Blossom

Dusk settled over the land.

In the main house of an ordinary farming village straddling the border between Lingshou County and Zhen Ding County, a dim light flickered like a bean.

A young man dressed in a sapphire-blue straight robe embroidered with golden floral roundels, a folding fan and scent satchel hanging at his waist, and a riding whip in hand, rode leisurely across the fields on a tall chestnut steed. Behind him followed six or seven burly attendants, moving as unhurriedly as a wealthy young master on a spring outing with his retinue, utterly unbothered by the summer heat. They finally halted before the farmhouse.

"Old Lu the Fourth, go ask for directions," the lavishly dressed youth called out loudly, his voice tinged with unmistakable pride and excitement. "After traveling so far, I'm parched. Fetch me some tea while you're at it."

"Right away!" answered a middle-aged man with the shifty eyes of a weasel, who proceeded to rap loudly on the door.

"Who's there?" growled a broken-browed man in a coarse blue short coat as he opened the door and stuck his head out. His expression immediately changed to one of fear. "F-Fourth Brother!"

Old Lu the Fourth frowned and shot him a meaningful look, then said loudly, "May I ask where we are? Our young master has lost his way and would like to beg a cup of tea." He then added in a hurried whisper, "Pretend you don't know me!"

It took the broken-browed man a long moment to collect himself. "This is the Wang Family Village," he said, his voice trembling and his face pale. "You... you may come in!" With that, he creaked the gate open and quickly stepped aside.

Old Lu gave him a strange look, muttering under his breath, "What's gotten into Wang Xiaoliu? Acting like he's seen a ghost," before scurrying back to report to the young master. "Young Master, this is Wang Family Village, just east of Lingshou, no more than forty li from the county town."

The young master gave an arrogant "Hmm" and dismounted.

His attendants crowded around him as they entered the courtyard, just in time to see a scar-faced man emerge from the main hall with several others in tow.

The two groups faced each other. The young master stopped in his tracks, while the scar-faced man trembled visibly, shooting a quick glance at the burly man behind him before hastily stepping forward.

Old Lu asked him quietly, "Where is she?" Noticing the few strapping, righteous-looking strangers following behind, he paused slightly, suspicion creeping into his voice. "These your men?"

The scar-faced man nodded distractedly and gestured toward the eastern inner chamber. "Miss Dou is inside," he said, his voice shaking.

Old Lu's excitement surged at these words, any lingering puzzlement instantly forgotten. "Stick to the plan," he whispered, then began shouting loudly, "Do you know who we are? We're from the Pang Family of Lingshou County! This is our young master, the Fifth Young Master Pang! And you dare make us drink tea in the courtyard? Have you lost your minds?" He then turned to Young Master Pang and complained loudly, "That Scholar Li is truly shameless! Out of pity for his poverty—selling calligraphy on the streets couldn't even keep him fed—our young master occasionally gave him alms. Who would have thought he'd overstep so far? This time, under the pretense of thanking our young master's great kindness by inviting him home for wine, he actually meant to offer his sister-in-law as a concubine! Had our young master not been so virtuous, he might have fallen into Scholar Li's trap. Still, it angered him so much he rode off in a fury and got lost. If not for Old Ten's quick wits, how could we have found him? And why would we be suffering this indignity now?"

Amid the clamor, the young master retreated several paces, closely followed by a bodyguard.A sudden banging sound came from the inner chamber on the east side.

The young master and his entourage perked up at the noise.

Lu Laosi, standing beside Scarface, abruptly drew a dagger from his waist and plunged it into Scarface’s chest.

Scarface stared blankly at Lu Laosi, all sounds abruptly ceasing.

"W-why?" he gurgled, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth onto his robes, leaving dark stains.

"You're the bandit here!" Lu Laosi laughed triumphantly. He twisted the dagger embedded in Scarface’s chest before swiftly retreating behind the other attendants.

The attendants pounced like wolves and tigers on the men behind Scarface.

One of Scarface’s followers shouted, "Pang Kunbai, you dare silence us with murder!" and charged forward.

The two sides clashed fiercely.

The young master, Pang Kunbai, watched the scene coldly.

These attendants were desperate men he had recruited from the northwest—ordinary people stood no chance against them.

The thought flashed through his mind, but he soon realized something was amiss.

Perhaps Scarface’s death had terrified his followers. Initially, Pang Kunbai’s men had the upper hand, but as the fight progressed, Scarface’s men quickly regained their composure and fought back fiercely. Outnumbering their opponents two to one, they soon matched Pang Kunbai’s men blow for blow. One particularly burly man even landed a punch on an attendant’s chest, accompanied by the sickening crack of bones and a bloodcurdling scream...

How could Scarface’s men have such formidable fighters?

Pang Kunbai instinctively sensed something was wrong.

He ordered the attendant beside him, "Quick, rescue Miss Dou!"

The attendant acknowledged and, along with Lu Laosi, skirted around the brawling crowd in the courtyard, rushing toward the main house.

Someone tried to block their way.

The attendant, relying on his superior martial skills, pushed through, but Lu Laosi was intercepted by two men and knocked to the ground.

"Miss Dou," the attendant called out as more people moved to stop him. He dashed to the east window of the main house and, with a sharp tug, tore off half the window frame. "We’re sent by Young Master Pang—we’re here to save you!"

The window frame crashed onto the men trying to stop him, revealing Dou Zhao’s icy, almost cruel expression through the opening.

The attendant froze.

