Chapter 13: Chasing After the Villains, Subduing Four
In the dead of night, all was quiet.
Zhang Ting was sleeping soundly in bed when she vaguely heard the sounds of fighting. She suddenly opened her eyes and sat up.
Outside, shouts, curses, and the clash of blades filled the air. Zhang Ting was terrified. Without even putting on his shoes, he quickly got up and opened a small crack in the window to peek out.
Six blood-soaked corpses lay in the corridor. The waiter, the shopkeeper, and a burly woman were fighting two men with blood-dripping axes. The two men were their bodyguards, clumsily and desperately trying to fend off the attacks, their fists and feet moving haphazardly, their expressions filled with fear, as they were forced to retreat step by step.
Clearly, they had entered a shady establishment, frequented by a group of vicious and desperate criminals.
But Zhang Ting never dreamed that the guards the Xu family had chosen for their young master were all just flashy but incompetent fighters! Eight against three, and they had no chance of winning... It was absurd.
She didn't have time to think deeply, and was extremely anxious. She searched the room for a long time but couldn't find anything to defend herself. She didn't even have time to put on clothes. She just put her silver and valuables on her body and prepared to jump out the window to escape.
They live on the second floor, and the ground below is muddy. If they jump down carefully, they won't get hurt.
The winter was bitterly cold, and Zhang Ting was shivering in just a thin shirt, but she had no time to care. She opened the window and stepped out, only to meet the terrified eyes of her neighbor. The other person was so frightened that their mouth was half open, clearly extremely scared.
Fearing that Xu You's screams would attract the villains, Zhang Ting quickly jumped over and covered her mouth, gently comforting her, "Sister Xu, don't worry, let's escape together."
Xu You nodded, trembling.
Zhang Ting told Xu You not to worry about anything else and just run with her, then pulled her down with him.
The first floor was also incredibly bloody; this shady establishment had killed all the horses to prevent them from running away.
They moved stealthily, seeing no other corpses and having no idea where they were.
The two had barely touched the ground when three bloodthirsty thugs, having dealt with the guards, rushed into Xu You's room. Finding it empty, they kicked open Zhang Ting's door.
"Damn it, those two little shenchmen got away!"
"Go after them! Leave no survivors!"
Zhang Ting pulled Xu You and ran into the forest, pursued by three menacing-looking people. Their axe handles were blood-red, and their clothes were soaked with blood, dripping down incessantly.
Xu You was so frightened that his legs went weak, and he was completely dragged along by Zhang Ting.
As Zhang Ting charged forward, she carefully considered where she could dodge.
The evil spirits were getting closer and closer. Zhang Ting couldn't run far with Xu You in tow. Suddenly, he saw what looked like a fire in the west. He gritted his teeth and decided to take a gamble and run towards it.
The three were blocked by a dense thicket of trees and lost their way in the pitch-black night.
The waiter stopped, wiped his face grimly, and gritted his teeth, saying, "You didn't let them ingest the sleeping potion?"
The cook barely dared to breathe loudly, and said with a wronged expression, "Boss, I really... did my best."
The shopkeeper glared at her menacingly. "There's no point in saying more. We need to kill those two quickly! Then we can go back and loot the money."
The waiter nodded and told them to split up and chase after them.
Zhang Ting finally reached the fire. The four women in the lobby were sitting around the fire roasting rabbit meat. It turned out they hadn't eaten enough last night and had come to hunt in the wild. No wonder they hadn't been seen at the inn.
Zhang Ting released Xu You's hand and rushed over, shouting for help.
When the four men saw that she was the kind person from earlier in the day, now with her hair disheveled, wearing only a thin shirt and no shoes or socks, they hurriedly asked what had happened.
"This is a black-hearted inn. They are ruthless killers, utterly wicked. They not only murdered our eight guards, but also slaughtered all the horses! Now they are hunting us down to silence us."
Xu You collapsed to the ground, nodding repeatedly.
The woman in the lead jumped up suddenly, roaring in fury, "How dare such a villain kill my beloved horse!"
