The masked man who suddenly appeared

When Shao Qian returned to the XingHai s.p.a.ce, he didn’t hear the sound of the system prompting him to recover the data. He frowned and looked at the system menu, but couldn’t find anything that had changed. Perhaps this time, there wasn’t enough energy for the system to recover the data?

However, maybe it was just him, but he kept feeling that the decorative pattern on his right hand seemed to be fainter? Though, Shao Qian didn’t dwell over this matter for too long. Since the system didn’t inform him of any upgrade, he immediately grabbed the small light dot beside him and left the XingHai.

When Shao Qian regained his awareness, he heard a seemingly suppressed cry from around him. He cracked open his eyes and observed his surroundings. He was in a courtyard encircled by logs. There were some hefty fellows wearing jinzhuang [1] and carrying sharp swords on guard. The sound of weeping that he just heard had came from a young child. His mother was hugging him tightly as she comforted him.

“Boss, what do we do with the one that fainted?” That burly man pointed towards Shao Qian’s direction and asked gruffly. “Since someone had already paid to take his life, then let’s just kill him.”

“老大，那個昏過去的怎麼處理？”那大漢指着邵謙的位置粗聲粗氣道：“既然有人花錢賣命，那咱們直接殺了便是。”

“No need to rush.” The boss sneered. “That person only gave us this much money, and he wants me, his father, to kill? Go, go and tell that person. Add another five hundred taels, if not we’ll spread around what he did.

“不急。”老大冷笑道：“那人就給咱們這點錢就想讓老子殺人？去，給那人去說，再加五百兩，如若不然就將他所做之事傳揚出去。”

“Boss is the most thoughtful.” That burly man wielding the sharp sword immediately beamed and turned around to leave.

“還是老大想的周到。”那手持利刃的大漢立刻喜笑顏開轉身離開。

Seeing that his life was temporarily out of danger, Shao Qian divided a part of his attention and transferred it into the plot he received from the system.

Martial Emperor. It was set in a time when feudal lords vied for this throne. This world’s imperial court had declined, and martial artists became self-important. In the end, the male lead of this world suppressed his rival warlords and sat on the seat of the martial artists’ leader. (????????)

However, these matters didn’t concern Shao Qian at all……

然而，這些跟邵謙沒有什麼關係……

His ident.i.ty was the son of the head of a rich family, who listened to a certain person’s instigation and ‘wandered from place to place to make a living’. With a hundred silver on him, without knowledge of martial arts, and also not bring along a servant boy in fear of being stopped, he left.

他的角色就是一個聽家中某些人的慫恿出來‘闖蕩江湖’的富家公子。身上帶着一百兩紋銀，不會武功，怕被阻攔連小廝都沒帶就出來了。

However, he just left the town and walked a few Li [2] before he was captured by mountain bandits. Naturally, he lost his money, and also immediately lost his little life.

The first time Shao Qian crossed over and became the son of the head of a rich family, he even wondered whether the system had purposely made him suffer? At that time, when he had crossed over, it had been a bit later than right now. After that, the system gave him his lines consisting of three sentences: Don’t kill me. Save me. Ahhh……

第一次穿成富家公子時邵謙還在想來着，系統是不是故意整他？他當初穿過來比現在晚一點，然後系統就給了他三句臺詞：別殺我。救命。啊……

Three sentences, six words in total. After that, he died a glorious death and returned to the XingHai. He even felt that the system, that thing, has specifically sent him to go experience death.

But according to those two kidnappers, it was likely that he had been framed by that certain someone in his family? This rich family’s son was birthed by the legal wife, and it could be said that he was doted on by both parents until he grew up. Especially his mother, towards this legitimate son, she doted on him to no ends. A ‘put in mouth, afraid it will dissolve, hold in hands, afraid it will drop’ kind of doting.

This also directly caused the rich family’s son to have a naive and innocent nature. This time when he ran away from home, it was due to him reading about those chivalrous knights in books. A story about robbing the rich to give to the poor, along with the instigation of a person with high aspirations, immediately made him cram his clothes with money, and stealthily leave the house.

Mn, after leaving for no more then two days, he was then killed.

The story of this rich family’s kid was very brief. And when Shao Qian finished going through the plot, he sneered. According to the words of those people just now, there could only be two people that wanted him to die. The first was the original owner’s second brother, s.h.i.+ Yao, while the second was the fourth brother, s.h.i.+ Xing. Which of these two brothers was it who hired these mountain bandits? Or could it be, both had a hand in this?

However, thinking about this now was useless. When he returns, he would naturally find out who is the culprit. Shao Qian opened his eyes and sat up, turning his head around, he looked at the little boy sobbing in his mother’s embrace, and patted his head. “You are a man. Comfort your mother and don’t be scared.”

