A crisp sound echoed, but it didn't attract much attention.
Apart from Xiaosuo and the Shop Assistant, only Wang Zhengwu, who was always alert to his surroundings, noticed it.
He tilted his head to look and was slightly stunned.
The Shop Assistant was holding a short blade, aiming it at Xiaosuo's heart.
It pierced through the clothing but didn't draw blood.
Xiaosuo looked at the Shop Assistant attacking him, feeling both surprised and disappointed.
The Shop Assistant, seeing that Xiaosuo wasn't hurt, felt both disappointed and surprised.
Missing his first strike, the Shop Assistant attempted again, swinging the blade towards Xiaosuo's neck, but was restrained by Wang Zhengwu, who leapt forward.
Xiaosuo stepped back several paces, looking at the hole in his chest area, feeling somewhat fortunate.
Perhaps having met the King of Hell once and becoming familiar, the King of Hell didn't take him this time.
Xiaosuo took off his coat, revealing a piece of slightly rusted fragmented armor underneath.
"Master Wang, this armor looks thin, but it works well. You've saved my life again, and I don't know if I'll ever have the chance to repay you."
"Young Master, you're too kind. This armor is indeed old, and I haven't used it in ages. If you hadn't mentioned it last night, I wouldn't have remembered it was at the bottom of the chest. You borrowed it last night to have a safeguard when visiting the Zhu Clan, but didn't expect to use it so soon."
At this moment, Zhu Sangao also stood protectively by Xiaosuo's side, but he remained silent.
Failing to notice the Shop Assistant's move in time, Zhu Sangao felt deeply ashamed.
If it weren't for Wang Zhengwu's quick reaction, the Shop Assistant could have stabbed two more times, and whether Xiaosuo could still be standing here whole would be uncertain.
As a guard and steward, making such a grave mistake that nearly cost the master's life, Zhu Sangao couldn't forgive himself.
Zhu Liucai wouldn't make such a mistake, Zhu Wude wouldn't make such a mistake, Zhu Simuo wouldn't make such a mistake either.
Only he, Zhu Sangao, could make such a mistake.
It seems that after all these years, he's still just Zhu Sangao, not because he offended the Second Madam with a single remark.
That's just an excuse; ultimately, it's because the sharp-eyed Liu saw that he wasn't of great use and refused to employ him heavily.
Xiaosuo looked at the Shop Assistant with a complex expression and said:
"We've known each other for five or six years. We may not be as close as brothers, but at least we're friends. Tell me why you did it."
The Shop Assistant didn't answer.
Zhu Sangao then swung the blade flat, striking the Shop Assistant's left arm.
With a crisp "crack," the Shop Assistant immediately cried out in pain.
His left arm dangled like a noodle, clearly broken.
After breaking the Shop Assistant's arm, Zhu Sangao returned to Xiaosuo's side.
Xiaosuo glanced at Zhu Sangao, knowing he hated the Shop Assistant deeply, and sighed.
"Speak."
The Shop Assistant had no choice but to endure the pain and said:
"Because of your foolish kindness! You treat all our lives as a joke for your own sense of righteousness! I didn't ask you to force the Old Monk to death, just to ask a few more questions, and you refused!"
Wang Zhengwu shook his head upon hearing this, while Zhu Sangao squinted at the Shop Assistant.
Xiaosuo said:
"Your reason is insufficient. Killing me would leave you without a contender for the Vein Opening Pill. Once the Zhu Clan matter is settled, you'll face retribution and certain death."
The Shop Assistant was at a loss for words, his gaze evasive.
Xiaosuo took two more steps forward, looking at the Buddha statue with a closed-eye smile, and said:
"I originally thought keeping you at the Braised Chicken Feet Shop without seeing the world might only let you grow physically but not mentally. I even planned to take you out to learn about the ways of the world after opening a branch.
Now it seems, every peck and sip is predestined. If I had taken you out early to see the world and temper your mind, you might not have lost your composure now, revealing your intentions prematurely, and instead would have chosen the most critical moment to stab me. At that time, I wouldn't have been able to dodge."
Xiaosuo chuckled lightly:
"Your surname is Zhu too, right?"
Wang Zhengwu and Zhu Sangao immediately understood the implication and stared at the Shop Assistant.
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The Shop Assistant gritted his teeth and admitted:
"That's right! My surname is Zhu! I'm eligible to compete for the Vein Opening Pill! Xiaosuo is just an imposter! Why don't you let me go and capture him! If I succeed, I'll ensure you wealth and prosperity!"
Wang Zhengwu couldn't be bothered to look at him, while Zhu Sangao glanced at the Shop Assistant with a hint of ridicule.
"Oh, how do you prove your surname is Zhu?"
"Old Huang is my grandfather! I'm the child of his second daughter, my full name is Zhu Yuanli!"
"How did you escape?"
"My grandfather realized there was something wrong with the Zhu Clan long ago. My mother swapped me out just days after I was born!"
"All the involved parties are dead, so there's no one to prove this?"
"Before obtaining the Vein Opening Pill, a bloodline verification is required, which is well-known. I can't fake it! If I can't get the Vein Opening Pill, why would I kill you?"
Xiaosuo nodded.