The other three were either shocked, hesitant, or furious.
Zhang Ting took in their expressions one by one, lost in thought.
They had never seen a villain commit indiscriminate killing without being silenced, and even dare to stand by and watch them and Xu You die, pretending not to know and secretly leaving to avoid disaster.
As for the three villains, they had no reason to hunt down the four, and they even managed to turn the tables and frame them for their crimes...
Zhang Ting interrupted their thoughts, his face calm, and cupped his hands, saying, "Four brave warriors, I am Zhang Ting, currently residing in Lvtian County, Tongzhou Prefecture. Last year, I passed the imperial examination and obtained official rank. I hope you will help us eliminate the villains and protect us. I will reward you handsomely!" After saying this, he seemed to remember something and pointed to Xu You on the ground, saying, "This is my friend, from a powerful family in Lvtian. He has an aunt who is an official in the capital."
The four men were stunned by Zhang Ting's composure. They saw that although she was down on her luck, she had an extraordinary demeanor and was also a person of merit, so her background was obviously unusual.
Hearing her casually describe the weaklings slumped on the ground as coming from powerful families and having an aunt who was an official in the capital, everyone was astonished: how noble must the person named Zhang Ting be?
Zhang Ting pulled Xu You up, turned around, and extended an invitation to them again with neither arrogance nor servility: "You brave warriors are highly skilled in martial arts, please lend me your strength!" His tone was so firm that it made people believe him involuntarily, as if the thief who had killed eight guards could be easily dealt with by them.
The four women stared intently at Zhang Ting, a surge of fervor rising within them. They exchanged glances, and finally, the woman in the lead clasped her hands in a fist salute and said, "This villain is guilty of heinous crimes. We must capture him and protect the Queen!" The other three nodded in response.
Zhang Ting finally felt a huge weight lifted from her heart. Whether these people were after fame, fortune, or something else, as long as they could be of use to her for now, that was fine.
She carefully recalled and told them about the number of bandits, their leader, their weapons, their combat strength, and the terrain in the vicinity, and then offered some suggestions.
All four admired Zhang Ting's composure, calmness, and meticulousness. Recalling her gentle and considerate nature during the day, they looked at each other and secretly thought: If we could win her favor and work under her in the future, how wonderful it would be.
Thinking this through, he made up his mind to resolve the matter for Zhang Ting and then come back to claim credit.
Xu You nervously looked around, shrinking behind Zhang Ting, when he suddenly saw three blood-red axes gleaming coldly in the moonlight ahead.
She grabbed Zhang Ting's sleeve, her voice trembling, and said, "They...are...coming."
The crowd immediately went on alert, and the four strong men picked up the knives and spears on the ground.
The innkeeper, seeing that the bandits were numerous and well-equipped, narrowed his eyes and became wary.
The cook, realizing she had been discovered, immediately tried to rush forward and attack, but the shopkeeper stopped her.
The innkeeper smiled gently, then used a combination of threats and inducements on the four men: "The three of us have some private matters to settle with these two guests, and we don't want to cause you any trouble. If you hand over the two women, we'll let you go; otherwise... hehe." The blood-stained axe in his hand swayed, his eyes fixed on the woman in the lead.
The four men were worldly-wise; they could tell at a glance that these three were ruthless and vicious criminals who had lived on the edge of death. Ultimately, they had never experienced a deadly battle, and they couldn't help but feel intimidated.
If the villains had arrived earlier, they might have run away by now. But now that they have been subdued by Zhang Ting, they took a step forward for the sake of their future and firmly protected Zhang Ting behind them.
This is ungrateful! The waiter, with a gloomy face, waved his hand forward, and the three of them rushed forward together, brandishing axes and fighting.
Seeing this, the four rushed forward and engaged in combat.
Seeing that our four people seemed to be outmatched, Zhang Ting was very anxious. Suddenly, she had a brilliant idea. She ran to the fire, grabbed two handfuls of ashes, and threw them at the enemy.
