Chapter 105: Chapter 104: So What if I Hit You?
Wen Qingye led Zhang Xiaoyun, quickening his pace toward the old courtyard. The path was deserted, and they barely saw another soul.
Winding through several shadowed corridors and passing a lush bamboo forest, Wen Qingye finally reached the courtyard that resembled a forsaken palace. He walked straight inside.
Liu Clan was sitting under a tree, gazing at the sky. She let out a sigh and resumed the needlework in her hands.
"Mother!"
Suddenly, Liu Clan heard a familiar voice. Her hands trembled, and her eyes, looking toward the entrance, widened in shock.
"Qingye... Qingye is back." Liu Clan gazed at Wen Qingye, her voice trembling. She looked him up and down repeatedly, nodding nonstop. "Good, good. You’ve grown so much sturdier."
Looking at the woman before him, Wen Qingye’s heart swelled with emotion. He knew that because of his supposedly dull aptitude, he had suffered endless unfair treatment from Wen Xu growing up. But Liu Clan had never cared about that; she had always cherished and protected him.
Their bond as mother and son was genuine, thicker than water.
Liu Clan looked at Wen Qingye and said excitedly, "When I heard you got into Qig Mountain Academy... I just couldn’t believe it. Truly. You have a real future now. I never would have dreamed..."
It took a moment for Liu Clan to compose herself. She then turned to Zhang Xiaoyun, who immediately straightened up, her small fists clenched, her heart pounding with apprehension.
Wen Qingye nodded and said to Liu Clan, "Mother, this is Zhang Xiaoyun."
Zhang Xiaoyun took off her veil. She looked at Liu Clan nervously and said in a timid voice, "Mother!"
Liu Clan glanced at Zhang Xiaoyun, paying no mind to the scar on her face. She smiled, "Good, good. It’s wonderful that you’ve come home together."
When Zhang Xiaoyun saw that Liu Clan wasn’t focused on her appearance, she breathed a small sigh of relief.
The three of them sat under the tree, and Liu Clan eagerly drew Zhang Xiaoyun into conversation.
When she learned of Zhang Xiaoyun’s history, her heart ached for the girl. Although the scar marred her face, Zhang Xiaoyun’s gentle, sweet, and pitiable nature more than made up for it. In her heart, Liu Clan was very pleased with her.
Tempered by the trials of life, Liu Clan knew how difficult it was for a couple to build a life together.
Liu Clan then began chatting with Zhang Xiaoyun about everyday things, and naturally, stories from childhood came up.
Liu Clan smiled and said, "Let me tell you, Qingye was so mischievous when he was little. He absolutely adored Apricot Blossom Cakes. One time, the cook made a whole plate of them for everyone to have as a snack. Do you know what that little rascal did?"
Zhang Xiaoyun glanced at Wen Qingye, then quickly and curiously asked, "What did he do?"
Liu Clan shot a smiling glance at Wen Qingye. "That boy took a bite out of every single cake on the plate! Then he told everyone else that he had already sampled them, so in the end, the entire plate went to him."
Zhang Xiaoyun let out a giggle. She never imagined Wen Qingye had done such a thing and couldn’t stop laughing.
Wen Qingye stood to the side with a faint smile, listening to his mother tell stories about his childhood.
"Well, well, isn’t it lively in here today."
Suddenly, a sharp voice cut through the air from the entrance. Wen Qingye’s brow twitched as he looked over. A handsome middle-aged woman was entering with delicate, mincing steps, followed by a large, familiar crowd.
The woman was Wen Tongyu’s mother, Yao Clan. The people trailing behind her were mostly a gaggle of the Wen Family’s various aunts and busybody relatives.
Seeing Yao Clan enter, Wen Qingye’s mother, Liu Clan, couldn’t help but furrow her brow.
Yao Clan walked up to Wen Qingye, a beaming smile on her face. "Ah, Qingye, you’re back. Your father and your great-uncle, the Wen Family’s Great Elder Wen Gui, have important matters to attend to and couldn’t get away. But you could have come to see me, couldn’t you? I am your aunt, after all. I watched you grow up. This behavior of yours is hardly filial."
Wen Qingye replied coolly, "I was just planning to pay you a visit. It seems that won’t be necessary now."
Yao Clan glanced at Wen Qingye, a strange feeling in her heart. ’The old Wen Qingye would have been trembling in his boots trying to speak to me. One glare and he would have buried his head in his chest. How can he be so calm and composed now?’
Wen Qingye’s cousin, Wen Jie, couldn’t resist speaking up when he saw Zhang Xiaoyun. "This must be your wife, Qingye," he said, clicking his tongue. "Tsk, tsk. You really drew the short straw."
Hearing Wen Jie’s words, Zhang Xiaoyun flinched and lowered her head.
All the Wen Family members turned to stare at Zhang Xiaoyun, their eyes flashing with a mixture of emotions.
Wen Qingye’s second aunt chuckled from the sidelines. "Qingye, you somehow managed to test into Qig Mountain Academy. Even if you don’t make it into the Inner Courtyard next year, if you just settle down and cultivate for a few decades, you might even become a minor figure here in Phoenix City. When that time comes, don’t you forget about us, your Wen Family!"
