Chapter 10: To Catch the Thieves, First Capture Their Leader

Gu Liansheng, who had been sleeping, suddenly let out a blood-curdling scream. A large, red and purple bruise rapidly swelled on his forehead, and he began rolling on the ground in agony!

It was evident just how hard that cane strike had been!

Seeing that his eldest son had been hit, Old Man Gu immediately panicked. He dropped his cane and scrambled to squat down to check on him.

Beside them, Lady Wei complained with heartache, "Father! You should at least aim properly before you strike!"

Hearing this, Lady Feng immediately took offense and raised her hand to deliver a slap. "You still have the face to speak! It's all because of your influence that the eldest son is suffering!"

Having been slapped in front of everyone, Lady Wei's eyes turned red, and tears instantly cascaded down her face.

Lady Feng gave her a vicious glare. Taking advantage of the moment her son rolled aside, she shakily withdrew her leg and finally managed to stand up.

She stepped forward to inspect her eldest son's head, only to see the bruised swelling becoming even more glossy and larger than before. Lady Feng's heart ached so much she began to twitch.

Filled with both anger and hatred, she picked up the club Lady Wei had dropped and turned to chase after her second son.

Lady Feng had bound feet; even if Gu Lianshan didn't run but merely walked slowly, she wouldn't be able to catch him!

After chasing for a few steps, Lady Feng veered off course, swinging the club toward Gu Ping'an, who was standing by watching the spectacle.

Gu Ping'an wasn't stupid; he wasn't going to just stand there and let her hit him.

He nimbly retreated two steps, causing Lady Feng's club to strike empty air.

The massive momentum sent Lady Feng tumbling to the ground. Accompanied by a scream, she fell so hard that stars danced before her eyes.

After struggling for a few moments, Lady Feng failed to get up.

She simply took the opportunity to sit on the ground and began slapping her thighs and wailing again, "What kind of sin have I committed! This black-hearted brat actually wants my life..."

This was becoming unreasonable.

For a moment, Gu Ping'an lost his bearings and instinctively ran toward the west wing.

Gu Tang, who had been paying attention to the commotion, opened her door and stepped out. Ignoring the chaos in the courtyard, she nonchalantly rolled up her sleeves.

"What's the rush? Today, Second Sister will teach you another move—'to capture the enemy, first capture their leader'!"

"Huh?" Gu Ping'an looked bewildered.

Gu Tang pulled out a bamboo pole about the thickness of a finger from behind the door and weighed it in her hand. "Do they even know who their 'leader' is?"

Gu Ping'an instinctively shook his head, his face still blank.

"That precious little egg is the 'leader'." Gu Tang gestured with her chin toward Gu Tianbao.

"My eldest uncle's life is basically over; he's been nothing but a child his whole life. In the last two years, Grandpa and Grandma have placed all their hopes of producing a scholar onto that precious little egg. If you want to settle things, just go after him."

Having said that, she gripped the bamboo pole and charged toward Gu Tianbao.

Gu Tang was incredibly fast and caught them completely off guard.

Before the Gu family could even notice, she had already rushed up to Gu Lian, pushed her aside, dragged Gu Tianbao out from behind her, and began striking him with the bamboo pole!

"AHHH!!!"

Before Gu Tianbao could even realize what was happening, he had already taken several blows to the head. The pain sent him jumping and scurrying around like a cornered rat, clutching his head.

Gu Tianbao was a stout, fleshy boy. Although he was a teenager, his height was inherited from Lady Wei and was truly not tall—he was only about a head taller than Gu Tang.

Being short and heavy, Gu Tianbao couldn't run fast at all.

Gu Tang followed closely behind him without effort. The slightly long bamboo pole was perfect for long-distance attacks, making the strikes even more painful!

Unable to dodge and unable to escape, Gu Tianbao wailed in pain, cursing bitterly.

"You crazy girl! I am your cousin! How dare you lay a hand on me! I'll have Grandma sell you off later!"

"In that case, it's better if I beat you to death now and send you down there first!"

Gu Tang's strikes grew even more ruthless. Every blow was delivered with full force. The pain was so intense that Gu Tianbao could no longer curse; all that remained were his ghostly wails and howls!

Hearing Gu Tianbao's wailing, everyone was stunned. They truly hadn't expected Gu Tang to charge in and start a beating.

By the time they snapped out of it, Lady Wei had already rushed forward.

"You low-class little harlot, you've gone too far! How dare you hit people? I'll strip you naked and sell you to a brothel!"

The sharp, filthy insults incited a surge of rage in Gu Lianshan. He stepped forward to pick up his father's cane, intending to join the fray.

Old Man Gu's eyelids twitched. "Second son! Put that cane down!"

Lady Feng also looked over. "Second son! That is your sister-in-law!"

The blatant favoritism of the Gu elders only made Gu Lianshan angrier. He opened his mouth to speak, but saw his son suddenly run over, snatch the cane from his hand, and charge straight toward Lady Wei with it raised high.

Gu Lianshan:...Good! Truly his own flesh and blood!

The Gu elders, however, grew frantic. "Second son! Hurry! Stop that little beast in your house!"

"I just twisted my ankle, I can't stop him!" Gu Lianshan spread his hands wide, acting like a rogue.

Lady Feng was so angry she nearly fell over. After cursing a few times, she turned to boss around Gu Lian, who was standing dazed in the east wing corridor.

"You useless, blind brat! Can't you see your brother is being beaten? What are you standing there for? Go and stop them! If anything happens to Tianbao, you'll pay for it!"

Gu Lian shuddered, gave a panicked response, and timidly approached the scene.

Lady Feng propped herself up on the ground, moaning as she struggled to climb up, wanting to go and help her precious grandson.

"Mother, they're just children fighting. Why are you getting involved?" Gu Lianshan took several large strides forward and blocked Lady Feng.

Lady Feng was livid and lunged at him to strike.

Gu Lianshan dodged left and right, neither leaving completely nor letting her pass, effectively blocking her from interfering.

Seeing this, Old Man Gu tried to step in to help, but Gu Lianshan's expression changed, and he lost his patience. "Father! If you two dare to go over there and hit my daughter and son, then I'll hit my eldest brother! I guarantee he'll be bedridden for half a month!"

"You!" The Gu elders froze instantly, their lips trembling with rage. Stars began to dance before Lady Feng's eyes again.

"Sister-in-law is protecting him over there, what are you two so worried about? You'd better look at my eldest brother. Look, he won't wake up even with his eyes closed, so why is he only making moaning sounds?"

It was unclear whether the cane strike had been too hard or if Gu Liansheng had drunk too much, but after taking the hit, he had screamed for a while and then spent the rest of the time moaning with his eyes closed, unresponsive.

Mentioning the eldest son, the Gu elders instinctively turned to look.

That look was a mistake. They saw that their eldest son's forehead was drenched in sweat!

The Gu elders' scalps went numb instantly. It was over! Something had truly gone wrong!

At this point, the elders no longer cared whether Gu Tianbao was being beaten or not. Their hearts racing with terror, they rushed over wailing, trying to wake their son.

Gu Lianshan watched coldly, having no intention of helping.

If something went wrong, he would be the one taking the blame!

He'd have to be a fool to step forward!

He turned to glance at his daughter and son. Hmm! Well done. His daughter and son had inherited his fighting skills; two against three was no contest.

Especially his daughter—her momentum was exceptionally fierce. Her bamboo pole moved so fast it left afterimages, leaving Lady Wei and her two sons with nowhere to hide!

(End of Chapter)