Chapter 6: Rescue

As Zhang Xiaohua's helpless tears fell to the dust, the heart of the 13-year-old boy was stirred by a tumultuous wave. He had no time to consider the treachery of human nature or the ugliness of the world, nor did he have the heart to blame the weakness and indifference of others. All he had was a yearning for strength, hoping to use his own power to protect his family from being bullied by these dog-like villains. The punches and kicks that landed on his loved ones were like plows, planting a seed in his heart, making his immature and originally timid spirit increasingly solid and determined.

Two village girls cried and rushed over, trying to pull away the servants who were beating Zhang Cai and others, but they were stopped by two young masters who started to rough them up. The crowd was larger than at a play, but they all dared to be angry but not to speak. The world fell silent, with only the sounds of punches, the cries of the village girls, and the laughter of the ruffians. The sun was beginning to set.

At this moment, a gentle and pleasant female voice drifted from the high wall behind Zhang Xiaohua: "A bunch of dogs relying on their masters' power, Senior Brother, if you don't act soon, these people will be severely injured by a pack of dogs."

Then a male voice responded: "Still, my junior sister has a compassionate heart. I'll go down and beat the dogs."

As he spoke, a figure jumped down from the high wall, landing lightly behind the group of evil servants. Without any show of force, he grabbed two people with each hand and threw them to the ground. Then he kicked the others with his feet, "slap, slap, slap, slap," and they all fell to the ground. The evil servants lay motionless in the dust, whether dead or alive was unknown. Zhang Cai's family of three, huddled together, covered in blood and dirt, groaned in pain.

Only then did everyone see clearly that the person who had landed in the scene was a young man in his early twenties, dressed as a scholar in white clothes, carrying a sword. As the scholar's gaze swept over Zhang Xiaohua, the two evil servants who were holding him quickly let go and stood aside, cowering. Zhang Xiaohua, crying, rushed to his father and brother, helping them sit up and examining their injuries. The two young masters who had been harassing the women also stopped, and when the two village girls ran over to check on Zhang Xiaolong and others, they did not dare to stop them.

A black-clad bodyguard stepped forward, staring at the scholar for a moment, and then clasped his hands in greeting: "May I ask which school's disciple you are? Zhao Quansheng of the Evil Tiger Gang asks for your name."

Unfortunately, the scholar paid no attention to him, instead turning to look at the high wall, saying nothing. It was then that everyone noticed a woman in a purple long dress standing gracefully on the high wall. She was tall and slender, her figure clearly visible in the wind, but her face was covered by a veil, making it impossible to see her true appearance. However, her regal bearing made people feel an immediate sense of distance. The woman in the purple dress leaped down from the high wall, walking softly to stand beside the white-clad scholar, and said in a pleasant voice:

"The Evil Tiger Gang, with its great reputation, is used to bully men and dominate women. I wonder what Situ Yue is up to."

At first, Zhao Quansheng's face was quite grim, and he even tightened his grip on his knife. But by the end, his face changed dramatically, and he loosened his grip on the knife. As soon as the woman finished speaking, he immediately clasped his hands in greeting and said respectfully: "I am a disciple of the Black Tiger Hall, sent by the hall master to protect the son of the town's governor. Since you know our master, if we have offended you, please forgive us."

"Know your master? Heh, you're quite good at changing your stance. We have been observing for a long time, and we have seen your actions. Although you have the responsibility to protect, you have not acted, but you are still suspected of aiding and abetting. The two dogs you protect, who bully the people and harass women, have long been a thorn in my side. If I don't give them a lesson, they might continue to take lives lightly." The white-clad scholar said with a smile.

After hearing this, Zhao Quansheng frowned and said loudly: "Although you are old acquaintances of our master, not revealing your identity and interfering in our gang's affairs is something I cannot comply with."

The woman laughed and said: "You dog, you still dare to argue. If I don't show you my power, you won't be satisfied." She was about to step forward.

The white-clad scholar quickly stopped her, whispering: "Junior sister, it's the New Year. We are here to watch the festivities. Acting rashly and causing bloodshed would be inauspicious. Besides, our mission..."

"But look at how evil these two dogs are, and the villagers who acted bravely were beaten so badly. If we don't get justice for them, I won't be at peace." The woman in the purple dress said firmly.

The white-clad scholar thought for a moment and said: "Junior sister, you don't know much about the dangers of the world. Although we have punished these bullies today and given the villagers some relief, we won't stay here long. Once we leave, these bullies might take revenge on the villagers, causing them even greater harm."

