Chapter 53

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Chapter 53: Encounter

     

The wedding procession quickened its pace and after a while, they reached the main road leading towards Guo Village. Zhang Xiaolong checked the sky and said: “It’s still early in the day, and we’re more than halfway there. I think we shouldn’t have any problem reaching Guo Village soon. Let’s take a short break now, and then we’ll make a final push to get there swiftly.”

     

In the procession, aside from Zhang Xiaolong, Zhang Xiaohua, Liu Qian, and Liu Yueyue, everyone else was traveling on foot. The sedan bearers were exhausted from carrying the sedan chair, and the musicians, who had been hurriedly keeping up while carrying their heavy instruments, were also very tired. Upon hearing the word ‘rest’, they immediately moved to the side of the road and plopped down on the grass. They took out their gourds or water pouches and began to quench their thirst.

     

The sedan chair was carefully placed under a large tree by the sedan bearers, who then each walked away to rest. Zhang Xiaolong dismounted his horse and, together with Zhang Xiaohua, approached the sedan chair. Zhang Xiaolong took two water pouches from the side of the saddle, handing one to Zhang Xiaohua for him to drink. Holding the other, he walked to the sedan chair and said to the person inside: “Qianqian, you must be thirsty. Would you like some water?”

     

Liu Qian didn’t respond, but her bridesmaid Liu Yueyue spoke up first: “Sister is probably not thirsty. She’s still savoring the idea of the twin lotuses you mentioned earlier. Why are you only thinking about your bride, isn’t there another person in this sedan chair? Why don’t you ask if I’m thirsty too?”

     

Zhang Xiaolong had only met Liu Yueyue a few times before. He had heard Liu Qian mention that her cousin had a straightforward personality. Seeing her tease him now, he didn’t mind and simply replied: “She’s the elder sister, and you’re the younger one. Of course, I should ask the elder sister first, right?”

     

Liu Yueyue continued: “Oh~ I didn’t realize my brother-in-law was so clever. How come I didn’t see this before? Tsk tsk, sister really has sharp eyes.” Then, she pouted and whispered: “Sister, do you want some water?”

     

Liu Qian, still with the red veil over her head, replied softly: “I’m not very thirsty, but I should drink a little to soothe my throat. If you’re thirsty, you go ahead and drink first.”

     

Liu Yueyue said: “Alright then, I’ll drink first. I’ve been busy with your matters since morning and haven’t had a drop of water. I talked a lot in your room just now, and my mouth is already dry. I’ll drink first, then give it to you.”

     

With that, Liu Yueyue lifted the curtain of the sedan chair and stepped out.

     

Zhang Xiaolong, standing by the sedan chair, quickly handed her the water pouch.

     

At that moment, several riders came galloping from the direction of Lu Town. Leading the group were three striking yellow horses, each ridden by a man with a similar appearance, swarthy complexion, squinting eyes, and a lecherous expression. They appeared to be around forty years old and were dressed brightly. Behind them were four more riders on ordinary tall horses, varying in height and build. These men were all dressed in black, with weapons at their waists. Their eyes constantly scanned the surroundings, as if extremely cautious.

     

These men noticed Zhang Xiaolong and his group resting by the roadside from a distance but didn’t pay much attention. They glanced briefly as they passed by. However, as one of the leading three men was tilting his head and swinging his whip, he happened to see Liu Yueyue emerging from the sedan chair. She accepted the water pouch from Zhang Xiaolong with a playful smile. Liu Yueyue, already naturally charming with a radiant complexion, was even more stunning today dressed as Liu Qian’s bridesmaid. While Zhang Xiaolong saw nothing unusual in her smile, the man’s squinting eyes gleamed lecherously. He couldn’t help but utter a surprised “Oh?” and immediately tightened his reins, slowing down his horse.

     

The two men beside him noticed he had slowed down and turned back to ask: “Second Brother, what’s the matter?”

     

He replied: “First Brother, something interesting has come up. What do you think of the woman by the sedan chair over there?”

     

The eldest brother glanced over, smacking his lips and saying: “Tsk tsk, not bad at all. She might not be a rare beauty, but she certainly has the delicate charm of a girl from a small family.”

     

The other man chimed in: “First Brother, you’ve been indulging quite a bit in Lu Town lately, haven’t you? Those words are quite fitting.”

     

The second brother said: “First Brother, last year, you found yourself a beautiful young woman in Xin Village, gaining both wealth and beauty and had a prosperous year. I saw you make her the lady of our stronghold, and it made me envious. The girls in Lu Town may be appealing, but they are women of the night and not for the long term. This woman looks quite decent. How about we take her back to the stronghold and make her my concubine?”

     

The eldest brother said: “Last year’s deal was indeed profitable. I thought we were just going to take the jewels they dug up from the mountains, but who knew their women would be so beautiful, how could your elder brother let that slip by? However, Second Brother, we’re still close to Lu Town and on the main road. If we act here, we might attract the attention of the authorities.”

     

The other person said: “First Brother, you worry too much. Although Lu Town isn’t far, there are few people passing through here. Those rustic fellows who came for the bride don’t seem to be locals from the town either. We’ve done this kind of thing numerous times before. After we’re done, there’s no need to take lives. We’ll leave our name, and they won’t dare to report to the authorities. Let’s hurry back to the stronghold at full speed. Even if the officials find out, what can they do to us?”

     

The Second Brother said: “Third Brother speaks quite reasonably, First Brother, let’s act.”

