Translator: CinderTL
An hour later, Xu Sanyan stepped through the gate of the stronghold once more. Big Yellow Tooth, his face alight with excitement, hurried over to greet him. "Fourth Master, you're alive?"
Xu Sanyan frowned at him. "How many of our brothers made it back?"
Big Yellow Tooth counted on his fingers. "About a dozen or so. Luckily, I sensed something was wrong and ran back early. I heard the other masters didn't make it?"
"Mm. Did Third Sister return?" Xu Sanyan asked as he rode his horse further inside.
"No, you're the only one of the masters who came back."
Xu Sanyan nodded faintly. It seemed Tang Huanhuan had fled directly, likely to avoid running into him again.
He then headed straight for Wu Jue's courtyard. Noticing Big Yellow Tooth still trailing behind him like an eager puppy, he frowned and asked, "Why are you following me?"
"Fourth Master, with the other masters dead, aren't you the boss now?" Big Yellow Tooth grinned from ear to ear, pleased with himself. He believed he had the closest relationship with the Fourth Master, so naturally, he was thrilled about Xu Sanyan's ascension.
Xu Sanyan had no interest in this rundown stronghold. He turned to Big Yellow Tooth and said, "From now on, this place is yours."
Big Yellow Tooth was taken aback. "You're leaving?"
"Yes."
Xu Sanyan planned to head to the heart of the Qi Kingdom.
"Then take me with you," Big Yellow Tooth pleaded, knowing full well that with his limited skills, he couldn't hold the stronghold alone.
Xu Sanyan raised an eyebrow. "You want to follow me? Do you even know where I'm going?"
"Wherever you go, I'll follow. I can tend to the horses, feed them, whatever you need," Big Yellow Tooth said with an ingratiating smile, the wrinkles on his face deepening.
Xu Sanyan thought for a moment. "Fine. If you're willing to come, then come. Go back and pack some dried rations, bring a few extra horses, and wait for me at the gate."
Xu Sanyan had never traveled far and wasn't very familiar with the Qi Kingdom. While Big Yellow Tooth's martial skills were lacking, he could at least serve as a guide.
"Got it!" Big Yellow Tooth exclaimed happily before turning and running off.
Xu Sanyan leisurely knocked on Wu Jue's door.
"Has the master returned?" A woman's excited voice called from within the courtyard.
"It's me," Xu Sanyan replied calmly.
The courtyard gate opened, revealing a voluptuous woman whose face betrayed her disappointment. "Little Fourth, where's your foster father?"
"He's dead," Xu Sanyan said as he stepped inside, as naturally as if it were his own home.
"Dead...?" The woman's face went blank. Though she had suspected as much, the news still left her in a daze.
With the pillar of the household gone, how would she and her orphaned child protect their vast estate? Her only son was sickly and unreliable, and this news hit her like a thunderbolt on a clear day.
"How... how did the master die?" the woman asked, her voice hoarse.
Xu Sanyan sat down casually and briefly recounted what had happened. Then he added, "I assume my foster father has amassed quite a fortune over the years. Since he's dead, I'll take over his inheritance. Would you mind showing me the way?"
Though phrased as a question, his tone left no room for refusal.
Tears welled up in the woman's eyes as her legs gave out, and she knelt before Xu Sanyan. "Fourth... Fourth Master, the master treated you well all these years..."
Xu Sanyan waved his hand, cutting her off. "Hmph... Have you forgotten what kind of place this is? Talking about kindness here? Besides, you know exactly how Wu Jue treated me."
Despite Xu Sanyan's current prestige, things hadn't always been this way. When he first arrived in this world, he had endured plenty of bullying. What kind of good people could you expect in a den of bandits? It was only after his martial skills improved that his situation changed. And let's not forget, whenever there was dirty work to be done, it was always Xu Sanyan who took the risks. Wu Jue would lie around at home and still take half the spoils. Xu Sanyan had kept a mental tally of all these injustices.
The woman's lips quivered, unsure of what to say.
She wanted to rely on Xu Sanyan's strength to protect her family's wealth but was unwilling to give him even a fraction of it. Yet she knew this was impossible.
Finally, she said, "The master has a son..."
"Oh?" Xu Sanyan raised an eyebrow. He had never heard of this.
"Where is he?"
"In Taian City."
"Where is Taian City?" Xu Sanyan had never heard of it.
The woman lowered her head. "Fourth Master, with the master gone, I only have one son left. I beg you, for the sake of our past relationship, help me."
Xu Sanyan used the scabbard of his sword to lift the woman's chin. "So, all the wealth and treasures Wu Jue accumulated over the years are in Taian City?"
"Yes."
"Good. Lead the way."
Xu Sanyan grabbed the woman and dragged her out, confident that Wu Jue's accumulated wealth would not disappoint him.
The woman had no choice but to comply, unable to resist.
At the stronghold gate, Big Yellow Tooth noticed the arrival of the Madam and couldn't help but smirk. So, the Fourth Master had a taste for this kind of thing.
He had to admit, the Madam's figure was quite something—ample where it mattered, and curvy in all the right places. It would certainly be comfortable to sleep with her, though she was a bit older, probably in her mid-thirties.
But then again, the Madam was also Xu Sanyan's foster mother in name...
Tsk tsk, how thrilling.
Big Yellow Tooth's mind began to wander.
"Let's go," Xu Sanyan said, signaling for the two of them to mount their horses.
The three of them left the stronghold and headed south.
Big Yellow Tooth, ever the observant one, took the lead, leaving Xu Sanyan and the Madam some space to themselves.
Xu Sanyan paid her no mind, focusing on the journey.
After five days of braving the wind and sand, they finally left the northwestern desert behind.
At this point, Big Yellow Tooth rode up to Xu Sanyan. "Fourth Master, Taian City is just ahead. I've heard everything there is expensive, and the houses are sold by the foot. It's ridiculous."
"Good. Let's enter the city as soon as possible," Xu Sanyan said, adjusting the scarf over his face.
He then turned to the Madam. "Madam, you must have a place to stay in the city, right?"
"Don't worry, Fourth Master, I do," the Madam replied, looking somewhat haggard after the ordeal of the past few days.
The three of them rode into the city.
Taian City's walls loomed high, constructed entirely of brick and stone, with armored soldiers patrolling the battlements. The defenses were formidable.
The city was a hundred times more prosperous than Dafeng Town, with a constant flow of people coming and going. The calls of street vendors and the chatter of pedestrians blended into a vibrant tapestry of life.
There was no longer any annoying yellow sand. Xu Sanyan removed the scarf from his face and led his horse forward—riding horses was prohibited inside the city.
"Madam, take us home," Xu Sanyan said, staying close to her to prevent her from escaping.
"This way, Fourth Master," the Madam said, biting her lip slightly.
She didn't want to bring these two bandits into her home, but she had no choice. She was at their mercy now.
The Madam led them through two long streets and into an alley before pointing ahead.
"We're here."
"My goodness, does the master own this entire estate?" Big Yellow Tooth exclaimed in awe as he looked at the sprawling mansion before him.
The courtyard walls were made of blue bricks, and the estate covered at least ten acres. In a city where land was as valuable as gold, purchasing such a large property was a testament to how much Wu Jue had amassed over the years.
Xu Sanyan also raised an eyebrow and asked, "How much silver did this mansion cost?"
(End of the Chapter)
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