"That makes sense, but even if you're real, it doesn't mean I'm fake, does it?"
"You are fake! My grandfather said the swapping story was made up! It was just to make you a scapegoat to protect me!"
"If you hadn't tried to kill me just now and instead told this story directly in front of Zhu Sangao and Wang Zhengwu, they might have believed you. But since you tried to kill me, it's clear you wanted to reduce competition. How could I be fake?"
"I..."
"If you hadn't drawn your blade, or if you had delayed, I would have been in trouble. But you abandoned a sure-win strategy for a risky move. However, if I hadn't borrowed the armor last night, you might have succeeded."
The Shop Assistant's face turned pale and then flushed as Xiaosuo spoke, and he said:
"Even if you're real, I'm real too! We're both real, there's no difference! Wang Zhengwu, Zhu Sangao, I don't ask you to follow me, but if you let me go, I'll repay you once I get the Vein Opening Pill!"
Wang Zhengwu looked at him with some pity, while Zhu Sangao had a slight sneer.
Xiaosuo waved his hand:
"After all, we've known each other for a while, give him a quick end."
Zhu Sangao asked:
"Young Master, shouldn't we interrogate him about the Vein Opening Pill? What if he knows some secrets?"
Hearing Xiaosuo wanted to kill him, and seeing Zhu Sangao and Wang Zhengwu had no intention of helping him, the Shop Assistant quickly said:
"Yes, yes, I know a lot! My grandfather knew many people in the Zhu Clan!"
Xiaosuo was indifferent:
"He's been by my side, only relying on Old Huang to understand the Vein Opening Pill. Old Huang never even entered the Zhu Clan, at most he knew some lackeys, what secrets could he know? Or do you think he knows something you don't?"
Indeed, if such a peripheral old man knew more than someone who had worked in the Zhu Clan for over twenty years, then he had wasted his time.
"Xiaosuo, you can't kill me! My grandfather did you a favor, and I helped you run the business for two and a half years, you can't be ungrateful!"
Xiaosuo had plenty of justifiable reasons, but he didn't explain a word, just quietly watched the Shop Assistant struggle.
Arguing with the dead, what's the point? Let the King of Hell judge?
Xiaosuo's silence made the Shop Assistant mistakenly think he was ashamed, seeing a glimmer of hope.
In his view, Xiaosuo had always been a respectable person.
To Wang Zhengwu, to the Old Monk, and especially to himself.
According to what Old Huang told him, respectable people couldn't bear criticism.
So he continued to attack Xiaosuo from a moral high ground.
Using terms like "brotherly bond" and "half-brothers," he criticized Xiaosuo from every angle of righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trust.
But he hadn't fully grasped Old Huang's teachings.
Respectable people and vain people are two different species.
The specific difference is that vain people always care about face and can't bear criticism; respectable people care about face depending on the situation, and in the face of interests, face usually takes a back seat.
And the dead can't generate interests.
Facing the endless verbal assault, Xiaosuo simply responded:
"I originally wanted to give you a chance to leave some last words, but it seems unnecessary."
Before the Shop Assistant could react, Zhu Sangao twisted his neck.
The Shop Assistant's throat gurgled, but he couldn't speak, his eyes full of confusion:
Aren't you a respectable person?
Seeing the Shop Assistant had stopped breathing, Wang Zhengwu released his hold, allowing Zhu Sangao to drag the body away.
Noticing Wang Zhengwu hadn't left, Xiaosuo knew he had something to say.
"You still want to ask about the Master, right?"
Wang Zhengwu nodded.
"My whole family's lives depend on this, I can't rest easy without knowing. It's laughable, I've been through ups and downs for decades, yet my mindset isn't as calm as the young master's."
Xiaosuo didn't explain much, only said:
"Everyone has their fate."
The conversation was at an end, and Xiaosuo knew he couldn't stop him.
Wang Zhengwu clasped his fists towards Xiaosuo, then turned to search for the Old Monk in the temple's backyard.
At this moment, a Young Monk walked out of the temple.
The Young Monk was wiping his tears, trying hard not to cry, and sobbed as he asked:
"Who... who is Benefactor Zhu?"
Xiaosuo looked around, realizing all his subordinates were or had been from the Zhu family, and smiled:
"That might be me."
The Young Monk put his hands together and bowed to Xiaosuo.
"My master has passed away, and he asked me to give this note to the benefactor..."
"Passed away?!"
Xiaosuo picked up the note, realizing it was written in blood, the stain not yet dry.
"Old sins unpaid, new sins added. The Old Monk, ashamed of his life in Buddhism, goes to hell for punishment first. If the benefactor achieves his wish, please take care of my young disciple."
Seeing the note's content, Wang Zhengwu knew the Old Monk must have overheard their earlier argument.
The Old Monk wanted to protect the temple's disciples and avoid further trouble, so he took his own life.
Even at over fifty, Wang Zhengwu felt his face flush with shame.
Xiaosuo also felt guilty.
He thought if he hadn't stayed at the Empty Form Temple, the Old Monk wouldn't have died, and he sighed inwardly:
"I didn't kill Boren, but Boren died because of me."
Looking down at the still sobbing Young Monk, he patted the monk's round head.
"Little Master, what's your name?"
"Jieku. Wah..."