The sarcasm was blatant. How could Wen Qingye possibly miss it?
Wen Qingye’s third aunt put on a look of feigned sympathy. "Alas, I heard the poor girl’s face has been like that since birth. Let’s just hope it isn’t passed down. What would you ever do if your children inherited it?"
Zhang Xiaoyun’s body began to tremble visibly. Liu Clan went to her side, placing a hand on her shoulder, and glared furiously at the crowd. "Have you all said enough?"
Wen Jie stepped forward. "Eldest Aunt, what are you saying? Our cousin just returned, we’re only here to see him..."
"Get out!"
Wen Qingye’s eyes were glacial as he stared at the Wen Family crowd.
The surrounding Wen Family members felt a bone-piercing chill, and they couldn’t help but shiver.
"Oh-ho, Wen Qingye," Wen Jie sneered. "Spent a few months at Qig Mountain Academy and now you think you’re hot stuff? I studied at Qianyuan Academy for three years! So what if I didn’t make it into the Inner Courtyard? You think a little punk like you has the right to be arrogant in front of me?"
THUD!
A loud impact echoed through the old courtyard. Wen Jie’s body was sent flying like a kite with its string cut.
"Wen Qingye, you—" Wen Jie never expected Wen Qingye to actually throw a punch. Before he could even react, a sharp pain erupted in his stomach.
Wen Qingye glared at the surrounding family members. "I’ll tell you one more time: get out. Or I’ll *make* you get out!"
’If Liu Clan and Zhang Xiaoyun weren’t here,’ Wen Qingye thought, ’I would have already drawn my sword.’ He felt not a shred of kinship for these people.
The expressions of the crowd changed instantly. They had heard the rumor that Wen Qingye had killed Zhang Chuan with a single sword strike during the academy assessment, but they had assumed it was an exaggeration. Looking at him now, it was clear that Wen Qingye had changed completely. His entire disposition was different.
The Wen Family members let out a few hollow laughs and took several steps back, but their eyes remained locked on Wen Qingye, their gazes hostile.
Seeing that the crowd was too cowed to speak, Yao Clan knew she could not remain silent. She roared, "Wen Qingye, you little bastard! You dare to rebel—"
SLAP!
A crisp smack echoed through the courtyard as Wen Qingye swept a backhand across her face.
Silence.
The courtyard was utterly silent.
Yao Clan clutched her face, staring at Wen Qingye in stunned disbelief.
The crowd was pin-drop silent.
Wen Qingye had actually struck Yao Clan. In the entire Wen Family, even Wen Xu had to show her some respect—partly because of the powerful Yao Family of Kaiyang County backing her, but mostly because of her son, Wen Tongyu.
Wen Tongyu was a comet streaking across the skies of the Celestial Martial Country. Who in the Wen Family didn’t try to curry favor with his mother? Yet now, Wen Qingye had slapped her without a shred of mercy.
Yao Clan’s face was twisted in a savage expression, her cheek already swelling. She ground her teeth. "Wen Qingye, you little bastard—"
SLAP!
Wen Qingye slapped her again, just as mercilessly. Yao Clan staggered, spitting out a mouthful of blood and a few broken teeth.
"I’ll say this one last time," Wen Qingye said, his eyes narrowing to slits as he scanned the crowd. "Get out... or die." A murderous intent began to spread, gripping their hearts in its cold grasp.
A palpable killing intent saturated the air, a chilling presence that pierced them to the bone, to the very depths of their souls.
The crowd froze, swallowing hard. Even the frenzied Yao Clan was brought up short. For some reason, they believed him. If they didn’t leave, Wen Qingye would actually kill them.
"Aunt, we should go."
"Right, right! Sister, let’s leave for now. We can settle this when Tongyu gets back."
"Just swallow your anger for now. For a true gentleman, ten years is not too long to wait for revenge."
"Let’s go, let’s go! Wen Qingye is insane!"
The Wen Family members quickly dragged Yao Clan toward the gate. Her eyes were still locked on Wen Qingye as she shrieked, "Wen Qingye, just you wait until my son, Tongyu, gets back! I will make you suffer the consequences for striking me! Even if you kneel and beg for mercy, I will never forgive you! I will humiliate you in a manner ten times crueler than what happened today!"
"Yes, yes, wait for Brother Tongyu to return!"
"When Tongyu gets back, he’ll skin this little—"
Suddenly, Wen Qingye took a single step forward. At the sight, the Wen Family members scrambled, dragging the still-shouting Yao Clan with them as they fled out the gate.
After they were gone, Liu Clan’s brow furrowed with worry. "Qingye..." she began.
Wen Qingye smiled. "Don’t worry, Mother. So what if it’s Wen Tongyu? Your son is second to none."
’Though he smiled on the outside, a chill rose in Wen Qingye’s heart. ’Members of the Wen Family,’ he thought, ’one day, I will make every single one of you regret this.’
And though Liu Clan saw his confident expression, she was still worried. She knew Yao Clan’s personality all too well—petty, and vengeful over the smallest slight.
Zhang Xiaoyun offered her own comfort from the side. "He’s right. My husband is very strong."
