Chapter 6: Hatred does not last overnight
Chapter 6: Hatred does not last overnight
Xiao Xia sat by the river, looking at this strange world with heavy eyes.
He had only been traveling for four days, but he had already deeply experienced what it meant to be the strong preying on the weak? What did it mean to bully the weak?
Xiao Xia had come to terms with it. Since he was a nobody in Yangzhou, with no relatives or friends, why was he still staying here? Since he was a member of the Xiao family in Luoyang, he could go back to Luoyang.
If Luoyang doesn't work, then go to Chang'an? Anyway, the princess wants to take him to Chang'an, so he can go by himself. Maybe he can even get close to Li Yuan.
If this place doesn't want me, there will be other places that will want me. I won't stay here and suffer humiliation.
He was about to stand up when he felt pain all over his body and a burning sensation on his face. After a long while, the pain slowly disappeared.
He was actually beaten up by seven or eight people. He was so angry that he would never let Wu San go. Even if he had to go to Chang'an, he would avenge him before leaving.
At this time, Lao Liu appeared beside him and sat down as well.
"Xiao Qi, why do you have to provoke them? If Wu San doesn't humiliate you one day, just bear with it."
"Just bear with it and it will pass?" Xiao Xia snorted, and then asked, "Who are these Wu San and Liu Ergou? How did I provoke them?"
"I've told you several times, but you just can't remember. Wu San and Liu Erhu are the hereditary warriors of our Xiao family. Their grandfathers and fathers were all members of the Xiao family's corps. Didn't the imperial court abolish the corps system later? So everyone changed their name and called themselves warriors, but they are still the same thing."
Xiao Xia knew about the private army system, commonly known as private soldiers. During the late Han Dynasty, the Three Kingdoms, the Jin Dynasty, and the Southern and Northern Dynasties, almost every general and family had his own private army, ranging from a few hundred to thousands or even tens of thousands.
After Emperor Wen of Sui unified the country, he abolished the military system that had lasted for hundreds of years.
"You haven't told me yet! How did I offend Wu San? And how did I offend Liu Ergou?"
Lao Liu was silent for a moment and said, "You really don't know?"
Xiao Xia shook his head, and Lao Liu sighed and said, "Isn't it because you are from the north?"
"Wait a minute!"
Xiao Xia was confused, "What does this have to do with me being from the north?"
Seeing that he was confused, Lao Liu continued to explain, "Wu San and Liu Ergou were both seconded from the Xiao family in Jiangning. They are from the south of the Yangtze River. Their ancestors died at the hands of King Hou Jing of Henan. They hate northerners, especially those from Luoyang, so I advise you to keep a low profile and try not to provoke them."
"It doesn't matter to me if Hou Jing killed their ancestors, but I must repay them for the humiliation they suffered today!" Xiao Xia became furious.
"Stop talking like that. If we can't win, we have to endure it. Manager Zhang asked you to go back, but he won't really ask you to empty the toilet. That's disgusting."
Xiao Xia shook her head. "I have already quit the martial arts school. Please thank Manager Zhang for his kindness on my behalf!"
"Xiao Qi, don't be like this!" Lao Liu was about to cry.
Xiao Xia patted his shoulder and said, "Since I am from Luoyang, I plan to go back to Luoyang to look for my relatives. Maybe I have an uncle or an aunt in Luoyang, but I want to trouble you for something!"
Lao Liu had no choice but to say with a sad face: "Tell me! How can I help you?"
Xiao Xia whispered something in his ear, and Lao Liu was so frightened that his face turned pale, and he waved his hands like rattles, "No! No! I don't dare to do it. Don't look for me. If I lose my job, my mother will beat me to death."
Xiao Xia was a little annoyed, "I don't want you to do it, as long as you help me understand the pattern of Wu's going out, you won't be affected at all!"
"No! No! No! I won't do it."
Lao Liu was so scared that he turned around and tried to leave, but Xiao Xia grabbed him and said, "You coward, forget it. I won't bother you anymore. Tell the head of the family that I've decided to go back to Luoyang. Thank him for taking care of me over the years!" Xiao Xia also had some resentment towards the head of the family, Xiao Cong. He threw him into the slums and let him be bullied by others. Is this called taking care of him?
