Punish the Heavens and Punish the Gods - Chapter 04

“Shopkeeper, we just helped you — we didn’t harm you! Why are you acting like we did?” Lu Peng said, confused.

I snorted coldly, glaring at the shopkeeper. “Hmph! This guy’s got a heart like a donkey’s liver and lungs. We help him, and now he’s crying like we did something wrong!”

The shopkeeper didn’t even hear us. He just kept crying miserably.

Seeing that, Lu Peng turned to the waiter and asked, “Hey, what’s wrong with your boss?”

The waiter sighed and whispered, “You really don’t know? That young man you just killed — Young Master Bai — his father is the magistrate of Xiongdu County! He’s a level six Light Mage who can transform into a Seraph of Light. And worse, he’s related to the emperor himself! If he finds out his son was killed here, he’ll definitely destroy this whole shop! You two should run before it’s too late!”

The shopkeeper kept wailing, slapping the table. “Oh ancestors, forgive me! The family business that’s lasted for generations — all ruined!”

Listening to the waiter and seeing the shopkeeper’s pitiful face, my anger cooled. I walked over, took out a pouch with three hundred gold coins, and placed it on the table.

“Boss,” I said, “there’s three hundred gold coins in here. Use a hundred to open a new shop, another hundred for renovations and hiring workers, and the last hundred as compensation from me.”

After saying that, I bowed.

Lu Peng stepped up too, fumbling through his pockets before finally pulling out a small pouch. “I don’t have much left,” he said, “but here — a thousand silver coins. Please take it.”

The shopkeeper stopped crying immediately. As he quickly stashed away the money, he said, “You two are kind, but you’d better run! Magistrate Bai Ningtian will kill you for sure. I’ll pack up and disappear myself. Oh, and if you want a place to hide, go to Shaoyang Academy in Shaoyang City. It’s thousands of miles away — perfect for laying low and learning martial arts at the same time!”

With that, he hurried out the door, probably to flee before anyone came looking.

Lu Peng and I exchanged glances. “Shaoyang Academy,” I said slowly. “Sounds like the perfect place — we can both train and hide.”

Lu Peng nodded. “Yeah, but it’s far from here. On foot, it’ll take at least a week.”

His eyes suddenly lit up. “Let’s buy horses!”

“Buy… horses?” I thought to myself. “What’s a horse?” In the Orc Kingdom, we only had centaurs — people and horses combined — not actual animals for riding.

“Yan Jie, look!” Lu Peng pointed ahead. “There’s a stable that sells horses. Let’s check it out.”

“Alright,” I nodded.

On the way, Lu Peng asked, “So, what color horse do you want? I’m definitely getting a white one.”

“If there’s a white one, then there must be a black one too,” I said with a grin. “I’ll take a black horse.”

Soon, we arrived at the stable.

“Yan Jie,” Lu Peng said, “you go look for a black horse. I’ll find a white one.”

“Got it,” I replied.

He quickly spotted a beautiful white horse grazing nearby — clearly top quality. Leading it to the stablehand, Lu Peng asked, “I want this one. How much?”

“Two gold coins,” the stablehand said flatly.

“Two? That’s expensive! How about one?”

The man scowled. “If you can’t afford it, don’t waste my time.”

Lu Peng clenched his fists, clearly annoyed, but he had no choice — he’d given all his money to the restaurant earlier.

I saw the situation and stepped in. My father had given me plenty of money when I left home.

I walked up, tossed five gold coins onto the ground, and said coolly, “Buy it. Keep three as a tip.”

The man’s attitude changed instantly. He bowed and said obsequiously, “Thank you, sir! Thank you!”

I curled my lip — I hated people who only respected money.

Lu Peng smiled gratefully. “Thanks, Yan Jie. Alright, let’s go find your black horse. Hey, stablehand, take good care of my horse! I’ll come back for it soon.”

We headed deeper into the stables. Suddenly, a loud scream echoed from nearby.

“Ahhh!”

We rushed toward the sound — and saw chaos. A black horse had trampled a man to death. The man who screamed had already gone still.

Lu Peng asked one of the onlookers, “Brother, what happened here?”

The man shook his head. “Not sure. But the workers said that horse was wild — caught just a few days ago. It’s got a bad temper. The poor guy it killed was the shopkeeper’s son.”

Lu Peng thanked him quietly, and we both looked toward the shopkeeper. He was on the ground, wailing, clutching his son’s body. “My son! My poor son!”

A few minutes later, the shopkeeper drew his sword, shouting that he’d kill the black horse in revenge.

I stepped forward. “Wait!” I shouted. “It’s not the horse’s fault! Your son shouldn’t have gotten too close if he wasn’t skilled enough to handle it. The real problem isn’t the horse — it’s human carelessness! And anyway, horses should be free — why chain them up?”

Without hesitation, I walked straight toward the black horse. It snorted angrily, pawing the ground, and then charged at me.

I caught its attack with both hands and slammed it to the ground.

Then I looked at the shopkeeper. “How much for this horse? I’ll buy it.”

He glared at me, still grieving. “It’s not for sale. I’ll kill it, then kill myself to join my son!”

I frowned impatiently. “You selling it or not? If not, I’ll smash your stable!”

As I raised my fists, energy crackling around them, the man’s courage vanished. “O-okay! It’s yours! Take it and go!”

I threw him a few gold coins. “Keep the change.”

He picked them up, counting quickly, then bowed deeply. “Thank you, sir. I’ll use this money to give my son a proper burial.”

I looked at him for a moment and thought, He’s still a good father, in his own way.

Then I turned to the black horse and said gently, “From now on, we’re partners. I’ll call you Xiao Hei.”

The horse let out a long, proud neigh — as if accepting me as its master.

Lu Peng came over, leading his white horse proudly. “I’ve decided to name mine White Dragon Horse.”

I laughed. “Nice name.”

And with that, the two of us — Lu Peng on White Dragon Horse and me on Xiao Hei — rode off together toward Shaoyang City, the wind in our faces and the road to adventure ahead of us.