     

The eldest brother looked around hesitantly.

     

The Third Brother continued: “Second Brother, the woman by the sedan is yours but the bride inside the sedan is mine. Today, I will also play the role of groom. Hahaha.”

     

The Second Brother replied: “Hehe, I’m not interested in the woman inside the sedan, I haven’t seen if she’s fat or thin, beautiful or ugly. But this young girl outside with her delicate and tender skin, seems just right for me.”

     

The Third Brother said: “Second Brother, this you don’t understand. If the bride wasn’t beautiful, why would she choose such a lovely girl as her bridesmaid? I think the bride must be even prettier than her.”

     

Second Brother replied: “Third Brother, you are indeed sharp-witted. But if I hadn’t turned around and seen her, how could you be the groom today? Before entering the room tonight, you owe me three bowls of wine.”

     

Third Brother smiled slyly and said: “Same to you, let’s share the bridal chamber.”

     

The three of them chatted from a distance, occasionally glancing at the bridal sedan as if they already had a plan in mind. The four people nearby said nothing, forming a circle around the three, seemingly accustomed to this.

     

Second Brother, seeing that First Brother was still hesitating, said unhappily: “First Brother, what’s there to think about? We brothers haven’t had a fresh girl to serve us this year, unlike you, who has a beautiful bride in bed.”

     

First Brother, noticing Second Brother’s displeasure and Third Brother’s eagerness, laughed and said: “No worries. When have the Three Wolves of West Cui ever been afraid of anything? Since First Brother has meat to eat, I can’t let my brothers just drink soup. Let’s go, today we’ll make a move and let the brothers have a taste of meat.”

     

After speaking, the three of them turned their horses around and charged towards Zhang Xiaolong and the others, with the other four closing in from the sides.

     

At this moment, Zhang Xiaohua had finished drinking water and handed his canteen to his big brother. His ears were very sharp, and upon hearing the sound of hoofbeats leaving and then returning, he immediately looked up to observe. Seeing seven people rushing towards them, he became alert and quickly said to Zhang Xiaolong: “Big Brother, be careful. The group that just passed by has come back. Is there something wrong?”

     

Zhang Xiaolong was talking with Liu Qian and Liu Yueyue just now and hadn’t noticed any horses passing by. Hearing Zhang Xiaohua’s warning, he immediately looked up and saw the lecherous looks of the Three Wolves of West Cui directed towards them. He thought to himself: “This is bad, why are we encountering such trouble again?”

     

He was about to have Liu Yueyue hide in the bridal sedan when the horses were already upon them. Zhang Xiaolong frowned, pulled Liu Yueyue behind him, stood up straight, cupped his fists, and said: “What instructions do you brave warriors have for us?”

     

Leading the charge was the second brother of the Three Wolves of West Cui. Seeing Zhang Xiaolong salute, he did not respond, nor did he slow down his horse. Using the momentum of the horse, he lifted his leg and kicked towards Zhang Xiaolong’s chest. Although Zhang Xiaolong had never practiced martial arts, he was still young and agile. He quickly turned his body to shield Liu Yueyue. The second brother’s kick landed below his shoulder, sending Zhang Xiaolong flying to the side of the road. He cried out in pain, blood spurted from his mouth, and he fell unconscious on his back. His water bag was thrown far away, with water gushing out.

     

Seeing his big brother injured, Zhang Xiaohua was greatly alarmed and rushed over. However, the third brother of the Three Wolves of West Cui rode towards him on horseback, raising his hand to whip him. Zhang Xiaohua saw the whip coming and tried to dodge, reaching out to grab it. However, since he had already used all his strength earlier in the morning to draw the bow, his arms were sore and he couldn’t muster enough force. Helplessly, he could only twist his head as the whip struck his face, and then landed on his shoulder. Zhang Xiaohua cried out in pain and fell to the ground. The whip left a burning sensation on his body, causing tears to well up uncontrollably.

     

After the second and third brothers of the Three Wolves of West Cui succeeded in their actions, they didn’t stop. Instead, they charged towards the others resting by the roadside and began whipping them with their horse whips. Meanwhile, the eldest brother ran up to the bridal sedan but did not proceed further. He tightened the reins and halted, observing the second and third brothers rushing towards the others. He then instructed the remaining four people beside him: “Go help out, make it quick and clean.”

     

The other four immediately drew weapons from their waist or horses and encircled from different directions. As they advanced, they shouted: ” West Cui Mountain is doing business here. Anyone not involved should leave immediately.”

     

There were some people originally on the main road who, upon seeing these individuals rushing over and causing harm, were puzzled. Some onlookers had stopped to watch the commotion. Upon hearing the warning, they scattered like birds and beasts, each fleeing in disarray.

     

Seeing the mounted attackers injure the groom and groomsmen during their rest, the wedding procession was filled with anger. Some were preparing to stand up and use whatever they had in their hands to outnumber the attackers. However, they were taken aback to find that the attackers were armed with knives and spears, and they were robbers from West Cui Mountain. Who would dare to confront them? Without a second thought, everyone shouted in panic, calling for their mothers and fathers. They abandoned their belongings, even leaving their meals untouched, and scattered to flee in all directions.

     

In the blink of an eye, the bustling road that was lively moments ago was now devoid of any extra people. Only Zhang Xiaolong lying on the ground, Zhang Xiaohua struggling to get up, Liu Yueyue in a state of confusion not knowing what to do, and the triumphant West Cui Mountain gang stood around, having succeeded in their scheme.