Chapter 358: A Strange Smell

Chapter 358: Chapter 358: A Strange Smell

The young boy flew into a rage and, without another word, swung his horsewhip at Ji Huan.

Ji Huan had no time to dodge. Fearing the whip’s tail would strike Dabao, she ignored her own safety, braced herself, and shot out a hand to grab it.

The whip was swung with vicious force. The instant Ji Huan caught it, her entire arm went numb.

Fortunately, the boy was young and had lived a pampered life, so his strength was limited. Otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

Enduring the pain, Ji Huan demanded, "Whose child are you? Galloping through the streets and hurting people in public—who taught you such manners? Where are your parents?"

The boy was already fuming that he hadn’t landed the blow. He tried to yank the horsewhip back, but Ji Huan gripped it with both hands and refused to let go.

The boy sputtered in a rage, "It’s none of your business! Let go! Or else, I’ll..."

"Young Master! Young Master!" came several shouts from the edge of the crowd.

Ji Huan’s attention wavered for a second, allowing the boy to snatch the horsewhip back. Furious, he raised it to strike again, only for someone else to grab it.

This time, it wasn’t that vicious woman, but a man who, even standing, was taller than the boy on his horse.

Ji Huan was surprised to see Guan Shan had rushed over.

Guan Shan’s gaze fell on Ji Huan’s red, swollen right hand. His eyes hardened. He snatched the horsewhip, threw it to the ground, and then grabbed the boy by the back of his collar, lifting him clean off his horse.

The boy was stunned for a moment. When he came to his senses, he completely lost it.

"Where did this peasant come from?! Let go of me! You’ll regret this if you don’t! Let go!"

He kicked his legs wildly but couldn’t touch the ground. He threw punches at Guan Shan, but with Guan Shan’s long arms, he couldn’t even get close.

Having never suffered such a humiliating insult, the boy just screamed incoherently.

Four men dressed as attendants finally pushed their way through the crowd. Seeing the situation, they began shouting at Guan Shan.

"Who are you, you insolent peasants? Put our young master down this instant! If even a single hair on his head is harmed, can you afford the consequences? Do you have any idea who we are?"

Ji Huan stepped forward to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Guan Shan and pointed at the chaotic street.

"Go on, I’d love to hear. I’m also curious to know if this whole city of Yeyang belongs to your family. Does the government office exist just for your convenience? Or perhaps the laws of our Great Zhou simply don’t apply to you!"

The attendants exchanged glances and swallowed hard. ’Those are some heavy accusations.’

Although County Magistrate Pan would show some deference to their Old Master Wan, their young master had started the trouble. If this really escalated to the county government, the magistrate wouldn’t bend the rules for them.

Otherwise, the steward wouldn’t have to follow the young master around all day cleaning up his messes. And how did he clean them up? By throwing money at the problem, of course.

’Better to just let it go,’ they thought. ’The young master isn’t hurt, so it’s best to de-escalate the situation.’

"Y-you let our young master go! We’ll be the bigger people and..."

With Guan Shan there, Ji Huan didn’t actually want to take this to the government office. Besides, even though Guan Shan was holding the boy with his left hand, she was still a little worried for him.

Seeing Ji Huan’s signal, Guan Shan paused for a moment before letting go.

But the boy refused to let the matter drop. Like a defeated rooster that had just spotted its backup, he puffed out his chest, ready for another round.

However, the servants didn’t dare join in his troublemaking. They would be punished when they got back!

So they swarmed him, some pulling, some holding, and all of them trying to talk him down.

The boy wouldn’t listen. Cursing them as "worthless slaves," he wrenched an arm free and began whipping them indiscriminately.

"Young Master... Young Master..." A personal attendant, having followed the commotion, hurried over. Panting, he whispered in the boy’s ear, "Have you forgotten what Old Master Wan said? If you cause any more trouble, he’ll send you to your second grand-uncle in the South. It’s a long, arduous journey. It’ll be even harder for you to get back to the Capital City then!"

It had to be said, that did the trick.

The thought of not being able to return to the Capital City agitated the boy, and he lost all will to fight. He used a servant’s back as a mounting block to get on his horse, shooting one last, vicious glare at Ji Huan and Guan Shan before he left.

"Let’s go! We’re leaving! I’m never coming to this part of town again! This dump, Yeyang... even the Horse Market is a wreck. There isn’t a single decent horse. How boring!"

