"Stop! How dare you lay a hand on my Zhuge family members!"
Zhuge Wushuang's deep, cold roar echoed as he charged forward like a tiger, his fists and feet flying. With booming thuds, he sent the thugs who were about to storm into the main hall flying.
Though Xuanwu Zhuge Wushuang was usually a man of few words, perceived as quiet and rigid, his actions were anything but hesitant. Those four thugs had their arms and legs broken, lying on the ground howling in agony.
Ma Zhanshan, enraged, pointed at Zhuge Wushuang and bellowed, "You dog, you still dare to fight back? Do you know what this means? It means everyone in the Zhuge family will die, not a single one will survive!"
Xiao Yunlong, standing by the door with his arms crossed, said indifferently, "Criple him and throw him out. Even a small bug dares to make noise, it's truly annoying!"
"Yes, Young Master!"
Before Zhuge Wushuang could react, Baihu Tu Fu had already charged out, having been itching to make a move for some time.
The reason he addressed Xiao Yunlong as "Young Master" instead of "Master" was a direct order from Xiao Yunlong before they arrived at the Zhuge residence. Xiao Yunlong did not wish to reveal his identity in ordinary settings, given his current peculiar and awkward predicament.
Tu Fu's massive fist slammed forward. Ma Zhanshan was initially unfazed, having learned martial arts himself in his younger days. However, he soon realized he was gravely mistaken.
The opponent's punching speed was incredibly fast. Not only could he not dodge or block, but he couldn't even react in time.
With a single "bang," Ma Zhanshan was sent flying backward, his front teeth shattered and spat out.
Without a word, Tu Fu stomped on him repeatedly. Soon, the entire courtyard was filled with Ma Zhanshan's pig-like screams and groans as his legs and arms were broken.
Simultaneously, Zhuge Wushuang also took action, subduing the remaining thugs.
"Get lost immediately, or die!" the tall and imposing Tu Fu roared, exuding a powerful aura of menace, even killing intent.
These thugs had never witnessed such a scene. They scrambled to carry the already unconscious Ma Zhanshan and fled like stray dogs.
"Thank you for your assistance. May I ask who you are?" Zhuge Heng asked, approaching them.
"Brother Daheng, it's Wushuang, don't you recognize me?" Zhuge Wushuang quickly turned around, a smile on his face.
"Wushuang?" Zhuge Heng was taken aback, clearly not remembering him.
Zhuge Wushuang felt a pang of disappointment but still smiled, "I am Zhuge Wushuang, the one adopted by Uncle Yaliang back then."
"Oh, I remember now. It's Wushuang! You left without a word back then, and so many years have passed in the blink of an eye. I didn't recognize you at first, I'm truly sorry!"
Zhuge Heng said with an embarrassed smile.
Zhuge Wushuang felt a slight sense of loss, but it was as he expected. After all, the Zhuge family disciples like Brother Daheng had never truly welcomed him back then.
The atmosphere became somewhat awkward. Zhuge Wushuang asked, "By the way, Brother Daheng, you mentioned earlier that Uncle Yaliang wasn't well. How is he now? Is he at home?"
"He is at home. To be honest, your uncle's health isn't as bad as it seems. I said that to Ma Zhanshan earlier as a temporary measure!"
Zhuge Heng then realized, turning to look at Xiao Yunlong and the others, "They must be your friends, right? Don't just stand there, please come in!"
With that, he led them into the main hall.
The main hall was grand. To the left was the reception room. Before they could even sit down, servants brought tea.
Just then, a rather hearty voice called down from upstairs.
"Haha, no wonder the magpies in the yard have been chirping all morning. I knew there would be good news today. So, Wushuang is back!"
As he spoke, a thin old man leaning on a cane, wearing a Tang suit with the character "Fu" on it, slowly descended the stairs. He was Zhuge Wushuang's distant uncle, Zhuge Yaliang.
"Uncle, it's been over ten years. How have you been?" Zhuge Wushuang quickly walked over.
"As one gets older, one's limbs are naturally not as agile. But seeing you return today, I am truly happy. You have no idea how much this old man has been thinking about you since you left without a word back then!"
The old man patted Zhuge Wushuang's hand repeatedly, his face full of kindness.
