Bai Sheng bought two bedding sets and several changes of clothes.
After tidying up the two rooms opposite, she let Granny Wu and Qing Feng each have one.
As they were both extremely dirty, Bai Sheng brought two more buckets of water, asking them to wash up simply.
Looking at the clear water in the buckets, both of them felt reluctant to waste it. They usually didn't even have water to drink, and now they could use a whole bucket to wash themselves. The change was too sudden, and they couldn't adapt immediately.
Bai Sheng smiled and said that the money for the water was enough, and a well was being dug on Hongshu Slope, so they wouldn't lack water in the future. Water, though precious, was less precious than people; maintaining cleanliness prevented illness.
Granny Wu looked at the clean bedding and new clothes, then at her own dirt-covered body. She felt that if she didn't wash clean, she would be wasting the good things her disciple had bought. So, gritting her teeth, she said to Qing Feng, "Feng'er, wash up. We both need to wash properly, or we won't be allowed to wear the clothes your junior sister bought."
Although Qing Feng felt a pang for the water, he also really wanted to wash. He was so dirty that, as a handsome young man, he was too embarrassed to go out and be seen.
He smiled and said, "Master, don't worry. Your disciple will scrub himself down to the skin."
Bai Sheng and Granny Wu couldn't help but laugh.
Night deepened.
Wen Zhimo finished his work at the grain store and got into his carriage to return home.
He remembered Bai Sheng's reminder and brought two more followers who knew some martial arts.
When the carriage reached a rather secluded alley,
a group of masked men suddenly leaped out, blocking the carriage's path.
The driver shouted "Whoa!" and braked sharply. Wen Zhimo and his two followers lurched forward, nearly flying out of the carriage.
One of the lanterns hanging on the front crossbar fell and ignited on the ground.
The driver looked back in fear, "Master, masked men are blocking the road."
The two followers immediately grabbed their weapons and jumped off the carriage.
In the middle of the road stood five or six masked men, each holding a gleaming broadsword. The leading masked man, with a rough street-thug accent, asked, "Wen-Zhi-Mo, right?"
Wen Zhimo raised his hand to lift the carriage curtain and looked at the masked men opposite as calmly as possible, saying coldly, "It is I. May I ask why you gentlemen have blocked my way?"
"Why? Haha..." The leading masked man laughed maniacally for a few moments, "Someone wants me to tell you that if you reveal the source of your grain store's goods, we'll spare your life tonight; if you don't, tonight will be your death! I'll give you ten counts to consider, ten, nine..."
"No need to consider!" Wen Zhimo's voice suddenly rose, carrying a hint of unyielding defiance. "Even if I die here tonight, I won't tell you where the goods come from! I also ask you to relay a message to the one who sent you: let them completely give up this idea!
We are all in business. If you don't offend me, I won't offend you. We all make a living by our own abilities. If you see someone with something good, you want to forcefully snatch it, then what's the difference between you and greedy, selfish scoundrels? Don't be too arrogant in your conduct, or you'll eventually face retribution!"
"Hmph, you truly refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit! Since you're so eager to die, I'll grant your wish. Attack!" The leading masked man waved his hand, and all the masked men swung their broadswords, charging menacingly towards Wen Zhimo.
These people were clearly skilled practitioners; their martial arts were all very good.
This is bad. He was too careless. He only brought two people, and they had five or six. The forces were unequal!
Tonight, the situation looked grim.
Wen Zhimo tried his best to remain calm. He drew a short sword from his waist, gripped it with both hands, and trembled as he held it up in front of him, guarding against the masked men lunging at him.
If only he had learned martial arts when he was younger, he wouldn't be like a weakling now, at the mercy of others. httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
The two followers were quickly overwhelmed. As the masked men were about to reach him, Wen Zhimo closed his eyes and swung his short sword, ready to fight them head-on.
Just then, the leading masked man sprang forward, landing directly in front of him. As Wen Zhimo raised his short sword, it was knocked to the ground by the masked man's broadsword, sending a numbing pain through his wrist.
"Prepare to die!" the leading masked man shouted with a cold smile, his broadsword slashing towards Wen Zhimo like a blinding flash of lightning.
Wen Zhimo closed his eyes in panic and instinctively raised his arm to block the blade.
Just as the blade was about to touch his arm, there was a clang. The leading masked man's broadsword was knocked to the ground, and he let out a cry of pain.
Wen Zhimo quickly opened his eyes and saw a bamboo leaf-shaped dart embedded in the leading masked man's right wrist, bleeding profusely.
"Who? Who dared to injure me?!" the leading masked man roared, looking around in exasperation.
Wen Zhimo secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Was this a martial arts expert who saw injustice and drew his sword to help him?
"It's your ancestor who injured you!" With a devilish voice, two tall figures in black clothes landed nearby.
Both of these black-clad figures wore black half-face masks, clearly indicating they were not allied with the first group of masked men.
"Who are you people? How dare you interfere with my good deed!" the leading masked man bellowed furiously.
"This ancestor is from the 'Ye Sheng Men'," said the slightly taller black-clad figure in front, a smile playing on his lips.
"Ye Sheng Men? What nonsense? I've never heard of it!" The masked man sneered contemptuously. His smile was contorted due to the pain in his wrist.
"Well, now you have," the tall black-clad figure replied, looking up at him with a chilling gaze.
The leading masked man felt a shiver run down his spine. However, he couldn't let his enemy's morale boost while his own fell, so he deliberately blustered, "If you want to live, clear off immediately and don't spoil my business!"
Instead of clearing off, the black-clad figures took a few steps forward. "That depends on whether you curs have the ability!"
The leading masked man, provoked in front of his subordinates, became enraged. He roared and immediately swung his broadsword at the black-clad figures, but halfway through raising it, it clanged to the ground.
An afterimage flashed by, and a fine line of a wound appeared on his neck. Blood spurted out, splashing onto Wen Zhimo's face.
The black-clad figure had moved too quickly; Wen Zhimo hadn't even seen how he had attacked.
The masked men behind, seeing their leader's head instantly gushing blood, panicked and fled in all directions.
Another black-clad figure behind the tall one immediately threw several darts. In an instant, the four masked men fell to the ground.
One masked man, injured by Wen Zhimo's follower, was so terrified that he scrambled to escape. The dart-wielding black-clad man was about to throw more darts.
The tall black-clad figure raised his hand to stop him and said with a smile, "Leave one alive to promote our 'Ye Sheng Men'."
The dart-wielding black-clad man bowed respectfully, "As you command, Master!"
The tall black-clad figure coldly ordered the terrified masked man, "Go back and tell your master that Ye Sheng Men killed your people. From now on, Ye Sheng Men is Wen Zhimo's backer. Anyone who dares to move against Wen Zhimo will face the punishment of Ye Sheng Men! Get out!"
Wen Zhimo: I... When did I ever say you were... my backer?
But at this moment, he dared not speak out in refusal. The martial arts of these two black-clad figures were unfathomably profound. The previous masked men were nothing compared to them.
The masked man stumbled into the night.
The dart-wielding black-clad man went through the corpses, retrieving his darts one by one.
The tall black-clad figure tore off a piece of black cloth from a masked man's corpse and patiently wiped the blood off his blade, his gaze fixed on Wen Zhimo like a demon. He said calmly, "We should talk about cooperation."