Chapter 103: The Provocation Tactic

Chen Qun's family experienced a night like a violent storm; his usually honest and simple father, Chen Li, actually drew his knife against his mother and declared he would make that shameless woman spill blood three feet today.

This scared Chen Qun half to death; he hurriedly intervened, using all his tricks to mediate.

But…

It didn't succeed.

Instead, he was beaten up by his parents joining forces.

After that, the matter just passed like that.

Father put away his knife, mother stayed silent, and stopped spouting her fallacious theories.

Chen Qun was surprised to find that, in the end, it seemed only he had been injured, and seriously.

This left Chen Qun utterly speechless; he really couldn't figure out where the problem lay.

At this moment, Chen Wuji was also somewhat speechless.

He forced Chen Li to take the fish he had brought back home to improve the family's meals, but now Shen Youwei had brought him back, and upon entering she wondered aloud how wild grass carp could be growing on the courtyard wall.

Chen Li gave a good verbal promise, but secretly kept the fish.

Left with no choice, Chen Wuji gave those few fish to the three women and the two half-grown boys in the household to improve a meal.

Once a household of just two, the old small square table at home can no longer seat everyone.

After dinner, Chen Wuji took advantage of a little free time to thoroughly polish the new kitchen stove again, then continued to sleep alone guarding the large kang.

Huo Sanniang still refused to share a kang with him, citing that his injury had not fully healed.

Having just grown accustomed to sharing a large blanket, Chen Wuji found this sudden emptiness very hard to adapt to; but he had to adapt, and there was nothing he could do about her.

The next morning, when he got up, the sky was slightly overcast.

He had thought it would rain, but it was just a gust of wind, and the sky soon cleared.

Chen Wuji greeted Huo Sanniang, then brought Yuan Jinshi into the city.

He needed to deal with the bear cub he had picked up the day before, and also go see Qin Zhanhong.

The Zhang family affair hung over him like a sword; even a slight thought of it made him extremely uneasy.

When ordinary people clash with such a great clan, even if they die, they do so silently and without a trace.

Apart from the village blowing its horns and discussing it for a while, it would absolutely not stir up any other waves.

Chen Wuji and Huo Sanniang walked under the blazing sun to Sanlipu; upon arriving at that grand manor, Chen Wuji told Yuan Jinshi to wait outside, then he stepped forward and knocked on the ring.

Moments later, a man with a resolute expression opened the door.

Chen Wuji had never seen this man before.

"Excuse me, let me report: I wish to see Lord Qin." Chen Wuji said politely, clasping his hands.

"Who are you?" the man asked warily, sizing up Chen Wuji.

"Chen Wuji."

"How do you know Lord Qin?" the man asked suspiciously.

"We have met once!" Chen Wuji said.

To be precise, it should be a very deep acquaintance—deep enough to draw blood.

"Wait a moment." The man opened the door, turned, and went into the courtyard.

After less than the time it takes to finish a cup of tea, he came out again, his attitude somewhat gentler, and said with clasped hands: "Lord Qin is waiting for you in the study; you may go in yourself."

"Thank you."

Chen Wuji entered the courtyard and, guided by the man, found Qin Zhanhong's study.

The study door stood open; Chen Wuji glanced and walked straight in.

The spacious study was bright and filled with a faint sandalwood scent; Qin Zhanhong was not reading or doing paperwork, but lay lazily on a soft couch doing needlework.

The hands that usually gripped a knife, when doing needlework, were surprisingly adept, threading the needle with ease and grace, bearing a hint of the aura of Bridal Chamber Bubai.

"It hasn't even been seven days, and you're already impatient?" Qin Zhanhong asked, a touch of teasing in her eyes.

"I've been injured, and to avoid delaying your affairs, I thought I should tell you." Chen Wuji said, "This injury is fairly serious; I've rested four or five days, and only today can I barely get up."

"I see, it's fine, no delay." Qin Zhanhong said lightly, "Come back in a few days; as long as some parts aren't injured, it doesn't matter."

"Don't think about playing tricks on me; if you dare to stand me up, once I drag you back, that'll be another matter entirely—you might well suffer some physical punishment."

Chen Wuji was speechless.

He had thought this woman would at least ask why he was injured.

What a fine fellow—she's purely using him.

This woman is absolutely addicted to such things at her core.

That day on the mountain, his jab probably triggered some mechanism inside her body.

"I know, I won't stand you up; I'm just letting you know." Chen Wuji said dejectedly.

"Mm." Qin Zhanhong replied lightly, then continued burying herself in her needlework.

After a moment, she casually asked, "Why were you injured?"

"It's nothing to do with you; I'd rather not say." Chen Wuji said.

Qin Zhanhong raised her brows, "I'm not trying to manage your affairs; I'm just reminding you not to die. If you die, I'll cause trouble for your family until the anger in my heart is gone."

"At least not for now." Chen Wuji said, "But I'm not as unreasonable as you; I'm not speaking merely to avoid dragging you into trouble, not because I'm deliberately withholding the truth."

Chen Wuji's words shocked Qin Zhanhong; she laughed in disbelief and asked, "You? Worried about getting me into trouble? Do you know who I am?"

"I know." Chen Wuji said calmly, "Precisely because I know your status, I feel this would be a trouble for you; I advise you not to be curious, and best to temporarily give up seeking trouble from me. If I were to come here often, that trouble would follow me."

"You've successfully caught my attention; tell me, I'm now very curious about this so-called trouble of yours!" Qin Zhanhong's alluring body leaned forward slightly, even tossing her needlework aside.

Chen Wuji shook his head, "You didn't kill me, I remember your kindness, but you still shouldn't ask about this. Even though your status is high, not every trouble can be easily resolved."

"Hurry up and say it—what are your mother and father doing?" Qin Zhanhong flared up, "If you keep blabbering, I'll make you feel the power of Heavenly Gui as well."

This threat did not intimidate Chen Wuji in the slightest.

It's already the fifth or sixth day; normally there's nothing much left.

If Qin Zhanhong does this now, it will only make Chen Wuji feel more stimulated.

However, the timing now seems about right.

Chen Wuji said with a troubled expression: "I previously killed several Bandit Refugees who had massacred a village in the Zhao clan's settlement; they took notice of me, those Bandit Refugees sneaked to my house at night, and I, together with the villagers, fought desperately before wiping them all out."

"But the bandit chief, in his dying breath, shouted that he was of the Zhang Family, and if we killed him, our Xishan Village would suffer the same fate as the Zhao clan's village—being completely slaughtered."

Chen Wuji let out a faint sigh, saying: "I come from a hunter's background; among the people I've encountered, you should be the greatest. At first, I actually had no idea what the bandit meant by the Zhang Family; only after I looked into it carefully did I realize what I had gotten myself into."