Chapter 10: The Moxuan Market and an Unexpected Encounter

After a period of adjustment, Hu Junan gradually adapted to his new life; indeed, his foreign identity seemed to pose no barrier whatsoever to the villagers.

Far from being a hindrance, it became a frequent topic of conversation after meals, subtly forging a bond between them.

Driven by a lingering sense of guilt, many villagers from Tianmen Village began to visit, one after another. For several consecutive days, a different face seemed to appear almost daily at their door.

With these frequent exchanges, the once quiet little wooden house grew increasingly lively.

Most of the visitors sought out Wǔ Língfēng to chat about everyday family affairs, while others offered warm greetings to Wǔ Xīyǔ.

Even many children, their eyes wide with curiosity, came to glimpse the foreign guest who had traveled all the way from the distant Donghua Nation.

Although he had adapted to this primitive way of life, for some inexplicable reason, Hu Junan’s sleep quality remained persistently poor.

Whenever slumber eluded him at night, he would quietly peer through the window’s narrow gap, gazing at the celestial bodies suspended in the night sky.

One, two, three, four, five… five luminous moons in total. They seemed to gaze down upon him, as if to declare from their lofty perch: ‘You can forget about going home for now.’

Later, he came to understand the true source of his inner turmoil: integrating into life in this new world was not difficult, but the real challenge lay in fully accepting everything that now lay before him.

***

“Hu Junan, wake up…”

In the early morning, Wǔ Xīyǔ roused a groggy Hu Junan from his sleep. Only after he had fully awakened did he learn that she intended to take him to a place called Moxuan Market Town.

“Where is Moxuan Market Town?”

“Moxuan Market Town is the busiest town in Huangnan Prefecture,” she explained. “It not only boasts over a thousand local residents but also serves as a crucial transportation hub, with routes extending in all directions.

Consequently, merchants from all over pass through to conduct business, and over time, it has become quite lively. Even Emperor Huangxia himself passes through this very spot when inspecting the Southern Border!”

“Mm…”

Still half-asleep, Hu Junan’s eyelids drooped as he gave a groggy nod.

Wǔ Xīyǔ suddenly recalled something, and with an excited flourish, brought over a set of clothes. She carefully handed them to him.

“These are new clothes I made for you,” she said. “Don’t wear Father’s anymore; they’re simply too ugly.”

Hu Junan took the clothes, his heart giving a sudden lurch. He immediately widened his eyes. “You… made them for me?”

“Of course!” Wǔ Xīyǔ flashed a sweet smile.

“Thank you, you went to so much trouble… No one has ever made clothes for me by hand, not since I was little.”

“Don’t girls in your Donghua Nation make clothes?”

“Ah, haha…” Hu Junan scratched the back of his head, an awkward smile spreading across his face. “In our Donghua Nation, clothes are all made by machines. You would rarely find a girl making them purely by hand.”

Wǔ Xīyǔ blinked, then tilted her head, asking, “Who is ‘machine’?”

“Ah, well, a machine is a kind of…” Hu Junan rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “It’s difficult to explain. Just think of a machine as a group of people who specialize in making clothes.”

“Although that sounds very effortless, clothes made by family are still better,” she mused. “After all, every stitch is made with care, making them far more meaningful than mere fabric.”

“Right, meaningful, of course meaningful…” Hu Junan’s face flushed all the way to his earlobes.

At that moment, Wǔ Língfēng’s voice echoed from outside, a distinct note of impatience in his tone. “You two, hurry up!” he called. “The sun is about to break the horizon. If you don’t leave now, I’ll simply go by myself!”

“Coming—!!!”

***

To his utter surprise, their mode of transportation was a cart—yet it wasn’t pulled by a horse. Instead, it was drawn by a creature strikingly similar to a donkey.

Wǔ Língfēng, in his typically cryptic manner, referred to this creature as a [Four-legged Beast of Burden]. While the name sounded rather fantastical, it was, in reality, nothing more than a simple donkey.

