Chapter 100 If the Faith is Strong
Yun Chen lowered his head and remained silent for a long, long time.
When I raised my head again, tears were streaming down my face.
"If I ever have a child of my own, I will never neglect her, never scold or beat her, and never lock her up in a dark room... I won't let her cry herself to sleep alone in the stable, I won't bully her mother, and I won't let anyone else bully her..."
Huo Gannian felt sad when he heard this. He had never thought that Yun Chen's family background, which he rarely mentioned, was so sad.
Looking at those tearful little deer eyes, he felt that this world was truly a capital crime.
It was as if the grievances and pain that had been suppressed for many years finally found an outlet.
Yun Chen couldn't hold it in any longer and burst into tears:
"I used to think that all fathers in the world were so cruel and so indifferent to their children. But the old man didn't treat you like that, and Brother Ye Yan didn't treat his daughter like that either. Now I know that this is how you should be.
I remember when I was little, Dad loved Mom and me very much. They often talked and laughed together. Mom shaved Dad, and Dad took Mom on horseback to see flowers... But later, Dad married a young girl, and from the day she came into the family, Mom never smiled again...
Mother said that one should only be committed to one person in a lifetime. If she couldn't, it meant she didn't love him, because the human heart is inseparable. But Father said that Mother had been poisoned by the sour words of those literati, and he never let me learn to read again. Later, Mother gave birth to a younger brother and two younger sisters... Father never held me again..."
The more she spoke, the sadder she became, and the more she cried, the more she cried. She couldn't help but throw herself into his arms and cry:
"Since I was five years old, Daddy... Daddy has never hugged me again... I no longer remember what it feels like to be hugged by Daddy... Young Master... Young Master... I've almost forgotten what my mother looks like...
Young Master, do you know that my mother is ill and dying, but my father is only thinking about marrying me off to the wealthy Lin family... My mother was so angry that she vomited a huge pool of blood and never woke up again...
My mother's body is barely cold, and my father is already eager to make me his legal wife. Even in the ancestral tomb, there are two empty seats, one on the left and one on the right, sitting on equal footing with my father... Did he want my mother to die watching him and another woman being affectionate... Young Master... I'm so sad... I also want a father like Brother Ye Yan, who loves me and my mother..."
She cried so hard that she almost fainted, and a red rash appeared on her forehead from sobbing.
He had never seen her cry so bitterly, and his clothes were almost soaked with her tears.
He hugged her, patting her back gently like a child until she gradually calmed down. Then he rested his chin on the top of her head and said in a nasal voice, gently but firmly:
"Chen'er, I will raise you again, with gold, silver, and jade, with flowers and incense—with a heart that will not give a single cent to anyone else, okay?"
It’s a pity that she didn’t hear the last two sentences.
She lay on his lap, tears on her face, and fell into a deep sleep.
Meanwhile, on the other side.
Yun Chen was not the only one who escaped the party under the pretext of sobering up.
A figure left Ye Yan's house and headed straight for a dilapidated temple in the suburbs.
The temple is desolate and the beams have collapsed.
The Buddha statue on the lotus seat has turned into a mottled grayish-white color due to erosion by wind and rain, but the Buddha's expression remains calm, as if he does not care about the decaying body of the clay sculpture.
"If your faith is strong, even if you think about it once every ten years, you will definitely be able to survive."
Xun Xun murmured the words engraved on the lotus seat and was stunned for a long time.
He was so focused that after working as a guard for so many years, he didn't even notice someone approaching quietly.
A strange laugh sounded next to his ear:
"Haha, it's an honor to meet Master Xun Xun——"
Xun Xun was awakened from his thoughts, instinctively took a step back, and at the same time drew out his sword with a "swish".
The man moved very quickly, holding down Xun Jian's hand and stopping him from drawing his sword, and said with a smile:
"Since you've agreed to meet, let's just talk. There's no need to do anything."
Xun Xun frowned and slowly put the knife back into the sheath, still staring at the other person with vigilance.
The visitor said, "When I said, 'It is an honor to meet you, sir,' I meant it."
Seeing that Xun Jian was silent, with a gloomy face and hostility all over his body, the visitor smiled sinisterly and said:
"The Yu Family and the Huo Clan have been fighting for supremacy in the Nan Kingdom's business world for a long time. They've been fighting back and forth for so many years, but there's still no outcome. A big reason for this is that the Huo Clan is too cohesive, with experts like Lord Xun Yan at their side. It's impossible for us to assassinate them, nor to sow discord.
Therefore, the Yu Family has a method specifically tailored to recruiting "Huo Gang Guards." If we can recruit a single "Huo Gang Guard" to serve the Yu Family, it would be worth a hundred gold coins, and a "Huo Gang Personal Guard" like Lord Xun Jian would be worth a thousand gold coins.
Xun Jian looked at the unfamiliar Yu family guard coldly, "Why are you telling me all this? I only want the 1,000 taels of gold you promised, not a cent less!"
The Yu family guard laughed and said:
"I have no other intention in saying this except to tell you, sir, that for so many years, the Yu family has never stopped trying to incite rebellion and corrupt the Huo Gang's guards, but unfortunately, they have never succeeded. And you, sir—are the first one."
Xun Xun's face turned pale in an instant, as if he was still standing but his spine had been broken.
As if afraid that Xun Xun would regret it if he spoke too harshly, the Yu Family guard had given it enough probing and quickly brought out a heavy box from the side, saying:
"Don't be angry, sir. Our Master Yu knows that the Huo Gang's personal guards are willing to surrender. He takes it very seriously and is willing to give these two hundred taels of gold as a deposit. Regardless of whether the plan succeeds or not, it is a token of Master Yu's appreciation. After the plan is completed, the one thousand taels of gold will be paid without a single cent."
After a long silence, Xun Jian spoke in a hoarse voice:
"What do you need me to do?"
The Yu family guard said:
"Please steal the 'Awakening Lion Seal'."
Xun Jian was stunned. "That is the most confidential item of the Huo Gang. It is the important mark of the Huo Gang in business. It is kept by the young master personally..."
"That's why we need your help, sir. After all, that seal is worth two hundred taels of gold!" The Yu family guard said as he patted the box full of gold.
After another moment of silence, Xun Xun finally picked up the box and walked out with heavy steps.
When he was about to reach the door, Xun Xun stopped and turned back.
"You said that the Yu family has always had a method of inciting rebellion tailored for the 'Huo Gang Guards', and there is a corresponding bounty?"
"That's right."
“How much are the others?”
The Yu Family guard reacted for a moment before realizing that Xun Yan was asking how much the others were worth, and said:
"Lord Bu Yan, Lord Hua Jue, and you, Lord Xun Jian, will be rewarded with one thousand taels of gold if you succeed in inciting rebellion. Lord Ye Yan will receive five thousand taels."
Xun Jian nodded, and then asked, "Where is Yun Chen?"
The Yu family guard smiled with an ambiguous tone and said:
"Ten thousand taels."
Without saying anything more, Xun Xuan took a last look at the grayish-white Buddha statue and strode away.
He didn't know if it was his illusion, but the Buddha statue, which was obviously neither sad nor happy, now looked at him with compassion and downcast eyes.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
