Lu Zibin drove the ox cart with Yun Zhu inside toward Yingchun Brothel. The closer they drew to the brothel, the more bustling and lively the streets became.
Only then did Yun Zhu realize that Daliang County was not lacking in prosperity; rather, the town’s most vibrant district was simply not in the northern quarter where their inn was located.
Since Lu Zibin had previously brawled with the people of Yingchun Brothel, Yun Zhu had him park the ox cart by the back entrance while she went to inquire with the gatekeeper herself.
“Little Sister?!”
While Yun Zhu was speaking with the gatekeeper, a loud voice suddenly called out from inside.
Looking up, she saw it was the fat thug from yesterday.
“Little Sister, it really is you!” The fat thug was delighted to see Yun Zhu and stepped outside. “What is a woman like you doing here so late at night?”
Just as Yun Zhu was about to state her intent, Lu Zibin—who had been sitting on the ox cart watching unblinkingly—saw the fat thug approaching her. He immediately leaped off the cart, rushed over, and shielded Yun Zhu behind his back.
“What do you think you’re doing?!” Lu Zibin glared furiously at the fat thug.
“So it’s you, kid!”
The fat thug’s eyes turned green with rage at the sight of Lu Zibin. Yingchun Brothel’s men had nearly been wiped out by this kid earlier today! “You managed to slip away during the day, and now you’re jumping right into the net! Someone, come—”
“Brother, it’s a misunderstanding! This is my nephew!” Yun Zhu hastily interjected to clarify her purpose.
“Haha, well isn’t this the Dragon King’s temple being flooded by his own family!” The fat thug froze for a moment before bursting into laughter. He reached out to pat Lu Zibin’s shoulder, but remembering how this kid had snapped the arms of three of his men in the blink of an eye earlier, he awkwardly withdrew his hand. “You’re quite something, kid! I like your grit. How about coming to work for Yingchun Brothel? I’ll pay you ten taels a month!”
Ten taels of silver was more than an ordinary farming family could earn in an entire year, though it was money earned with one’s life.
Besides, coming from a place like Yingchun Brothel, Lu Zibin merely scoffed coldly, “Hurry up and release my younger brother!”
Yun Zhu gave his arm a reprimanding slap to stop him from making further impudent remarks, then turned back to the fat thug with an apologetic smile. “The boy doesn’t know how to speak properly. Please don’t take offense, Brother!”
Did this kid have any idea that they were currently begging for a favor?
Saying so, Yun Zhu took out an ingot of silver and stuffed it into the fat thug’s hand. “I must trouble you to use this to grease the palms at the magistrate’s office so they’ll release my other nephew.”
The fat thug looked displeased: “Little Sister, are you treating me like an outsider? There’s no need to bribe the magistrate’s office. We were the ones who had him arrested; if we say let him go, they won’t hold him.”
He still needed this woman to treat his ailment, so how could he possibly accept her silver?
Hearing him sound so certain, Yun Zhu finally felt relieved.
Two quarters of an hour later, when Yun Zhu saw Lu Zifeng being carried out of the magistrate’s jail on a wooden board, her heart jumped back into her throat.
“Zifeng—” Seeing his unconscious brother covered in bloody injuries, Lu Zibin’s face turned deathly pale. He rushed forward to check Lu Zifeng’s breathing, then let out a sigh of relief. “He’s still alive.”
Lu Zibin was so terrified that the clothes on his back were soaked through with sweat.
Lu Zifeng and Lu Zibin were twins, born just fifteen minutes apart, yet their appearances were worlds apart.
Unlike Lu Zibin’s muscular frame, Lu Zifeng had delicate, scholarly features and a frail build. Coupled with his current battered state, he truly looked terrifying, so it was no wonder Lu Zibin had thought he was dead just moments ago.
Feeling a little guilty, the fat thug said to Yun Zhu, “It was those jailers acting on their own authority…”
“Don’t take it to heart, Brother. I understand.”
Yun Zhu knew this was an unspoken understanding between Yingchun Brothel and the magistrate’s office; she had no standing to criticize.