The woman in the purple dress immediately glared and said fiercely: "I don't believe these bullies in this remote town have much power. If not, I'll tell my uncle to send troops to flatten this place!"

This loud statement made the black-clad bodyguard tremble. He knew this was not just a bluff. He thought that if this matter was not handled well, it could bring disaster. So he immediately stepped forward again and said in a gentle voice: "Young heroes, Zhao Quansheng was wrong today. I apologize again. I will go and advise the two young masters. Please reveal your identities, and we can turn swords into plowshares. After all, we are all trying to make a living in this world."

The woman in the purple dress considered her companion's words and found them reasonable. Hearing Zhao Quansheng's conciliatory words, she turned away and went to check on Zhang Cai's injuries. The white-clad scholar took a small token from his pocket and handed it to Zhao Quansheng. Zhao Quansheng took the token, examined it carefully, and was immediately struck as if by lightning. He returned the token with even greater respect, then ran to the two short, fat men, whispering in their ears. Their faces turned even paler, and they trembled as they walked to the white-clad scholar, bowing and apologizing. The scholar smiled and shook his head, gesturing toward the woman in the purple dress. The two men had no choice but to go to her, bowing and begging for mercy, but she ignored them, showing no sign of leniency.

These two short, fat men were quick-witted. Seeing no effect, they immediately turned to Zhang Cai's family and the two village girls, begging for forgiveness. The villagers, being simple, showed signs of softening after a few words. Only Zhang Xiaohua remained cold, his face expressionless. The village girls looked at Zhang Cai, who nodded, and then said to the woman in the purple dress: "Sister, what do you think?"

The woman in the purple dress said: "You don't need to look at my face. I'll listen to you. These two fat men can be spared death, but they must pay 200 taels of silver for your injuries. As for you two dogs, if you dare to cause trouble for them again, I'll make sure you pay with your lives." The two fat men were overjoyed and immediately agreed, saying they would never do it again. They took out several silver bills from their pockets, not even counting them, and quickly handed them to Zhang Cai. Then, they did not dare to leave, looking at the woman in the purple dress, waiting for her to say, "Get lost." They then scurried to the black-clad bodyguard's side.

The white-clad scholar, seeing them return, said nothing. He walked to the servants he had kicked and kicked each of them again. They finally stood up and gathered around the two fat men. Zhao Quansheng, seeing the matter resolved, did not dare to say anything more. He clasped his hands in greeting and quickly led the group away.

After they left, the onlookers gathered around but still looked at the pair of young people with awe, not daring to approach. The white-clad scholar walked to Zhang Cai and his family and asked: "Can you walk?"

Zhang Cai replied: "Savior, we can walk."

The white-clad scholar said: "Then let's leave here first. Keep the silver bills safe, and we'll talk outside the town."

With that, he and the woman in the purple dress led the way, with Zhang Xiaohua and the two village girls supporting the injured, following them out of Lu Town.

The strange group of Zhang Cai and his family aroused the curiosity of the onlookers. The two young people in front were dressed in fine clothes, the woman with a veil, while the ones behind were clearly farmers, three of them with bruised faces and torn clothes, blood still on their faces. The young boy, though not as badly injured as the others, had a swollen cheek and a split lip, his clothes dirty. Although everyone's eyes followed their backs, no one dared to stop and ask, and no one dared to follow to see what happened.

About half a li east of Lu Town, there was a small stream. Zhang Cai and his group stopped here. The well-dressed young people went to a tree by the stream, while Zhang Cai and his family went to the stream to wash the blood and dirt from their faces and bodies. Fortunately, the servants had not used weapons during the conflict, and although they had hit hard, Zhang Cai and his family had not suffered serious external injuries. Only Zhang Xiaolong's arm had been stepped on multiple times, likely broken, and they did not know if he had internal injuries.

After Zhang Cai and his family cleaned up, they brought the two village girls to the tree and Zhang Cai bowed, saying: "Savior, I haven't asked your name. You saved our lives. Please accept our gratitude." He was about to bow, but the white-clad scholar quickly held his arm and said: "Don't call me savior. I am Wen Wenhai. You acted bravely, risking your lives to help others, setting an example for us. Let me check your injuries first."

With that, Wen Wenhai took Zhang Cai and the others' hands, frowning and deep in thought.