Hu Junan and Wǔ Xīyǔ sat facing each other in the donkey cart, chatting and laughing all the way, much like a pair of elementary school students on a spring outing.

Wǔ Língfēng, meanwhile, sat silently at the front of the cart, steadily guiding the donkey forward with an air of practiced ease.

After traveling an unknown distance, the trio arrived at Moxuan Market Town just before the sun reached its zenith.

No sooner had they entered its borders than traveling merchants flowed past like a ceaseless river, and countless hawkers bloomed forth like a vibrant garden in full blossom.

Whether one sought exquisite handicrafts, fresh fruits and vegetables, or even precious silks and pottery, any item imaginable seemed to have a dedicated stall. It was truly like a massive trade exposition.

Wǔ Xīyǔ’s attention was entirely captivated by the colorful and flashy goods on display. “How amazing…” she murmured.

“We’re here.” The donkey cart stopped without warning. Wǔ Língfēng gracefully jumped off and turned to instruct the two behind him.

“I’m going to the leather goods shop to unload the goods,” he announced. As he spoke, he handed a money bag to Wǔ Xīyǔ.

“Xiyu, take this money and look around, buy whatever the family needs. I’ll wait for you at the town entrance before sunset. Remember one thing: Moxuan Market Town is a mixed bag of good and bad people, so whatever you do, don’t stir up trouble.”

“Don’t worry, Father,” Wǔ Xīyǔ took the money bag. “I’ll be very careful and won’t cause you any trouble!”

“Hunan, I’m entrusting her to you for now…”

“Uncle, with me here, you can rest assured. I’ll definitely protect her well!”

Wǔ Língfēng raised an eyebrow. “What I meant was,” he clarified, “if you happen to get into trouble, quickly protect Xiyu and run. Don’t foolishly try to confront others head-on.”

Hu Junan felt somewhat offended, a flicker of irritation sparking within him, but he still nodded. “Alright,” he conceded, “I’ve got it.”

“Remember, be at the town entrance before sunset. Don’t forget.”

After reiterating his instructions several times, Wǔ Língfēng ushered the two off the cart. He then drove away with his goods, departing without a single backward glance.

***

Unexpectedly, the moment he departed, the two became like wild horses unleashed, completely unrestrained. Wǔ Xīyǔ, in particular, seemed to scrutinize almost every single stall before moving on.

After wandering around for some time, they had indeed seen many novel and interesting items, yet not a single coin had been spent.

Inadvertently, Hu Junan’s gaze settled on some spices. A sudden realization struck him, and he turned to Wǔ Xīyǔ, who was meticulously examining cosmetics beside him.

“By the way,” he asked, “what did Uncle ask us to buy? Do you still remember?”

“Hmm…” Wǔ Xīyǔ paused, her brow furrowed in thought. “It should be oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar… things like that, right?”

Evidently, she had completely forgotten Wǔ Língfēng’s instructions, her mind now filled only with a myriad of novel trinkets.

“Should be?” Hu Junan couldn’t help but reveal a worried expression.

“Hmm, Father told me yesterday…” Wǔ Xīyǔ pursed her lips. “I didn’t expect that in my excitement, I’d completely forgotten everything.”

“Otherwise, couldn’t you just recall what he usually bought and copy that?”

“I’ve never been to Moxuan Market Town. Father always came by himself. This time, I had to plead with him repeatedly for him to bring me.”

“Why didn’t he bring you before?”

“Father said he doesn’t like me wandering around in crowded places.”

“Then why did he relent this time…”

“At first, he refused,” she explained. “But then he thought that you could stay by my side and protect me, and that it would be good for me to come out and see the world. So, he finally relented.”

Hearing her words, Hu Junan’s heart swelled with a surge of elation, and his eyes lit up. “Uncle actually trusts me that much!” he exclaimed.

At this moment, Wǔ Xīyǔ leaned close to his ear and whispered,

“He told me privately that he thinks you possess excellent character and a clear sense of right and wrong. He believes you must be a young master trained by a prominent family. Someone like you will surely become a true, upstanding man, and he even thinks it would be perfectly fine if we remained a family in the future.”

