Chapter 81: How Could It Be Such a Coincidence?

Wang Shunyang followed Wang Lingshan, whose face was ashen, back home.

No sooner had they stepped inside than Wang Lingshan exploded in anger. “You little wretch, go kneel in the main hall!”

With his head bowed and eyes downcast, Wang Shunyang trudged into the hall and knelt there most unwillingly.

He had barely settled on his knees when a slightly plump middle-aged woman hurried in with her maidservant in tow.

“My son, are you alright? They said you were beaten—who was bold enough to do such a thing?” she called out anxiously as she strode into the hall.

“Mother!” At the sight of her, Wang Shunyang instinctively tried to stand.

“Who told you to get up? Stay on your knees!” Wang Lingshan barked furiously.

Startled, Wang Shunyang had no choice but to kneel again.

When Madam Wang reached her son and saw his swollen, pig-headed face, she nearly fainted from the shock; thankfully, the maidservant was quick enough to support her.

“My son! Who did this to you? Tell me at once—I won’t let them get away with it!” At that moment, it was as if her own flesh had been cut from her heart.

“It was…”

Wang Shunyang had just managed to utter a single syllable when he felt a chilling, murderous gaze upon him. Turning, he saw his father glaring at him with such intensity it seemed as if his eyes could kill.

Terror seized Wang Shunyang, and he swallowed the rest of his words.

Seeing her son fall silent, Madam Wang turned to her husband, demanding to know what had happened, insisting they report this to the authorities and have the culprit arrested.

“Report it, will you? Fine! If you want your son to rot in jail, by all means, go!” Wang Lingshan pointed toward the door.

Startled, Madam Wang asked, “Husband, what on earth is going on?”

Wang Lingshan let out an angry sigh before recounting his son’s misdeeds.

When she heard the whole story, Madam Wang fell silent, for she too realized the fault lay with their son, and that involving the authorities was out of the question.

Yet looking at the wounds on her son’s face, her heart ached unbearably. She couldn’t help but protest, “Even if our son was at fault, that Xu fellow went much too far! If our boy’s face is ruined, how can he face anyone in the future?”

As she spoke, she knelt beside her son and gently touched his wounds. “Does it hurt, my son?”

“It does,” Wang Shunyang replied in a small, aggrieved voice, nodding.

Wang Lingshan grew even angrier at this sight. “Too far? He can walk, he can talk, he can run and jump. They already showed mercy! If it had been me, I’d have crippled him on the spot!”

Madam Wang cried out anxiously, “Husband, he’s your own flesh and blood, not some stray off the street! How can you say such things?”

Wang Shunyang felt even more wronged, nodding along with his mother’s words.

“Too much kindness from a mother spoils the child!” Wang Lingshan muttered under his breath, then clasped his hands behind his back and began pacing the hall.

After a few circuits, he stopped and looked back at his son. “There’s something you still don’t know…”

Wang Shunyang gazed at his father in confusion, unsure where this was going.

“Do you know who owns the soap workshop in Gushan Village?” Wang Lingshan asked.

“Father, has Li Huo returned? Did he find something out?” Wang Shunyang responded at once.

“Li Huo came back before dark. If you’d been home, none of this would have happened!” Wang Lingshan said.

“What do you mean by that, Father?” Wang Shunyang was perplexed.

Wang Lingshan dropped the riddles and spoke plainly. “The soap workshop in Gushan Village is owned by that Xu Mo.”

“What?” Wang Shunyang was stunned, staring blankly at his father, unable to speak for a long while.

Madam Wang, who knew her husband and son had wanted to seize the Ning family’s soap business, was also dumbfounded. “How could it be him?”

Wang Lingshan looked at his son in frustration. “Regret it now, do you? You’ve thoroughly offended Xu Mo, so forget about getting into the soap trade… Ah!”

“Impossible, absolutely impossible!”

Wang Shunyang shook his head repeatedly, refusing to believe it. “How could it be him? What are the odds? I don’t believe it!”

“If you don’t believe me, ask Li Huo yourself!” Wang Lingshan, unwilling to argue further, sat down and gulped down some tea.

After drinking more than half his cup, he set it down and said, “Enough, it’s getting late. Wash up and get to bed. Tomorrow you’ll have to go make a fool of yourself on the city tower.”

Madam Wang gasped in alarm. “Husband, our son’s already injured—how can you still make him go?”

“Why not? He can still walk and talk, can’t he?” Wang Lingshan shot back.

He continued, “A man must honor his bets! Even if he really can’t walk, I’ll carry him there myself. The Wang family keeps its word!”

“Husband, you’re… you’re far too ruthless!” Madam Wang stamped her feet in distress.

But Wang Shunyang himself made no excuse not to go, so he consoled his mother. “Mother, I must go! Otherwise, I’ll never be able to lift my head in front of Ning Yongqiang again.”

Madam Wang thought it over and sighed. “Very well, son. I’ll send for the doctor at once so you can get some medicine before bed—it’ll help you heal faster.”

“Thank you, Mother,” Wang Shunyang replied.

Madam Wang then ordered a servant to fetch the physician.

At that moment, Wang Lingshan summoned the steward and instructed, “Prepare a generous gift. I intend to pay a visit to the Ning family in the coming days.”

“Yes, Master,” the steward replied promptly.

Madam Wang looked at her husband in puzzlement. “Why are you going to the Ning family?”

“I forgot to mention,” Wang Lingshan answered, “Xu Mo chose not to pursue the matter any further, thanks to Miss Ning’s persuasion. We owe her that favor.”

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The next morning.

Xu Mo was woken by the sounds of martial practice in the courtyard.

Rising and stepping outside, he saw Qin Wooden practicing his hammer technique.

Xu Mo watched for a while, noticing that Qin Wooden’s hammer strikes were not only powerful and forceful but also surprisingly elegant—almost like a demonstration at a martial arts tournament.

It wasn’t until Qin Wooden finished and reined in his energy that Xu Mo applauded him.

“You’re up, Master,” Qin Wooden said with a simple grin.

Xu Mo walked over. “Wooden, just how powerful is your hammer when you use all your strength?”

Qin Wooden shook his head. “I don’t really know. I’ve never tried it.”

That only piqued Xu Mo’s curiosity further. He fetched a stone from the corner of the courtyard, about the size of a small melon.

“Wooden, do you think you can smash this stone?” Xu Mo asked.

Qin Wooden nodded confidently. “I can!”

Seeing this, Xu Mo motioned for him to try.

Qin Wooden took his place before the stone, gathered his strength, and suddenly brought his bronze hammer down.

With a loud clang, the stone shattered into fragments, a few shards flying off.

Xu Mo nodded and applauded, then said, “Wooden, seeing what happened to that stone, I almost feel sorry for those fellows last night.”

He asked, “Do you think they’ll be crippled?”

Qin Wooden shook his head. “No, Master—I was very gentle. At worst, they’ll have a few cracked bones. Give them some time, and they’ll be fine.”