Chapter 23: Going Home

“Use the techniques of the barbarians to control the barbarians.”

Liu Chengqi, in unbearable pain, still couldn’t help but open his eyes wide, shocked by Chu Huaixu’s “divine move.”

This was clearly the first posture of the “Heaven-and-Earth Infinite Bagua Palm” that he himself had taught!

Senior Brother Liu, collapsed on the ground, was grievously injured and had no strength to strike back.

He couldn’t help coughing, blood oozing from the corner of his mouth, a wave of pain emanating from his chest.

But the look in his eyes as he gazed at Chu Huaixu gradually changed, as if he were staring at a corpse.

“Don’t look at me like that. I can guess—you’re probably someone with connections,” Chu Huaixu crouched down, his expression unchanged.

He raised his right hand, gently tapped Liu Chengqi’s right cheek, and said as he tapped:

“Teaching martial arts and you still drag in that ungrateful garbage.”

“Didn’t I pay? Hmm?”

“Answer me!”

With each sentence Chu Huaixu spoke, he gently tapped Liu’s face again.

Liu Chengqi had never endured such humiliation; his eyes nearly spouted flames.

He struggled, raised his right hand—even grievously wounded, he still had fierce energy.

But Chu Huaixu, squatting on the ground, moved faster. With a crack, he disabled that arm as well.

“That hand just now, you were being handsy with it, weren’t you?” he said evenly.

Senior Brother Liu’s arm broke, and he emitted waves of screams.

Han Shuangjiang watched from the side, her ten fingers clenching.

This was the first time she had seen this side of Chu Huaixu.

Cold, ruthless, decisive!

Since the opponent struck first, he would show no mercy.

In her heart, those four words surfaced again—an ominous hawk’s heart and a crane’s appearance.

Because Liu Chengqi had just attempted to grope her, Han Shuangjiang felt no sympathy for him whatsoever.

Among the four main protagonists of “Borrowed Sword,” she held the role of the main heroine—she certainly wasn't a nauseating saint.

Chu Huaixu had stood up for her, so she had to stand beside him clearly.

After a brief moment of shock, this poor bastard’s fleeting thought was still: “One shi—one lesson period is one shi (two hours), and we only trained for the time it takes to burn one incense stick, and that’s ten liang of silver, ten liang…”

The next moment, she saw Chu Huaixu extend his right hand and lightly tap Liu Chengqi’s cheek again, staring at him as he said: “Withdraw from the class, heard that?”

Seeing that Liu Chengqi didn’t react, he stared at him with increasing coldness, each tap on the cheek gradually harder.

Before long, Chu Huaixu took Han Shuangjiang and walked out of the small courtyard together, then, satisfied, placed the ten liang of silver back into his Storage Token.

He had his own set of rules—not a single liang was overcharged.

...

After that small interlude, the two returned to the marketplace.

It was now noon. Chu Huaixu saw a small stall and was about to sit down and eat, but was immediately pulled away by Han Shuangjiang.

He glanced down at her delicate jade hand gripping his sleeve, and she instantly let go.

“Let’s… let’s go buy groceries instead.” She still insisted on this point.

Learning mortal martial arts had nearly cost twenty liang of silver. Because the other party harbored ulterior motives, they only charged ten liang.

This made Han Shuangjiang feel even more that the family’s “surplus grain” was actually not much—financially unhealthy.

Chu Huaixu never expected that the beloved heroine of “Borrowed Sword,” adored by countless female players, would be so stingy at heart.

Since he was spending the money, her tone shifted from icy cold to a negotiating one when expressing her opinion.

“Alright.” Chu Huaixu agreed. This experienced play companion even said: “As you wish.”

These simple words made this poor guy feel joy, secretly breathing a sigh of relief.

During the food purchases, this frugal person took longer than usual—she insisted on comparing prices at three stalls.

Normally, when interacting, she spoke as sparingly as possible. Before paying, she would put on a cold face and haggle as much as she could.

“You really know how to manage daily life,” Chu Huaixu thought.

Along the way, the two passed by a tavern.

Someone was hawking outside, shouting, “Er Lang Liquor, top-quality Er Lang Liquor here!”

Han Shuangjiang watched wide-eyed as Chu Huaixu stopped in his tracks.

A terrifying thought flashed through her mind.

—He’s about to splurge!

“Er Lang Liquor? Isn’t that famous in the Moon Country?” Chu Huaixu paused and asked.

“That’s right. I didn’t expect this junior brother to be so knowledgeable. This liquor’s earliest technique came from Er Lang County of the Moon Country,” the vendor said.