The villains were caught off guard by Zhang Ting and Xu You, who were unarmed and weak scholars. They were suddenly attacked and howled while covering their eyes.
Upon seeing this, the four strong men circled around behind them, knocked them unconscious in a few blows, then tied them up with their belts and confiscated their weapons.
One of them picked up the axe and looked at it in horror, "Tsk tsk, how many people's blood must this axe have been soaked in to have such a pungent smell?"
Zhang Ting wiped away a cold sweat; at least her life was saved. She secretly vowed to herself that she would learn martial arts in the future, never wanting to experience this feeling of being a fugitive, constantly hunted, again.
The woman in the lead bowed to Zhang Ting and said solemnly, "Thanks to Miss Zhang's handful of ashes, otherwise we would have had a hard time subduing these villains and might have even lost our lives."
Zhang Ting stepped forward and grasped her hand, his face filled with emotion and admiration. He said gently, "The four brave men have shown us great kindness by entrusting their lives to us. If it weren't for you, my friend and I would have lost our lives here. Besides, I am but a nobody, not worth mentioning at all."
Seeing Zhang Ting's courteous and humble demeanor, they were filled with admiration and longed to serve him.
Zhang Ting spoke up at just the right moment: "Why don't you four brave warriors escort us to the capital? We will reward you with generous gifts then."
Xu You didn't dare to go back naked like that, so he echoed, "Yes, yes."
The four of them had the same idea; they wanted to get to know Zhang Ting better on the way.
Zhang Ting asked one of them to go to the government office to report the case, while the rest guarded the villain.
Fearing collusion between officials and bandits, who might ignore the complainant or even turn around and accuse them, Zhang Ting pulled Xu You aside and whispered, "Sister Xu, does your family have any connections in Yinzhou Prefecture?"
Xu You shook his head, "My family mainly operates in Tongzhou Prefecture, and I also have some connections with my aunt, but otherwise I have very few connections."
Zhang Ting sighed. These three thieves were extremely vicious and fearless. Xu You's family was powerful and might be able to escape, but she was insignificant and had little influence. If she didn't take this opportunity to kill them, she would probably lose her life at their hands in the future.
Having no other choice, he took out the jade pendant with flowers and birds given to him by Xu's mother and handed it to the person who reported the case, telling her in a righteous and righteous manner: "If you have any difficulties, you may present this jade pendant to me."
We can only try our luck and see if the official on trial is good or evil, whether he has ulterior motives or is simply audacious.
Zhang Ting hopes she will never need to use this jade pendant.
The woman who went to report the case was a short but robust young woman. She trusted Zhang Ting completely, and solemnly accepted the jade pendant she was given, carefully putting it into her bosom. She even patted her chest and said, "I will definitely take care of it for you, Miss!"
After asking her name, Zhang Ting gave her a pleased and appreciative look, patted her arm, and said, "Zheng Er, thank you for your trouble! Please be sure to come back quickly!"
Zheng Er chuckled and clasped his hands in a fist salute: "Yes."
Zhang Ting only looked away after she left. Meeting Xu You's confused expression, Zhang Ting nodded ambiguously, then turned and walked towards the thief.
Xu You let her guess slowly; she needed to check how securely the three thieves were tied.
Xu You wondered: Could it be the connections her mother gave to Zhang Ting? But then she thought, why wouldn't she have given them to me, since I'm her own daughter? After thinking it over and over, nothing seemed right, so she gave up.
Zhang Ting's concerns were valid. The cunning shopkeeper had tied the ropes too loosely, making it easy for him to break free. Zhang Ting retied the ropes, then tore off his undergarments to reinforce them. Finally, he tested the tightness of the ropes before nodding in satisfaction.
The winter night was cold, and even though Zhang Ting and Xu You were young and strong, they couldn't withstand it. The remaining three strong men were very perceptive and managed to gather two outer garments for them to wear, which made them feel a little better.
The group huddled around the fire to keep warm while waiting for Zheng Er to return with his soldiers.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
