Chapter 16: Eliminating Evil (6)

Chapter 16: Eliminating the Evil (Six)

As he asked this, Squire Zhao wrapped an arm around Zhaozhao's shoulder, blowing hot, humid breath into her ear.

Zhaozhao endured it without pulling away, thinking to herself that he truly was an old lecher; he had even learned the trick of making a courtesan's breath smell like orchids. It was just a pity the man was old, and the breath was merely stale.

She turned her head slightly and gave a reluctant smile: "Master Zhao, the food on the table is getting cold."

Squire Zhao was a man who cared deeply for face. He called over a servant and told her to order whatever she liked again.

Zhaozhao ordered a mountain of food. Squire Zhao allowed her to squander his money, boasting with his immense wealth, "If you were to follow me, I could afford such daily expenses."

Zhaozhao kept her head down, eating and drinking, not taking his words seriously. A wife is inferior to a concubine, and a concubine is inferior to a mistress; in Squire Zhao's case, one might add that a mistress is inferior to a cheat. Once one has cheated their way into possession, why would they bother to put in any more effort?

She waited for the hot dishes to be served, but to her surprise, the food did not arrive. Instead, a Zhao family retainer came knocking urgently on the door: "Master, the Legal Advisor is here!"

It was as if Squire Zhao had been doused with a bucket of cold water. He instantly retracted his outstretched arm. "What is he doing here?!"

The retainer outside stammered, but then a booted foot kicked the door open. The Legal Advisor, face grim and livid, marched toward the table with a world-shaking commotion, saying coldly, "Get out!"

Zhaozhao knew he was telling her to get out, so she hurriedly rose from her seat. Just as she stepped out, she heard the Legal Advisor cursing loudly: "What time is it that you still have the leisure to play with a whore here! Smash it! Smash everything! You are utterly useless; you can't even handle a single wandering ghost. The Lord has wasted all these years promoting you!"

Zhaozhao's brow twitched; she sensed deep meaning in those words. Immediately after, she heard Squire Zhao attempting to placate him: "That day, I found the place. Everything that needed to be burned and buried has been handled properly—"

Before Squire Zhao could finish, the Legal Advisor slapped him across the face: "Handled my ass! The Prince Ning's estate side..."

The Prince Ning's estate?

Zhaozhao pricked up her ears to listen intently, but the voices inside the room dropped to a low whisper, fearing they might be overheard. She was not deeply experienced in the ways of the world, but she knew that a County Magistrate's purse was not filled for nothing; besides handling official duties, they mostly had to do dirty work.

The "burning and burying" Squire Zhao had just mentioned naturally made her think of the dead—the dead bodies in the mountain valley that night...

Realizing this belatedly, a chill ran down her spine. She had been too reckless back then, hastily deciding they were merely wronged souls who had met bandits.

Thinking back now, if it truly had been bandits, why would they have left so much silver for her to find?

She had truly been blinded by poverty!

What if they had offended high-ranking officials and were being hunted down, their bodies left to rot in the wilderness? If she had picked them up, wouldn't she have been inviting disaster upon herself?

Zhaozhao didn't dare think further. A wave of panic surged in her heart, and she wished she could fly back to the inn immediately to clarify that man's identity. If he truly was someone she couldn't afford to offend, she would rather give up that hundred taels of silver than keep him around.

—*Bang!* The Legal Advisor kicked the door open and marched out, his cold, dark eyes staring at Zhaozhao.

Zhaozhao quickly lowered her head. Even after the man had walked away, her heart remained suspended in the air. Suddenly, she heard someone calling by her ear: "Miss? Miss! The Master is calling for you!"

Zhaozhao snapped back to her senses and hurried back to her seat. Squire Zhao was still in his old position, but his hair bun had come undone. He was gulping down cup after cup of wine. The slap mark on the side of his face should have been red, but due to the alcohol, it had instead swollen to a pale white.

Staying here was of no benefit. Zhaozhao used the excuse of feeling unwell and tried to take her leave early. Squire Zhao, his face dark, slammed the table and said, "You think you can just leave after making a fool of me?"

To be scolded like a dog by the Magistrate's retainer in front of a whore was a total loss of face, a supreme humiliation.

