Chapter Eighty-Seven: An Ill-Timed Arrival

The woman moved with startling agility; from the ease of her gestures alone one could tell she knew martial arts. After kicking the window open, she even turned back and cast a venomous glance at Zhou Zhi, as though she meant to fix his face in her memory forever.

That hateful look seared itself into Zhou Zhi's mind, and only then did he realize she was far from an ordinary woman. He had simply been careless before, paying her too little mind.

Fortunately, Zhou Zhi had already judged that she would never escape. Liu Hui outside was no fool. He had brought forty or fifty brothers with him for exactly this purpose—to guard against interference and prevent anyone inside from fleeing.

Sure enough, before long, shouts rose from outside the house. One thug laughed and said, "Well now, this little beauty's skin is tender enough to pinch. She's got some flavor to her, heh heh!"

A burst of lewd laughter followed.

"Mouse, watch your hands. Don't paw at her blindly. Didn't you see how sharp her fists and feet were? She's a fierce little thing," another voice said.

"Heh heh! I like that fierce flavor best," the one called Mouse replied with a grin.

"None of you make a move. Bind her up!" Liu Hui's cold voice rang out.

After that came a rustling of movement outside, and then all fell quiet.

Zhou Zhi looked down coldly at Geng Zhong and said, "Speak. Exactly who ordered you to do this?"

At the sight of the woman fleeing, Geng Zhong had perhaps clung to a sliver of hope. But when he heard that she had been captured, and realized there were many men outside as well, his heart turned icy. Still, it had to be said that his pain had lessened somewhat by then. His bulging eyes rolled a few times, and a flicker of cunning seemed to appear in them.

The oil lamp in the room made every motion of his impossible to hide from Zhou Zhi. Zhou Zhi reached under the pillow on the kang and, as expected, found something there: a gleaming narrow-bladed knife.

He took the knife in hand, waved it once before Geng Zhong's dark, swollen head, then suddenly twisted his wrist and drove the blade viciously into Geng Zhong's shoulder hollow.

Geng Zhong gave a howl of pain and rolled on the floor again, nearly fainting. In his heart he cried, Good heavens, this man is truly ruthless! No warning, no sign at all, and then he strikes. What sort of person is he? How have I, Geng Zhong, managed to provoke such a killing fiend?

Too terrified to delay a moment longer, he gritted his teeth and forced himself to endure the pain. "It was that woman just now who ordered me to do it."

As it turned out, the woman had a lover, a Taoist priest, and the two of them were passionately entangled. Under the priest's instigation, she had told the lowly one to frame Zhou Tie and his brother. They had promised to reward him with fifty taels of silver, and the woman herself would also keep him company for several nights.

A poor man like me had never seen fifty taels of silver in my life. The priest was generous enough, too, and gave me the money up front.

Besides, though I am already past thirty, I still have no wife, and in all my years I have scarcely touched a woman. That woman was beautiful and alluring, and in a moment of weakness I was bewitched and agreed to help them, so I set out to harm Zhou Tie.

"I ask you this: was that Taoist surnamed Li?" Zhou Zhi asked. By then his eyes were already blazing with fury, yet he still forced himself to remain composed.

"This... this humble one does not know. I only know that they called him Taoist Qingyun!" Geng Zhong replied, his voice trembling.

Taoist Qingyun was Li Shun. Zhou Zhi ground his teeth until they clicked. In his heart he swore, Li Shun, I will make you pay for all of this.

Yet at that moment Zhou Zhi remained calm. He knew that with the strength he possessed now, he was no match for Li Shun. After all, Li Shun had climbed aboard the Chen family's wagon, and the Chen family was vast and powerful, with close ties to the officials of Qingshi County.

He would have to find a way to suppress the Chen family first. And as for his studies, he could not afford to delay any longer. In the county examination the year after next, he must pass and earn the degree of licentiate. With that scholarly title, his standing would naturally rise, and the county officials would surely think twice before offending him.

Zhou Zhi then flicked the narrow-bladed knife before Geng Zhong again. Geng Zhong ducked away in terror, begging repeatedly, "Young master, spare me. I will never dare to do evil again."

He had every reason to be afraid. Zhou Zhi would stab him whenever he pleased, without warning and without the slightest sign. Who could bear that?

After a brief silence, Zhou Zhi said, "Geng Zhong, this time I'll let you off. However..."

Before he had even finished, Geng Zhong dropped to his knees and began banging his head on the floor, saying over and over, "Thank you, young master! Thank you, young master! Whatever young master says, this lowly one will do!"

He was utterly terrified out of his wits.

"Didn't that damned Taoist give you fifty taels of silver? Bring it out. I brought a good number of brothers with me this time. I can't have them come for nothing," Zhou Zhi said with a cold laugh.

To Geng Zhong, those fifty taels were naturally treasure. But compared with his own life, life was clearly far more important. Without the slightest hesitation, he pointed under the kang.

Zhang Dong at once went over, lifted the kang mat, and found a hole beneath it. Inside the hole lay a cloth bundle. He quickly took it out and opened it; within were gleaming silver ingots, shining with a faint blue sheen in the dim lamplight, a most pleasing sight indeed.

"Brother Zhou, it's all here."

Though Zhou Zhi was still young, Zhang Dong had by now changed how he addressed him, no longer calling him young master but Brother Zhou instead.

This slight change in address spoke volumes. It showed Zhang Dong's deep admiration for Zhou Zhi, and that he truly regarded him as his leader. In Zhang Dong's eyes, Zhou Zhi was not only ruthless but also full of brotherly loyalty. Just those words Zhou Zhi had spoken earlier—that if the brothers had come, they could not be made to return empty-handed—had won Zhang Dong's complete respect.

"Put it away. Divide it among the brothers when we head back," Zhou Zhi said gravely, not even looking at the silver.

The matter should have been settled by now. Zhou Zhi turned and said, "Zhang Dong, let's go."

Without so much as a glance at Geng Zhong, who was still on the ground clutching his shoulder and trembling, he turned and walked away.

At last that killing fiend was gone. Geng Zhong dared not hesitate any longer. He struggled to his feet at once, hurried to the kang head to find some medicine, and smeared it recklessly over his shoulder. Staring at the empty room, his eyes went blank. Perhaps for the rest of his life he would never again want to encounter a demon like Zhou Zhi.

When Zhou Zhi and Zhang Dong reached the courtyard, before they had even spoken with Liu Hui, cries came from outside the gate: "Quick! Quick! Something's happened at Geng Zhong's house. Don't let them get away!"

By then the moon was sinking toward the west, yet it shone with unusual brightness. Zhou Zhi and the others could see clearly that from every direction in Xin Village, many people were swarming toward Geng Zhong's house, weapons and clubs in hand.

Clearly, they had not come in peace.

Liu Hui was experienced in such matters. He immediately ordered the thugs to form a rough line and ready themselves for a brawl.

The woman who had been bound with ropes suddenly let out a shrill laugh and said, "Hee-hee, you pack of villains still think you can run? Once you've come to Xin Village, you'll never leave alive. You'll all leave your dog lives behind here."

Her voice was like the screech of a night owl, vile and grating beyond measure, sending a chill of dread through anyone who heard it.