Chapter 15

"What?"

Inside the inner chambers of the Yang residence, Yang Yong was so shocked that he almost jumped out of bed:

"Yang Ji sold more than thirty furs at the market and earned over two hundred copper coins. Are you sure your information is correct? Is he really that capable?"

Yang Yong's face was a mix of surprise and doubt, and his first instinct was to think that the two guards were lying to him.

Yang Ji hunts? How could he not know? And thirty furs, when did they become so valuable?

Two hundred copper coins? That's more than two taels of silver, which is more than his monthly allowance!

When did he become so skilled?!

"Master Yong, the information is correct. It was the owner of a shop in the market who told us. The shop where Yang Ji sold the furs usually doesn't get along with him, so they have been keeping a close eye on him. This time, the owner saw it with his own eyes. Most of the furs were intact, not a single one was torn, so they sold for a very high price," one of the guards said.

"Moreover, Yang Ji has been acting mysteriously lately, leaving early and returning late every day. Who knows what he's up to. Maybe he's learning how to hunt," the other guard added.

Since their last failure, which led to Yang Yong being knocked unconscious and losing face, the two guards had been looking for a chance to make amends. This time, they finally found it.

Yang Yong sat there, his face dark and unpredictable.

Bang!

Yang Yong suddenly punched the bed frame, the loud noise startling the two guards.

"Damn it, two hundred copper coins, that's enough to eat well and drink well. How can I deal with him now!"

Yang Yong's expression was fierce, his anger so intense it seemed he was about to devour someone.

Yang Ji's monthly stipend was only twenty copper coins, which could barely last him ten days. He knew this very well, which was why he had taken advantage of the situation to threaten the old steward.

No one could survive an entire winter with just twenty copper coins. If nothing unexpected happened, he would likely find two corpses in the woodshed next spring, and he would have his revenge.

But what was this?

Hunting? Two hundred copper coins?...

Yang Yong thought about the great humiliation he had suffered, and how his injuries still hadn't healed. Meanwhile, that bastard Yang Ji was making a fortune. The anger inside him burned fiercely.

"Ouch!"

Just as he was getting agitated, he suddenly felt a pain in his abdomen, causing him to cry out.

"Master."

"Master!..."

The two guards rushed over to support him.

"Damn it, damn it!... You two useless things!"

Yang Yong, seeing the two of them, became even angrier. He kicked one of them and roared:

"I was beaten up, and you two didn't even lift a finger. What good are you, what good are you?!"

The two guards didn't dare to resist, standing there obediently as Yang Yong kicked them, even as their faces turned blue and swollen, they didn't move an inch.

After he had his fill of beating them, his anger subsided, but the hatred in his heart remained, "I can't stand it! I really can't stand it!..."

From a young age, when had he ever suffered a loss?

Now, lying in bed with serious injuries, how could he swallow this humiliation? Especially after the judgment of Yang Ji, the First Lady had ordered that no one in the clan was to harm him until he turned sixteen.

Yang Yong's resentment grew even deeper.

If Yang Ji had been living a miserable life, it would have been one thing, but this bastard was actually living comfortably. For Yang Yong, lying in bed, this was an even greater insult.

"Master Yong, although the First Lady has ordered us not to act rashly during this time, if you can't let go of your resentment, ... we do have ways to deal with him," the guard Huang Hu said cautiously.

"What do you mean?"

Yang Yong's pupils narrowed, and he suddenly turned to look at him.

"Master Yong, the First Lady ordered us not to act rashly during this time, ... actually to avoid suspicion and to wait until Yang Ji turns sixteen, so we can deal with him then," Huang Hu chose his words carefully. Seeing Yang Yong staring at him intently, he felt more confident:

"Although we can't deal with him directly, we don't necessarily have to do it ourselves..."

"Go on."

Yang Yong had completely calmed down. Although he was uneducated, he wasn't completely reckless.

"I got this information by chance. A while ago, Yang Ji saved a mentally challenged person named Yang Erniu on the street, and he offended a group of tough gangsters. They've been wanting to deal with him. Master Yong, if we pass Yang Ji's information to them..."

One shouldn't be too clever, and Huang Hu stopped there, not continuing.

"Gangsters?"

Yang Yong pondered, although his cultivation was poor, he knew the various factions on the street very well, "It must be Zhou Kuang and his gang!"

Huang Hu nodded.

"So, ... you mean we should use them to do our dirty work?"

Yang Yong's face showed a rare serious expression:

"This isn't a small matter. If it's traced back to me, even the First Lady might not be able to protect me."

Yang Yong hadn't lost his mind. Although he wanted Yang Ji dead, he absolutely didn't want to do it himself, nor did he want Yang Ji's death to be linked to him.

In any large clan, killing a fellow clan member was a serious offense, one that could not be tolerated, and even the First Lady couldn't protect him.

"Master, what does that have to do with us? Zhou Kuang and his gang are ruthless. Even without us, they wouldn't let it go. If something happens to Yang Ji, it's his own fault, and it has nothing to do with us," the two guards said "understandingly."

"Hehe, good! Well said!"

Yang Yong's eyes lit up, and he became excited, laughing loudly:

"Whatever Zhou Kuang does has nothing to do with me. — Huang Hu, Zhao Jiang, you two bastards, I haven't raised you for nothing!"

"But this isn't enough. Give me two taels of silver... no, ten taels of silver — take it to Zhou Kuang and tell him it's drinking money from Master Yong. Ask him to teach that little brat Yang Ji a lesson. I'm sure Zhou Kuang, being so smart, will understand my meaning. — Also, tell them that the brat is tough, and he should bring more people."

