His smile grew increasingly arrogant and unrestrained.

From now on, everything could only be his!

He Yande tightened his grip, his soft sword aimed at He Yanxiu’s throat as he lay on the ground!

“Master!”

Shi Ding rushed to help, but was firmly held back by the guards around He Yande, and could only watch helplessly as He Yanxiu was plunged into danger.

Just as He Yande’s sword was about an inch away from He Yanxiu’s throat, He Yanxiu quickly blocked it with his own sword.

With a clang, sparks flew.

Even now, he still wanted to resist!

He Yande was about to stomp on He Yanxiu’s chest.

He Yanxiu turned and rolled away quickly from He Yande’s feet. He Yande stomped his foot on the ground, raising a cloud of dust, even making his leg numb.

How could this be?

He Yanxiu was already in this state, yet he could still dodge?

He Yande was filled with astonishment.

“You don’t actually think you can kill me like this, do you?”

He Yanxiu’s words were contemptuous, a mocking smile playing on his lips. Before he finished speaking, his longsword came towards He Yande’s chest with lightning speed.

Since you’re so heartless, don’t blame him for being ruthless in return!

He Yande was immediately terrified and hurriedly swung his sword to block.

He Yanxiu’s martial arts had been taught by the Lu family since childhood. It could be said that he had inherited the true teachings of several of his jiùjiu, and he had even received personal guidance from the Duke of Dingguo. He had always possessed exceptional attainments in swordsmanship, so even though he was injured at this moment, he still far surpassed He Yande.

After several exchanges, He Yande was forced back, his body bearing dozens of wounds of varying depths from He Yanxiu’s sword.

His injuries, combined with the prolonged fight, left He Yande unsteady on his feet. Leaning against a withered apricot tree in the courtyard, he hunched over, panting heavily, his eyes filled with hatred as he looked at He Yanxiu.

“Am I going to die here?

And die by He Yanxiu’s sword…”

He Yande suddenly paused.

Yes, die by He Yanxiu’s sword.

No matter what he had done, the law would punish him, not He Yanxiu himself.

Moreover, he was the eldest young master—He Yanxiu’s eldest tángxiōng, a close blood relative—and if he were to die by He Yanxiu’s sword, then He Yanxiu would inevitably gain the reputation of slaughtering his own kin.

This infamy would affect the entire He family and follow He Yanxiu for life.

No matter how prominent he became in the future, when others mentioned him, they would remember that he had personally killed his tángxiōng!

Since it had come to this, he might as well fight to the death!

He Yande chuckled, “You really want to kill me?”

Then I’ll grant your wish!

Almost with lightning speed, He Yande lunged at the long sword in He Yanxiu’s hand, hoping that the sword would pierce his body and kill him on the spot.

He Yanxiu had already realized He Yande’s intentions. His eyes lowered, and he dodged to the side.

He still didn’t dare!

A gleam immediately flashed through He Yande’s eyes. He hurriedly withdrew his force and, in almost an instant, swiftly changed direction, throwing two more thunder bombs onto the ground.

“Boom!”

Smoke billowed, turning everything into a white blur. He Yande’s fleeing figure could be vaguely seen leaping over the wall.

One of the two guards also fled quickly upon seeing this, while the other was subdued by Shi Ding and others.

Seeing this, Shi Ding hurriedly chased after He Yande and the guard.

“No need.” He Yanxiu sheathed his longsword.

“Master…”

Shi Ding was puzzled.

This was clearly the perfect opportunity to capture He Yande.

“He’s risking everything to frame me for murdering his own brother,” He Yanxiu said in a deep voice. “His men are probably all too tough to talk. If they take all the blame, even if I capture him now, he can still clear his name and might even turn around and accuse me of framing him. I’d be worse off.”

“This plan is mainly to warn him, to let him know I know everything, to warn him not to act rashly, and to cut off one of his arms so he’ll behave for a while.”

“There’s plenty of time in the future, and we can settle this score slowly.”

Besides, when all was said and done, he was the only descendant left behind by Dàbó’s branch of the family.

Dàbó and Dàbóniáng were both gentle people and shared an extremely close relationship with his father and mother. They had also treated him with great affection.

He especially remembered that because his mother was not skilled at needlework, many of the clothes and shoes he wore close to his body when he was young had been made by Dàbóniáng herself. And knowing that he loved calligraphy, paintings, horseback riding, and archery, Dàbó had always found ways to satisfy every one of his wishes.

Whenever he thought of his kind and loving Dàbó and Dàbóniáng, He Yanxiu found himself unable to harden his heart completely when facing the vicious He Yande.

He was, after all, a normal person and couldn’t disregard family ties.

This time, it could be considered the last bit of consideration he was repaying to Dàbó and Dàbóniáng…

The pain in his ribs and wrists gradually returned, and He Yanxiu couldn’t help but frown.

“I’ll go and fetch a doctor right away.” Shi Ding knew about He Yanxiu’s old injury, and seeing that He Yanxiu’s face was a little pale, he quickly supported him.

“It’s alright, let’s go back to the manor first. I know how to treat my injury. I just need to rest a little tonight.”

His injury had always been taken care of by Su Yujin, and this recurrence was better left to her to examine.

“How about we stay in Qinghe for a few more days tomorrow?”

He Yanxiu thought for a moment and said, “Go and prepare a few baskets of crabs.”

The autumn air was crisp and refreshing, and the crabs were plump and rich with roe—just the perfect season for eating crab. Paired with several other exquisite dishes and enjoyed in the small courtyard, the meal carried a wonderfully leisurely and carefree feeling.

Shi Ding, “…”

Why did he suddenly want crabs?

Was it to warn those people not to be as domineering as crabs, but to behave themselves?

After all, when eating crabs, you break off the legs, which also implies cutting off their limbs…

His master was always wise, and his actions were always meaningful, so this must be the case.

Shi Ding nodded involuntarily.

—

The next morning, the He family.

Breakfast was set out in the courtyard of Old Madam He. He Chengye, Madam Lu, and He Yanzhou arrived first, followed by He Yanxiu, and finally He Yande and Madam Fang.

“Good morning, elder brother.” He Yanxiu greeted He Yande with slightly narrowed eyes. “You don’t look too well, and your steps are a bit unsteady. Are you feeling unwell?”

“The weather isn’t very good after autumn. It’s so unpredictable, sometimes hot and sometimes cold. The cold wind can be like a knife, easily hurting your health. Elder brother, you should take good care of yourself.”

His words were clearly pointed.

He Yande felt a surge of annoyance, but in front of everyone in the He family, he didn’t dare to show it. He only forced a smile. “Thank you for your concern, second brother. It was just last night when I went out for drinks. A rat jumped out of the restaurant, startling me, and I accidentally bumped into something. It’s nothing serious.”

(End of Chapter)

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