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墨書 Inktalez
My heart skipped a beat as I silently cursed my junior's ancestors. A quick glance revealed that Third Granduncle Master, that old fox, was grinning at me with a mischievous look. Damn it, his face looked even more like a fox now! I quickly averted my gaze.
My junior had already approached A Li. Old Qiao was the quickest to react, grabbing my junior and crouching down. "Dui, don't be angry! My little sister has been spoiled since childhood and has a bad temper. She's not suitable for marriage; it's best for her to stay with Old Man. When we return to Luoyang tomorrow, I'll definitely introduce someone good to you—plump or slim, like a beauty that can make the moon hide and flowers blush, you'll be satisfied." He discreetly squeezed my junior's palm.
My junior was clever enough, despite his mischief. He knew how to play along with Old Qiao's words and replied, "Hmph! I don’t care; I’ve set my eyes on her! A woman cannot serve two husbands. Whether I'm here or not is up to you!" With that, he shrugged off Old Qiao's hand and gently called out to A Li, "A Li... A Li..."
I feared he might wake her up, leading to another round of anxious explanations. It was best to stall for time, so I quickly pressed down on my junior's hand. "Who is competing with you? Let each person choose their own path."
I had a lot to say to my juniors, but now all I could manage were these trivial words. I felt utterly frustrated. If it weren't for the moment I squeezed my junior's hand earlier, we would have long escaped Third Granduncle Master's clutches and enjoyed ourselves by now. Instead, here we were, even having touched our treasure.
Just as I was regretting it silently, Third Granduncle Master suddenly said, "Aren't you going to introduce anyone?"
I was taken aback and looked around; didn’t he know everyone here? Then it dawned on me he was referring to Cold Bench. Still, I pretended not to understand and began introducing everyone one by one: "This is my junior, Dui Er; this is Qiao Qi, Master Qiao—you collaborated last time; this is—"
Oh no, how should I introduce Cold Bench? All I knew was that he belonged to the Old School. Should I mention that? Wait—if Cold Bench is from the Old School, could he also be one of the Eight Major Errand Runners? Is he Zhen Si or Gen Qi?
No, no, that can't be right. If he were Shishu's disciple, how could he have saved our lives multiple times? It would be a great kindness if he didn't harm us!
Lost in thought, Cold Bench unexpectedly introduced himself: "Zhao Qian."
Zhao Qian? Why didn't he say "Sun Li"? Or "Zhou Wu" or "Zheng Wang"? That name seemed rather casual.
Anyway, he was giving Third Granduncle Master a hard time, not me. So I continued with the introductions: "This is Third Granduncle Master, Sun Bozhou; this is A Chen, Xun Wu; and this is Liu Zi, Kan Liu."
Everyone nodded and acknowledged each other as I introduced them, except for my junior and Liu Zi who ignored each other entirely. Third Granduncle Master seemed particularly interested in Cold Bench ’s identity; his gaze kept shifting toward him until it finally settled firmly on him. Cold Bench didn’t shy away either; his cold eyes met Third Granduncle Master ’s in a tense standoff where neither seemed willing to back down.
I thought Third Granduncle Master would first inquire about Cold Bench, but he shifted his gaze and said to Old Qiao, “Qiao Master, I looked for you in Lintong the other day but couldn’t find you. It seems you’ve found a better opportunity?”
Old Qiao chuckled, stroking his chin. “Thanks to Boss Sun’s kindness, I’m just trying to make a living! We wanderers in this world are all chasing after money, aren’t we? Whoever offers the best price, that’s who we’ll serve.”
“Oh?” Third Granduncle Master raised an eyebrow. “Are you saying I’ve treated you poorly, Qiao Master?”
Old Qiao laughed. “Not at all! I took this job mainly because of my disobedient younger sister. If it weren’t for that… well, let’s not get into it. Boss Sun, it’s a blessing that we can gather here. I hope to rely on you and Boss Qian for future business. It’s a pity there’s no fine wine available; otherwise, I’d love to drink three hundred cups!”
Third Granduncle Master smiled politely before turning his attention to Cold Bench. “This must be… the expert who didn’t show himself in the underground palace last time?”
Cold Bench merely nodded slightly, showing no intention of engaging in conversation.
I felt a sense of balance; it seemed I wasn’t the only one being ignored.
The usually arrogant Third Granduncle Master now faced a worthy opponent, yet he was still just a kid who hadn’t even fully matured. A flicker of displeasure crossed his face, quickly masked by an even more arrogant expression. “Young man, with such skills, why do you choose to be beneath others?”
I was taken aback—what the hell, was he trying to poach?
Before I could speak up, my junior brother jumped in between Third Granduncle Master and Cold Bench with a grin. “You don’t need to worry about my master! His legs are his own; he can choose whoever he wants or not choose anyone at all. Not even the King himself can dictate that! I suggest you save your breath!”
“How dare you speak to my master like that!” Liuzi finally seized the opportunity to retort, brandishing his knife threateningly as if ready for a fight.
My junior brother wasn’t one to back down either; mimicking Liuzi’s tone, he shot back, “And how dare you talk to your Er Shi Ge like that?!”
“I’ll show you!” Liuzi shouted angrily, ready to charge again when my junior brother snapped back without mercy, “Can’t you be civil for once?” With a swift motion, Ze Zhang had already crossed the line.
Just as the confrontation was about to escalate into chaos, I lunged forward and grabbed my junior brother while A Chen held onto Liuzi, pulling the two hotheads apart. “We’re all fellow disciples; is it really necessary to draw blades? If we keep arguing like this, the sun will set before we even reach Li You's Tomb!”
Everyone seemed to remember the purpose of this journey at the same time, yet they hesitated, as if whoever spoke first would be admitting defeat and suffering a great loss.
Our New School had the advantage in numbers and should act with more confidence. Moreover, if I took the initiative, I could convey to my junior brothers that since no one else was willing, I would step up. Our goal is the same—Li You's Tomb. We have the map, and Third Granduncle Master has the information. The best way forward is to cooperate, merging our two forces into one. As the saying goes, many hands make light work; united we stand strong. Our food supplies are running low, and finding Li You's Tomb sooner gives us a better chance of survival. Everyone agrees on this, right?
My junior brother scoffed, “I disagree! I don’t want to be on the same team as that stupid pig. Without their useless information, we can still find Li You's Tomb.”
“Who the hell are you calling a pig?” Liuzi shouted, his hand instinctively reaching for his knife. My junior brother shrugged and grinned, “Whoever reacts is who I’m talking about.”
“You—” Liuzi was about to explode when Third Granduncle Master pressed him down. After all, the situation had changed; he had to weigh his options carefully.
Seeing Third Granduncle Master at a loss was rare and amusing to me, so I pretended to intervene and stopped my junior brother. “This is all personal grudges; we need to focus on the bigger picture. If anyone is still dissatisfied, they can leave now—no one will stop you!”
My junior brother knew I was just indulging in banter and chimed in, “I’m not going back! If anyone goes back, it’ll be the pig—where would the pig or sheep go? Back to those relatives who are part of the Liberation Army!”
“You—” Liuzi’s face turned green with anger, but under Third Granduncle Master ’s signal, he could only swallow his anger.
I felt quite pleased! But knowing when to stop was important, so I discreetly signaled Old Qiao to take over from there. The rest was entirely up to him; it all depended on his words. If he messed it up, then damn it, he might as well not be involved: “To show our sincerity, Qiao Master, why don’t you share what you know about the theft with everyone?”
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