Chapter Ninety-Four

Chapter Ninety-Four

The three men trailing behind were hired killers that Zheng Yuan had paid a hefty sum for.

These men were different from the troublemaker Huang Yazi; they were all desperate men with blood on their hands!

Seeing that the people ahead hadn't run away and were standing there as if waiting for them, the three men felt a twinge of doubt. But it quickly dissipated; they had been paid to do a job, and today, neither of these two would escape!

The three men pulled out one-foot-long machetes from their chests and charged at Zhao Beichuan and Lu Yao.

Lu Yao was startled, not expecting these men to be carrying weapons!

"Watch out!"

Zhao Beichuan sidestepped the first man's slash, snatched the knife from him, and kicked him away with a powerful leg sweep.

The kick was almost full force, and the man lay motionless on the ground.

The other two were shocked, not expecting their opponent to be so formidable. They hesitated for a moment but still mustered the courage to attack Zhao Beichuan.

Zhao Beichuan hadn't learned martial arts, but his strength caught them off guard. These two thugs, however, were trained in combat and soon realized their opponent didn't know any martial arts.

They surrounded Zhao Beichuan and Lu Yao, feigning attacks and retreating to maintain distance, avoiding direct confrontation.

They knew they couldn't match him in strength and planned to wear him down, looking for an opportunity to strike.

Lu Yao's hands and feet turned cold with fear. He had underestimated the situation, thinking these men were like Huang Yazi, just here to cause trouble. He never imagined they were after their lives...

As the attackers' probing became more frequent, Zhao Beichuan grew anxious. He wasn't afraid for himself, but he feared for Lu Yao. If this continued, both of them would die. Clenching his teeth, he suddenly lunged at one of the men, swinging his machete.

This move exposed a weakness, and the other man took the chance to slash at his back!

The sharp blade cut through the cotton coat, slicing the skin and scraping against bone, making a grating sound. Blood gushed out instantly.

Lu Yao screamed in terror, "Help! Someone, please help!!!"

But Changshui Street was empty, and even if someone heard, they wouldn't come out to help. In such situations, people avoided getting involved at all costs.

*

Meanwhile, Lu Yi and Lu Shiliu were heading to the wine shop. Halfway there, Lu Shiliu suddenly remembered that tomorrow was the eleventh day of the month, and they hadn't collected the money for buying vegetables yet.

"Should we go back?"

Lu Yi didn't want to make another trip, "If you want to go, go by yourself. I'm going back to the wine shop."

Lu Shiliu spat, "Without the money for vegetables, everyone will have to drink porridge tomorrow."

Reluctantly, Lu Yi followed him toward the restaurant. When they reached the door, they found it locked.

Lu Yi said irritably, "See? I told you it would be a wasted trip. We should wait until tomorrow to ask the master."

"What if the master doesn't come tomorrow?"

"Then we'll drink millet porridge. It won't kill us."

Lu Shiliu was furious and turned to leave, but then he heard a shout. He stopped and strained his ears, "Doesn't that sound like the master's voice?"

Lu Yi shook his head, "I didn't hear clearly. Don't worry about it, let's go."

Lu Shiliu felt something was wrong and walked a few steps in the direction of the sound, hearing the cries for help again. This time, he recognized it as his master's voice and ran over.

At that moment, Zhao Beichuan was locked in a stalemate with the last man, both gripping their knives, neither daring to make the first move.

Zhao Beichuan had been stabbed in the back, his clothes soaked in blood, and his head was spinning. Lu Yao kept shouting for help, hoping someone would come to their aid.

Desperate, the last man decided to deal with Lu Yao first before killing Zhao Beichuan.

But suddenly, someone ran up from behind, wielding a brick and smashing it into the man's head.

The man clutched his forehead and turned around, only to be met with a slash from Zhao Beichuan, which left a deep gash in his neck, spraying blood all over Lu Shiliu!

"Ahh, ahhh, ahhh..." Lu Shiliu's legs gave way, and he collapsed on the ground.

