"Whose fence is not tightly tied that a dog like this crawls out?"
"Dare to uphold justice? Don't you know your own limitations?"
"Times have changed, and someone dares to stand up for Baiyang?"
Inside the Chun Yue Lou in Youzhou City, several burly Hu people pointed at Zhou Fugui, who was shielding the zither girl, and cursed him. Their foul, sheep-like saliva sprayed onto Zhou Fugui's face. If Zhou Fugui dared to retort, he would be beaten and possibly killed by the Hu people.
In fact, this was an unfortunate predicament for Zhou Fugui. He hadn't intentionally protected the woman; she had approached him on her own.
Perhaps it was because Zhou Fugui was tall and strong, giving off a sense of security...
Anger flashed across Zhou Fugui's face, twisting his features. He tightly gripped the saber at his waist, wanting to draw it and slash at the arrogant Hu people.
Tang Yao and Zhou Fugui's fellow townsmen watched Zhou Fugui nervously.
If Zhou Fugui couldn't endure it any longer and fought the Hu people, resulting in death, all of them would be implicated. Unless they immediately kowtowed in apology, they might even have to join forces with the Hu people against Zhou Fugui.
Most of the townsmen sympathized with Zhou Fugui. Only a few moved their lips, their minds silently calculating.
"Canglang!" The Hu people continued to curse obscenely, shoving Zhou Fugui. This pushed Zhou Fugui to the brink of fury. With a forceful pull of his right hand, he drew half the saber from its scabbard, startling everyone.
Everyone's hearts leaped into their throats.
The next moment was bound to be a bloody scene.
But what followed left everyone dumbfounded, exclaiming if such people actually existed in this world.
"Heh heh, esteemed sirs..." The anger on Zhou Fugui's face vanished in an instant. He then put on a fawning smile, sheathed his saber, and said obsequiously to the Hu people, "This humble one would never dare to offend esteemed sirs, even if I had the courage of the heavens."
Zhou Fugui then pushed the delicate and pitiful zither girl towards the Hu people.
The timid zither girl, however, used all her strength, grabbing Zhou Fugui's sleeve and refusing to let go, even tearing his sleeve.
But Zhou Fugui remained unmoved.
"Good lad, you have a future..." The swiftness of Zhou Fugui's change in attitude and his extreme servility greatly pleased a plump Hu man with two thin braids hanging from the back of his head. He patted Zhou Fugui's shoulder and laughed, "You're sensible. But lad, you gave this老爷 a scare, won't you offer a little something?"
"Damn you, old man," Zhou Fugui cursed inwardly, then smiled obsequiously, "It is my fault for giving you a scare. How about this: all your expenses today will be on me, and when you leave, I will offer a generous gift. What do you say?"
Zhou Fugui's expression was nauseating. Many faces showed anger, including Tang Yao's.
The Xianbei people acted with impunity in the Great Yan Kingdom, but Zhou Fugui, did you have to stoop this low? Many thought to themselves.
The Hu people then left joyfully, of course, dragging the zither girl with them. The zither girl looked sorrowful, making one unable to bear looking.
"A moment's impatience can spoil a great plan. Brother Fugui truly has great composure." After the Hu people left, Tang Yao said to Zhou Fugui with a smile.
Although Tang Yao praised Zhou Fugui, the mockery and sarcasm were evident.
Zhou Fugui pretended not to hear or see anything.
...
"Horses eat grass, sheep roam everywhere, and warm tents are filled with women!"
"Women in droves, waiting for this老爷 with their bottoms bare!"
"Hahahaha!"
In the dead of night, several drunken Hu people, singing loudly in Xianbei language as if no one else was around, walked down a small alley. Through this alley and one more street corner, they would reach the city gate, and beyond that, their farms and pastures.
The Hu people rode their horses unsteadily. The zither girl was tied to a horse. The Hu people constantly teased the pitiful zither girl with their words, even touching her inappropriately, as if wanting to do something with her right there on the street.
"Brothers, something's not right..." said a slightly more sober Hu man who had been in battle, looking at a large tree under the moonlight and murmuring to himself.
The tree was lush and dense, appearing as a black mass from a distance. Moonlight filtered through its leaves, scattering shimmering jade-like patterns on the ground.
Apart from the rustling sound of leaves in the wind, the area around the tree was unusually quiet, so quiet that not even the chirping of insects could be heard.
"Bals..." another Hu man peered for a long time, seeing nothing unusual. He then laughed, patting the first Hu man's shoulder. But before the Hu man's laughter died down, a faint twang of a bowstring came from the dense leaves of the tree. A sharp arrow, propelled by the wind, shot down from the leaves, aimed at the Hu man.
Descending from above with irresistible force, the arrow flew like lightning. The Hu man had no time to react. Even if he had sensed it earlier, being completely drunk, he wouldn't have been able to dodge it.
