Unsheathed

The young boy wanted to speak up for Chen Ping'an, but his grandfather grabbed onto his arm before giving him a vicious glare.

The boy shuddered in fear, having never seen such a cruel expression from his grandfather before.

The old man with the Sui surname then hurriedly turned his gaze to Chen Ping'an. To his relief, Chen Ping'an displayed no intention of borrowing money from him. Otherwise, he would have to loudly denounce Chen Ping'an in order to make it clear that there were no ties between them. That would be rather unbecoming of a scholar like him, and it would also tarnish the kind and benevolent image that his two grandchildren had of him.

Yang Yuan waved a hand as he chuckled, "Let him go. We've had our fun. He has a bit of backbone about him, unlike some scholars who are desperately trying to remain uninvolved out of self-interest. I thought scholars were supposed to be righteous and noble people, but I daresay that if he had a sword and his grandchildren weren't with him, he would kill the young scholar himself just to prove that there's no association between them."

The man who had bumped into Chen Ping'an initially was rather disappointed by this outcome, and he lifted a foot, preparing to deliver a kick, but Chen Ping'an hurriedly scrambled to his feet and fled for his life before the kick could land, sending mud splattering all directions.

The old man with the Sui surname remained completely unfazed, but his grandson was blushing out of shame, understanding the implied insult from Yang Yuan.

The woman in the veiled hat noticed that Chen Ping'an had stopped in his tracks at the end of the small path. Surely her eyes were playing tricks on her because she could swear that he flashed her a smile before calmly departing.

Over at the entrance of the pergola, Yang Yuan pointed at the young man with the sword on his back, then turned to the woman in the veiled hat as he said, "This is my disciple, and he's still yet to marry. You've concealed your appearance under a veiled hat, but it's fine. My disciple is not so shallow as to judge a book by its cover. Seeing as fate has brought us all here, why don't we all bear witness to a marriage between you two?

“That's your father over there, right? Rest assured, old man, I may just be a wandering martial artist, but I've accumulated quite a bit of wealth over the years, so you can expect a handsome betrothal gift from me. If you don't believe me, then ask that personal guard of yours. I'm sure he's already recognized me."

A furious look appeared on the old man's face.

An awkward look appeared on Hu Xinfeng's face, and he said to the old man, "This is Senior Yang Yuan, known as the Turbid River Flood Dragon in the martial arts world. He's a renowned martial arts master of the Golden Gate Nation."

"Turbid River Flood Dragon Yang Yuan? Wasn't he killed by Magnificent Sect Leader Lin Shu?" the young boy asked in a quiet voice.