...........
When I got home, Uncle Men was not there. His room was full of junk. I guess he went out to pick up junk.
Xiao Xia's back was still burning and stinging, as if something was still flowing out. He went back to the house, took off his clothes and checked, and sure enough, he felt blood.
It actually bled!
A deep hatred suddenly surged in Xiao Xia's heart. He swore he would not be a human being if he didn't take revenge!
"Xiao Qi! Xiao Qi!"
In the afternoon, Xiao Xia had just returned from outside and had a sip of water when she heard Lao Liu's voice outside. Xiao Xia walked to the yard and opened the door. Lao Liu flashed in and pulled Xiao Xia into the room.
Xiao Xia laughed and said, "Why are you sneaking around? Master Men is not here!"
Lao Liu ignored him, looked outside cautiously again, closed the door, and said seriously: "I'm going to tell you something, but you have to promise that it has nothing to do with me!"
Xiao Xia had already guessed what he was going to say, so she nodded, "I promise!"
"I heard that Wu San had a mistress outside. He would go out every night and come back in the middle of the night. There was a gap near the west side door of the martial arts hall. They would sneak out from there and come back from there. Xiao Qi, I didn't say anything!"
Xiao Xia smiled and patted his shoulder, "You really didn't say anything."
Lao Liu grinned and said, "I still have to work as a waiter at Guanyun Restaurant, so I have to leave quickly."
After saying that, Lao Liu opened the door and ran away.
Xiao Xia pondered for a moment, then went to the kitchen, found a cloth bag filled with wheat, folded it, put it in his arms, and went out.
Night has quietly fallen, and the long street west of the martial arts hall is very quiet. It should be the second month of the lunar calendar now, the air is moist and warm, and still a little chilly at night.
Ordinary people in the Sui Dynasty went to bed very early and lay down as soon as it got dark. Not many families had the spare money to buy oil and lamps. After a day's work, they were already exhausted and fell asleep as soon as they lay down on the bed.
There was indeed a gap next to the west gate of the martial arts hall. There were two big trees next to it. Xiao Xia hid in the tree and waited patiently.
Students from the martial arts school kept sneaking out through the gap, and as time passed, they kept sneaking back.
One hour passed, then another hour passed, and it was already midnight.
Xiao Xia's eyelids were so sleepy that he could hardly open them. He kept pinching his thighs hard, letting the pain stimulate himself to wake up.
At this time, a dark shadow appeared in the distance and was walking quickly towards the gap. Xiao Xia's eyes narrowed. The figure as thin as a bamboo pole finally came!
Xiao Xia squatted behind the wall with a cloth bag in his hand and a brick in his arms. His heart was pounding with nervousness. Although he had never done such a thing before, he knew how to do it.
Normally, this kind of thing should be done by two people, one to put the bag on and the other to hit the person with a club, but there was no other way, Lao Liu was weak and timid, so he had to do it alone.
Wu San had already reached the gap in the wall. He looked to both sides and jumped lightly into the wall. Suddenly, his legs went weak and he seemed to have sprained his leg, and his body suddenly squatted down.
Xiao Xia was overjoyed, thinking that God was helping him. He rushed out like lightning and the cloth bag quickly covered Wu San's head. Wu San's eyes went dark and he was terrified. He hurriedly reached out to tear the thing off his head, but suddenly he felt a sharp pain in the back of his head and his body fell limply to the ground, and he knew nothing.
Xiao Xia made up his mind to go all out and smashed the brick on his head again. Wu San groaned, twitched a few times and then stopped moving, a brocade bag fell from his hand.
Xiao Xia picked up the brocade bag and put it in his arms, then turned around and ran away.
At this moment, he suddenly heard footsteps behind him, which frightened him so much that his heart almost jumped out of his chest. He ran wildly, running like a flash of lightning on the small street, and in the blink of an eye he had run hundreds of steps.
A tall figure appeared behind him. He exclaimed "Huh!" and looked at Xiao Xia in surprise as he disappeared at the end of the long street. He couldn't believe it. When did this guy run so fast?
(End of this chapter)