To make amends, the fat thug offered, “The curfew is about to start, and the medical halls on the street are all closed by now. You head back to the inn first, and I’ll bring the brothel’s physician over to examine the young fellow.”
On the way back, Yun Zhu looked at the motionless Lu Zifeng lying on the cart and worried about how she would soothe her tearful daughter once they returned.
Taking advantage of a moment while Lu Zibin was driving the cart, Yun Zhu drew some water from her pocket dimension and fed it to Lu Zifeng. Sensing that his breathing had grown slightly stronger, the tension in her heart finally eased.
She had expected to face the tears of her sister-in-law and daughter upon returning to the inn. Instead, the moment she stepped inside, a scene met her eyes that made her rage boil over.
“You’re going to protect this little brat, are you? Good, good, good! Beat them for me! Beat them until they hand the brat over!”
Lady Zhao was gesturing wildly at several burly men she had brought along. “Let’s see who can save you today! That wretched woman Yun stole the silver meant to ransom Jinglan! Today, I’m going to send this little wench to Yingchun Brothel to swap my Jinglan back!”
Lu Jinghai and Lady Yang were using their own bodies to shield Lu Yiyi, taking the brunt of the heavy punches and kicks from the burly men.
“Stop!” His eyes wide with fury, Lu Zibin charged forward, grabbing two men by their collars and flinging them aside.
“Father, Mother, Yiyi, are you all right?” Lu Zibin asked frantically.
Zifeng was still unconscious—his parents and Yiyi couldn’t afford to get hurt too!
On the other side, seeing Yun Zhu and Lu Zibin return, Lady Zhao’s face turned pale. She turned around to run out the door.
Yet the moment she turned, she met Yun Zhu’s ice-cold gaze. Yun Zhu grabbed a nearby long bench and slammed it directly into Lady Zhao’s head.
Lady Zhao was knocked unconscious on the spot, collapsing to the floor.
“Aunt!” Seeing this, a young man swung his fist straight toward Yun Zhu’s face.
With a thought, a sharp blade appeared in Yun Zhu’s hand, and she thrust it directly at his incoming fist.
The man only saw a flash of silver before a sharp pain hit his hand. He shrieked, clutching his blood-dripping right hand as he jumped frantically in place.
Just then, the fat thug arrived with the physician and a few subordinates. Seeing the chaos inside the inn, he was caught off guard. “Little Sister, what on earth happened here?”
“Please help me tie up these people on the floor, Brother,” Yun Zhu said, striding over to her daughter.
“Mother, Aunt is bleeding so much,” Lu Yiyi said, desperately holding back her tears.
Mother had told her that she had to stay calm when trouble struck, because crying would only make her lose her head.
So, she couldn’t cry!
Ridden with lingering fear, Yun Zhu pulled her daughter tightly into her arms.
*So close!*
*She had almost lost her daughter again!*
She hated herself for being so careless!
Yun Zhu silently swore that no matter where she went in the future, she would take her daughter with her!
She would never let her daughter out of her sight again!
Held so tightly by her mother, the little girl who had been trying so hard to be brave finally broke down, sobbing uncontrollably.
“Mother… Uncle and Aunt… they’re so badly hurt…”
“Don’t worry. The doctor is here, so Uncle and Aunt will be just fine.”
Yun Zhu never could have imagined that Lady Zhao would be so utterly devoid of conscience as to fetch men from her maiden family and chase them all the way to the county town.
The physician brought by the fat thug first stopped the bleeding on Lady Yang’s forehead. Seeing that Lu Jinghai had only suffered superficial cuts and bruises, he moved to examine Lu Zifeng first.
Just as the physician reached out to unbutton Lu Zifeng’s clothes to inspect his injuries, his wrist was suddenly gripped by a scarred hand.
Lu Zifeng had opened his eyes a crack at some point, his voice as faint as a thread: “How much… is the consultation… fee?”
“Is money more important than your life?!” Lady Yang raised her hand in anger to slap him, but she couldn’t bring herself to strike.
“Silver… is heavier… than life…” Before he could finish his sentence, Lu Zifeng fainted once more.
“Doctor, quick! Please examine him!” Lady Yang cried out in distress.