Chapter 24: Frightened

Wen Tian bit his lip, slowly loosening the death grip of his hand inside his sleeve. He shook his head slightly at Chu Xiangtian.

But in truth, he was terrified.

It was just like his past life. Back then, the entire Wen family had already fallen under Wen Boli’s control. Servants who refused to obey were either sold off or dismissed.

With no one to rely on, his mother had been forced to press her handprint onto the divorce papers. That day, too, soldiers surrounded them.

They weren’t even allowed to pack a single piece of clothing before they were driven out of the home that was once rightfully theirs.

So when the soldiers encircled them now, Wen Tian’s first instinct was to believe history was about to repeat itself.

His fingernails dug deep into his palm as he struggled to hold his composure and face them head-on—because he knew he couldn’t back down.

Then Chu Xiangtian appeared, like a gust of fresh air breaking into a suffocating room. Wen Tian took a deep breath, and even his wildly thudding heart felt a little steadier.

Maybe it was the way Chu Xiangtian kicked down two soldiers in one swift, ruthless motion—so fierce and decisive, despite being alone. It gave Wen Tian the faintest glimmer of relief.

Of course Chu Xiangtian saw the fear in his eyes. He wanted nothing more than to reach out and ruffle the young master’s hair, to tell him there was nothing to be afraid of.

But with Fu Youqin standing right beside them, he held back. Instead, he offered a reassuring smile and quietly stepped in front to shield both mother and son.

Tall and clad in sleek black battle gear, Chu Xiangtian stood firm, a chilling aura radiating from him. The sharp gleam in his eyes wasn’t just for show—it came from years of bloodshed on the battlefield.

Even the most hardened enemies would flinch at that look. Let alone these pampered soldiers who had never seen real war.

The officer at the front instinctively took a step back. Realizing how cowardly that must’ve looked, he quickly tried to recover and stepped forward again, puffing out his chest.

“Official business!” he barked, raising his voice.

“Stand aside if you value your life!”

Chu Xiangtian’s cold gaze swept across them. His expression didn’t change in the slightest.

“One word,” he said, voice like ice.

“Leave.”

“How dare you!” the officer shouted, enraged. He pointed his blade at Chu Xiangtian.

“Refuse to move again, and I’ll take you down too, bandit scum!”

Chu Xiangtian didn’t flinch. He looked through the man like he didn’t even exist.

“…Maybe you should go,” Wen Tian whispered, tugging gently at his sleeve from behind. He felt a lot safer with Chu Xiangtian here—at least they weren’t completely alone.

He hadn’t said it out loud, but he trusted that Chu Xiangtian would protect them.

Still, he couldn’t be selfish.

No matter how powerful Chu Xiangtian was, he was only one man. There were twenty soldiers on the other side.

And Chu’s identity was delicate—technically on the side of the government. The soldiers might hesitate to touch Fu Youqin and her son, but against a wanted bandit leader?

They’d show no mercy.

Chu Xiangtian glanced back and saw the anxiety written all over Wen Tian’s face. He couldn’t help himself. He reached out and gently ruffled the boy’s hair.

“Don’t worry,” he murmured.

“Zhou Chuanqing’s gone to get backup.” Zhou hadn’t followed them in, likely because he’d already gone to alert Wei Yang.

Fu Youqin frowned slightly at his casual touch but said nothing. Now wasn’t the time. She agreed with Wen Tian’s assessment.

“This is a family matter. You don’t need to put yourself at risk, Young Master Chu.”

Chu Xiangtian gave her a calm look.

“Don’t worry, Madam. My men will be here soon.” Then he told Wen Ji to escort them a little farther back while he stood firm at the front.

The soldiers were growing impatient.

This operation wasn’t even official—they were here because Wen Boli had promised each man fifty taels of silver when the job was done.

But Wen Tian and his mother hadn’t committed any crimes. The longer they lingered, the more attention they risked drawing. A swift solution would be best.

The officer raised a hand, and twenty blades were drawn with a metallic hiss, each one gleaming coldly in the sunlight.

“This is your last warning. Come quietly—or we won’t be responsible for what happens next!”

