Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Afterwards, Xie Licheng set Gu Zhangyuan down and dragged the mole-faced man's corpse outside.

When the bandits saw the bodies of their Second Chief and Third Chief lying side by side, they immediately didn't dare to keep fighting.

Their purpose in coming this time was to help the Second Master of the Gu Family kill the Eldest Young Master at a manor.

Having been let in by the manor's steward, and able to disguise themselves as ordinary farmers, killing an unguarded young master would have been simple.

For this operation, the worst-case scenario they'd imagined was sacrificing a few brothers during the kill.

But they never expected that not only would the Third Chief die, but the Second Chief would too.

How were they supposed to explain this to the Head Chief when they returned?

Moreover, after this crushing defeat, who would still be willing to follow them through life-and-death situations in the future?

They couldn't even beat a lowly horse slave—even the underworld types would look down on them. They might as well just call it quits and disband.

Some bandits wanted to quit, while others had been scared out of their wits by Xie Licheng.

Gu Zhangyuan and the others were in the courtyard, so they hadn't seen what was happening outside, and naturally didn't know how strong Xie Licheng really was.

When the Third Chief was fighting Xie Licheng, several bandits were helping the Third Chief.

Xie Licheng was fighting alone against multiple opponents, and the two daggers in his hands went wherever he pointed them.

One dagger struck a bandit in the left eye, and another pierced through a bandit's chest.

Then he snatched the big blade from a bandit he'd killed and cleanly chopped off their Third Chief's arm as easily as cutting tofu.

Many of them tried to get through that courtyard gate to grab Gu Zhangyuan, but none could get past him in one piece.

Either they got their heads lopped off or their legs hacked off.

A killing machine like that was simply not someone they could handle.

Now that the two chiefs were dead, they didn't want to keep fighting either.

So the bandits outside the courtyard exchanged glances and took off without hesitation.

They ran off, but there were still some bandits elsewhere in the manor.

Seeing this, Xie Licheng looked back at the courtyard and planned to take Gu Zhangyuan to look around the manor.

He'd bragged to Gu Zhangyuan that he'd protect him well.

To make sure nothing happened to Gu Zhangyuan while he was gone, he figured it was safer to keep the guy with him.

Xie Licheng said to those inside, "Come on, I'll take you to go nab that steward."

Gu Zhangyuan was about to follow him when he heard Xuan Cui say to him, "Young Master, the manor must be dangerous right now... maybe you shouldn't go?"

Xuan Cui meant no harm—she was simply worried about Gu Zhangyuan.

But Gu Zhangyuan knew very well that the safest place in the entire manor right now was by Xie Licheng's side.

He'd always felt Xie Licheng was no ordinary guy, and after tonight, it proved he hadn't been wrong about him.

This horse slave was even deeper than he'd imagined.

He didn't seem like a criminal slave, but more like a warrior who'd seen battle and was used to blood.

Gu Zhangyuan said to Xuan Cui, "Don't worry, I'll be safer with him."

With that, Gu Zhangyuan got up and walked toward Xie Licheng.

He reached the courtyard gate and looked at his guard and the few surviving house guards.

"You all protect them well. I've got him, that's enough."

Gu Zhangyuan's personal guard did have some skill.

The other house guards had all sustained injuries of varying degrees, leaving only him and Xie Licheng completely unharmed.

Of course, there was another reason he wasn't hurt—Xie Licheng had taken the brunt of the heat.

If Xie Licheng hadn't been here today, neither he nor those house guards would have likely survived.

They were too few and totally unprepared, so they could easily have been taken out here.

The guard acknowledged the order and went into the courtyard to check on Xuan Cui, Yuan Qiao, and the others.

At that moment, there were two corpses in the courtyard—one killed by Xie Licheng's short blade, and the other by that martial arts matron.

The guard walked over to the bandit killed by the short blade and crouched down, his eyes lingering on the blade that had been driven almost all the way in.

He had previously thought it was absurd that the Eldest Young Master had taken a liking to a horse slave.

But now that he had witnessed the man's skill with his own eyes, the guard suddenly understood the Eldest Young Master's preference.

People are drawn to strength—men are no exception.

That groom's martial skill was truly beyond what ordinary men could match.

He highly suspected that if he faced the man, he wouldn't last even a few minutes before being cut down.

After Xie Licheng left with Gu Zhangyuan, the guard helped Xuan Cui up and asked, "Do you know where that groom comes from?"

Xuan Cui replied instinctively, "He... isn't he just a criminal slave from the slave camp?"

"Since he's a criminal slave, he must have some history. Do you know what it is?"

Xuan Cui furrowed her brow and thought carefully. "I think... he's a descendant of some former dynasty military general."

Hearing this, a glimmer of understanding flashed in the guard's eyes.

So he really wasn't ordinary—it seemed his skills were passed down from his elders.

And in a place like the slave camp, those without ability indeed couldn't survive.

Meanwhile, Xie Licheng hadn't walked far with Gu Zhangyuan before the young man stopped, his face going pale.

