Chapter 23

Yinglong Mountain is a famous large mountain within the territory of Canglong Prefecture. Its peaks are continuous and rise high into the sky. According to legend, a true dragon once descended upon the mountain's summit, hence the name "Yinglong" (welcoming the dragon).

The name of Canglong Prefecture also comes from this.

Due to the steep terrain and dangerous paths of Yinglong Mountain, the group of young Wei family boys did not climb to the top but instead sat by a small lake at the foot of the mountain, setting up a grill and roasting meat around a fire.

This was the first time Wei Tianchong had tried roasting meat himself. Initially, he did not take it seriously, but as the skewers turned on the grill, dripping with oil and emitting a fragrant aroma, his appetite was greatly stimulated. He personally took over the roasting, finding it quite enjoyable and realizing that barbecuing was indeed interesting.

A group of young boys feasted and drank by the lake, leaving Tang Jie to toil and take care of them.

Fortunately, they had chosen a good spot. The lake was serene, the mountains were continuous, and the green mountains and clear waters, along with the ancient pavilions and paths, made it a place of beautiful scenery. Sitting by the lake and enjoying the view was a pleasure, but only Tang Jie, who had experienced the modern metropolis, could appreciate the beauty of the natural landscape. Wei Tianchong and the others were completely indifferent.

They came here not to enjoy the scenery but to secretly drink alcohol. Wei Tianchong had secretly stolen a whole jar of good wine from the kitchen for this purpose.

The Wei family's matriarch was very strict, and children were absolutely not allowed to drink alcohol before they came of age.

Wei Tianchong was not necessarily interested in alcohol, but as a child, he always wanted to try things he had not experienced.

After taking a sip of the wine, he found it extremely spicy and not at all palatable, but seeing the group of boys looking at him, he was embarrassed to admit he could not drink. So, he imitated the heroes of the past, raised the wine to the sky, and shouted, "Good wine! Drink!"

Thus, the group of boys began to drink excessively.

Some could drink, and some could not, but regardless, they all drank heartily.

Pretending to drink heartily was a lie; forcing themselves to drink was the truth. The boys, trying to act like heroes, drank without restraint and soon became disoriented and wobbly.

Gradually, the sky grew dark, and night was approaching. Tang Jie suggested they return to the manor.

However, Wei Tianchong was still in high spirits and showed no intention of returning. He said he wanted to stay and enjoy the moon, as the moonlit scenery of Longhu Lake was one of the best in Canglong Prefecture.

Perhaps because he was drunk, Shimo's voice grew louder as he shouted, "Young Master, to enjoy the moon on Longshan, we need to climb high to get the full flavor. Why don't we all go up the mountain together?"

Wenqing frowned and said, "It's already late, and the mountain path is difficult to navigate. If we go up and come down, it will delay our return. I think we should do it another time."

They had been preoccupied with eating and drinking earlier and had not considered the detour of climbing the mountain. Now, if they went up, it would take a long time to go back and forth, and returning late would definitely result in a scolding from the matriarch.

Wei Tianchong, who was also a bit drunk, shook his head and said, "Then let's ride up the mountain. I want to gallop and ride over Longshan today!"

"Great!" The boys clapped in approval.

When the young master of the Wei family went out, there were naturally horses. However, there was only one horse, which the young master himself rode, while the others had to follow on foot.

This chestnut horse was a gift from Wei Laoye when Wei Tianchong turned ten, intended to help him build his physique. Wei Tianchong had aspired to be a general, so he had practiced horseback riding. However, being too young, he spent most of his time in the stables, and he rode the horse more often than he rode it, only taking it out for a stroll on the streets.

The chestnut horse was under the care of a young servant named Muchen, who was now letting it graze nearby.

"Riding up the mountain is too dangerous!" Tang Jie quickly said.

Yinglong Mountain had a winding horse path, but there were no guardrails. Even in modern times, not all mountain roads had guardrails.

