Chapter 18: Bing Wengu Goes Mad: Who Can Endure Being a 250-Year-Old Bachelor…

Chapter 18: Bing Wengu Loses His Mind. Who could endure being a bachelor for two hundred and fifty years...

The Nan family is in turmoil, and so is the Bing family.

While the Nan family is grieving, the Bing family is on the brink of a major conflict.

As soon as Bing Wengu returned home and mentioned his desire to marry Nan Jia Xiao Geer, everyone in the Bing family voiced their opposition.

The Bing parents were relatively calm, only worried about financial matters.

Liang Shi earnestly advised, "Da Lang, I understand your intentions. Nan Jia Xiao Geer saved... you want to marry him, I get it. But you also need to consider our family's situation. Our current financial situation isn't suitable for marriage. If you bring him home, what will he eat and drink? We can't have him living in poverty with us; that would be repaying kindness with hardship."

Bing's father squatted on the ground, silent, his face full of sorrow, hating his own incompetence for not being able to scrape together the money for his son's marriage.

Bing Erlang remained silent; he and his wife had always been like old oxen in the family—hardworking but unnoticed. They followed whatever the Bing couple or Bing Dalang said.

Bing Sanlang was dissatisfied but didn't speak up. In private, he believed that Bing Dalang had wasted a significant amount of money over the years. If it weren't for his insistence on studying without achieving anything, the family wouldn't be in such dire straits.

But marriage was something Bing Dalang would have to face sooner or later. Marrying a bride would require even more bride price. It might be better to marry Nan Jia Xiao Geer; given Nan Jinping's current reputation, perhaps the family wouldn't need to spend a single coin.

So, regarding Bing Wengu's marriage, Bing Sanlang was indifferent. What he strongly opposed was Bing Wengu continuing his education.

Qian Shi's thoughts were similar to her husband's. She didn't want her brother-in-law to continue studying, but more than that, she didn't want him to marry.

"Da Lang, it's not that our parents won't give you money for the marriage, but the family really doesn't have the funds right now. Just a few days ago, your niece fell ill. I wanted to save the few coins left to buy her some nourishing food, but mother scolded me and took them back. This is our family's situation. Where will the money for your marriage come from? And after marriage, there will be another mouth to feed. What then?"

Liang Shi glared fiercely at Qian Shi, "Your brother-in-law's marriage is not for you, Qian Shi, to decide."

Qian Shi muttered softly, "I don't want to interfere, but the family has to keep going, right? I'm not wrong. If Da Lang can solve the family's food problem, I have no objections."

Liang Shi scolded, "Shut up! It's only natural for a mother to arrange her son's marriage. I've never heard of a mother needing her daughter-in-law's approval. Get back inside!"

Liang Shi actually agreed with Qian Shi's point, but she couldn't admit it, mainly because Qian Shi tends to overstep.

Moreover, her eldest son's expression was too grim; she was almost afraid to advise him. Da Lang looked like he could jump up and hit someone at any moment.

Qian Shi, having been scolded, felt humiliated, snorted, and slammed the door curtain as she went inside, though she secretly pressed her ear against the window to listen to the argument outside.

Bing Wulang and Bing's younger sister were still too young to be involved in family matters, so they sat there silently listening.

In private, their thoughts aligned with Bing Sanlang's: rather than preventing Bing Wengu from marrying, it would be better to stop him from continuing his education.

Bing Silang, as if oblivious to Bing Wengu's murderous expression, jumped up and shouted, "No, I absolutely disagree!"

Liang Shi, noticing Bing Wengu's grim face, feared that Bing Silang might provoke him into a fight right then and there.

Liang Shi quickly reprimanded, "Da Lang's marriage is none of your business, except for us, the parents. None of you brothers have any say in this."

"Why not! Big brother has wasted so much family money on his studies. If he hadn't squandered so much, our family wouldn't be in such a dire situation today!"

Bing Silang wasn't afraid of Bing Wengu's dark expression. In his eyes, his elder brother was just a softie who only knew how to waste money; he could take on ten of him.

"If big brother hadn't wasted so much money, he could marry whoever he wanted, and I wouldn't have any right to interfere. But the premise is that he didn't waste so much money. Now that he's squandered all the family's money, and still wants to marry, isn't that too unfair?"

Bing Silang was thinking about his own marriage prospects. His family was already poor, and no one in the village wanted to marry him. If his elder brother married, and the family took on more debt, then Wang Wuniang's family would be even less likely to agree to a marriage with him.

Originally, his family's conditions were already mismatched with the Wang family. Wang Wuniang had hinted that her family looked down on the Bing family for being poor and having a scholar who didn't work and only wasted money.

Bing Silang's repeated questions struck a chord with the Bing family, and for a moment, the Bing couple fell silent.

Bing Silang, seeing the situation, became even more unrestrained, showing no respect for his older brother. He pointed a finger at Bing Wengu's forehead and said, "No, I'm telling you, Bing Wengu, I don't agree to this marriage. This marriage will absolutely not happen!"

