Episode 9: Defeating the Evil Slave

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  The servant sitting on the horseback was very burly, with a strong waist and back, wearing coarse linen clothes, and curves could be seen at his chest and arms, indicating that there were well-developed muscles hidden inside. He wasn't a servant, but a bodyguard, brought by Zhong Qing to protect herself and her husband.

  Facing such a person, Ao Wu stood under the horse, his eyes unflinchingly staring at him, with a calm tone, not a single ripple, and the momentum was as if Ao Wu was standing high looking down at a servant.

  The groom was stared at for a while, his eyes finally couldn't help but blink, he held the horse's neck, arched his back and stuck to the horse's back, one foot shrunk over, and slid down from the horseback. He immediately stretched out his hand to pass the reins to Ao Wu: "Young Master."

  Kao Wu took over the reins and stroked the horse's long mane, the black horse snorted in displeasure.

  Everyone who knew Xiū Cái was aware that this weak scholar couldn't ride a horse. At this moment, they were all surprised by him and wondered why he had suggested riding a horse today. It was truly a strange thing. Their eyes were wide with curiosity as they watched to see how he would ride the horse.

  Funi's eyes flashed with a hint of playful teasing gaze under her eyes.

  Ao Wu's foot landed on the stirrup, his hands grasped the reins tightly, and with a slight exertion, he found himself on the horse's back, sitting steadily. However, this black horse surprisingly recognized him, its front hooves leaping up into the air. Amidst the crowd's cries of surprise, Ao Wu gripped the reins firmly, his legs clamping down on the horse's belly, and with one hand pressed a certain acupoint on the horse's neck. The horse jumped twice before calming down.

  "Haha, what's the point of taking someone who can't even ride a horse?!" Cheng Erde laughed and swung his whip, hitting Ao Wu's horse on the buttocks.

  The black horse suddenly ran forward, but the horse had already been tamed by Ao Wu. It only ran five steps forward and then turned around and ran back. Ao Wu took advantage of the horse's momentum to slap Cheng Erde's face, who was still laughing.

  With a loud crash, Cheng Erde flew off the back of the mule.

  "Ah! ——" Cheng Erde let out a miserable cry and fell head-first onto the horse's back.

  The people around were shocked to see Ao Wu actually hitting someone, and they couldn't help but exclaim. Firstly, it was Ao Wu, a weak scholar, who would actually resort to violence, which was too unexpected. Secondly, Zhong Shenyi was already in trouble with the Cheng family, and now he was even hitting one of their servants, wasn't that just asking for more trouble?

  "Soft..." Cheng Erde suddenly stood up, with a thick layer of horse manure stuck to his forehead, glaring sideways at another pile of horse manure.

  He wiped his sweaty forehead with a sleeve and was about to rush up and fight with Qiao Wu to the death.

  "Hey, I'm not going to fight with you, you cock-eyed fellow." "Big Tiger," he shouted.

  "Big Tiger is here!" Big Tiger's sturdy body blocked Ao Wu's front.

  "Ah Piao is here!" The groom of Ma's family also stood out and blocked Ao Wu's way.

  Tigers and leopards have all arrived!

  They had long been displeased with this arrogant servant of the Cheng family, not only did they detain Zhong Jialang, but also came to the Zhong family to report without a good tone, and treated their young lady as a servant to scold. Now that there is this opportunity, they must give him a lesson.

  Cheng Erde, although also a roughneck, felt threatened when facing Da Hu and A Bao. If he forced his way in, he wouldn't have the upper hand, but retreating like this would be too humiliating.

  "A mule dares to compare with a fine horse?" Ao Wu sneered.

  It refers to mules and horses, but actually hints at Jia Ding and Xiū Cái.

  Cheng Erde was anxious and wanted to rush up in one breath.

  "Mule, mule, Cheng Yuanwai has sent someone to fetch the life-saving medicine, but you're still causing trouble outside. Don't delay Old Lady Cheng's life!" Ao Wu said condescendingly, patting the mule's head.

  Cheng Erde was taken aback for a moment.

  "Hey, You Bin and Er De, don't get agitated, let's quickly go to the Cheng's house!" Fu Ni Ma intervened as a peacemaker.

  He looked at Zhong Qing and said in a low voice, "Qingniangzi, now that Youbin has offended Erde, if we go to the Cheng family, it may provoke even greater hostility from them. Why not let Youbin stay behind to guard the house while we quickly go and return?"

  Although he spoke softly, Ao Wu was proficient in lip language and still saw his words clearly. Ao Wu's eyebrows involuntarily raised, this was whispering sweet nothings into Zhong Qing's ear, wanting to abandon himself here and let the two of them go rescue Doctor Zhong. Fu Ni Ma was quite bold, a romantic rival who wanted to have an affair with someone else's wife, yet he did things in a very open and aboveboard manner.

