Chapter 1: A doctor who lacks manners and etiquette, what is the point of living?
"Help...help me...uh..."
The large hand tightly covered the little girl's mouth, instantly silencing her cries for help.
"Ugh—" she sobbed, kicking her legs with all her might, but the difference in strength was too great, and it was no use at all.
"Hehe, little darling, stop messing around!"
Seeing her struggling, the old drunkard simply grabbed her waist tightly with both hands, saying, "There's not a soul around here, so even if you scream and cry, no one will come to save you!"
Despite his withered appearance and thin frame, the old drunkard possessed considerable strength and managed to drag the man into the dilapidated temple.
Clinging desperately to the doorframe beside her, the little girl grasped at this last straw, sobbing uncontrollably, "Let me go... please let me go... I'm still so young! I'll give you money, as much as you want... my father is waiting for me..."
It's been raining a lot lately, and the road is full of potholes, sticky and muddy. The little girl was dragged all the way to the dilapidated temple. Her hair was disheveled, and she was covered in mud. Because she had been crying non-stop, her little face was streaked with mud from her tears.
This is a celestial being, yet she's fallen to such a wretched state; all that's left is pity and misery.
But this old drunkard, who reeked of alcohol, showed no pity whatsoever. Instead, his sadistic desires, hidden deep in his eyes, intensified, like a hungry ghost eyeing tender meat.
He squinted his lewd eyes, grinned, revealing a mouthful of rotten, yellow teeth: "...You're as tender as a little scallion, you're obviously a virgin who hasn't experienced anything. I've been lusting after you for a long time, and today I'm going to have some fun with you!"
·
Hai Hongzhu's eyes were filled with fear and despair.
She didn't know this old drunkard at all, and had never had any grudge against him, so why would he treat her like this?!
Waaaaah, she still has to go into town to save the day for her dad's performance...
Someone, please save her!
·
Hai Hongzhu was a traveling performer.
From a young age, she followed her father, Hai Si, on his adventures, barely making ends meet, until they finally arrived in Kaifeng. Just then, a new official took office, and the government was preparing a welcoming drum performance. Hai Si's rolling hoop acrobatics was selected and scheduled for the performance at 7:15 PM.
Hai Si Die had developed chicken-eye disease from all the troubles along the way, and he could see nothing at night. But this official job didn't allow him to say anything, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and go for it.
Hai Hongzhu and her father depended on each other for survival. How could she not be anxious about such a big thing?
Every day at dusk, lanterns would be lit in Kaifeng, but she was so preoccupied that she didn't have time to think about this.
He took a narrow, overgrown path and hurried towards the city, but unexpectedly, he ran into that lecherous old drunkard halfway there...
Her nostrils flared rapidly as Hai Hongzhu cried, unable to breathe. She didn't want to be violated by this beast!
The more she cried, the more excited the old drunkard became, and the force with which he pulled her increased even more!
·
"Snap!"
Suddenly, a sharp crack was heard, and the door frame, like a loose and fragile peach shortbread, was broken off by her, with a large piece of rotten wood being snapped off!
In an instant, the tips of his fingernails were pricked and bled profusely.
Haihongzhu felt as if she had fallen into an ice cave.
The old drunkard was already fed up with her struggles, and before she could even catch her breath, he grabbed her hair!
He slammed hard against the door frame!
He considered himself a hunter, and it was already quite patient of him to tolerate such a little sparrow fluttering for so long.
"don't want--"
Seeing stars before her eyes, Hai Hongzhu was both anxious and angry. She turned around, mustered all her strength, crushed the rotten wood in her hand into powder, and threw it violently.
"Aaaaaaah... My eyes! My eyes!"
Suddenly, he was hit squarely by a splinter of wood, which lodged in his eye socket. The old drunkard let out a bloodcurdling scream like a pig being slaughtered!
The old drunkard staggered backward, rubbing his eyes with both hands, but the more he rubbed, the more the splinters of wood pierced his eyes.
He was temporarily unable to move and was cursing loudly in pain:
"Hiss... How dare you lay a hand on me... You motherless, worthless bitch, I think you're tired of living!"
Hai Hongzhu was trembling uncontrollably, her legs were too weak to stand up, and she accidentally bumped into a doorstop stick propped against the wall, which she immediately grabbed instinctively.
Hearing the old drunkard's insults, her eyes turned bloodshot as she glared hatefully at the lecherous scoundrel: "...Beast! You heartless beast!"
At this point, she could no longer suppress the raging anger in her heart. She gripped the door handle tightly in her hand, and with a sharp whistling sound, she smashed it down on the old drunkard's head.
With a muffled thud, the old drunkard was hit squarely on the head by her!