Chu Huaixu nodded slightly, recalling the famous Lang Liquor from Earth.

Lang Liquor was named so because it originated from Erlang Town in Sichuan Province.

Because the Great Calamity was approaching, the previously tense relationship between Mirror Country and Moon Country had eased in recent years.

Even during their fiercest conflict, trade between the two countries had never ceased; now it looked like they were in a honeymoon phase, with even more frequent exchanges.

Even the taxes had been reduced.

So, having fine liquor from the Moon Country on sale wasn’t surprising.

He even suspected this tavern was an official business run by the Dao Gate.

After a brief moment of thought, Chu Huaixu deliberately didn’t ask the price and said, “I’ll take one jar.”

It startled the icy mountain behind him, who immediately stepped forward and began haggling.

She had no choice—the money was his, and at most she only had the right to offer suggestions, not to decide.

Seeing Han Shuangjiang like this made him find her even more amusing.

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After teasing this World Protagonist, Chu Huaixu took the jar of Er Lang Liquor handed over by the vendor.

“Let’s go home,” he said.

Hearing the words “go home,” Han Shuangjiang paused for a moment.

The two returned loaded with goods, but halfway back, Chu Huaixu suddenly stopped and looked eastward.

“If I’m not mistaken, Steward Niu’s courtyard is in that direction, right?” he calculated the time in his head and asked.

“Mm.” The icy mountain was back to her usual cold self, nodding with a simple response.

“Take this jar of liquor to Steward Niu,” Chu Huaixu instructed.

“Me?” She frowned, puzzled.

Han Shuangjiang wasn’t objecting to being ordered around—she simply didn’t understand. He paid for it, so why did she have to deliver it alone?

Chu Huaixu didn’t answer. He simply looked into her beautiful eyes, wanting to see if the World Protagonist could figure it out.

A few seconds later, she spoke up: “You’re afraid…”

She stopped short.

Back at the courtyard, Chu Huaixu had said to Liu Chengqi: I can guess—you have some background.

From various signs, Han Shuangjiang could sense this as well.

At that moment, Chu Huaixu nodded at her, signaling that she was right.

Instantly, Han Shuangjiang’s pretty face darkened, and that unbearable feeling surged in her heart again.

It had all started because of her.

No matter how the world dressed things up, it was still survival of the fittest. And being beautiful yet weak was an original sin!

That was one of the reasons she always yearned to cultivate and grow stronger.

Yet unexpectedly, Chu Huaixu sneered at that moment: “Ugh, who are you showing that face to? I’m tall, handsome—do you think I’ve had fewer experiences? Just get used to it!”

Hearing this, Han Shuangjiang felt that this fox-face of his was just asking for a beating.

She took the Er Lang Liquor from Chu Huaixu’s hand and followed his instructions, walking eastward.

After only a few steps, she suddenly stopped and softly called out: “Chu Huaixu.”

“Hmm?” Chu Huaixu turned to look at her.

“Why aren’t you going with me?” she asked.

If you already suspected there might be danger, why split up?

Chu Huaixu looked at her like she was an idiot: “There’s no such thing as guarding against thieves for a thousand days.”

“If—just if—Liu Chengqi wants revenge, and he clearly has some background, if he sees us visiting Steward Niu today, do you think they’ll act today?”

“But the days ahead are long—you get it?”

“You can’t be sure he’ll just swallow this grudge, right?”

Hearing that, Han Shuangjiang realized it made sense. She couldn’t bet her safety entirely on the enemy’s rationality.

Chu Huaixu had always believed the world was just a big makeshift troupe, and irrational behavior didn’t mean someone was under a “stupidity halo.”

How many people stay rational their whole life?

In fact, many people were born purely because their dads acted on impulse in the moment.

Humans were ultimately ruled by emotions.

Chu Huaixu knew trouble would come, so he chose to humiliate Liu Chengqi brutally.

It gave him satisfaction and would prompt the other side to act quickly—everyone could settle things fast instead of dragging it out and constantly watching their backs.

At this moment, Han Shuangjiang looked at the young man standing nearby and spoke again: “So you choose to go home first, let them come to you, lure yourself into danger, and send me to fetch help?”

“Yep!” Chu Huaixu responded.

“You’re certain Steward Niu will take action?” Han Shuangjiang asked.

“Absolutely,” Chu Huaixu replied. He figured Old Niu might even be more eager than her.

“Fine,” the cold-faced girl replied.

Then she quickly stepped forward, handed the jar of liquor back to Chu Huaixu, and with a face full of seriousness and determination, firmly declared:

“I’m going home—you deliver the wine.”

...