The sky was still dim, but it would soon be completely dark. If they were not careful on the mountain path, the horse might stumble, and the young master of the Wei family could be in grave danger.

Hearing this, the boys also woke up to the danger and were about to dissuade Wei Tianchong when he pushed Tang Jie aside, saying, "Stop talking nonsense! Bring the horse over, or I'll beat you!"

He was usually restrained by his family, but now that his mother was not around, he felt free to act as he pleased, showing his wild side.

The servants knew Wei Tianchong well and understood that when he said something, he meant it. They did not dare to dissuade him. Tang Jie looked around and saw that no one was willing to speak up, not even Wenqing.

Shimo and Shimeng even sneered at Tang Jie.

At this moment, if everyone had tried to persuade Wei Tianchong, it might have worked, but since Shimo and Shimeng did not speak, no one else would step forward.

These two were extremely wary of Tang Jie and were glad to see him defy Wei Tianchong. They would not help him, and with the alcohol affecting their judgment, they did not consider the consequences.

Shimo said sarcastically, "You dare to stop the young master from climbing the mountain? You're asking for a beating!"

Tang Jie was also angry.

A group of immature boys who could not distinguish the severity of the situation! If something happened to Wei Tianchong, none of them would be able to escape!

They were courting disaster, but Tang Jie was not willing to be dragged down with them. He stood in front of Wei Tianchong and said coldly, "Young Master, this is not your own garden where you can act recklessly. Yinglong Mountain is steep and dangerous, and it's already dark. The young master has also had some wine, so..."

"Slap!" Tang Jie's face was struck by a heavy slap.

Wei Tianchong slapped Tang Jie and roared, "Ridiculous! When have I ever let you interfere with my actions?"

Tang Jie's face burned with pain, but he still stood in front of Wei Tianchong, saying, "If the young master is unhappy, you can hit me or scold me, but as long as I am here, I cannot let the young master go up the mountain. If the young master is not satisfied, you can report to the matriarch and have me expelled from the manor, but now, I cannot let the young master go up the mountain!"

"You!" Wei Tianchong was so angry that his whole body trembled, and he stomped his foot, shouting, "You are my servant, and you dare to disobey me!"

Seeing that Tang Jie was still blocking him, he shouted, "I don't believe I can't go up the mountain today. Pull him away!"

The boys rushed forward, grabbing Tang Jie and pulling him aside. Shimo and Shimeng took the opportunity to punch him.

This time, they had come out to secretly drink alcohol without the guards or the old ladies, and there was no one truly mature enough to take responsibility for the young master's anger!

Seeing Wei Tianchong mount the horse and prepare to ride up the mountain, Tang Jie became desperate. With his current strength, dealing with these boys was easy. He shook them off and grabbed a long iron skewer from the grill, running toward Wei Tianchong.

Wei Tianchong had just mounted the horse. Seeing Tang Jie run over, he snorted and ignored him, urging the horse forward.

He thought Tang Jie would only block the horse to prevent him from passing, and if he moved fast enough, he could shake off this annoying guy.

But as the horse lifted its hooves, Tang Jie leaped forward, and with a swift motion, he plunged the iron skewer into the left eye of the chestnut horse.

The force was immense, and the entire skewer was driven into the horse's head.

The horse let out a long, mournful neigh, throwing Wei Tianchong off its back and collapsing in a pool of blood.

"My horse!" Wei Tianchong shouted, ignoring the pain, "You... you killed my horse!"

He could not believe that Tang Jie would do such a thing.

Why would he do this?

How could he dare to do this?

How could he even do this?

Everyone was stunned, looking at Tang Jie in shock and fear.

With a bit of blood on his clothes, Tang Jie looked at the still-twitching horse and turned to Wei Tianchong, saying coldly, "Young Master, we can't climb the mountain now."

Wei Tianchong was stunned.

At that moment, a hint of fear appeared in his eyes as he looked at Tang Jie.

———————

PS: Insomnia, only fell asleep at four, woke up late.

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