The Splendor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 141 Master and Servant
Xiao Yi walked behind Shi Dechong.

For a while, Shi Dechong kept his eyes fixed intently on the back door of the Shi residence.

"What are you looking at?"

"what!"

The figure in front of me jumped up like a startled bird and fell to the ground.

"Xiao Yi? Is that you? Help me."

"I'm all alone here. You're in no danger from me."

Xiao Yi made no attempt to hide his ill intentions, but Shi Dechong completely failed to notice and grabbed his foot, pleading for help.

"Help me, someone is trying to kill me."

"Who?"

“I…I’m not quite sure either. They say it was Guo…the new emperor who sent people to kill me, but I suspect it was my second uncle.”

"Let's go find somewhere to talk."

Xiao Yi did not take Shi Dechong to the Li residence, but instead headed towards the Imperial Street.

Looking back, the figure in red had already entered the side gate of the Li residence. Then, Su Dexiang's carriage arrived, not waiting at the side gate, but following them.

Shi Dechong lowered his head nervously and said, "The assassins are coming."

"That wasn't an assassin."

"He followed me."

"He's following me."

Even after nightfall, many shops on the Imperial Street still had their lights on, creating a festive atmosphere reminiscent of the Lunar New Year, even though it wasn't the Lantern Festival.

Perhaps it was Guo Wei's benevolent behavior upon ascending the throne that quickly calmed the people's hearts, or perhaps the people of Kaifeng had become accustomed to the changing of emperors.

Xiao Yi grabbed Shi Dechong by the back of his collar, quickened his pace at the corner of Sweetwater Lane and Imperial Street, avoided the carriage, entered a small tavern, and asked for a private room.

"Brother Xiao Yi, can I... have some food?"

"Flatbread and roasted mutton, would you like that?"

"Yes, yes, thank you, Xiao Yi."

Shi Dechong was overjoyed and expressed his deepest gratitude.

Xiao Yi then asked him for another pot of wine, took out his bag, counted out thirty copper coins, and looked up to see Shi Dechong staring intently at the copper coins, like a dog eyeing a bone.

"Let's start from the beginning."

"After you saved me that day, I rode eastward until I fainted from the pain. When I woke up, I found myself in the den of river bandits. The bandit leader said he wanted to take me as his son-in-law. I... kept it from him for a while, until I couldn't hide it anymore and got a beating. They made me do hard labor in the river stronghold... Waaah... It's so hard..."

When Shi Dechong mentioned his days of hard labor, he wept bitterly, sobbing uncontrollably until the flatbread was served, at which point he managed to stop crying.

"It's so hard, even worse than being a dog. It's much harder than working at the Shi family mansion."

"and after?"

"Upon hearing that Guo Wei had captured Kaifeng, I guessed the situation had changed. I told the bandit leader that I could get a large sum of money if he released me. Although he didn't believe me, he still agreed to try and get a ransom. So I wrote a letter to my second uncle in Xingyang. Not long after, my second uncle sent someone over. As soon as I met him and called him 'Big Brother,' he was hacked to death. The bandit leader told me that my second uncle had offered him a large sum of money to buy my life. But the bandit leader was planning to do something even bigger and sent four men to take me back to the capital to seek great wealth."

"What about people?"

"When I arrived in Chenliu, I encountered a group of soldiers on the road. They were suddenly hacked to death and their travel expenses were taken. What a wicked world! I was lucky to escape and begged my way back to Kaifeng. The day before yesterday, I met my second uncle's steward outside the Shi family mansion. He told me not to make a sound, saying that Guo Wei wanted to kill me and that I should go with him. Halfway there, I got scared and ran away."

Xiao Yi praised, "As expected of Da Lang."

Now that the situation is clear, the next step is to consider how to utilize and control Shi Dehong.

Just then, he heard a conversation outside and gestured for Shi Deqin not to speak.

Soon, the door was pushed open, and Su Dexiang walked in with a serious expression.

"Young Master Xiao, let's get this straight today!"

"Huh? What did you say?"

Su Dexiang solemnly said, "Between you and me, one of us must give up Li Xiaoniangzi."

Xiao Yi immediately understood why Li Zhaoning was so annoyed by this person; he was like a stubborn leech.

Looking again, Shi Dechong didn't even look up, frantically stuffing flatbread and mutton into his mouth.

"Get out, or you'll choke to death."

“Let’s have a contest, not a contest of literary talent, for it would be dishonest for me to win. Let’s only see who truly cares for Lady Li and who can make her life better.”

"Silly bird."

"What did you say? How can you be so rude?"

Just as Xiao Yi was about to kick Su Dexiang out, he suddenly saw five thugs coming up the stairs. Judging from their figures, he couldn't help but think of what Shi Dechong had said: "The assassins are coming."

Su Dexiang stepped in front of him and said solemnly, "Miss Li is a celestial being. You, a mere martial artist, are not worthy of her."

