Chapter 6 Awakening from Hibernation (Part 5)

  They were all famous in Chang'an City, and this move could deceive who again? Early in the period of mutual theoretical threats, Wang Xuan had been staring at Wei Wu Shao Qing's eyes. Seeing the opponent's eyes change, he immediately spurred his horse and rushed over. His horse didn't need to turn around, naturally faster than Wang Zhun turning his horse around, and was about to capture the opponent alive. Among the evil slaves, a Western Han man who was over 10 feet tall jumped up from his horse without caring for his life, straddling his master Wang Zhun's head with both legs, and punched Wang Xuan in the chest with two huge fists.

  The man sat on the saddle, and Wang Xuan was unable to dodge. He had no choice but to give up chasing Wang Zhun for the time being, using both feet to tightly press down on the stirrups, stretching his body straight and his arms forward, with both hands fiercely pushing forward at an angle. All that could be heard was a dull "thud" sound next to his ear, as the Western Regions' strong man's forearm collided squarely with Wang Xuan's palms. Although most of the force from the attack had been dissipated by Wang Xuan using his clever strength, the remaining power still caused Wang Xuan's body to sway slightly, and he sat back down onto the saddle with a thud.

  "Up, up! Kill them!" The few words made Wang Zhun, the Weiwei Shaofu, give a frantic order. Except for the Qin brothers, the background of the others on the opposite side could be ignored. As long as they could take advantage of the chaos to abduct or kill Bai Huaqi, the rest of the matter could be passed off as two young masters fighting over a song girl and getting into a big fight. Although it would damage his and his father's reputation if it got out, and might even affect his future career advancement, compared to the disaster of having their family property confiscated and their clan exterminated, what did a little reputation matter?

  He calculated the abacus clearly, but unfortunately his mount was running a bit too "slow". Just as he was about to merge with the rushing evil slaves, a cold laugh suddenly came from behind his head, "Want to run? It's not that easy!" It turned out that Lei Wanchun saw the urgency of the situation and was inspired by the Western Han warrior, so he directly threw off his mount, kicked the saddle, and pounced over from mid-air.

  "Help......" Weiwei Shaqing Wang Zhun shouted loudly for help, not caring about his own dignity as a fourth-grade official at all. His voice had just shouted out half when it suddenly stopped, and the whole person was held by Lei Wanchun like an eagle holding a small chicken, falling from mid-air, his neck because of tight clothes couldn't breathe, his pale face turned red due to lack of air.

  "Want him to die? Take another step forward and try!" Lei Wanchun grabbed Wang Zhun's collar with one hand, holding his waistband with the other, shouting loudly. He was tall and sturdy, with long arms and legs, while Weiwei Shaoying Wang Zhun had exhausted his body due to his excessive lust. In comparison, it was like a thriving thousand-year-old tree with a dried-up corpse hanging from it - as miserable as can be.

  The evil slaves who had gathered around saw the situation and hastily retreated on horseback. A few foolish ones drew out their daggers, intending to stab Lei Wanchun when he was off guard, but were directly blocked by Lei Wanchun using Wang Zhun as a shield. The evil slaves quickly sheathed their knives, preferring to hurt themselves rather than dare to harm the young master. However, Wang Zhun was so frightened that his eyes were tightly closed, his legs convulsed, and he could no longer hold in his urine, which dripped down through his silk robes.

  "This kind of scoundrel actually dares to stand in the imperial court!" A pungent smell wafted up from his nostrils, and Lei Wanchun furrowed his brow, rebuking him in a low voice. With one hand grasping Wang Zhun's waistband, he lifted him as far away from himself as possible, striding forward with large steps while swinging his arms to the left and right. Every step forward made Wang Zhun's henchmen retreat another step. After more than a dozen steps, all of the henchmen were frightened into scattering to the side of the road, their heads hung low like eggplants that had been frostbitten, not even daring to glance in Lei Wanchun's direction again.

  Only the Western bandit who was desperately fighting with Wang Xuan didn't care about what happened behind his back, relying on his agility in changing moves while riding a horse, and Wang Xuan's body couldn't leave the saddle for a moment. He punched Wang Xuan with both fists without stopping, expecting to capture him with three or two moves and end the fight. However, he didn't expect that although Wang Xuan was also a young master, he wasn't as vulnerable as his owner. With his hands in front of and behind him, left and right, he was forced into a very embarrassing situation, but he didn't let his opponent gain any substantial advantage.