"I'm sorry, Uncle. I was young and foolish to leave without saying goodbye, causing you to worry." Zhuge Wushuang said with self-reproach.
"It's alright, you don't need to blame yourself. I understand you left in anger back then. It's good that you've been safe all these years, and now you've returned..."
Seeing that the old man was about to continue, Zhuge Heng, standing beside him, grew impatient. He snorted, "Dad, can you say a little less? Wushuang is back, so there's no need to be so sentimental and rambling. We should be discussing how to deal with the Murong Chamber of Commerce!"
Zhuge Heng's wife, Sun Limin, said sternly, "How can we discuss it? Zhuge Wushuang just beat up Ma Zhanshan's men, even crippling Ma Zhanshan without regard for the consequences. Do you think the Murong Chamber of Commerce will still discuss things with us?"
Zhuge Heng's second uncle, Zhuge Yazhi, also chimed in, "Yes, it was one thing to act, but it was truly unnecessary to break Ma Zhanshan's limbs. Ma Zhanshan is a lackey of the Murong family. Will the Murong family let this go easily? Will they spare us?"
"There was still room for negotiation originally. At most, we would have compensated them with the river port and the storage yard. But now, after this incident, how can things be resolved? As the saying goes, good intentions can lead to bad results, and it seems to be true."
Sun Limin said sarcastically, with her arms crossed.
From the day Zhuge Wushuang was brought into the Zhuge family, she had disliked the adopted son, even to the point of detesting him. Now that he had returned and immediately started a fight, angering the Murong family completely, Sun Limin was even more furious.
Zhuge Heng also said, "Wushuang, you were indeed impulsive just now!"
Zhuge Wushuang wanted to defend himself but found himself at a loss for words.
Tu Fu, with his fiery temper, couldn't stand it any longer and blurted out, "What do you mean by that? Are you blaming us for intervening? You truly are a bunch of ungrateful wretches. No wonder Wushuang left without a word back then. If I had known, I wouldn't have intervened, and I would have let them strip your two daughters!"
"What do you mean by that? Who are you calling ungrateful?" Sun Limin was displeased and retorted sharply.
Tu Fu was about to speak again when Xiao Yunlong patted his shoulder, then looked at the old master Zhuge and said calmly, "It has already happened, and it's happened. There's no point in discussing it now. Your Zhuge family is considered a prominent family. As the saying goes, guests from afar should be treated well. It's already noon, and there's not even a lunch. Is this how your Zhuge family treats guests?"
Sun Limin gritted her teeth and said, "You, a mere youngster, are probably not qualified to talk about our Zhuge family. If you hadn't acted so rashly just now and broken Ma Zhanshan's limbs, things wouldn't have escalated to this point. Now you're blaming us? You deserve..."
"Enough! Haven't we embarrassed ourselves enough?"
Old Master Zhuge could no longer tolerate it. He slammed his cane heavily on the ground and roared, "Put the Zhuge family's affairs aside for now. Wushuang and his friends have traveled a long way. As this young friend said, even if our Zhuge family is facing difficulties, we cannot lose our family's reputation!"
"Hurry and tell the servants to prepare lunch. We'll discuss anything after our guests have eaten!"
Seeing this, Xiao Yunlong smiled and said, "Old Master Zhuge is not only kind-hearted but also wise and righteous. I believe the Zhuge family will be able to overcome this difficulty safely!"
Zhuge Yaliang waved his hand and said with a wry smile, "I'm ashamed, I'm ashamed. Let's not talk about that. You are all Wushuang's friends and have come from afar. Even if the sky falls, we cannot let you go hungry. Please, let's go to the dining hall!"
With that, Old Master Zhuge took Zhuge Wushuang's hand and walked towards the adjacent reception room.
Xiao Yunlong said no more and stepped forward, followed closely by Tu Fu, Tang Bowen, Jun Bufan, and the others.
"Brother Heng, what should we do now? Ma Zhanshan and his men have been beaten like this, their limbs broken. The Murong family will definitely not let this go," Sun Limin asked, approaching him.
Zhuge Heng frowned and pondered for a moment. He glanced at the backs of Zhuge Wushuang and the others and said in a deep voice, "Let Liuyun and the others hide for now. If it comes to it, we can hand over Zhuge Wushuang and his companions to the Murong family. After all, they caused this trouble, and we shouldn't bear the blame!"