Chapter 148: 143 Night Owl Enters the Residence

On the rural dirt road, the sound of traditional Chinese oboe horns blared, and gongs and drums made a deafening noise.

A wedding procession escorted a bridal sedan chair, moving forward with a rhythmic jolting. Directly in front was the groom, draped in red and adorned with colorful ribbons, followed by the brothers of the groom, then the brothers and sisters of the bride, and finally the eight-bearer sedan chair.

Generally, the traditional Chinese oboe horns under heaven all sound the same—the timbre is majestic and piercing, rising high into the clouds; coupled with the accompaniment of gongs and drums, they startled countless birds along the way.

Coo-coo—

An owl's call came from overhead, and a grey, fierce bird of prey glided over the top of the procession.

A young girl in the procession frowned, picked up a stone, and threw it toward the sky. The owl was flying extremely high, so the stone naturally missed, tracing an arc before falling back down.

"What's wrong? Why are you hitting it for no reason?"

The girl turned her head to look; the speaker was a young scholar, whom she recognized as the youngest and most handsome of the four benefactors who had saved her before. Her face flushed slightly, and she said, "Tang... Big Brother. That night owl is an inauspicious bird. A night owl's call is a harbinger of a funeral. Today is my sister's big day; how unlucky is it to see a night owl? So I'm driving it away."

Tang Zhao pondered and said, "Is that so..."

The owl just now was his; it had been flying back and forth overhead the entire journey. He had seen many owls on the mountain, and almost every fellow apprentice had one—they could deliver messages and scout, so he only found them cute and convenient, never thinking about anything being auspicious or inauspicious.

Although he never felt the owl was an inauspicious bird, since the locals had this taboo and it was a joyous day, there was no need to argue. He immediately whistled and made a gesture, signaling the owl to fly ahead first.

The owl flew away, and the girl sighed softly; she was not relieved, but rather felt a bit worried.

Tang Zhao asked, "What is it? Still troubled?"

The girl said softly, "It's not that I want to speak of gloomy things on my sister's big day... Originally, I thought my brother-in-law was handsome and his family was well-off; although he didn't have any great prospects, his temperament was gentle, and my sister would surely be happy marrying him. But today, I feel a bit uncertain. Look at that groom; he married my sister, yet he wasn't truly happy while welcoming the bride. Instead, his expression was strange, as if someone were forcing him to marry. How will the days ahead be... If I had known, I would have persuaded my sister not to marry him."

Tang Zhao looked at the groom and indeed saw that although he was dressed in new clothes and riding a tall horse, and his appearance could be considered talented, he really didn't seem very happy. Although he was smiling, the smile was very forced, and as the girl said, it revealed a strange air.

However, it might not be that he was truly unhappy; perhaps he wasn't used to riding a horse, and after riding on the dirt road for so long, his backside was sore?

Just then, the owl flew back. It circled three times right above their heads.

Tang Zhao's expression darkened. He thought for a moment, nudged Jiang Shenyi, and said, "Senior Brother, keep an eye on things; I'm going over there to take a look."

Jiang Shenyi raised an eyebrow and said, "Something up?"

Tang Zhao said, "The owl is reporting an alarm. It might be that we've encountered bandits robbing someone on the road. It's not strange to have bandits in this place. Today is a big day; don't let anyone ruin it."

Jiang Shenyi said, "I'll go. I'm fast." He had been teaching children martial arts for the past few days and was feeling quite frustrated, so he wanted to take action to change his mood.

Seeing him eager to try, Tang Zhao handed the Refraction Mirror to him and said, "Try to lure the bandits to another place; don't collide with the wedding procession."

Jiang Shenyi smiled and said, "Leave it to me—Big Brother." He opened the Refraction Mirror, his figure hidden behind the refracted light, and with a spread of his wings, he followed the owl away.

Tang Zhao looked in the direction of the owl and pondered in his heart: This direction, isn't it the direction they are heading to deliver the bride? Could it be that some blind bandits want to rob the wedding procession?

Looking back, Sang Jialiang was riding a large mule, chatting and laughing with the groom's brothers. He didn't disturb him and turned to go to his two companions from Liangzhou.

The group walked for the whole morning and arrived at Hu Zhuang before noon. Hu Zhuang was decorated with lanterns and streamers, exceptionally lively. After all, the Sang family girl was marrying the son of the Manor Head, and the family was relatively well-off, so the wedding was quite grand.

