Ouyang Yuqing was utterly stunned. He never in his wildest dreams thought that, with his master's guidance, he could draw the heavy crossbow and even shoot through the main gate of the Xiang Mansion!
This was something he could brag about in the Ouyang family for the rest of his life!
Shangguan Yun smiled innocently, raising his eyebrows in praise. "Not bad. Do it again." With that, he handed three more arrows to Ouyang Yuqing.
Ouyang Yuqing took them happily, drew the bowstring again, and aimed at the main gate of the Xiang Mansion.
He Xiao thought to himself, "Swords and arrows are merciless. I'd better hide first. I don't want to be turned into a sieve by this brat."
Seeing several holes shot through their main gate, the two gatekeepers' faces changed drastically. Pointing at Ouyang Yuqing, they angrily shouted, "What are you doing? Stop right now!"
Hardly had their voices faded when three arrows whizzed past their bodies, creating three more holes in the thick and heavy wooden gate of the Xiang Mansion. The two gatekeepers were so scared that their faces turned pale. They quickly rushed into the mansion through the small side - door reserved for servants to call for help.
Seeing that the main gate still stood firmly despite the many holes, Shangguan Yun handed another three arrows to Ouyang Yuqing and nodded. "Yuqing, although I thought it was a bit late for you to start learning martial arts at your age, I never expected you to be so talented! Look at you. You can aim so accurately on your first try with the bow and arrow. Not a single arrow missed. It seems that the Ouyang family is truly gifted!"
Ouyang Yuqing beamed from ear to ear upon hearing his master's praise and sweet - talked, "It's all because you taught me well, Master!" It was so lucky that he had clung to this thigh early! His master was not only extremely handsome but also highly skilled in martial arts and was willing to teach his disciple personally!
At this moment, Ouyang Yuqing felt like the happiest disciple in the world!
He Xiao thought, "Sure he is! My master, still weak from a serious illness, came here to help you take revenge and even had to praise you against his conscience. How could he not be happy? Look at how poorly he shoots! If it were me, the main gate of the Xiang Mansion would have been shot to pieces and collapsed long ago!"
The butler of the Xiang Mansion rushed out in a hurry upon hearing the commotion. From afar, he bowed respectfully to Ouyang Yuqing and said, "Oh! Young Master Ouyang, what are you doing? Please put down your bow and arrow first. We're all family. Let's talk things over nicely!"
Ouyang Yuqing shook his right hand, which was numb from the shock. He aimed an arrow at the butler and snorted, "Tell your master to come out and see me! Otherwise, don't blame me for tearing down the main gate of your Xiang Mansion!"
He Xiao thought, "Oh, this kid is quite good at borrowing power!"
The butler of the Xiang Mansion sighed anxiously. "Young Master Ouyang, please don't make things difficult for us. Our master hasn't returned to the mansion yet..."
Ouyang Yuqing didn't bother to listen to his nonsense. He shot the three arrows in his hand in quick succession. They flew past the butler's face, creating three more holes in the dilapidated main gate of the Xiang Mansion. The butler was so frightened that his face turned pale.
Ouyang Yuqing snorted, "I don't care where your master is. If he doesn't come out and give me an explanation, don't blame me for being ruthless and leveling your Xiang Mansion!"
The commotion at the Xiang Mansion soon alerted the nearby villagers who hadn't gone to bed yet. They all gathered around to see what was going on. Seeing that Ouyang Yuqing's attitude was firm and there was no room for negotiation, the butler had no choice but to scurry into the mansion to call his master.
Shangguan Yun whispered in surprise, "Yuqing! Where on earth did you learn this... aura of dominance?" He never thought this kid could be so arrogant!
Ouyang Yuqing replied matter - of - factly, "Of course, I learned it from you, Master!"
Shangguan Yun was speechless for a moment. "I seem to have told you that one should be more reserved and not be overbearing with one's skills, right?"
Ouyang Yuqing nodded. "That's true, but I didn't see you being reserved when you beat Prefect Nie to a pulp!"
Shangguan Yun: …
Soon, the main gate of the Xiang Mansion, which had been shot full of holes, creaked open. A round and chubby middle - aged man with an angry face stepped out. Looking up and seeing a crowd of villagers gathered at the gate, Master Xiang suppressed his anger and shouted, "Which young upstart is causing trouble here?" Along with Master Xiang came a dozen or so servants holding torches, who tightly protected their master behind them.
Ouyang Yuqing stepped forward and shouted, "Oh? Is this Master Xiang? I thought you were hiding at home and too scared to come out! Technically, I, Ouyang Yuqing, should address you as uncle - in - law. But your actions don't deserve this title from me!"
Master Xiang's face turned green with anger. He waved his sleeve and scolded, "You impudent brat! I've refrained from having you driven away because you're a junior of the Ouyang family, and yet you're causing a ruckus here?"
The onlookers watched the show with great interest and sized up Ouyang Yuqing from head to toe.
Under everyone's gaze, Ouyang Yuqing was not the least bit afraid. He stepped forward, pointed at Master Xiang's nose, and angrily scolded, "I'm here today on behalf of my aunt, Ouyang, the mistress of the Xiang family, to seek justice! My aunt, Ouyang, traveled a long way to marry into your Xiang family sixteen years ago! She gave birth to your children, managed your business, and took care of the Xiang family. But what about you! You've been philandering and gambling! In recent years, the Xiang family has been using silver every month to fill your ever - increasing gambling debts, and still can't pay them off!"
Seeing the onlookers in an uproar, Master Xiang was furious and shouted stubbornly, "Presumptuous! You're spitting lies! When did I ever gamble?" Master Xiang always went out at night, and his servants kept their mouths shut, so the neighbors naturally had no idea.
He Xiao walked out of the crowd, took out a ledger from his clothes, waved it in front of Master Xiang, and raised his eyebrows. "Master Xiang, take a look. Is this your family's ledger?"
Master Xiang and the butler took a closer look and instantly turned green with anger. With the big seal of the Xiang Mansion on it, could it be fake?
He Xiao flipped open the ledger under the light of the torches held by the servants of the Xiang Mansion and read one by one, "In October, 32,000 taels of silver were repaid for the master's gambling debts; in December, 29,000 taels; in January, a full 40,000 taels! Well, the losses are quite specific."
Just as the servants of the Xiang Mansion were about to rush forward to snatch back their ledger, He Xiao dodged and quickly disappeared into the crowd. The onlookers immediately started whispering and discussing. They never thought that Master Xiang would lose so much money gambling every month! The Xiang family was really wealthy!
Master Xiang's face turned red and then white. He wished he could find someone to beat these trouble - makers to death.
Ouyang Yuqing refused to let it go and snorted, "Now that you see the Xiang Mansion is in debt and can't pay back the silver, you've set your sights on my aunt's dowry of gold and silver jewelry! Poor aunt, who worked hard all her life, wanted to leave some property for her children and refused to take out her dowry to pay off your gambling debts. You flew into a rage and beat her up!"
"What?" The on - looking villagers were stunned upon hearing this.