Chapter 68: Beat the Dog and Judge the Person
Having heard that Chai Jia Erlang was an extraordinary martial arts master, Lu Hong raised his hand and asked the guards to retreat behind him. He wanted to personally try the master of the palace who was rumored to be able to fight against a hundred people alone.
Several princes almost broke their heads in their fight to have him as their study partner, but in the end he became the Crown Prince's man. The Imperial College selected the best of the best, and the Lu family's children still lost to the Chai family's bloodline.
His father is now in an awkward position in the court and the country. His Majesty regards these uncles of the same clan and the governors who suppress one side as thorns in his eyes. Among the twenty-four states, the one that the royal family fears the most is Chai Yu, who is said to have born with supernatural powers.
"Take my weapon!" Lu Hong said.
Chache chuckled, "You're not worthy enough to fight me."
When Lu Hong heard this, his eyes widened with anger. "How dare you humiliate me like this?"
Chai Che said, "The Chai family conquered the world with martial arts, and generations have practiced martial arts. Even a mere maid in the Governor's Mansion is enough to deal with you."
Jiaoran was stunned for a moment. Chai Che was really arrogant. He would be beaten to death one day. He didn't even understand the principle of humility.
If Zhu Su was here, he would definitely understand immediately that there are always people better than you.
Just as he thought of Zhu Su, Chai Che pushed Jiao Ran's back hard, "Ah!"
She landed on the ground and stumbled. "Lu...Mr. Lu Ji?"
"Stop talking nonsense!" He took the iron rod, as thick as a date, handed to him by the guard with a whoosh and said with a smile, "First, your governor's daughter assassinated my brother, and now you've sent this incompetent maid. Do you really think I'm as capable of holding a jade pen as my brother?"
Cha Che looked down from the rooftop and did not continue to respond to his words.
His disdainful look caused Lu Hong to sneer, "People often say that when beating a dog, you have to look at its owner. I'll beat your dog first."
Jiao Ran was furious after hearing this, "You said I was a dog?"
Jiaoran originally had no intention of fighting with the Lu family again. Their seriously injured young master was quite pitiful. He was beaten by Chai Xiao and could not get out of bed without doing anything. But Lu Hong was really hateful. Jiaoran was provoked by him and was ready to fight.
He said angrily, "You said I was a dog. Fine, today I'll show you how a dog bites people."
Chai Che lowered his eyebrows and smiled, "Don't underestimate the enemy, Jiaoran."
Before he finished speaking, Lu Hong flipped his palm and swung the stick. As fast as lightning, the tip of the stick was at Jiaoran's face in the blink of an eye.
Jiao Ran turned the blade and chopped his arm. Seeing this, Lu Hong shrank his shoulders and broke the stick into two nunchakus.
Jiaoran's knife was entangled in the chain between his two sticks, and he was unable to escape for a while.
She laughed, pushed the tip of the knife forward, broke free from the restraints, and stabbed it from Lu Hong's throat.
If Lu Hong had not jumped out of the way, the cold wind would have pierced his throat and drawn blood.
Even though his throat was not cut, Jiaoran's knife had cut a hole in his clothes. Lu Hong opened his arms, revealing the clothes underneath. Seeing this, Jiaoran burst into laughter.
These few moves had already dampened Lu Hong's fighting spirit.
He just snorted coldly, "You have some skills, but you have to pay for my clothes with your life."
Jiaoran had already seen through the flaws in his stick technique, and with a few swishes of his sword, he used his strength to conceal his weakness, and made many changes in one move.
When Chai Rou saw Jiaoran skillfully using the knife to fight Lu Hong, she didn't know what she remembered for a moment and retreated repeatedly.
Chai Xiao was concentrating on imagining how he would break Jiaoran's swordsmanship if he were the one wielding the stick.
After watching for a while, Chai Xiao said happily, "Jiao Ran has already won the battle. Lu Hong can't stop us."