Seeing how unwell he looked, Xie Licheng walked up to him and asked, lowering his head, "What's wrong?"

Gu Zhangyuan shook his head. "I haven't been resting well lately, and I didn't eat properly today. I guess the shock and fright have left me feeling a bit weak."

Xie Licheng looked at him silently, then fumbled around on himself and pulled out a strawberry-flavored candy.

He unwrapped the candy and held it to Gu Zhangyuan's lips.

Gu Zhangyuan looked at the candy, then at Xie Licheng, and asked, "What is this?"

Xie Licheng said simply, "Candy."

Gu Zhangyuan didn't really want to eat it—not because he worried Xie Licheng might poison him, but because he had no appetite right now.

He was covered in blood and looked a complete mess. Thinking back to how horribly those people had died earlier, his stomach churned with nausea.

Xie Licheng said, "Eat it, so you don't collapse from exhaustion later."

Hearing this, Gu Zhangyuan didn't want to be a bother, so after hesitating, he opened his mouth and took the candy.

To his surprise, the candy was actually pretty good.

The Gu family was wealthy, and he'd grown up with a silver spoon in his mouth.

As a kid, he had a sweet tooth, and his father often bought him wild honey.

Cakes, candied fruit—he ate them like they were meals.

Having eaten so many good things, he'd gradually lost interest in them.

But this candy Xie Licheng gave him seemed different. He savored it slowly, and it was better than a lot of the candy he'd had before.

Seeing that Gu Zhangyuan seemed to perk up a little after eating the candy, Xie Licheng wanted to hurry him along.

But Gu Zhangyuan was delicate, as it turned out. As he walked, he didn't see a hole in the road and twisted his ankle.

Seeing this, Xie Licheng didn't know what to say.

So weak, so delicate, cries easily, timid... just...

He judged him silently, but when he met Gu Zhangyuan's slightly hurt, beautiful eyes, all the harsh words on the tip of his tongue died in his throat.

Gu Zhangyuan said, "Maybe I should just head back."

He always felt like he was just dead weight tagging along with Xie Licheng.

Without him, Xie Licheng could get things done faster and more easily.

Hearing this, Xie Licheng didn't send him back. He'd already talked big about protecting him.

If he sent the man back and something happened to Gu Zhangyuan, wouldn't that make him look bad?

Xie Licheng walked back to Gu Zhangyuan and crouched down with his back to him.

He said to him, "Climb on my back. I refuse to believe I can't protect you."

Gu Zhangyuan looked at his broad shoulders, hesitated, then carefully climbed on.

The man's shoulders weren't all that broad or sturdy—he was just too skinny.

He'd asked the Gu family's kitchen to give him extra meals before, hoping to fatten him up a bit.

But... this horse slave had been gone for half a month, and when he came back, he looked even more tanned than before.

Come to think of it... both he and Xie Licheng were pretty ridiculous.

Given how dangerous things were now, Xie Licheng had to catch that steward and kill the other bandits in the manor.

Logically, no matter how capable he was, he shouldn't bring along a pampered young master—and a good-looking one at that.

But he did, and the funny thing was, Gu Zhangyuan thought he was right to do it.

In Gu Zhangyuan's eyes, no one in the manor now—not his attendants, not the house guards meant to protect him—could truly keep him safe.

He only believed Xie Licheng could protect him now.

And now that he'd twisted his ankle, Xie Licheng still didn't plan to send him back, figuring he could handle things while carrying him.

Gu Zhangyuan believed him and did what he said.

Gu Zhangyuan had always thought of himself as a bit timid and cowardly.

But at this moment, he was acting so bold and reckless.

If his father found out, he'd probably be shocked.

His father would definitely ask him, "Why do you trust a horse slave so much?"

Yeah, why did he trust a horse slave so much?

Not long ago, he'd told this horse slave that he was a little afraid of him and couldn't fully trust him.

But when real danger came, he still instinctively chose to trust him.

Before Gu Zhangyuan could dwell on his own fickleness, the horse slave was already striding back toward the manor with him on his back.

The manor was in chaos now, fires blazing everywhere, and a lot of people had been killed by the bandits.

It was a terrifying sight, enough to make anyone panic.

Gu Zhangyuan was a little scared too, but not really.

This horse slave was amazing—being on his back made him feel safe.

Gu Zhangyuan whispered, "You're no ordinary man. So who are you, really?"

Xie Licheng didn't want to explain much. As he walked, he said, "To you, I'm a good man."

"A good man?"

"Yes, because I think I've been really good to you."

Xie Licheng really had been good to him—Gu Zhangyuan couldn't deny it, and he wouldn't.

He licked the candy in his mouth, letting the sweetness spread.

"What's your name?"

Xie Licheng was about to say he had no name, but then he remembered that bandits had already risen here, and the chaos in Lingzhou seemed destined to come early. After a moment's thought, he simply said to him, "My name is Xie Licheng."