hu Buwei was more concerned about his son’s safety than the trouble he had caused.

The situation was becoming uncontrollable, and although Hu Tianxiong was skilled in martial arts, he was outnumbered. The servants of the Shangshu Mansion, seeing the dire situation, were all hiding in fear.

Just as the Tang siblings and their over a hundred friends were about to execute Hu Xiaotian, Muron Feiyan, seeing the danger, tightly hugged Tang Qingxuan and shouted, “Everyone, listen to me! Hu Xiaotian has broken the law and will be punished by the authorities. You must not act rashly!” On the surface, she was protecting Hu Xiaotian, but in reality, she was thinking of the Tang family’s best interests. As an official, she understood the consequences.

Hu Xiaotian, in this situation, showed no fear and even smiled, nodding and saying, “Inspector Muron is right. Impulsiveness is the devil. The laws of Dakan will determine right and wrong!”

Muron Feiyan glared at him, inwardly cursing, “This scoundrel is shameless to the extreme. After doing such a disgraceful act, he still has the nerve to say such things. Invoking the law is itself a violation!”

Hu Xiaotian then saw his father’s figure appear at the gate, accompanied by a tall, dark, and muscular middle-aged man, both wearing official robes. The difference in their ranks was evident from their robes. Hu Buwei’s robe had a peacock pattern, with a ruby on his hat, and a coral ornament above it. Tang Wenzheng, a sixth-rank official, had a heron pattern on his robe, with a small blue gem on his hat and a chank shell ornament above it.

The peacock and the heron clearly showed the higher rank of the former. The ruby on Hu Buwei’s hat was at least four times larger than Tang Wenzheng’s blue gem. The difference between a third-rank and a sixth-rank official was immediately apparent. In terms of physique, Tang Wenzheng was tall, over six feet, while Hu Buwei was of average height, about five feet seven inches. However, Hu Buwei wore thick-soled official boots, adding about seven centimeters to his height, making him appear much taller. Combined with his imposing presence, he overshadowed Tang Wenzheng in every way, making Tang Wenzheng look meager.

Seeing the chaotic scene, Hu Buwei first found his precious son, and upon seeing him unharmed, he felt relieved. He coldly snorted, “Ridiculous!” His voice was not loud, but it was powerful, immediately drawing everyone’s attention.

Tang Wenzheng, concerned for his daughter, saw his children standing there unharmed and felt a great relief. He shouted, “Everyone, stop!” His voice had an effect. Since those who wanted to act were from the Tang family, seeing their patriarch arrive, the Tang siblings immediately calmed down. Tang Wenzheng had great authority at home, and with the head of the family present, any trouble would be handled by him.

Seeing her father, Tang Qingxuan’s eyes welled up with tears. She twisted her body, breaking free from Muron Feiyan’s embrace, and called out, “Father!” Then she ran over and threw herself into her father’s arms, tears streaming down her face. She was usually strong and rarely cried in front of others, but today, after being humiliated by Hu Xiaotian, she felt an overwhelming sense of injustice. Seeing her father, all her pain and sorrow burst forth, and she cried uncontrollably.

Seeing his daughter cry so bitterly, Tang Wenzheng’s eyes also welled up with tears. He whispered, “My dear daughter, don’t cry. No matter what happens, your father will stand up for you!” As he said this, he gave Hu Buwei a cold look, clearly conveying that he would demand justice for what Hu Buwei’s son had done.

Tang Tihan and Tang Ticheng also came over. Neither of them was particularly astute. Tang Tihan, with a rough voice, said, “Father, that lecher Hu Xiaotian tried to kidnap my sister. We can’t let him off!”

Upon hearing this insolent remark, Hu Buwei’s eyebrows furrowed, but he said nothing and slowly walked towards Hu Xiaotian.

Seeing the Minister of Revenue approaching, Muron Feiyan hurriedly bowed and walked quickly to meet him. This was a sign of respect. When she was about seven feet away from Hu Buwei, she placed her hands together in front of her chest, slightly bowed her head, and slightly bent her knees, performing a woman’s bow. As an eighth-rank guard, she had to show proper respect to a third-rank official.

Hu Xiaotian watched Muron Feiyan’s every move, noting that the etiquette of Dakan was not much different from ancient China. His knowledge of classical Chinese was extensive, and he couldn’t help but compare their actions.

Muron Feiyan respectfully said, “I, Muron Feiyan, a guard under the command of the Prefect of Jingzhao, pay my respects to Lord Hu!”

Hu Buwei nodded slightly, his expression gentle, and said, “I didn’t expect the internal affairs of the Hu and Tang families to involve the Prefect of Jingzhao!” Hu Buwei, being a cunning old fox, did not scold the young female inspector but subtly pointed out two things: first, he defined the conflict as a family matter, implying that the Prefect of Jingzhao’s involvement was meddlesome.

Muron Feiyan said, “Lord Hu—”

Hu Buwei didn’t listen to her explanation and walked past her, clearly not taking a small Prefect of Jingzhao seriously. He fixed his gaze on his precious son Hu Xiaotian, his expression suddenly stern, and roared, “Wretch, I will settle accounts with you later!” Instead of asking what had happened, which a normal person might do, Hu Buwei knew better. The scene before him suggested that the Tang family was likely in the right. He didn’t want to reveal the truth in front of everyone. If the fact that his son had kidnapped a civilian woman was confirmed in front of so many people, the situation would become even more disadvantageous, and he would be in a difficult position.