Chapter Five: The World in Peace

  Weaving through the crowd, Yun Ye felt an unparalleled sense of loneliness, all sounds seeming to have faded away, as if he were in a dreamland, everything appearing both distant and near. He struggled to grasp that one thread of real feeling, within reach yet unattainable. The spear and shield continued their incessant mutual slaughter, enraging him - did his own body and mind not even belong to himself?

  He clutched a pale yellow vase in his hand, the sound of which was making him struggle to control himself and not be disturbed by the chaotic bad thoughts that were interfering with his normal thinking.

  She felt a woman hiding behind her, what was she afraid of? Before she could figure it out, a man in a brocade robe with a chin that had been slapped until it was blue and swollen reached out to grab the woman. Yun Ye raised his arm to block the dirty hands.

  "You cheap thing, dare to find a lover...!" Before the words were finished, Yun Ye's vase smashed into his face. No scream was heard, both hands covered his face, blood flowed from between his fingers. His mouth made a whimpering sound. Yi Niang was frightened and trembling all over, Yun Ye turned around and gently hugged her, patting her back.

  "Don't be afraid, brother is here. Hold onto Da Yu and turn around, it'll be fine immediately." His voice was calm and peaceful.

  The servant of the man in brocade clothes shouted loudly: "Murder, murder! The second young master has been killed. Come quickly!" Zhuang San stopped, and Liu Jinbao grabbed the servant and knocked out a mouthful of teeth with one punch.

  Things happened too suddenly, and the crowd around him rushed over with a whoosh. The people of Chang'an have had a habit of loving to watch excitement for thousands of years, which has never changed. Some people who knew the man in brocade clothes shouted: "Ah, brother, run quickly! This is the second son of He Ren'an's family, the head of the inner court. You've hit him, you're in trouble, run quickly!"

  Yun Ye listened but didn't hear, is the master of the inner court thin? The crown prince has been robbed by his old man, what's the big deal about being a master? He returned to the porcelain stall and picked up two pens that fit in his hand. "I'll take the vase from earlier and these two pen holders," he said to the timid boss, tossing him a few silver coins. He came to He Jia lao er, who was shouting loudly. Yi Niang grabbed her brother's arm and explained: "He used to ask me to accompany him for drinks, I..."

  Yun Ye covered Yun Niang's mouth with his hand: "The Yun family doesn't need a reason to deal with this kind of trash, let alone the fact that he bullied you in the past. Take care of your sister, this matter has nothing to do with you." Yun Ye stepped on He Jia Er's right hand and raised his brush to heavily strike it, causing a heart-wrenching scream that made the audience's hearts tighten, and the scene fell silent. This guy is ruthless! He Jia Er was unlucky to have encountered him. The various heroic young men who lived in Chang'an had seen many brutal scenes, but they had never seen one that chilled their hearts like this. It wasn't because He Jia Er's scream was particularly tragic, but because the expression of the perpetrator didn't change at all. The brush struck his hand repeatedly, causing blood and flesh to fly everywhere, yet he remained expressionless, as if he were striking a stone.

  He had smashed seven or eight times, and Yun Ye was shocked to find that one of his fingers was still intact. This made him lose face, the pen was broken into pieces, He Lao Er fainted, and the servant's mouth was full of blood, staring at Yun Ye with wide eyes in terror. The entire market was quiet, the sounds of buying and selling, haggling, noise, and shouting had all disappeared.

  Yun Yan searched everywhere for a suitable tool, and when he saw the steelyard, he was delighted. He picked it up and was about to crush his last finger with it. Just then, the constable arrived, and the crowd parted to make way. As Yun Yan was about to charge forward, he was stopped by Zhuang San and Liu Jinbao. The local snake had its advantages, and seeing that Zhuang and Liu were full of murderous intent, holding their horizontal knives with no fear on their faces, Yun Yan knew that the person in front of him was not an ordinary man, so he didn't dare to move forward. Just as he was about to speak, he was stopped by Zhuang San again.

  "Don't let him go, wait for Master to vent his anger and he will naturally let go."

  "Prince Hou?" The leader of the captors' legs went soft, this Prince Hou who personally took action to beat people up was the first one in the entire capital. He didn't think that Prince Hou was an imposter, impersonating a prince in Chang'an would result in the extermination of three clans, no one dared to do such a thing, they could only wait until Prince Hou finished venting his anger before speaking.

