After snapping out of the daze he was in, The chunky hairless man began to pale as he realised that someone had seen them. Sl*ve trading was forbidden in all kingdoms in china. If one is caught selling or trading sl*ves then both the buyer and the seller would get killed or spend the rest of their time in prison. He couldn't go to prison, He wouldn't be able to survive in prison.
" Who are you? How dare you spy on me!! " The skinny, Unpleasant looking man yelled at Hua Shen, Bringin the chunky, bald man out of his daze again. His face was as white as a ghost, He already felt like this man was an idiot earlier but this just confirms it.
Is this noble seriously trying to get in trouble this badly?! First, he wanted to buy a sl*ave from me, now he's deliberately trying to use his status to get out of this dilemma.
Hua Shen steadied himself on his feet and cleared his throat. He straightened his robes and brushed back his messy hair. He calmly stared at the two men in front of him with cold eyes. The 2 men started shivering and sweating from the gaze he was giving them. However, the skinny noble man definitely wouldn't let this random human man suppress him with his gaze.
The skinny, Unpleasant looking man with a crooked nose, Bushy eyebrows, small lips, freckles all over his face, and buck teeth, quickly tried to appear like he was above Hua Shen. He straightened his back, lifted his head high, and looked at Hua Shen like he was looking at an ant. Of course, his gaze wasn't nearly as intimidating as Hua Shen's. In fact, it was kinda pathetic how unintimidating it was.
" Who are you? What are you doing, Spy on this Laozi? " The unpleasant-looking man used informal words and referred to himself arrogantly. He had a haughty look on his face as he smirked at Hua Shen. Hua Shen continued to stay silent as he tried to figure out who this person was. He squinted his eyes as he ran the man's appearance through his memories but He doesn't seem to have any recollection of this man but he did remember the other man. He was called Ai Pang, If he remembered correctly. Ai Pang was the owner of a small stall that sells meat buns and chicken soup. Hua Shen only remembers him because he got a free bowl of soup and 2 meat buns from the man's daughter while Ai Pang glared at him from his stall.
Hua Shen gathered his courage as he blankly stared at the 2 men. He breathed in and out a few times before opening his mouth. He had half prepared himself for this encounter but he still wasn't the best at interacting with people, He barely said 10 words to the city-folk. However the city-folk didn't mind as they were used to him and his response.
" Who are you again? " Was what he blurted out. He immediately shut his mouth and cursed the blunt attitude that he had since he was a kid. He knew that one day, His bluntness would get him killed. It Looked like today was the day he would die because of his attitude that his mother never bothered correcting.
The unpleasant-looking man turned red with anger and humiliation, He couldn't believe that there was someone that didn't know him!! " I'm Jian Queban!! My father is a GuoGong*!! Jian MengHe !! Show some respect for me, pheasant!! How dare you look straight at me !! Are you looking to die?! " The unpleasant-looking man yelled louder than before as he swung his arms about to dramatise things. His face was so red that Hua Shen thought that steam would be coming out of his ears soon.
Hua Shen was quiet for a bit as he tried to remember who Jian MengHe was but nothing came to mind. However, Since This Jian MengHe was a GuoGong, That meant that Jian QueBan had a high status as a GongZi* Hua Shen didn't want to argue with this person in fear of disturbing his peaceful life. He really tried hard to stay away from the Nobles and those above the rank of commoners.
" This one is very sorry for spying on GongZi. This one was simply walking around by the lake when This one heard some noises coming from over here and decided to check it out. This one saw GongZi inside and decided not to disturb him and tried to leave quietly but accidentally stepped on a branch. Please forgive this one for spying and disturbing Gongzi " Hua Shen formally apologised, lowering his torso and head so he was politely bowing to Jian QueBan.
Jian QueBan felt very smug after hearing howHua Shen apologised to him. He sneered widely and folded his arms in front of his chest.
" Fine, Fine. I'll forgive you but do not dare tell a single soul what you have seen tonight. If you do then I'll hunt you down and kill you myself " Jian QueBan made a slitting-the-throat gesture. However, It didn't intimidate Hua Shen at all. In fact, it sorta just looked like a beaver was threatening to kill a human that was 10x's its size. It was pitiable.
But, Hua Shen continued to play along with him and bowed his head, promising to never tell a single living soul about this for as long as he lived. Jian QueBan watched his bow and make a promise to him. He felt like he was on top of the world right now. Besides, He could feel that Hua Shen didn't have any Qi flowing within his body so he was just an average person who was weaker than him. If he really wanted then he could kill him right here and there.
Hua Shen excused himself, Which Jian QueBan let him go, But not without sneaking one last glance at the young boy whose hands were shackled with a chain being held by the old man. The young boy glanced up at him with a complicated gaze that Hua Shen ignored because he didn't want to get anymore involved In this then necessary.
He did feel it was a pity though that he was a sl*ve, Otherwise, he would bring the other person back with him and use it as a muse for his paintings. However, He could barely take care of himself. So how would he take care of a younger boy? He barely had any food in his house because he doesn't usually eat, which yes, it is very unhealthy to do so but Hua shen only cares about his paintings.
Guess it just wasn't meant to be . . . . . Maybe it's a good thing though. Seeing his red eyes every day might make me lose control and do something unforgivable. Hua Shen removed his gaze from the young boy and turned to leave.
However, Before he had even gotten 10 steps away from the place, A silver dagger came flying at the back of the head of Hua Shen. Thankfully He was half-prepared for a fight and had his guard half-up the entire time. He easily dodged the dagger that was thrown by the Old bald man. The dagger hit the ground and disintegrated the grass around it.
He turned to face the two of them, The bald old man had a look of utter anger and Jian QueBan was a bit surprised but nothing more. He still held a smug look on his freckled, Tan face. He didn't bother saying anything either as he felt that it was interesting and He didn't really care if the commoner died or not.
" Why did you throw that dagger at me?" Hua Shen inquired, tilting his head to the side, " I was leaving and promised not to tell a living soul anything about what happened here. Do you still need anything from me? " Hua Shen furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. He clearly was given permission to leave so why was Ai Pang attacking him.
" Do you think that I can just trust the words of a stranger? Do you think I'm a fool!? I must kill you so I can make sure that you don't tell anyone about this! " Ai Pang yelled as he pulled out another dagger that was similar to the one before. It was a silver dagger with a silver handle but the tip of the dagger was black. Ai pang got into a fighting stance and produced five more daggers, Ready to kill Hua Shen.
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Siheyuan = A siheyuan is a historical type of residence that was commonly found throughout China, most famously in Beijing and rural Shanxi. Throughout Chinese history, the siheyuan composition was the basic pattern used for residences, palaces, temples, monasteries, family businesses, and government offices.
GuoGong = Imperial duke; Awarded to generals or high ranking civil officers
GongZi = Duke's son; Eventually GongZi Became a generic honorific for all young male gentry.