Chapter 6
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Chapter 6: Rescue
As tears of helplessness fell from Zhang Xiaohua’s eyes onto the dusty ground, the heart of the thirteen-year-old boy was stirred with tumultuous waves. He had no time to consider the wickedness of human nature, the ugliness of the world’s myriad facets, or to blame others for their weakness and indifference. All he had was a hope for strength, a desire to protect his family with his own power, to shield them from being bullied by these dog-like villains. The punches and kicks falling upon his loved ones were like plows tilling the soil of his heart, planting a seed within him. It transformed his immature and once timid spirit into something more and more enriched and determined.
The two village girls cried out as they rushed forward, trying to pull the servants who were beating Zhang Cai and the others. However, they were blocked by the two young masters who resorted to using their hands and feet. The number of spectators had increased compared to those watching the play, but they all remained silent, daring to be angry but not daring to speak out. The world seemed to fall into a silent lull, with only the sounds of fists and cries of the village girls, mingled with the mocking laughter of the ruffians. The sun was beginning to set in the west.
At that moment, a gentle and melodious female voice floated over from the high wall behind Zhang Xiaohua: “A bunch of cowardly bullies relying on numbers. Senior Brother, if you don’t intervene now, these people will be seriously injured by these dogs.”
Shortly after, a male voice chimed in: “It’s still Junior Sister’s Budhisvana’s heart. I’ll go down and deal with these dogs right away.”
As soon as he finished speaking, a figure leaped down from the high wall, landing lightly behind the group of evil servants. Without much ado, this person grabbed two of them by their arms and tossed them backward, slamming them onto the ground. Then, with a swift motion, he lifted his leg and delivered a series of kicks, ‘Pa, Pa, Pa’ knocking down the others. The evil servants fell into the dust, silent and still, their fate uncertain. Meanwhile, the Zhang family trio lay curled up on the ground, their faces smeared with blood and dirt, groaning in pain.
At that moment, everyone could see clearly that the person who had landed at the scene was a young man in his twenties, dressed like a scholar in white clothes, carrying a precious sword. As the scholar’s gaze fell upon Zhang Xiaohua, the two evil servants holding him quickly released their grip and shuffled aside. Zhang Xiaohua, crying, rushed to his father and older brothers, helping them up one by one and checking their injuries. The two young masters who had been harassing the girls also ceased their actions, refraining from interfering as the two village girls rushed over to tend to Zhang Xiaolong and the others’ injuries.
The bodyguard in black approached the scholar and observed him for a moment before clasping his hands and asking: “May I ask, brother, which sect do you belong to? Evil Tiger Gang’s Zhao Quansheng would like to inquire about your esteemed name.”
Unfortunately, the scholar paid him no attention and instead turned to look toward the high wall, remaining silent. It was then that everyone noticed a graceful woman standing on the wall, dressed in a long purple gown. She had a tall and slender figure, and the wind made her clothes outline her curves vividly. However, her face was veiled, making it impossible to see her true appearance. Nonetheless, her heroic and lofty demeanor immediately gave people a sense of distance. The woman in the purple dress leaped down from the high wall, walking gracefully to stand beside the young man in white without offering any formalities. Her melodious voice resonated once again:
“The Evil Tiger Gang has such a grand reputation. Is it only used for bullying men and women? I wonder what Situ Yue is up to.”
In the beginning, Zhao Quansheng of the Evil Tiger Gang had a rather unpleasant expression, even tightening his grip on his knife. However, as the woman’s words unfolded, his expression changed dramatically. By the end, his face had turned pale, but he had already loosened his grip on the knife. As soon as the woman finished speaking, he immediately cupped his fists and said respectfully: “I am a disciple of the Black Tiger Hall of the Gang, under the orders of our hall master to protect the young masters in this town. If the lady is acquainted with our gang leader, please forgive any offenses.”
“Acquainted with your gang leader? Heh heh, you’re quite adept at navigating the winds. We’ve been observing here for a while, and we’ve seen all your actions. Although you may have had the responsibility to protect them and refrain from acting, you still run the risk of aiding and abetting tyranny. As for the two dogs you’re protecting, who prey on the common people and molest women I have long been displeased with them. If we don’t teach them a lesson now, who knows how many lives they’ll ruin in the future.” The white-clad scholar said with a smile.
As Zhao Quansheng heard this, he couldn’t help frowning and said loudly: “Although you two are acquaintances of our gang leader, you haven’t identified yourselves. Instead, you’ve meddled in the affairs of our gang. Please forgive me for being unable to obey.”
When the woman heard these words, she couldn’t help but laugh out loud, saying: “You shameless dog, you still dare to quibble. If I don’t teach you a lesson, you won’t learn.” With that, she stepped forward.
The scholar in white hurriedly intervened, whispering, “Junior Sister, it’s New Year’s, and we’re just here to watch the excitement. Acting rashly and shedding blood is inauspicious. Besides, our mission…”
“But look at these despicable thugs and how miserable the villagers who acted out righteously just now were beaten by them. If I don’t seek justice for them, I won’t feel at ease.” The woman in purple asserted firmly.
The white-robed scholar pondered for a moment: “Junior Sister, you may not be fully aware of the cruelty of this world. While today we may have punished these bullies and given the villagers some relief, we won’t stay here for long. Once we leave, these thugs may come back to take revenge on the villagers for seeking our help. Then won’t our good intentions lead to disastrous consequences for these innocent villagers?”
