Chapter 146 Aftermath

I killed someone!

These few words were now all that Li San Niang could think about.

Li San Niang had seen dead people before; in fact, she had seen quite a few.

The elderly were cancer patients ravaged by disease, reduced to skin and bones, their hair and eyebrows all gone; the young were those who died in car accidents, missing limbs, or broken necks; men and women alike, Li San Niang had seen many dead people.

In fact, during Li San Niang's relatively short career, there were more than a dozen people who passed through her hands but did not survive and instead died.

Although the wound on the upper left abdomen of the man in black was no longer bleeding profusely, blood was still seeping out. Under the moonlight, the ground in that spot was already damp, and a strong smell of blood exploded in Li San Niang's nostrils.

He who kills will be killed by others.

This sentence suddenly came to Li San Niang's mind.

The man in black never imagined that he would eventually fall victim to a seemingly defenseless young woman.

After much effort, Li Sanniang mentally prepared herself, carefully tore a strip from the hem of her ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), wrapped the scalpel that had killed people inside, and tucked it into her waistband.

These will all serve as evidence for reporting to the authorities later.

Having weathered the tense and trembling period, Li San Niang's mind became increasingly clear and calm.

Li San Niang stood up, now certain that she was alone and safe.

Although Qingpi was still unconscious and the drug had been in effect for quite some time, Li Sanniang still walked towards Qingpi, who was lying on the ground not far from her.

Li San Niang kept recalling the original owner's memories about laws. The Tang Code had regulations on excessive self-defense: "When two people fight and are injured, they shall be punished according to the severity of the injury. If the person who struck later is in the right, the punishment shall be reduced by two degrees. If the person dies, the punishment shall not be reduced."

Li San Niang didn't know if this law had changed to this day. If it still had, then Li San Niang, who caused the death of the man in black due to excessive self-defense during the course of legitimate self-defense, was guilty of breaking the law.

You have to understand that Li San Niang was a doctor. Doctors know the human body best. If Li San Niang wasn't a doctor and accidentally stabbed someone in the spleen, there would be some room for explanation.

However, Li Sanniang knew that the spleen, the most vulnerable organ deep in the human abdomen, was the location where she made the incision. Furthermore, Li Sanniang knew that by stabbing there, the man in black would instantly lose his mobility and be unable to harm her.

At the same time, given the medical skills available at the time, it was simply impossible to give the man in black any time or possibility to save his life. Not to mention that Li San Niang had no intention of trying to save him at all. Li San Niang was sitting on the ground, watching helplessly as the man in black lost his breath.

Li San Niang didn't know what awaited her next, but for now she had to subdue the sly and burly men who were already lying down, just in case.

Li Sanniang moved with difficulty to Qingpi's side. Only now did Li Sanniang feel the pain from the wounds on her collarbone and shoulder, which was like torture for Li Sanniang, whose five senses were very sensitive.

Despite the pain, she pulled off the green-skinned man's belt and tied his hands behind his back, then tied the big man's hands in the same way.

Then, Li San Niang walked step by step toward the entrance of the alley.

Upon reaching the crossroads, Li Sanniang heard the sound of soldiers marching in unison ahead. She neither moved nor spoke, but simply stood in the middle of the road and waited.

Brother Li, who happened to be on duty there and was holding a torch, and another soldier beside him saw the blurry figure standing there when they were about three zhang away from Li San Niang.

"Curfew hours! Anyone violating the curfew? Stop immediately!"

Li San Niang obediently stood still, without moving.

When the soldiers got closer, Brother Li still couldn't tell that it was Li San Niang. He just felt strange, wondering why it was a woman.

She was a woman whose clothes were torn and stained with thick blood, carrying a strong smell of blood!

As they approached, just as the team leader was about to ask questions, Brother Li realized that this was Li San Niang!

"Third Sister! What are you doing here? What happened to you? Where are you injured?"

Brother Li stepped forward, grabbed Li San Niang's arm, and asked.

At this moment, Li San Niang cried out in pain when her left shoulder wound was accidentally pulled by her older brother Li, and only then did her older brother Li realize that Li San Niang was injured.

Upon seeing her trusted relatives, Li Sanniang's feigned composure vanished instantly. She cried out to her elder brother, "Elder brother, elder brother, I... I killed someone!"

Brother Li's hands were gripped tightly by Li San Niang, whose hands were now covered in blood and felt sticky.

After saying this, Li San Niang burst into tears uncontrollably, pouring out all the grievances, fears, and worries in her heart.

"Don't be afraid, your elder brother is here, your elder brother is here. Tell me clearly, what murder did you commit?"

"Big brother, I really... killed someone! I killed someone!"

"Report! There is a man's body in the alley, and two other men are unconscious."

The moment Brother Li stepped forward, the team leader ordered his soldiers to investigate the alleyway. The strong smell of blood was not something that could be ignored just because Li San Niang looked like a weak woman with little martial arts skills.

Not to mention the bloodstains on Li Sanniang's face and body, as well as the wounds on her body, all of which indicate that Li Sanniang must have been in a battle.

Just as the captain was about to get Brother Li to open up and ask Li San Niang what had happened, they heard the sound of horses galloping behind them.

It should be noted that during curfew, horses are only used for urgent military matters or other important events; otherwise, the Imperial Guards themselves are the primary patrolmen.

The man on horseback stopped three zhang away. Judging from his clothes, he was indeed a member of the Imperial Guard. One of the soldiers from the same group as Brother Li came forward to ask him questions.

"Who goes there? What brings you here?"

"Report! Urgent news from the gate."

When the captain saw what was written on the scroll, he understood that the third daughter of the Li family was probably the woman in front of him. She was said to have been kidnapped by bandits. Now it seemed that the corpse on the ground and the two unconscious people were the bad guys that the Li family had mentioned.

After venting her emotions, Li Sanniang took the handkerchief given to her by her elder brother Li, wiped away the tears and bloodstains on her face, and then saluted the captain before saying, "As the guards have seen, I accidentally killed someone while fighting for my life with the villain. Now I don't know whether to go directly to the Jingzhao Prefecture to report the case or what? Please advise me, guards."

Before the team leader could answer, Li San Niang suddenly thought of the real driver of the donkey cart, Old Man Wang.

"Guards, have you found an old man nearby who is dark-skinned and about my height? He was the driver of the donkey cart I rode in before. He must have been captured by the villains. I don't know where he is now."

The squad leader did not answer Li Sanniang directly, but instead said to one of the soldiers in the squad, "Zhang Dadan and Yao Shan, step forward."

Two soldiers emerged from the ranks. "Zhang Dadan and Sun Wu will return to Wuhoupu first, and then escort him home. Yao Shan will search for the old man's whereabouts nearby."

"Yes, sir!" the two replied in unison.

Brother Li naturally understood that he and Li San Niang were blood relatives. Since Li San Niang was going to the Jingzhao Prefecture because of the murder case, Brother Li, as her close relative, naturally had to avoid her.

"Don't be afraid, your elder brother will come to see you soon. Don't be afraid! Your elder brother will definitely come to see you!"

Li San Niang nodded, not wanting her brother Li to be implicated in her affairs.

The team leader left two people at the alley entrance to prevent unsuspecting people from disturbing the scene, and then took Li Sanniang to the Jingzhao Prefecture.

It was nearly midnight.