Chapter 141: Visitors from Yinzhou

"No!"

Lao Cui tried to block them with his hands.

These subordinates of Wei Rong were also a few martial arts experts with remarkable skills; having received orders from the eldest young master of the Baiya Army, they were incredibly ruthless, kicking Lao Cuitou to the ground in just a few strikes.

Lao Cuitou let out continuous, miserable screams.

Wei Rong's expression was icy, and he did not forget to look provocatively at Liu Zheng, who was standing to the side.

Liu Zheng naturally knew that this young master was doing this to give him a show of force. Ever since he appeared in the Baiya Army, he had been an eyesore to him. The reason was simple: he was a helper invited by Yang Ke.

Perhaps his very existence even interfered with some of his plans?

That was what Liu Zheng thought in his heart.

"Over here!"

"Young Master, look!"

Three people were beating up Lao Cui, while two others had already found the rabbit-headed foal in the stable. Liu Zheng could not help but look over, and his eyes lit up instantly. He saw that young foal, its entire body a fiery red color; its build was not exactly massive, but just as Lao Cui had said, it was compact. Whether it was the shoulder blades, the tailbone, or the back, everything was incomparably perfect. At first glance, it gave one a feeling of immense power. Its hair was smooth and shiny, glistening with oil.

What was most attractive was its rabbit-like head; its eyes looked extremely spirited, intelligent, and clever.

Even someone like Liu Zheng, who did not understand horses, would feel that this was a top-tier prized steed.

"Don't!"

Seeing those few people open the stable, Lao Cui roared in heartbreak.

Wei Rong laughed arrogantly: "Lao Cuitou, what are you in such a rush for? I, this young master, won't be short of your silver!"

"You are the horse expert of our Baiya Army; if Yang Ke can use you, why can't I?"

He took a gold ingot from his pocket and threw it arrogantly onto Lao Cui's head.

Lao Cui was overcome with rage; he roared, jumped up, and charged toward Wei Rong.

Oh no!

Liu Zheng cried out that it was bad.

Sure enough, how could someone like Lao Cui, who had raised horses his whole life, not know how to provoke a War Horse? As he rushed over, he performed some unknown action, and the War Horse Wei Rong was sitting on immediately neighed, appearing as if it had gone mad. It instantly lost control, completely ignoring Wei Rong on its back, and began to gallop wildly across the Grassland.

"Ah, save me!"

Wei Rong was terrified and lost all color in his face from this sudden turn of events.

He himself had decent horsemanship, but he had no way to soothe the War Horse now that it was spooked. The horse seemed possessed, galloping wildly in every direction.

"Eldest Young Master!"

"Lao Cuitou, are you trying to die!"

"Young Master! Young Master!"

This scene scared everyone silly.

This Wei Rong was the son Wei Shao loved most, and in the traditional sense, he was the first legitimate heir to this Baiya Army! If something happened to him here today, Yang Ke would not be able to clear his name even if he jumped into the Yellow River!

Lao Cuitou felt a bit regretful for being so rash, and cold sweat poured down him.

"Stop it!"

"Young Master, be careful, hold onto the horse's head tightly!"

The horse still could not stop, charging and crashing about. Wei Rong was on top, clutching the horse's head tightly, not daring to let go. Under such jolting, he was even vomiting bile; where was his previous arrogance and tyranny?

"Quick, quick, quick, save the Eldest Young Master!"

At this moment, Yang Ke and Du Biao, who were arranging work at the horse farm, also saw this scene and were instantly shocked. Together with the group of martial arts experts and Baiya Army men at the horse farm, they ran over.

"Wei Rong, wait for me!"

Yang Ke let out a fierce shout, mounted his horse, and his prized steed galloped toward Wei Rong.

Wei Rong was so scared he was about to cry: "Second Uncle, save me!"

Yang Ke held a rope in his hand with a loop tied in it, kicked his horse's belly hard, and galloped at high speed.

Everyone watched with their hearts in their throats.

In this horse farm, the thing feared most was a horse getting spooked. One had to know that the impact force of a horse was quite large; in such a high-speed galloping situation, it was truly not easy to make the horse settle down. Once the horse went crazy, Wei Rong had no time to soothe its emotions; at this point, it could only be adjusted slowly through the help of an outsider.

