Chapter 56

Wei He stood in place, no longer moving. Even if he rushed over, it would be too late after flying so far.

The street was not short of impoverished civilians who were starving. The scattered meat would certainly not be there anymore.

And even if it were still there, Xiao Ran wouldn’t let him leave easily.

"What’s wrong? Feeling sorry?" Xiao Ran smiled, shaking off the meat scraps from his hands.

"Aren’t you the one who spends a thousand gold at a time? Aren’t you rich? You used some dubious money to help Young Master Cheng, earning a good reputation. Are you proud of it?"

He took a step closer.

"You should be grateful that you’re still in the town, with people around. Otherwise, outside the city, I could cripple you in three moves!" Xiao Ran approached, his face cold.

Wei He remained silent, wiping his left cheek and looking at his hand. There was a streak of blood on his fingers.

It's been a long time since I’ve been injured...

Wei He felt a bit nostalgic. He even became a bit dazed, remembering the last time he was injured, which was a very long time ago...

Narrowing his eyes, Wei He seemed somewhat different from before.

Xiao Ran was indeed very strong, with exceptional talent and insight.

In a direct confrontation, he was no match.

But if it were outside the city... Forget it, not outside the city. He decided to kill him right now.

During their brief exchange, he had already judged Xiao Ran’s style. In a direct confrontation, he was very strong.

But the outcome of a fight is one thing, life and death are another.

He had killed people like Xiao Ran before, and not just one.

Martial arts are just one means of life and death, not everything. Today, he would teach this kid a lesson.

A cold glint flashed in Wei He’s eyes as he was about to make a move.

"Wait! Xiao Ran, what do you want to do to Wei He!?"

Suddenly, a figure rushed out, standing between the two and blocking Xiao Ran.

It was Jiang Su.

Jiang Su’s appearance interrupted Xiao Ran’s victory declaration.

He spat on the ground and sneered at Jiang Su.

"What? You care about him just because you were messed with once? So concerned?"

"Killing among fellow disciples is strictly forbidden by Master Zheng. Xiao Ran, you should know the rules!" Jiang Su’s eyes flashed with anger, but she suppressed her fury.

"Also, keep your mouth clean! There’s nothing between Wei He and me!"

She knew that no matter how she explained, it wouldn’t clear things up. Only a future examination could prove her innocence.

But now, since she knew Wei He had helped her, she wouldn’t let Xiao Ran cripple him.

She could see the determination in Xiao Ran’s eyes.

He was truly intent on crippling Wei He!

For a moment, all three were silent.

Xiao Ran stared silently at Wei He, then at Jiang Su, his face showing a cold smile.

"Alright." Xiao Ran smiled, "Today is just a small lesson. In the future..."

He didn’t say more, just glanced at Jiang Su, sneered, and turned to leave.

Wei He remained silent, watching Xiao Ran gradually disappear at the end of the street.

After a long while, he sighed.

If Jiang Su hadn’t been there, he would have already started to finish Xiao Ran off.

The technique he had hidden would have taken down Xiao Ran in one move, given his completely unguarded stance.

Unfortunately, Jiang Su interrupted him.

Now...

Wei He looked at the exploded bamboo basket and the scattered meat that had disappeared.

The street wasn’t empty. Good things like meat were gone in an instant.

A thin, ragged boy was stealthily pocketing the last bits of meat scraps, running into an alley and disappearing.

He didn’t even mind the dirt on the meat scraps.

Wei He didn’t chase him. There was a plague in the city, and even if he caught him, he wouldn’t dare eat the meat.

He glanced at Jiang Su, wanting to hit her, but she had good intentions...

"Your meat, I’ll compensate you! I haven’t touched my monthly allowance yet!" Jiang Su suddenly said.

She could see Wei He’s situation at a glance.

"Wait!"

She turned and ran straight to the inner city.

Since she said to wait, Wei He waited. He wanted to see what this woman planned to do.

A short while later, Jiang Su ran back, panting, with two large bags. She seemed afraid Wei He would run, so she ran at full speed.

"Here! The daughter of the boss at Drunken Flower Tower is my close friend, so I got you an extra portion!"

Jiang Su handed the two bags to Wei He, forcing them into his hands.

"Whatever happens, be careful. Xiao Ran won’t let this go, but neither will I!"

Thinking of Xiao Ran’s earlier behavior, her heart turned from love to hate, her eyes flashing with resentment.

"Also, you saved me once, and I’ll repay you!"

With that, she didn’t wait for Wei He’s response and turned to leave.

The world was cold and human relationships were fickle. She suddenly understood why Cheng Shaou had been willing to befriend Wei He.

People like Xiao Ran would only kick you when you’re down. No matter how many you befriend, what’s the use? Even if he has great potential and status, he would still pose a threat to you.

Only someone sincere and kind like Wei He could be trusted with your back. You wouldn’t worry about him flattering you when you’re successful or taking advantage of you when you’re in trouble.

Such a person could be considered a true friend.