Bing Wengu, who had become a general in his youth and had been in a position of authority for over two hundred years, was used to having his orders followed without question. If a soldier in his army dared to speak to him in such a manner, they would have been knocked out cold with a single kick before they could even finish their first word.

At first, Bing Wengu could suppress his anger and listen to Bing Silang's complaints. But when Bing Silang pointed at his nose and firmly opposed his marriage to Nan Jinping, he lost his temper.

This wasn't because Bing Wengu lacked self-control, but because his mental state had been unstable for two hundred and fifty years without any mental therapy, making him extremely irritable and unable to handle provocation.

And yet, these people still dared to oppose what mattered most to him. Even if Bing Wengu didn't have mental issues, a man who had been alone for two hundred and fifty years and finally had the chance to marry would not tolerate anyone standing in his way.

Believe it or not, this old bachelor could easily turn violent.

Not to mention that Bing Wengu's mental state was already unstable.

Bing Wengu's eyes turned red, and without a word, he grabbed Bing Silang by the collar, lifting him as easily as if he were a small chick.

Bing Silang didn't react at first, but when he did, he struggled in humiliation, thinking he could easily break free and even turn the tables on Bing Wengu, beating him to the ground and settling past grievances, making him submit.

But the reality was far from what he had imagined. Bing Silang found that he couldn't break free at all. Bing Wengu's hand was like an iron clamp, seemingly frail but with an incredibly strong grip.

Bing Silang was dragged to the water vat by Bing Wengu, utterly powerless to resist, and then Bing Wengu shoved his head into the water.

Bing Silang struggled, at first able to breathe, but soon he couldn't catch his breath, overcome by a suffocating feeling. His mother's sharp, piercing screams and the shocked cries of his brothers gradually faded away.

Liang Shi and Bing's father rushed forward to pull Bing Wengu away, but he sidestepped them. Liang Shi and Bing's father refused to give up and started hitting Bing Wengu.

Bing Wengu, still holding Bing Silang's head underwater with one hand, had nowhere to hide, so he simply stopped trying. He let Liang Shi and Bing's father hit him as hard as they wanted.

The harder they hit him, the more he pressed Bing Silang's head into the water.

When Bing's two brothers came to pull him away, they didn't receive the same treatment as Liang Shi and Bing's father. Bing Wengu kicked each of them, sending them flying. The two brothers lay on the ground for a long time, unable to get up.

Their chests hurt as if their ribs were broken inside.

Bing Silang's legs, sticking out of the water, struggled less and less. Liang Shi and Bing's father noticed this and stopped hitting Bing Wengu, trying to pry his hand off Bing Silang's head.

It was only then that the couple realized why their usually strong fourth son couldn't break free. Bing Wengu's strength was truly immense; even with all their might, they couldn't budge a single finger.

Liang Shi realized that if Bing Wengu didn't let go, they really couldn't save Bing Silang. She cried and pleaded, "Da Lang, Da Lang, your fourth brother was wrong. If you want to marry Nan Jinping, then marry him. I'll sell everything we have to make it happen."

Before his self-destruction, Bing Wengu's mental state had always been extremely unstable. The military doctor had diagnosed that if he didn't undergo mental therapy soon, there was no telling what he might do.

Indeed, the military doctor's diagnosis was correct. Bing Wengu later suddenly self-destructed.

Sentinels are inherently violent, especially those like Bing Wengu, who had been on the front lines for years, making him even more irritable.

Other things were manageable, and Bing Wengu could still suppress his violent tendencies. But anyone daring to oppose his marriage was something he truly couldn't tolerate.

Fortunately, when he was saved by Nan Jinping, they accidentally formed a mental connection, and Bing Wengu's mental state was soothed once, which greatly improved his condition.

Bing Wengu lost his mind for a brief moment but quickly regained his composure.

Later, he didn't let go of Bing Silang simply to scare him.

Bing Silang was a troublemaker in the Bing family, and Bing Wengu didn't want him to keep causing trouble every day. He needed to subdue him once and for all.

Of course, it was also a display of power to intimidate everyone.

The Bing family was now in disarray, with no one respecting Bing Wengu as the eldest brother. In fact, they secretly looked down on him, and Bing Wengu had no authority in the family.

To train the Bing family to be functional would require considerable effort and time. Bing Wengu didn’t have the patience for gentle, slow methods of training. Instead, he opted for a harsh approach—first scaring everyone into submission, then teaching them, which would save a lot of time.

This is a common tactic in the military, essential for achieving instant obedience and order in the shortest possible time.

This method also shows Bing Wengu's character, typical of a tough young general.

Seeing Liang Shi crying, tears streaming down her face, Bing Wengu felt that his goal had been sufficiently achieved and released Bing Silang.

Bing Silang had never felt death so close before. Just as he thought he was about to drown, Bing Wengu pulled his head out of the water.

Bing Silang gasped for fresh air, inhaling so forcefully that he began to cough.

He crumpled to the ground, gasping and coughing, a complete mess.