Chapter 38 Rescuing the Beauty: It Turns Out the Bewitching Incense Doesn't Distinguish Between Friend and Foe.

Lu Nong's head grew heavier and heavier, involuntarily sinking downwards. Just as it reached its lowest point, she suddenly heard someone calling her softly. She opened her eyes and saw a pair of bright eyes in front of her. It was Qing Duo, and the one who had just called her was Zhu Yi!

"Mmm! Mmm! Mmm!" she exclaimed in surprise, forgetting that her mouth was being gagged.

"What did she say?" Zhu Yi asked Qing Duo, puzzled.

"Qingduo! Brother Zhu! What are you doing here!" Qingduo imitated her usual tone of voice and her expression just now, which can be described as "vivid and expressive".

She removed the cloth from Lu Nong's mouth and asked, "Sister Lu Nong, am I right?"

"As expected of you, it's perfect, down to the last detail," Lu Nong said with a smile. Qing Duo also giggled.

Ke Lu Nong felt a heavy weight in her heart, as if she had forgotten something. Looking at the room before her, she suddenly remembered that she had been captured and hurriedly said, "Get out of here quickly! There are many of these thieves! Don't worry about me! Go! Go!"

"What's there to be afraid of! I have this magical artifact. No matter how many there are, I can make them all fall into a deep sleep and be completely unconscious!" Qingduo proudly raised the incense in her hand. Thin smoke swirled above her head, but it didn't have much of a sandalwood scent. If you didn't smell carefully, you could hardly even detect its presence.

"This is the 'Bewitching Incense.' We don't know how many people are here, and thirty would be a bit too much for me, so I thought of this 'martial arts artifact' to bewitch them all." Zhu Yi crossed his arms, pointed his thumb behind him, and introduced the incense with great enthusiasm.

Lu Nong followed his finger and saw that the group of people who had been noisily playing mahjong inside were now lying haphazardly on the floor. Just as she was about to praise his quick thinking, Qing Duo spoke up before she could:

"Brother Zhu's head can finally be put to use! Ouch!" She covered her forehead, as Zhu Yi had flicked her forehead without any hesitation.

The two continued their bickering, and Lu Nong gradually felt her strength waning. Although she had been brought here without food or water and had suffered greatly, her body shouldn't have weakened so quickly. Feeling uneasy, she asked, "This incense...it knocks them out, but will it be okay for us?"

The argument stopped abruptly. Qingduo belatedly clutched her head, swaying precariously, and muttered, "I said, I... I feel dizzy..." Before she could finish speaking, she collapsed. Zhu Yi quickly reached out to catch her, but he swayed himself and fell down as well.

"Qingduo! Brother Zhu!" Lu Nong's eyelids were too heavy to open; she was dizzy and extremely anxious. If those people woke up first, Zhu Yi and Qingduo would be trapped here like her. Wouldn't she be dragging them down with her? She tried to struggle, but she was firmly tied to the pillar and couldn't move at all. Although the obstruction had been removed from her mouth, she didn't even have the strength to speak. Furthermore, her consciousness was gradually fading…

Help!

In her final moments, she cried out in despair in her heart.

"What's that woman whining about?"

Lu Nong was terrified. Those people woke up so quickly? Qing Duo and the others… Her heart pounded. She opened her eyes to look at Qing Duo and Zhu Yi. Huh? There was nothing on the ground?

Where did they go? Were they tied up like her? She hurriedly looked around, but there was no sign of them. Instead, she saw her kidnappers holding cards and staring at her with strange expressions.

Lu Nong's mind was in a mess: They got up from the ground and immediately started playing mahjong. Were they that addicted to gambling?

“You’ve been making ‘mmm’ noises since just now,” Liu Er, who had brought Lu Nong, rubbed his nose with his finger. “Do you think this is an inn, a place to sleep comfortably?” He threw down the cards in his hand and was about to get up, but the person next to him held his hand down.

"Liu Er, take your cards back. You think you can just run away when you're having a bad run of luck?"

"What are you saying, Atai! I'm having great luck with my cards! I just wanted to teach her a lesson!" Liu Er retorted stubbornly.

Atai mocked, "When have you ever had any luck? You're not even forty yet, but you look like you're in your seventies. You've never been able to find a woman in your entire life!" As soon as he finished speaking, he and the other seven burst into laughter.

Lu Nong couldn't tell whether she was happy or worried. She was happy that Qing Duo and Zhu Yi were safe, but worried that it had all just been a dream.

