Chapter 52: The Green Vegetables Are Ripe
In the kitchen, the man who heard the shouting deliberately swallowed the piece of meat in his mouth before putting down his bowl and chopsticks and stepping outside.
That brief moment was enough for Du Buru to clear his mind and assess his current situation.
He was now in the Su family courtyard.
The people who had bound him like this were either the ones who had knocked him out or the Su family themselves.
His hands and feet were immobilized; his only chance of survival was to poison them all.
The problem was, even if he managed to poison everyone, he still couldn’t escape.
Damn it, who the hell had tied him up like a four-horse carriage with twisted hooves?
He couldn’t even move a muscle!
Du Buru’s eyes darted around rapidly, then locked onto a familiar figure emerging from the kitchen. His eyes lit up.
“Quick, quick! Untie me, and I’ll make them regret this!” he urged.
The man known as Broken Blade didn’t move. His deep voice was flat and emotionless: “I promise to protect the Su family’s peace for three months.”
Meaning that during these three months, nothing disturbing would happen in this courtyard—and nothing must happen.
Du Buru’s hope shattered, and anger surged to his head. “After all these years of friendship, you treat me like this?!”
Broken Blade replied coldly, “Otherwise, you’d already be dead.”
The mad old man, who was about to curse, suddenly faltered, his eyes bulging as realization dawned on him.
He was quick to piece it together.
Moments ago he had been playing with a baby in the reeds by the Qing River. When he opened his eyes again, he was bound and thrown into the Su family courtyard.
No need to guess what had happened in between.
Damn it.
He had encountered that legendary expert!
Someone who could silently make him fall flat, whose skills were far beyond what he had imagined!
Du Buru’s forehead grew cold; it was Broken Blade who had intervened and saved his life.
“Ahem, I was just talking nonsense. Don’t worry, you can rest assured—I definitely won’t make a move or do anything, I promise! Just untie me first, okay?” He tried to force a smile, his last words exceedingly humble.
A true hero of the martial world knows when to bend and when to yield. Knowing when to bow is Du Buru’s survival strategy.
Losing face means nothing.
Losing one’s life is the real disaster.
Unfortunately, no one in the Su family moved.
Mrs. Huo seized the moment: “Old Du, the Su family folks are honest and simple. They must be too scared of you to dare untie you. How about this—if you help my husband with a medical diagnosis, I’ll untie you immediately. Deal?”
“No deal!”
---
“Add a top-grade seventy-year-old ginseng root?” Du Buru’s eyes flickered; he nodded without hesitation. “Deal!”
“Agreed. A gentleman’s word is his bond,” Mrs. Huo said as she immediately began untying him.
No one from the Su family objected, and Broken Blade remained silent.
Once the ropes were off, Du Buru flexed his numb hands and feet, lifted his eyelids, and let out a sinister chuckle. “Gentleman? I’ve never been a gentleman!”
Whether he acted as a gentleman or a villain depended entirely on his mood!
His stinky wife dared to take advantage of him, but he was in a foul temper.
A medical diagnosis? You can try dying first!
At that moment, Huo Ziheng, who had been standing quietly behind Mrs. Huo, suddenly spoke with a gentle smile: “I know Old Du has a fondness for collecting rare medicinal herbs. My wife not only has ginseng but also knows a certain master in the Su family. From what I understand, this master possesses countless top-tier herbs. The petals that the Su family’s little precious one plays with during the day were secretly given by him, so Old Du can’t find anything in the Su household, and the others there don’t know about it either. After my wife consults this master, if he’s willing, we might introduce Old Du to him.”
Du Buru’s gaze landed on Huo Ziheng’s refined and handsome smile, but he felt the smile hid some ill intent.
He opened and closed his mouth, a trace of confusion flickering in his eyes.
Why did he suddenly feel that everything in his life was going wrong? Why did everyone he met lately seem to have him wrapped around their fingers? Why did he keep getting beaten at everything?
Meanwhile, the Su family exchanged glances, their eyes reflecting similar bewilderment.
Did Mr. Huo really know the secret master who had been quietly helping them all along?
Why did it sound a little unbelievable?
Should they ask more questions?
Would it upset the master?
Even the little sweet treasure looked puzzled, tilting her head to look at Huo Ziheng: “Why are you lying?”
The refined gentleman happened to look her way, their eyes met, and he gave her a faint smile.
There was a certain clarity and knowing behind that smile.
Unfortunately, the little girl didn’t understand. She turned her head away and went back to playing by herself.
Given the threat of the “master” and the lure of the “herbs,” Du Buru left with the Huos after his inner conflict and self-persuasion.
Broken Blade, having finished his meal, also left briskly without lingering.
The Su family courtyard fell quiet once more.
Yet inside, the Su family remained uneasy.
Night had fallen, and the bright moon slowly rose.
Tu Bei Mountain was desolate, but the night sky was dreamlike and beautiful, stars and moonlight shimmering as if carrying a bright river.
Under the pure moonlight, the Su family gathered at the main hall’s entrance in a circle, squatting.
“Does Mr. Huo really know a master?”
---
“I’m skeptical. At least the petals our little treasure plays with aren’t from any master... Cough, although Mr. Huo talks nonsense, it’s good that mad old man is gone. My only fear is that he might come back for revenge.”
“Broken Blade seems to have a good relationship with him. Even for that reason, the old man shouldn’t be causing trouble for us again, right?”
“That old man’s no gentleman. Listen to his laugh—it’s full of cunning and malice. We can’t let our guard down. We have to stay vigilant.”
“What’s the use of being vigilant? We don’t even know how we got poisoned today. If he really wanted to strike, we’d be like fish on a chopping block.”
The family sighed in unison, staring at the moon.
So many troubles.
First, the Twelve Docks were coming to wreck their home.
Then Broken Blade wanted to join forces.
Then the mad old man came to demand herbs.
Not to mention, Broken Blade joining forces was also a headache for the whole family.
They ate meat every day!
They couldn’t explain where all the meat came from. Who could have an endless supply of meat for months? This was a place of exile—Tu Bei Mountain!
They were criminals sent into exile!
“Sigh,” they sighed together.
Little Sweet Treasure... she was already asleep.
To her, the family’s worries seemed a bit boring.
They had a “master” in the family. What couldn’t be solved by bringing out the master?
The master protected their safety, provided them with meat, and had plenty of rare herbs.
Wasn’t that just perfect?
Time quietly slipped by as the Su family lived in anxious suspense.
Broken Blade still showed up punctually for every meal, and from time to time the mad old man would appear, rummaging through cupboards, cursing.
Fortunately, nothing major happened aside from that.
In the blink of an eye, Little Sweet Treasure could crawl from one side of the house to the other, and the vegetables in the garden were ready to be cooked.
To the eyes of the farmers, a bountiful harvest always brought joy.
One day, the entire Su family gathered in the vegetable garden, smiling broadly as they looked at rows of lush green sprouts.
Little Sweet Treasure wasn’t missing this splendid sight either; she was held in her grandmother’s arms, staring blankly at the sea of green.
“I haven’t wasted my years of farming. Everything I tend grows well. The cabbages look like jade stones, the little bok choy smells fragrant, and look at those radishes—they’re already popping out of the ground. Ha ha ha!” Old Man Su walked back and forth along the ridges, hands behind his back, his face creased with a contented smile.