The jailer shook his head repeatedly.
What a shame, a perfectly fine person driven mad.
The dwarf sneered, rattling the chains on his body. His tone was provocative, "Is that all the strength you've got? Haven't eaten? It's not even enough to tickle me."
With a *slap*, the ceremonial sword fell to the ground. Young Master Zhang also slumped to the ground, utterly exhausted, gasping for air.
"That's all? Tsk tsk, a little chick."
The dwarf scoffed.
Suddenly, as if provoked, Young Master Zhang drew his sword and lunged at the dwarf.
"Die!"
"No!" The jailer tried to intervene, but it was too late. The blade landed heavily on the dwarf's shoulder, but what happened next left him stunned.
The blade struck, yet inflicted no damage, as if it had hit stone. No matter how hard Young Master Zhang struggled, the sword wouldn't budge an inch further down.
The dwarf flashed a triumphant smile, then with a twitch of his shoulder, flung the sword away. The spot where the blade had struck now bore only a shallow mark.
"What is this guy made of? How can he be so tough?" The jailer rubbed his eyes, thinking he must be mistaken.
Rong Zhi was not surprised. The legendary Five Ghosts of Sanyang Mountain wouldn't have gained such a fearsome reputation if they were so easily dispatched.
"Impossible, this is absolutely impossible!"
Young Master Zhang's voice trembled as he shouted again and rushed forward, slashing and hacking as if at vegetables. The sharp blade landed on the dwarf's head, shoulders, chest, and belly, but no matter where it struck, it only left a barely visible white mark, and more often than not, not even that. It was as if the person before him was made of steel.
Finally, Young Master Zhang could no longer hold the sword. His face was on the verge of collapse, and he muttered to himself.
"How can this be, it's impossible... Are you human or ghost?"
He dropped to his knees with a thud, weeping bitterly.
Just then, Rong Zhi stepped forward, patted Young Master Zhang's shoulder, and approached the dwarf.
The dwarf's calm, disdainful expression stiffened. "What do you want?"
"Nothing much, just need your help with something."
With that, she subtly produced a silver needle from her sleeve and skillfully inserted it into an acupoint on the back of the dwarf's neck.
"You want to silence me?"
Rong Zhi said nothing, but casually lifted the nearby Young Master Zhang.
"That's not how you hit someone. Come, learn from me, I'll teach you."
Rong Zhi clenched her fist, adopted a stance, and then gave Young Master Zhang a look, signaling him to do the same.
Young Master Zhang had already exhausted his strength. Seeing Rong Zhi's posture, he forced himself to rally, looking at his hands with doubt before striking the same pose.
Next, Rong Zhi threw a punch at the dwarf, landing heavily on his chest.
The dwarf's face paled, and he instantly let out a piercing scream that echoed throughout the entire prison.
The restless commotion around them immediately fell silent. No one knew what Rong Zhi had done. The jailer was startled. He was invulnerable to blades just moments ago, and now he was screaming like this from this girl's punch?
Young Master Zhang remained still. He had witnessed the dwarf's strength. When he was first captured and brought to the mountain, he had tried to escape. The dwarf had dragged him along a rocky, uneven path, leaving countless bloody holes in his body. It was a nightmare he never wanted to recall. To him, the dwarf was no different from a demon, especially after he couldn't even inflict the slightest injury on him earlier.
This girl possessed such power, but he did not.
"Do as I say."
Rong Zhi repeated.
"If you're too scared, we can just go back."
Young Master Zhang's brows furrowed. After a moment of hesitation, his unwillingness to give up got the better of him. He looked at the sweating dwarf, steeled himself, and, imitating Rong Zhi, threw a powerful punch.
"Ahhh!" The dwarf roared, and the chains on his body trembled as if he were suffering immense pain.
Young Master Zhang looked at his own hand in disbelief.
What was happening?
He had collapsed onto the ground earlier and hadn't seen what Rong Zhi had done. He turned to look at Rong Zhi, seeking an answer in her eyes. Rong Zhi simply gave him an encouraging look.
"If you want revenge, now is the time. You only get one chance."
A spark gradually ignited in Young Master Zhang's eyes. Without further hesitation, he began to pummel the dwarf with all his might, as if wanting to unleash all the suffering he had endured. Though he had no strength moments ago, his fists now flew like the wind, striking down like a barrage of raindrops.
He grew more vigorous with each blow, and the dwarf's screams echoed relentlessly in the prison. The jailer stood behind, too terrified to breathe.
Too brutal, utterly brutal!
The clanging of chains from all around filled the air as prisoners craned their necks, trying to catch a glimpse, but saw nothing.
This one-sided beating continued for half an hour, until Young Master Zhang's fists became limp and devoid of strength. The dwarf's face had turned ashen, completely drained.
"Miss, that's enough. Someone will die if this continues," the jailer reminded her, a hint of worry in his voice. If anything happened on his watch, he'd be in deep trouble.
"Don't worry, it's fine."
Rong Zhi replied with a reassuring smile and asked Young Master Zhang, "How was it? Who else do you want to hit?"
