Inner Demons

Chapter 152: The Young Master's Secret

With the master and his two servants gone, the dozen or so house retainers standing in front of the tea house had nothing to do. Fortunately, there were still fruits and snacks inside. After waiting for half an hour as the sun grew fiercer, they all went inside, divided the snacks, and also shared the fruit from the half-melted ice bucket.

A newcomer who hadn't been at the Yu Manor for long didn't dare to reach out, saying that at his old master's house, he would have been beaten with a plank for this—stealing food behind the master's back, especially leftovers, was not a good thing.

The others laughed and told him that Young Master Yu was the most benevolent person—if he came back and saw all these fruits had spoiled in the room, he would be the one to get truly angry.

The dozen or so men ate in the tea house for a while, and the summer heat gradually subsided. But they had come out on this errand to protect their master. Now that the master had ditched them, they would surely be scolded if they returned early. So, they sat there and chatted.

But these young men didn't have much to talk about, and after a few sentences, the topic turned back to their own master.

The newcomer looked worried, glancing towards the northwest from time to time—as if he was very afraid that if something happened to the master, he would lose this newly acquired job.

One person saw through his thoughts and asked with a smile, "I couldn't tell you were so fair-skinned—the first time I saw you, I thought you had the face of a treacherous minister, but now it turns out you are truly loyal in protecting your master. Let me ask you, are you worried about our young master?"

The group burst into laughter.

The newcomer's face turned red. "I know the young master also knows how to use a sword and is the Dragon Head of the guild, but he is still the young master... That sword... sigh, it doesn't look like it's for fighting people."

Hearing his words, the group of men revealed meaningful smiles again. The red-faced man who had spoken to him before shook his head with a smile. "You kid, have you been listening to the rumors outside, saying that our young master is simple-minded, and that his position as the Escort Agency Guild's Dragon Head was arranged by the master to be a golden decoration—that he's actually a good-for-nothing?"The newcomer was shocked and quickly waved his hands. "Don't slander me out of thin air! I would never dare to say such a thing about my own master! How could you say that!"

Everyone seemed to find the newcomer's foolish and honest appearance extremely amusing and laughed again. Another person pointed at the red-faced man. "Xiao Duan, do you know why our Second Brother Wu here is called Second Brother Wu, even though he's the eldest son in his family?"

The newcomer stared with wide eyes and shook his head.

That person said, "Let me tell you. He's called Second Brother Wu because the Big Brother is our young master! Our Second Brother Wu's family has served in the Yu Manor for generations. When the young master was a child, he was his personal attendant. Only later did he go to the estate outside the city, and now he's back. He can say these things not just here, but even in front of the young master, and the young master wouldn't get angry."

Second Brother Wu smiled and waved his hand, seeming to enjoy the remark. Then he looked at Xiao Duan. "Brother, you came in a hurry, and we haven't had the time to explain the situation of our young master's residence to you in detail. Let's take this opportunity to tell you now. It will also save you from overthinking in the future."

By this point, the newcomer had stopped arguing and just nodded, afraid of missing anything.

Second Brother Wu cleared his throat, picked up a small golden tangerine beside him, and began to peel it slowly. As he peeled, he said, "Why didn't we chase after the young master when he ran off just now? It's because this isn't the first time. Years ago—four or five years ago, we had to follow him. But two or three years ago, we couldn't keep up anymore."

"You saw our young master's lightness skill just now. This is in the bustling city, so he didn't want to show his full ability. If he were running freely in the wild, even an ordinary horse couldn't catch him. If we had mounted our horses just now and ridden out of the city to find the young master's tracks... by then, he might have already finished his business and returned to the city."

The newcomer, Xiao Duan, thought for a moment, wanting to speak but hesitating.

Second Brother Wu looked at him, popped the tangerine into his mouth, chewed it until it was full of juice, wiped his mouth, and said, "As for the young master's sword, you were trying to say that the young master's martial arts practice is for fitness, different from the skills we use for fighting, right?"

He grinned. "Have you heard of Water-Parting Sword Lord Lu Jiao?"

Xiao Duan quickly replied, "I have! I've heard he's the greatest master of our time. When his sword light dances, not even splashed water can get through. He's been famous for decades!"

