Chapter 2, A Sudden Calamity

At that moment, an arrow pierced through the body of the man in black, causing him to fall, yet he did not die; his eyes remained fixed on Yu Wenfeng

The blade came down, but it was not as clean and swift as I had seen on television in my previous life. It felt more like striking a piece of half-wet wood, and instead, my hands were jolted with pain. Yet, blood gushed out. Due to Yu Wenfeng's still ten-year-old body, he was not very tall, and his face was splattered with blood

At this moment, the screams from outside had not yet ceased, but they were significantly fewer than before. Yu Wenfeng carefully took out a dagger and exited the carriage, then directly lay down on the ground, his eyes scanning the surroundings.

At that moment, the faint voice of the old steward could be heard, intermittently saying, "Young Master... get in the carriage..." Then came the sound of "Departure," and the carriage began to move. Yu Wenfeng felt that the carriage was not moving very fast; it was relatively quiet at first. After about ten minutes, a cacophony of noise rushed towards him. Yu Wenfeng pulled open the curtain that covered the window and saw many people—indeed, many people—crossing over, more than he had ever seen before.

Originally, Yu Wenfeng did not want to go, but upon reflection, he realized that he had already been in this courtyard, in this home, for ten years without ever stepping outside. This time presented an opportunity to venture out and experience the world beyond. Thus, he readily agreed. The old steward was under the impression that this young master would harbor resentment towards Yu Wenji. Although the young master was still in his youth, having grown up in a large family, he had long since become quite astute.

Yuwen Feng did not wait long before he heard footsteps, and what came into view was the old butler. Yuwen Feng thought to himself: this old man, I don't know what offense I have committed against him, as he doesn't even want to see me. In fact, this is for the best; if I were to see him, I certainly would not be able to utter the word 'father'.

The old steward spoke: "The young master has already boarded the carriage." "Hmm, then let's set off." His indifferent demeanor suggested that the person who had boarded was a stranger, as if it had nothing to do with him. "Alright." After saying this, he once again emerged from the carriage and gave the command to depart. Thus, the somewhat large convoy, consisting of two carriages along with the guards in front and behind, began to move.

Today he is wearing the legendary formal attire, which feels particularly awkward. It is not that his cheap father has changed his attitude towards him, but rather that last night, the old housekeeper brought a message saying that today the master, namely Yu Wenji, would take him out to visit a distinguished guest, so he was asked to get ready early

Yu Wenfeng saw the man in black fall down, and he was drenched in cold sweat, as if a century had passed. He then noticed that the man in black was not yet dead; his eyes were fixed on him, sharp and terrifying. Moreover, the hand holding the knife was still trembling, and the man was continuously trying to rise, as if he wanted to drag someone down to hell before dying.

At this moment, there was no time to think about it. With a swift motion, she used a knife to cut open the gown she was wearing, then tore it apart, thinking to herself: it would be easier to run later this way. Little did she know how far a ten-year-old child could run.

The two fathers and sons, sitting in different carriages with their eyes closed in rest, surely do not know that many people are already waiting for them ahead

There are street vendors calling out, people walking with their heads down, haggling over prices, and waiters and booksellers trying to attract customers. The cacophony of various sounds is overwhelming, yet it brings a sense of familiarity to Yu Wenfeng. Having lived in a big city in his previous life, he is accustomed to a lively and noisy environment. Now, spending each day in a small courtyard with only a few people to see, he sometimes feels truly lonely. Speaking of which, after the old steward got into the car, he looked at Yu Wenji sitting opposite him, and Yu Wenji, who had his eyes closed, opened them.

"Fu Bo, why did that person choose to meet outside the city and insist that I bring him along?" "Well, I don't know, but just the fact that he returned and only invited the master, while emphasizing that the young master should come, must indicate some deeper meaning. As for what that meaning is, we will know when we arrive at the place," Fu Bo said. "Hmm," Yu Wenji murmured softly, then kept his eyes closed, lost in thought.

At that moment, Yu Wenfeng thought of the carriage. Just as he took a step, he noticed a dagger at the waist of the man in black. Consequently, he forcefully threw aside the unusually heavy sword, took the dagger, and intended to dismount from the carriage

Therefore, it is believed that the young master will definitely not agree, and he might even throw a tantrum. After all, in his eyes, Yuwen Feng is merely a ten-year-old child. No matter how precocious he may be, he is still a child. Although there have been some rumors suggesting that the young master is somewhat different, he remains a child nonetheless. Upon seeing him agree, he then left.

The old steward got into the carriage for the second time, settled down, and after a moment of silence, spoke up: "Master, the young master is already ten years old. This year should be the age for him to attend the clan school, yet you have said that the young master is in poor health and needs to recuperate, thus postponing it. But what will happen after the New Year?" Yu Wenji, who had originally maintained a calm expression, began to change; his brows furrowed tighter and tighter. After a while, he said: "Let's wait until after the New Year, and then we will decide."