  Pretending not to hear Leiwanchun's threat, the Western Domain strongman still wanted to continue entangling, at least to capture Wang Xuan and exchange him for his own master. Nan Xiyun, who had been protecting Bai Huiqi by her side since the two sides clashed, was getting impatient, pulled over two Qin Fu strongmen, and blocked Bai Huiqi in between. Then a long whistle sounded, lightly jumped off the horse, and punched the Western Domain strongman's back with one fist.

  "You're cheating!" The burly man retorted, despite being clearly defeated. He dropped Wang Xuan and reached out to grab Nan Xiuyun's arm. Nan Xiuyun refused to be caught, using the force of her foot to retreat swiftly. Leaping back several steps, she shouted in a low voice: "Fool! If you don't stop now, your master will surely die!"

  Since he had already thickened his skin to pretend to be stupid, the Western Domain's strong man didn't care about losing face again. Seeing Nan Xi Yun looking refined and elegant with a slender figure, he thought that he wouldn't be stronger than Wang Xun. A beast-like roar came out of his mouth as both hands charged towards Nan Xi Yun's shoulders.

  This time, it wasn't just Qin Guoyong and Wang Jun who couldn't bear it anymore, even their own companions couldn't stand it either. They opened their mouths one after another, shouting loudly to stop him, "Wan Qi, hurry up and stop! Young Master is about to be beaten to death!"

  "It's a draw!" The Western strongman, called Wan Qi, didn't even turn his head back, only wanting to throw Nan Xi Yun over his shoulder. Encountering such an idiot, Nan Xi Yun was so angry that he shook his head. With both hands raised, he caught the opponent's wrists, followed by a slanting pull, and with a swift kick, without even touching their clothes, he threw the opponent out.

  "Thud, thud, thud." The powerful Western Regions man named Wan Xi stumbled a few steps forward and dove headfirst into the snowy ground beside the official road, getting his nose and face bruised. With a brain full of snowflakes, he struggled to lift his head again, still wanting to see if there was another chance for a sneak attack. Ma Fang took three strides in two steps and rushed over, pressing the curved knife against his neck, "If you've got skills, keep lifting your head, let's see if I dare press the blade down!"

  "Ah!" The sturdy Han man from the Western Regions clutched his neck in pain and lay motionless on the snowy ground. Little Ma took advantage of the situation and kicked his opponent's plump buttocks twice, scolding loudly as he kicked: "You barbarian is indeed a barbarian! Does your master's life or death mean nothing to you?"

  Watching a bloody fight, it suddenly turned into a farce. The passersby hiding in the wild fields on both sides of the official road couldn't help but burst out laughing. After all, under the gaze of everyone, Zhang Zhou didn't want to make a big deal out of it. He urged his horse to take a few steps forward and shouted at Lei Wanchun: "Old Lei, be careful not to really kill him!"

  "Don't worry, this kind of person, I'd rather not sully my hands by killing him!" Lei Wanchun nodded and responded loudly. His arm swung back, changing from a single-handed slant to a two-handed horizontal hold, and just then, "Ahh!" - Wei Jun Wang finally burst into tears.

  "Hahaha, hahahaha!" The passersby in the distance laughed so hard they were doubled over, never expecting that the notoriously cruel official Wang Kuan would have such a useless son. Hearing the laughter around him, Wang Zhun cried even harder, flailing his arms and legs wildly while shouting loudly: "Let me go! Let me go at once, or none of you will escape!"

  "You'd better think about how to get out of this yourself!" Lei Wanchun slightly raised his arm, scaring Wang Zhun into another fit of dry heaving. After crying enough, finding that the other party didn't intend to beat him to death, his courage suddenly surged again. He opened his throat and loudly shouted: "Qin's family, I'll remember you two brothers today! If you have the guts, then get someone to kill me; otherwise, as long as I'm alive, you two brothers can run from the monks, but you can't run from..."

  "Nothing to do with the Qin family brothers!" Lei Wanchun's fingers applied a bit more force, and in an instant, he suppressed Wang Zhun's nonsense. "I've never changed my name or surname. I am Hebei's Lei Wanchun. In the past, as long as I was full, no one in my family went hungry. Today, I'll stake my life on this - let's see how you, Wang family, can make me run away from the temple and not be able to return!"

  After saying that, he searched for a bluestone by the road and lifted Wang Zhun high up, making a gesture to throw him. However, his fingers relaxed slightly, leaving some space for the other party to breathe. As the saying goes, the arrogant are afraid of the reckless, and the reckless are afraid of those who don't care about their lives. Hearing Lei Wanchun's harsh words, Wang Zhun was so scared that he waved his hands wildly while crying out, "Don't, don't! I beg of you. Don't throw me, I'll surrender, isn't that enough?"

