Chapter 120 - 109: Illicit Affair
Xiahe County Town.
The premier great family, the Wei Family.
The Wei Family estate was located in the wealthy district in the eastern part of town, the entire residence spanning over thirty mu.
From the outside, it appeared grand and ancient, but the interior was filled with carved beams and painted rafters—an extravagant and luxurious sight.
A winding path led deep into the courtyard, which was planted with many exotic flowers and rare plants. Some were in vibrant bloom, while others were mere buds waiting to open.
At the end of the path was an elegant pavilion. Inside, a stone table held a tea set and a pot of steaming hot tea.
Beside the stone table in the pavilion sat a strapping young man with thick brows, large eyes, and a commanding presence. Standing beside him was a middle-aged woman.
Upon closer inspection, one would notice that the young man’s hand was resting on the woman’s full, plump buttocks.
This middle-aged woman was clearly well-maintained. Her skin was delicate and fair, her features exquisite. It was easy to see she must have been a peerless beauty in her youth.
Even now, approaching forty, she still possessed a mature charm.
At this moment, a sweet smile graced the woman’s face as she gazed tenderly at the handsome young man beside her.
An infatuated look was on the young man’s face as his hand ceaselessly caressed the woman’s rounded shoulders and pert bottom.
"In broad daylight, aren’t you afraid someone will see? If the master finds out, he’ll surely break your legs," the woman said, shooting him a coquettish glare. Her tone, however, was tinged with infatuation.
This young man was none other than Wei He, and the middle-aged woman was his father’s concubine—a woman he was supposed to call "auntie."
Wei He grinned and pulled the woman into his arms.
"What’s there to be afraid of? The old man went to the Prefecture City. Besides, I’m the legitimate son of the Wei Family’s main branch, the future Patriarch of the Wei Family. Even if I devoured you whole right here, no one would dare do a thing to me."
"And anyway, no one dares enter this courtyard without my permission."
Hearing this, the woman’s face flushed red. She gave Wei He a bashful push, but how could an ordinary woman have the strength to move a Martial Artist? Her push only made him hold her even tighter.
"Hehe, Auntie, I can’t hold back anymore. I’m going to execute you on the spot."
"Don’t! I’m already pregnant. You can’t be reckless."
The two of them tussled, the atmosphere on the verge of turning completely debauched.
Just then, a KNOCK sounded on the door.
"Young Master, it’s bad! Young Master, something bad has happened!"
The speaker was his personal servant, Wang Quan. He was a steady person; he certainly wouldn’t have disturbed him unless it was something extremely important.
Wei He immediately separated from the woman and hastily straightened his clothes. "You go inside first. Wash up and wait for me. I’ll be there shortly."
"Mm, go on. I’ll wait for you," the woman murmured, her pretty face slightly flushed, before entering the inner room.
A moment later, Wei He walked out of the courtyard and opened the gate.
"Speak. What happened?"
"Young Master, a message came from the Four Directions Gambling House. It says their shopkeeper, along with more than thirty men from the gambling house, have all been detained in Da Liushu Village by Fang Wuju."
Wang Quan relayed the message without omitting a single word.
Of course, the messenger hadn’t been very clear, so Wang Quan only knew the outcome, not the details of what had transpired.
He only knew that Shopkeeper Qi had set a trap to swindle Fang Wuju, then went to Da Liushu Village to collect the debt, and ended up being detained there.
"Da Liushu Village... Fang Yue? Isn’t he crippled? How could he possibly detain Shopkeeper Qi?"
Wei He frowned. He still had an impression of Fang Yue. He had once wanted to befriend the man, but Fang Yue had completely snubbed him.
This had made him resent Fang Yue, and he had thought to himself that if he ever got the chance, he would make the man understand the consequences of rejecting his goodwill.
But later, when Fang Yue was unexpectedly crippled, he had gloated over it for some time.
Gradually, he had put the man out of his mind.
’Now, how did this Fang Yue manage to detain the shopkeeper of his gambling house?’
"Send someone to investigate again. I need accurate information," Wei He ordered immediately.
"As you command, Young Master." Wang Quan accepted the order and departed at once.
As for Wei He, he turned back into the courtyard, closed the gate, and walked briskly inside.
Soon after, waves of lustful cries overwhelmed the chirping of the birds in the courtyard.
~~~~~~
In Da Liushu Village, within Fang Yue’s Family’s own Tea Garden.
Shopkeeper Qi was fitted with a cattle yoke. The pedantic Scholar held a whip, lashing Shopkeeper Qi from time to time as if driving a plowing ox.
Lash after lash rained down.
"You filthy scoundrel! Your heart is black to the core, eaten by dogs! You’re a true animal!"
The pedantic Scholar trembled as he whipped him, cursing under his breath all the while.
However, his eyes were filled with terror and anxiety about the future.
This was already his third day in Da Liushu Village.
On the first day, he had arrived in high spirits, thinking he would make a fortune following the shopkeeper.
But he never expected one accident after another.
The little lamb had turned into a ferocious tiger.
It had knocked them all down and detained them here.
And what were they being detained for? To plow the fields. It was euphemistically called "labor reform."
And so, they ended up in their current state.
Because his crimes were so heinous, Shopkeeper Qi became the plowing ox.
As for him, because he was injured and weak, he became the one driving the ox.
’What kind of mess is this?’
’If we ever get back to Xiahe County Town, Shopkeeper Qi will tear me apart alive.’
But right now, he didn’t dare disobey that Fang Wuju.
’If I don’t listen, there are plenty of others eager to take this whip.’
’Then I’ll be the one wearing the yoke and plowing this land.’
’In my current physical state, if I really had to do that, how could I possibly survive?’
Between his own life and the shopkeeper’s future revenge, the pedantic Scholar shamefully chose the former.
Of course, he wasn’t really sure. ’Perhaps Shopkeeper Qi won’t even live to see the future.’
"Zhi’Er, we’re making these people plow the fields... If the Government Office finds out, will there be...?" Father Fang asked worriedly, looking at the gambling house thugs in the field, and even their own Village Chief Chen.
Before, when these men had bullied him, he had been filled with resentment.
Now that they had met this fate, Father Fang was instead extremely worried.
"Dad, don’t worry. It’s a good thing I didn’t kill them. These men deliberately plotted to murder an imperial Martial Scholar. According to the law, the principal offender should be beheaded and the accomplices exiled. Just making them plow the fields here is getting off easy."
Fang Yue smiled faintly.
He hadn’t killed these men, nor had he sent them to the Government Office.
He knew that behind them stood the Wei Family, the most powerful family in Xiahe County Town. If he sent the men to the Government Office, they would probably be released very quickly.
But if he killed them, with no one left to testify, it would be easy for someone to turn the tables and frame him instead, which would also be bad.
So, he decided to simply detain them.
He would see how the Wei Family reacted. After all, he wasn’t alone; he had a family to think about.
He could act on his grudges and seek satisfying revenge, but he couldn’t afford to be reckless and ignore his family’s safety.