Mysteries of the Great Zhou Dynasty

Chapter 156 Sixth Uncle
"Fresh fruits and vegetables..."

"Flatbread, flatbread, freshly baked flatbread..."

The market in Chanzhou was bustling with activity. Rong Wanyin and her companions, who had been traveling for several days, were also caught up in the lively atmosphere and felt relaxed.

"My lord, is this the last stop?" Rong Wanyin stuffed the pastry in her hand into her mouth in one bite, with some crumbs of pastry sticking to the corner of her mouth.

“Yes, once things are settled here, you can go to the capital to resume your post.” Yan Mingzhang took out a handkerchief and handed it to her, pointing to the corner of his mouth. Rong Wanyin understood and took the handkerchief to wipe her mouth.

Yan Mingzhang and his entourage will stay here for some time. After Yan Mingzhang finishes his official business in Chanzhou, he can then proceed to the capital. Chanzhou is very close to Tokyo; if they ride horses without resting, they can reach it in a day.

Changfeng and Moyun followed behind them, beaming with smiles, each carrying a different snack and eating as they walked. Moyun looked around and remarked, "It seems Chanzhou is well-governed! The people live in peace and prosperity!"

Before Mo Yun could finish speaking, a commotion arose not far ahead; a fight had broken out!

"Stop! You dare run?! We'll beat you to death!" Several burly men, each wielding a large stick, surrounded a middle-aged man and relentlessly pounded him with the sticks. One stick struck the old man's leg, and a "crack" was heard, indicating that the leg bone was broken. Blood seeped out, staining his trouser leg red. However, the thugs showed no sign of stopping; if they continued beating him like this, someone would die!

Yan Mingzhang's expression suddenly changed, and he turned around and called out, "Changfeng!"

Without needing to be spoken, Changfeng understood. He lightly touched the ground with his toes, leaped forward, parried the sticks with his sword, and with a flying kick, knocked the thugs to the ground.

“Heroes, no matter what this old man did, at least we can go to the authorities! It’s not right to beat him to death in the street like this!” Changfeng said politely, bowing.

The thugs were furious at being interrupted, but seeing that there were several of them and that Changfeng alone seemed difficult to deal with, they dared not make a move. They put away their weapons and stood there menacingly.

"Hmph, paying back debts is a matter of course!" The burly thug leader glared angrily. "This guy owes fifty taels of silver from gambling and has no money to pay it back. Breaking his leg is already merciful!"

Not far away, patrolling soldiers rushed over: "What are you doing? What are you doing? Fighting in the street? Arrest them all!"

"Let's go!" Seeing that the situation was not good, the thug leader did not linger and waved his hand to retreat.

"Let's go..." Yan Mingzhang saw that the man wouldn't die anytime soon, and since he was a gambler, he didn't really want to get involved.

Unexpectedly, the man on the ground, ignoring his leg injury, tightly grabbed Changfeng's trouser leg and stared at Changfeng's face. Upon hearing Yan Mingzhang's words, fearing they would leave, he grabbed Changfeng's leg and cried out, "Big brother! Big brother, please save me! I'm your sixth brother!"

Changfeng was puzzled, his brows furrowed slightly, and he felt displeased. This man was a gambler, and he hated people like that the most. He had already saved him, but now the man was clinging to him. Changfeng tried to pull his leg away, but the man was holding on very tightly.

The man quickly brushed the messy hair from his face, letting Changfeng see his face: "Big brother, look, it's me, Xiao Liu! It's me, Xiao Liu!" Changfeng stared at the face that resembled his own yet seemed familiar, and was lost in confusion. Who was this person? He felt like he had seen him somewhere before.

"Changfeng, what's wrong?" Moyun saw that Changfeng was in trouble and wanted to go forward to help.

"Changfeng?" The man seemed to be stunned for a moment. He looked at Moyun and muttered to himself. Then, as if suddenly coming to his senses, he stared at Changfeng and said, "You're Changfeng? Your surname is Zhang, right? You're my eldest brother's son, Changfeng? No wonder you look so much like my eldest brother! I thought it was my eldest brother who had returned..."

"You know my father?" Changfeng's heart skipped a beat, and his breath caught in his throat.

"You are Changfeng, you really are Changfeng... That's wonderful! I am your sixth uncle! Back then, our Zhang family was framed and almost wiped out, and you were young and sold off. Back then, your sixth uncle... I was powerless... I couldn't save you... But, thankfully, heaven has eyes, you are still alive, and our Zhang family has an heir!" The middle-aged man on the ground cried so hard he could hardly breathe, pounding his chest and beating his feet, and it didn't seem like he was faking it.

A hint of suspicion flashed in Changfeng's eyes as he looked at Yan Mingzhang. Yan Mingzhang had been observing for a long time, and he nodded to Changfeng, his meaning clear: this man was not lying.

"Changfeng, take him back to his residence first, then we can talk in detail..." Yan Mingzhang stared at the middle-aged man for a long time before speaking.

Although Changfeng was somewhat reluctant, he still went with Moyun to hire a car and took the man who called himself his sixth uncle back.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"Changfeng, you've grown so much... If your parents knew this in the afterlife, they would be so proud..." The middle-aged man lying on the bed said, wiping away tears as he held Changfeng's hand.

Changfeng sat on the edge of the bed, his face pale: "Sixth Uncle, how... how did you escape this time?"

Back then, the Zhang family was a renowned martial arts family in the Jianghu, skilled in using the knife. Changfeng's father's "Wind-Breaking Slash" defeated countless Jianghu figures who came to challenge him, which was a great honor.

But the Zhang family was framed and suddenly became traitors. All the men of age were executed, the women exiled, and children like Changfeng were sold into slavery. It's said that a descendant of the Zhang family testified in court that the Zhang clan indeed harbored treacherous intentions, thus making the case airtight. And now, Uncle Liu is alive and well before him. Could it be that the person who testified back then was…?

“Back then, I was seriously injured while on a mission and was recuperating in a manor outside the city. Who would have thought that the Zhang family would be in such trouble? I was lucky to escape this calamity… Later, I wanted to come back to find you, but I learned that you had all been sold off and your whereabouts were unknown. All these years, I have wandered here alone. It is truly a blessing from heaven that I was able to meet you…” Uncle Liu interrupted Changfeng’s speculation by crying as he spoke.

"Sixth Uncle, what exactly happened back then? Why..." Changfeng's eyes were red. He was too young back then and didn't quite understand what had happened. He didn't know why his family had suffered such a tragedy overnight.

"I don't know much about what happened back then. I only know that your father and your second uncle accepted a commission to assassinate a corrupt official. You know, these kinds of things happen all the time in the martial arts world. They're chivalrous, robbing the rich to help the poor. But when they came back, they were very secretive about it. It seems they got an item, and it was this item that caused our Zhang family to suffer this calamity." Uncle Liu sighed and patted Changfeng's hand.

"Object? What object?"