Grass and mustard reign supreme

Chapter 13 The First Strike Wins

Yang Can glanced quickly at Deacon Yi, whose face looked even worse than if his own father had died.

A mountain breeze blew by, and Yi She suddenly felt a chill on his back.

If he had known he would get such an answer from the bandits, he would have preferred to be reprimanded by the clan leader for his incompetence rather than conduct a preliminary interrogation.

He never expected that he would ask such a name: Yu Huanhu!
The young master's death was actually orchestrated by the second master?
Deacon Yi believed the bandit's words almost instantly.

Because no one had a stronger motive to kill than Master Yu.

The power struggle between the eldest son's main branch and the second son's main branch has a long history.

As a retainer of the Yu family, Yi She was constantly being secretly courted by both sides.

Therefore, he was fully aware of the open and covert struggles between the two sides.

In fact, Yi She was well aware of the purpose behind the Yu family's willingness to go to great lengths to form a marriage alliance with the Suo family.

Isn't the goal simply to regain control of the Yu family's eldest branch with the help of the Suo family?
Under such circumstances, it is not unreasonable for the eldest son's two branches to take a desperate gamble and sabotage the marriage by assassinating the groom.

However, using assassination as a means of power struggle means that the internal power struggle within the Yu clan has escalated to a life-or-death, intense state.

The more perilous the situation, the less he wanted to get involved before taking a clear side.

Yi She now only regrets that he had never heard the bandit utter the three words "Yu Huanhu".

The interrogation ended hastily.

The bandit was stripped naked, washed, and covered with a whole gourd of the finest wound medicine. He was then wrapped in clean silk cloth and turned into a mummy.

Now, Steward Yi is genuinely afraid that he will die. This bandit must be brought alive to Tianshui City and handed over to the clan leader for personal trial.

Deacon Yi was unwilling to utter the name "Yu Huanhu" to the clan leader himself.

……

Campfires were lit at the foot of the mountain.

As we were about to enter Tianshui, everyone relaxed, and tonight's dinner was exceptionally lavish.

The gazelles hunted along the way were cleaned by the stream, chopped into large chunks of succulent mutton, and then boiled or roasted for a hearty meal.

At the foot of the mountain, there are three felt tents, which are the sleeping tents of Suo Chanzhi, Yi Zhishi, and Tu Mama.

Because of Steward Yi's arrival, and because of Yang Can's previous "accusations," Granny Tu specifically instructed that the Yu and Su families should camp together tonight, and that the Yu family members should no longer be treated as lowly servants and driven to the outer perimeter.

Yang Can and several Yu family guards sat by a fire outside their sleeping quarters, roasting meat.

Lamb shoulder is the best cut for grilling, followed by lamb ribs, lamb tenderloin, and lamb leg.

Because lamb shoulder meat is low in fat, tender and chewy, and high temperature can lock in the aroma, resulting in an excellent taste.

Yang Can is currently grilling a piece of lamb shoulder.

As a great hero who dared to directly challenge the Suo family, this was specially chosen for him by the Yu family guards.

Sitting with Yang Can around a campfire were five other people, one of whom was Leopard Head.

Even though Leopard Head is about to fall from grace, before the patriarch's decision is made, he is still the person in the Yu family's group whose status is second only to Steward Yi and Mr. Yang, so he is naturally qualified to stay here.

As it grew darker and everyone had eaten about 70-80% of their fill, Yang Can secretly gave Leopard Head a wink.

Leopard Head understood, handed the wine jar to the side, and said in a deep voice, "You guys drink, I'm going to make an inspection."

The guards by the campfire paused for a moment, watching Leopard Head's departing figure.

Someone wanted to say something, but in the end, they only murmured something in their throat and then swallowed it back.

They knew that once they returned to Tianshui, Commander Cheng would be in deep trouble.

In this situation, is it still necessary to be so responsible?
Although these words were well-intentioned, they were not easy to say, so in the end, he remained silent.

"Hey, let's drink, let's drink!" A guard picked up a wine gourd and waved it at Yang Can.

Yang Can was holding a small knife and slicing meat off the lamb's shoulder bone.

Seemingly drunk, Yang Can lost his grip and slashed down hard, cutting off a piece of meat and bone from the lamb shoulder bone.

"Eh!"

As Yang Can watched the piece of flesh and bone fall into the campfire, he couldn't help but let out a frustrated cry before picking up his wine gourd.

"Come on, let's drink, let's drink."

Leopard Head walked on, still feeling somewhat conflicted.

Should we really do as Mr. Yang says?

Create a disturbance to attract everyone's attention and lure that old witch, Granny Tu, out of the main tent.

then……

Mr. Yang said that the rest would be taken care of.

What this person needs to do is save Granny Tu's life.

According to Mr. Yang, the person in charge of planning everything in the Suo family's wedding procession was this Granny Tu.

Once we get rid of Granny Tu, the troublemakers from the Suo family will be gone.

Moreover, if one can act so ruthlessly, one might actually gain a glimmer of hope from the lord.

Leopard Head had some doubts about this claim, but it was obvious that he was facing a desperate situation.

Should we take a gamble?

This wavering idea was finally solidified with the "help" of Deputy Commander Liu Yu.

Liu Yu is the deputy commander of the eldest branch of the guards and the deputy of Leopard Head Cheng Dakuan.

Normally, this man was very respectful to Leopard Head, but tonight when Leopard Head patrolled to his location, Liu Yu was sitting by the campfire. Even as Leopard Head approached, he remained seated cross-legged.

When Leopard Head toasted them, he sat there arrogantly, raising one hand dismissively.

