Chapter 37

When Qiu Chiyan woke up, he felt as if all the strength had been drained from his limbs, and even his breathing was slow and painful.

When he opened his eyes, Tang Huazhi and Zhao Ze were there to watch over him.

Since the chief constable arrived, Zhao Ze has had to stay at his post and hasn't been able to find time to come over lately.

Because of the Hundred Gates Sacrifice, Xiao Wuhen was busy dealing with those matters outside, so Zhao Ze came to temporarily fill in.

"Brother, you're awake!" they both exclaimed excitedly. "It's been two days!"

Qiu Chiyan opened his mouth, but his throat was so dry that the sound he made was even softer than his breath and almost inaudible.

But Tang Huazhi knew what he wanted to ask.

"Miss Shen helped you remove the poison, you're all fine now."

Qiu Chiyan's memories actually begin the night before Shen Yu's duel.

After that night, he fell asleep, and when he woke up, Shen Yu had already returned with the Blood Heart Bodhi.

He then realized that the drowsiness he experienced during the process was not caused by poisoning, but was deliberately caused by someone.

But Shen Yu was quick and decisive. Without saying much, he gathered all the medicines, prepared the antidote, and immediately began to use his internal energy to detoxify.

He vaguely remembered alternating between hot and cold inside his body, and that he had lost a lot of blood. Shen Yu's voice still echoed in his ears.

But the sound was faint, and his last shred of consciousness was taken away by that warm breath.

Seeing his blank expression, Tang Huazhi smiled reassuringly: "You've survived a great calamity, you're bound to have good fortune in the future. That Miss Shen is really something. Her way of doing things always makes people feel that the poison in your body is not a big deal. But actually, even your master may not be able to solve it smoothly."

"The shopkeeper is alright too," Zhao Ze added. Seeing that Qiu Chiyan had woken up, he realized his mouth was dry and started gulping down water while sitting at the table.

"But downstairs..."

Qiu Chiyan's five senses gradually returned to normal, and he seemed to hear a rather loud commotion below.

"Perhaps the shopkeeper's friends have arrived. I'll go take a look."

Zhao Ze went out the door, stood there and sighed, then went downstairs as if he had mustered up his courage.

Several of Bai Menji Dao Shang Chen Yu's opponents did arrive, but the main source of the noise was a balding old man.

Chen Laoliu, who couldn't find a wife, got word from someone that he had seen Grandma Chen here.

So he sat on the threshold of the inn's main entrance, ignoring the passersby, and started cursing and shouting about the Tibetan woman at Chang Le Inn.

He arrived in the morning and caused a scene, only to be kicked out by Gong Er and Chu Wen. But he returned in the afternoon. It's unclear who gave him the advice, but he realized that no one would really do anything to him, and all he had to do was shamelessly stay.

The man plopped down on the threshold of the inn, his voice deafening. Shen Yu told her grandmother to go upstairs to hide, where at least she wouldn't hear the cursing.

The others stayed downstairs to prevent Chen Laoliu from causing any further trouble.

He sat by the door, but there were no customers in the shop. Passersby would stop from time to time, some to laugh at him, and others to frown and find him noisy.

But they couldn't easily take action against him, since they were in the wrong. According to the household registration system, they shouldn't accept an elderly woman working alone in the shop.

Shen Yu sat idly with a group of people, bought two catties of melon seeds, and didn't even watch the main show of the Hundred Gates Sacrifice.

“You haven’t been doing so well here either. If you ask me, you should just play the bad guy to the end…” Chu Wen skillfully peeled a handful of sunflower seeds, but before he could finish speaking, Shen Yu interrupted him and snatched half of the seeds away.

"How am I a bad person? If you were being hit, wouldn't you run away?"

"How could I possibly be beaten? If anyone's going to be beaten, it'll be me beating someone else."

"What, you want to hit your future wife?"

"...Don't frame me! How could I do such an inhuman thing?"

Suddenly, everyone fell silent, glancing towards the door.

Chen Laoliu couldn't hear the whispers of the crowd; he continued shouting, spewing vulgarities and spitting as he spoke. More and more pedestrians gathered on the street, but no one stepped forward to stop him.

Although he was a member of the martial arts world, he spent most of his time within his sect and rarely witnessed such vulgar farces, let alone such family scandals…

It's very difficult to evaluate.

The person who assaults someone without cause acts with righteous indignation, while the person who is assaulted tries to hide.

"Let Grandma come with me. My Water Mirror Sect is located in a remote and high-altitude area. I don't believe this old man can find his way there." After listening to the exaggerated and abusive insults for half a day, Zhao Wenlan was no longer able to calm down.

She had never experienced such humiliation before.

"We can't hide forever, can we?" Shen Yu sighed. Seeing Zhao Ze come downstairs, she asked, "How is Qiu Chiyan?"

"He's awake, and he seems alright. How are things on your end?"

Shen Yu remained silent, but nodded in that direction with her chin, everything understood without words.

"I'll go up and check on him."

Just as Shen Yu got up, Yan Rifu arrived.

"You are... an official, right?" Chen Laoliu didn't recognize the person, but he recognized the official's robes, so he immediately rushed over.

"Hey! Keep your distance!" Yan Rifu saw his greasy face and directly blocked him with his hand, his tone carrying a hint of official authority.

Chen Laoliu sheepishly took a half step back, but immediately changed his tune: "Sir, it's them! They kidnapped my wife and won't release her! In broad daylight..."

"You better be quiet!"

