"No, no." His indenture was now in the hands of the cook, and his surname had been changed. He had no connection with the Xu family anymore.
"If there's no proof, how can we say they're from the same clan?"
"I was originally a servant of the Xu family, but was later sold to a caravan and my identity was transferred elsewhere, which is why I cannot prove myself."
"Since you're a servant, why are you calling her by her name?" Lou Yunchun practically stripped him of his gray skin. "Besides, since you've already joined a new clan, you have nothing to do with her anymore. It's taboo to secretly visit your former master now."
After saying this, he looked Ma Twelve up and down, "Could he be a runaway slave?"
Ma Twelve didn't expect the man in front of him to be so perceptive, and hurriedly explained: "I, I didn't run away, I just came to see her and then go back."
Lou Yunchun quickly dismissed the person, "She's not here, please come in."
Ma Twelve was irritated. Before he met Xu Jiang, he could have accepted his fate, thinking that he had become an ox and a horse in this life, destined to be driven by the cook. But he met Xu Jiang in the capital, which was a chance God gave him, allowing him to escape from the caravan and the cook.
He must seize this glimmer of hope, no matter how terrifying the man in front of him is.
Having made up his mind, Ma Twelve took a few steps back, avoiding Lou Yunchun, and shouted into the tavern, "Xu Jiang, I'm Xu Twelve. Please come out and see me."
Lou Yunchun never thought that he could be so cunning, and it was too late to stop him.
"Xu Jiang, I'm Xu Twelve, please come out and see me!"
"What are you shouting about?" Xu Jiang came out from the backyard and saw Ma Twelve being stopped outside the door. She glanced at Lou Yunchun and then said to Ma Twelve, "What do you want from me?"
Ma Twelve was speechless for a moment, and stammered, "I... came to see you."
Xu Jiang said coldly, "I see. Let's go."
"Actually... I have something else to ask you." Ma Twelve gritted his teeth and went all out. He knelt down in front of the door, kowtowed three times, and cried out in tears, "Xu Jiang, please save me!"
As he knelt and shouted, Xu Jiang knew his intention and continued to ask, "Save? How?"
"Please, for the sake of our old friendship, redeem me." Ma Twelve rolled up his sleeves, revealing the red and swollen whip marks on his arms, and cried, "I can't stay in the caravan anymore. That gang leader whips me every day and makes me sleep in the stable. If this continues, sooner or later he will beat me to death."
Xu Jiang glanced at his injuries and said indifferently, "You've asked the wrong person for help."
"No, I'm not asking the wrong person for help. You're the only one who can save me now." Ma Twelve slammed his head against the ground again, drawing blood from his forehead. "As long as you save me, I'll repay you even if I have to work like a slave for the rest of my life."
Lou Yunchun stared at Xu Jiang. Her eyes, which were always full of warmth, were now cold. He had never seen her like this before. She seemed a little strange and uneasy to him.
He looked at Ma Twelve and was about to step forward to drive him away, but Xu Jiang stepped out of the door before him and walked in front of Ma Twelve.
"I can save you." Ma Twelve's eyes lit up, and he was about to thank her, but then he heard her say, "But I don't want to save you."
Ma Twelve froze for a moment, then said anxiously, "We were once of the same clan. How can we stand by and watch our clan members perish in trouble?"
"It's funny coming from you. Not to mention that Xu Twelve was just a servant of the Xu family back then, even if he was a member of the Xu family, what relationship does he have with me, Xu Jiang? Have you forgotten? My master and I were removed from the Xu family tree long ago, and now I am a single householder, with no connection to the Xu family at all."
"Even though we're not of the same clan, I've served Fifth Master for so many years, and there's always some affection between us. Just for this old friendship and Fifth Master's sake, please save me and don't let me die in this stable."
Xu Jiang's voice suddenly turned cold. "You are not worthy of mentioning my master. If you hadn't betrayed him for fame and fortune, how could my master have ended up like that?"
Ma Twelve's face flashed with guilt, and he stammered, "I, I had no choice back then. They forced me, what could I do? And considering they were brothers from the same clan as Fifth Master, I never knew they would be so cruel."
Xu Jiang waved her hand. "I don't want to hear your excuses, nor do I want to bring up the past. I told you that day in the West Market that I don't want to see anyone associated with the Xu family, and I don't care whether you're dead or alive. I'm warning you, leave now, or I'll report you to the authorities and charge you with desertion."
After she finished speaking, she turned around and was about to go into the house, but Ma Twelve wouldn't let her go. He pounced on her and grabbed her skirt, "Xu Jiang, you can not want to see me, as long as you redeem me, I will never appear in front of you again in this life, I swear."
Lou Yunchun stepped forward, kicked his hand away, and pulled Xu Jiang aside.
"The oaths of those who break their promises cannot be trusted." Xu Jiang gave him a sarcastic smile. "Perhaps the situation you are in now is the result of breaking your oath."
Ma Twelve wanted to continue but heard a curse from afar.
"Ma Twelve, how dare you run away? I think you're risking your life!"
Ma Twelve shuddered at the sound and hurriedly stood up to run into the bookstore, but Lou Yunchun moved to block the door, preventing him from entering. He was like a mouse seeing a cat, his hands and feet were shaking. At this moment, he didn't care about anything else, so he grabbed Lou Yunchun and got behind him.
Lou Yunchun grabbed his collar and threw him out.
Xu Jiang looked in the direction of the sound and saw a burly man on horseback galloping towards them. He held a whip in his hand, seething with rage. As he reached the stall, before the horse even stopped, he whipped Ma Twelve, who had just gotten up, all over his face, causing him to scream in pain.
The commotion attracted the neighbors and passersby. Lou Yunchun saw this and stepped forward and shouted, "Stop."
When the man saw Lou Yunchun, he was not afraid at all. Instead, he yelled at him, "Where did you come from, you pretty boy? I'm disciplining a runaway slave. It's not your turn to interfere. Stay away."
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