Xiao Yi grabbed his collar and threw him behind him.

"Boom!"

The table was knocked over, and cups and saucers were smashed all over the floor.

"call--"

A boning knife came slashing towards his face.

Xiao Yi used a ghost step to instantly take half a step back. The thug opposite him was obviously stunned. He then followed up with a low sweeping kick, knocking the other man down.

Pull your leg back, then follow up with a high sweeping kick.

"Oh!"

The thick deerskin military boots were rock hard, and they kicked the front teeth off the second thug who pounced on them.

As soon as his foot touched the ground, the third thug came stabbing at him with a razor blade.

Taking advantage of the momentum, he bent his knees, instantly lowered his head, dodged the knife, used the Iron Mountain Lean, and simultaneously used both hands to deliver a Bajiquan punch that knocked the opponent over, pushing the enemy's body to block the fourth thug.

He sidestepped, dodging the razor blade thrown by the fourth thug, and then launched a flying knee strike.

"Click".

The knee struck the bridge of the nose hard, and the sound of teeth breaking against the bridge of the nose could be heard.

Xiao Yi landed, took a step back, and dissipated the force.

Previously, he had been wearing armor in battles, but tonight he was dressed lightly, and he was finally able to use all the fighting techniques he had learned from training.

Is this what you call third-rate?

Top-tier stunt double.

"what!"

At this moment, Su Dexiang and Shi Dechong finally managed to scream, one clinging tightly to the other, squeezing into a corner.

Xiao Yi picked up a boning knife from the ground and looked at the last thug.

"clang."

The other man's knife fell to the ground, and he knelt down, begging for mercy. The other four either groaned on the ground or got up, but dared not make another move.

"Hero, spare your life!"

"Who sent you to kill people?"

"They didn't ask who the employer was, but someone paid to kill him..."

Xiao Yi glanced at the portrait the thug had pulled out, and compared it to Shi Dechong, it really did look quite similar.

“Each of you should leave one finger as a sign of your sincerity in repenting and starting anew.”

"The Qu Society is not to be trifled with, I advise you... Ah!"

Seeing that one of them still dared to be arrogant, Xiao Yi took the razor blade and cut off half of the other person's arm.

Seeing that the other four men were so frightened that they each chopped off a finger, he picked up Shi Dechong and walked outside.

"Wait for me."

Su Dexiang's face was deathly pale. He followed closely behind them, even lifting his lower garment to avoid getting it stained with the blood on the ground.

After leaving the tavern, they hadn't gone far before they started chattering again.

“You do have some fighting prowess, but you don’t have my sincerity towards Lady Li. I will never give you up for that reason.” “Don’t follow me.”

Xiao Yi casually handed over the bloodstained knife.

Startled, Su Dexiang took the item and dropped it on the ground.

"You...you can't scare me. Where are you going? I have a carriage."

"No need, it's just a restaurant up ahead."

Xiao Yi paused, gesturing for Shi Dechong to pick up the boning knife.

Upon reaching the Linque Tower, Xiao Yi saw Su Dexiang still behind him, so he beckoned two soldiers to drag him away.

They carried Shi Dechong to a private room, where the generals of the Palace Guard were still drinking.

Zhang Mantun was seen drinking with Tang Jin, but he was losing in both verbal sparring and drinking capacity, and was even being scolded by Tang Jin.

"Hey, you silly donkey, your martial arts skills aren't great, and your alcohol tolerance is even worse."

"Dogman, burp, drink some more."

Xiao Yi thought to himself, "That's how fate works. If Shi Hongzhao becomes emperor, the emperor will be Zhang Mantun from the Imperial Guard. Let's see if these two can switch places."

Of course, life is long, and fortune is only temporary.

"Iron Fang, look who's here."

Zhang Mantun turned around, his drunkenness instantly dissipated, and he burst into tears.

"Dalang? Waaah!"

Li Chongju, his tiger-like eyes filled with tears, knelt on one knee and cried out, "Now that we see our eldest son saved, we dare not face Lord Shi even in the afterlife!"

Deeply moved, Zhang Yongde raised his wine cup and said generously, "The former subordinates of Shi Gong are all loyal and righteous. I toast you all!"

Xiao Yi didn't understand what they were so moved about, but they all praised him for his loyalty and righteousness.

They never praised him like this when he killed Murong Yanchao with his spear. Back then, they all scolded him for stealing credit, but now they say he's a hero.

Then Shi Dechong's eyes flickered, as if he felt that the Shi family still had a foundation.

Xiao Yi sneered inwardly and, taking advantage of everyone's drunkenness, recounted the assassination attempt on Shi Dechong.

"Which bastard said His Majesty sent assassins?!"

Tang Jin slammed his hand on the table and said, "His Majesty has a deep friendship with Shi Gong, everyone knows that. If you ask me, it must be Shi Fu who wants to seize the Shi family's wealth."

"You're so clever, you've hit the nail on the head. It must be the uncle who murdered his nephew for money."