The woman in purple immediately widened her almond-shaped eyes and exclaimed sharply: “I refuse to believe that these evil bullies in this remote town have any significant power. If necessary, I’ll inform my uncle and have him send troops to level this place!”
The tone of this sentence became louder, and the bodyguard heard it, causing him to tremble inwardly. He knew that her words were not mere bluster, realizing that mishandling this situation could lead to dire consequences. Thus, he promptly approached once more and politely inquired: “Esteemed young heroes, today is this Zhao’s fault. Allow me to apologize again and intervene with the two young masters. May I ask for your honorable names, so I can inform the sect? Let us exchange weapons of war into gifts of jade and silk, as we are all part of the Jianghu seeking our livelihoods.”
[TL_Note: Jianghu-> Martial world/ turn weapons of war into gifts of jade and silk-> Turn hostilities into friendship ]
The purple-robed woman pondered her companion’s words and found them reasonable. After hearing Zhao Quansheng’s conciliatory tone, she ignored him and walked over to where Zhang Cai and his family were to check their injuries. Meanwhile, the white-robed scholar took out a small card from his pocket and handed it to Zhao Quansheng. Zhao Quansheng received the card and, upon reading it, was visibly shocked, showing even greater respect as he returned the card to the white-robed scholar with both hands.
Turning swiftly, he jogged over to the two fat young masters who were at a loss for what to do. After whispering something in their ears, their faces turned even more unsightly, and even turned a little pale. Trembling, they approached the white-robed scholar and bowed apologetically. The scholar smiled and shook his head, gesturing with a slight tilt of his head toward the purple-robed woman nearby. The two men had no choice but to return to the side of the purple-robed woman, bowing repeatedly and pleading for forgiveness. However, the woman remained indifferent, showing no signs of relenting.
The two chubby young masters, quick-witted as they were, immediately turned to plead for forgiveness from Zhang Cai’s family and the two village girls when they saw that their efforts were in vain. Rural folks typically didn’t possess deep cunning, so with just a few words from the chubby men, the faces of the village girls and Zhang Cai’s family softened. Only Zhang Xiaohua remained expressionless, his face devoid of emotion. After exchanging a glance with Zhang Cai, who nodded in agreement, one of the village girls finally spoke up to the purple-robed woman, saying, “Sister, look…”
The woman in purple robes responded: “You don’t have to watch my mood. I’ll listen to you. But these two fatties deserve severe punishment. They may escape with their lives, but not without consequences. Let them pay you two hundred taels of silver as compensation for your injuries. As for you two troublemakers, dare to bother them again, and if I find out, beware of your lives.”
The two fat men were overjoyed upon hearing this and immediately agreed, promising they wouldn’t dare cause any trouble in the future. They hurriedly took out several banknotes from their pockets, without counting, and stuffed them into Zhang Cai’s hand. Then, rather than leaving immediately, they stood there anxiously, waiting for the purple-robed woman to speak: “Get lost.”
At this point, the two chubby men slipped away and crept over to the side of the black-clad bodyguard. Seeing them return, the white-robed scholar didn’t say a word but walked over to the group of thugs who had been kicked down earlier. He delivered another kick to each of them. With that, they struggled to their feet and gathered around the two chubby men. Zhao Quansheng, seeing the matter resolved, didn’t dare to say anything further. He bowed to the two of them with cupped fists and quickly led the group away.
After they left, the onlookers gathered around, curious about the commotion but still wary of approaching the man and woman. The white-robed scholar walked over to Zhang Cai and the others and asked: “Are you able to walk?”
Zhang Cai replied: “Benefactor, we can.”
The white-robed scholar said: “Then let’s leave this place first. Hold onto the silver notes and we’ll discuss further outside the town.”
With that, he and the woman in purple took the lead, while Zhang Xiaohua and the two village girls each supported one another, following them out of Lu Town.
The strange combination of Zhang Cai’s group aroused curiosity among the crowd. The two people at the front were dressed in splendid attires, with the woman even veiled. In contrast, the ones behind were clearly farmers, and three of them were bruised and battered, their clothes tattered and blood still staining their faces. There was also a young boy with swollen cheeks and split lips, his clothing dirtied. Although everyone’s eyes were fixed on their backs, no one dared to approach and inquire, nor did anyone dare to follow to find out more.
After walking for half a mile to the east of Lu Town, they reached a small stream. The young man and woman walked to a tree by the stream while Zhang Cai and his group stopped by the stream to wash away the bloodstains and dirt from their faces and bodies. Fortunately, despite the severity of the conflict earlier, the thugs hadn’t used any weapons, so Zhang Cai and his group hadn’t sustained any serious injuries. However, Zhang Xiaolong’s arm had been repeatedly stomped on, likely resulting in a fracture. As for whether there was any internal injury, they didn’t know.
As Zhang Cai and his family finished cleaning up, they approached the tree where the couple stood. Zhang Cai bowed respectfully and said: “Benefactor, may I ask for your esteemed name? You saved the lives of my family, please allow us to express our gratitude.” He was about to kowtow in thanks when the man in white hurriedly held Zhang Cai’s arm, saying: “Please, there’s no need to call me benefactor. My name is Wen Wenhai. Your courageous actions, risking your own lives to help others, set a noble example for us. Let me first take a look at your injuries.”
After speaking, Wen Wenhai took hold of Zhang Cai and his family’s hands, furrowing his brow in silence as he contemplated their injuries.
