Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

When he remembered all that his wife and daughter had gone through, and the despair he had felt at that time, a surge of fury and bloodlust overtook him.

His fury affected the other men with him. The soup he was drinking quickly lost its flavor in the face of his fury.

“We’ll have our chance to take revenge against that little b*stard. We’ll kill him then hold a ceremony to appease your wife and daughter’s souls.” A man to the side of him lifted his left hand and gave a heavy pat to Meng Hun’s shoulder.

His right arm was injured and he had just cleaned his wound with some clean water before applying medicine to it. He had his arm in a white sling tied around his neck, which hindered his mobility.

“Your wife and daughter will bless us and ensure that we can help them seek revenge. The good will be rewarded.” Another man hummed his agreement. He was not glib of tongue and was one to speak his mind. He was also terrible at consoling others.

Meng Hun regained his senses from that pat on his shoulder. His expression was still solemn but he was no longer stewing in his rage and bloodlust.

When the other men noticed his expression, they all looked worried.

The huge man before them was their leader and he was also the one who saved them from the reaper’s scythe. He was struggling emotionally and yet, he still took care of them.

In retrospect, what did the Meng’s do? They owed their glory and wealth to their ancestors while the made their riches off of the hard work of the common folk!

That was why when Meng Hun had clamped down on his own emotions and said, “I want to revolt,” these men followed him without any hesitation. Compared to the Meng’s who relied on their ancestors’ wealth, the men had more faith in Meng Hun.

“The good will be rewarded?” Meng Hun repeated tonelessly, as though he had lost his soul. He buried his blood-caked face into his good hand.

If that were true, then why did his virtuous wife and quick-witted daughter have such misfortune befall them?

Hidden away in the cave, the few men were silent as they pondered over their own thoughts. None dared to bother Meng Hun.

Moonlight shrouded the farm and the air was still.

Xu Ke could be considered the main house’s confidant and he had good control over the farms. At night, he would light a lamp and note down various expenses and the daily training that took place. If he still had time after doing so, he would do some reading.

That day, he was finished bookkeeping, but he did not pull out any bamboo scrolls to read. Instead, he put on his cloak and picked up the oil lamp on the table.

He held a hand up to shield the flickering flame from the wind and walked towards the kitchen. He stepped closer towards the corner where he had piled the medicine and other items. The items were no longer there as expected; any footprints that would have been left behind were wiped clean.

“The gift seems small but the gesture isn’t. I hope this gift can reach their hearts.” Xu Ke paced around the place and smirked. He quickly lost his amusement when he thought, Tsk! Even so, this gift has cost us six or seven taels…

If he knew he would have spent more than half of what he had, he would have gotten more money from his Langjun.

Xu Ke frowned and guarded the flickering flame while he made his way back to his room. Ordinary people would only get to eat meat during the new year. Those two packets of pork belly were expensive.

Furthermore, Xu Ke had purposely made a trip down to the pharmacy to procure the medicine and white cloth. The medicine was effective and thus, costly.

New bedding, warm clothes, ceramic tableware, and others added up to six or seven taels, too!

He hoped his young master had not made a mistake. If the items were given away and did not manage to get the other’s loyalty… Heh, Xu Ke thought that his sneaky young master would be hard to appease. By then, at whom would that anger be directed?

Xu Ke closed the door to keep the cold out. He then moved the charcoal basin closer to himself to warm up his frozen, stiff fingers.

“I’ll know their reaction tomorrow…” Xu Ke snorted.

He then opened a bamboo scroll he had borrowed from Jiang Pengji and started reading. At times he would frown while he perused the scroll, while at other times, a look of dawning realization would take over his face.

The next morning, the Lius’ gatekeeper yawned as he walked out of the gates. Coincidentally, a plain looking carriage was making its way towards him.

A loud whistle sounded and the horses halted, effectively stopping the carriage in front of the residence doors.

The gatekeeper rubbed his eyes sleepily and finally focused on the carriage emblem. It was their second Langjun’s mentor’s, Wei Gongcao, carriage.

Master Wei is really dedicated. He’s here to teach the Langjun after recovering from his illness, the gatekeeper thought while he sent someone to bring the housekeeper over. He quickly went forward to welcome the Langjun’s master, yet the one who came out was not him, but a young man.

The young man was tall and huge. His clothes were obviously brand new and the type worn by scholars. He wore a cloak and his hair was pulled up neatly into a knot.

The young man looked to be a scholar based on the way he was dressed, but his posture and height was daunting. When the gatekeeper took a closer look, the man’s features did not look like he was one from the Central Plains, but rather someone from the northern Xinjiang area.

The man stepped on the stool the gatekeeper brought over before he turned around and held back the carriage curtains. The next man to exit was Wei Gongcao.

“Master Gongcao, we’ve arrived.”

Qiguan Rang still retained his stern and grave expression. It may be due to the sun’s rays, but the cold gaze he had seemed to soften marginally.

Wei Gongcao lifted his head to look at the sky before he returned his gaze to the tightly shut doors. Only the side door was left ajar.

When the servants saw Wei Yuan, they all thought that he was there to coach their second young master. None of them thought he was there to resign from his post.

When Liu She heard the purpose of Wei Yuan’s visit, he was instantly awoken and he had on a solemn expression.

“My mischievous son has angered you?”

Even though Liu She had allowed Jiang Pengji to further her studies in Langye County, he was not expecting Wei Yuan to personally visit him and resign from his post.

He pondered over what would have brought Wei Yuan over and a sense of uneasiness settled over him. He was afraid that Jiang Pengji did not know the weight of her words and had said something that may have upset the other man.

If she had offended any other man, it would not have been a problem. The issue was that Wei Yuan’s reputation amongst scholars in Dongqing was second to none!

If there were no other reasonable ways to appease him based on the current societal ways, then his daughter’s words would hold no weight.

A teacher for a day was a father for a lifetime. Respecting one’s teacher was akin to filial piety.

Wei Yuan smiled and said, “Zhongqing, be at ease. I have given this much thought and it has nothing to do with Lanting.”

Qiguan Rang did not have the social standing or the age to join the other two men in their conversation. He sat down behind Wei Yuan and submitted himself to be in the background.

He did not expect Wei Yuan to bring him along to the Liu’s, but he knew in his heart. The older man thought of him as his future son-in-law, so that was why. The most unexpected part, however, was that his eight characters had yet to be announced and he was receiving such preferential treatment.

“Since it has nothing to do with Lanting’s mischief, then why are you resigning?”