Chapter Eighty-Nine: Beating the Constables

Zhou Zhi’s furious shout was not without reason.

First, he could think of no reason why constables would show up at this hour. Second, and most important, he noticed that although the four men behind the bearded constable were all dressed in dark official uniforms, the shoes on their feet were all wrong.

By rights, ordinary constables should have worn black boots with white soles, but these four were all wearing black-faced cotton shoes. Worse still, those shoes were caked with mud, and some of the uppers were even torn open, smeared with filth. Only ordinary people, and poorer ones at that, would wear shoes like those.

At Zhou Zhi’s harsh cry, the bearded constable’s expression changed at once. But he quickly steadied himself and did his best to keep his face calm, staring coldly at Zhou Zhi.

If the bearded constable still had some composure, the four men behind him were far worse off. One and all, they looked panicked and rattled, unsure what to do.

Their reaction only confirmed Zhou Zhi’s suspicion.

Liu Hui stood beside Zhou Zhi. He, too, had sensed that something was off. Seeing the four men in such a state, he immediately shouted in step with Zhou Zhi, “Right, they’re fake constables! Beat them!”

The ruffians and loafers had been so frightened at the first sight of constables that they had lost all sense. Naturally, they had not been able to tell true from false. But hearing Zhou Zhi and Liu Hui’s orders, the bolder ones raised their clubs high and made as if to strike the four supposed constables.

Still, they were a little afraid and hesitated in uncertainty.

Zhou Zhi, however, acted decisively. Before Liu Hui had even finished speaking, the long staff in his hand had already come crashing down on the legs of the last man. With that single blow, the man let out a miserable howl and collapsed to the ground.

His leg was not broken, but the pain hit at once.

One man down, then a second.

Seeing Zhou Zhi make the first move, the ruffians no longer dared to delay. The four men who looked like constables behind the bearded one scarcely had time even to resist before they were knocked to the ground one after another.

Seeing this, the bearded constable immediately drew the saber at his waist, his face turning fierce as he shouted, “A bunch of ignorant rabble! How bold of you to attack constables. Have you no respect for the law at all?”

“Hmph! The one who knows nothing of the law is you!” Zhou Zhi cried, holding his staff aloft and glaring at him. Then the staff came smashing down toward the man’s head.

The bearded constable did not dodge. He met the blow head-on with his saber, and at once Zhou Zhi’s staff snapped cleanly in two.

The man moved with real speed; it was clear he knew some martial arts.

Liu Hui saw this clearly. Snatching a broadsword from a ruffian beside him, he said in a low voice, “Brother Zhou Zhi, step aside. Let me meet him.”

As the leader of the gang, Liu Hui was no weakling. He rarely fought unless he had run into a true hard case.

But from the moment the bearded man moved, Liu Hui could tell that he was no easy opponent. Zhou Zhi had a ruthless streak, but after all, he had never faced anyone with real skill.

The bearded constable had severed Zhou Zhi’s staff with a single stroke, which had greatly startled Zhou Zhi. He instantly realized that they had run into a formidable man today.

A man could show off, but only in the right place. Zhou Zhi knew clearly that taking on this bearded constable now was by no means wise; he was no match for him. So he obediently stepped aside, and Liu Hui sprang forward, his broadsword slashing straight down.

Both men were using blades. Liu Hui was quick on his feet and skilled with the knife, while the bearded man fought with savage precision, nearly every move aimed at Liu Hui’s vital points.

Zhou Zhi watched from the outside for only a short while before saying, “Brothers, this fake constable is a tough one. Let’s all take him together!”

Indeed, they had forty or fifty brothers here, while the bearded constable had only one man. Was there still any need to speak of gentlemanly combat?

No matter whether a cat was black or white, so long as it caught the mouse, it was a good cat.

At a time like this, whatever means worked would do, as long as they drove off the bearded constable.

The ruffians and loafers were best at mob violence to begin with. Now that Zhou Zhi had given the order, they immediately caught on and surged forward all at once.

Staves and broadswords rained down on the bearded constable from every side.

Liu Hui did not know whether to laugh or cry.

To begin with, he was a man fond of martial arts. Having finally found an opponent today, he had wanted to fight him one on one, so as to gain some experience in battle.

But after only a brief exchange with the bearded man, Liu Hui could feel just how strong his opponent was. If they kept fighting for long, it was hard to say whether he himself would even be a match for him.

With so many men surrounding one person and beating him savagely, the bearded man kept cursing, “A pack of ignorant rabble! If you have the nerve, come at me one by one. What kind of fighting is this, ganging up on me? Hah! Do you think I, Li Lin, am afraid of you?”

He had all but given away his name: Li Lin.

At that moment, the woman bound up nearby, Li Xiaoying, also cried out anxiously, “Brother, run!”

So Li Lin was her real brother. She could see plainly that if this went on, her brother would soon be injured by the mob.

In truth, there was no need for Li Xiaoying to warn him. By then Li Lin had already lost all will to fight and was thinking only of how to break free.

It was just as Li Xiaoying spoke that Li Lin seized a brief opening. Whirling his saber like the wind, he first protected himself all over, then suddenly roared and, with nimble steps, darted out through the gaps between the ruffians. One of the men failed to dodge in time, and Li Lin’s saber cut a gash along his arm, blood seeping out slowly.

That ruffian still had some backbone. He scarcely even grunted and, broadsword in hand, still tried to chase after the bearded constable Li Lin.

But Li Lin had already burst clear of the encirclement and vanished without looking back into the moonlit night.

To Zhou Zhi, Liu Hui, and the others, if Li Lin ran, then let him run. Their purpose for the night had already been achieved. They held no grudge against Li Lin, and there was no point in pursuing him.

By the time the sky began to pale with dawn, they could no longer remain in Xin Village.

Zhou Zhi, Liu Hui, and the others gathered everyone together, and a few of the ruffians escorted Li Xiaoying. By then Liu Hui had already had someone wrap a long coat around her. After all, it was hardly proper to escort a woman wearing only her undergarments, and besides, the weather was far too cold. If they really froze Li Xiaoying to death, that would certainly become a serious problem.

Four ruffians took turns supporting Old Man Zhou Tie as the group hurried out of Xin Village.

Zhou Tie had in fact been supported the whole time by several brothers. His body was clearly weak, and more important still, he was exhausted and sleepy. Although he had seen Zhou Zhi and the others beating and fighting, and knew that Zhou Zhi had caused a tremendous disaster that day, there was nothing he could do to stop it.

Tonight, it was Zhou Zhi who had come to save him, and he knew that without Zhou Zhi, his life might well have been in danger.

But whenever he thought of Zhou Zhi’s future, Zhou Tie was still filled with worry.

Alas. It seemed they could only take things one step at a time.

As for Li Xiaoying, they naturally would not bring her back to Baiyue Village. Zhou Zhi intended to find a secluded place along the road and interrogate her thoroughly about how much she knew of the Daoist Li Shun’s secrets. He would also give the woman a little punishment before letting her go.

In the east, the sky blazed red, and the first hint of sunrise appeared.

Zhou Zhi was still at the front of the group. By now they had already left Xin Village some three miles behind, and in the distance there was hardly any sign of a village at all. The fields on all sides were silent and empty.

As they were striding along at speed, a cry suddenly came from behind them. “Bad news! Someone’s chasing us!”

Zhou Zhi turned around and looked. Dust was billowing up in the distance, and more than ten swift horses were charging toward them with murderous momentum.