不過現在想這些也沒用，等他回去自然知曉究竟是誰搗的鬼。邵謙睜開眼睛坐起身來，他轉頭看着坐在母親懷裡的男孩兒抽噎哭着摸摸他的頭：“你是小男子汗，要安慰母親不要害怕。”

How could a child, who was around four to five years old, understand these words? When the little boy saw Shao Qian patting his head, he burrowed deeper into his mother’s embrace instead.

“Hey! I didn’t expect that you actually woke up.” The boss took a few steps towards Shao Qian, smiling coldly. “So what if you were born in a well-off family? Aren’t you still a domesticated animal that can’t hide from wolves?”

“呦，沒想到你居然醒了。”老大朝邵謙走了幾步冷笑道：“就算生在富裕家又能如何？還不是躲不過狼子野心的畜生？”

“You’re right.” Shao Qian nodded. “And so, this young master needs to return to where that wolf is. And lead those domesticated animals, that invited the wolf into their house, out from there.”

“你說的對。”邵謙點點頭：“故而，本少爺可是要回去將那個狼子野心，引狼入室的畜生趕出家門。”

“You won’t get that opportunity.” The boss immediately drew his sword and pointed it at Shao Qian. “If you want to blame someone, then blame your heartless younger brother. When you reach the Hall of Darkness, don’t forget to file a complaint to Yama.”

“你可沒這個機會。”老大直接抽出利刃朝邵謙走來：“要怪就怪你狠心的弟弟，到了閻王殿不要忘記給閻羅王告個狀。”

When Shao Qian saw the blade pointed at him, not only did he not hide, but he also stood up and patted down his white overall stained with dirt. “That’s right. After all, dying so dubiously is unbearable and a wronged treatment. I will remember these words.”

邵謙看到老大提着利刃過來非但沒躲，反倒站起身來拍拍身上沾了泥土的白衣：“說的對，不明不白的死終歸冤枉的慌。這話我會記得的。”

The boss grinned hideously, holding his sword as he approached Shao Qian. When the distance between them was merely one step, he swung his blade at him.

Shao Qian converted his soul power into internal force, leisurely lifting up his right hand. He extended out his index and middle finger, and pinched the steel blade flying towards him. Under the disbelieving eyes of the boss, he abruptly exerted his strength and broke the blade.

“How……” How could this be? However, in the end he was unable to say the following words. Shao Qian’s right hand held the pointed end of the broken sword, and directly pierced through that person’s throat with it.

“這……”怎麼可能？只不過後面的幾字他終歸還是沒能說出口。邵謙右手夾着斷掉的鋼刀尖，直接射入那人的咽喉。

The boss breathed his last breath, and with a ‘bang!’, his lifeless body fell onto the ground, his wide eyes staring up with grievance. Didn’t that person tell him that this rich family’s kid lacked the strength to truss a chicken? How did this advanced internal force come about?

Following the body of the boss dropping to ground, those people standing by the sidelines recovered from their shock. With vicious faces, those few people swung their blades towards Shao Qian, who was holding the broken piece of the sword in his hands. Shao Qian took a few steps forward and stood before those that had been similarly captured. His right leg kicked the boss’ broken sword up towards himself.

Were those people an equal towards Shao Qian? Not even the time taken to brew a small cup of tea had pa.s.sed, before Shao Qian beat them unconscious into the ground.

Shao Qian may have spared their lives, but that didn’t mean that those they captured would spare them too. Seeing those extremely vicious hoodlums being beaten unconcious, those that were captured got up unsteadily and after they confirmed that those guys had really fainted, they couldn’t help but weep.

Shao Qian stood aside, not knowing how exactly to go about comforting them. However, immediately after that, he was shocked by these people’s actions. He saw a person lifting a sword on the ground, one stab after another, as he pierced one of the unconscious mountain bandit’s body repeatedly. The bandit gave a blood-curdling scream as he regained conscious, but was immediately held down and lost his life from his throat that was cut open.

“This……” Shao Qian watched the first bandit got killed, and after that, he saw that there was yet another person who picked up a sword, and killed an unconscious bandit.

“這……”邵謙看第一個山匪被殺，再接着又有人拾起鋼刀將昏迷的山匪殺死。

“My husband got killed by these mountain bandits.” The woman covered her child’s eyes, who had been in her embrace all along, came up to Shao Qian and spoke indifferently. “Originally, my husband and I wanted to pay a visit my parents. As we were walking on the mountain path, this group of plunderers came. Those person said that my husband was glaring at them, and so they immediately killed him.”

