"Hey, you're pretty capable!"
As Deputy General Sun spoke, he gripped the storyteller even tighter. The man struggled and tried to fight back, turning into a mad bull.
The storyteller mustered all his strength and thrust backward, landing squarely on Deputy General Sun's stomach. The force was considerable; Deputy General Sun flung the man to the ground and then angrily lunged at him. In the blink of an eye, the two were wrestling.
The teahouse was in complete chaos. The two men had overturned several tables and broken many teapots and teacups, leaving the floor in a mess.
Even though Deputy General Sun was strong in hand-to-hand combat, his opponent was no pushover either. Although he didn't know any kung fu, he was strong and agile. Both of them were injured, but the storyteller was beaten worse. He was punched in the nose, and blood was flowing down his face. He wiped it with his hand and smeared half of his face with it, making him look particularly frightening.
Deputy General Sun also took a punch to the cheekbone, and that spot was burning with pain. He didn't care and went up to deliver an elbow strike to the man's abdomen.
The storyteller screamed in pain from the blow, spitting out several mouthfuls of bile. He lay on the ground, panting heavily, as if all his strength had been drained, like a trapped beast on the verge of death.
"The officials are here! Quick, make way!"
Someone exclaimed in a low voice, and everyone looked outside. They saw several men dressed as yamen runners walking menacingly toward the teahouse, each with a knife at their waist. Their presence alone was overwhelming.
But Deputy General Sun was already blinded by rage and couldn't hear any of these unrelated comments. He took a few deep breaths and then went over and viciously grabbed the storyteller by the collar, lifting the man's upper body off the ground.
"You bastard, are you still going to fight or not? You're pretty strong!"
As he spoke, Deputy General Sun spat out another mouthful of blood onto the ground beside him. Suddenly, he tasted a sweet, metallic flavor in his mouth. When he touched his mouth, it stung painfully. He guessed that the man had just tried to punch him in the face, but when he turned his head, the man punched him in the lip, and his lip was split open by the man's teeth.
This was the first time he had ever fought someone and ended up so badly. Deputy General Sun was furious and just wanted to settle things once and for all. So he roared at the other man in a rough voice, "Get up! Stop pretending to be a coward!"
Unexpectedly, the storyteller seemed to deflate like a punctured balloon, remaining silent and unresponsive as Deputy General Sun grabbed his collar. He glanced towards the teahouse entrance, and upon seeing the group of people carrying swords, his eyes darted around, revealing a cunning glint.
Deputy General Sun naturally didn't notice the man's fleeting little movement. He was still waiting for the other party to suddenly retaliate when he realized something was wrong. The storyteller's eyes, which had been open, suddenly closed.
"Stop playing dead, I'm not falling for that!"
He patted the man's face, but there was still no response. The storyteller, for some unknown reason, suddenly tilted his head to the side, closed his eyes, and lost consciousness.
Damn, did I kill someone? That shouldn't be happening!
Deputy General Sun's expression changed slightly, the muscles at the corner of his eye twitched, and he reached out to check if the storyteller, who was now like a dead dog, was still breathing.
Just as he reached out his hand, he heard the sound of a sharp blade being drawn. The next second, Deputy General Sun felt a sudden chill on his neck. He didn't know when, but several knives were already at his neck. His hand, which he had just reached out to check the other party's breath, was also forced back.
Startled, Deputy General Sun suddenly realized something. Looking at the constables around him, he snapped out of his daze and understood that he had made a grave mistake.
But it was too late. The constables had already separated him from the storyteller who was still lying motionless on the ground, and then each of them took the two away with a stern face.
Deputy General Sun couldn't help but feel annoyed. He felt as if he had fallen into some kind of trap. How come that person was staring at him with wide eyes just a second ago, but as soon as these government officials arrived, he was no good?
The more he thought about it, the more uneasy he felt, but now that he was being held captive by this group of people, it seemed like he couldn't escape.
Just as he was fretting, Deputy General Sun suddenly remembered that the kid who had been with him was nowhere to be seen. He looked left and right but couldn't find him. So he wondered if the kid had gone to get reinforcements for him.
Thinking this way, I couldn't help but feel a little more at ease.
On the other side, a man and a horse were galloping wildly. The man on horseback kept waving his whip, and the horse seemed to be about to take off because it was running so fast. This attracted the attention of passersby, but before they could see clearly, all that was left was a cloud of dust and a shadow getting smaller and smaller.
"Madam, someone is here to see you and says it's urgent!"
Inside the general's mansion, a servant hurriedly ran to Li Chang'an's courtyard to report. The woman was sitting by the window, reading a book intently. The scene was like a tranquil and beautiful painting, but this beauty was suddenly shattered by an uninvited guest.
"What happened?"
Seeing the servant panting heavily, Li Chang'an felt a pang of anxiety. Without saying a word, he put down the book in his hand, and the two of them quickly walked outside together.
"The person who came said something about Deputy General Sun... that something had happened to him and that he was asking you to help him. I saw how anxious he was, so I didn't have time to ask any more questions and came to find you right away. He's waiting in the main hall now."
The servant kept rambling on about what had happened, which only made Li Chang'an more and more uneasy. What could have happened to Deputy General Sun? Hadn't he already returned to the villa?
Feeling puzzled, Li Chang'an quickened his pace. The servant led the man to the main hall to wait. Upon arriving at the main hall, Li Chang'an noticed that the man seemed hesitant.
This person looked very familiar. After thinking about it carefully, Li Chang'an seemed to have a vague impression of him. This person seemed to be a brother from the cooking camp. Because he cooked better than everyone else, Deputy General Sun had praised him a few times.
"You are... Chen Sanshun?"
Li Chang'an asked tentatively, unsure if he had mistaken the person for someone else.
The man became excited as soon as he saw Li Chang'an, as if he had grasped a lifeline. He quickly stood up, nodding and anxiously saying, "Yes, yes, I am San Shun from the cooking battalion. It's bad, General! Deputy General Sun has been taken away by the people from the yamen. You need to think of something quickly!"
Li Chang'an frowned and, after inquiring carefully, learned the whole story. For a moment, he was speechless.
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