With three dead or severely injured, Zhao Beichuan, seeing no further danger, suddenly lost his strength and fell to the side.

Lu Yao quickly tried to catch him but was too weak and ended up being pinned to the ground by Zhao Beichuan.

"Quick, come help!"

"Alright, alright, alright!" Lu Shiliu got up and hurriedly helped Zhao Beichuan to his feet.

"Did you come alone?"

"Lu Yi is also here, Lu Yi, come over!"

Lu Yi, who had been squatting outside the restaurant, hesitated for a moment before walking over. Seeing the dead bodies on the ground, he yelped and sat down hard.

Lu Yao was frantic, yelling, "Stop dilly-dallying and get up! Take my husband to the clinic!"

Lu Yi scrambled to his feet and carried Zhao Beichuan to the nearest clinic.

Lu Yao took out a key from his pocket and threw it on the ground, "Lu Shiliu, tie up the two living ones and take them to the shop!"

"Yes!" He mustered his courage, picked up a knife, cut strips of cloth from the dead man, bound the two unconscious men, and dragged them to the back of the restaurant.

He didn't leave the dead man behind either, fearing trouble for his master, and brought him to the back of the restaurant as well, then sat anxiously waiting inside.

On the other side, Lu Yao and Lu Yi, carrying Zhao Beichuan, arrived at the nearby clinic. The clinic was already closed, but Lu Yao pounded on the door relentlessly, "Doctor, open up, quick!"

After a while, footsteps were heard from inside, "It's so late, come back tomorrow."

"Here's the silver, help me save him quickly!"

The door opened from inside, and the groggy doctor asked, "Who is sick?"

"My husband was slashed by a villain, he lost a lot of blood!"

"Ah, come in quickly!"

The doctor let the three of them into the house and lit the candle.

Lu Yi placed Zhao Beichuan on the bamboo bed, exhausted and panting heavily as he squatted in the corner.

Lu Yao wiped away his tears and sweat, holding Zhao Beichuan's hand, comforting both him and himself, "It will be fine, it will definitely be fine."

The wound was on his back, right on the shoulder blade, about half a foot long.

The doctor took scissors to cut open the clothes around the wound, revealing the horrifying flesh, with the deepest part exposing bone.

"Hiss, how could it be so severe! Wait a moment, I'll go get the needle and thread to stitch him up."

In ancient times, without anesthesia or antibiotics, such a wound was almost fatal. Once infected, even the most powerful immortal would be unable to save him.

Lu Yao suddenly remembered that there was alcohol at their shop. Although not as effective as antiseptic, it could still be used!

"Lu Yi, you stay here and watch over him. I'll go back to the shop!"

"Ah, oh..." Lu Yi squatted beside Zhao Beichuan, his legs almost numb but too afraid to stand up.

Lu Yao ran back to the shop, startling Lu Shiliu as he burst through the door, "M-master, you're back!"

"What about those two?"

"They're both tied up in the backyard."

"Watch them closely, don't let them escape!"

"Yes!"

Lu Yao picked up a jar of alcohol and rushed back to the clinic. When he arrived, the doctor was already stitching Zhao Beichuan's wound. Without anesthesia or painkillers, the pain woke Zhao Beichuan up.

His lips were pale, cold sweat dripped from his forehead, and his hands clenched into fists, trembling slightly from the pain. Lu Yao's tears flowed uncontrollably.

Hatred grew in his heart, burning like a raging fire.

Who could hate him so much to do this to him?

Several names flashed through his mind. First, he ruled out Jiang Ying. They were now in a mutually beneficial relationship, and she wouldn't send people to kill him.

Even if she wanted the wine recipe, she wouldn't use such methods. She could simply have the governor issue an order, find an excuse to lock him up, and he would obediently hand over the recipe.

That left Yazhaiju and Quanfu Restaurant.

Selling wine to Gold and Jade Building would certainly squeeze Quanfu Restaurant's business. Cutting off someone's livelihood was like killing their parents; the owner of Quanfu Restaurant must hate him to death.

