After Transmigrating As The Second Male Lead In Qn Old-School Angsty Romance - Chapter 9

The heir wanted to learn martial arts.

Early in the morning, this news made the vast Pingnan Marquis Residence explode into commotion. It had only been quiet for a few days, and now the heir was causing trouble again.

One had to know that this heir of theirs had been pampered since childhood. He could not endure even the slightest bit of hardship. Practicing martial arts was so tiring. Everyone had not forgotten how many martial arts experts the young heir had once tormented into leaving. Some had been sent back from the army by the old marquis, while others had been gathered from the jianghu by the marquis residence. Every one of them had been an expert.

However, they had either been angered away by the young heir, or had been unable to do anything about him. He refused to endure hardship, could not tolerate fatigue, and was also a little demon king who caused chaos wherever he went. All kinds of bullying methods emerged endlessly from him. In the end, the matter of the heir practicing martial arts had come to nothing.

So everyone knew that the heir hated martial arts.

Originally, the heir’s status was noble, and in Sucheng, he was second only to one person. Naturally, there was no need to worry about his safety.

But out of nowhere, why did the heir suddenly want to learn martial arts again? Moreover, he had even made a big show of posting a notice outside, saying that he wanted to recruit martial arts experts. The stronger, the better. As long as they could satisfy the heir, and as long as they could teach him even one or two moves, there would be a reward—a very generous reward.

Everyone only thought the heir was about to make trouble again. They listened and let it pass.

The old madam did not know what her grandson was fussing about this time. Surely it could not be because he wanted to cater to some beauty again. So she called Sun Zibai over and questioned him.

Unexpectedly, Sun Zibai directly dropped a shocking bomb on the old madam. Last night, he had gone out to play with Sun Hong and had accidentally run into masked assassins killing people. He had nearly lost his life.

The heir had been frightened and declared his determination to properly learn martial arts.

To sum it up, the heir cherished his life and was afraid of death.

After hearing this, the old madam was also badly frightened. Especially when she saw the shallow cut on Sun Hong’s neck, her heart almost leapt out of her chest.

She did not dare imagine what the consequences would have been if that sword had cut across her grandson’s neck.

“Learn. You must learn.”

Still shaken, the old madam immediately turned around and ordered the steward to choose dozens of highly skilled guards to follow Sun Zibai, afraid something bad might happen to him.

“In the future, do not be careless when going out. You must bring people with you.”

“Grandmother, don’t worry. I understand. Your grandson cherishes his life very much.”

In truth, Sun Zibai was thinking further ahead. The existence of the Pingnan Marquis was Great Yao’s stabilizing force, but at the same time, he had always been a thorn in the emperor’s flesh. Although in the original novel, the marquis residence had fallen to Qin Mo and Xiao Yiyan, in Sun Zibai’s view, if it had not been them, it would have been someone else.

The Pingnan Marquis—or more accurately, the four hundred thousand troops in his hands—would inevitably be feared or coveted as long as they existed.

The emperor was old. And once the emperor grew old, a new round of the struggle for the throne would inevitably have begun long ago.

Then how could the four hundred thousand Sun family soldiers, who were enough to influence the world, not be coveted? The old marquis was stationed at the southwestern border and held heavy military power, making him difficult to control. But the marquis residence was different.

So in this world, who knew how many pairs of eyes were watching the marquis residence and watching him?

Not only did Sun Zibai need to become stronger himself, the entire marquis residence had to become stronger too, because the marquis residence would soon become the most eye-catching target.

Not long after Sun Zibai left the old madam’s place, he ran into a figure poking his head around suspiciously. When that person saw Sun Zibai, he turned and ran without the slightest hesitation.

Sun Zibai saw him clearly. Judging from his clothing, this fellow was obviously a master, and he even had a young servant following him. He was dressed brightly and beautifully—perhaps a little too beautifully. His silk clothes were exaggerated in color, either bright or flashy. He looked just like a peacock.

“Eh? Isn’t that the second young master?”

Sun Hong was puzzled.

Sun Zibai strode forward in a few quick steps and grabbed the back of the boy’s collar, directly hauling him back.

“Why are you running? Is this heir going to eat you?”

Sun Ziheng wilted and raised his head, then immediately revealed a flattering smile.

“Eldest Brother, so it was you.”

“Hmph.” Sun Zibai directly knocked his smooth forehead with the folding fan. “If not me, who else could it be? A ghost?”

This fellow had delicate features and looked young, but he had a pair of flirtatious eyes. Even his clothes were gaudy and flashy. At a glance, he did not look like a proper person.

The moment Sun Hong called him second young master, Sun Zibai’s mind had already swiftly gathered this person’s information.