"Let's take another look." said Chai Che.
Looking at the two of them again at this time, Lu Hong suddenly waved his long stick, switching from offense to defense, and the wind from the stick was whistling.
Every time Jiaoran's knife hit his stick, it was shaken off its course. In her anxiety, she attacked faster and faster, but the opponent's defense was impenetrable. The light from the stick and knife intertwined and merged into one.
Chai Xiao gasped, "Second brother, isn't she going to lose?"
There was also some worry on Cha Che's face.
Chai Rou said, "Lu Hong's stick skills aren't particularly impressive, but Jiao Ran's swordsmanship is superior to many renowned swordsmen in the martial arts world. Lu Hong is currently in control of the situation because he's experienced and can use defense as offense to neutralize Jiao Ran's moves. If you don't believe me, just wait and see. He'll soon turn defense into offense and end this situation."
Jiaoran could clearly see his every move. His vital points were wide open. Her strange sword skills should have been able to penetrate his whole body, but for some reason, she was always restrained by him.
Although Lu Hong was at a disadvantage and panicked for a moment, he adjusted himself in a moment and took her knife.
In times of danger, he always manages to avoid the situation when life and death are at stake.
Jiaoran thought about it for a while and suddenly realized that he was waiting for her sword skills to slow down. Then it would be his chance to turn defeat into victory.
Lu Hong was waiting for an opportunity to counterattack, Jiaoran sighed, well, you can't get a tiger cub without learning the tiger's blood.
She suddenly cried out, her wrist went limp, and the knife in her hand was almost out of her grasp due to Lu Hong's blow.
Lu Hong then fought back and fought with sticks.
When the fight was almost over, Jiaoran's hand became light, giving his opponent a flaw, and his knife was knocked away.
Lu Hong sneered, stepped lightly, raised his stick and struck down, almost smashing Jiaoran's head.
"Jiaoran, be careful!"
She was well prepared and had already imagined her next move in her mind. She slid to avoid the stick, grabbed it with her backhand, turned her two fingers into hooks, and put them in front of his eyelids. Then, with a hard heart, she was able to gouge out his eyes.
Lu Hong was shocked. He didn't expect her to take such a risk.
Jiao Ran was very proud, tapping his brow with two fingers in a provocative manner, "How about it? My move of the Dragon Playing with Twin Pearls."
Just now, at a critical moment, Chai Che broke out in a cold sweat and jumped down. In the end, Jiaoran defeated the opponent without his help.
Lu Hong stood firm and took a few steps back, still indignant, "You won unfairly, it's a mean trick. I knocked your weapon away just now."
Jiao Ran listened to him and said calmly, "If you lose your weapon, you will definitely die? Then I said that if I hadn't shown mercy, you would have been blinded!"
What she said was very reasonable. When two people from the martial arts world fight, they will not necessarily lose even if they don't have weapons. However, she could have dug out his eyes just now.
Her knife-wielding hand was so swift that with a single hook of her finger, his eyes were completely destroyed. In the final analysis, she had shown mercy.
"Can we talk now?" asked Tchaicher.
The Lu and Chai families handled the matter together in the Governor's Mansion.
When they saw Miss Chai Liu, the relatives of the Lu family wanted to eat her flesh and drink her blood. Chai Liu was not afraid and knelt on the ground with her head held high.
Sitting in the main seat were the governor and his wife. They called the people over and asked them in detail about what happened last night.
The governor was furious. He was angry because his sixth daughter, who used to be well-behaved and timid, had turned into a female Shura and dared to kill people.
The Governor's wife said nothing, and there was no expression on her face.
He only listened to a few words with his head slightly lowered.
The old lady of the Lu family traveled all night, her carriage never stopping, and she also arrived. When she saw that the murderer was still wearing clean clothes and had his hair neatly combed, she called the son of the eldest wife to her and scolded him in a very loud voice, and everyone inside and outside could hear carefully.