A red-tasseled dart embedded itself in his throat.

The crimson tassel quivered with the force of the impact.

The attendant’s eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at Dou Zhao. After a long moment, his body collapsed with a heavy thud.

Everyone in the courtyard stopped fighting and turned to look.

Pang Kunbai’s attendants gaped at him in shock.

Pang Kunbai let out a surprised "Huh?" and straightened up, his earlier nonchalance gone.

"Cousin Dou Zhao," he called out loudly, his face darkening. "I’m Pang Kunbai of the Pang family—I’ve come to rescue you!"

"Oh?" Dou Zhao smiled, her expression in the twilight filled with unmistakable mockery. "The son of a wealthy family does not sit under a crumbling eave. The Pang family is the richest in Lingshou County—how could the fifth young master of the Pangs suddenly appear in this remote farmhouse with a band of shady characters? You’re clearly an impostor! Uncle Duan, capture all of them for me. I’ll have them interrogated at the government office. If they dare resist, kill them on the spot—the Dou family will take responsibility!"These men were highly skilled. Earlier, due to concerns that they were Pang family attendants, Uncle Duan and the others hadn’t dared to retaliate with full force, fearing injury from their blades. They had been somewhat restrained. But now, with Dou Zhao’s words, Uncle Duan and his men immediately felt unburdened. They loudly acknowledged her order and began striking without hesitation.

The situation swiftly changed.

Pang Kunbai’s men were soon overwhelmed, retreating in disarray.

Pang Kunbai glanced at Dou Zhao, whose eyes gleamed coldly. Recalling the odd behavior of Scarface and the others since his arrival, he immediately realized their scheme had been exposed.

He turned and bolted for the door.

But Uncle Duan seized him by the collar.

Uncle Duan hesitated, unsure what to do next.

Pang Kunbai shrieked like a slaughtered pig, “My father is Pang Yinlou! My aunt is the daughter-in-law of Shaanxi Governor Lord Wang! If you dare lay a finger on me, I’ll have your entire family killed—” As he spoke, he threw a punch backward at Uncle Duan’s stomach.

Of course, Pang Kunbai’s feeble blows were like tickling to Uncle Duan, but the latter’s scalp prickled nonetheless.

A county magistrate could ruin families; a prefect could exterminate households. A vile scoundrel like Pang Kunbai was indeed capable of such deeds.

“Uncle Duan, don’t listen to his bluster,” Dou Zhao’s cool voice carried clearly from afar. “If he’s truly related to Shaanxi Governor Lord Wang, all the better. After apprehending him, we’ll send him to the Capital to my Fifth Uncle. Let Lord Wang explain himself to the Dou family. We can’t let ourselves be deceived!”

Ah, how could he have forgotten that!

The Dou family’s young lady clearly knew who he was yet still ordered them to beat him senseless—she must have her backing. He was just a guard, paid to solve problems. At worst, he could take the money and flee. With his skills, finding work wouldn’t be hard. Besides, he’d long despised these spoiled young masters who treated them like dirt...

“We’ll follow your orders, miss,” Uncle Duan chuckled darkly and drove his fist into Pang Kunbai’s stomach.

Pang Kunbai howled in pain, doubling over like a shrimp, even vomiting bile.

Chen Xiaofeng, standing beside Dou Zhao to protect her, glanced at her uneasily. “Miss, you’re not truly planning to beat Young Master Pang to death, are you? He’s Pang Yinlou’s only son. The Pang family won’t let this go easily...”

Dou Zhao replied indifferently, “Is there a fifth young master of the Pang family here? I wasn’t aware. All I know is that my carriage overturned, I borrowed this farmstead to rest, and encountered vicious bandits. My guards accidentally killed someone in self-defense. If the Pang family seeks reckoning, they’ll first need to explain why Pang Kunbai tried to abduct me.”

Chen Xiaofeng smiled bitterly. “I only fear this commotion might tarnish your reputation, miss...”"Ruined my reputation?" The mention of this matter made Dou Zhao's blood boil. She coldly interrupted Chen Xiaofeng, "Pang Kunbai had me abducted here, but why did he wait until after dark to pretend to coincidentally rescue me? It was nothing more than an excuse to claim it was too late, forcing me to stay overnight at the farmstead, creating the illusion of an unmarried man and woman alone together. Then he could make a grand show of proposing, leaving the Dou family no choice but to marry me off to him. If not for Su Xin and Su Lan by my side, he might have already succeeded! Reputation? What does reputation matter when it comes to executing Pang Kunbai? This will serve as a warning to anyone who dares covet me!"

Chen Xiaofeng fell silent.

If Dou Zhao were truly a thirteen or fourteen-year-old maiden, bashfully awaiting marriage, she might have prioritized her reputation and chosen the path of "a gentleman's revenge is ten years not too late," temporarily sparing Pang Kunbai to seek retribution later. But having lived two lives, she had already decided never to marry and would inevitably become the eccentric recluse in the eyes of the world. Why should she endure humiliation and let Pang Kunbai off?

However, there was one thing Pang Kunbai said that she quite liked.

"My aunt is the wife of Shaanxi Governor Wang Xingyi..."

Dou Zhao couldn't help but grin.

The distant rumble of galloping horses reached her ears.

Chen Xiaofeng's senses were sharper than Dou Zhao's, and he heard it too.

His face paled.

Horses were military-controlled assets. While noble families might keep a few, such a sudden appearance of so many...

Could Pang Kunbai have mobilized the Military garrison?