Chapter 16 You're Great, Kid
Zhao Bing, with a menacing air and a clear objective, headed straight for the armory.
Xie Huaijin followed behind them, a cold smile on his face.
He stood in front of the locked door, straightening his sleeves. "Does Lord Zhao really want to go in?"
"Stop talking nonsense and get out of here." The thing was inside. Zhao Bing stared at the tightly closed door with excited madness, as if he could see a glittering mountain of gold through the door.
Zhao Bing and Minister Lin had reached an agreement: once the matter was settled, he would not only receive ten thousand taels of gold, but also be appointed as the Deputy Commissioner of the Grand Canal Transport—a very lucrative position indeed.
He fanatically thought that as long as he pushed open this door, he would have power and influence, money galore, and all the beautiful women in the Great Zhou Dynasty to choose from. He had his eye on them all, and Xie Mingyi, the second young lady of the Xie family, was just right. She was the most talented woman in the capital and a perfect match for him.
Zhao Yun tried to push Xie Huaijin hard, but couldn't budge him; the seemingly frail boy was surprisingly strong.
“It would be impolite not to reciprocate,” Xie Huaijin said slowly. “If you can’t find it here, let me check Lord Zhao’s courtyard, shall I?”
"There's no way you don't have it!" With money right in front of him, Zhao Bing panicked and blurted out his true feelings, but he didn't care. "If you don't have it, then we'll talk about it."
Xie Huaijin remained unmoved.
Zhao Bing was furious and roared, "If you don't have it here, I'll search anywhere!"
"Alright, Lord Zhao, you've got it." Xie Huaijin stepped aside.
The door was locked, and Zhao Bing couldn't open it. His men ran to find the key, but he couldn't wait any longer.
"What are you all good for! Useless!"
Zhao Bing took a step back, kicked open the door to the armory, and rushed inside.
He glanced at the large boxes in the corner, his eyes gleaming, and strolled over there, his tone smug, "Hey, let's see what Xie the brat has hidden here?"
Zhao Bing stared intently at Xie Huaijin, brimming with confidence, and casually opened a box.
"What else could be in the armory but arrows?" Xie Huaijin said, arms crossed, leaning against the doorframe.
Zhao Bing laughed heartily. He picked up an arrow at random. "It's an arrow, but it's..." He froze, staring at the arrow in his hand in disbelief.
“It’s an arrow from the Great Zhou. What, Lord Zhao, are you frightened by your own arrow?” Xie Huaijin walked over casually.
"Impossible!" Zhao Bing muttered.
He rummaged through the arrows in the box, looking at them one by one, but none of them were there.
He then opened the remaining large boxes one by one and roughly searched through them.
"Did you find what you were looking for, Lord Zhao?" Xie Huaijin asked with a smile, but his eyes were as cold as winter.
As if realizing something, Zhao Bing said awkwardly, "Ha, I'm afraid someone is deliberately framing you anonymously. I'll go back and investigate to clear your name right away."
How could something just disappear like that? It's really strange. Could it be that Minister Lin is playing a trick on him?
Zhao Bing was so angry he was panting heavily. If Minister Lin didn't give him an explanation, he'd put this old geezer in a sack and give him a good beating.
"Lord Zhao, are we not going to look at the other places?" Xie Huaijin reminded him.
Zhao Bing's eyes lit up, but his men, who had just been searching elsewhere, shook their heads at him.
Zhao Bing waved to signal the team to retreat, and just as he was about to leave, Xie Huaijin stopped him.
Xie Huaijin picked at his ear. "Lord Zhao said before that if he couldn't find anything here, he should shout something three times."
Zhao Bing, looking fierce, said, "Does this brat Xie really want to break ties with me?"
Xie Huaijin gently raised his slender right hand. "Please."
He wasn't afraid of offending anyone, since Zhao Bing would have plenty to cry about later anyway.
Zhao Bing said viciously, "You're dead."
Taking advantage of a moment when no one was paying attention, he quickly threw a punch, intending to attack Xie Huaijin.
"The one who dares to bully me hasn't even been born yet!"
Xie Huaijin grasped Zhao Bing's wrist, and with a deft twist, turned Zhao Bing's hand backward, his black brocade boots slamming heavily onto Zhao Bing's back.
"Ah!" Zhao Bing let out a shrill scream.
"Lord Zhao, will you talk or not? Hmm?" Xie Huaijin slowly increased the pressure on his hand.
Zhao Bing was in excruciating pain. This was the first time someone had dared to step on his back and he couldn't break free. He had lost face among his men and felt extremely humiliated.
Unable to win a fight, Zhao Bing had no choice but to reluctantly comply.
"I, Zhao Bing, am a treacherous, cunning, shameless, and utterly despicable lackey."
"Speak louder! Is this all you've got, Lord Zhao?" Xie Huaijin never hesitated to take action against anyone who tried to harm the Xie family. If it weren't for Mianmian, he would have fallen into the hands of thieves again.
Zhao Bing stared intently at Xie Huaijin with eyes as sharp as a venomous snake. Then, he closed his eyes and shouted twice.
"Is this alright?" Zhao Bing gritted his teeth in frustration.
“Not bad.” Xie Huaijin released him.
Zhao Bing got up in a sorry state, said nothing, and walked straight out, wishing he could tear Xie Huaijin apart and eat his flesh raw.
"Can I say you can leave now?"
"What else do you want to do?" Zhao Bing asked, his eyes red, as he squeezed out each word.
"It's my turn to search your courtyard." Xie Huaijin drew his sword from his waist, plucked a lock of Zhao Bing's hair, placed it on the blade, and with a gentle swift motion, severed the hair cleanly at the waist.
Zhao Bing: This kid is terrifyingly powerful.
He clutched his aching scalp and silently gave in.
Since we can't win a fight, we can only lose face like this.
"Let's go." Xie Huaijin waved his hand, and his Imperial Guards immediately stood up straight, and the group walked with high spirits toward the courtyard under Zhao Bing's jurisdiction.
Xie Mianmian and the other two were also there. Xie Mianmian looked excited, the Seventh Prince looked relaxed as if he was watching a good show, and Eunuch Li just had a bitter face.
Even the most stubborn Zhao Bing realized something was amiss. He and Minister Lin had been working together for so long that they were practically in the same boat. Why would Minister Lin set up such a scheme to play a trick on him?
Zhao Bing looked at Xie Huaijin, who had never been under his control from the beginning, and felt a chill run down his spine. He looked at his own guard academy not far away and had an ominous premonition.
"What's going on?" It was General Xiao's voice.
Xie Huaijin bowed to the visitor and told General Xiao the whole story.
General Xiao's brows furrowed more and more as he listened. He couldn't help but look at Xie Huaijin and secretly admire him. Zhao Bing's martial arts skills were quite remarkable. He had defeated many people with his ruthlessness. Xie Huaijin was a formidable young man.
He shook his head, admitting he was getting old.
"Aren't you afraid of offending Zhao Bing?"
Zhao Bing's official rank was two levels higher than Xie Huaijin's. Most people would just ignore such a misunderstanding, but Xie Huaijin wouldn't let it go. The young man will probably suffer a lot in the future.
Having finally found a promising talent, General Xiao didn't want him to perish.
Xie Huaijin shook his head. Zhao Bing had no way out, so he wasn't afraid.
General Xiao gazed at the boy's upright and resolute eyes, lost in thought, as if he saw his former self, who once hated evil, through those clear black and white eyes.
"Alright, go ahead." General Xiao waved his hand, thinking of it as a way of making a sacrifice for his younger, impetuous self.
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