After My Engagement Was Broken, I Married My Fiancé's Uncle - Chapter 10

Zhao Lou’s expression immediately flickered with panic upon hearing Jiang Xingyuan’s words. He quickly advised, “You’d better not go. Aside from the fact that the Third Branch is quite far, you know Second Young Master has a violent temper and isn’t easy to get along with…”

Hearing this, Jiang Xingyuan’s brows furrowed. Did he look like he had a good temper?

Seeing Jiang Xingyuan’s displeased expression, Zhao Lou added hurriedly, “What happened between you and the Second Young Master this afternoon has already spread. We all know how formidable you are, but we’re mostly afraid the Second Young Master will seek revenge.”

Jiang Xingyuan thought about it and felt Zhao Lou had a point. He had acted on a whim earlier, mostly because he felt bored and out of place in the unfamiliar Xie household.

However, if Xie Chao wanted revenge…

A sinister grin suddenly appeared on his face. He currently held Xie Chao by the throat, metaphorically speaking; he wasn’t afraid of retaliation at all.

Watching the smile on Jiang Xingyuan’s face, Zhao Lou’s heart skipped a beat, wondering what schemes this Young Master Jiang was cooking up.

Noticing the trace of fear on Zhao Lou’s face, Jiang Xingyuan cleared his throat and forced a kind smile. Since Zhao Lou was now his personal butler, it was best to maintain a good relationship.

“Don’t be afraid, I’m actually a very nice person.”

Zhao Lou: “…”

He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. What kind of “nice person” goes around announcing they are one?

“You should get some rest. Don’t you have class tomorrow?”

Jiang Xingyuan was stunned. He blinked blankly at Zhao Lou, his brow furrowing. “What class?”

How come he didn’t know about this? Xie Rong’an had looked down on his poor talent and didn’t intend to take him as a disciple!

Seeing the confusion in Jiang Xingyuan’s eyes, Zhao Lou immediately explained, “Because you and the Second Young Master were disrespectful to the Buddha today, you have both been ordered to go to the Aranya early tomorrow morning to study Buddhist principles and transcribe scriptures.”

Jiang Xingyuan’s eyes widened. He thought he had gotten off scot free, but he hadn’t expected karma to strike so quickly.

Great!

And here he was thinking Xie Jiu was a good man, even considering how to “cling to his thigh” for support! He didn’t realize the man was just waiting for the right moment to settle the score.

A surge of anger rose in his chest!

Seeing Jiang Xingyuan’s shocked expression, Zhao Lou let out a soft sigh. “You’d better sleep early. To make it tomorrow morning, you must catch the early morning lessons at Aranya.”

“What happens if I don’t make it?” Jiang Xingyuan suddenly turned his head to look at Zhao Lou.

Zhao Lou lowered his eyes and shook his head. “I don’t know for sure, but no young master or lady has ever dared to disobey Ninth Lord’s rules, so…”

The consequences were likely more than they could bear.

Jiang Xingyuan took a deep breath. He no longer felt bored. He turned around and flopped onto the bed, resting his arms behind his head and crossing his legs. He asked calmly, “What time do I have to be there?”

“Six in the morning.”

That was basically dawn.

He closed his eyes and said, “Fine, I got it. You go get some rest too.”

“Alright then. Rest well, and call me if you need anything.”

Just as Zhao Lou was about to step out, Jiang Xingyuan called out to him: “Wait.”

Zhao Lou paused and waited, unsure of what else was needed. Soon, a clear voice rang out from inside the room.

“Go and find out for me… what kind of things Xie Jiu likes.”

Huh?

Zhao Lou froze for a few seconds, completely bewildered. Why was Young Master Jiang asking about Ninth Lord Xie’s preferences? Logically, shouldn’t he be asking about Third Young Master Xie?

However, the doubt only flashed through his mind for a moment before he replied, “Understood. I will look into it for you.”

“Remember to do it quietly. Don’t let others know.”

At this moment, Xie Junqing had his eyes closed, his face still somewhat pale.

Standing beside him was a man in his forties. Looking at Xie Junqing’s state, he was filled with anxiety. “Ninth Lord, please take your medicine quickly.”

Xie Junqing kept his eyes shut and raised a hand, saying unhurriedly, “Wait a little longer.”

There wasn’t a hint of pain in his voice.

About fifteen minutes later, fine beads of sweat covered Xie Junqing’s forehead. Only then did he open his bloodshot eyes.

“Quan shu, give me the medicine.”