The only sensation the Hu people had was a prickling scalp, sobering them up considerably.
"Pfft!" With a sound, the arrow, not only incredibly fast but also extremely accurate, pierced the throat of a Hu man. The force was so great that it dislodged his throat bone, leaving it hanging bloody from the arrowhead that had emerged from the back of his neck.
With his throat pierced, the Hu man couldn't cry out. He merely covered his gushing throat with his hands and tumbled from his horse, landing with a dull thud.
The Hu man struck by the arrow was only left with spasms and was moments from death.
"Ah!!!"
Before the Hu people could react, a second arrow followed closely, hitting the Hu man named Bals directly in the chest. Bals also tumbled from his horse, letting out a shrill scream that, in the dead of night, sounded like the cry of a night owl.
"Assassins! Assassins!"
"Help! Save us!"
The remaining two Hu men, terrified, tried to flee on their horses. But they were so drunk that their usually superb horsemanship failed them. Their horses bucked and whirled in place.
The two Hu men cried out in fear, hoping to attract the Yan army's rescue.
However, their plan fell through.
This area was too remote, with few Yan residents, so the Yan patrols rarely came here. Even if someone heard their cries for help, ordinary Yan people would likely feign ignorance, preferring to mind their own business.
Since the Xianbei people had taken Youzhou City, there had been constant unrest, with numerous fights and murders.
The cries of the two Hu men did not summon help from the Yan army. Instead, several dark figures emerged from the shadows, wildly slashing and stabbing with spears and sabers, killing both the Hu men and their horses indiscriminately.
All of this happened in an instant. Blood splattered, flesh flew, and the Hu men's screams were incessant.
Amidst the chaos, the zither girl fell from her horse, watching it all in terror, almost fainting. However, amidst her fear, there was a flicker of relief, as falling into the hands of these ruthless bandits was far better than falling into the hands of the Hu people.
"How was my archery?" A tall figure emerged from the darkness, carrying a bow and arrows, and asked proudly as he walked.
"Not great, just average."
"Haha, you're talking nonsense with your eyes open. My Brother Fugui's archery... if you were here, you probably wouldn't even hit a fly."
"Haha..." The one who had set up the ambush and killed these Hu people was indeed Zhou Fugui. Zhou Fugui slung his bow and arrows over his back and walked to where Bals, still not dead, lay. He squatted down and looked at the dying Bals.
Zhou Fugui was not as patient as Tang Yao had implied.
The humiliation he suffered at Chun Yue Lou had made him lose face, and Zhou Fugui had already harbored murderous intent. Thus, while feigning subservience, he had left with a few of his closest townsmen to set up an ambush here. Zhou Fugui personally shot the Hu men. His townsmen included Xu Mancang, Suo Dacheng, and Pan Guijian.
Zhou Fugui's ruthlessness began to show, astonishing Xu Mancang and the others. However, Zhou Fugui was young and impulsive, disregarding the consequences.
Blood gurgled from Bals's mouth. His face contorted, and he was clearly dying. Yet, he glared at Zhou Fugui with wide eyes, gritting his teeth and muttering something.
"What is he saying?" Zhou Fugui asked, seeing this.
"He's asking your name and why you're killing him. He says you'll be torn apart by five horses if you kill him," replied Pan Guijian.
"Oh... my name?" Zhou Fugui squatted down again, looking at the dying Bals, and said indifferently, "We are but bones in a tomb! Since we are already dead, why fear being torn apart by five horses?"
With that, Zhou Fugui thrust the tip of his saber into Bals's neck. Bals glared at Zhou Fugui and breathed his last breath.
"Fu-fu-fu... Gui... What should we do with that woman?"
The bloody slaughter had turned Zhou Fugui's townsman, Li Qing, as pale as a ghost, and he stammered, pointing at the zither girl who had collapsed on the ground, "What about... what about the woman?"
Li Qing was a scholar. In the Great Yan Kingdom, a scholar was practically equivalent to a nobody.
"Fugui, might as well go all the way!" Pan Guijian said when he heard this.
"Wh-what... go all the way? She... she... she's just a weak woman..." Li Qing continued to stammer.
"Fugui, you can't be soft-hearted. If we leave this woman alive, we'll be in grave danger," Pan Guijian continued to suggest killing the zither girl to avoid future trouble.
"Even if I die, I won't say a word," the zither girl suddenly said softly.
"What future trouble? On the battlefield, who knows if we'll live or die. What future trouble is there?" Zhou Fugui glared at Pan Guijian and said, "Why did we come here to intercept them? Wasn't it to save this woman? As the saying goes, if you start something, finish it. Let her go."
That's not necessarily true, Pan Guijian grumbled inwardly.
"My dear young lady..." Zhou Fugui then walked up to the zither girl and said, "This place is not safe. You should leave Youzhou City quickly."
After speaking, Zhou Fugui put a string of copper coins into the zither girl's hand.