Young Master Zhang waved his hand weakly, panting.
He couldn't hit anyone else.
"Then let's go." Rong Zhi quickly pulled the silver needle from the dwarf's body, adding with a gloating tone, "Thank you," before leading Young Master Zhang out of the yamen.
Unlike when they arrived, Young Master Zhang seemed reborn. His face had expression again, and his posture was straight. Aside from his labored breathing while walking, he appeared like any normal person.
Once they reached a secluded spot outside, Rong Zhi said, "Wouldn't it have been better to do this earlier? Unburden your heart and move on, rather than pretending to be crazy and escaping reality."
Young Master Zhang glanced at her, his face a little embarrassed.
"How did you know I was faking?"
Rong Zhi smiled mysteriously. Having worked as a doctor for so many years, if she couldn't distinguish between genuine madness and feigned madness, her years of practice would have been in vain.
Young Master Zhang had indeed been severely frightened and stimulated, causing his mind to become disoriented at first. However, as Rong Zhi treated him with medicine and brought his father, Mr. Zhang, he had gradually recovered. But since he never spoke of it, Rong Zhi hadn't exposed him.
Everyone has their inner demons. Since Young Master Zhang was unwilling to confront his, Rong Zhi had helped him.
Young Master Zhang scratched his head. "Your move just now... was quite impressive. Can you teach me a few more?"
"Of course." Rong Zhi didn't refuse. She casually demonstrated a set of simple martial arts, her movements clean and swift, fast and beautiful. Young Master Zhang stared, trying to memorize the techniques, but couldn't recall a single one, only a face full of astonishment.
So powerful.
Rong Zhi concluded her demonstration. "If you genuinely want to learn, first take your father home and settle your family affairs. Then, whatever you want to learn, I can teach you."
"Really?" Young Master Zhang's eyes lit up, the last trace of dejection vanishing from his face.
"Then let's go back now!"
They arrived at the tree where the horses were tethered. Young Master Zhang eyed the tall horse leisurely nibbling on leaves and eagerly prepared to jump on, but ended up falling to the ground.
His strength had been completely used up in the prison.
"Save some energy," Rong Zhi advised. With one hand, she lifted him and placed him on the horse's back. Then, she lightly leaped onto the horse herself, tugged the reins, and shouted "Giddy up!" Xiao Hei slowly trotted along until they reached open ground before breaking into a run.
Along the way, Young Master Zhang gazed at the figure ahead, his heart filled with admiration. What an extraordinary woman, so incredibly capable!
Mr. Zhang never expected that after Rong Zhi took his son out for a while, he would return like a changed person, as if his lost soul had been found. Not only did his eyes gleam with life and his face regain color, but he was also exceptionally filial. As soon as he opened the door, he bowed deeply to his father.
Young Master Zhang, having tripped over the threshold: "..."
He picked himself up from the ground and, disregarding his appearance, scrambled to the bedside. "Father, let's go home!"
"Ah?"
Mr. Zhang was bewildered. He looked left and right, confirming that the person before him was indeed his son.
"How about that, Mr. Zhang? I told you I'd return your normal son, and I haven't broken my word, have I?"
Rong Zhi pushed the door open, a smile on her face.
"Old man, your illness has also mostly recovered. If you wish to go home, I can take you back now. If you wish to continue staying here, I can continue to care for you, as long as you don't cause any more trouble."
"This..." Mr. Zhang hadn't quite grasped the situation.
"Did you drug my son?"
"Father!" Young Master Zhang cut off his father's words. "Father, I'm already well. It's just... I don't know how to face you..."
"Really well?" Mr. Zhang cupped his son's head, his face filled with disbelief.
Young Master Zhang nodded forcefully. "Father, let's go home. I... I miss home."
As he spoke, Young Master Zhang's eyes welled up. Mr. Zhang sighed, "It's all my fault!"
As father and son were overcome with emotion, Rong Zhi, sensing the shift in atmosphere, discreetly withdrew.
The father and son's weeping continued for an hour. In the end, Mr. Zhang decided to return home.
Rong Zhi had anticipated this outcome. She borrowed a carriage from Uncle Yu and escorted Mr. Zhang and his son back to the Zhang mansion.
The Zhang mansion, once a prominent and wealthy household in Changping County, was now eerily empty. Aside from the absence of any people, there were very few belongings left, as if it had just been ransacked.
"Those servants must have taken everything with them when they left," Mr. Zhang cursed fiercely. "That damnable Li Hao killed all our servants and replaced them with his own. I was so wrong to trust him back then!"
"Father, and that Gu Zhou, he absconded with our family's silver and seized our assets. We absolutely cannot let him go."
"Don't worry, your father has been in the business world for so many years. Dealing with a mere Gu Zhou is more than enough for me."
"Mm."
Father and son exchanged words. Rong Zhi listened beside them, and couldn't help but feel that after their return, their true colors were beginning to show.
However, judging by their demeanor, they could live independently even without so many retainers. She no longer needed to worry. With the herbal prescription given to them, her task was complete.