"Let's go! Find Shi Fu and confront him face to face, and get this straight."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yi handed a jar of strong liquor to Shi Dechong, saying, "It's cold, warm yourself up."

"Xiao Yi, you've always been the best to me. Even a day as master and servant is a thousand days of kindness. No, I want to recognize you as my younger brother, is that alright?"

"Don't rush, let me take care of the family matters for you first."

Zhang Yongde was a meticulous person, and soon he sent someone to find Shi Fu's whereabouts, which was at the official post station in the city.

The generals of the Palace Guard personally stepped forward and quickly subdued the man.

Shi Fu's personality was the complete opposite of Shi Hongzhao's. He was a wealthy old man, timid and submissive, with only a shrewd glint occasionally flashing in his eyes that revealed him to be a treacherous person.

At first, Shi Fu denied it, taking advantage of Li Chongju's reluctance to torture him. He stepped forward and made Li Chongju cry in no time.

"You bastard, you murdered your nephew and seized his property, a crime of deceiving the emperor! You still want to implicate His Majesty in injustice? If you don't tell the truth, I'll slice you into a thousand pieces!"

"I'll talk, I'll talk! I didn't intend to deceive the emperor! I just felt... that Shi Dechong's cowardly existence was a disgrace to the clan and a shame to our ancestors, so I sent someone to kill him..."

"Ah! Go to hell!"

A figure flashed before Xiao Yi's eyes, and Shi Dechong had already pounced forward.

If he wanted to stop him, he could have, but instead of stopping him, he pretended not to have caught Shi Dechong and blocked Li Chongju.

I intended to go with the flow, but things have already progressed to the point where they were inevitable.

"puff."

The boning knife was plunged into Shi Fu's stomach.

"Die! Die! To live a life of cowardice? Do you know how much I've suffered!"

"puff."

"puff."

"Iron Fang, grab him."

Xiao Yi bent down to check and found that Shi Fu had already grabbed his upper arm.

"help me……"

Shi Fu's eyes were filled with pain, but his will to live had not yet faded. Looking at the wounds, although there were three cuts, they were all on his side abdomen, avoiding vital organs.

Shi Dechong looks impressive, but he disappoints time and time again.

Xiao Yi quickly glanced back to make sure no one was paying attention. He used one hand as if to make Shi Fu close his eyes, but actually covered his mouth. With his other hand, he held the boning knife and pushed it diagonally upwards, twisting it to draw blood.

In a moment, all life disappeared from Shi Fu's eyes.

"he died."

Xiao Yi stood up, took two steps back, walked to Zhang Yongde and Li Chongjin, and whispered, "We've gotten ourselves into trouble."

Li Chongjin said, "What's there to be afraid of?"

"Shi Fu was invited to the capital by my father-in-law. It doesn't matter if others kill him, but we can't."

At this moment, Zhang Yongde's attitude finally softened. He glanced at Shi Dechong beside him and gestured for Xiao Yi to come aside and talk to him.

“Ayi, the Palace Guard has just been established and cannot be given any leverage. We must draw a clear line between ourselves and Shi Dalang.”

Xiao Yi pondered for a while and then said, "I have no problem. To be honest, I have both a debt of gratitude and a debt of grudge against the Shi family. Now, the debt of gratitude and the debt of grudge have been settled."

“My father-in-law will definitely meet with Shi Dalang, and his words will be very important.”

“I will teach him.”

"Alright, I must give instructions to Li Chongju and Zhang Mantun."

"rest assured."

After they finished talking, Xiao Yi turned around and saw Shi Dechong staring blankly in his direction, clearly having anticipated something bad was going to happen.

He beckoned and said, "Come with me."

They found a secluded spot in the inn.

Shi Decheng was distraught and said, "Brother Xiao Yi, I..."

"Snapped!"

Xiao Yi raised his hand and slapped him across the face.

"Do you even know what the Imperial Guard is? They are the Emperor's personal guards, and they were only established today. How dare you incite them to avenge your personal grudges?"

"Brother Xiao Yi, let me explain..."

"Snapped!"

Another slap in the face with the backhand.

Shi Dechong didn't dare to dodge, so he obediently took the hit and shut up.

He seems to have been well-trained by the river pirates.

"What's the use of explaining to me? Tell the court officials where you place His Majesty, the historians, and yourself in your heart? Why did you dare to use His Majesty's sword to kill your own uncle?! Tell the Imperial Guards why you wanted to harm them?!"

After shouting loudly, Xiao Yi suddenly lowered his voice and asked softly.

"Could it be that your ambitions have not yet faded?"

"I can not!"

Shi Dechong was startled, knelt on the ground, hugged Xiao Yi's boots, and kowtowed heavily.

"Save me, please, save me one more time, Brother Yi, for the sake of our past relationship... no, for the sake of the future, for the sake of me being your slave, please save me again..."

(End of this chapter)