Seeing this display, Tang Zhao initially thought Hu Zhuang was wealthier than Wushu Bao, but after entering, he realized he had thought too much. Eight out of ten households in Hu Zhuang were truly destitute, with clothes that couldn't cover their bodies and homes with bare walls, even worse than Wushu Bao. However, the Manor Head's house was much more spacious than Sang Jialiang's, almost like the grand residence of a wealthy family.

The main courtyard had already set up a wedding hall, waiting for the newlyweds to perform the bowing ceremony. The Manor Head and his wife were welcoming guests at the entrance.

The bride's father had passed away early, so Sang Jialiang, as the eldest brother-in-law escorting the bride, exchanged pleasantries with the in-laws. Tang Zhao followed along to watch and saw that the old Manor Head was fine and showed nothing unusual, but his wife was smiling very forcedly, and there was truly no warmth in her eyes.

What? Was this marriage forced? Were the couple mismatched, or...

Tang Zhao thought this, and ignoring the crowd, he squeezed his way forward until he was next to Sang Jialiang. Sang Jialiang saw him at a glance and hurriedly pulled him over to introduce him to the Manor Head. The old Manor Head saw that Tang Zhao was dressed impressively and was a new face, so he was surprised and uncertain, but he dared not be negligent and said many polite words.

Originally, Tang Zhao was neither a relative nor a friend, and he should have stepped aside after the introduction, but he just stood blankly next to Sang Jialiang and followed along to enjoy the entire wedding. During this series of procedures, except for the fact that the Hu Manor Head's expression toward him was very wrong, there were no accidents.

A while later, the banquet was laid out in the main courtyard. Outside were shed-covered flowing banquets, while inside the main courtyard were formal wedding feasts, with the whole village eating together. As the bride's family representative, Sang Jialiang naturally sat at the main table, and the parents-in-law also took their seats. Tang Zhao squeezed to the front, and Sang Jialiang naturally pulled him to the main table and asked Tang Zhao, "What about the others?"

Tang Zhao said vaguely, "They aren't drinking; they went out to play after visiting the wedding."

Sang Jialiang felt it was a pity and pulled him to sit by his side. Tang Zhao noticed that the Hu Manor Head opposite him had an increasingly strange look in his eyes, so he became even less reserved and sat firmly in his seat with a smile.

The banquet served home-brewed village wine. Tang Zhao tasted a sip first; apart from the inferior taste, there were no other problems, so he didn't delay everyone from drinking. Sang Jialiang raised his wine bowl and said, "Why haven't I seen the second brother?"

He was asking about the groom's younger brother, the Hu Manor Head's second son. The Hu Manor Head gave a vague response and said, "He went out."

At this moment, an old man nearby came over, drunk, and laughed, "The second young master is successful now; he has learned martial arts and joined the Donghe Water Stronghold, specializing in robbing passing merchants. Now he drinks big bowls of wine and eats big chunks of meat; who knows how carefree and happy he is..."

People nearby hurriedly pulled him away. Sang Jialiang's face darkened; he endured and endured, then put down his wine cup and said, "Good, truly successful, joined the water trade! The waves on the river are high. Beware of the Dragon King!"

People at the table looked at each other. Some Hu family relatives were unhappy and shouted, "It's a big day, how can you speak like that..." Hu Laotou hurriedly pressed them down and said, "The in-law is right; drifting on a boat, isn't that under the jurisdiction of the Dragon King? Drink, drink!" He then raised his wine to toast Sang Jialiang and said, "Why mention that good-for-nothing on a big day? A grown son doesn't follow his mother; that brat has been a bastard since he was small, and now that he's grown, no one can control him. Let him go; if he dies outside, he deserves it. But my eldest son is definitely a good one, diligent and honest, a man who knows how to live; you can rest assured."

Sang Jialiang was truly furious. He hated those bandits the most. Wushu Bao hadn't produced a single bandit in years; he never expected his sister to marry into a bandit family. At this moment, he was hesitant and uncertain. For a moment, he wanted to take his sister away, but then he thought that this brother-in-law had been vetted by him and truly had no problems, and it was his sister who liked him, so he couldn't ruin it based on his own momentary impulse. But he felt a hidden anxiety—at this moment, they hadn't entered the bridal chamber yet, so there was still room to regret; if he hesitated, it would be too late to regret.

He was hesitant here, his face dark, sitting still. The atmosphere at the table was extremely awkward. Several relatives drank a few cups of wine haphazardly and left one after another, and the banquet outside also dispersed in a rush. Only Tang Zhao sat by his side, as if he were going to sit until the end of time.

