Chapter 35

Chapter 35

The Second Master had a deep impression of him.

First off, he really did stand out in looks compared to the other servants.

He was also pulled out of the slave camp by his second son, so it was hard to miss him.

Second, Gu Zhangyuan supposedly survived last time because of this guy's help.

The Second Master couldn't figure it out—how was this guy so skilled?

When he was targeted by his son and beaten by Gu Tinghe, why hadn't he shown what he could do?

Was it because the timing wasn't right?

Or was it something else?

Before the Second Master could think on it more, he heard the horse slave ask, "Do you want to spare your second uncle?"

The Second Master thought, what does he mean by that? Is he talking about what I think he's talking about?

With that thought, he instinctively hid behind one of the yamen runners.

Xie Licheng was asking Gu Zhangyuan. Gu Zhangyuan saw many bandits pouring into the courtyard. He scrambled behind Xie Licheng in fear, speaking in a cold, ruthless tone: "No."

The Eldest Master of the Gu Family wanted to say something, but recalling his second brother's recent actions, he just sighed and said nothing.

Xie Licheng saw that there really were a lot of people here. Knowing that in a fight, blades don't care who they hit, he crouched down so Gu Zhangyuan could climb onto his back.

Because his father and siblings were there.

Gu Zhangyuan felt a bit awkward, but since these were all officials and bandits,

he really had no way to defend himself, so he quickly climbed onto Xie Licheng's back.

Once he was on, Gu Zhangyuan said with red-rimmed eyes, "Can you protect my dad and sister too?"

He knew he was asking too much, but he really couldn't stand to see them get hurt.

Xie Licheng said, "I'll try."

If he really couldn't protect them, he wouldn't risk his own life.

After all, he was no saint.

With so many yamen runners and bandits here, even with his crazy skills, he couldn't protect everyone at once.

As for why he didn't just stuff them all into his portable world?

Xie Licheng could use his portable world to save people, but he didn't want to expose that secret just to save them.

There were too many people here—too many eyes. He couldn't be sure he could kill them all.

If the secret were exposed, a guy like him would become a target for everyone.

In times like these, carrying a treasure was a huge taboo.

In this world, besides the original male lead being a transmigrator, now there was also Xie Licheng as another one.

What if there were other transmigrators with their own golden fingers?

If his identity and secret were exposed, Xie Licheng would be at a disadvantage.

Seeing that Gu Zhangyuan had a tight grip, Xie Licheng quickly turned and took care of the Second Master first.

Gu Zhangyuan said no, so there was no reason to keep that guy alive.

He had tried to kill Gu Zhangyuan the first time and tried to hand him off the second. If not for Xie Licheng, Gu Zhangyuan would have died twice over.

Xie Licheng moved too fast—with his agility of 50 and practiced aim.

Before those around could react, a short blade was already stuck in the Second Master's head.

The Second Master didn't die right away. He reached up in disbelief and touched his head.

He had just moved behind a yamen runner, then noticed Xie Licheng wasn't coming for him right away and was instead worried about Gu Zhangyuan, so he couldn't help sticking half his head out.

In that instant, the horse slave—as if he had eyes in the back of his head—sent a knife flying straight at him.

The Second Master found a knife in his head and, whether from fright or something else, his eyes rolled back and he fell over stiffly.

The Gu family's turncoat servants, seeing this, were terrified and hid behind the yamen runners and bandits, looking like they were worried Xie Licheng would kill them too.

But Xie Licheng paid them no mind. With Gu Zhangyuan on his back, he held a blade in one hand and a short knife in the other, quickly taking down two bandits in front of him.

He glanced back at the Eldest Master of the Gu Family, then at little Gu Yangxue.

Gu Zhangyuan immediately understood and called out, "Father, sister, follow us!"

There were too many strangers around the Gu residence now, so Xie Licheng couldn't easily send them into his portable world.

He planned to get them out first, find a secluded spot, and then stash them in there.

Once he was rid of these burdens, Xie Licheng could move much more freely.

The Eldest Master was hurt and could barely walk.

Gu Yangxue was frail, and with having to take care of her father, she struggled to keep up.

Several times, Gu Yangxue almost got hit by the bandits.

Luckily, Xie Licheng was really skilled, always taking down anyone who got close to her at the last second.

The only one who could keep up was Gu Tinghe, since he knew a bit of martial arts.

But even though he could keep up, Xie Licheng wasn't too eager to save him.

When he saw Gu Tinghe almost get slashed by a bandit, Xie Licheng pretended he hadn't seen it. Gu Tinghe only escaped by the skin of his teeth.

It was then that Gu Tinghe realized Xie Licheng was playing favorites.

He wanted to curse at him, call him a lowly slave—he was his master, how dare he treat him like this?

But he wasn't totally stupid; he knew they needed Xie Licheng right now.

So even though he saw that Xie Licheng didn't want to help him, he still fought to keep up.