The middle-aged man, Su Quan, hurriedly handed over the pills. Xie Junqing took them and swallowed them in one go. After taking the medicine, the soul-deep pain immediately eased significantly.

Looking at Xie Junqing’s pale face, Su Quan’s heart ached. “Why must you do this to yourself?”

A faint smile touched the corner of Xie Junqing’s mouth. He said nonchalantly, “No need for alarm. I just wanted to see how long I could endure.”

His ink-colored eyes, having been soaked in sweat, looked like a bottomless dark pool. One couldn’t help but feel a chill when looking into them.

Su Quan couldn’t help but feel a twinge of fear.

No one would expect that this refined, compassionate looking man was the “hidden blade” of the Xie family, handling the dirtiest and most secretive affairs. Even when the blade was sheathed, the murderous aura surrounding it was enough to strike fear into people’s hearts.

Su Quan couldn’t imagine what would happen if that sheath ever broke. The entire Xie family would likely descend into the depths of hell.

“The matter I asked you to handle earlier, is it done?” Xie Junqing asked calmly.

He looked down at the unfinished chess game before him, his sword like brows arching slightly as he invited the other to sit. “Quan shu, please sit. Let’s chat while we play.”

“Alright.”

After sitting down, Su Quan’s expression turned serious. “We found the assassins from last time. They have all been eliminated. The cleanup was thorough; no one will know.”

Xie Junqing picked up a black piece and placed it slowly. “You did well.”

“Also, regarding the person you were looking for, we have some leads.”

Xie Junqing’s hand paused mid-air.

“The blueprint has been confirmed to be the work of ‘Sun the Ghost-Hand’.”

“Sun the Ghost-Hand, real name Sun Youcai. He was famous for his extraordinary skill in crafting mechanical traps. He was arrogant in his youth and made many enemies. Ten years ago, rumor has it he offended someone and had a hand cut off. After that, he laid low and decided to wash his hands of the underworld, retiring to a small town called Huanglu… After that, there was no more news of him. It’s unknown if he is still alive.”

“Continue the secret investigation. If he’s alive, I want to see him, if he’s dead, I want to see the body.”

Although Su Quan didn’t know why Xie Junqing was looking for this Sun Youcai, he silently obeyed. “Yes, I understand.”

“If there’s nothing else, you may leave.”

As Su Quan bowed to leave, a servant walked in. “The newly arrived Young Master Jiang has sent someone to secretly inquire about your likes and dislikes.”

Xie Junqing was surprised. He paused for a moment before placing his black piece.

Instead of looking into his nephew’s preferences, the boy was looking into his?

How interesting…

A slow smile curved Xie Junqing’s lips. “Does he know he has to come to Aranya tomorrow?”

“He knows.”

He knew, and yet he still sent someone to investigate his preferences?

“In that case, tell him.”

He wanted to see what the boy was planning. Xie Junqing placed the final black piece and stood up to leave. The game was decided, he had won by a landslide.

Meanwhile, Jiang Xingyuan was tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep. This was the first time in his life he had experienced “bed sharing” discomfort, he just couldn’t get used to the room.

He lay there with his eyes wide open, staring at the elaborate vintage patterns on the bed canopy. He didn’t know how long it had been or how many sheep he had counted before he finally drifted off into a dream.

The next morning, Jiang Xingyuan was jolted awake by a frantic knocking at the door.

“Young Master Jiang, please wake up!” Zhao Lou’s urgent voice called from outside.

Jiang Xingyuan opened his eyes dizzily. What time was it? He let out a long yawn and stretched. This life of waking up early was truly not for humans!

He grumbled inwardly, dragging his exhausted body toward the door. Halfway there, a thought suddenly struck him. Why didn’t Zhao Lou just open the door and come in to wake him up?

That thought chased away most of his sleepiness. He rushed to open the door, asking in confusion, “What’s wrong? Is the door stuck?”

The next second, his hand on the door handle froze. The door really wouldn’t open.

“Someone put a lock on the door from the outside,” Zhao Lou said anxiously. “What should we do? It’ll take at least two hours for a locksmith to arrive. You’ll be late for your morning lessons!”

Through the thin crack of the traditional Chinese door, Jiang Xingyuan could see it: a massive iron lock hanging on the outside. It looked about the size of a brick.

He stared at the lock, his eyes narrowing. He was seething. He didn’t even have to guess who did this.

Who else but Xie Chao would do something so petty and wicked? Locking him in while he slept! Xie Chao had truly gone through a lot of trouble just to make his life difficult.