  "Haha, haha", the surrounding onlookers laughed so hard they were holding their bellies. The wicked servants also turned their faces away, afraid to continue watching their young master make a fool of himself. The Western Regions strongman, Wan Qi, who was lying on the ground, was even more embarrassed, and simply buried his head in the snow, pretending he had seen nothing.

  Among the laughter, Lei Wanchun lowered Wang Zhun's body a bit and asked in a low voice: "Really convinced?"

  "Alright, alright, I admit it! Just spare my life today, and we'll forget this ever happened!" Wang Zhun shouted repeatedly, fearing that if he gave an unsatisfactory answer, his forehead would be smashed against the stone slab to see who was harder.

  "That's never happened, how dare you!" Lei Wanchun sneered in a low voice, and suddenly lifted Wang Zhun again. "Then my sister was chased by your men this morning, how do we settle this account? Didn't you just say she was a runaway slave of your family? Where is the sale contract, take it out for everyone to see!"

  "No, no, I swear on my ancestors' graves! Can't you just not treat me like this?" Wang Zhun was so scared that his eyes were tightly closed and tears and snot flowed out together.

  "Hmph!" Lei Wanchun coldly snorted twice, neither confirming nor denying.

  "Spare my life, great hero! Spare my life!" Wang Zhun immediately got a fright and begged for mercy, "Today's matter is all my fault. Don't take it out on me, sir. Your sister was frightened, I'm really sorry about that. I'll give you money to calm her down. Ten taels, no, one hundred taels, please, sir, I beg of you!"

  One hundred taels of silver, enough for a middle-class family in the capital to spend four or five years. Lei Wanchun had no concept of money and quietly shifted his gaze to Zhang Zhou. Zhang Zhou, who was originally thinking of seeing good fortune, wanted to avoid future revenge from King Wang. Seeing that Wang was a typical hardliner, he smiled and said in a low voice: "One hundred taels, do you think Bai Xingjun has never seen money before? Her one song is worth more than this amount. You intimidated her in public today, how can she dare to show her face again? If you don't take out 1,000 taels of silver to apologize, we will fight for our lives and must avenge Bai Xingjun's injustice!"

  "Stop, stop, one thousand taels, one thousand taels, I'll pay, I'll pay!" Wang Zhun was desperate to save his life and didn't care how much money he had to take out. Anyway, after this was all over, he would just deny everything and no one would dare to go to the Taiyuan government office to ask for repayment.

  Lei Wanchun and Zhang Xun exchanged a smile, slowly lowering their hands by several inches, continuing to press: "One thousand strings, you take it now. So many people in the scene have heard it, don't think about going back on your word!"

  "How could I possibly carry so much money with me?" Wang Zhun's sinister thoughts were exposed, and he begged with a sad face.

  "Write a guarantee, then find someone to vouch for you. Say that you sincerely regret your actions and won't intentionally cause trouble for everyone again. Also, don't rely on your family's power to shirk responsibility." Lei Wanchun thought for a moment before giving the order in a low voice.

  "I, I can't find a guarantor." Upon hearing this, Wang Zhun's mouth twitched again and he started crying. The family slaves who followed him definitely didn't have the qualifications to vouch for him. The Qin brothers were thoroughly offended by his previous words, so they naturally wouldn't bother with his affairs. As for Yuwen Zhi, Ma Fang, and the onlookers in the distance, either they didn't know him or had past grievances with him; they were too busy enjoying the spectacle to take the initiative to provoke this troublemaker.

  Just as he was crying, a beautiful figure suddenly flashed out from a distance. "I'll vouch for him, what do you think, Lei Zhuangshi?"

  "You!" Upon hearing this, Lei Wanchun was taken aback. His eyes widened, unsure what kind of trick the other person had up their sleeve.

  The newcomer was none other than the woman who had met with everyone a few months ago, Lady Gong Sun. She first waved her hand at the crowd, making a subtle gesture to calm them down, then walked up to Lei Wanchun with a smile, tiptoed and took a peek at Wang Zhong's face, before retreating a few steps back, smiling and asked: "General Wei, I suppose you won't deny your promise after the fact and make it impossible for me to see him?"

