Chapter 29: Wounded
The surroundings were eerily silent, with only the crackling sounds of burning torches accentuating the deathly stillness.
"No wonder you disregard me—you do have some real skills," Master Feng Four sneered. "But young man, success isn't achieved by fists alone." As he spoke, he swiftly retreated and barked, "Kill them all!"
His forceful approach startled the horses, which let out panicked whinnies.
"Whoever brings me Zhao Jiu's head," Master Feng Four's voice boomed through the night, "will be rewarded with fifty thousand taels of silver."
Fu Tingyun's hands and feet turned icy.
Fifty thousand taels... Even her uncle, reputed as the wealthiest man in Weinan, had a fortune barely reaching that amount—and that included his properties, shops, and farmlands. With such an enormous bounty, how many could resist the temptation?
The restless neighing of horses in the courtyard, the harsh clanging of clashing weapons, and the fierce roars of men in combat all assaulted her senses at once, filling her with unfamiliar terror.
Fu Tingyun instinctively clasped her hands together and murmured a prayer: "This humble believer, Fu Tingyun, beseeches the Bodhisattva to protect Ninth Master Zhao..." Yet inwardly, she kept reassuring herself that Ninth Master Zhao would surely be fine. He was so formidable—from Huayin to Weinan, from Weinan to Lintong, he had led them through countless hardships. This time would be no different.
Her prayers, initially frantic and desperate, gradually grew calmer and steadier.
Outside, the clamor slowly subsided.
Occasionally, she could hear the mournful whinnies of horses and the groans of wounded men.
Had the battle been decided?
Fu Tingyun's heart leaped into her throat.
She strained her ears to listen.
A man's sinister chuckle cut through the silence: "Zhao Jiu, look who I have in my hands now?"
It was Master Feng Four's voice.
There were only three of them in total—she was here, so the other person must be A Sen!
Fu Tingyun panicked. She tried to peer through the gap in the water vat, but it was too low—no matter how she bent, she couldn't see out.
Her heart pounded with anxiety.
What had Master Feng Four done to A Sen?
Would Ninth Master Zhao, hesitant to act against someone for fear of hurting others, turn victory into defeat?
"I was going to spare your life," came Ninth Master Zhao's voice, cold and ruthless in a way she had never heard before. "But now, it seems unnecessary."
Fu Tingyun shivered involuntarily.
"Hahaha!" Master Feng Four burst into arrogant laughter, as if he had just heard the most hilarious joke. "You slaughtered all my capable men, and now you'll spare me?" His voice dripped with hatred. "A Master Feng Four without followers is no Master Feng Four at all. Do you take me for a three-year-old child?" His tone carried the despair of a man with nothing left to lose. "Zhao Jiu, today only one of us walks away alive!"
"Fourth Master, why waste words with him?" a rough voice interjected. "Let's kill this brat first, then fight our way out. Third Master Feng is still in Lintong! Once we reach the city, even if Zhao Jiu had three heads and six arms, he'd be powerless!"
Ninth Master Zhao, who had remained silent until now, scoffed coldly. "Third Master Feng? Wasn't he always scheming to replace you as head of the Feng family? Since when did you two reconcile? Or are the rumors spreading across the northwest all lies?"The sounds in the courtyard abruptly ceased, plunging the world into a deathly silence. Even Fu Tingyun, hiding inside the water vat, could feel the oppressive tension.
"You're called Da Hu, right?" Ninth Master Zhao's voice rang out again, calm and indifferent. "Do you know why your Fourth Master is wasting time talking to me? Because he wants to negotiate—to trade my servant's life for his own. Don't interfere. If your Fourth Master escapes, he can bargain with Third Master Feng for the position of family head. Given their fraternal ties, Third Master Feng likely wouldn't refuse, allowing him to at least keep his life. But if he dies here, all hope is lost!"
Though Fu Tingyun didn't know the full story, she couldn't help but silently applaud Ninth Master Zhao's strategy.
If there was such a rift between Fourth Master Feng and Third Master Feng, their followers must be at each other's throats. The fact that Fourth Master Feng, as the family head, couldn't suppress Third Master Feng showed the latter was no pushover. Now, at this critical life-or-death moment, Fourth Master Feng's men were fiercely determined to protect him and ensure his escape. But Ninth Master Zhao sowed discord between them, implying that if Fourth Master Feng escaped, he would grovel to Third Master Feng for mercy, trading his position as family head for his life. While Third Master Feng might spare his cousin out of familial obligation, the same mercy wouldn't extend to Fourth Master Feng's subordinates. This would surely dampen their resolve to fight tooth and nail for their master, effectively undermining their morale.
Sure enough, she immediately heard hushed murmurs among the men.
"Zhao Jiu has always been cunning and deceitful!" Fourth Master Feng shouted, though his tone lacked its earlier conviction. "Don't fall for his tricks!"
No one responded.
"Fine, I'll kill this little brat first—" Fourth Master Feng snarled through gritted teeth.
Fu Tingyun gasped and instinctively tried to stand, only to slam her head against the vat with a loud thud. Pain shot through her skull, ringing in her ears.