The old drunkard let out a loud "Awooo!"
Warm blood gushed from between his fingers, wetting his palms. The old drunkard swayed back and forth, and the two hands that had been rubbing his eyes now covered his head together!
·
Fresh blood.
A large pool of shocking blood.
Seeing the lecherous thief's head already covered in blood and gore, Hai Hongzhu clearly panicked. The door handle she had been gripping tightly suddenly felt incredibly heavy, and she couldn't hold it anymore. With a thud, it fell to the ground.
Although the father and daughter lived a frugal life performing in the martial arts world, Hai Si Die cherished her like the apple of his eye. Hai Hongzhu had never killed anyone, nor had she ever seen blood flowing so rapidly.
Hai Hongzhu knew this perfectly well.
In fact, at this point, her wisest and most decisive actions were probably these two:
Either run as fast as you can;
Either grip the door handle tightly with both hands, aim it at the old drunkard's head, and smash it until he falls to the ground and can't get up, until he completely loses the ability to do evil.
Hai Hongzhu was an honest person, used to following the rules.
She was terrified that her reckless resistance would actually kill the old drunkard.
·
If Hai Si's father knew that she actually had such thoughts, he would definitely slap himself twice and reflect on whether he had raised his daughter to be too innocent.
In this world, bad people have long since thrown their conscience into some stinking ditch, and they don't care about morality or the law anymore!
Take the old drunkard for example. He came here with the intention of defiling her. Hai Hongzhu had to fight back. Even if she accidentally killed the old drunkard, he deserved it.
Just consider it as doing a service to the people.
People who are too stubborn and inflexible are often bullied terribly, and may even lose their lives. As the saying goes, "Kindness to the enemy is cruelty to oneself."
·
As expected.
With just a slit in his eye, he could make out a figure. The old drunkard immediately gritted his teeth and launched a frenzied counterattack. Before Hai Hongzhu could react, she was slammed to the ground!
Thick, black blood covered half of the old drunkard's face, wood chips still smeared his eyes, his eyeballs were bloodshot, and his hands, like iron clamps, were tightly gripping her slender neck.
He had seduced many women in the past, and each time he managed to scare them, he always succeeded. But now, he had his eye pecked by this little sparrow...
The sparrow injured him, but it wasn't his head that was hurt.
The wound clearly pierced his dignity as a hunter!
For a moment, the old drunkard's mind went blank, with one thought churning back and forth: "Kill her!"
Hai Hongzhu struggled desperately, trying her best to pry open those iron-like hands. Even the jagged, broken nails dug into the old drunkard's arm flesh, but the old drunkard showed no sign of letting go, only thinking about venting his evil fire.
In no time, her face turned bright red, as if she would be unable to breathe at any moment.
Hai Hongzhu moved her mouth, but could only make increasingly faint "uh uh" sounds, and physiological tears slid down her cheeks.
She might really be dying...
Mom, Hongzhu misses you so much, I'll be coming to visit you soon...
·
Hai Hongzhu vaguely saw a revolving lantern.
A bamboo medicine basket, a tiger-shaped support, a small standing posture, and that gentle smiling face...
I seemed to hear a rattling sound, growing clearer and clearer as it approached.
That sounds familiar...
No! Hai Hongzhu suddenly opened her eyes. That was Hu Cheng's voice!
But with a "whoosh," a spurt of scalding blood suddenly sprayed onto Hai Hongzhu's face!
She instinctively closed her eyes.
Then came another "sizzle" sound, as if a tattered cloth covered in mud had been stirred a few times, muffled and sticky, making one's heart tremble.
The large hands gripping her neck suddenly loosened. Hai Hongzhu opened her mouth wide, gasping for breath, greedily inhaling the fresh air rushing into her lungs.
Her body was limp, and after finally catching her breath, she saw the scene before her and her pupils dilated in shock!
A rusty pair of scissors...
It forcefully pierced the old drunkard's neck!
As if frozen in place by some kind of magic, the old drunkard stood there stunned for a long time until he felt so much pain that he couldn't breathe. Only then did he slowly raise his hand and tremble as he touched his neck.
First, I touched a wet, sticky substance, carrying a feeling of obstruction and a strong smell of blood. Then I touched the blade of the scissors, rough and rusty.
The old drunkard made a "hoarse" sound, his bloodshot triangular eyes widening in disbelief.
He endured the excruciating pain and turned to look behind him.
·
The young man standing behind him was as upright as a pine tree, about seventeen or eighteen years old. He stood there casually, as if his feet were rooted to the ground, looking like a skilled martial artist with a solid foundation.
