Chapter 38: Never Trust a Bald Man Again

"Brother, what are you doing?" Ye Qin rubbed her eyes, still half asleep as she asked.

Ye Kun hastily withdrew his hands and replied with a smile, "Brother wanted to roast some chicken wings for you."

"Where are the chicken wings then?" Ye Qin stared at her brother’s empty hands in confusion.

"Uh... Brother just couldn't resist and ate them," Ye Kun said, feeling rather helpless. How could he possibly explain—roast his own hands and eat them?

"Brother, if you keep this up, you’ll end up with no friends," Ye Qin said plaintively. It was bad enough that he never told her anything, but now he was eating alone.

Ye Kun felt utterly at a loss. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to explain, but he simply couldn’t. Being a person was really hard sometimes.

Hidden among the flowers, Dong Xian suddenly had an idea. Perhaps he could survive after all. If he just lay there much longer, he would surely die. The two before him were only children, but they looked kind-hearted—except for those fierce haircuts, both with shaved heads.

Still, if he wanted to live, he’d have to rely on himself. Judging by their conversation, they seemed like good kids.

"Uncle... Ming... ah..." Dong Xian gritted his teeth against the pain and uttered a hoarse cry, which stood out starkly in the quiet of the night.

Ye Kun and Ye Qin froze, then turned toward the flowerbed.

"Brother, did I just hallucinate, or did someone really call for help?"

"It shouldn't be a hallucination, otherwise we’d both be hearing things," Ye Kun said, rising to his feet and walking toward the flowers. Ye Qin obediently followed, the darkness making everything seem terrifying.

Suddenly, Ye Qin exclaimed, "Brother! I think I stepped on something—it made me lose my footing!"

"I think I stepped on something too, it's soft..." Ye Kun pressed down harder, realizing it wasn’t soil.

Dong Xian’s dead-fish eyes rolled upward—one shaved head had stomped his jaw out of place, and the other was still pressing down hard. This wasn’t rescue; it was murder!

He deeply regretted crying out for help. These two bald children were ruthless beyond measure. How could he have hoped they'd save him?

"Brother! It's a person, stop stepping!" Ye Kun said urgently.

"Oh! Oh my!" Ye Qin jumped aside, thinking she’d only been testing the ground since she saw her brother doing it. She swore she hadn’t pressed down hard at all.

Ye Kun hadn’t expected someone to be lying here calling for help; there was no moonlight, so he couldn’t see clearly. He grabbed a hand and decided to drag the person out.

By now, Dong Xian had completely lost consciousness. His earlier plan was a mistake—these bald kids knew nothing. For someone gravely injured, they were causing third-degree harm by dragging him.

Ye Kun hauled Dong Xian to the fire, finally able to see—a middle-aged man, with a sword stuck in his abdomen, blood glistening horribly in the firelight. His face was pale as if coated in powder, and regret was etched deeply between his brows.

Ye Kun thought, judging by his appearance, this man must have been up to no good and was now deeply regretful. People only regret things when they're at death’s door.

If Dong Xian could hear Ye Kun’s thoughts, he’d leap up in rage. The only thing he regretted now was calling for help!

"Brother, he’s bleeding a lot..." Ye Qin’s voice trembled; it was her first time seeing something like this up close, and she couldn't get used to it.

Ye Kun said gravely, "I’ll go call Father and Mother."

"Brother, we need to stop the bleeding first, or he’ll die," Ye Qin said, and without hesitation, she pulled the sword out. Dong Xian, who had been unconscious, immediately woke, his eyes bulging as he stared at Ye Qin, as if asking, "What are you doing? Are you trying to kill me?"

Ye Kun was stunned and instinctively shouted, "Don’t!"

Ye Qin also realized her mistake and quickly apologized to Dong Xian, "Sorry..." before pushing the sword back in.

Thunk!

Ye Kun: "..."

Dong Xian: "..."

Dong Xian stared at the sword that had been thrust back in, his cheeks twitching violently, but with his shattered jaw, he couldn’t speak a word.

Ye Kun’s scalp tingled—the sword had been pulled out and then pushed in again... This man in black must be suffering terribly.

Dong Xian told himself he’d never regretted anything in his life, not even when facing masters today! The only thing he regretted was calling for help. Indeed, anyone with a shaved head was trouble!

"Brother, I didn’t mean to," Ye Qin stood up to explain, rather shaken.

Meanwhile, Dong Xian rolled helplessly to the other side, pressing himself close to the fire.

Ye Kun gently pulled his brother aside and said, "Little brother, if you ever encounter something like this again, never act rashly, understand?"

Dong Xian watched the two small figures, unable to move, but the heat made him even more miserable.

Suddenly, Dong Xian saw his clothes catch fire!

"Little brother, when a sword pierces the body, you won’t die immediately because it blocks the bleeding. But if you pull it out, the blood will gush out," Ye Kun explained.

"Oh, so that’s how it works. Brother, you really know a lot," Ye Qin replied.

"Let me teach you some more common sense," Ye Kun continued.

Dong Xian was cursing inwardly. They were still chatting while he was about to become roast pork!

He watched as flames began to consume his clothes, unable even to cry for help.

"Brother, do you smell something strange?" Ye Qin asked.

Ye Kun sniffed, and indeed, there was an odd, pungent odor, like burnt hair.

He turned to look and his mouth twitched.

"Brother, he’s set himself on fire!"

"I know! I’m not blind, hurry and fetch some water..."

Dong Xian had given up on life—he’d never trust bald people again.

The commotion roused their parents from sleep.

Seeing the charred figure, Ye Ming and Dongmen Meng were stunned.

"Father, Mother, this man set himself on fire," Ye Qin whispered, insisting it had nothing to do with her.

Ye Kun nodded seriously. "It really was self-immolation, maybe he’s running from enemies."

I’m running from you two bald kids!

Ye Ming walked over to examine the scorched Dong Xian.

"His jaw is shattered. That punch was powerful—not the work of an ordinary person. And this sword..." Ye Ming trailed off, recognizing Dong Xian’s identity: a man from the Jiugong Pavilion.

Dongmen Meng’s expression grew grave. Someone from Jiugong Pavilion had found their home! The couple exchanged a glance, knowing it must be because of those two sword manuals. If tonight wasn’t the end, trouble would surely come again.

A howl!

Dong Xian suddenly sucked in a breath, startling Ye Kun and Ye Qin. He was supposed to be dead, but he wasn’t.

"Zhang Tiantian!" Ye Ming called out sternly.