At this, the entire room of men laughed with a shared sense of pride. That Second Brother Wu also said proudly, "Listen carefully—that Water-Parting Sword Lord Lu Jiao is our young master's revered master! Master Lu once said that in his life, he has had countless disciples in name and three hundred personal disciples, but the one most likely to inherit his mantle—is our young master!"

"So, when our young master sits in the position of the Escort Agency Guild Dragon Head, you ask if it has anything to do with our Yu Manor's influence? Of course, it does. But on the other hand? Our young master is the Water-Parting Sword Lord's most prized disciple—in the Jianghu of this Great Qing Dynasty, who would dare not give face to the Water-Parting Sword?"

"As for those who say the young master is foolish and simple-minded, ha! If our young master were blindfolded and used only one hand—see if he couldn't cut their tongues out in a single move! Those people are the truly simple-minded ones!"

This inside information seemed to have left the newcomer Xiao Duan dumbfounded. He processed it in his mind for a good while before saying, "Ah... I really didn't know all this before..."

Seeing his expression, the others were reminded of their own past selves and found the young man both endearing and relatable.

But who would have thought this newcomer was also an over-thinker. After a while, he spoke again. "But just in terms of martial arts, our young master is indeed... impeccable. But if... oh dear. I don't mean to be nosy, but, as you brothers know, my family is poor. I finally got into the manor through connections and I'm really afraid of making some mistake and being sent away again. That's why I want to ask more, to avoid missteps in the future—what I mean is, our young master, hmm... why does the master hang on his every word? I heard the young master's mind..."

When the conversation turned to this, the people in the room stopped laughing.

But the silence wasn't due to anger or other negative emotions; it was more like a tacit consultation among themselves—whether to tell the newcomer another matter.

Finally, the gazes turned to Second Brother Wu. Second Brother Wu stared at Xiao Duan for a while, until the latter became flustered and fidgety, before saying, "It's not your fault for thinking that way. I'm probably the only one among us who knew about this from the beginning. But some of the older servants in the manor know it too. I heard it from my father."

"Old Master Wu used to be the master's personal guard," one person added as an explanation.

Second Brother Wu lowered his head and thought for a moment, then said to Xiao Duan, "We are all the young master's attendants, so you'll have to know these things sooner or later. Seeing that you're loyal and know the rules... I might as well tell you today."

After Second Brother Wu said this, the atmosphere in the room seemed to change—the sun was still shining outside, but the inside felt somewhat cool.

Xiao Duan held his breath and nodded cautiously.

Second Brother Wu then said, "It is said that our young master is an incarnation of a deity."

As these words were spoken, Xiao Duan's eyes widened. Second Brother Wu was very satisfied with his reaction and continued, "When our young master was just born, he was no different from an ordinary child. But after he learned to speak, strange things began to happen."

"That year—more than ten years ago—a big business deal of our manor went wrong. My father wasn't very clear on the details, but he knew it had something to do with the color of the fabrics for the palace in Jinghua. It was a calamity. The master was so anxious his hair turned much whiter. One day, he was sitting in the main hall worrying, when the mistress came over holding the young master, telling the master to look at him to ease his mood."

"The master held the young master in his arms—and suddenly heard the young master speak, saying, 'I know you've encountered a troubling matter. But this matter is no big deal; you just need to do such-and-such with those fabrics.'"

Xiao Duan was stunned.

"They say that's what the young master said at the time—not something a child could say!" Second Brother Wu said vividly, frowning as if he had witnessed it himself rather than just hearing it from his father. "The master was so startled at that moment, he almost dropped the young master on the floor. Luckily, the mistress caught him!"

"The master then asked, 'Who are you really? Are you some evil spirit that has possessed my son?'"

"The young master then said... he said—what he said exactly, my father was a bit far away at the time, and it's been a long time, so he doesn't remember it very clearly. But it was something along the lines of, he was originally a deity who, due to a kindness received from the master in a past life, was reborn as his son in this life to repay the debt. However, when this deity was reincarnated, there was some trouble with the Yama King, and he ended up drinking half a bowl of Meng Po's Soup of Oblivion, so his divine powers worked intermittently."

"When the family heard this, they were all flustered—who knew if it was really a deity or an evil spirit?"

"Because of this, the master even distanced himself from the mistress for over a year and didn't visit the young master often. But once, the method the young master had spoken of worked, and our manor passed that crisis. In the following years, there were a few more misfortunes, and it was said that it was always the deity in the young master who manifested his powers and told the master the solution."

