Chapter 10 Chapter 10 This isn't, it's called something like "Made in Heaven"...

Ah Cai almost burst into tears when he saw Uncle Zhang. Heaven knows what kind of terrifying days he had been living for the past month. Now that he heard that Uncle Zhang was going to take him home, he didn't even pack his bags and was about to leave.

The gatekeeper sneered, "The village doesn't need another servant like you, why would they detain you?" But he didn't stop him, thinking that since the master let him go, he must have a backup plan.

Ah Cai ignored his mockery and quickly pulled his father toward home.

After walking hurriedly for quite a while, seeing that no one was chasing him, Ah Cai's tense heart finally relaxed. He looked at Uncle Zhang, who was now covered in sweat and whom he was dragging along, with a look of utter despair, and cried out, "Father! Something terrible has happened! The Master is dead, and Young Master... Young Master has been missing for over a month, I'm afraid he's also..."

He choked on his words and didn't say the rest, but Uncle Zhang understood what he meant. His lips twitched, and he gave his silly son a hard flick on the forehead: "What nonsense are you talking about? Young master is a lucky man. Quick, spit it out!"

It's no wonder he was always worried about Ah Cai making mistakes; the child seemed to be born dim-witted, yet he possessed superhuman strength and was always getting into trouble. If it weren't for the young master's magnanimity in not holding it against him, he would probably have been kicked out of Hidden Sword Manor long ago.

Ah Cai was stunned by his father's sudden beating, but he knew he had said the wrong thing and dared not speak out.

Uncle Zhang glanced at him helplessly, but knew it wasn't safe to talk here. He simply patted the head where he had just hit him and said, "Let's talk about this when we get home."

Although Ah Cai was a bit dim-witted, he understood Uncle Zhang's concerns: Hidden Sword Manor had no shortage of martial arts masters, and just because he didn't see them didn't mean that no one was following them in the dark.

So, for the rest of the journey, the father and son focused solely on their travel, refusing to discuss the young master's affairs further. They only breathed a sigh of relief when they finally returned to their own courtyard.

Uncle Zhang first looked around, then tightly closed the courtyard gate before leading Ah Cai into the inner room.

Ah Cai didn't understand why his father was still so cautious even though he was already in their own yard. But when he saw who was sitting at the table, tears streamed down his face.

He rushed to the young master, instinctively wanting to pick him up and check on him. "Young Master! Where have you been all this time? I was so worried! I thought, I thought it was because of you..."

Uncle Zhang, who was standing by, twitched his lips. It seemed he hadn't hit the child hard enough; he wouldn't get any nice words out of the child. He decided to avoid the trouble and went to work in the yard.

The young master, his face full of black lines, stopped the servant who, despite looking like a strong man, was about to lift him up. Heaven knows how much face he had lost in front of his friends because of this when he was a child!

He kept telling himself that although this guy was simple-minded, he was at least loyal to him and couldn't be replaced. At the same time, he comforted him and asked him to tell him everything that had happened in the village since he left.

Ah Cai wiped away his tears and recalled the events of the past month: "After you left with that woman, young master, several of the servants and maids who served you were imprisoned by Steward Liu, sent by the Third Elder. He brought several matrons and interrogated us separately for several days." As he said this, he patted his muscular chest with a look of lingering fear: "Luckily, young master, you didn't tell me where you were going, otherwise what would I have done if I had accidentally let it slip?"

The young master sighed. It wasn't that he didn't want to tell him, but the situation was urgent, and he himself didn't know where he was going. So there was no need to tell him.

Ah Cai, with tears welling up in his eyes, continued, "Later, it seemed they couldn't get anything out of us, so Steward Liu released us all. He fed and cared for us well every day, and we didn't even have to do any work. We were just not allowed to leave Chunhe Garden. Young Master, what do you think they're after?"

Although he had been eating meat every day for the past month and hadn't had to work, he still felt very uneasy. In addition, his biggest backer, the young master, had gone missing, so Ah Cai was truly walking on thin ice.

The young master sneered upon hearing this: "What else could I be after? I just want to use you to lure this big fish into my trap."

Upon hearing this, Ah Cai was so shocked that his mouth gaped open wide enough to swallow an egg. He quickly pulled the young master and tried to lead him to the backyard, saying, "It's over, it's over! Those people must be chasing after me! Young master, you have to run!"

Fortunately, the young master had martial arts training and a solid foundation, otherwise he would have really been pulled down by Ah Cai.

He pressed down on Ah Cai's biceps, which were tense from nervousness. "Since I guessed it, I naturally made full preparations. Why are you in such a hurry?"

Just then, Hengbo, who had been missing since Uncle Zhang left in the afternoon, finally returned, but he was carrying a thin, sleazy-looking man in his hand.

The man was already bound hand and foot, with a rag stuffed in his mouth from who-knows-where. He was suddenly thrown to the ground, immediately attracting the attention of everyone in the room.

"Just as I thought." The young master kicked the person on the ground and then ordered Ah Cai to remove the rag.

After the rag was taken away, the man gagged several times. His eyes were full of fear as he looked at Hengbo. This young woman looked beautiful, but he didn't expect her to be so ruthless. Not only did the rag smell like alcohol, but being lifted up and jumped around by her was enough to make him feel uncomfortable.

