Borrowing a sword

Chapter 23 "Going Home"

Learn from the barbarians and develop skills to control the barbarians.

Even as he was in unbearable pain, Liu Chengqi couldn't help but stare wide-eyed in shock at Chu Huaixu's "divine move."

This is clearly the first move of the "Eight Trigrams Palm of Heaven and Earth" that he taught!
Brother Liu, lying on the ground, was severely injured and had no power to fight back.

He couldn't help but cough, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, and a sharp pain shot through his chest.

But the way he looked at Chu Huaixu gradually changed, as if he were looking at a dead man.

"Don't look at me like that. I can tell you've got some connections." Chu Huaixu squatted down, his expression unchanged.

He raised his right hand and gently patted Liu Chengqi's right cheek, saying as he did so:

“Teaching martial arts can be associated with being ungrateful.”

"I didn't pay? Huh?"

"answer me!"

With each sentence Chu Huaixu spoke, he would gently pat him on the face.

Liu Chengqi had never suffered such an insult before; his eyes were practically spitting fire.

He struggled to raise his right hand, and despite his serious injuries, he still possessed a fierce spirit.

As a result, Chu Huaixu, who was squatting on the ground, was even faster and with a snap, crippled his arm as well.

"It was this hand that was acting up just now, wasn't it?" he said calmly.

All that could be heard from Senior Brother Liu, whose arm was broken, were screams of agony.

Han Shuangjiang watched from the side, her ten fingers involuntarily clenching slightly.

This was the first time she had seen this side of Chu Huaixu.

Cold, ruthless, and decisive!

Since the other party made the first move, he wouldn't show any mercy.

Those four words resurfaced in her mind once again—a heart of a tyrant and a face of a crane!
Since Liu Chengqi was just about to grope her, Han Shuangjiang felt no sympathy for him whatsoever.

Among the four main characters in "Borrowing the Sword", she has the script of a leading lady, so she is naturally not a disgusting saintly hypocrite.

If Chu Huaixu stands up for her, then she will clearly choose sides.

After a brief moment of astonishment, the poor man's mind was still preoccupied with the thought: "One hour is one lesson period, and I've only studied for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn! That's ten taels of silver! Ten taels!"

The next moment, she saw Chu Huaixu extend his right hand and gently pat Liu Chengqi's cheek, staring at him and saying, "Withdraw from class, do you hear me?"

Seeing that Liu Chengqi did not react, he stared at Liu Chengqi intently, his eyes growing colder and colder, and his right hand, which was slapping his cheek, unconsciously became more and more forceful with each slap.

Not long after, Chu Huaixu led Han Shuangjiang out of the small courtyard and put the ten taels of silver back into his storage token with satisfaction.

He had his own set of rules, and he didn't take an extra ounce.

After this little incident, the two returned to the market.

It was already noon when Chu Huaixu saw a small stall and was about to sit down and have a bite to eat, but Han Shuangjiang pulled him away.

He glanced down at the slender hand that was holding his sleeve, and Han Shuangjiang immediately let go.

"Let's just go buy groceries," she insisted.

It almost cost me 20 taels of silver to learn a mortal martial art. But because the other party harbored lustful intentions, it only cost 10 taels now.

This made Han Shuangjiang feel even more that the family's "surplus food" was actually not much and that their economic situation was very unhealthy.

Chu Huaixu never expected that Han Shuangjiang, the female protagonist beloved by countless female players in "Borrowing Swords," would be so stingy at heart.

Since she was spending his money, her tone was no longer cold when she expressed her opinions, but rather in a consultative manner.

"Okay." Chu Huaixu agreed, and the experienced companion added, "As you wish."

The two simple words brought joy to the poor man, who secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

During the process of purchasing ingredients, this person from Lengshan was more slow than usual, insisting on comparing prices from several vendors.

She is usually very sparing with words when they are together, and she will keep a cold face and try her best to bargain before paying.

"They're quite good at managing their finances," Chu Huaixu thought to himself.

Along the way, the two also passed by a tavern.

Someone was hawking outside the door: "Erlang wine, the finest Erlang wine!"

Han Shuangjiang watched as Chu Huaixu stopped in his tracks.

A terrifying thought flashed through her mind in an instant.

—Time to spend more!

"Erlang wine, isn't that a famous wine from the Moon Kingdom?" Chu Huaixu stopped and asked.

"That's right, I didn't expect this junior brother to be so knowledgeable. The earliest technique for making this wine originated from Erlang County in the Moon Kingdom," the vendor said.

Chu Huaixu nodded slightly, recalling the famous Langjiu liquor from Earth.