“我男人被這些山匪殺了。”一直抱着孩子的女人捂着孩子眼睛走到邵謙旁邊淡淡開口：“原本我跟男人要回孃家省親，走在山道上被這羣人劫了過來，那些人說我男人瞪他們，就將人直接殺了。”

“Restrain your grief [3], elder sister.” Shao Qian didn’t know anything about comforting. He could only stammer out this five words.

“大嫂，節哀。”邵謙不知道應當如何安慰，只能乾巴巴的說出四個字。

“Little brother, there is no need to show mercy towards these mountain bandits. Do you know how many human lives are on their hands? The local authorities had appointed their men to encircle and supress them, but as their leader’s excelled in martial arts, the men suffered heavy casualties. Over time, the mountain bandits in this place became all the more aggressive.” The woman shook her head. “My husband and I had taken a roundabout route, but we didn’t expect that their claws had extended to such a length, and that there would also be an ambush lying in wait there.”

“小兄弟，對於這些山匪不必留情，你可知曉這些人手上多少人命？官府派人圍剿過，但他們首領武功高強，數次圍剿都傷亡慘重，久而久之這地方的山匪就越發的囂張。”那女人搖頭道：“我跟我家男人繞道走，沒想到他們爪子伸的長，那裡也會有埋伏。”

Shao Qian had just opened his mouth, intending on speaking, however, he wasn’t able to say anything before he heard the sound of hurried footsteps in the near distance. It was probably those mountain bandits who felt that something wasn’t right and had rushed over.

“You guys, hide, quick!” Shao Qian hastily pulled away those people who were hacking at the mountain bandits’ dead bodies, and got them to hide. Listening to the footsteps, he could tell that the number of bandits wasn’t small. If they were to be entangled in conflict with them, he would find it hard to protect these people.

“你們快些躲起來。”邵謙趕忙將那些砍山匪屍首的人拉開讓他們躲起來。聽着那些山匪的人數不少，等下混戰起來只怕他難以保護這些人。

Fortunately, although those people detested the mountain bandits, they didn’t completely lack a brain. Hearing Shao Qian’s words, they quickly squeezed into a nearby horse shed.

The few people had just hidden away, when the mountain bandits wielded their swords and charged into the small courtyard. Upon seeing the dead bodies on the ground, all of them gazed at Shao Qian with wrathful eyes.

Tightening his grip on the blade in his hand, Shao Qian watched the group of sword-wielding people warily. Their numbers wasn’t small. As the single person against them, he naturally had to be careful— extremely careful— in his reponse.

“Just now, I [4] watched from the side. And Gongzi’s skills had widened my field of vision.” Shao Qian’s expression was dignified, but just as he intended to strike, he heard a voice. Immediately after that, a man, who was dressed in black garments and wore a mask, dropped down not too far away from Shao Qian.

“適才在下一直在旁邊看着，公子身手着實讓在下大開眼界。”正當邵謙神色凝重，打算出手之時聽到一道聲音，緊接着身着黑衣戴着面具的男人落在邵謙不遠處。

“Who are you?” Shao Qian didn’t dare to he careless towards this person who had appeared abruptly. In the original plot, even when he had been killed, there hadn’t been anyone else who came.

“你是何人？”對於這個突然出現的人邵謙不敢大意。原劇情中他被殺也沒介紹到有人前來纔是。

“A nameless person, that’s all.” The masked man’s tone appeared to be smiling. “I watched this Gongzi’s martial art movements. They were agile and graceful, not at all like a man’s…… cough, cough…… may I know which teacher Gongzi studied under?”

“無名之人罷了。”面具男人語氣含笑：“在下觀公子武功路數輕靈優美，不像男子……咳咳……不知公子師承何人？”

The man’s hidden meaning wasn’t said out loud, however, the words he did speak out made Shao Qian’s face be filled with black lines. What’s your intention when you stopped in the middle to have a dry cough?

“What has it got to do with you.” Rigjt now, not only did Shao Qian need to be wary against the bandits equipped with swords, but in an instant, he also had to keep his guard up against this masked man who suddenly appeared.

“與你何干。”邵謙如今不光要警惕那些手持利刃的山匪，還要時刻警戒這突然出現的面具男人。

[1] Jinzhuang [勁裝] – Agile, dexterous clothing that’s neat and tidy. Keeping it as PinYin, cause it’s a mouthful.

[2]Li[裡] – A traditional unit of length, equivalent to 0.5 kilometre or 0.311 mile

[3] Restrain your grief [節哀] – Said when offering condolences

[4] I[在下] – A self-deprecating way of saying ‘I’. The masked man used this throughout his brief appearance in this chapter.

[4]Gongzi[公子] -son of a duke or ranking official; son of a feudal prince or high official

Sleepy: Made a post instead of a page. Sorry to those who received the notification. >~