Chapter 17: Wasteful Wang Gui suddenly approached Tang Suzi and Chen Weiyu, and...

Wang Gui suddenly approached Tang Suzi and Chen Weiyu, and roughly pulled Chen Weiyu up with one hand. Then, a crisp slap resounded throughout the room, and bright red fingerprints instantly appeared on Chen Weiyu's cheek.

Before Tang Suzi could react, he felt a vibration in the air, and with a crisp "pop" sound, Chen Weiyu staggered and fell to the ground.

"Stop! What are you doing!?"

Tang Suzi screamed and tried to step forward to stop him, but Wang Gui pushed him away and he fell to the ground.

Wang Gui refused to give in and continued to use violence against Chen Weiyu, cursing at him.

"You ungrateful bitch, I'll teach you a lesson today if you keep talking nonsense!"

Tang Suzi saw this and her heart was boiling with anger. She gritted her teeth and struggled to get up from the ground. She stood in front of Chen Weiyu without hesitation and stared at Wang Gui's face which was distorted by anger.

"Stop! Lord Wang, as an official appointed by the imperial court, how can you disregard the law and wantonly harm others?"

Wang Gui's face darkened when he heard this. He shifted his gaze from Chen Weiyu to Tang Suzi, looking her up and down.

Seeing that Tang Suzi was just a thin little girl who looked harmless, he snorted coldly, his tone full of disdain.

"You? A mere woman, what qualifications do you have to point fingers here and dare to interfere in my affairs?"

After saying that, he waved his arms again, obviously intending to teach Tang Suzi a lesson as well.

But Tang Suzi was already prepared. She dodged Wang Gui's attack nimbly.

After she stood firm, she responded to Wang Gui's words forcefully.

"I am Miss Chen's friend! If she has committed any fault, the law will naturally determine her fate, not your Lord Wang's lynching and brutality!"

When Wang Gui saw that Tang Suzi not only easily avoided his attack, but also refuted him so righteously, his face instantly turned pale and his eyes widened as if they were about to spit fire.

In anger, his attack became more and more fierce. He swung his palms repeatedly, and the wind from his palms whistled, carrying a power that should not be underestimated.

However, Tang Suzi, with his agility and lightness, was always able to cleverly avoid Wang Gui's palm wind at the critical moment, making all of Wang Gui's attacks fail.

Seeing his attacks being easily resolved by Tang Suzi time and time again, Wang Gui became more and more embarrassed, and his anger and shame reached a peak.

He took a deep breath, his chest heaving violently, and every breath seemed to carry the smell of gunpowder, as if he wanted to condense all his resentment and anger into the next blow.

Then, he roared, a roar like a wild beast, shaking the air around him. In that instant, Wang Gui transformed into an enraged beast. He lashed out with both legs, concentrating all his strength on his right foot, launching a powerful and devastating attack towards Tang Suzi.

Although Tang Suzi had been prepared for this, the speed and strength of Wang Gui's kick were beyond her expectations.

Although she tried her best to dodge, she was still a step too slow and was hit head-on by the sudden heavy blow.

He lost his balance instantly and flew backwards uncontrollably like a kite with a broken string.

With a "bang", Tang Suzi was thrown hard against the door panel.

The huge impact made Tang Suzi dizzy and a sharp pain spread from her chest, as if countless sharp blades were cutting her wantonly. She clenched her teeth, trying to swallow the pain back into her stomach, not letting a single moan escape, but in the end she couldn't resist the nausea that surged in her throat.

“Puff—”

A mouthful of blood gushed out of Tang Suzi's mouth!

The blood drew an arc in the air, spilling onto the ground, quickly spreading out like red plum blossom petals blooming in winter...

"No! Sir, please stop!"

Chen Weiyu was heartbroken when she saw Tang Suzi being severely injured for her. She rushed forward crying and grabbed Wang Gui's sleeves tightly with both hands, trying to stop Wang Gui's violence.

"This is all my fault. If you want to punish someone, please punish me. Please don't hurt innocent people anymore!"

At the same time, the movement in the room also attracted the attention of the guests outside.

They gathered at the door, whispering to each other and curiously peeking at what was happening in the room.