Gu Zhangyuan wanted Gu Tinghe to help their father and sister, but he saw that Gu Tinghe wasn't helping them at all—he even seemed to be trying to push their sister forward as a shield.

Gu Zhangyuan was beside himself with anxiety and hurriedly asked Xie Licheng to put him down.

It wasn't that Gu Zhangyuan was ungrateful, nor that he didn't understand how dangerous the situation was.

He knew all of it, and precisely because he knew, he was even less able to abandon his father and sister.

The Gu family had suffered such a great calamity, and chaos had erupted outside as well.

There wouldn't be many people left in the Gu family after this—his father and sister were his only remaining kin, and he truly couldn't bring himself to abandon them.

Once Gu Zhangyuan was set down, he grabbed his father with one hand and Gu Yangxue with the other.

With Gu Zhangyuan's help, Old Master Gu and Gu Yangxue were in a slightly better state.

Gu Zhangyuan was in good physical shape and had been through even more dangerous situations before, so his mentality was much stronger now.

He had great strength, and with Xie Licheng constantly watching over him, completely keeping those bandits at bay, they managed to escape from Old Master Gu's courtyard in a chaotic and disheveled manner.

But once they got out, they found that the outside was even more chaotic than the inside.

In that short span of time, other people had barged in from outside.

Xie Licheng couldn't tell who exactly was there, nor did he know what the current situation in Lingzhou was.

And then, at that moment, an explosion came from the outer courtyard.

It seemed that the main protagonist gong and his group had a hand in this as well.

Xie Licheng's eyes darkened slightly, and he led them, retreating while fighting, into a room.

To Xie Licheng's great surprise, Gu Tinghe had followed them in as well.

He had to admit, this person was remarkably tenacious.

For a moment, Xie Licheng wanted to throw him out.

But then he remembered that Gu Tinghe was a gē'er—if he threw him out now, those bandits outside would surely use the most vile means to humiliate him.

Xie Licheng truly despised him, but he wouldn't let his hatred turn Gu Tinghe into a plaything for those bandits.

Taking revenge on a gē'er he disliked shouldn't be done through such despicable methods.

A strong man like him wouldn't stoop to such tactics.

Besides, compared to Gu Tinghe, Xie Licheng hated those bandits even more.

Anything that would please those bandits, Xie Licheng would never let them have.

As for the grudge between him and Gu Tinghe, he would find plenty of ways to make him suffer later.

After Xie Licheng led them inside, a crowd quickly gathered outside.

Those people knew how formidable Xie Licheng was, and they probably didn't want to come in one by one to die.

So they discussed among themselves, then carried over a pile of firewood, planning to smoke them out.

Hearing the commotion outside, Gu Zhangyuan couldn't help but ask fearfully, "What do we do? It sounds like they've all surrounded us."

Xie Licheng smiled at his words and was just about to comfort him and tell him not to be afraid when he heard Gu Tinghe speak up inappropriately, "Yeah, hurry up and think of something! Otherwise, we're all going to be trapped here and die."

When Xie Licheng heard him speak, he looked over in his direction.

Knowing that they had a grudge between them, Gu Tinghe immediately hid behind Old Master Gu when he saw Xie Licheng suddenly turn his gaze toward him.

Gu Tinghe said, "Father, hurry up and make him think of a way! I heard the people outside saying they're going to set fire and burn us to death. I don't want to die—make him go out alone and kill all those people."

Old Master Gu was injured and looked quite unwell.

Hearing this, he quickly grabbed Gu Tinghe's hand, signaling him to stay quiet from then on.

Gu Tinghe secretly pouted, not understanding why his father was so afraid of that man.

Old Master Gu didn't say anything. From the steward and Gu Zhangyuan, he knew that Xie Licheng was formidable, and since he had brought them here, he must have some purpose.

Moreover, judging by his calm and composed expression, they probably weren't at a dead end yet.

Xie Licheng paid no attention to Gu Tinghe's words. He smiled again, looked at Gu Zhangyuan, and said, "I saved you once more."

Seeing that Xie Licheng didn't seem worried, Gu Zhangyuan gradually calmed down as well.

He knew a bit about Xie Licheng—this man had always been strong and steady, as if no matter what happened, he could handle it.

Because he knew how capable Xie Licheng was and knew that he would protect him, Gu Zhangyuan stopped panicking.

Gu Zhangyuan didn't know what Xie Licheng meant by that, so he quickly stood up and bowed to him.

"Thank you, sir, for saving me once again."

"I didn't say that to get your thanks."

"Then... then what do you want me to do?"

Xie Licheng joked, "With looks as beautiful as yours, it would be wonderful if you could be my husband."

He just wanted to lighten the mood and keep Gu Zhangyuan from being so afraid.

But once he actually said it, he couldn't help but regret it.

Because his words sounded, no matter how you looked at it, like he was taking advantage of the situation.

Just as Xie Licheng was about to say he was joking, he saw Gu Zhangyuan lower his long eyelashes and give him a gentle nod.

Xie Licheng: "...??"