He was an inconspicuous supporting character. He did not have many scenes, but he was rather irritating.

The original owner’s father, Sun Zhaoyin, had married the original owner’s birth mother, Wen Wan’er, while also having several concubines. The person before him was the second young master born of Fu-shi, Sun Ziheng. He should now be seventeen years old, only two years younger than Sun Zibai. But judging from his appearance, he looked two years older than his dignified-looking elder brother.

Although this world clearly distinguished between legitimate and concubine-born children, this second young master had still been born in the marquis residence, so his life had been fairly comfortable. It was just that after Sun Zhaoyin died, these concubine-born sons had increasingly lacked anyone to discipline and restrain them. Not a single one of them had learned anything good. Of course, as the household of a major villain, the Pingnan Marquis Residence naturally did not have a single good person.

And the person before him had actually learned the original owner’s romantic wastrel ways perfectly.

Every day, he learned nothing, idled around, and whenever he had the chance, he would sneak out with a group of bad friends to eat, drink, and play. Others knew he was the second young master of the marquis residence, but unlike how they feared Sun Zibai, they deliberately approached and flattered him. Thus, this fellow became increasingly unrestrained and dissolute.

Sun Ziheng was very afraid of Sun Zibai, this elder brother of his, but outside, he liked to rely on Sun Zibai’s power to bully the weak and elevate himself. Unexpectedly, one time when he used Sun Zibai’s name to put on airs, he was unfortunately caught by Sun Zibai. Sun Zibai had always looked down on these concubine-born younger brothers. On the spot, he disregarded all dignity and cursed Sun Ziheng harshly in front of those bad friends.

He contemptuously laid bare Sun Ziheng’s disgrace and the truth behind his long-standing bluffing before those people. For the first time, Sun Ziheng felt such intense humiliation and shame. It was also at that time that he developed deep hatred toward Sun Zibai in his heart.

They were clearly both Father’s sons, both grandsons of the Pingnan Marquis. Yet just because he was concubine-born, he had to receive treatment as different as heaven and earth?

From then on, Sun Ziheng could no longer raise his head. He became a joke among the young masters and did not dare go out for a long time.

It was also at that time that Sun Ziheng met Qin Mo.

A cowardly lecher would naturally be unable to control himself and be stunned by the protagonist shou’s astonishing beauty. At that time, Qin Mo had already been entangled with Sun Zibai for a long time and had been tormented physically and mentally. He had a built-in haggard beauty that made others feel heartache. Thus, Sun Ziheng hated and envied his elder brother even more.

Qin Mo keenly sensed this, and intentionally or unintentionally guided Sun Ziheng, leaving a very strong suggestion in his heart.

Sun Ziheng was someone without brains. He already resented Sun Zibai, and under Qin Mo’s intentional or unintentional hints, he actually foolishly thought of poisoning Sun Zibai. But because he was too cowardly, and had no authority or power, the matter was quickly exposed in his panic. Sun Zibai flew into a rage.

Never mind that Sun Zibai was the proper heir of the Pingnan Marquis—Sun Zibai was also his legitimate eldest brother.

How could Sun Zibai, who had already become blackened and violent by then, tolerate it? He directly wanted to chop Sun Ziheng to death. Yet Qin Mo deliberately pleaded for mercy. Sun Zibai’s possessiveness toward Qin Mo had already reached an outrageous degree, and he instantly became so furious that he lost all reason. Thus, he directly raised a sword and hacked at him.

Sun Ziheng was left with only one breath on the spot. Sun Zibai ordered people to throw him into the marquis residence’s main courtyard and forbade anyone from treating him, making him slowly wait for death.

After Sun Ziheng’s mother, Fu-shi, learned of this, she risked her life kneeling before the old madam to beg for mercy. But by that time, the old madam and Sun Zibai were also at complete odds with each other. In the end, not only did the old madam fail to save this concubine-born grandson, she nearly angered herself to death as well.

Sun Ziheng died not long after. Fu-shi ultimately smashed her head against the stone lion at the marquis residence’s main gate and died. This incident also pushed everything to another climax.

Sun Zibai once again became the target of public criticism. Xiao Yiyan also used this wave of public opinion to almost turn him into a street rat that all of Sucheng wanted to beat. The marquis residence was even splashed with feces because of it. Rotten vegetable leaves and stinking eggs made Sun Zibai stay indoors for a long time.

Thinking of all this gave Sun Zibai a headache. The mess the original owner had left behind was truly enough.

“Eldest Brother, Eldest Brother, let’s talk properly.”

Sun Ziheng bared his big teeth in a flattering smile.

Sun Zibai lowered his eyes and looked down at him from above.

