Causing a Scene 

Putting aside his banter with Yexi, Ard elevated his assessment of the young man by another level, placing him on par with Isaac. Although Yexi and Isaac had yet to meet, Ard was confident that the sun-like young hero would be no weaker than her in a direct confrontation.

Is this era just churning out monsters? Ard thought, a dull ache in his heart as he considered his own struggles in the lower ranks.

“Wifey,” Ard sighed dramatically, “my heart aches so. Won’t you give me some comfort?”

Yexi’s face was a mask of indifference. She stopped walking, turned to face him, and raised an eyebrow. “You weren’t talking to me just now, were you? You, the bachelor? The virgin of two lifetimes?”

Ard felt his heart ache even more. The truth was a cruel, cruel thing.

With a heavy heart, Ard arrived at the lord’s manor. As for how he knew its location—one only had to look for the most ostentatious residence in the very center of the inner city, the building with the glittering gold sign proclaiming it as such. It was impossible to miss.

As they approached the gate, Ard and Yexi paused for a moment to observe, only to be immediately berated by the vicious lackeys guarding the entrance. “What are you looking at, country bumpkins? Get lost you clueless peasant.”

Ard feigned anger and shouted, “What kind of attitude is that?! I have an important message for your Lord!”

“You?! And who are you?!”

“I’m one of the Sixth Master’s men! I’m here on his orders to deliver a letter! And let me tell you, this is important news!”

The lackeys had never heard of any “Sixth Master.” They were used to throwing their weight around and, seeing the plain appearance of Ard and Yexi, felt themselves to be superior. “Sixth Master? Sixth my ass! Scram!”

“You!” Ard pretended to force his way in, and the two lackeys blocked him.

“You’re asking for it! Get him!”

“I’m not afraid of you! I’ve never been afraid of a fight in the mountains!”

Ard and the two lackeys began to scuffle, trading blows. Yexi, in her role as the timid wife, cowered to the side, looking helpless. Ard’s strength was clearly superior to the two bullies. Even while holding back, he was more than a match for them both.

The commotion at the manor gate quickly attracted a crowd of onlookers. Soon, a steward emerged from the residence with a group of servants to see what was happening. The servants pulled the fighting men apart. The steward, his face a dark scowl, dispersed the crowd and had the troublemakers brought inside.

“Wait! My wife that I worked so hard to get is still out there!” Ard shouted as he was being dragged away, pointing to the cowering, homely Yexi.

The steward waved a hand, and Yexi was brought in as well.

In one of the manor’s interrogation rooms, the old steward, with his deep-set eyes and hawk-like nose, asked grimly, “Do you have a death wish? To dare cause such a scene in front of the Lord’s residence! Who started this?!”

The two lackeys immediately pointed at Ard. “Mr. Steward, it was this kid! He was acting suspiciously, lurking around the manor gate! We kindly tried to send him away, but he tried to force his way in! We were only defending the safety of the manor! Mr. Steward, look at our injuries! This lowly peasant is surprisingly strong.”

Even though he was tied up, Ard showed no sign of fear. “You’re the lowly one!” he roared. “When I was living it up in the mountains with the Sixth Master, you were probably still drinking your mother’s milk!”

“Sixth Master?” Hearing these words, the steward’s expression changed. He asked Ard coldly, “You say you’re one of the Sixth Master’s men. Do you have proof?”

The two lackeys were stunned. The steward actually knew of the Sixth Master. They had a bad feeling about this.

Ard puffed out his chest. “I do. There’s a letter from the Sixth Master himself sewn into the lining of my shirt.”

The steward signaled for a servant to retrieve the letter. He first checked the special seal in the corner, then glanced at the contents and the handwriting. His expression changed again. He handed the letter to a servant.

“Untie him.”

Then, the steward’s cold gaze fell on the two lackeys. “I believe I told you to bring anyone who mentions the Sixth Master’s name inside, did I not? Did you follow my instructions?”

“Huh?” The two lackeys were dumbfounded. They finally remembered the steward’s orders. But they were so used to bullying others and judging people by their appearance that when they saw the shabby-looking Ard and Yexi, it hadn’t even occurred to them that these were the people they were supposed to receive.

“Mr. Steward, we were wrong! We were blind! We deserve to die, we deserve to die!” The two lackeys, knowing full well the steward’s cruelty, immediately began to beg for mercy.

The steward said coldly, “You do indeed deserve to die. You nearly ruined a matter of great importance. Sir,” he said, turning to Ard, “what do you think should be done with them?”