  Yun Yan's heart was full of satisfaction as he smashed the last finger, stood up to look at his work, looked left and right, but always felt that something was missing. It wasn't until he saw the wet crotch of this guy that he remembered he hadn't removed the root. Using his hand to grab the scale weight made him feel a bit nauseous, but seeing the sturdy rope tied around it gave him an idea. He swung it twice, with a hint of meteor hammer meaning, and smashed it into the middle of He Lao Er's crotch, producing a faint cracking sound. The unconscious He Lao Er curled up like a shrimp on the ground, let out a groan, and stopped moving. The men present subconsciously squeezed their legs together, feeling coolness in their crotches, while the women covered their faces and whispered to each other.

  He let out a sigh, did two chest-expanding exercises, pulled down the left Wuwei waist card from his waist and handed it to the catcher. He took over the large frame from Yiniang's hand, who was stunned, and put it on his neck. Yiniang held onto Yunyan's sleeve tightly, while Runniang continued to laugh foolishly, hugging several younger sisters as they slipped away to the ground. The children didn't seem scared at all, gazing at their brother with admiration. Xiaonan waved her small arm and laughed the loudest: "I knew it, brother is the most powerful! Last time that uncle with a beard killed Fatty Young Master's dog, knocked out Fatty Young Master's teeth, and even gave me the dog skin as a blanket, it was so warm... He said brother is the most powerful!"

  The catcher quickly flipped over the token and saw the words "Left Wuwei Grain Supervisor" and "Hou Yun, County of Lantian" on it. He respectfully handed the token back to Yunyan with both hands.

  He didn't intercept, and the voice replied to Cai Kuo: "The lord is furious today, his behavior is somewhat improper. Although this kid brought it upon himself, doing it this way doesn't conform to the laws of the Tang Dynasty, making things difficult for you. The token is in your hands, also good for reporting to the superior officials."

  "Master Hou has made a mistake, the second son of He's family offended Master Hou first, Master Hou got angry and hit him afterwards. I will report the truth without daring to disturb Master Hou's journey. As for the token, it is not necessary." The catcher had never met such a noble person before, so he bowed even lower.

  Yun Ye nodded, put away the token, hugged his sister one by one onto the carriage, and with Zhuang San Ting, Liu Jinbao turned around and left, the street could no longer be strolled.

  The county government was in an uproar, and County Magistrate Zuo Kui was at his wit's end. The matriarch of the He family was about to poke her finger into his forehead, while He Erlang, wrapped up like a rice dumpling, lay on a stretcher, wailing from time to time. He Ren'an wore an official robe, with a green gown tied around him like a silkworm. He paced back and forth in the main hall, extremely anxious. From the moment he received news of his family's report, he had been torn between rage and unease upon hearing that the culprit was a noble marquis. If his son had only been maimed, he would not have taken the matter this far. The doctor said that his son might be childless in the future, and his wife immediately began quarreling with him, entangling herself with him until they arrived at the county government office. Looking at his clamoring wife, a sense of sorrow welled up in his heart - what kind of karma had he created? Not only did he have a shrewish wife, but also a son who knew no shame, a man approaching thirty who spent his days flirting with women. As the master of the inner court, he could not even find a suitable wife for him, and whenever someone mentioned He Erlang, they would retreat three steps back. Now, he had stirred up a huge mess - what kind of noble was easy to provoke? It was said that it was a great general from the military, under the command of the infamous General Cheng Gong. This case would not be won even if it were taken to the emperor's court, after all, this son of his had been so reckless. Listening to his wife continuing to quarrel, he became enraged and shouted: "Enough! You foolish woman, you didn't teach your son well in the past, letting him create such a huge disaster. Now that our entire family of over a hundred people is on the brink of danger, you still continue to quarrel - are you trying to drive me to death?"

  The woman had never seen her husband yell at her so loudly before, and she was also a bit intimidated in her heart. Although her face didn't look good, she stopped shouting back.

  He Ren'an bowed his hands to County Magistrate Zuo Kui: "Today's affairs are all the fault of the scoundrel, no one else is to blame. Can I withdraw my complaint and make peace?"

  Zuo Kui let out a long sigh of relief. This guy had finally seen the light, and withdrawing the lawsuit was for the best. No one would be troubled, and all would be peaceful under heaven.