Yan Rifu had heard about the situation before, but he didn't expect it to remain unresolved until the afternoon, so he had no choice but to come and see for himself.

He didn't know anything about Grandma Chen's affairs, but the rumors circulating on the street were truly awful.

Although I know Shen Yu's character, this has a very bad influence.

"Manager Shen, tell me, what exactly happened?"

Shen Yu recounted the entire story again: "Officer Yan, have you ever handled a similar case? Do you have any solutions?"

She didn't explain herself very clearly in front of Chen Laoliu, but Yan Rifu could roughly guess what she meant by "method".

"Well... really not. Not to mention matters in the countryside, everywhere is about keeping family scandals private. I've never encountered any commotion that spills out into the outside world."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Wenlan bluntly said, "You can't even manage someone who can't even kill a chicken? Your jobs in the government must be pretty easy!"

Faced with these martial arts practitioners who dared to carry weapons around in broad daylight, Yan Rifu was somewhat unsure of himself and dared not confront them directly. He could only continue to say to Shen Yu in a timid tone, "The shopkeeper can't keep letting this person block the door. It's such a bad influence. Besides, if he goes to the authorities to sue you, he'll definitely win."

He spoke even softer when he said the second half of the sentence.

He despises men who beat their wives, but the rules are there, and if things really escalate to the courts, he has to follow them.

Shen Yu didn't say anything more to make things difficult for him, only saying that she would think of another way.

But she had no choice.

After composing herself and returning to her room, Qiu Chiyan's gaze fell upon her. She gave him another check-up and concluded that he just needed to rest.

"Is something wrong outside?"

Looking at her expression, Qiu Chiyan sensed something else beneath the calm surface.

Tang Huazhi, standing to the side, subtly shifted his gaze.

The government officials were surprisingly unanimous in their attitude toward the matter; they genuinely didn't know in what capacity to intervene.

Shen Yu smiled slightly and said, "I'm famous now. Too many people want to become my apprentice. It's so annoying."

Qiu Chiyan's fingers twitched slightly, gently pressing down on her wrist.

Shen Yu looked up and met those gentle yet sharp eyes.

“…”

She suddenly felt like laughing at an inappropriate time.

"My lords, I have something to ask you."

Indeed, it's better for everyone to fight together than to fight amongst ourselves.

She told Qiu Chiyan about Chen Laoliu's story in detail, and then said, "You are all knowledgeable, have you ever seen a woman successfully escape?"

After Grandma Chen left home, Qiu Chiyan had anticipated that this day would come.

I just didn't expect things to pile up at this time of year. Perhaps it's because the inn has been so well-known lately, that too many people have come "by word of mouth".

"Have you asked Grandma what she thinks?"

"She definitely doesn't want to go back, otherwise why would she have run away?"

"And now?"

"...What do you mean? Even if Grandma is scared, I can't let her go back with someone like that!"

Shen Yu instinctively resisted, and Qiu Chiyan naturally knew she would react this way: "The person downstairs will never think he has done anything wrong, let alone repent. Besides, if this matter goes to court, Grandma is not young, will she have the courage to face it alone?"

"I'm here too."

"Leaving aside the law for now, if she were to sever all ties with her family, would she really be willing to do so? Running away from home and cutting off all ties are two different things."

Tang Huazhi seized the opportunity to interject: "Yes, Manager Shen, I know you mean well, but it's a family matter. An outsider's good intentions may not be what the person truly wants. Go and have a good talk with Granny Chen. If she's really determined, how could we not help?"

It sounds almost cruel to let an old woman decide her own life.

But instead of letting Shen Yu worry and struggle here, it's better to go back to the origin of the problem.

Shen Yu didn't think this was a solution, but indeed, she had never asked about her grandmother's feelings since Chen Laoliu arrived.

As she stepped out of the room, she hesitated at the door. Her grandmother waved gently to her from the other end of the corridor, looking flustered, clearly afraid of being overheard by the people downstairs.

"Grandma..."

Shen Yu spoke with a hint of grievance.

She felt wronged on behalf of others.

Chen Laoliu's face was disgusting to look at, yet Grandma lived like that for many years.

She held her grandmother's hand tightly: "Don't be afraid, I'm here. I've asked the authorities, they will help us."

Grandma Chen stared at her blankly, her lips trembling slightly, as if she were hesitating or searching for the right words.

After a long silence, she finally spoke softly, "Shopkeeper, I think, why don't I just go back with him and stop all this trouble?"

Shen Yu was taken aback: "You don't need to worry about what happens next. It's his business if he makes a fool of himself at the door. There will always be a place for you in the inn. What's there to be afraid of?"

Grandma Chen shook her head gently and sighed, "I know he's not a good person. But... so many years have passed. Whether he beats me or scolds me, I accept my fate. The fields, houses, and ancestral graves are all there. If I leave, he won't be able to survive on his own. He's a terrible person. Let's not make a fuss anymore, let's not argue with him."

"...How is he doing, and with you...?"

“I still have two sons.” Grandma Chen touched Chen Yu’s smooth hand, then looked at her own wrinkled hand, her voice trembling slightly. “If I don’t go back, they won’t even recognize me anymore. For a woman, having a place to stay when she gets old is better than anything else.”

Shen Yu wanted to say something, but found that her throat felt blocked.

Grandma Chen's tears vanished in an instant, her voice carrying a hint of submissive weariness and a numb obedience: "Shopkeeper, I know your intentions. I'm happy working for you. But consider these days as stolen time; I still have to go back."