Outside, Fourth Master Feng roared again, "Zhao Jiu, you despicable—" His words were abruptly cut off, as if wind had been knocked from his lungs. Then came Ninth Master Zhao's sharp whistle and A Sen's piercing scream: "Ninth Master!"
Fu Tingyun's heart clenched in agony. She could no longer hold back. Summoning all her strength, she pushed against the vat.
If Ninth Master Zhao died, she wouldn't survive either. Better to let him kill her himself while he still drew breath than to be discovered by these men and suffer humiliation with no hope of a quick death.
"Ninth Master, spare me—" A plea rang out before being abruptly silenced. To Fu Tingyun, it sounded like heavenly music.
She felt as though she had been reborn. Her heart pounded wildly, and strength surged back into her limbs.
Since Ninth Master Zhao still had the situation under control, she couldn't afford to become a burden.
Fu Tingyun remained still inside the vat, listening as the outside gradually quieted, with only the occasional whimper of defeat.
After what felt like an eternity, someone tapped on the vat. "Miss Fu!"
It was Ninth Master Zhao's voice!
"I'm here!" she answered joyfully.
The vat was lifted away.
Dawn had begun to break.
He stood there composed and unshaken, his towering presence as steady as a mountain, instantly calming her restless heart."Ninth Master!" Having stayed submerged in the water vat for too long, she gasped for air and staggered to her feet.
The nauseating stench of blood filled her nose and mouth, and from the corner of her eye, she caught sight of a headless corpse.
Fu Tingyun couldn't hold back and bent over, retching.
Ninth Master Zhao sighed. "A Sen is injured. We need to gather our things and leave quickly."
Hearing this, the churning sickness in Fu Tingyun's chest suddenly didn't seem so unbearable anymore.
She straightened up hurriedly. "Where is A Sen?" she asked, pulling out a handkerchief to wipe her mouth.
A faint smile flickered in Ninth Master Zhao's eyes as he pointed to the small cart parked by the entrance.
A Sen lay motionless atop it.
Fu Tingyun rushed over.
"A Sen, A Sen!" She took his hand and called to him softly. "Do you want some water... I still have an egg hidden away..."
One side of A Sen's face was swollen from beating, his eye socket bruised, his cheek purple, and his lips puffy and red—she could barely recognize him.
"A Sen!" Tears streamed down Fu Tingyun's face.
A Sen opened his eyes, blinking several times with a dazed expression before realization slowly dawned, as if he had just recognized who was before him.
He grinned, wincing as the movement tugged at his wounds, but still mumbled through swollen lips, "Miss... they beat me, but I didn't make a sound!" His words were slurred.
"Yes, yes!" Fu Tingyun nodded repeatedly, her tear-streaked face breaking into a radiant smile. "If it weren't for you, Ninth Master wouldn't have been able to defeat that Master Feng Four."
A Sen shook his head. "No... I was the one who dragged Ninth Master into this..."
Remembering how dizzy she had felt after falling from the tree, Fu Tingyun quickly said, "Don't move. Just close your eyes and rest for now." Then, recalling how brutal their attackers had been, she realized they couldn't have only beaten his face. "Where else are you hurt? I..." She trailed off helplessly.
What could she do?
They had no medicine. Third Master Feng was still in Lintong. Ninth Master Zhao was at odds with the Feng family, and they were outnumbered—they couldn't even seek a physician in Lintong... At this thought, she lowered her head.
"A Sen only has superficial injuries," came Ninth Master Zhao's calm voice from behind. "Didn't you prepare saltwater earlier? Use it to clean his wounds. We must leave this place quickly—it's pitch dark, and I don't know how many of them came or if any escaped. We can't risk being cornered here by Third Master Feng's men."
Fu Tingyun looked at him in surprise. "Didn't you say Third Master Feng and Master Feng Four were at odds?" Only then did she notice that Ninth Master Zhao's clothes were soaked in blood, the original color long obscured.
A wave of nausea surged in her chest again.
She clenched her teeth, forcing it down.
"Even if they're at odds, they're still family," Ninth Master Zhao said. "They'll put on a united front when needed."
Fu Tingyun murmured an "Oh," then added, "You should change your clothes... they're... covered in blood."
Ninth Master Zhao said nothing, retrieving a black short coat from his bundle before heading into the side room.
Only then did Fu Tingyun notice the corpses strewn haphazardly across the courtyard... Even the bloodiest scenes from her nightmares paled in comparison—no, she had never even dreamed of such carnage.
A bone-deep chill ran through her, leaving her trembling. She knew they should gather their things and flee, but her limbs felt weak and unresponsive.Ninth Master Zhao stepped out. "Why haven't you packed yet?" His expression gradually turned cold as he tossed the bloodstained clothes into the courtyard, silently loading the remaining items onto the small cart.
"Get on," he said flatly, his tone as emotionless as when she'd first met him at Azure Cloud Temple. "We need to hurry."
For some reason, Fu Tingyun felt an ache in her heart.
He was capable of smiling, so why did he always treat her with such coldness?
She bit her lip and met his gaze directly. "I understand—if Ninth Master hadn't killed them, they would have killed us. I... I'm just not used to..." Suddenly, her eyes brimmed with tears.
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Note: This is not a wuxia novel, but a romance story...(>_<)
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