Wang Gui walked up to Tang Suzi and looked down at her in a condescending manner.

"You think you can save others? Let me tell you, if I wanted to kill you, it would be as easy as crushing an ant."

His words were filled with overwhelming arrogance and self-confidence, as if he truly regarded himself as a god who controlled life and death.

Then, his eyes swept over the simple coarse cotton jacket on Tang Suzi. The fabric was rough and the color was dull. It was obviously a cheap piece of clothing.

The corners of his mouth curled up into an even more obvious ironic smile.

"Oh no, the lives of people like you are worse than those of ants. You are so cheap."

Tang Suzi looked up at Wang Gui, the pain in her body made tears well up in her eyes unconsciously.

She raised her hand to wipe the blood from the corner of her mouth, then struggled to get up from the ground. Although her body was still shaking, she stood straight, like a pine tree standing tall in the wind and rain.

She stared straight at Wang Gui and spoke word by word.

"You are not a dragon or a python, and I am not a weed."

As soon as she finished speaking, she raised her hand and swung it towards Wang Gui's face with all her strength.

This move was far beyond everyone's expectations, including Wang Gui.

He was caught off guard and was shocked by the slap, stepping back repeatedly and almost falling to the ground.

The air around them seemed to freeze, and everyone held their breath and gasped.

Wang Gui covered his cheek and looked at Tang Suzi in disbelief. After being shocked, he was about to rush forward in anger.

At this critical moment, the brothel owner Zheng Jinluan and a group of servants around her rushed over after hearing the noise and quickly surrounded him, blocking his way.

"My Lord, please don't get angry. You have just been reinstated. If you get angry over a small matter and hurt yourself, wouldn't that be more harm than good?"

As Zheng Jinluan spoke, he signaled Wang Gui with his eyes to pay attention to the growing crowd gathering at the door.

After hearing this, although Wang Gui's anger had not completely subsided, Zheng Jinluan's words helped him regain some of his rationality.

He followed Zheng Jinluan's gaze and saw that quite a few people had indeed gathered at the door. They were whispering to each other, pointing and talking.

This scene made Wang Gui even more annoyed.

He had always been treated like a star in Ningxiangju and had never thought that he would be provoked and insulted in public like this.

Now, a seemingly powerless little woman has made him the focus of everyone's discussion, and this feeling makes him very uncomfortable.

But he also knew that if he forced his attack at this moment, it would probably end badly.

After all, the situation in Weizhou is no longer comparable to the past.

Lin Bowen is imprisoned and can no longer support him; and the recent arrival of the new head of the Sky Eagle Pavilion and the newly appointed prefect have brought unprecedented changes. These changes have forced him to be more restrained and act cautiously.

Thinking of this, although Wang Gui was unwilling, he also understood that it was not appropriate to act rashly at this time.

He glared at Chen Weiyu and Tang Suzi fiercely.

"You two, remember this account today. Let's see what happens next!"

After saying this, he flicked his sleeves and left angrily, surrounded by Zheng Jinluan and his servants.

After Wang Gui left, Tang Suzi's barely supported body could no longer hold on. She covered her chest, knelt on the ground, her face as pale as paper.

"Miss Tang!"

Chen Weiyu screamed, dragging her equally wounded body, struggling to crawl towards Tang Suzi, and trying hard to help Tang Suzi up.

"Miss Tang, it's all my fault. I've caused you trouble..."

Tang Suzi forced a smile to comfort Chen Weiyu.

"No, you didn't implicate me, you didn't implicate anyone."

She took a deep breath, trying to ease the pain in her body, and continued,

"All my injuries were caused by Wang Gui, and you were also hurt because of him. We are both victims. The reason Wang Gui abused you today is simply because he was afraid that more and more people would know about his evil deeds. He was taking revenge on you for telling the truth, but this does not mean that you are at fault."

Although Tang Suzi was disheveled and in a miserable state, with blood still lingering at the corners of her mouth, her eyes were filled with an invisible power.

"Wei Yu, stand tall. Don't shed tears for the despicable, and don't bow to the powerful."

Chen Weiyu looked at Tang Suzi, tears welling up in his eyes.