  Wang Zhun's main responsibility was to assist Jia Chang in training fighting cocks, and he was very familiar with Gong Sun's wife, who often came and went from the palace. Afraid that the other party would not believe his character, he pulled out his throat and loudly guaranteed, "Sister, if Gong Sun sister is willing to help, I will never forget your kindness in this life! I swear, I take the ancestors of the Wang family as my witness!"

  Gongsun's wife smiled and shook her head, "No need for that. Just don't bother White Sister again from now on. The Imperial Concubine has just composed a new melody and is looking for White Sister to match the lyrics with her. If I hadn't run into White Sister's personal maid, I really wouldn't have thought that Young Master Gong had such guts!"

  "Ah——" Wang Quan was so scared that he almost didn't catch his breath, and nearly died on the spot. The so-called "Guifei Niangniang's melody" was actually composed by the current Emperor himself. If the Emperor were to find out that he was planning to steal his beloved concubine, no matter how powerful the Wang family was, they would probably be completely uprooted.

  Thinking of this, he didn't dare to slack off anymore and immediately nodded repeatedly. "I don't dare, I don't dare, I won't dare again from now on. This time it was indeed me getting drunk and acting recklessly in broad daylight. Whatever the compensation is, I'm willing!"

  "I don't want your money!" Bai Wei's voice suddenly came from the crowd, making Wang Zhun feel like he had heard thunder. She parted the crowd and slowly walked her horse forward for over a dozen steps, coming to Lei Wanchun's side. Looking down at Wang Zhun who was struggling in mid-air, she said, "The things that the Lord Wei is worried about are actually unnecessary. As a little woman who makes a living by singing, I receive tens of customers every day. If I were to remember everything anyone says, I would have been exhausted to death long ago!"

  "Thank you, thank you Bai Xing Shou!" Upon hearing this, Wang Zhun's heart became even more delighted. Regardless of whether Bai Hua Zhi's words were true or false, since she said them in front of so many people, she would definitely not dare to expose the Wang family's plot in the future. If he had known it would be like this, why did he have to force her so hard? It ended up being counterproductive and embarrassing himself in public.

  She gave him a cold glance and continued, "However, I believe that there are gods watching from above. If you want to silence me, the best way is to have not done anything wrong in the first place. Otherwise, even if I don't remember what you're worried about, heaven knows, earth knows, and your own heart won't be at peace!"

  "That's it, that's it!" Wang Zhun unexpectedly blushed and muttered in response.

  Since the words have already been said, Lei Wanchun didn't bother to entangle with the other party anymore. Haha laughed, both arms used force, "In vain you are a fourth-grade official, not even a young woman understands reason." After laughing, his hand pointed and relaxed, throwing Wang Zhun out like garbage.

  "Ah——" In mid-air, Weiwei Shaoying Wang Zhun let out a loud and shrill cry. He thought he was done for this time, but unexpectedly his butt suddenly felt cool, and his whole body landed on a patch of unmelted snow, letting out a miserable wail as he slid forward.

  The crowd rushed up and lifted Wang Zhun with force. Surrounded by his own people in the middle, he gasped for a moment before Weiwei Shaoying finally confirmed that he was alive and out of danger. He looked back at Wang Xuan, Lei Wanchun and others, and let out a light cold hum from his nostrils.

  Lei Wanchun's gaze swept over like lightning, scaring him into immediately putting on a smiling face again. "Thank you, thank you, great hero Lei, for your magnanimity. Since you don't plan to pursue the matter today, can you also let that slave go with me?"

  "Who?" Lei Wanchun turned his head to look around, and only then did he see that Ma Fang was still holding someone under his knife. He smiled and gave a low command, "Ma Xiazi, let that fool go!"

  "Ah!" Ma Fang's most admired person was Lei Wanchun. He immediately smiled and agreed, putting away his curved knife and turning to leave.

  Xiyu Zhuang Han Wanxi got up from the snowy ground, patted his clothes first, then bowed deeply to Ma Fangchang, "Thank you for not killing me!" Without waiting for Ma's response, he took a few more steps and lightly cupped his fists towards Wang Zhun, "Young Master, Wanxi is incompetent and cannot protect you fully. You'd better ask someone else for help. From now on, we'll go our separate ways, whoever lives or dies has nothing to do with the other!"

  Having said that, he turned his body around, took big strides and left towards the west without looking back!

  Note 1: Xianbei tribe surname, spelled as Mo Qi (Mo Qi)

  Note 2: One tael of silver is equivalent to one thousand wen. According to the purchasing power during the Kaiyuan period, one hundred taels of silver are equivalent to around four to six million yuan today.