Yang Ke tried several times, but the lasso could not catch the horse's head.

Everyone was watching anxiously.

"Go!"

Yang Ke gritted his teeth, and this time, the loop finally successfully caught the horse.

"Good!"

"The Second Leader is worthy of being the Second Leader!"

"Take it slow!"

Horses are animals that, if well-trained, are completely different with a rope versus without one. So, with Yang Ke pulling and tugging, following beside Wei Rong at a steady speed, the spooked horse gradually calmed down.

Slowly, the two returned to the horse farm that belonged to Yang Ke.

Wei Rong had long since wet himself in fear.

"Eldest Young Master..."

"Young Master, are you alright?"

"Second Leader Yang is truly a hero among men!"

For a time, there was much discussion.

Wei Rong felt angry in his heart upon hearing this; he flicked his horse whip and arrived before Lao Cuitou, his eyes malicious: "You thief, are you trying to get me killed?"

"Crack!"

The whip lashed down, and Lao Cui let out a painful cry, rolling on the ground.

The crowd was silent.

Yang Ke, however, ran over: "Young Master..."

Wei Rong glared at him: "Second Leader, could it be that you want to plead for this thief?"

Yang Ke cupped his fists: "Lao Cui did not do it intentionally..."

Others also chimed in to dissuade him.

Seeing so many people supporting Yang Ke, Wei Rong was even more enraged: "The death penalty may be avoided, but the living punishment is inescapable! I am determined to vent this anger today!"

"Second Leader, do you still intend to stand up for this Lao Cui?"

Yang Ke took a deep breath, looked at Lao Cui, then at Wei Rong, and suddenly knelt on the ground, saying sorrowfully: "Yang Ke is willing to accept the punishment!"

The crowd was shocked, and all were moved.

Liu Zheng also narrowed his eyes slightly.

That Yang Ke had gained such popularity in the Baiya Army was not the work of a single day.

This, in turn, caused Wei Rong's expression to change several times in an instant.

"Young Master, you absolutely must not!"

"The Second Leader is..."

Who would have thought that the more others tried to persuade him, the angrier Wei Rong became, gritting his teeth fiercely: "Since that is the case, then don't blame me!"

The horse whip was raised and fell.

Crack! Crack!

The crisp sound rang in everyone's ears.

Each whip lashed fiercely onto Yang Ke's back; soon, Yang Ke's clothes were shredded, and the flesh underneath was a bloody mess. Yet despite this, Yang Ke did not utter a single sound, only lowering his head to endure it.

Lao Cui's eyes streamed with tears as he crawled over: "Second Leader, no, you must not..."

He was pushed aside by Yang Ke.

The others also watched with tear-filled eyes.

These people of the pugilistic world valued loyalty and righteousness above all; how could one not admire such a righteous act by Yang Ke?

"Let me!"

"I'll do it too, I'll take the punishment for the Second Leader!"

"And me!"

At this, it was not just those from Yang Ke's Baiya Army, but also the pugilistic guests who could no longer hold back.

"Fine, fine, fine, that's enough for today, let's go!"

Wei Rong was frantic with rage, and in the end, he was so angry that he drew his sword, stabbed his own War Horse to death, and then left with a group of his underlings.

"This..."

"This fellow is truly..."

"Wei Shao was a hero his whole life, yet he has such a worthless son!"

The crowd watched with indignation.

"Second Leader!"

"Boss Yang..."

However, Yang Ke had already received at least thirty lashes from Wei Rong, his back covered in blood and scars. Finally, he raised his head to meet everyone's gaze, shook his head miserably, and spat out a mouthful of blood.

The crowd was shocked.

Du Biao was even more furious, his eyes splitting with rage, and he said fiercely: "The Baiya Army will sooner or later be ruined in the hands of this bastard!"

Only then did the crowd carry Yang Ke into the room at the horse farm. When Doctor Miao arrived, his eyes turned red at the sight, and he hurriedly applied golden sore medicine to him.

"That son of a bitch Wei Rong, wait until I kill him! Ahhhhh!"