Especially in the Great Qin, just like in later generations, celebrating the New Year was essential. Gathering the entire family for a meal at the end of the year had become a tradition that has been passed down for thousands of years. However, due to Yu Wenji's dislike for Yu Wenfeng, he always used the excuse of Yu Wenfeng's poor health to prevent him from attending the annual gathering, which naturally left Yu Wenfeng with plenty of leisure time.

Just moments ago, it was bustling with noise. Shortly after leaving the city gates, the desolation of winter became unmistakably apparent. The grass and flowers along the road had withered, and even the trees had lost much of their greenery, causing a pang in Yu Wenfeng's heart. The sense of loneliness surged forth, and thus Yu Wenfeng lost interest, closed the curtains, and began to rest his eyes, starting to recuperate his spirit

Only many corpses could be seen on the ground, some in all black clothing, and some belonging to their own family. Looking up ahead, it was noticed that there were not many in all black clothing left, only four, and they were surrounded next to the first carriage. At this moment, their stepfather was fiercely fighting with two men in black clothing.

The old steward murmured softly, yet in his heart he thought: The master still cannot let go of the events from back then. Although it is merely a rumor, for some reason the master took it to heart, which has caused suffering for the young master. The master is even unwilling to share a carriage with him, which shows just how profoundly the events of that year have affected him

Everyone in the large family is quite astute. For a year, things were still normal, but after a series of such actions, everyone has already understood. No one would mention his son in front of Yu Wenji, except for Yu Wen'ao, who occasionally inquires about him at the annual meeting.

After a short while, the horse-drawn carriage began to pick up speed. Fortunately, the road was in good condition, and Yu Wenfeng, sitting in the carriage, did not feel much of a jolt.

Yuwen Feng thought to himself: Damn it, if you don't die, I will. At that moment, he felt an unknown surge of courage, stood up, and snatched the knife from the hands of the man in black. After all, his body was still that of a ten-year-old child, and he found the knife quite heavy. However, he couldn't afford to think about that now; gripping the knife with both hands, he swung it towards the neck of the man in black.

In summary, it is filled with the essence of the New Year, which is not much different from the New Year celebrations of later generations

The somewhat large convoy was moving slowly, and the scene in Yu Wenfeng's eyes kept changing. Suddenly, it came to a halt. Yu Wenfeng peeked out and saw that they had arrived at the city gate. At the front of the convoy, a mounted individual approached a young officer guarding the gate to negotiate. After a short while, the convoy began to move slowly again, and the scene before his eyes changed once more

Under the guidance of the old steward, Yu Wenfeng boarded the second carriage. After the old steward exited, he began to carefully observe his surroundings. There were two small windows on either side, covered with curtains. The interior of the carriage was not luxuriously decorated, yet it was not simple either; it reflected the profound heritage of a prominent family, something that a nouveau riche could not possess. However, Yu Wenfeng, at this moment, could not discern these details; he merely found it novel, as he had never ridden in a carriage in his previous life.

On this day, Yu Wenfeng rose early. After having his servants tidy up, he sat in the courtyard waiting. He was waiting for his inexpensive father, Yu Wenji.

Then, following the old steward, they turned left and right for about half an hour, finally exiting the Yu Wen family's main gate. For the past ten years, Yu Wen Feng had not left his small courtyard, partly due to his young age, and partly because Yu Wen Ji did not favor this son. Everyone knew this, and no one had the courage to take him out. Upon exiting the Yu Wen family's gate with the old steward, they saw two carriages outside, with many guards on horseback both in front and behind, making the entire procession appear quite grand.

After leaving the city gate and walking for about 1 hour, the carriage suddenly came to a stop. Yu Wenfeng, due to inertia, fell directly from his seat. Then, he heard the sounds of weapons clashing and the screams of people, but could not discern which side they came from

At this moment, Yu Wenfeng could no longer hold on. He had just walked in front of the King of Hell, drenched in cold sweat, and in addition to the chilling wind from the carriage, he had also killed someone for the first time in his life, leaving him in a state of constant tension. However, upon seeing that the man in black had been surrounded and the situation was under control, he finally relaxed, only to feel an overwhelming fatigue; his eyelids felt as heavy as mountains, and he fainted immediately.

At that moment, the carriage was opened, and Yu Wenfeng saw a masked man wielding a knife. Upon seeing Yu Wenfeng, the man swung the knife down at him. Yu Wenfeng was completely unprepared; even though his soul was now 30 years old, he had never experienced such a dangerous situation. In his heart, he could only think in despair: Am I really going to die like this?

At the end of the year 1540 in the Divine Calendar, a festive atmosphere permeated the Yu Wen family, with everything newly adorned. The children in the household were exceptionally joyful, as the New Year celebrations were particularly lively. The servants were also in high spirits, anticipating generous bonuses for the New Year, and the household would provide new clothes for them, marking a rewarding end to a year of hard work