  Kao Wu dared to beat the vicious servant of the Cheng family, of course, he had his own confidence. Mr. Zhong was a divine doctor, although Mr. Cheng had detained Dr. Zhong, but his mother's life was still in Dr. Zhong's hands, and now they needed the ginseng in Zhong Qing's hands to save her life, so even if the Cheng family said something about detaining people and killing them to avenge their lives, it was all just a show of force, in reality, they still had to give face to the Zhong family.

  Now, Ao Wu has beaten Cheng Erde. That was because Cheng Erde was too rude. Even if he had offended the Cheng family, it was nothing compared to the life of Madame Cheng. If the Zhong family could cure Madame Cheng, then they would be the benefactors of the Cheng family. Would Director Cheng ignore this lifesaving kindness for the sake of a mere servant? If they couldn't cure her, then it would be as if nothing had happened, and the Cheng family would still find fault with the Zhong family.

  But would Ao Wu let a life die in front of him? Ao Wu smiled.

  Now let's see if Zhong Qing will listen to this white knight and give up on herself!

  Zhong Qing's eyelids drooped, and she hesitated for a moment before lifting them again, restoring her calm and collected demeanor. She replied faintly to Funi Ma, "Thank you, Mr. Fu, for your concern."

  Then she looked at Ao Wu and advised, "Young Master, don't be impulsive." After finishing speaking, she turned to Cheng Erde and said with apology, "Cheng Guanjia, I have offended you a lot. Please set off quickly."

  But what he said afterwards was firm and decisive, that is, treating Ao Wu's beating of Cheng Erde as if nothing had happened.

  Cheng Erde couldn't take their attitude, his face turned sideways, his eyes slanted, and he said: "Nen is the only daughter of the Zhong family, he is Nen's son-in-law, he hit me just now, if Nen doesn't punish him, I won't leave, when the time comes, my brother Ah Lang will kill Zhong Shen Yi, it's his fault!" He pointed at Ao Wu with one hand, and Ao Wu sat on horseback, coldly smiling at him.

  "Old Mrs. Cheng's body has a slight setback, it must be the tender delay." Zhong Qing held the sandalwood box with one hand and pulled the reins with the other, her legs lightly clamping on the horse's belly, as the horse walked forward. "Even if Nian doesn't go, we will go; even if Nian doesn't lead the way, we will find our way to the Cheng family."

  Before she had finished speaking, her horse had already run away.

  Watching Zhong Qing being swept away by the black horse, Ao Wu smiled. Under the instigation of Fu Ni Ma, Cheng Er De used her father's life to coerce, but Zhong Qing still had her own mind. Such a temperament, I admire, and can't help but give her a thumbs up.

  However, Ao Wu found it strange that such a bold and daring woman could have rescued her father by herself with the Liao token, so why did she bring this "weak and timid" scholar along?

  Funiang was taken aback, not expecting Zhong Qing to disobey him. However, he quickly regained his composure, thinking that a stubborn woman like her had potential for conquest. Unaware that Ao Wu had overheard his previous words, Funiang flashed a hypocritical smile at Ao Wu and said: "Right Brother Bin, please."

  Kao Wu also gave him a hypocritical smile: "Please."

  Funiu said to Cheng Erde: "Erde brother, for the sake of Funiu, let's go and rescue Old Lady Cheng first, then we can talk about other things."

  This is clearly a case of settling accounts after saving someone. Ao Wu gave Funiu the middle finger.

  Cheng Erde couldn't make a scene even if he wanted to, as Zhong Qing had already left. What could he do now? At this moment, Funiu said so, and he found an excuse to leave, cupping his fists: "Alright, I'll spare your face, young master Fu, and go rescue my family's elderly lady first!"

  Having finished speaking, he wiped his face and mounted a mule, heading towards the official road ahead.

  "Let's go!"

  Zhong Jia and five or six others responded in unison and chased after Zhong Qing.

  "The Cheng family is very powerful, Brother You Bin should be careful." Funiu advised Ao Wu with good intentions. However, the words implied blame and criticism that Ao Wu could hear.

  Qiao Wu is too lazy to bother with his soft knife, he'd better not give himself a handle, or else he'll be given a hard knife.

  Liangfu County to Dong'a County is a hundred and fifty miles, the road is dusty, it took more than three hours, to a river with turbulent water in front of us, Yellow River ah mother, but at this time the Yellow River, the river water is not yellow, the vegetation on the Loess Plateau has not been damaged, the loess has not entered the Yellow River, the water is clear and transparent, the river bottom does not have a lot of sediment affecting the flow of water, looks very lively.

