Chapter 30

After leaving the Hu family, Liang Xiao didn’t bother to hide his movements, pulling Tuniu and running until they were out of the city and had run for several miles before stopping to catch their breath.

“Ah Xiao, what’s wrong with you? It’s like a dog is chasing you,” Tuniu said, holding his face and following along while wincing in pain.

“You don’t understand a thing. I just took a trip to the gates of hell, and you still don’t know,” Liang Xiao said.

“Is it that serious?” Tuniu was surprised. “But Liu Junmei looks so refined and talented, he doesn’t seem like a bad person.”

“No way.” Liang Xiao smacked his lips. “You’re really dense. In a couple of days, your master will have to give you a good beating, maybe that will open your mind. If you’re this clueless, even if your martial arts are good, you won’t be able to protect your own life.”

At the mention of his master, Tuniu was really scared. He was genuinely afraid of his ruthless master, Zhongli Qi.

“Don’t, I’m stupid, just guide me. Why bother my master?” Tuniu smiled. “Ah Xiao, tell me, how did you end up at the gates of hell? Was it that dangerous?”

“Let’s go back to the Wu King Shrine first, and I’ll tell you slowly.”

“Alright.”

...

The Hu family.

Lei Bei returned and just happened to see Hu Lai hiding in the corner. He frowned and deliberately made his footsteps heavier. Hu Lai, hearing the footsteps, quickly came out, greeted Lei Bei, and then pretended nothing was wrong as he walked forward.

Lei Bei returned to the west courtyard and noticed that Liang Xiao and Tuniu were gone, which made him very curious.

“Princess, where are those two wanderers?”

Liu Ling’s eyes shifted. “They’re gone. I let them go.”

Lei Bei was puzzled. Liu Ling continued, “Don’t worry, Lei Jun. They came for Hu Lai and don’t know our true identity. However, Liang Xiao is very perceptive and seemed to have figured out something about me.”

“Figured out the princess’s true identity? How could you let him go?”

“No, I mean he might have figured out I’m a woman,” Liu Ling smiled. “Not that I’m the princess of Huainan. If he had, he wouldn’t have refused my invitation, and I wouldn’t have let him leave.”

“He refused the princess’s invitation?”

“Yes, he seems to have some past with Hu Lai, fearing they won’t get along well in the future. But strangely, he doesn’t know what the past is.”

Lei Bei thought for a moment and recounted what he had seen with Hu Lai.

Liu Ling, upon hearing this, became even more curious. “Tomorrow, find an opportunity to ask him. If it’s not a deep-seated grudge, help them resolve it. Although Liang Xiao is from a poor family, his strong arms are truly rare. More importantly, he can think of others, which shows he is a person who can see the big picture and accomplish great things.”

She paused and added, “Huan Jun must have seen the same in him.”

...

Liang Xiao and Tuniu spent a few days outside the city. Seeing no trouble, they quietly sneaked back into the city and found the two friends who had dug the pit for Tuniu. After a brief conversation, Liang Xiao learned he had become a celebrity in Guangling.

The duel at Jinkui Mountain, where Liang Xiao challenged Hu Lai in his strongest skill, wrestling, was clever and innovative. Although it was somewhat tricky, it made Hu Lai lose before the fight even began, falling from a tree and breaking his face, which was quite embarrassing. This was one thing, but the most impressive was that Liang Xiao managed to escape from the pursuit of seven or eight Hu family attendants, which was truly surprising.

Many people later retraced that path, and almost no one could match Liang Xiao’s agility. Even after learning that Liang Xiao had someone dig the pit, it didn’t cause any negative impact; instead, it made people think he was smart and resourceful, a wise general.

After all, with Liang Xiao’s strength, if he didn’t use his brain, he had almost no chance of winning against Hu Lai.

What surprised Liang Xiao even more was that Hu Lai had announced the day before that he had lost with no regrets and would no longer pursue any grudges with Liang Xiao. This way, Liang Xiao gained a reputation for being smart, and Hu Lai earned a reputation for being magnanimous, making everyone happy.

Liang Xiao, of course, didn’t believe Hu Lai was magnanimous. He thought it was likely that there was no major grudge to begin with—after all, they were both young teenagers, and talk of killing was mostly just talk. Hu Lai, having lost face, had to back down and pretend to be magnanimous to turn enemies into friends. In the future, Hu Lai would certainly find a way to cause trouble for him.

However, if Hu Lai was now wary of him, that was already progress.

With the alert lifted and Tuniu’s face no longer swollen, Liang Xiao hurried home. His mother must have been worried sick after not seeing him for days.

When he entered the inner gate, Liang Xiao glanced at the small house next to it, surprised not to see the headman, Wang Fengshi. The headman was responsible for monitoring people coming and going, and Wang Fengshi rarely left his territory, where he felt most in control.

Liang Xiao didn’t think much of it and parted ways with Tuniu under the community tree, heading straight for his own small courtyard. As he walked down the alley, he was stunned and quickly hid to the side.

In front of his small courtyard was a carriage, a two-horse chariot. A crowd of people, almost all the neighbors, had gathered to watch, and the headman, Wang Fengshi, was maintaining order with a red face.

At this time, although Confucianism had not yet flourished, the rules for carriages and horses were still very strict. A two-horse chariot was the highest level of carriage that commoners could ride, and visiting someone by carriage was a sign of respect, similar to how modern people use high-end cars to meet important guests.

Who was giving him such an honor? Liang Xiao was very puzzled but then felt happy. Could it be that his long-lost father had a change of heart and was coming to take his mother back to her family? Or was it her family coming to take her home?

Before Liang Xiao could react, the headman, Wang Fengshi, spotted him and called out loudly.

“Move aside, move aside, Ah Xiao is back. Everyone, make way for our little hero to go home.”

The crowd laughed and scattered to the sides, making a path. Wang Fengshi hurried over, grabbed Liang Xiao, and whispered with a smile, “Boy, you’ve really brought glory to Qingyun. At such a young age, someone is inviting you as a guest, even I, the headman, feel honored. Ah Xiao, when you become rich and powerful, don’t forget the neighbors and friends of Qingyun.”

Tuniu squeezed out of the crowd, walking proudly in front of Liang Xiao, looking around, appearing even more pleased than Liang Xiao.

But Liang Xiao himself was not at all pleased, and even felt a bit troubled. He had already guessed who the visitor was.

Oh my, can you not be so enthusiastic? I really don’t want to get involved with you. This is a matter of family extermination, and I don’t want to ruin my bright future like Huan Jun and Lei Bei, getting dragged into your ambitions.

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