The incident happened yesterday, on the half-year anniversary. When Yan Liqiang was in Lujiabao, a disaster struck the Yan family in Liuhe Town.
From Zhou Tiezhu's brief narration, Yan Liqiang quickly knew what had happened at home.
It's actually a simple matter, it's all because of a horseshoe.
Yesterday morning someone came to the blacksmith shop to have a horseshoe made. In the evening, the man came again with a rude and overbearing attitude. He said that the horseshoe he had made here in the morning was broken in the afternoon and also broke one of his horse's legs. He asked Yan Dechang to compensate him for the horse. Of course Yan Dechang refused to do it. This was clearly blackmail, so the two sides started arguing. After a few words, the man suddenly attacked, pulled out a knife, and knocked Yan Dechang to the ground. Zhou Tiezhu went to help, but was also knocked down by the man and stabbed.
After beating the man, the man slipped away under the cover of darkness. Zhou Tiezhu spent the whole night settling Yan Dechang down. Then he remembered the place where Yan Liqiang was, which Yan Dechang had secretly told him about. He quickly rode his horse to Huanglong County to inform Yan Liqiang.
Upon hearing that his father had been chopped to pieces, Yan Liqiang became furious. He felt a surge of blood rushing to his head and his whole body began to tremble. Endless anger instantly burned in Yan Liqiang's body.
"Brother Tiezhu, was that man yesterday from the Hong family?" Yan Liqiang's eyes instantly turned red, and he asked with gritted teeth, as if he wanted to kill someone.
"No, that person is a stranger. I have never seen him in Liuhe Town before..." Zhou Tiezhu shook his head.
"How is my dad now? Who is taking care of him at home now?"
"Master is at home. I have already hired a doctor, but Master is seriously injured and has been in a coma..." Zhou Tiezhu said, tears streaming down his face. "When I came, in addition to Aunt Wu, I also asked my cousin to stay with Master and call the doctor..."
Yan Liqiang closed his eyes and clenched his fists tightly. After a few seconds, he opened his eyes and looked at Qian Su. His eyes suddenly became firm and said, "Uncle Qian, thank you for your care these days. Something happened at home and I have to go back now..."
Looking at Yan Liqiang in front of him, Qian Su knew that there was no way to keep him in the Artisan Camp. He sighed and said, "You go pack your things. I'll have someone prepare the Rhinoceros Horse!"
Yan Liqiang said nothing, turned around and strode towards his own yard.
Qian Su's face was extremely gloomy. He called Zhou Yong over and said, "Zhou Yong, call two people, change into casual clothes, and go to Liuhe Town with Li Qiang. You know what to do, right?"
Zhou Yong's eyes flashed, and he clasped his fists and responded, "Don't worry, Camp Supervisor, I know what to do!"
…
Yan Liqiang returned to the courtyard and packed his bag as quickly as possible. Then he put on the bow bag of the horn python bow and left the small building. When he walked into the courtyard, he remembered something, turned around and walked under the awning in the courtyard, picked up a pot of arrows and put them on his back.
When he arrived at the entrance of the craftsmen's camp, Qian Su was already waiting for him, holding a heavy cowhide saddle bag in his hand. Qian Su's eyes inadvertently swept across the pot of arrows that Yan Liqiang was carrying, and then he handed the saddle bag in his hand to Yan Liqiang, "This is what you left with me. Maybe it will be useful when you go back this time!"
Yan Liqiang took the saddle bag and just by weighing it, he knew that the saddle bag contained the gold he had taken from the Lu family, weighing about twenty kilograms.
Just then, Zhou Yong and two soldiers from the Artisan Battalion who had changed into casual clothes and were carrying swords came over with four rhinoceros horses.
"Brother Zhou, what are you doing..."
"Young Master Yan, if you want to treat us as brothers, then don't say these things at this time!" Zhou Yong said seriously, and then stuffed a rhino horse rein into Yan Liqiang's hand.
Yan Liqiang was moved and just nodded without saying anything else.
Zhou Yong and his men were all regular soldiers. According to the military laws of the Han Empire, regular soldiers were not allowed to leave their respective bases without orders, let alone travel across states or counties. If Zhou Yong and his men followed him back to Qinghe County, this would be a serious crime if things got serious.