Hu Laotou went out to see people off and returned, saying, "Master Sang, look at the big picture, look at the face of your brother-in-law. I've always considered that younger son dead; I'll just live a good life with my eldest son. Our two villages are not far apart; forming this marriage is like forming an alliance. In the future, we will advance and retreat together and resist bandits together; isn't this a good thing? I have a jar of good wine hidden away; I brewed it and buried it in the cellar when my son was born, twenty years ago. I'll take it out, and we'll have a good drink." Having said that, he got up to get the wine.

Once he left, Sang Jialiang let out a breath and said to Tang Zhao, "Young Master, I've made a fool of myself in front of you."

Tang Zhao said, "What fool? Things in the world are unsatisfactory eight or nine times out of ten. This kind of matter still depends on Brother Sang's decision."

Sang Jialiang shook his head and said, "It's not that I can't control it, but that I don't want to. I know that although some people in other villages fear and hate bandits, they wish they could become bandits themselves. They aren't afraid of losing face for their ancestors or bringing misfortune to their descendants. This is still not knowing death. I have a presumptuous request. Young Master, talk to him in a while about how those bandits are killed one by one by Knight-Errants when they encounter them. Especially how water bandits are thrown into the water to feed the fish. Make this old man afraid in his heart and persuade his son to return."

Tang Zhao said, "Sure. I'm good at that."

As it happened, they had previously killed a boat of water bandits; the water was electrified, and they died miserably.

It couldn't be that coincidental, could it?

While they were waiting to drink good wine, someone was waiting in the inner hall.

The groom sent off the guests and returned to the inner hall, only to see a short, ugly man sitting in the hall, glaring at him.

The groom squeezed out a smile, bowed, and said, "Third Master."

The ugly man glared with his two rat-like eyes and said, "Why so slow? Why haven't you taken down that stubborn man yet?"

The groom accompanied him with a smile and said, "There were many people outside just now. Father was afraid that taking action in front of everyone would cause a scene and ruin the Kings' plans, so he didn't move, waiting for the banquet to disperse to take action alone. Now the drugged wine has already been served; he will be taken down immediately."

The ugly man picked his teeth and said, "What many people or not many people? You are just finding excuses to drag your feet. If you delay too long, my fourth brother is waiting in ambush outside and getting impatient; he will lead the little ones to slaughter their way into the manor and kill everyone they see. With his temper, he doesn't care if there are many people or not!"

The groom was sweating profusely and hurriedly said, "Great King, please show mercy; we have absolutely no intention of delaying! The one surnamed Sang is right outside; my father handles things thoroughly, there is absolutely no reason it won't succeed!"

The ugly man ignored him and said, "Your wife has entered the bridal chamber, right?"

The groom's face looked ugly, and he said, "Just now..."

The ugly man clicked his tongue and said, "Good, since we are waiting anyway, you wait outside, and I will go in and wait. The bridal chamber is a good place. I'll go in for you." Having said that, he reached out, grabbed the groom's hat, put it on his own head, and swayed into the bridal chamber.

The groom's legs went weak, and he sat on the ground with a pale face.

"Those water bandits died too miserably back then; after being electrocuted, they floated on the river surface like dead fish. Each one was unrecognizable, even their own parents wouldn't have been able to identify them..."

At the wine table, Tang Zhao was talking incessantly about the experiences of his journey.

Hu Laotou listened until his face turned ashen; on one hand, Tang Zhao was telling it so vividly that it made him feel as if he were there, reminding him of his youngest son, and on the other hand, the wine had been poured, yet Sang Jialiang wouldn't take a single sip.

Seeing that Tang Zhao had finished speaking, Hu Laotou wiped his sweat and said, "Young Master, Master Sang, let's stop talking for now, let's drink and eat first."

Tang Zhao waved his hand and said, "No rush, that was just the story of suppressing the water bandits; there is still a story about suppressing a black shop. I never tire of telling these stories of evil meeting its retribution. Just say that day we got off the boat and arrived at a small shop by the road, wanting a bowl of tea to drink. That proprietress had a fierce look on her face; just looking at her, she wasn't a good person. She poured us tea, and that tea, I Listen—"

As he spoke, he picked up the wine bowl beside him and brought it to his lips. Hu Laotou swallowed a mouthful of saliva, staring at his wine bowl.

"I Listen, that smell of anesthetic—it is exactly the same as today's wine!"

"Clap—"

The wine bowl hit the ground and smashed into pieces!