Like a defeated dog, instead of thinking of mending the breach or smoothing over his botched task, he approached Zhaozhao with bloodshot eyes, wanting to reclaim his masculinity through a woman.

Seeing that the situation was turning sour and knowing she couldn't reason with a drunken madman, Zhaozhao fled outward without a word. How could Squire Zhao let her go? He chased after her with disheveled hair and an open robe, determined to have his way!

How could Zhaozhao have expected such bad luck? She had intended to just score a good meal and some drink, but instead, she had trapped herself!

She ran while screaming for help. A few kind-hearted guests wanted to reach out and save her, but once they saw the man chasing her was Squire Zhao, and heard him shouting "Don't run, you little whore!", they tactfully looked the other way.

The servants in the inn not only did nothing to help but actually aided the villain, hoping to catch her to claim credit from Squire Zhao.

Zhaozhao dodged left and right, fleeing all the way down the stairs. Just as she reached the entrance, thinking she could escape, she saw the Zhao family retainers standing with hands on hips in her path, waiting like hunters for their prey!

How had it come to this?

Zhaozhao found it almost laughable. In the end, he just wanted to sleep with her; there was no need for such a massive commotion, hunting her like a wild animal.

She slowly turned her head and met countless gazes. The diners and servants along the railings of the hall were all watching her flight as if it were a performance.

The crowd parted to create a path, and Squire Zhao stumbled out, drunkenly swaying. He smiled triumphantly, "Silly child, what's the use of struggling in vain? Come back to my estate with me!"

He reached out to grab her slender shoulder, but she unexpectedly did not dodge or avoid. Instead, she leaned into his strength and lunged forward, standing on her tiptoes to whisper in his ear, "Since you are in such a hurry, why must we go back to the estate?"

A tingling sensation shot through Squire Zhao's ears, and his eyes instantly went blank.

She softly gripped his hand and murmured, "Why not just do it here? I will help you up."

To do what, "up" meant, was understood by both of them.

Squire Zhao was impatient, yet he also found it strange—one's temperament doesn't change that quickly.

Unfortunately, his drunken mind was completely coaxed into a stupor. He nodded in a daze and, as if in a dream, leaned against her body. Under the envious gazes of the onlookers, he was supported by her as they walked upward.

He felt as if he were floating on air, as if he were walking on clouds. He stumbled up the stairs, the woman beside him appearing unrealistically beautiful, her eyes and brows filled with smiles, as if she were incredibly happy...

What was there to be happy about when a whore was being slept with?

Squire Zhao didn't even have time to think. He was suddenly given a subtle push, his feet slipped violently, and the world turned upside down. He tumbled down the stairs unexpectedly.

It took time to climb dozens of steps, but rolling down them happened in the blink of an eye.

Everyone watched in stunned silence as he rolled down like a heavy sack of meat, hitting the ground with a series of thuds. His head seemed to "bloom" like a flower, a dark ring of red appearing around it. It only then dawned on everyone: someone was going to die!

The Ruyi Inn instantly turned into a scene of chaos. The guests were a mess—some fled, others scattered.

A Zhao family retainer cried out "Master!" and pushed through the crowd to rush inside. The panicked manager beat him to it, stripping off his long gown to cover Squire Zhao's bloody back of the head, and shouted at the terrified servants, "What are you standing there for? Hurry and fetch a doctor!"

Squire Zhao lay in the manager's arms, blood pouring from his mouth and nose. As the blood flooded his eyes, his vision turned into a dark, crimson blur.

He strained his neck, using his remaining strength to lift his head. Through the layers of faces, that little whore stood at a distance he could no longer reach, her long, thick eyelashes veiling the emotion in her eyes.

She must be laughing.

With a hateful gesture, Squire Zhao pointed in Zhaozhao's direction, wanting to speak, but only a spray of bloody froth escaped his lips.

The retainer kneeling beside him, weeping, understood his meaning. He rushed forward, grabbed Zhaozhao, and slapped her several times, continuing to wail, "Master, don't worry! If anything happens to you, I guarantee this whore will pay with her life!"

Squire Zhao continued to spit bloody froth, making a gurgling sound like a dog's bark, before his eyes rolled back and he fell into a complete coma.

(End of Chapter)