“‘Remain a family…'” Hearing these words, Hu Junan jolted as if struck by lightning, his body trembling suddenly. “Isn’t this progress a little too fast?” he stammered.

“Progress?”

“Xiyu, can you accept… us becoming a family?”

“Why wouldn’t I?” Wǔ Xīyǔ proactively took Hu Junan’s hand, causing a sudden surge of heat in his heart and making his face flush instantly.

“I’ve always wished for an older brother to keep me company. If you don’t mind, Xiyu would be happy to be your younger sister.”

The moment she uttered those words, his beautiful fantasy was shattered into a thousand pieces in an instant.

No, “shattered” wasn’t a strong enough word; it was as if his hopes had been thrown into a high-speed blender, utterly pulverized until even their cellular walls were ravaged beyond recognition.

“What a coincidence, I also really wanted a younger sister… Ah, haha—”

“Hehe~ This must be fate.”

Inadvertently, Hu Junan noticed a young master on the opposite side of the street, secretly glancing at Wǔ Xīyǔ.

The young man was impeccably dressed, appearing particularly noble and refined. He held a folding fan, which he swayed gently, exuding an air of effortless elegance.

Hu Junan stared at him, and the young master met his gaze. However, the man seemed to dismiss Hu Junan entirely, a particularly mocking smile playing on his lips.

He swaggered boldly behind Wǔ Xīyǔ, and his next action immediately detonated the powder keg: he used his fan to lift a strand of her beautiful hair, then shamelessly leaned in to sniff it, deliberately displaying an expression of intoxicated pleasure right in front of Hu Junan.

Without a moment’s thought, Hu Junan immediately shoved the man away, pointing at his nose. “Hey, what are you doing?” he demanded. “Are you trying to act like a hooligan?”

“What did I do?” To Hu Junan’s utter surprise, the young master feigned composure, turning the tables to question him instead. “You’re a very strange person,” he scoffed, “pushing me out of nowhere. Are you deliberately looking for trouble?”

“You know very well what you did!”

Wǔ Xīyǔ whispered a reminder, “Hunan, don’t be impulsive. Father told us to avoid trouble…”

The young master, upon seeing Wǔ Xīyǔ’s ethereal beauty, had his eyes widen like eggs, eager to pounce.

“Oh, little beauty, our meeting is surely fated. Why don’t you visit my estate as a guest? This young master will personally select a few fine garments for you, and then escort you home tonight, how about it?”

Wǔ Xīyǔ, seeing him reach out, instinctively recoiled behind Hu Junan like a startled rabbit. “No need to trouble the young master…”

“Take your dirty hands off her!” Hu Junan forcefully slapped the man’s hand away.

“Oh, oh, oh,” the young master shrugged, looking utterly nonchalant, and provocatively fanned himself.

“Can’t even touch her? Is your wife a porcelain doll?” More and more onlookers gathered, forming a circle around them, as if watching a cricket fight.

Hu Junan clenched his fists, a silent warning in his eyes. ‘My patience has its limits,’ he thought.

The young master smirked lightly. “Elders and townsfolk, I, Young Master Lin, have been extorted by this stinking ruffian! Please, judge this matter fairly!”

“The wicked always accuse first! You clearly made the first move to harass the young lady, you despicable hooligan!”

“Oh, oh, oh, you saw me do what I did, and now you’re making baseless accusations? Do you have any proof?”

Hu Junan realized he had encountered an experienced scoundrel. A ball of fire festered in his chest, unable to find an outlet. “You fellow…”

Wǔ Xīyǔ, not wanting the situation to escalate, continuously urged him in a low voice, “Hunan, let’s go. Don’t stoop to his level…”

Lin Shaodong grinned, a thoroughly punchable smile on his face. “You two must be doing this on purpose! This young lady is so exquisitely beautiful, she must be a sister who just came out of Yanhua Pavilion. You two are ganging up to extort this young master’s reputation and money, hahahahahahaha—!!!”

“Yanhua Pavilion?”