Ard looked at the two lackeys with contempt. “I’ll leave them to you, Mr. Steward. I’m sure you will make a just decision. Now, can you take us to see the Baron? There are some details the Sixth Master was not comfortable putting in the letter and instructed me to report in person.”

“Of course,” the steward nodded. “Follow me. You few,” he said to the servants, “gouge out their eyes and ears and throw them out. Since they have no use for them, they might as well not have them at all.”

“Tsk, tsk, tsk.”

Ard clicked his tongue. He hadn’t expected the steward to be so ruthless. He had thought a few lashes would be the end of it. It seemed he was still too soft. He had no intention of saving the two lackeys. Their arrogant attitude was clearly a long-standing habit. They had likely harmed many people. Ard had no reason to extend his kindness to such wicked men. Repay evil with virtue? No. Repay evil with justice!

Yexi, of course, cared even less about their fate. Good and evil were meaningless concepts to her. She was fiercely loyal to her family and friends, but she was extremely stingy with her emotions when it came to strangers, viewing them with the cold, detached gaze of a god.

But for now, Yexi was playing the part of a weak, submissive wife. As the steward led them away, the heart-wrenching screams of the two lackeys echoed from behind them. Yexi feigned terror, clutching Ard’s arm, her body trembling, barely able to walk.

Ard, playing his part, feigned anger and cursed, “Look at you, you disgraceful thing! Can’t you give me some face?”

The steward asked casually, “And she is?”

Ard grinned. “Oh, this is a woman I picked up on the road. She was about to starve to death, so I saved her and made her my wife.”

Seeing Ard’s smug expression, a flicker of contempt appeared in the steward’s eyes. A common bandit, indeed. This woman, aside from her figure, wasn’t even as pretty as his own concubine.

He led Ard to a particularly elegant courtyard. But in contrast to the peaceful scenery, the entire courtyard was filled with a tense, anxious atmosphere. From a room within, an angry roar could be heard. “Damn it all to hell! I’ll @#%&¥$ them! To dare touch my treasury! Even if it’s the king of heaven himself, I won’t let him off! I’ll @#%&¥”

The steward stopped and muttered to himself, “He’s been cursing for five hours straight. The Lord must be truly furious.” He turned to Ard and Yexi. “A group of unidentified bandits attacked the Lord’s treasury last night. He’s in a rage right now and won’t listen to anyone. I’ll go and try to calm him down. Wait until I call for you before you enter.”

“Of course.”

Considering Ard’s impulsive nature, the steward added another warning. “Don’t cause any more trouble. Otherwise, even I won’t be able to protect you.”

Ard cupped his hands. “Rest assured, I understand, Mr. Steward.”

The steward then went into the room, pointing at Ard and saying something to the guards at the door as he passed. Ard could only hear a blur of words, but he had a listening device right beside him, currently clinging to his arm like a soft, helpless creature.

Although Yexi’s disguise was not attractive, was Ard the kind of man who only cared about looks?! As long as he knew in his heart that this was Yexi, he was filled with an indescribable satisfaction. Heh, so you have your moments too! Come on, lean a little closer!

Of course, these fantasies could only remain in his mind. If he dared to act… no, if he even dared to say them out loud, Yexi might not react on the spot, but after this was all over, Ard had a feeling he would be missing some body parts.

But a little bit of fun should be fine, right?

The spirit of recklessness burned brightly in Ard’s soul. He pretended to be comforting the “frightened” Yexi, pulling her into his arms and gently lifting her chin. At that moment, Yexi’s eyes were filled with panic and unease. Of course, this was all an act. If Ard believed for a second that she was truly flustered, he would be the real fool.

He brought his mouth close to her ear and whispered. To the guards, it looked like he was just propositioning a woman, a distasteful sight. They looked at the couple with contempt, some even turning away in disgust. This was exactly what Ard wanted. He took the opportunity to ask.

“What did that steward say just now?”

“He said, ‘Keep an eye on that couple. If they cause any trouble, take them down immediately. Don’t disturb the Lord,” Yexi’s voice, calm as still water, came through, without a trace of panic or distress. From Ard’s perspective, her lips had barely moved, and her expression was still that of a frightened young woman, but her words reached his ears with perfect clarity.

Ard continued, “What about the strength of these guards?”

“The two inside the room are a bit troublesome. From their killing intent and aura, they are likely very skilled bodyguards. In a direct confrontation, it would take me some time to deal with them. But if we were to leave, even with you in tow, the two of them wouldn’t be able to stop me.”

With his own safety guaranteed, Ard’s confidence surged, giving him more leverage to swindle the fat pig.