They kidnapped her here, initially claiming it was to repay the fee for her writing. Lu Nong found it strange from the start; if they wanted to repay her for the book, they would have done so openly, why lure her here? She secretly paid attention and, sure enough, found in the receipt an admission that she had plagiarized and slandered Zi Pian.

Lu Nong sneered and tore it to shreds, which thoroughly enraged them, earning her several slaps. But this only fueled Lu Nong's fighting spirit; no matter how they tormented her, she remained silent and refused to sign.

Although her father was a poor scholar who never passed the imperial examinations, he had always taught her to have backbone. Did these petty scoundrels think they could subdue her with threats and bribes? Hmph, they truly underestimate Tao Lunong! Better to be a broken jade than a whole tile!

Seeing that he would rather die than sign, and fearing that someone might actually die, those people didn't bother to waste their energy. They put away their whips, tied themselves to the side, and went about their own business of eating, drinking, and playing cards.

Lu Nong felt a burning pain all over her body. When Qing Duo suggested making a scene, she was the first to object. Firstly, she didn't like to trouble others, and secondly, she always felt that she was weak and powerless and couldn't beat Sai Linfu. Making a scene would be futile, so she might as well admit defeat and remember next time not to sell books at his house.

She regretted it.

She forgot the inherent greed in human nature, the insatiable desire for more, and the endless pursuit of more. Her repeated concessions were nothing more than adding fuel to the fire, making the flames burn, and ultimately leading to her own demise.

It was her cowardice that emboldened the other party to take advantage of her.

Suddenly, the image of that confident figure flashed before her eyes—the dashing figure of Qingduo "leading" them on their "attack" with a wave of her hand before their first street performance. Lu Nong envied her fearlessness and sighed at her own hesitation and indecision, having to repeatedly weigh even the path to seeking justice for herself.

Sigh, I wonder how worried they'll be when they find out they're missing. And Brother Zhu, he's a pure-hearted man, I hope he doesn't do anything rash.

As her mind raced, she suddenly heard a loud thud. Startled, Lu Nong looked towards the door and saw several people inside leap up, armed with sticks and empty fists, rushing out.

A voice outside said, "Hey! Isn't this 'Black Tiger Hero'? What, here to rescue your little sweetheart?"

Lu Nong was startled. It was Brother Zhu! Had they come to rescue her? Her heart leaped into her throat, and for a moment she forgot all her pain.

Then I heard, "Just you alone? Hmph, are you so skilled and daring, or do you think we'll go easy on you because you have a brother-in-law who's a county magistrate?"

Lu Nong's heart sank heavily, like a boulder thrown into a well, leaving a dull echo. He actually came all alone, charging in with such bravado? Last time, Qing Duo joked that he wasn't afraid of three hundred men, but he seriously replied that he would struggle even with thirty. Although there are only nine of them now, their numbers should be far greater than that.

She wanted to shout, but her mouth was blocked, and she could only make "mmm" sounds. So she desperately "shouted" and "ran" in this way, hoping that Zhu Yi could understand her intentions, just like in her dream.

Lu Nong forgot one thing: in her dream, it wasn't Zhu Yi who understood her "mmm" sounds, but Qing Duo. Upon hearing her voice, Zhu Yi excitedly shouted, "Lu Nong! Wait for me! I'll be there to save you soon!" Just then, a commotion erupted outside, and he was already fighting with the eight people.

"Don't come!" Lu Nong closed her eyes in despair, wishing this was all a dream.

All that could be heard were crackling and hissing sounds, interspersed with cries of "Oh!", "Huh?", "Ah..." and "Ooh—" Lu Nong strained her ears to listen carefully, but none of them seemed to be Zhu Yi's voice.

The sounds of fighting around them ceased, making the groans all the more audible in the quiet night. Footsteps approached, and Lu Nong's heart pounded. Her eyes were fixed on the door, and Zhu Yi walked in.

Lu Nong stared at him blankly, unable to believe her eyes even after hearing his voice.

As soon as Zhu Yi entered the room, he saw her and couldn't take his eyes off her. He went straight to her and removed the gag from her mouth. When he saw the wounds on her body, his eyes were filled with tenderness, and he said in a low voice, "I'll help you untie it. It might touch your wounds, but I'll try to be as gentle as possible."

Zhu Yi's sweat-dampened hair clung to his forehead. Lu Nong looked down at his blood-stained clothes, held back her tears, and said, "Quickly untie the ropes, I can take it! There are still many of them, we have to hurry!"