"After several years of this, they knew it wasn't an evil spirit, but truly the reincarnation of a deity." Second Brother Wu's expression gradually changed from mysterious to cheerful. "So the master no longer distanced himself from the mistress and the young master, only saying it was the good fortune from his past life—and that in this life, he must do even more good deeds. That's how the Escort Agency Guild came to be later—isn't the master now using his money to support many small escort agencies that can't survive?"

Xiao Duan was already listening with his mouth agape, seemingly unable to imagine that such a miraculous thing could be real. After a moment of shock, he said, "So now, now... the young master, he..."

Second Brother Wu paused and sighed. "Sigh, speaking of which, I don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing. It's said that before the young master was ten, the deity often manifested its powers. But as he grew older, the powers appeared less and less frequently. Until one summer, the young master was being mischievous and jumped onto the roof to play during a rainy night... and was struck by lightning."

Xiao Duan let out a low gasp.

"Strangely enough, he wasn't hurt at all. He just fainted and fell from the roof, getting only a few scrapes." Second Brother Wu recalled as he spoke. "I was already by the young master's side then. It was because of this incident that I was sent to the estate outside the city. But it's said that after that, the deity never manifested its powers again."

"The old folks say that the Yama King went to the celestial court to file a complaint, so the Celestial Emperor learned that the deity was reincarnated in our family. He first allowed him ten years to repay his debt of gratitude, and then sent down the heavenly thunder to take the deity away. So when you look at the young master now—"

Second Brother Wu sighed. "They all say it's because the Celestial Emperor took away the Divine Lord, so the young master's soul was incomplete, which is why... hmm, he appears a bit simple-minded. Sigh, but the master is still good to the young master, and he takes what the young master says to heart—after all, he helped our manor through many difficulties before."

"But let's not talk about the past. Let's talk about the present—" Second Brother Wu stood up and clapped his hands. "Our young master has never done anything harmful to nature or reason, he's good to all of us, and his heart is even warmer—unlike those fools who gossip and do stupid things all day. I, Wu Wen, don't think they are any better than our young master!"

The crowd stood up with him and nodded in agreement. Xiao Duan blinked, seeming to strongly agree with Second Brother Wu's words—he now knew that after hearing them say all this today, he had truly integrated into this small group.

After talking for so long, the fruits and snacks were finished. The group tidied up, called the tea house owner back, gave him money, and prepared to head towards the city gate to wait for their young master.

Who would have known that just as they left this Little Hun Street, they would see—

Their young master, Miss Wusu, and Miss Lili, surrounded by a group of people.

It wasn't that they were in danger, but they had certainly run into trouble. The group of people surrounding their young master were familiar to these house retainers, and they all knew each other—they were the escorts and assistants from several escort agencies in Weicheng.

Those in their line of work all relied on physical strength and had some martial arts skills. Being in Weicheng, they naturally had a circle among themselves. So, although they weren't old relatives or neighbors, they were closer than mere acquaintances.

Right now, the escorts, assistants, and even some family members from three escort agencies had somehow caught Yu Meng, who had intended to go to White Heron Island, and were kneeling in a circle around him—right in the middle of the street.

Everyone knew their young master's temperament. He was not afraid of people using force or being aggressive, but he was helpless when faced with soft tactics. Although Wusu and Lili were not to be trifled with, with fifty or sixty people kneeling in a circle around them, they couldn't hit or scold them. They could only protect their young master, unsure of what to say amidst the clamor.

Second Brother Wu saw the situation and quickly led his men over—he only cared about his Young Master Yu, not about the old, weak, women, or children. He forcefully squeezed through the kneeling crowd, and with a dozen retainers armed with clubs surrounding Yu Meng, Second Brother Wu finally felt a little more at ease.

He swept his gaze over the crowd and cursed loudly, "You short-lived Old Sixth Liu, and you Wang the Pockmarked, Life-Chasing Ghost, are you tired of living or are your bones itching for a beating again? Open your dog eyes and see who you're surrounding! If a single hair on my young master's head is harmed, don't blame me, Wu Er, for turning my back on our friendship—get lost!"

But those people paid no heed to his words, only pleading aloud, "Dragon Head, save us! Dragon Head, save my family's lives!"

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