"It's hilarious that the Chai family has a daughter like this, climbing over walls and trees, brandishing a sword like a man, running away countless times, and making friends with countless outlaws! I don't know! Our Lu family absolutely cannot have a granddaughter-in-law like this. If she really marries, it will bring shame to the Lu clan. We don't want a girl from the Chai family. She kills and burns people, rips out their hearts and flesh, what a monster! Now our child is still lying there, and he was almost killed. Do you think that we, the Lu family, value culture over martial arts, so you can just come into our house with a knife and kill people? Fine, let me see what you can do, you kill our whole family right now!"
Chai Xiao didn't care at all. Things had gotten to this point, and she was no longer afraid of anything.
The worst that could happen is death, what could be worse?
Lord Chai frowned, "This matter is entirely up to Mrs. Lu to decide. You can beat or kill them as you please. But I heard that the Lu family is going to report it to the court. Does Lord Lu really have this plan? Why doesn't he show up now?"
Jiaoran was watching intently when suddenly a hand patted her from behind.
"Why are you back?" Jiaoran asked him.
Chai Hui folded his arms and said, "As soon as I heard about the misfortune at home, I rushed back."
Jiaoran pointed at the woman kneeling in the hall and said, "You should go in too. It's a mess anyway."
Chai Hui looked around and said something else, "Do you know what I saw outside? Those savages killed people and strung their heads together on a string and hung them on their bodies."
"Aren't you too heartless?" Jiaoran said helplessly. His sister was almost being forced to death, and he was still talking about what he saw and heard outside.
Chai Hui looked up and saw that his father was about to get angry. He was so scared that he couldn't help but take a few steps back and muttered, "Mom and Dad will take care of it. What can I do to help?" As he said that, he wanted to pull Jiaoran away.
The Lu family was rude to the Chai family, their words full of sarcasm and anger. Chai Che and Chai Lie were so angry that their faces turned ugly. However, they did not dare to get angry in the presence of the governor. As sons, how could they say anything before their father gave his order?
Besides, the responsibility for this matter lies entirely with Chai Xiao.
In a flash, Chai Xiao lowered her arm, and a dagger slipped out of her sleeve. She grabbed the dagger and stabbed it into her throat.
Now that things have come to this, it is worth it to exchange her life for the peace of the whole family.
A teacup knocked the dagger out of her hand with a snap, and no one had time to see who had thrown the teacup.
Looking up, the teacup in front of the governor was still intact, but the teacup in the lady's hand was empty.
Chai Xiao was stunned for a moment. She didn't expect her mother to be so agile.
She always thought that she was just a woman who lived in a secluded house, was virtuous and managed the household well, and respected her husband.
"Mother..." Chai Xiao's throat felt like it was clogged with cotton and she couldn't speak.
How could her mother not know about her little actions in Pisces Garden? In the past few years, when she practiced light skills and learned swordsmanship, nothing escaped her eyes.
The lady stood up and straightened her sleeves. "I have already lost a daughter. If this girl before me had died immediately, I would not be worthy of being a mother."
She said this not only to the Lu family, but also to her husband.
"You can kill her, but not now," she said.
Mrs. Lu pressed on aggressively, “Then tell me, when can we kill your daughter?”
"I only want you to give me two days. Within those two days, my daughter will leave Xiutu. From now on, you can kill her wherever you want in the world. I will never stop you. A life for a life. The day she picks up the sword, she should understand. I don't want my daughter to become spoiled and think that she can do whatever she wants just because she has her parents and brothers to support her."
Lu Hong and Lu Zhi exchanged a glance. "Of course, killing someone means paying for their life, but why should we give Madam two days? Will you really not intervene when the time comes? The world is so big, if we can't find this vicious woman, Chai Xiao, how can we get revenge?"
Chai Yu said, "There's no need to go to such lengths. Since you want her life, take her away now and bring her to the Lu family to avenge Lu Jiazi. I won't show favoritism."