Zhu Yi's fingers trembled, as if the simple knot was binding him, not Lu Nong. Seeing her fingers curled in pain, his mind was in turmoil. He gritted his teeth and insisted on untying it. He hadn't felt anything when he was fighting her earlier, but now he realized his chest was soaked with sweat.

The rope slipped, and Lu Nong went limp. Zhu Yi quickly reached out to catch her and pulled her into his arms. Lu Nong tried to use his strength to stand up, but she couldn't muster any power. She had been holding on by her own strength, but seeing Zhu Yi, she felt relieved, and that strength dissipated, leaving her feeling weak all over.

Zhu Yi picked her up, his heart aching, and said in a hoarse voice, "Let's go home."

*

As soon as the two stepped out of the house, footsteps sounded from all sides, and dozens of dark figures surged into the alley and courtyard like a tide, blocking their way.

The leader was an old man who pointed at Zhu Yi and shouted, "It's him!"

Wasn't that the person he had just knocked down? Zhu Yi glanced at the ground in confusion, and sure enough, he was gone. He had seen an old man rushing over, so he had held back a bit of his strength. Who would have thought that the old man was so agile that he got up and alerted the others.

Zhu Yi looked around and saw at least twenty or thirty people in front of him. If he were alone, he could easily take down a few and break through. But now that he was holding Lu Nong, there was no way he could escape.

Just as he was secretly plotting how to strike, he suddenly heard Lu Nong whisper in his arms, "Brother Zhu, I'm all better now, put me down." Although Zhu Yi was reluctant, he looked down into Lu Nong's eyes, which were calm and undisturbed, yet irresistible. He put her down and helped her up, still worried.

Standing next to the old man was a fat man with an extremely asymmetrical face, one side larger than the other. Seeing Zhu Yi's attentive care for Lu Nong, and his complete disregard for them, the man with the crooked face couldn't help but angrily shout, "You brat, how dare you cause trouble here! Don't even think about leaving today without giving an explanation!"

"That's right!" The old man, Liu Er, chimed in. "If word gets out in the martial arts world, where will we put our faces?"

Zhu Yi sneered, "You bunch of grown men, bullying a young woman, and you still have the nerve to talk about face? Ha! You haven't cared about face for a long time!"

The opposing side erupted in curses. Lu Nong sighed and whispered, "Brother Zhu, there are too many of them; we can't escape. I have a plan. They're after me to make me confess that I was the one who copied the book. If I confess, we can..."

"Then what does it mean that you've persisted for so long? And what do I mean?" Zhu Yi stared at her, and Lu Nong was shocked, speechless as she looked at him.

"Lu Nong, if my appearance causes you to abandon your principles, then I am not worthy to be with you."

Lu Nong was stunned, staring at his solemn expression, all the words stuck in her throat. Then Zhu Yi picked up a whistle stick, stepped forward, and shouted, "If you're true heroes, then let's fight one-on-one!"

He grinned slyly and said, "The winner takes all. If you lose, you're no hero either way."

The words had barely left his lips when Lu Nong cried out in alarm beside him, a sharp, whistling sound suddenly erupting from his right. Zhu Yi instinctively pulled her into his arms, the blow landing squarely on his shoulder. A crisp "crack!" echoed as splinters of broken wood flew past their eyes. Zhu Yi staggered half a step, still holding Lu Nong, then spun around and kicked the attacker in the stomach, sending him sprawling back to his original position. It turned out this man was one of the ones they had knocked down earlier, who had gotten up while they were talking, intending to ambush them from the shadows. After taking the kick, he let out a pig-like scream.

Lu Nong heard a muffled, thunderous thud land on him, saw his face contorted in pain, and asked in a trembling voice, "Zhu Yi, how...how are you?"

Zhu Yi wiped the blood from his lips with the back of his hand, enduring the sharp pain in his shoulder, and forced a smile that looked more like a grimace. He said, "Don't be afraid! Everyone who practices martial arts has been beaten before. This is nothing. It doesn't hurt as much as my sister's beatings. Hehe, it's like a tickle!"

He helped Lu Nong to the wall, letting her stand with her back against it, and said with a smile, "Lu Nong, what I did with the stick in the street before was just a bunch of fancy tricks to fool people."

He flicked his wrist, and the long staff was held horizontally in front of him, creating a sharp whistling sound.

"Today I'll show you the true skill of the staff in my body, Zhu Yi!"