Chapter 21: The Malicious Servant

"Come on, lucky boy." Duncan roughly grabbed Rayan's dirty collar, dragging him out of the luxurious carriage with a smile on his long face, like a wolf clutching a lamb's leg. "You weren't expecting me to carry you out like a damsel, were you?"

Rayan's head hit the doorframe of the carriage, causing a dull and dizzying concussion. Before the dizziness could fade, he was dragged onto the ground, the outer side of his arm throbbing with sharp pain, his forehead oozing blood, and his mouth full of the sweet taste of blood. But Rayan clenched his teeth, not letting out a single groan.

"Duncan!" Lady Spring Rain scolded with a stern face, "You're going too far, he's injured and needs careful nursing." She intended to descend from the carriage to help Rayan up, but thinking of what had happened in the carriage earlier, she decided it was better to keep her distance from Rayan.

Duncan shrugged indifferently, "As you wish, my lady. I'll put him on my horse and take him to the nearest village to find a good physician to look after him. But it will probably cost money, you know, those country folk aren't as noble as you."

Lady Spring Rain reluctantly nodded. Though Stonerock City had better physicians, Rayan's current condition clearly wasn't suitable for a bumpy journey. She turned and signaled Archer, who muttered under his breath, pulling out a bulging purse from his waist and handing it over to Lady Spring Rain.

Lady Spring Rain opened the purse, grabbing a handful of shiny coins, "Would ten gold coins be enough?"

"Of course, that's more than enough." Duncan smirked slyly, adding meaningfully, "If it's not enough, I could always chip in a bit more."

Hearing this, Lady Spring Rain grabbed another handful, but Archer quickly stepped forward to stop her. "My lady, don't believe Duncan's words. He would never pay out of his own pocket. Besides, in such a remote area, ten gold coins could almost buy a whole village, how could it not be enough?"

A look of humiliation appeared on Duncan's face as he shamelessly said, "Archer, you always seize the chance to slander me. Everyone in the Firebird family knows I'm a man of honesty and integrity. You, a mere stable boy, should not go too far!"

"You're wrong!" Archer retorted roughly, "I always seize the chance to screw your mother. Everyone in the Firebird family knows the color of your mother's bedsheet!"

"You! I'll fuck, I'll fuck…" Duncan, unable to withstand Archer's vulgar words, cursed back. However, cunning and cheating were his strengths, not fighting or cursing. After just one sentence, his thin face turned tomato-red, and his whole body shook with rage.

Archer casually scratched his chin, "I've heard from the prostitutes in Stonerock City that what's between your legs is only as big as a baby's finger, you can't even find it when you pee. I'd advise you not to make a fool of yourself."

"You!" Duncan was almost spitting blood with anger, but even so, he dared not challenge Archer to a duel.

"Enough, both of you!" Lady Spring Rain's brows were tightly knotted, "I don't want to hear any more foul language." Servants cursing was not an unforgivable sin, and many noble lords often spoke crudely too. Lady Spring Rain usually filtered out some words, but this time she found it unbearable.

Duncan sulkily said, "My lady, I request that you punish your coachman. He was the first to use foul language against me."

Archer bowed slightly to Lady Spring Rain, "I'm very sorry, my lady. My behavior was indeed appalling, but I only apologize to you, not to Duncan." He had cursed, and he had no intention of excusing himself.

Lady Spring Rain coldly told Duncan, "Whether or not to punish him is my affair. You just need to take the money and take this injured man to the nearest village."

Duncan wanted to say more, but Lady Spring Rain stuffed twenty-some gold coins into his hand, and he immediately smoothed over with a smile, "As you wish, my lady. I'll be on my way." Saying so, he reached out to grab Rayan's collar.

Archer, seeing so much money fall into Duncan's hands, couldn't help but open his mouth, but noticing a small negative gesture from his mistress, he immediately swallowed his words.

Rayan, stubbornly lifting his head, blocked Duncan's approaching arm, and with the little strength he had mustered, he stood up with difficulty.

Duncan, taken aback, chuckled, "Well, I didn't expect you to be such a tough nut!" Lady Spring Rain looked at Rayan with concern. After hesitating for a moment, she finally picked up her skirt and stepped down from the luxurious carriage. She pulled out a white silk handkerchief from her sleeve and handed it to Rayan. "Take this, wipe the blood off your forehead."