Seeing his stunned expression, Gu Zhangyuan tucked a strand of loose hair behind his ear and said, "Alright, I can be your husband, but I have one condition."

Xie Licheng frowned, feeling like things were developing in a strange direction.

How did it feel like... he was taking advantage of someone's misfortune, robbing them in a crisis, imposing a treaty on Gu Zhangyuan, and coercing affection?

Xie Licheng really wanted to explain himself, but he was also genuinely curious about what condition Gu Zhangyuan would propose.

So he simply stayed silent, wanting to see what Gu Changyuan had to say.

Gu Changyuan lifted his chin slightly, speaking with a touch of aristocratic pride: "I am the eldest young master of the Gu family, and my status is extremely noble. If I marry you, you must present me with betrothal gifts. The betrothal gift I demand is that you save my father and sister."

Gu Tinghe, who had already been struggling to listen, couldn't hold back his anger at this.

"What about me? Aren't I your younger brother?!"

Gu Yangxue, fed up, slapped him across the face.

"Shut up, you!"

Gu Tinghe immediately jumped up, reaching out to hit Gu Yangxue.

"You bitch, how dare you hit me! I'll kill you!"

Before he could touch Gu Yangxue, he got slapped again.

This time, it was from the First Master of the Gu Family. Since his father hit him, Gu Tinghe didn't dare fight back.

Gu Tinghe said in a hurt voice, "Father, even eldest brother refuses to save me. I am your child too!"

The First Master said, "If you just speak less, you might actually survive."

Couldn't he see that Gu Changyuan was using his looks to try to save them all?

This foolish child—who on earth did he take after? Even at a time like this, he could still kick up a fuss.

Xie Licheng paid no attention to Gu Tinghe, who was spoiling the mood, and instead gazed intently at Gu Changyuan, saying, "Are you certain you want to be my husband? I am the type to take things seriously. Once you agree, don't regret it."

Gu Zhangyuan saw that he still hadn't agreed, and it seemed they had already started setting fires outside—he could smell the acrid smoke.

He was frantic and panicked, so he hurriedly leaned over to Xie Licheng and planted a quick kiss on his lips.

"I won't regret this. Just get us out of here, and I'll do anything you say from now on."

Xie Licheng, who had initially planned not to take advantage of the chaos, had his mind go completely blank at that moment.

A beauty like this was meant to be his wife.

If not his wife, then should he just let the main lead, Song Qiyue, have him?

No way. Gu Zhangyuan could only be his.

Gu Zhangyuan reached out and took Xie Licheng's hand, then lowered his voice and urged him in a soft, timid tone, "Just get us out of here first—they're setting the place on fire."

At that, Xie Licheng grabbed Gu Zhangyuan's wrist and yanked him hard into his arms.

He dipped his head and kissed Gu Zhangyuan hard on the lips.

Only then did he wrap an arm around him and say with a smile, "Alright then, hold onto them, and I'll get you all out."

Gu Zhangyuan didn't understand how he planned to take them away, but he instinctively obeyed and reached out to grab the others.

He took hold of Gu Yangxue and his father, completely forgetting about Gu Tinghe.

However, the First Master of the Gu Family was clever—while Gu Zhangyuan and Xie Licheng weren't paying attention, he quietly reached out and grabbed Gu Tinghe's hand.

Then, in the next instant, their vision blurred, and they found themselves transported to a different place.

Xie Licheng didn't go inside with them. Instead, after seeing them in, he immediately kicked the door open and rushed out of the room.

Outside, they were setting fires, and the flames were pretty big.

Xie Licheng charged through the fire, his clothes and hair catching flames.

He swiftly ripped off his burning shirt while knocking down a man who charged at him.

When he noticed that a chunk of his beloved hair had been burned off, Xie Licheng, annoyed, snapped another man's neck.

So annoying.

His hair, which he'd worked so hard to grow!

While Xie Licheng was raging about his hair, on the other side, Gu Yangxue held onto Gu Zhangyuan's arm, staring fearfully at the group of villagers gathering around them.

Gu Yangxue asked nervously, "Who... who are they? And where... where is this place?"

Gu Tinghe was a little scared too. He instinctively grabbed his father's hand and asked, "Where is this place? Where's that horse slave?"

The old master didn't have a clue either, so he could only look to Gu Zhangyuan for help.

Gu Zhangyuan didn't know where this place was either, but... thinking that Xie Licheng would never harm him, he still mustered his courage and raised his head to ask the villagers, "Who are you people? What place is this?"

A thin, petite girl stepped forward. "We are people saved by the Benefactor. We don't know where this place is either."

Gu Zhangyuan: "Benefactor? The one who saved you—is he a tall man?"

The little girl, Xiao Ruan, nodded immediately at that. "Yes, yes, yes. Since you're here, it must be the Benefactor who saved you too. By the way, is the Benefactor okay now? I'm a little worried about him."

Gu Zhangyuan: "He's fine. He..."

Without them weighing him down, those people shouldn't be able to give him any trouble.