He wore a pair of old straw sandals, the soles of which were covered in wet mud. His trouser legs were also soaked in mud, indicating that he had walked a long way on a dirt road. The young man wore a straw hat, carried a dark, chapped bamboo medicine basket on his shoulder, and wore a simple linen outfit that had been washed countless times and was faded. A straw rope was tied around his waist, and the sleeves of his indigo-colored shirt were rolled up, revealing a small section of his pale honey-colored arms, which were lean and wiry without an ounce of fat.
Judging from her attire, she was probably a traveling healer.
Itinerant doctors, also known as traveling physicians.
The young itinerant doctor pursed his lips, held a tiger-shaped brace in his left hand, and firmly gripped the handle of the scissors in his right.
The old drunkard's eyes were unfocused, and his body convulsed violently. The rusty scissors not only pierced his trachea but also severely damaged his carotid artery, causing blood bubbles to rise from his throat.
Her face remained calm, her eyes showing not a trace of emotion.
"For committing this sin of sexual misconduct, you shall suffer the karmic fire and be eternally condemned to the Avici Hell! Just one snip of the scissors... you got off easy!"
A cold glint flashed in his eyes, and he abruptly pulled out the scissors that were deeply embedded in her neck. In an instant, blood gushed out like a dam bursting, and strings of bright red blood splattered onto her clothes.
Her clothes were made of a fragile material; they were already frayed in several places and had some fuzz on the edges. Now, they were splattered with bright red bloodstains that couldn't be washed off.
Like a felled, withered tree, the old drunkard fell backward and crashed heavily to the ground.
After just a few spasms, he completely collapsed and remained motionless.
·
A tear rolled uncontrollably down the corner of her eye.
Hai Hongzhu stared at her intently.
My heart was a jumble of emotions—sour, spicy, bitter, and salty—like a bursting dam, bubbling up inside.
It's Sister You.
I thought I'd never see him again...
Those bright, clear eyes were the most dazzling she had ever seen in her life.
A sob escaped her throat, her voice brimming with the grievances of a wounded animal, tears welling in her eyes. Hai Hongzhu's lips moved slightly: "Dr....Dr. You..."
.
Upon hearing the sound, You Mingjiang turned his head. The moment his gaze fell upon Hai Hongzhu, his expression softened slightly, and he nodded gently in response.
However, there were still some pressing matters to be dealt with, so she didn't have time to say any words of comfort and had to start dealing with the body first.
With steady, forceful effort, she dragged the body to the dry well. The old drunkard was large and the body was heavy, leaving a conspicuous bloodstain on the ground.
The entire courtyard was paved with stone slabs, and the rainwater drained away along the ditch. She lifted the wooden well cover and looked inside. The dry well, several feet deep, had only a shallow layer of water at the bottom.
The well also contained some old wooden fish drums, broken wooden stools, faded prayer flags, and other miscellaneous items.
You Mingjiang tossed the old drunkard's corpse, along with the blood-stained, rusty pair of scissors, into the dry well. It was too damp, so she took a small jar of tung oil from her wicker medicine basket and carefully poured it along the cracks, then lit it.
Along with the burning, an overwhelming stench filled her nostrils. Hai Hongzhu huddled in a corner, trembling, her stomach churning violently.
The fire raged for a full half hour, completely burning the corpse to a crisp. There was a pungent, oily smell coming from the dry well. You Mingjiang frowned, found a large millstone, pressed it down on the well opening, then spread mud evenly over it and piled up a large pile of dry branches and rotten leaves.
.
Unable to withstand the shock of the scene, Hai Hongzhu felt dizzy. She tried to get up, but her limbs felt like lead and she couldn't muster any strength.
"...What's there to be afraid of? Hai Hongzhu, cheer up, don't scare yourself...Dr. You're such a good person, you always like to go see her, don't you..."
Hai Hongzhu tried to comfort herself, "That old drunkard almost got you into trouble... He'd done so many bad things... It's only because God couldn't bear to see him die... Doctor You was doing a service to the people... Don't panic, don't let your legs go weak..."
Suddenly, a hand entered her field of vision without warning.
.
A note from the author:
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[Good Luck Lianlian] Hai Hongzhu: A supporting female character in "The Legend of the Twin Stars of Jianghu", a pillar of the Hai family troupe. She was harassed by Bai Lingxiao while performing on the street and was asked to "accompany him for a couple of drinks".
[Good Luck Lotus] Chicken Eyes: Night blindness.
[Good Luck Lotus] Itinerant Doctor: A traveling doctor who carries a sign in one hand and shakes a copper ring bell (tiger support) in the other. He carries a medicine basket on his shoulder and charges very little for medical treatment. Occasionally, he also sets up a stall to sell some plasters and pills. Most itinerant doctors are from the lower class of society.
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