Looking at Leopard Head, Liu Yu's gaze was quite intriguing.

It was that subtly mocking gaze that pierced Cheng Dakuan's heart.

Although Liu Yu's gaze was subtle, Cheng Dakuan was a fierce tiger capable of sniffing out even the most delicate roses.

His former subordinate, who used to be so respectful to him, is now like this... Leopard Head can already imagine how many people will kick him while he's down when he's truly in trouble.

Since I'm going to get stabbed whether I stick my neck out or not, I might as well go all out!
As Leopard Head turned and walked away, a sinister smile crept across his lips.

……

The night was as dark as ink, and the campfire flickered in the wind, casting long and short shadows.

Although it was inappropriate to talk loudly and laugh loudly because of the assassination of the young master of the Yu family, the people of Longshang were known for their rough and unruly ways, so they did not ban alcohol.

The aroma of wine and meat, mingled with hushed whispers, drifted slowly into the distance.

Suddenly, several drunk Yu family guards, for some unknown reason, started arguing with Suo family guards who were standing by the nearby campfire.

The verbal argument quickly escalated into a physical fight.

Leopard Head Cheng Dakuan is indeed about to lose power, and some people are eagerly waiting for him to fall.

However, having served as the commander of the eldest branch of the family's guards for many years, he naturally had some confidants who were willing to serve him.

At Leopard Head's behest, they feigned drunkenness and started fighting with the Suo family.

Upon hearing the news, Leopard Head rushed over and, seeing his subordinates being beaten, immediately drew his sword and charged forward.

As a result, the brawl escalated into a violent clash.

The campfire flickered in the night wind, and the scale of the brawl continued to expand.

The Yu family guards around Yang Can jumped up, gripped their sharp blades, and looked warily at the two sides engaged in the melee.

They didn't forget their duty to protect Steward Yi, so they didn't leave.

Yang Can also stood up. He had no weapon in his hand, but he was still holding the piece of lamb shoulder with the bone in his hand.

Suo Chanzhi hurriedly came out of the tent and subconsciously glanced at Yang Can first.

Because she had been keeping an eye on Yang Can, she found his location at a glance.

Yang Can stood among several guards, gazing at the scene of the commotion while calmly taking a bite of a piece of lamb shoulder.

This guy is courting death...

Suo Chanzhi was so angry that he laughed.

Hearing the commotion, Granny Tu was overjoyed and immediately came out of the tent.

She thought this was the result of her pre-arranged tactics working, but she never expected that Yang Can would have the same idea.

Before her people could cause any trouble, Yang Can's men had already taken action.

However, it was precisely because Granny Tu had also made arrangements that this conflict occurred so quickly and spread so rapidly.

The guards around the main tent remained at their posts and did not participate in the surrounding melee.

Granny Tu hurried out of the tent, took a few steps forward, and looked at the chaotic crowd in the distance.

A wolf-tooth arrow was hidden close to her wrist in her sleeve.

Old Mrs. Tu was skilled in throwing knives and hidden weapons such as sleeve arrows.

Although she was only using an ordinary wolf-tooth arrow, which wouldn't be very effective when thrown as a dart, it was enough for a sneak attack and killing.

Yang Can and the four guards were not standing close together. Granny Tu slowly approached from their side and behind, her eyes fixed on the front, as if she were watching the two sides fighting.

But out of the corner of her eye, she had already taken in the situation of Yang Can and his group.

Everyone was watching the chaotic battle on the periphery. If they made a move now, even if it was a little big, no one would notice.

After all, it was just a matter of a flash of lightning, and then...

And that was it. Yang Can would die, killed by a random, cold arrow.

As for who shot the arrow, well, the death of the young master is still shrouded in mystery, so who cares about a mere advisor?
In short, Yang Can is dead, and her secret will no longer be in danger of being exposed.

Granny Tu slowly stopped, a sinister smile creeping onto her lips.

She had found a good angle, and her arm was already gathering strength, ready to throw the wolf-tooth arrow.

Granny Tu quickly glanced around to make sure no one noticed her movements.

Suddenly, a strange object spun in the night, accompanied by the sound of wind.

However, the sound of the wind breaking was very faint, completely drowned out by the evening breeze and the shouts of battle.

"laugh!"

The foreign object swept past Granny Tu's throat and then spun back.

It wasn't until the thing returned, flying in a strange arc towards Yang Can, that Granny Tu felt a sharp pain in her throat.

Granny Tu subconsciously loosened her clenched fingers, and the wolf-tooth arrow from her sleeve fell to the ground.

She tried to cover her bleeding throat, but it was all in vain; blood spurted from between her fingers.

Granny Tu made a gurgling sound in her throat, staggered forward two steps, and fell headfirst to the ground.

Granny Tu stared wide-eyed, and until her death, she still didn't know what had happened.

Yang Can remained standing by the campfire, craning his neck to look ahead, like a focused duck.

Seemingly because the battle ahead was so intense, he even took two steps forward in a moment of reverie.

Just because of those two steps he took, the spinning object brushed past him and flew into the campfire beside him.

The thing that disappeared into the campfire... was the lamb shoulder bone he had gnawed on.

A sheep's shoulder blades naturally resemble boomerangs, forming a flat, slightly curved triangle with thin, sharp edges.

Moreover, the area that needed to be used was further sharpened by Yang Can with a sharp knife.

Having completed its killing mission, Yang Jiangu brushed past Yang Can and fell into the campfire.

The flames that sprang up from the campfire were so small compared to the size of the entire fire that they went unnoticed by anyone.

Granny Tu lay motionless on the ground, and no one around had seen her.

The spot she chose was indeed good.

(End of this chapter)