“Are you truly ignorant, or merely pretending? You don’t even know the most famous pleasure house in Huangxia? Are you even a man?”

Hu Junan’s anger soared higher and higher. “You—!!!”

“Hunan, he’s doing this on purpose. Don’t fall for his trick.” Saying this, Wǔ Xīyǔ tugged at his arm, pulling him back repeatedly.

“Hey, hey, hey, why are you leaving? Little beauty, trained by Yanhua Pavilion, your husband says I harassed you. Why don’t you tell everyone in detail, how exactly did I harass you?”

Wǔ Xīyǔ’s face flushed crimson, but she ignored him, her head slightly bowed.

“You’re so beautiful, you must have been a top courtesan for at least a few days. You’ve probably been touched by men more than a few times, haven’t you?”

Hu Junan’s face darkened, veins bulging on the back of his hands, and a terrifying glint of savagery flickered in his eyes.

“Alright, considering you worked so hard to buy your freedom, this young master will give you a big earning.

As long as you accompany me for one night, I’ll immediately give you ten ingots of Huang silver! If you serve well, I might even reluctantly take you as a concubine!”

Hu Junan spoke in a low, dangerous tone. “I’ll count to three. I’m giving you one last chance to rephrase your words. This is your final chance… One.”

“Fine, fine, fine, I won’t say it anymore. Just remember to stick a note on her back, and on it, write: ‘Private Courtesan, Strangers Keep Out!'”

“Three!!!”

By the time Hu Junan came to his senses, the arrogant Lin Shaodong had already been knocked to the ground by his punch. The young master seemed not to have expected him to actually strike, staring at him in astonishment, speechless for a long moment.

“Hunan, don’t do this…” Wǔ Xīyǔ’s eyes welled up with tears. “Let’s go quickly!” Alas, it was too late.

“Damn it! How dare you hit this young master! You’ve got some nerve! Guards, guards—!!!”

At Lin Shaodong’s cry, four burly men pushed through the crowd, swinging their fists and assaulting Hu Junan. He was mercilessly beaten like a sandbag, and the scene instantly spiraled out of control.

“Hunan!!!”

“Beat him, beat him! Give this ignorant brat a good thrashing!”

Although Hu Junan possessed excellent physical conditioning, as the saying goes, two fists are no match for four hands.

Against so many opponents, his desperate resistance seemed weak and even somewhat comical.

Often, just as he blocked one punch, another would land, and in less than half a ke of time, he was utterly helpless, his legs giving out as he collapsed to the ground.

Despite the brutal beating, he did not cry out, gritting his teeth and enduring the intense pain that coursed through every part of his body.

“No, stop, please stop…” Wǔ Xīyǔ’s pleas were ignored, so she rushed forward recklessly to stop them, only to be grabbed by the neck by one of the burly men.

Seeing this, Hu Junan fearlessly latched onto the man’s leg, biting down like a mad dog, drawing a mouthful of blood.

“Ah, ah, ah, ah—” The burly man released Wǔ Xīyǔ, forcefully shook off Hu Junan, and limped towards Lin Shaodong. “Young Master, I can’t go on! Does getting injured count for extra pay?”

Lin Shaodong lifted his foot and kicked him. “Four against one and you still get injured? What the hell kind of pay do you expect, you useless piece of trash!”

“Yes, yes, yes, I’m sorry…”

No sooner had he spoken than one burly man pinned Hu Junan underfoot, while another raised his leg and viciously kicked him squarely in the head. This strike was clearly intended to be fatal.

At this critical juncture, a pebble whizzed out from the shadows of an alley, striking the burly man’s knee joint with perfect aim. He was sent tumbling through the air like a washing machine, completely incapacitated.

“Who?!” Lin Shaodong was instantly alarmed to see one of his men incapacitated, subconsciously stepping back a small distance. “Who dares to ambush someone from my Lin Manor? Do you have a death wish?!”

Just then, a flippant voice drifted from the crowd: “Oh, beating a dog in the street, how interesting, how interesting…”