The young master wouldn't give him a moment to catch his breath, and swung his sword an inch from his heart, "Speak, who sent you to track Ah Cai? What was your purpose?"

The man, though targeted for a vital point, showed no panic. A glint of light flashed in his eyes, and his expression immediately changed. Tears streamed down his face as he said, "Young Master, it's a misunderstanding. It's because you haven't been home that the Third Elder was worried that you might be tricked and killed by that dog of a servant, Ah Cai. That's why he sent me to follow you and keep an eye on you to ensure your safety."

The young master sneered repeatedly at his sophistry. Leaving aside who was truly trying to kill him, even if it really was Ah Cai, how stupid would he have to be to fall for his trick?

Ah Cai was also unhappy to hear this. He was extremely loyal to the young master, and moreover, he was the young master's personal guard and servant. What kind of person was this to call him a dog servant?

At the young master's prompting and for his own selfish reasons, Ah Cai stepped forward and stomped hard on his shin. A "crack" was heard, and the sound of the leg bone breaking came clearly through the fabric.

The crisp sound of bones cracking made the young master's lips twitch, and he inexplicably felt a pain in his calf. He had only asked Ah Cai to teach this person a lesson, but he didn't expect him to kick so hard. Oh well, let Ah Cai vent his anger.

Even Hengbo couldn't help but be surprised by Acai's strength. She had caught him herself, so she knew that his skills were not mediocre. And those with profound martial arts skills would not be bad in physical combat. This showed just how strong Acai was.

Having endured the excruciating pain of broken bones, the thin man on the ground couldn't help but groan. His expression was no longer as shrewd as before; his fear was mixed with a hint of hidden resentment.

Seeing this, the young master was even more disgusted and pressed the sword directly against his heart. "So, can you tell the truth now?"

“I’ll tell you everything,” the man on the ground said, his voice trembling slightly but still relatively calm. “I haven’t been lying before. It was indeed the Third Elder who sent me to find you, young master. However,” his expression suddenly became very strange, and his tone was filled with undisguised schadenfreude, “if you don’t go back soon, things will get bad for your uncle.”

The "uncle" mentioned by this person is the young master's maternal uncle, his mother's younger brother, Ruan Lin.

No wonder the Third Elder only sent this person; it turns out he had a backup plan, and he had to accept it no matter what.

The young master lost his mother at a young age, and his father was very cold to him. Only his uncle brought him a lot of love during his growth. Therefore, when he heard such news, the young master couldn't help but get emotional. The tip of the sword went deep into the rough cloth and drew out some blood.

The man only felt fear after seeing blood, and begged for mercy, "Young master, I was just a messenger, please have mercy on me."

The young master glanced at him impatiently, "There's more than just the Third Elder in the manor. How could he possibly harm my uncle?"

"Yes, it's because my uncle and the assassin who tried to kill you met in private, and since you were kidnapped by that assassin, the elders suspect that my uncle was behind the assassination..."

"What a vicious dog accusing others first!" The young master slammed his fist on the table, but he was helpless at the moment and could only vent his anger on the person on the ground. "Ah Cai, gag him and lock him in the cowshed."

"Yes, young master." Ah Cai simply lifted the man by the rope around his ankle, went outside, and easily tossed him into the cowshed, a distance of three or four zhang. The man landed headfirst, and just as he was feeling dizzy, a cow in the shed, startled, trampled him with its hoof, knocking him completely unconscious.

When Ah Cai returned to the room, he saw the young master standing by the table, deep in thought with a grim expression. Knowing that he wasn't very bright and would be of no use at this time, he simply stood silently by.

While waiting for the young master's instructions, his attention naturally fell on another person in the room, namely Hengbo.

Noticing that he kept glancing at her and then quickly looking away, Hengbo looked back at him with some confusion.

Realizing he'd been caught peeping, Ah Cai scratched his head sheepishly and greeted her shyly, "Cousin, I didn't know you were so strong!"

Hengbo: ? ? ? What cousin?

Hengbo assumed that they had given him a new identity when he went out, and although he was suspicious, he remained calm on the surface.

Unexpectedly, the young master seemed even more shocked than she was. He pointed at Ah Cai, then at Heng Bo: "What did you call her? When did she become your cousin?"

When asked this question, Ah Cai's shyness faded, leaving only confusion: "Didn't my dad say my cousin is here and he wants to find her for me...?" After saying that, he thought he was being discreet and glanced at Heng Bo, then quickly lowered his head, leaving only his bright red earlobes exposed.

Actually, he was unwilling when he first heard the news. After all, he thought the young master was going to die, and he was heartbroken and scared. He had no intention of getting married.

But now... the young master is safe and sound in his home, and his cousin has grown into a beautiful and capable woman with the same strength as him. Isn't this what they call a match made in heaven?

A note from the author:

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The author should update on Tuesdays and Thursdays next week.

Today's mini-drama:

Hengbo draws his sword: Tell me! Will you add this to your favorites or not?!

The little angel stubbornly refused: "No way!" (Stubborn.JPG)

Hengbo flicked his robe: "Then let me wish everyone a happy new year in advance."

Little Angel: Then let's accept it...

PS: Let me set a small goal first: if this story gets over 20 favorites, I'll add an extra 5000 words!