Chapter 53 - 52 Flee in Utter Disarray

Upon realizing it was Xia Jingfeng, the servants all sighed in relief. "First, capture him, then search everywhere!" With that, the masked men surrounded him. One of them even took out a rope, planning to tie him up. Xia Jingfeng raised his stick and bellowed furiously, "Everyone, stop right there!" "Oh my, Second Young Master, we’re just following Madam’s orders to collect an item. We’ll leave immediately once we find it!" one of them said with ill intent. The others also closed in, sneering. "Second Young Master, we’re just following orders too. If you have to blame someone, blame Madam! Don’t make it hard for us servants!" "Exactly. Why don’t you hand it over now to save everyone the trouble, and you won’t have to suffer any pain!" Xia Jingfeng suddenly laughed, his smile laced with an eerie quality. "She absolutely must have it?" The servants were startled for a moment before regaining their composure. "Of course, Second Young Master. You’re a smart man; just hand it over quickly!" "Fine, follow me!" Xia Jingfeng led the group to a dark corner in the passageway connecting the front and back courtyards. Then, he exerted all his strength and swept the stick horizontally. The men cried out in pain, realizing they had been tricked. But without weapons, they couldn’t get close for the moment. "Second Young Master, if you keep this up, we won’t hold back anymore!" "That’s right! Don’t blame us when it gets ugly!" After their threats, the group of servants saw their chance and swarmed him. Although Xia Jingfeng had been well-fed and had grown taller and stronger over the past few months, he was, after all, still a boy of just over ten. And a scholar at that. Facing a group of grown men, no matter how capable he was, he couldn’t defeat them. Just as he was about to be pummeled, a commotion erupted outside. Assistant Fu rushed in from the back door with a group of people. "Eldest Young Master, this is the place!" Xia Jingfeng looked up, his expression shocked. "Big Brother!" It turned out Xia Tingfeng had arrived. Not only had he come himself, but he had also brought his band of brothers, followed by Assistant Fu and other helpers from the small courtyard. Every one of them was wielding a weapon. "Brothers, take off their masks and tie them up!" Xia Tingfeng ordered contemptuously, arms crossed. "Got it, Big Brother!" Several of the Xiao Luo quickly had it done; the bound servants didn’t even dare to resist. Xia Tingfeng surveyed the scene, then walked to the front courtyard. He bent down and, as if picking up a chick, hauled the Butler back and threw him to the ground. "And him, don’t forget!" The Xiao Luo also bound the Butler. The captured servants panicked. In Zhuoshui County, the Eldest Young Master was a more terrifying presence than any local ruffian or gangster. If they offended him, their families would never know a peaceful day again. At this thought, they all began begging for mercy. "Eldest Young Master, we’ll never dare again!" "Eldest Young Master, please spare us! We were only following orders. If you must blame someone, blame Madam!" "Yes, Eldest Young Master!" The Butler, though the most loyal to Lady Yao, was also the most spineless; he was the first to sell her out. They all knew that even if Old Master Xia didn’t favor this son, he was still of Xia Family blood. If one or two of them were killed, would Old Master Xia really make his son pay with his life? Impossible. And the Eldest Young Master wasn’t as easygoing as the Second Young Master. If he said he’d kill, he meant it. At this thought, some of them wet their pants in fear. Xia Tingfeng stood to the side, watching the group of fools on the ground with a contemptuous look. In the lamplight stood Xia Tingfeng. He had already turned eighteen and was about to celebrate his capping ceremony. He wore a greenish-gray robe, cinched at the waist with a cloth rope. Tall and slender, one could sense his lean, powerful build even through his clothes. Though his attire was simple and his hair casually combed—even somewhat disheveled, with a few strands falling across his forehead, giving him a roguish air—nothing could conceal his ruggedly handsome features. Maternal Aunt Wen was gentle and kind; in her youth, she had possessed delicate and comely features. Her son’s handsome, resolute looks were largely inherited from her, his gaze clear and firm. Hearing the men beg for mercy, Xia Tingfeng didn’t respond, instead looking up at the sky. It was only the first few days of the new year; the harshest part of winter, the "third nine days," had not yet passed. It was bitterly cold. The sky had turned overcast in the afternoon, and now snowflakes were beginning to drift down. Suddenly, he spoke. "Tie them to the trees in the back courtyard. Let them go tomorrow morning!" "Yes, Big Brother!" A few of his ruffians smirked wickedly as they hauled the bound men to their feet. "Let’s go!" "Move it, you lot!" They even kicked the servants’ backsides a few times. The shifty-eyed Butler was nearly in tears. "Eldest Young Master, this old servant has shown you much disrespect in the past. This old servant kowtows to you now in apology!" With that, he knelt and began to kowtow. "You are a man of great magnanimity, Eldest Young Master, please spare this old servant! You know this old one has elders to care for and children to feed. I can’t survive a night freezing out here!" Being tied to a tree in this snowy, freezing weather for a whole night could kill a man. Seeing the Butler begging, the other servants also knelt and pleaded. Xia Tingfeng didn’t even glance at them, simply waving his hand. "Tie them up!" Seeing that pleading with the Eldest Young Master was useless, the men turned to Xia Jingfeng, crying and shouting, a stark contrast to their earlier arrogance. Xia Jingfeng glanced at them, then turned his head away without a word. This bunch is worse than dogs, ungrateful curs that can’t be tamed. Being kind to them is being cruel to myself. I may be kind, but I’m not foolish! In the end, the group could not escape their fate of enduring a freezing night. When they were first tied up, they were all wailing and creating a ruckus, utterly terrified. Xia Tingfeng’s anger flared. "Anyone who makes another sound gets tied up for two nights!" And so, the world fell silent. As Xia Jingfeng escorted Xia Tingfeng to the door, he suddenly said, "Thank you, Big Brother, for coming to my aid!" Xia Tingfeng glanced at him sideways and said, feigning nonchalance, "I wasn’t saving you. I was just... passing by." Xia Jingfeng smiled. His place was remote; passing by? Passing by to where? Still, he went along with it and said, "Even if you were just passing by, Big Brother, you still saved me." Xia Tingfeng squinted, pondering for a moment as if he had something to say. He shifted his stance, looked up at the sky again, and finally, with feigned indifference, asked, "How many days were you at home?" Xia Jingfeng was taken aback. "About five or six days," he said. He paused, then added, "Maternal Aunt Wen and Second Sister are well. After the New Year’s Eve family banquet, Maternal Aunt Wen even had someone bring me a quilt." In the years since his mother’s passing, if it hadn’t been for Maternal Aunt Wen’s secret assistance, he and his sister might not have survived. A flicker of something—relief, perhaps—crossed Xia Tingfeng’s eyes, but it vanished as quickly as it appeared. He gave a light snort and said, "Who asked about them!"