She held Tang Suzi's hand tightly, and finally nodded repeatedly, a tear sliding down from the corner of her eye.

But this tear is no longer born of sadness and pain like before.

It seemed to take away all the weakness and helplessness of the past, melting into the floor...

*

On his way back to the mansion, Fang Buyu happened to meet Xiaoying who was carrying a medicine jar.

When she saw Fang Buyu, she bowed and saluted respectfully.

"Pavilion Master Fang."

Fang Buyu's eyes fell on the medicine jar in Xiaoying's hand, and his brows furrowed slightly.

"Whose medicine is this... for?"

"It's Miss Tang. She was injured two days ago, and I was just about to send her the medicine I prepared."

Xiaoying explained.

"Miss Tang is injured?"

Fang Buyu's heart was gripped as if he was swept by a fierce storm, and his heartbeat involuntarily stopped for a moment at that moment.

He quickly asked,

"what is going on?"

Xiaoying heard this and couldn't hide her anger.

"It's Wang Gui..."

She wanted to blurt out the word "Wang Gui", but she quickly realized that she was of low status and could not call the official of the dynasty by his name, so she restrained her tone and changed her words.

"This matter is probably related to the accountant, Lord Wang. Two days ago, Madam Chen from Ningxiangju brought Miss Tang home with a severe chest injury. Upon seeing her, I immediately summoned the city's most skilled physician to treat her. After a thorough examination, Miss Tang, despite her injuries, entrusted me with the diagnosis and complaint to the yamen. The complaint detailed and accuses Lord Wang of disregarding court law and violently assaulting Miss Tang, personally kicking her in the chest and abdomen until she vomited blood. Unexpectedly, the yamen ignored his complaint. Instead of seeking justice for Miss Tang, they immediately convicted her of false accusation and fined her five taels of silver."

Fang Buyu's expression became more solemn and gloomy as Xiaoying continued her narration. He followed her steps and came to the courtyard where Tang Suzi lived.

Inside the house, the doctor happened to be seeing a patient.

Tang Suzi's face was pale, and he lay quietly on the bed.

The doctor beside him was taking his pulse with a focused expression.

Seeing Fang Buyu coming, Tang Suzi was surprised and wanted to stand up to greet him, but Fang Buyu raised his hand to stop him.

"Miss Tang, there's no need to be so polite."

After the doctor finished taking the pulse carefully, Fang Buyu turned his gaze to the doctor and asked,

"Doctor, what is the severity of her injuries?"

The doctor looked worried.

"This young lady is suffering from blood stasis, clearly caused by a severe chest injury. The blood-activating and stasis-removing medicine I prescribed two days ago should have provided some relief, but..."

He turned to look at Xiaoying and confirmed,

"Did you take the medicine on time?"

Xiaoying nodded quickly,

"Yes, as you instructed, three times a day, without interruption."

The doctor pondered for a moment and continued,

"Logically, the two-day dosage should have shown some effect, but it's not showing any effect yet. This may be due to the young lady's weak constitution, making it difficult for her to fully absorb the medicinal properties. If we could add fresh orchids from Yunluan Holy Mountain to the prescription, the effect would surely be doubled. However..."

"Just what?"

Fang Buyu did not ask any further questions.

The doctor sighed and explained,

"Fresh orchids grow on the cliffs of the Holy Mountain. They are extremely rare and difficult to pick. In previous years, some people would risk climbing to pick them in exchange for silver. But this year is different. The weather is abnormal, the cold is raging, and coupled with the recent avalanche that hit the Holy Mountain, finding fresh orchids in such conditions is undoubtedly extremely difficult."

The doctor sighed again, his face full of helplessness, but he quickly adjusted his mood.

"However, please rest assured, sir. I will do my best to adjust the prescription and see if I can use other herbs to make up for the lack of fresh Zhilan. Let's give Miss Tang the medicine for another day to see if her condition can improve."

"Then I'll trouble you, doctor."

After saying that, Fang Buyu cast a look at Xiaoying, who immediately understood. She stepped forward and followed the doctor to the pharmacy to get the medicine.

As the door gently closed, only Fang Buyu and Tang Suzi were left in the room.