The lady looked at him and continued, "You can kill Xiaoliu now, but I want those two days. Naturally, I'll have something in exchange. There's a gold mine and a silver mine in Longquan, Chuzhou, and Danling, Meizhou. They were my dowry, the inheritance my mother passed down when I got married. If you promise to give me two days to let my daughter leave Xiutu, Luo Weifang is willing to hand over the two mines."
Before Commander Chai Yu could say anything, Lu Hong pressed on, "Madam, are you serious?"
Before the old lady of the Lu family wanted to say more, the young man beside her whispered an explanation in her ear.
"If you don't believe me, I can sign and seal it with your Lu family."
Chai Xiao was already in tears. She turned her head away and closed her eyes stubbornly.
"Now that it's written in black and white, are you relieved? Give me a stick of incense while I say a few final words to my daughter. Once she leaves Xiu Tu, if you have the guts, kill her. Even if you have to chop her into pieces, it won't be the Chai family's fault. From now on, I'll just pretend I never gave birth to this daughter."
Jiaoran stopped looking and turned away, but his eyes were already filled with tears.
Chai Hui caught up with her and asked, "Hey, why are you crying? Isn't your innocence cleared now?"
Even if I told him, he wouldn't understand. Jiaoran was crying because Miss Chai Liu had made a mistake and her mother would still cover for her, but she hadn't made any mistake, and her mother still wanted to kill her.
She had always looked down on the governor's wife, who obeyed the governor's orders and was completely different from the impetuous woman like her mother. But today she realized that even though the governor was heartless, she was still a good mother and was willing to exchange two mines for her daughter's life.
And just now, Chai Xiao cried and hugged her mother's legs, saying that she had done something wrong and begged her mother for forgiveness. The lady just touched her head and said, "Mother is also wrong."
Chai Xiao's mother will apologize to her.
Even such a high-handed lady, who seemed so arrogant in the eyes of others, would apologize to her daughter and say that her mother was also at fault.
"Hey, why are you crying?" Chai Hui followed her, not understanding.
"Because she apologized."
Chai Hui thought she was a little crazy. Was it really that serious? "Why should I cry about an apology?"
Jiaoran didn't want to pay attention to him anymore.
The two walked towards Jinlin Garden, and soon a maid came over. Chai Hui recognized her as someone close to his second brother.
"Yu Ji, are you looking for me?" Jiaoran asked her.
"Miss Jiaoran, the Second Young Master asked you to wait for him in Qianlin Garden."
"What happened to my senior sister?" Jiaoran was anxious.
She said no, "It's about Master Mu Jin. The Second Master said he wanted to explain something to you so that you wouldn't be confused."
Seeing this, Chai Hui sent her away, "Okay, okay, she'll be there soon. Tell my second brother."
As soon as they left, Chai Hui put his arm around her shoulders, and she elbowed him, causing him to feel pain in his stomach. "Ouch!"
"You go back to Jinlin Garden by yourself. I'm going to Qianlin Garden."
"No, you really believe it?"
Jiao Ran pushed him aside and said, "I'm going to visit my senior sister."
"I heard that when the Lu family first started looking for the murderer, the blame fell on you, and it was Mu Jin who pushed you out to die." Seeing Jiao Ran's face suddenly darken, he continued, "What can my second brother say? He's just trying to excuse Mu Jin and tell you not to resent him. He has always been partial to Mu Jin, and we brothers all know it."
"You don't need to remind me, I also remember who sent me to the Lu family." Jiaoran clenched his back teeth, and the veins on his neck were exposed.
"In my opinion, you have to teach him a lesson, otherwise you will suffer in vain this time. If the Lu family really kills you, he probably won't even blink an eye."
Hadn't he said before that it was tit for tat, and that she should come back to kill him in revenge? Jiao Ran smiled coldly. It should have been done long ago. It was she who had always been soft-hearted.
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