“Speak. What were you sneaking around for?”

Sun Ziheng’s heart twitched. How was he sneaking around? He had simply been frightened by this ancestor. His conditioned reflex had been to run back. His fear of this person was truly carved into his bones.

It turned out that he had also heard about Sun Zibai wanting to learn martial arts. As soon as the heir’s notice recruiting a master was posted, quite a few people had tentatively come to the door. After all, although the heir was hateful, he really did give a lot.

Sun Zibai had Sun Hong arrange people specifically to receive them. Once there were enough, he would have these people compete together. Since he was choosing a master, of course he had to choose the best.

Sun Ziheng loved joining in on excitement. Was he not just coming to watch the fun? Unexpectedly, by coincidence, he was caught by Sun Zibai.

Sun Zibai narrowed his eyes. “So curious? Fine. Once I recruit a martial arts master, you can learn together with me.”

“Ah?”

Sun Ziheng was completely stunned. This ancestor was actually letting him learn together with him? Had he heard wrong? This person had not beaten him up, humiliated him, and told him to get lost, but was instead letting him learn together?

Seeing his dumbfounded expression, Sun Zibai noticed that although his eyes shone with foolishness, he had not yet reached the point of being beyond saving. So he added,

“Not only you. Those two also have to learn together.”

Sun Ziheng still had not reacted and did not understand who the two people Sun Zibai mentioned were. Sun Zibai, however, had already turned and left, leaving behind only one sentence.

“I’ll leave this matter to you. Remember to inform them.”

“??? Eldest Brother?”

Sun Zibai had already walked far away. Sun Ziheng stared blankly.

“Why is Eldest Brother like this?”

That was right. Why was the heir like this? The young servant beside him was also confused.

Did the heir not hate these concubine-born younger brothers very much? Especially after the master passed away, the status of these young masters in the marquis residence was not even as high as Steward Sun by the heir’s side. Today, they had thought there would be a round of humiliation or a vicious beating, yet the result was actually this?

However, after the shock, the faint joy in Sun Ziheng’s eyes could not be suppressed.

“Who did Eldest Brother ask me to inform?”

“It should be the third young master and fourth young master.”

“Right, right. I’ll go handle it immediately. Otherwise, Eldest Brother will get angry.”

Sun Ziheng ran off in a rush. He had never been this enthusiastic before.

On the other side, Sun Zibai thought about the mess the original owner had left behind. There were quite a few people in the marquis residence, yet every single one of them was useless. In the end, they were either used by others or “abandoned darkness for light” and stood on the side of the protagonist gong and shou. His head hurt. The more he thought about it, the more his head hurt.

Then he remembered another matter that gave him an even worse headache. The original owner was a lecher. A romantic wastrel. In other words, before marrying Qin Mo, there had already been quite a few beauties in his rear courtyard. If he remembered correctly, they seemed to all be all kinds of stunningly beautiful men.

Sun Zibai held his forehead.

“Sun Hong.”

“Master?”

“How many young masters are still in this heir’s rear courtyard right now?”

Sun Hong thought about it. “Including Young Master Qin, there are still eight in total.”

Sun Zibai: …

“Master, are you missing one of the young masters?” Sun Hong wiggled his brows.

“Go arrange it. Take some silver from the accounts. Aside from Qin Mo, send them all away.”

Sun Hong was greatly shocked. “Master, what is wrong with you?”

Had he lost his mind? Those were all people the heir had taken a fancy to. Some had been willing, but most of them had been brought into the residence through all kinds of methods by the heir.

Sun Zibai ignored him and merely said casually, “This heir already has someone I love. How can I still tolerate them?”

Sun Hong stumbled, then beat his chest and stamped his feet.

Sure enough, the heir still had not let go of Young Master Qin in his heart. His mouth said he did not care, but he was willing to give up an entire forest for him.

His sentimental yet devoted heir. Unfortunately, that Qin fellow did not know what was good for him. He trampled his heir’s sincerity underfoot and even openly cuckolded him.

Not worth it. It was not worth it!

Sun Hong wailed inwardly, but he could only go handle the matter the heir had assigned with hatred in his heart. Sun Zibai had no idea his young servant had such rich inner drama. Heavy with thoughts, he returned to his courtyard. Fortunately, as soon as he came back, he received a piece of good news. Hu An had returned, and he had brought back what Sun Zibai wanted.

Sun Zibai had not forgotten that he had promised Bai Ziyu he would release Divine Doctor Liao. However, he was not going to simply release him like that. He had to do something first.

After the two held a secret discussion in the room, Sun Zibai picked up a brush and wrote a letter. Then he led Hu An to the room where Divine Doctor Liao was imprisoned.