Chapter 404: Scared Away

Chapter 404: Scared Away

Lu Dashan was dumbfounded: "Your Excellency, how can this be?"

Zhang Xietou, who had been lying down, was so frightened that he sat up immediately: "Coroner? Oh my, I don't want the coroner to examine me!"

Just hearing about the autopsy made Zhang Xietou shudder with fear. The coroner deals with corpses, and since he wasn't dead yet, how could he let the coroner examine him!

But Zhe Jing had already approached without hesitation. He was someone who had truly shed blood before, and his presence was different from these ordinary people. Although Lu Dashan and Zhang Xietou couldn't quite put their finger on what it was, they were so nervous when the young man approached that they couldn't even speak, only watching helplessly as he reached out toward Zhang Xietou.

As soon as he raised his arm, the dagger at his waist became visible.

"Mom! Mom! I don't want the coroner to examine me!" Seeing the dagger, Zhang Xietou panicked and, without thinking, scrambled off the stretcher.

Looking at his agile movements, one would never guess he was supposed to be dying or severely injured.

Zhang Lao Tai and Wu Xiaolian watched in shock, while Xiao Hua in the distance wore an expression of "I knew it."

Zhe Jing retracted his hand and walked straight back to his masters.

"Your Excellency, it's not human blood, it's chicken blood."

Upon hearing this, the faces of Zhang Lao Da's family turned awkward. Lu Dashan dared not admit it and quickly puffed out her chest, shouting: "Young man, you haven't even looked. How can you say such nonsense? This is clearly human blood."

At this point, Zhang Lao Tai understood everything. She pushed Lu Dashan hard on the shoulder: "You scoundrel, get out of here! You're not welcome in this house!"

Zhang Xietou also became agitated, pulling up his trouser leg: "Mom, I really am hurt! Why do you believe a stranger over me?"

There was indeed a long but shallow wound on his leg, not nearly enough to cause so much bleeding. For people living in the countryside, such injuries were usually treated with some ointment, often without even seeing a doctor.

The more Zhang Lao Tai looked, the angrier she became. She slapped her eldest son on the back of the head: "Lao Da, if you continue to disgrace us, don't blame me for kicking your family out of this house!"

If it weren't for the nobles present, the old lady might have burst into curses.

Xiao Hua didn't tolerate them: "You three frauds, get out of my house right now!"

Lu Dashan's face turned red with anger, but she refused to give up: "Your Excellency, please understand, my husband is really hurt. All that blood is his."

Seeing her still trying to bluff, Zhe Jing's eyes turned cold. With a swift motion, he drew his dagger and threw it at Lu Dashan.

Lu Dashan was startled and tried to step back, but she had never seen such a scene before and froze in place, unable to move.

The dagger flew straight to her feet, embedding itself firmly in the ground. If it had been just a fraction off, she had no doubt it would have pierced her foot!

"This dagger has seen more human blood than you've seen people. Do you think it can't tell the difference?" Zhe Jing sneered.

In that instant, Lu Dashan dared not breathe, staring at the dagger just inches away. After a few seconds of shock, she turned and ran, as if chased by a living hellhound.

Zhang Xietou was also terrified and limped away as fast as he could.

With their lives at stake, why did they need money?

It was all Lu Dashan's fault for insisting on having those people examine his leg. Otherwise, they could have asked their mother for a lot of money. These people looked wealthy; they must have given Zhang Laoer's family a substantial reward!

In a couple of days, Laoer would be back, and all the benefits would go to him!

Seeing her parents run away, Zhang Shuitong called out unwillingly: "Father, Mother!"

She had never seen such handsome men before. Even the cold young man was incredibly attractive. Thinking about their wealth, Zhang Shuitong wished she could impress them.

If she could marry such a man, all the girls within ten miles would envy her.

But she was disappointed that her parents had fled so easily.

Biting her lip, she hesitated for a moment, then gave a clumsy bow: "This humble girl will take her leave."

Then she reluctantly left.

Xiao Hua, being young, didn't understand what Zhang Shuitong was doing, but Zhang Lao Tai's heart sank. She quickly reassured them: "Your Excellency, rest assured, I will not allow them to come here again. If they do, I will kick them out and sever ties with them!"

Her tone was resolute, showing she was serious about her decision.

Su Youyue slightly curved her eyebrows: "Madam Zhang, there's no need to worry. We will continue our journey tomorrow evening."

Every family has its own troubles. Given the behavior of Zhang Lao Da's family, it would be reasonable to cut ties completely to avoid future problems. However, in this village, cutting ties was rare, and Zhang Laoer's family would likely face criticism, especially for the sake of these nobles.

People would say Zhang Laoer's family was greedy and abandoned their relatives for wealth.

So now was not the right time.

Pleased by her kindness, Zhang Lao Tai thanked her repeatedly. After dinner, she prepared to help her daughter-in-law clear the dishes but saw the guards silently and efficiently cleaning and organizing everything, as if they had been trained in the military.

She pulled her daughter-in-law aside: "These nobles are kind, which is why they didn't punish us. If it were another family, today's incident with Lao Da could have led to a disaster!"

Wu Xiaolian was shocked: "Mother, is it really that serious?"

Zhang Lao Tai nodded: "We are just ordinary people. Any noble could crush us with a word. The law doesn't always reach every corner of this world, and who cares about a commoner like us?"

Wu Xiaolian, recalling the earlier chaos, felt a lingering fear. Yes, that young man looked handsome, but he had killed before, perhaps many times. The thought made her legs tremble.

"Mother, what should we do?"

"Don't be afraid. The nobles staying with us are good people. As long as we behave and keep Lao Da's family away, and serve the nobles well, they won't blame us." Zhang Lao Tai patted her daughter-in-law's hand. "In a couple of days, Xietou will be back. Your husband is a soldier; Lao Da's family won't dare to come then."

Hearing this, Wu Xiaolian felt relieved. Thinking about not seeing her husband for years, her fear dissipated, and she began to look forward to his return.