The boy galloped away, leaving his attendants to chase after him breathlessly.

After a moment of stunned silence, the crowd erupted in cheers. The Little Demon Star had just said he was never coming to this area again!

Dabao stared after the departing boy, his little face dark.

Guan Shan turned back. His wide palm cupped the crook of Ji Huan’s right elbow and pressed gently. Ji Huan hissed in pain. The skin on her elbow was definitely broken.

Seeing her red, swollen hand, Guan Shan’s expression grew grim.

With both of them looking so grim, Ji Huan could only put on a brave face and try to laugh it off. "It’s nothing a little medicine and a good rub won’t fix. Besides, we were just about to head to Yide Hall anyway..."

Wasn’t Ji Huan angry? Of course she was.

She also wanted to beat that naughty boy until he was on his knees, begging her for mercy.

However, this was Yeyang. She knew her opponent had a powerful background, so she had to be careful with her words and actions. If things escalated, it would be like an egg hitting a stone—a losing battle.

Besides, with Guan Shan in tow, it was best to avoid trouble.

The owner of the pastry shop came out with a broom to sweep the crumbs from his doorway.

"Young lady, what a waste of your money today. Why don’t you try going to the Wan Mansion? Maybe you can get compensated for your loss, just like the other street vendors."

"The Wan Mansion?" The only great house in Yeyang that Ji Huan knew anything about was the Bai Mansion; she had never heard of the Wan Mansion.

The shop owner explained.

"Speaking of the Wan Mansion, they’re what you’d call a true family of scholar-officials. Old Master Wan was a high-ranking Capital Official during the previous dynasty. When he got older, he retired and returned home to us here in Yeyang. The Bai Family and the Jin family may be rich and powerful rivals, but when it comes to true prestige, they can’t hold a candle to the Wan Family."

"So that boy just now was from the Wan Mansion..." She remembered the attendants calling him "Young Master."

The owner nodded. "That’s Old Master Wan’s maternal grandson. Old Master Wan has four sons and two daughters. His eldest daughter married into the Uncle Chengyi’s mansion in the Capital City; she’s the mistress of the Uncle Mansion. The second daughter also married well, to Academic Administrator Fang."

’Academic Administrator Fang, isn’t that...’

Ji Huan pulled her thoughts back to the present. ’So he’s from the Capital City,’ she thought. ’No wonder he was so quick to call people ’peasants’ and this place a ’dump’.’

Guan Shan suddenly spoke. "We’re going to Yide Hall."

’He’s telling me to stop asking questions and get my injuries treated first.’

The reminder was unwelcome; her injuries began to throb with a burning pain again.

"Shopkeeper, could you give me another order of the same pastries..."

After buying a new batch of pastries, which Guan Shan carried, the three of them left the shop.

Only then did it occur to Ji Huan to ask, "What about the horse?"

Her heart sank. ’It couldn’t have died already, could it?’

Guan Shan seemed to have guessed her thoughts and was momentarily speechless.

He walked a few steps before saying, "The horse is at the cartwright’s shop. I saw the commotion over here and..."

’So he rushed right over because he was worried about me and Dabao?’

A warmth spread through Ji Huan’s chest. She wanted to thank him but felt it would be too formal between them.

"Then... should we go back and get..."

Guan Shan stressed, "Yide Hall first."

Ji Huan considered it. ’That works,’ she thought. ’I haven’t paid for the cart yet, so the owner won’t back out of the deal, and no one is likely to mess with the horse.’

Xin Ziqi had told her that Yide Hall was in the center of the city. It was still some distance away, and they would have to walk for a while to get there.

As they reached the end of the street and were about to turn the corner, Ji Huan suddenly stopped in her tracks.

Guan Shan and Dabao stopped as well.

Not daring to touch her injured hand, Dabao tugged on the hem of her sleeve, his face etched with worry as he looked up at her.

Guan Shan frowned, walked in front of her, and bent down, resting his hands on his knees.

Ji Huan froze for a second before realizing he was offering to carry her.

She quickly waved her hands. "I hurt my hand and arm, not my legs. Besides, it’s not that serious. You don’t need to carry me. I just smelled something. Did you smell it too?"

Guan Shan grunted. "Someone must have spilled some vinegar."

Ji Huan snapped her fingers. "Vinegar, that’s it!"

And this wasn’t just any vinegar. The sour aroma was much purer than the one from the shop back in town!