Rantu, the burly man with double axes, could no longer hold back.

Others hurriedly stopped him, and Rantu stomped his feet in annoyance.

Yang Ke smiled bitterly: "Brothers, you must stay calm. The Baiya Army is currently beset by troubles from within and without, with many eyeing us covetously; we must not let internal strife arise in the army!"

"But he went too far!"

"What hope is there for a Baiya Army like this!"

"When the Great Leader returns, I will go and have a word with him!"

The group was filled with righteous indignation, speaking without restraint.

Liu Zheng stood to the side, head bowed, saying nothing.

Yang Ke sighed and looked at Liu Zheng: "I have let Young Master Liu see a joke."

Liu Zheng hurriedly said: "Second Leader, you speak too seriously. The Second Leader is as righteous as the heavens, and Liu Zheng admires you! Although Liu Zheng is an outsider, I still want to say one thing: given the current situation in Baiya, Second Leader, you should make other plans early!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the scene suddenly went quiet.

The atmosphere also became strange.

Rantu's eyes lit up upon hearing this, and he looked eager to try.

Although the others did not speak, it was clear they had no objections to this.

Make other plans...

These four words, while somewhat treasonous, were quite fitting for Yang Ke's current predicament.

Du Biao also kept a cold face and said nothing.

Yang Ke was startled: "Young Master, you must be careful with your words! This matter must never be mentioned again!"

Du Biao spat: "You are just a pushover, hurry and send the Second Leader back!"

"Yes!"

Yang Ke insisted on arranging the preparations for the horse farm, but with so many people refusing to let him, they forcibly sent him back to the Baiya Palace.

Emerging from Yang Ke's room, Du Biao looked at Liu Zheng, gritting his teeth: "Brother Liu, this Wei Rong is truly detestable! If it weren't for, if it weren't for, sigh..."

Liu Zheng smiled without a word, and did not offer much persuasion.

Just at this moment, men from the Baiya Army came to report.

People from the Yinzhou side had already arrived at Baiya Prefecture.

Upon hearing this, Liu Zheng was immediately overjoyed, and Du Biao was also very happy; perhaps in this treacherous Baiya Army, he still preferred dealing with people from the outside. Especially these people from Yinzhou, with whom he felt most comfortable communicating.

Very quickly, the Baiya Army sent men to bring in Zheng Yue Ru, who was responsible for transporting this batch of weapons, and Jiang Xuan, who was mixed in among the grooms.

At Liu Zheng's lodging, the few of them met, and it was exceptionally affectionate once again.

Du Biao ordered someone to arrange a table of wine and food, then took his leave.

Zheng Yue Ru looked at Liu Zheng with a smile and said: "Congratulations, Brother Liu, from now on you are no longer the Prefectural Assistant, but the Prefect!"

Liu Zheng was overjoyed: "Is this true?"

Jiang Xuan also let out a laugh: "Young Master, I am now admiring that old fox of a teacher more and more... He said that the Young Master is currently trapped in a predicament, and only by becoming a Prefect can you save yourself; heh, who would have thought he actually got it right!"

The three of them looked at each other and laughed heartily.

The monstrous brilliance of Qingyang Shuo left them with no more doubts about him.

Liu Zheng poured a cup of wine before asking: "Does the Military Advisor have a silk pouch for me?"

Zheng Yue Ru smiled playfully: "No silk pouch, but there is a Beauty..."

Liu Zheng's expression changed slightly: "Xi'er has come too?"

"Hmph, is this Baiya a dragon's pool or a tiger's den, such that this young lady cannot come?"

A person pushed the door open and entered.

Liu Zheng took one look at Hu Xi'er, who was dressed as a man just like Zheng Yue Ru, and his eyes immediately lit up.

【Author's Note】

I have been hospitalized for three days and can be discharged early tomorrow morning. I will definitely make up for the missed chapters, I promise! Additionally, while lying in bed getting an IV today, I made some slight modifications to the previous few chapters. Wei Rong has been changed to Wei Shao's son. I am informing you of this now. I will try my best to write another chapter today, but the potassium chloride drip is truly too painful... If I cannot write it, we will see after I am discharged tomorrow.