Rayan's dark eyes fixed on Lady Spring Rain, pausing for a while before slowly lifting his arm to take the handkerchief. The handkerchief was exquisitely made, with two symmetric fish embroidered on the corners with silver thread, and its silky texture was something Rayan had never touched before, carrying the scent of flowers and a warmth like spring.

A sense of reluctance surged in Rayan's heart. Using such an expensive, white, flawless handkerchief to wipe the blood on his face felt like offering a beautiful girl to a hideous beast for enjoyment. Holding the silk handkerchief, he stood frozen, unsure of how to proceed.

Lady Spring Rain continued, "You are mute, so I cannot know your name, but that doesn't matter. I can tell you my name. People call me Lady Spring Rain. I govern one-tenth of the Torrent Kingdom's land and hold the title of a noble lady among Stonerock's upper echelons. If you ever find yourself in trouble or in need of help, you can come to me after your injuries heal. I'm in Torrent during spring and summer, and in Stonerock during autumn and winter. Remember that?"

Rayan pressed his lips together, nodding slightly. The gesture was minimal, both a response to Lady Spring Rain's sincerity and a silent thanks for her kindness.

Lady Spring Rain gave him another concerned look, then lifted her skirt, turned, and stepped back onto the carriage. "Archer, let's go."

"Yes, my lady." Archer climbed onto the carriage, flicked the reins, and the two mares neighed and trotted off. In no time, the carriage disappeared from Rayan's sight.

"Come on, kid, don't dream of punching above your weight." Duncan pushed Rayan from behind, taking advantage of Rayan's unsteady footing to lift him onto the horse, then kicked him hard in the bend of his leg. "If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have been humiliated by that bastard Archer."

The sharp tip of the boot hit Rayan's leg muscle, causing excruciating pain. Yet, he clenched his teeth, not making a sound. He understood that even with a kind master like Lady Spring Rain, there could be malicious servants. He was grateful to Lady Spring Rain but harbored no good feelings towards Duncan.

"But come to think of it, if it weren't for you, boy, I wouldn't have earned these twenty gold coins." Duncan proudly jingled his purse, "Lady Spring Rain is truly foolish. May the Holy Light bless her to continue being so foolish."

Rayan had never expected Duncan to leave the gold coins for him, but hearing Duncan's derogatory remarks about Lady Spring Rain, his face involuntarily showed anger.

Duncan didn't notice Rayan's expression, instead, he arrogantly mounted the horse, turned it around, and rode off in the opposite direction.

The horse ran fast, and the bouncing caused severe dizziness. Rayan fought the urge to vomit, trying hard to maintain his balance on the horseback, lest he fall off. Falling off would mean Duncan would certainly not care for him.

After running wildly for more than ten minutes, Duncan suddenly reined in the horse, leaving the main road for a narrow path trampled by wild beasts through the dense forest.

Dry grass was crushed into powder by the horse's hooves, and withered brown vines clung to the protruding rocks. The leaves on the trees beside the path had all fallen, and the branches were also dried and dead. As the cold, dry wind blew, the dead tree trunks cracked.

Rayan felt puzzled, then realized this was definitely not the way to town.

Suddenly, a familiar crow cawed from the sky, causing Rayan's heart to sink. Crows follow the dying... Thinking this, Rayan's skin tingled with horror, suddenly understanding that Duncan's intentions weren't just to steal the gold coins—

"Let me... down..." The numbing effect on his tongue had diminished a lot, and Rayan tried his best to articulate every word clearly.

"Oh, so you're not mute after all?" Duncan seemed not to care much, saying quite relaxedly, "Whether you're mute or not, in a little while, you won't be able to speak anyway."

"You... shameless... scoundrel!" Rayan gritted his teeth, wishing he could die together with Duncan.

"Thanks!" Duncan said proudly, "That word is the best compliment for me."

"No wonder your mother has been with every man in Stonerock City..." Rayan cursed.

Duncan's sly face immediately twisted. He gathered his Seventh Tier Battle Qi, raised his fist, and heavily struck Rayan's ribcage.

Rayan abruptly straightened up, leaped from the horseback, and rolled onto the ground covered in dry grass, using the momentum of the heavy punch. Duncan's Battle Qi broke at least three of his ribs, and the impact with the ground dislocated his organs, causing blood to pour from his mouth and nose, covering the ground. He tried to stand up and escape, but not a single joint in his limbs could support his body.

Duncan reined in the horse, stopped, and looked at Rayan with a sinister smile, "Ah, I intended to take you a bit further, but it seems you're in a hurry. Well, let's end it here." He took the Twilight Blade from his back and jumped down from the horse.