Jiang Su suddenly realized this. She ran for a while, then turned back, looking at Wei He’s retreating figure.

The feeling now was completely different.

Wei He carried two large bags of flower branch deer meat.

At this moment, he had only one thought.

"What the hell is this limited supply! Nonsense!"

He had just opened the bags and saw that each contained more and fresher meat than what he had bought before.

These two bags were almost as much as three portions.

"In this era, it seems that connections matter in every field..."

Wei He hadn’t expected Jiang Su to be so generous. He had planned to rob her too, as her sudden appearance had cost him the chance to kill Xiao Ran.

But now... he would let her off. He would deal with Xiao Ran.

The more people Wei He killed, the more he understood.

A simple exchange could reveal a person’s level of vigilance.

In the wild, even a Second Qi Blood expert would fall in one hit if they weren’t vigilant.

Second Qi Blood experts were much stronger and faster than ordinary people, but they couldn’t resist poison water, poison powder, or poison darts.

As long as they weren’t immune to these things, they would die if they weren’t careful.

You might be fast, but so is Wei He.

If an ordinary person used underhanded tactics, it might not work, but at the same level...

Wei He thought for a moment and decided to go back and eat the meat first. He would remember Xiao Ran’s matter and deal with him after his first breakthrough.

Carrying the two large bags of deer meat, he returned to the Wei family courtyard without stopping.

The courtyard gate had two couplets hanging.

"Ten thousand blessings herald the spring, the fine horse dances in the east wind."

The couplets were neatly and powerfully written, but the corners were somewhat damaged. The entire couplet was red, written on red paper, and looked a bit old.

Wei He didn’t know where Wei Ying had found them.

Wei He knocked on the door with the meat in hand.

"Who is it?"

"It’s me, Sister."

The wooden door latch was lifted, and the door opened.

Wei He walked in and saw Wei Ying washing clothes. One bucket was his, and the other was hers.

"Sister, I have something to do. Don’t worry about me for the next few days. Just leave my food at the door. I’ll be at home for a few days."

"Okay, I understand," Wei Ying nodded quickly.

"By the way, Sister, where did the couplets at the door come from?"

"Oh, I met a teacher at the market today. He used to be the teacher at the scripture hall. You used to sneak in to listen to his classes, remember?" Wei Ying smiled.

"Uh... I remember. Which teacher?"

"Teacher Yuan Zhouchi. His home was robbed, and all his savings were taken. Now he has no choice but to write couplets and letters for people to earn some food," Wei Ying said with a sigh.

Yuan Zhouchi...

Wei He remembered listening to this old man’s lectures. He was an interesting and knowledgeable teacher who didn’t follow the rules.

He never expected...

"Does he go to the market every day?" he asked.

"Yes, I asked. He’s there every day," Wei Ying nodded. "By the way, Xiao He, a member of the small gang you were affiliated with came today. They said the gang is dissolving, so you don’t need to be affiliated anymore..."

"I see." Wei He nodded and carried the two bags of meat to the kitchen.

He planned to steam the meat simply to preserve as much nutrition as possible.

Washing, salting, and slicing.

Plates of meat were continuously cut into thick pieces, steamed, and then taken out to cool. He continued with the next batch.

Midway through, Wei He started dipping the meat in soy sauce and eating, drinking water as he ate.

Eating a lot of protein and fat requires a lot of water for digestion. The more meat you eat, the more water you need.

After eating for a while, Wei He felt his stomach swelling but didn’t stop. He continued to steam all the meat and take it out to cool.

In this hot weather, fresh meat would spoil quickly if not handled promptly.

His home didn’t have a deep well like the wealthy, and even if it did, it was uncertain whether there would be water in it.

"Do you need help?" Wei Ying washed her hands and walked into the kitchen to ask.

"Sure, thanks, Sister." Wei He nodded, handing the task to his sister and moved to the side to eat dried radish.

Eating only meat without vegetables would definitely cause indigestion.

"Today, when I went to fetch water, I heard people talking about more bodies appearing downstream in Feiye River, not just one..." Wei Ying said softly while steaming the meat.

At home, she didn’t have many people to talk to, so she usually chatted with Wei He when he returned.

"I don’t know who is so wicked, throwing bodies into the river. That water is what we all use... Thinking about it, I don’t dare to drink water now... It feels so disgusting."

Wei Ying, born in such a chaotic era, had seen bodies before, but seeing them and drinking water contaminated by them were two different things.

"..." Wei He thought of the Shōtoku sect members he had thrown into the river and was speechless.

"The world is like this..." he finally said.

"Right, the clothes I lengthened for you are ready. You’ve been growing so fast lately. Your shoes need to be remade too. And socks, pants, and so on..."

Wei Ying continued to talk about household matters while steaming the meat.

Wei He sat on a small wooden stool by the door, rubbing his stomach to aid digestion and eating dried radish.

The light from outside shone on the ground between them, making the kitchen bright and warm.

It was peaceful and cozy.