Yang Yong said with a sinister smile.

Using underhanded tactics was something he considered himself an expert at, and he didn't need anyone to teach him.

"Zhou Kuang and his gang are ruthless and have complicated connections. I usually don't even want to provoke them. ... If they really go all out and kill that little brat, it's his own fault, and I can't be blamed."

Yang Yong's eyes glinted with a sinister light. Although ten taels of silver was a significant amount, almost depleting his secret savings, it was worth it to vent his anger.

"Master is wise!"

The two guards bowed and flattered him loudly.

...

Yang Ji's life was simple and uneventful. Besides hunting and archery, he would visit the depression every day, silently throwing a prey to the Crown King Snake under the large rock, and return home before dark.

This routine was simple but hard!

Three days later, as Yang Ji was heading to the deep mountains, a lazy man was leaning at the city gate, silently watching his back. He watched until Yang Ji, with his bow and arrows, disappeared into the mountains, then suddenly jumped up, his lethargy gone, and turned into a small alley.

"Brother, I've gathered the information. Yang Ji has his bow and arrows and has indeed gone hunting."

The "lazy man" bowed, his eyes sharp, no trace of lethargy left.

"Good! Well done!"

In a small room, Zhou Kuang's eyes lit up. He threw away the toothpick in his hand and stood up. The eight or nine strong men around him all looked fierce.

"Everyone who messes with me will pay. That little brat humiliated me on the street last time using the clan's power. This time, I'll make him bleed to death, so everyone in the area knows the consequences of crossing me! — Let's go!"

With a wave of his hand, Zhou Kuang led a group of people, kicking open the door and storming out of the city.

"Brother, I've brought what you asked for."

Not far from the city, a shadow flashed, and four or five tough gangsters jumped out of the grass, each holding a thick wooden board with a handle.

Zhou Kuang picked up a board, tapped it with his finger, and carefully inspected it.

"Good, it's made of ironwood! With this, we're even more secure. Even if that brat's archery skills are good, he can't do anything to this."

Zhou Kuang's eyes glinted with a fierce light, and he roared:

"Give one to each of you. — This time, I'll make that little brat die a beautiful death!"

Zhou Kuang was not a simple-minded brute. After receiving Yang Yong's warning not to underestimate Yang Ji, he had put aside all his侥幸 and carelessness.

He knew exactly who Yang Yong was. Although he was unknown in Pingchuan County, he was a well-known, sharp character in the gangster world, not much different from Zhou Kuang himself.

Such a person was ruthless, cunning, and unscrupulous, the type who never let anyone get the better of him. Many had been on the receiving end of his schemes.

For such a person to be humiliated by Yang Ji and seek his help, combined with Yang Ji's archery skills, completely changed Zhou Kuang's perception of him and made him very cautious.

"Even a lion uses its full strength to catch a rabbit," this was Zhou Kuang's requirement for this operation, and his usual style.

"Brother, since the brat can shoot arrows, should we bring some bows and arrows too?"

A gangster at the second stage of breathing suddenly asked.

Zhou Kuang didn't speak, just looked at him with a disdainful gaze until he retreated, then said:

"Idiot, who here can shoot arrows? If you can't shoot, what's the point of bringing a bow and arrows?"

Street gangsters didn't practice archery; that would make them no different from ordinary citizens.

If they brought bows and arrows and couldn't use them, they would just stand there and miss, so what was the point?

"Let's go!"

Zhou Kuang didn't want to waste more words, waved his hand, and led a dozen people toward the deep mountains. They followed from a distance, and when they reached the foot of the mountain, they saw Yang Ji disappear into the mountains like a shadow.

"Brother, should we chase after him?"

A gangster asked.

"No need!"

Zhou Kuang's eyes turned, and he immediately shook his head:

"The mountain is so big, where would we find him? If we all chase in, and he gets suspicious and runs away, where would we find him again? If he doesn't come out, I'll never have a chance."

Zhou Kuang had personally experienced Yang Ji's alertness. He considered himself a capable person, but last time on the street, he was intimidated by Yang Ji's words and fled.

If he wasn't absolutely sure, and if Yang Ji got suspicious, there would be no chance to get him.

"Brother, what should we do?"

The group was at a loss, all looking at him.

Zhou Kuang looked back at his brothers, didn't speak, but his eyes showed deep thought.

The people he brought were all skilled gangsters, at the second, third, fourth, and even fifth stage of breathing. Although their strength wasn't high, they had the advantage of numbers.

"Two fists can't fight four hands, and a hero can't withstand a crowd," before reaching the "Martial Path" realm, numbers still had an absolute advantage in the "Breathing" realm.

According to the breathing stage classification, ordinary people are at the second stage, those at the fourth stage have twice the strength and endurance of ordinary people, and those at the sixth stage have three times.

Although Yang Yong was well-known in the gangster world and had reached the fifth stage of breathing, he could at most handle three people at once.

This time, he had gathered over a dozen people, including many skilled ones. With so many people attacking at once, even someone at the sixth or seventh stage, or even the ninth or tenth stage, would suffer a defeat.

"We won't go into the mountain, we'll wait here!"

Zhou Kuang said with a fierce expression:

"There's only one path down the mountain. That brat will eventually come down. We'll wait here, and when he comes, I'll make him bleed to death and leave his body here!"

"Brother, you're brilliant."

The group cheered and scattered.

...