And then there was Yazhaiju. The last time he confronted Huang Yazi, who knew if they hadn't decided to kill him this time.

Lu Yao had always thought that as long as he didn't provoke those people, they wouldn't do anything to him.

But it turned out that if you take one step back, they take one step forward; if you take three steps back, they treat you like a soft target.

At this moment, his mindset completely changed. Instead of constantly retreating, he should take the initiative. For such stupid and evil people, he should strike hard and ensure they never recover!

The doctor finished stitching the wound, and the bleeding gradually stopped.

Lu Yao asked for a clean cloth, soaked it in alcohol, and wiped the wound, causing Zhao Beichuan to gasp in pain.

"Hold on... it will be over soon." Lu Yao's hands trembled as he cleaned the wound twice, until all the blood clots were removed. Then the doctor sprinkled medicine on the wound and wrapped it tightly with bandages.

"Remember not to let it get wet, change the dressing every three days. I'll give you some herbal remedies to replenish his blood and qi. Take good care of him."

"Thank you, doctor."

"Don't thank me yet. His wound is too deep; he will definitely run a fever tonight. If it doesn't break, I won't have any other options."

Lu Yao bit his lip and nodded, "I understand."

He took the medicine and paid the silver. Lu Yi carried Zhao Beichuan home, where Xiaonian and Xiaochun had been waiting anxiously. Xiaonian had tried several times to go out and look for them, but Xiaochun had stopped her each time.

It was so dark outside, and if nothing happened to his sister-in-law and elder brother, and they got kidnapped, it would be a bigger problem.

They waited anxiously at the door until they heard Lu Yao's familiar voice and hurried to open it.

"Elder brother! Sister-in-law, what happened to elder brother?"

"Let's go inside first."

They carried Zhao Beichuan into the house and laid him on the kang. Xiaonian and Xiaochun were terrified when they saw the blood-soaked clothes on his back.

"Lu Yi, you go back to the shop and stay with Lu Shiliu. Watch the two villains in the backyard. If they wake up, ask who sent them. Whoever finds out will get fifty taels of silver!"

Lu Yi's eyes widened, "Yes!"

After they left, Lu Yao explained the truth to Xiaonian and Xiaochun, "On our way back, we were ambushed by three villains with knives. Your elder brother protected me and was slashed on the back."

Xiaonian wiped her tears, "Elder brother... will he be alright?"

"He will be fine. With your sister-in-law here, he won't be in danger."

Xiaochun noticed the blood on Lu Yao's hands and quickly fetched a basin of warm water.

"Sister-in-law, wash your face. Has the doctor prescribed any medicine? I'll go and boil it."

Xiaonian said, "I'll come too."

Lu Yao handed the medicine to the two of them, "Go ahead, boil one packet at a time, reduce two bowls of water to one bowl."

The two took the medicine to the kitchen, and Lu Yao wet a cloth, first helping Zhao Beichuan wipe his face. Due to excessive blood loss, Zhao Beichuan was now very dizzy, though he could hear others speaking, he had little strength to open his eyes.

He sensed Lu Yao sitting beside him, covering him with a blanket, and then he fell into a deep sleep.

By midnight, he indeed developed a fever. Lu Yao used warm water to repeatedly wipe his hands, feet, and armpits to cool him down. The fever continued until dawn, when his temperature finally began to drop.

It wasn't clear whether the alcohol disinfection worked or if Zhao Beichuan's physical condition was simply extraordinary, but such a large wound didn't become infected. By noon, he had regained consciousness and even drank two bowls of rice porridge.

Seeing that he was fine, Lu Yao felt relieved and asked Xiaonian and Xiaochun to stay home to take care of him while he went to the shop.

When he arrived, the two men were already awake. Lu Shiliu and Lu Yi were questioning who had sent them, using methods like slapping and beating with sticks.

One of the men had his ribs broken by Zhao Beichuan, and the other had been slashed, both severely injured. Despite their injuries, they were tough and refused to say a word.