Yan Liqiang also knew the other two people who went with Zhou Yong. The one who looked extremely strong was called Liu Gang, and the other one who looked a little smart was called Zhao Qifeng. Both of them had pushed circles with him that day and had become familiar with each other over the days.
"Li Qiang, I want to go back with you too..." Zhou Tiezhu walked over with gritted teeth.
Yan Liqiang glanced at Zhou Tiezhu. Zhou Tiezhu looked very tired at the moment. Not only was he injured yesterday, but he also hadn't slept all night and had traveled such a long distance. The wound on his arm was only roughly bandaged yesterday and was already bleeding. Fortunately, he had trained his body to be very strong over the years of working as a blacksmith with Yan Dechang. If it were an ordinary person, he would have collapsed long ago.
“Brother Tiezhu, you won’t be able to hold on on the road if you go out like this. You should rest in the craftsman camp first, eat something, bandage your wounds, and get yourself together. You can come back later. There are still many things at home that need to be done to trouble you, Brother Tiezhu. We will leave first…” Yan Liqiang put his hand on Zhou Tiezhu’s shoulder and patted him heavily.
Zhou Tiezhu looked at Yan Liqiang and stopped insisting.
"Uncle Qian, please take care of Brother Tiezhu!"
"Do not worry!"
Yan Liqiang said nothing more. He put the saddle bag on the saddle of the Rhino Dragon Horse, turned over in the stirrup, and mounted the horse swiftly. He put the quiver on the other side and shook the reins. The Rhino Dragon Horse under his crotch was the first to rush out of the craftsman camp. Zhou Yong and the other two also followed closely on their Rhino Dragon Horses.
Four rhinoceros horses rushed onto the road at once.
“Gee…” Yan Liqiang shouted, and squeezed his legs together, and the rhinoceros horse started to gallop. The sound of its hooves was like thunder, and the four men and four horses rushed towards Qinghe County in a hurry.
Qian Su was not idle either. After having Zhou Tiezhu settled down, he rode on his rhinoceros horse and left the craftsman camp directly, heading for Lujiazhuang...
…
Qinghe County is adjacent to Huanglong County, and Liuhe Town is naturally not too far from Jiangxiuying, only about eighty or ninety kilometers. It takes Yan Liqiang four or five hours to take a boat from Qinghe County to Huanglong County. That's because the boat goes slowly and the river is winding. If you ride a rhino horse, it only takes more than two hours for Yan Liqiang to bring Zhou Yong and the other two into Liuhe Town.
The impatient hoofbeats of the four rhinoceros horses broke the tranquility of Liuhe Town and made people on the road dodge. Those who knew Yan Liqiang looked at him with strange eyes as he returned to Liuhe Town with murderous intent. They whispered and talked behind Yan Liqiang.
Yan Liqiang had a frosty face and pursed his lips. He took Zhou Yong and three others on rhinoceros horses and rushed to his yard.
After getting off the horse, Wu Ma rushed out of the house and looked at Yan Liqiang. She couldn't make a sound, but just gestured with her hands, tears streaming down her face.
Yan Liqiang jumped off the horse and rushed directly into the room.
There was a strong smell of herbs and blood in the room. The doctor Zhou Tiezhu had invited and his cousin were both there.
Yan Dechang lay on the bed, his face pale gold, his lips dead white, motionless.
"Doctor, how is my father..."
"My ability is limited, and your father's injuries are extremely serious. I'm afraid he won't last for a few days..." The doctor shook his head in embarrassment and sighed...
Yan Liqiang's face turned pale. He came to the bedside, knelt down, and held Yan Dechang's rough hands tightly with both hands. His eyes were red, and he said in a trembling voice, "Dad, I'm back..."
Yan Dechang, who had kept his eyes closed, heard Yan Liqiang's voice, his eyelids trembled a few times, then slowly opened, forcing a smile on his face, and said weakly, "I... I'm fine... I didn't... I didn't... ask you... to wait until the day of the national martial arts exam... to ask your uncle Qian to send someone to take you directly to the county town... The national martial arts hall in the county town... It's... dangerous here... Why did you come back... "
Until this moment, Yan Dechang was not thinking about himself, but the safety of Yan Liqiang.
Yan Liqiang's tears suddenly rolled down...
(End of this chapter)