Chu Xiangtian narrowed his eyes, rolled his wrist, and readied his stance. Muscles taut, he radiated lethal tension. The air grew thick with the promise of violence.

“Hold it!”

A voice rang out. Zhou Chuanqing stormed in with a squad of elite armored soldiers. They formed a wall in front of Chu Xiangtian, weapons raised, ready for battle.

“Took your time,” Chu Xiangtian muttered with a frown, lowering his hands.

Wei Yang wasn’t far behind. With a wave of his hand, his soldiers surrounded the government troops. The lead officer gulped.

“Who the hell are you? How dare you lay a hand on imperial officers?!”

Wei Yang smiled, looking friendly and harmless. But the words out of his mouth hit like a slap.

“Your granddaddy,” he said sweetly.

“Here under imperial order to wipe out a pack of mutts. You tell me—do I dare?”

The officer trembled with rage, jaw working uselessly.

Wei Yang’s smile widened.

“Vice Minister of Justice, Wei Yang,” he announced.

“Here under royal decree to investigate corruption in Nanming County. Every single person connected to the county magistrate will be taken back for trial.”

With practiced efficiency, his elite soldiers moved in and arrested every man—including Wen Boli, who had been watching from the sidelines with false calm.

At the words “connected to the Nanming magistrate,” Wen Boli’s knees nearly gave out.

Pale and trembling, he stammered, “S-Sir, we’re just common folk who got dragged into this! Surely you’ve got the wrong people!”

Wei Yang turned to him, still smiling.

“You think I’m an idiot?”

Wen Boli’s blood ran cold.

“I found this in the county magistrate’s study,” Wei Yang said, pulling out a letter. His tone chilled as he waved it.

“Take them all.”

Soldiers swarmed in, dragging away the officers and Wen Boli’s group. A few elite guards stayed behind with Wei Yang, all casting eager glances toward Chu Xiangtian.

These men had come back to the capital with Chu but had been left behind when he went off on this case. After months of peace, they were itching for action.

As soon as they heard Wei Yang was heading south, they begged to join.

Now, they looked at Chu Xiangtian like restless warhorses, hoping this meant they’d finally get to return to the border.

Chu Xiangtian shot his men a warning glare, then turned back to gently comfort Wen Tian. The boy was still pale as a sheet.

Wen Tian peeked nervously at the armored soldiers, then whispered, “They keep looking at you. Did they recognize you?”

“They didn’t,” Chu Xiangtian lied with a straight face.

Still worried, Wen Tian moved to block their view of him, subtly trying to shield Chu Xiangtian with his own body.

Chu Xiangtian felt a burst of warmth. The young master was worried about him. He curled his lips into a smile and glared at his subordinates.

Why were they still standing around like idiots?

The soldiers: “……”

Finally catching on, the burly men shared a knowing look—then scrambled out the door, dragging Wei Yang with them. Better to vanish now than get on the general’s bad side.

With the danger gone, Wen Tian relaxed. Seeing Fu Youqin swaying slightly with fatigue, he quickly asked if they should call for a physician.

“No need,” she said with a shake of her head.

“Just tension. I’ll be fine once I rest.”

Wen Shuyue appeared with her maid. She’d been in the back garden, blocked from coming forward by servants Fu Youqin had placed for protection.

Now that the soldiers were gone, she rushed over.

“I’ll take care of Mother,” she said, helping Fu Youqin inside.

Zhou Chuanqing watched her go, then turned to Chu Xiangtian.

“I’ll go check in with Wei Yang.”

Wen Tian wiped the sweat from his forehead and helped Wen Ji calm the household. Most of the staff were longtime employees, loyal to the Fu family.

That was why, even during the chaos, none of them ran.

Still, they’d all been badly shaken. Wen Tian had Wen Ji hand out silver rewards and gave everyone a few days off to recover.

When the courtyard was finally quiet again, Wen Tian turned to Chu Xiangtian.

“Would you like to come rest at my place?”

From the bottom of his heart, he was grateful. Chu Xiangtian had saved him—twice. Wen Tian already saw him as someone to whom he owed a deep debt.