  Cheng Erde and Zhong's family servant found five or six ferries, and Ao Wu and others got on the boat with their horses.

  After crossing the river, continue north for over an hour and finally arrived at Dong'a County.

  They didn't take them into the county town, but instead turned into a large field. On a slope, surrounded by lush crops, at the highest point of the slope, stood a large mansion.

  Cheng Erde rushed towards this courtyard.

  "Lang, Lang! The Zhong family's people have arrived, and they've brought the ginseng that Master Zhong wanted!" Cheng Erde shouted at the top of his lungs halfway down the road. In ancient times, communication relied mainly on shouting, and the surrounding geography was flat, with a clear signal.

  A loud shout from the slope's top mansion gate summoned a tall, dark-haired man.

  He stood in front of the temple gate, his iron-like body making people think that a Vajra Arhat was standing there.

  Cheng Erde's mule ran to the front of Luohan and stopped suddenly ten meters away. Before the mule had even come to a complete stop, Cheng Erde jumped off and his body propelled forward due to inertia. He rolled on the ground three times and stood up smoothly, then took three more steps to reach Luohan's side and said: "Ah Lang, Zhong's daughter has brought the ginseng, Old Lady is going to be saved!"

  This is the master of the Cheng family, also the kidnapper who detained Zhong Dafu.

  He wore a silk shirt, but with the sleeves rolled up, his trousers tucked in, and his chest open, revealing the black hair on his chest, which was still damp and smelled of wine, making him look like a rustic peasant at first glance. But what peasant could afford to wear silk? He must be an aristocratic roughneck!

  The noble ruffian has a face with a horizontal piece of meat, thick eyebrows and big eyes, wide mouth and big ears. If you say he looks like Zhang Fei, it's very similar, but what's different from Zhang Fei is the whiskers, not to say that the noble ruffian doesn't have a beard, just that it's short, the whole whisker area is black stubble, compared to Zhang Fei-style whiskers more connotation.

  He listened to Cheng Erde's words, his eyes turned to the horseback rider, and at first glance, he saw Qingchuang's pure and cold beauty, and he was stunned. Her beauty is something that cannot be ignored, even the rough man couldn't help but brighten up for a moment. However, it only lasted for half a second before his eyes moved to someone else, seeing Fu Nima, he recognized him, not from the Zhong family, now following along, should be begging for mercy, then looking at other people, several servants, and a scholar.

  "Bring Liao Can in, the others will wait outside!" The noble ruffian's voice was low and rumbling like thunder, after speaking he turned around and walked inside.

  Zhong Qing got off his horse and heard this sentence. He hugged the sandalwood box and walked in, asking anxiously: "Where is my grandfather?"

  "Not dead yet." The noble ruffian said impatiently.

  Cheng Erde stretched out his hand and blocked Ao Wu's path, shouting: "Halt!"

  Ao Wu lowered his head and saw that he was a head shorter than himself, yet dared to block his way. He raised his hand, and Cheng Er De, who had been beaten before, now saw Ao Wu's hand and felt a sense of foreboding in his heart, involuntarily taking a step back and shouting: "Ah Lang, someone is going to get hit!"

  The noble ruffian in front of him paused for a moment, turned around, and cast a stern gaze at Ao Wu with an air of natural majesty.

  Cheng Erde's dog stood up, seeing his master in front of him, and hastily shouted: "My husband said that outsiders are waiting outside, what do you want to go in for?"

  "Don't block the horse's path with a mule, understand?" Ao Wu retorted.

  "Soft..." Cheng Erde's face turned purple. Perhaps such a metaphorical satire, he couldn't hear it normally, but after Ao Wu beat someone up and ridiculed the mule and the fine horse before, it formed a shadow in his mind, now that it was mentioned, he thought of it immediately.

  The noble ruffian furrowed his thick eyebrows and asked: "Who is Nen? Can't you hear what I'm saying?"

  "I am a man of the Zhong family." Ao Wu raised his chin and said matter-of-factly, "Tell me if I can enter or not?"

  "The Zhong family has only one daughter, where did this man come from!" The noble ruffian's face showed dissatisfaction.

  Cheng Erde leaned in close to the noble's ear and explained a few sentences.

  The noble roughneck glanced at Jingqing with a lingering gaze, couldn't help but feel a little regretful, but this emotion passed quickly. He and Ao Wu exchanged glances between the two men for a while, nodded slightly: "Come in."

  Cheng Erde was taken aback, the master of the house had let him off so easily, and he still wanted the master to avenge him, so he quickly told the noble ruffian in front of him about what happened when Ao Wu beat him up in Liangfu County.

  The noble roughneck's copper bell eyes gazed at Ao Wu again, and the atmosphere suddenly became heavy.

  ……