Langjiu is named so because it originates from Erlang Town in Sichuan Province. Due to the impending great calamity, the previously volatile relationship between the Mirror Kingdom and the Moon Kingdom has eased somewhat in recent years.

Even when the two countries were at odds, trade between them was inevitable. Now it seems they have entered a honeymoon period, and trade has become even more frequent.

Even taxes have been reduced.

Therefore, it is not surprising that the Moon Kingdom sells fine wine.

He even suspected that the tavern was an official property of the Taoist sect.

After pondering for a moment, Chu Huaixu deliberately didn't even ask about the price before saying, "Give me a jar."

Startled, the iceberg behind them quickly moved forward and began to bargain.

There was nothing she could do; the money belonged to him, and at most, she only had the right to offer suggestions, not the right to make decisions.

The more he looked at Han Shuangjiang, the more amused he found it.

After teasing the protagonist of this world, Chu Huaixu accepted the Erlang wine offered by the vendor.

“Let’s go home,” he said.

Han Shuangjiang was stunned for a moment after hearing the words "we're going home".

The two returned home laden with their loot, but halfway there, Chu Huaixu suddenly stopped and looked eastward.

"If I remember correctly, Steward Niu's courtyard is in that direction, right?" He calculated the time in his mind and asked.

"Hmm." The iceberg had lost its vibrant energy and simply nodded in response.

"Take this jar of wine to Steward Niu," Chu Huaixu instructed.

"I'll take it?" she asked, frowning in confusion.

It wasn't that Han Shuangjiang was resentful of him ordering her around; she simply didn't understand why she should take the money separately when he was the one who spent it.
Chu Huaixu did not answer, but looked into her beautiful eyes, wanting to see if this protagonist of the world could understand.

A few seconds later, she spoke up: "You're afraid."

She hesitated.

While in that courtyard, Chu Huaixu said to Liu Chengqi: I can guess that you have some background.

Judging from all indications, Han Shuangjiang was also aware of this.

At that moment, Chu Huaixu nodded to her, indicating that she was right.

In an instant, Han Shuangjiang's pretty face darkened slightly, and that feeling that made her extremely uncomfortable surged into her heart again.

The whole thing started because of her.

No matter how much the world tries to embellish it, it is ultimately a dog-eat-dog world. And being beautiful and weak is the original sin!
This is also one of the reasons why she has always longed to cultivate herself and become powerful.

Unexpectedly, Chu Huaixu scoffed at this moment: "Oh dear, who are you trying to impress with that expression? Do you think I haven't had my share of troubles, being so tall and handsome? You'll get used to it!"

Upon hearing this, Han Shuangjiang felt that the fox-like face in front of her was just so annoying.
She took the Erlang wine from Chu Huaixu's hand and followed his instructions, walking eastward.

She had only taken a few steps when she suddenly stopped and softly called out, "Chu Huaixu."

"Hmm?" Chu Huaixu turned to look at her.

“Why don’t you come with me?” she asked.

If you already suspected there might be potential dangers, why did you split up?
Chu Huaixu looked at her with the eyes of someone looking at an idiot: "What kind of logic is it to guard against thieves for a thousand days?"

"If, and I mean if, Liu Chengqi wants revenge on us, and he certainly has some connections, and he saw us visiting Steward Niu's house today, will they make a move?"

"But there's plenty of time in the future, you understand?"

"You can't be sure if he'll just swallow his anger."

Upon hearing this, Han Shuangjiang felt that it made sense; one could not place all one's safety on the enemy's rationality.

Chu Huaixu always believed that the world was just a giant makeshift operation, and that there was no such thing as someone being "intelligently stupid" because they were wearing a "halo of reduced intelligence."

How many people in the world remain rational their entire lives?
Many people are even born simply because their fathers acted impulsively while venturing into the cave.

Humans are ultimately governed by their emotions.

Chu Huaixu knew he was bound to get into trouble, so he chose instead to severely humiliate Liu Chengqi.

It's a win-win situation that will get the other party to come knocking quickly and cause trouble. Everyone should act fast and decisively, and avoid dragging things out, so we don't have to keep a close eye on things all the time.

At this moment, Han Shuangjiang looked at the young man standing not far away and spoke again: "So you chose to go home first, let them come to you, lured yourself into danger, and then made me go get help?"

"Hmm!" Chu Huaixu responded.

"Are you convinced that Steward Niu will definitely make a move?" Han Shuangjiang asked.

"I'm sure," Chu Huaixu replied, feeling that Old Niu was probably even more anxious than he was.

"Okay," the cold-faced girl replied.

Then, she strode forward, handed the wine jar to Chu Huaixu, and said with a serious and resolute expression, with unwavering determination:

"I'm going home, I'll take the wine to you."

(End of this chapter)