Chapter Ninety: A Night Full of Anticipation

The noisy crowd fell silent in an instant. Everyone stared at Li Yuanba, and Yun Hao was especially astonished, his eyes wide with shock. The mightiest warrior of the Sui-Tang era truly lived up to his reputation; like a rampaging Rambo, he dispatched the tough men in just a few moves.

Li Yuanba charged at the Turkic men like a fierce tiger. Chai Shao wanted to intervene, but dared not. When Li Yuanba lost control, he never distinguished friend from foe; being caught in the crossfire was nothing short of disastrous.

Yun Hao heard a chorus of bones cracking. The Turkic men were either dead already or dying. Ahui Nan was bewildered; he could not fathom where this formidable youth had suddenly appeared from. These Turkic warriors had been his loyal followers for years, traveling the northern lands with him, ostensibly as merchants and horse traders, but often playing the part of bandits. Confident in their strength to kill and rob without hesitation, he never imagined they would fall so swiftly at the hands of this dark, wiry youth.

Li Yuanba gave him little time to process his shock. His fist, like an iron hammer, crashed into Ahui Nan’s ribs with the force of a gale. Blood spurted from his mouth like an arrow, tinged with bits of pink flesh—his organs. With that single blow, nearly half his ribs were shattered; Ahui Nan watched his chest cave in. As if his soul had fled, he collapsed on the ground, coughing up mouthfuls of blood.

Chai Shao felt his head swell with anxiety; the Turkic Khagan was fiercely protective of his own. Now, Li Yuanba had felled a whole group of Turkic men with barely a few punches and kicks—how could he explain this to the Khagan? He was uneasy, but could not show it. If word got out that even the Duke of Tang’s household feared the Turks, their reputation would be utterly ruined.

The people of Jinyang were overjoyed. After a brief moment of silence, the crowd erupted in thunderous cheers. Years of oppression by the Turks had finally been answered; a hero had emerged and, in the blink of an eye, toppled the invaders. Moments ago, the crowd had been as timid as sheep, but now each person was fierce as a wolf. The unfortunate ones were those wounded but not yet dead; soon enough, they would regret not having perished outright.

The crowd hoisted Li Yuanba into the air, throwing him up and catching him again. Such hero's treatment was rare in a lifetime.

Yet, there was a small mishap. The first man to rush forward, overwhelmed with excitement, was felled by an even more excited Li Yuanba’s punch. Now, half his teeth were gone and he suffered a serious concussion—he would be dizzy for quite some time.

Yun Hao clicked his tongue in resignation; what a dramatic start to his marriage! Over a dozen lives lost in an instant! Wait—where had Wu Yuanshuang, that scoundrel, gone?

Wu Yuanshuang had sensed trouble the moment Yun Hao pointed at Li Yuanba. Being a native of Jinyang, he recognized Li Yuanba instantly. Before Li Yuanba could even make a move, Wu Yuanshuang abandoned his Turkic allies and slipped away like lightning.

At home, Madam Zhao waited anxiously, her heart in turmoil as news kept arriving. A country woman, she had never experienced such events. Thankfully, Changsun Li Xiuning and others comforted her, and when she finally saw her son return on horseback, her face blossomed with a smile.

Stepping out of the sedan and across the fire basin, he entered and called out to his mother. The customary rituals followed—bowing to Heaven and Earth, and so forth. Madam Zhao was so delighted she was at a loss; her mouth, unable to close, had lost the ability to speak, and she could only repeat “good.” For a whole hour, not a single other word escaped her lips.

Yun Hao’s status was considerable; Li Yuan himself presided as the witness. After delivering a speech that left the villagers mystified, the call to feast finally sounded. This was the moment everyone had been waiting for since dawn—to taste the Yun family’s cuisine. Famous throughout Jinyang, expectations were high.

The Yun family did not disappoint. There were foot-long grass carp, huge bowls of braised pork, crispy fried meatballs, whole fat chickens served endlessly. The chefs of Jinyang Tower worked tirelessly; the manager had announced yesterday that with the Yun family as the new major shareholder, the restaurant would soon be renamed Yun Family Tavern.

No matter how eager Yun Hao was to see his bride, he first had to entertain his guests. “Boy, since your family is small, just drink this cup and let’s call it done. Eight years old and you’ve wed Jinyang’s most beautiful flower—aren’t you lucky!” Li Yuan pointed at the cup of wine before him, laughing heartily.

A coin-sized wine cup—yes, just slightly bigger than a beer bottle cap! Yun Hao’s face showed a fox-like grin. In his previous life, he had been forced to drink until he vomited all night in the bridal chamber. This time, wiser for past experience, he had prepared his latest blended distilled wine. No one else in the entire Sui could boast such a drink.

Each guest received a jug, Li Yuan’s high status earned him two. After one sip, everyone’s eyes lit up. Toasts grew louder, and some shamelessly poured wine from others’ jugs into their own bowls. The place became as noisy as a marketplace—fights were sure to break out.

Li Yuan watched Yun Hao finish the wine from his own jug with a pained expression. Nowhere else in the Sui could such fragrant wine be found; every sip was precious.

With few family members, Yun Hao’s friends—Hou Junji and the others—handled the arrangements. Qi Biao’s face was flushed, Lai Shun swayed as he walked. Wait—Hou Junji hadn’t stolen any wine!

“Monkey! You didn’t drink?” Yun Hao asked.

“If you can make this wine, surely you have more stored away. I checked the storeroom just now; I’ll drink later tonight!” Hou Junji joked as he slipped away, snatching up a chicken leg as he went.

“Thanks, Brother Hao!” He rinsed the drumstick in his mouth and spat out a clean bone, leaving Yun Hao fuming. The scoundrel had emptied even his private stash.

Liu Laoliu lingered reluctantly, feasting from noon until nightfall. He was delighted—large bowls of braised pork kept coming, oily pork belly too. Those who ate vegetables were mocked, those who ate fish annoyed others. When the child, having eaten too much meat, wanted a piece of lotus root to refresh his palate, his father jabbed his forehead with chopsticks and piled half a chicken onto his bowl.

Li Yuan was carried out, surrounded by wine jars. After Yun Hao made his toast, the distilled wine was poured out. Never had Li Yuan and his peers tasted such exquisite wine; excited, they reverted to their old habit of drinking from large bowls. But—sixty-proof spirits in such quantities? Yun Hao eagerly awaited Li Yuan’s reaction.

The reaction was dramatic—his front was covered in vomit, and before leaving the Yun residence, he was already unconscious.

Once the guests had departed, Yun Hao was led by Yuan’er to the bridal chamber. Though the groom was only eight, the chamber had to be entered. Yun Hao’s face was troubled, but his heart was full of anticipation. Tonight—what sort of night would it be?