Chu Xiangtian looked at the young master’s still-pale face and gently pinched his cheek. He was sorely tempted—but there was still work to do.

“Go rest. I’ll be back soon.”

Wen Tian nodded and returned to his room with Daifu. The cold sweat on his back had soaked through his clothes.

Every limb was chilled. He needed a hot bath to recover.

Meanwhile, Chu Xiangtian headed to the county office where Wei Yang had already taken over.

The former magistrate had been arrested, and Wen Boli along with two others were kneeling in the main hall. The elite guards stood at either side, eyes sharp as blades.

Chu Xiangtian strode in. One of the soldiers called out, “General!”

He glared at the man and gave him a punch in the shoulder.

“Why the hell are you even here? You almost ruined everything.”

The soldier—Yang Dashi—grinned sheepishly.

“The capital was too boring. When do we go back to the border?”

“Go yourself.”

It had been almost a year without war at the border. Otherwise, Chu Xiangtian wouldn’t have been reassigned to the capital.

Normally, he’d finish a case and go right back to the frontier. But this time?

This time, he’d found something more fun than war.

Wen Tian.

Remembering his little treasure, Chu Xiangtian finally turned to face the real business.

He stretched his wrist and walked up to Wen Boli, who knelt on the floor, face ashen. Bai Ruihe leaned against Wen Zeming, her eyes red from crying.

“Wen Boli.” Chu Xiangtian called his name softly.

The man blinked against the light, unable to see his expression—but he’d heard everything earlier. And the soldier had called him “General.”

Light sparked in his eyes. He straightened his back, pleading, “Sir, I’m Youling’s father! Just an ordinary businessman! Surely this is all a misunderstanding?”

Chu Xiangtian took a step back in disgust. Even now, the man was using Wen Tian as a shield.

“I was tricked!” Wen Boli insisted.

“It was all a mistake—I was just led astray by some woman. I never meant to hurt them!”

“Dad?” Bai Ruihe and Wen Zeming looked at him, stunned.

Wen Boli didn’t turn around.

“I don’t even know the magistrate! That letter—my wife was friends with his wife. That’s all! It had nothing to do with me!”

He made it sound so reasonable, pushing all blame onto Bai Ruihe.

Chu Xiangtian leaned down and said coldly, “You know what I hate most?”

Wen Boli shook his head, confused.

“Cowards like you.”

With a brutal kick to his chest, Chu Xiangtian sent him sprawling.

“Men who sell out their own wife and child for money and status don’t deserve to call themselves men.”

He gave him two more savage kicks for good measure.

“If I catch you anywhere near the Fu family again,” he said, voice like steel, “you’d better start writing your last words.”

Wen Boli choked on blood, crumpled and groaning.

Bai Ruihe and Wen Zeming turned their eyes away.

Chu Xiangtian grabbed Wen Zeming by the collar with one hand, lifting him off the ground.

“You’d better wipe that scheming little brain of yours clean. Or you’ll end up just like him.”

Wen Zeming dangled in the air, choking on his own breath.

“We were wrong! We were wrong!” Bai Ruihe cried, crawling over in tears. Chu Xiangtian shoved Wen Zeming away, disgusted.

He turned to Wei Yang, finally in a good mood.

“They’re all yours.”

Wei Yang nodded. He understood. Technically, there wasn’t enough to convict Wen Boli—just some shady letters.

But after years in the Ministry of Justice, he had more than enough ways to make sure they remembered this lesson.

Chu Xiangtian was about to head back to his “precious treasure,” when—

“Wait,” Wei Yang called. He slowly pulled a ledger from his sleeve.

“This was found in a local elder’s estate,” he said, flipping it open and pointing to a line.

“Third year of Pingchu, February 15. Received five taels from Wen Tian.”

Chu Xiangtian’s eye twitched. That must’ve been when he caught Wen Tian giving boxes of silver to the three elders.

Generous little thing—he’d given each of them a whole chest of gold.

Chu Xiangtian calmly tore out the page with Wen Tian’s name and held out his hand.

“Where’s the gold?” he asked, dead serious.