Lu Yao stepped forward, grabbed one of their hair, and said, "Tell me who sent you to kill us?"

"Spit, I won't talk. Just give me a quick death."

Lu Yao sneered, "Quick death? After someone dared to lay a hand on my husband, do you think I'll give you a quick death? Lu Yi, heat up some water!"

"Yes."

Lu Yi lit the stove and filled the pot with water, which soon boiled.

Lu Yao picked up a ladle, scooped out a scoop of boiling water, and poured it over the two men, scalding them so badly that their skin split open, and their screams echoed endlessly.

Lu Yi and Lu Shiliu were stunned, having previously thought their master was gentle and kind, but now realizing he was more like a demon from hell!

One scoop wasn't enough; Lu Yao scooped another and poured it over them.

Seeing Lu Yao about to pour more boiling water, one of the men shouted in fear, "I'll talk, I'll talk! It was Old Qiu who hired us, paying two hundred taels to kill the owner of the Lu family restaurant, with another three hundred taels after the job was done. Please spare my life, please spare my life!"

"Who is Old Qiu?" Lu Yao didn't remember ever offending this person.

"Old Qiu specializes in taking on jobs for others. You can find him at Tian's gambling den on the first and fifteenth of every month."

Lu Yao only believed a third of what these two said; the rest would be left to the authorities to investigate.

Lu Yao wrote a letter and sent Lu Shiliu to the governor's office, detailing the assassination attempt and the capture of the two killers.

Lady Jiang quickly responded, sending several soldiers to the Lu family restaurant to take away the living and dead killers.

*

The Lu family restaurant remained closed for three consecutive days, and while the customers weren't worried, Zheng Yuan was extremely anxious.

He didn't know if the three had succeeded, as there was no sign of them, dead or alive.

In the evening, Zheng Yuan arrived at the back door of Quanfu Restaurant in a small sedan chair. He got out and, seeing no one around, quietly entered.

"Why are you here again!" Feng Deyou's face changed instantly upon seeing him.

"I came to discuss a plan with you."

Feng Deyou was deeply uncomfortable and quickly had his servants close the door, "Didn't I tell you yesterday not to come anymore? If this gets out, how will our business survive?"

"I'm just worried," Zheng Yuan paced on the spot, "Logically, three people should have easily taken out one young man. Why has it been so long without any news?"

"What do you want me to do about it?"

"I sent someone to inquire today. The Lu family restaurant has been closed for three days. Even if Lu Yao isn't dead, he must be half-dead."

"So what's the problem?"

"But why hasn't anyone come to collect the remaining money..."

Zheng Yuan was a bit panicked, which is why he came to Feng Deyou. Since they had planned this together, neither could escape responsibility.

Feng Deyou guessed his intention to drag him into the mess and his eyes gradually turned sinister.

"Here's what we'll do. Go back and wait. If there's no news in three days, we'll think of a plan together. Don't worry about the money. Perhaps Old Qiu was delayed by something else and will come in a day or two."

"Alright, I'll go back. If you hear anything, please send someone to inform me."

"Sure."

As soon as Zheng Yuan left, Feng Deyou called his trusted subordinate, "We can't keep this man around. Act quickly and get rid of him, but do it cleanly so no one finds out."

"Yes."

*

On the fourth day after Lu Yao was attacked, Old Qiu was caught and confessed to hiring Zheng Yuan to commit the murder.

The authorities surrounded Yazhaiju, but Zheng Yuan was not at the restaurant. A servant said the owner hadn't come that morning.

The soldiers then rushed to Zheng Yuan's house and found him hanging from a beam, leaving behind a suicide note detailing his jealousy of the Lu family restaurant and his involvement in hiring the killers. The note made no mention of Quanfu Restaurant.

With solid evidence, the case was considered closed.

After hearing Lady Jiang's account, Lu Yao suppressed his doubts and resentment, bowed, and said, "Thank you, Lady, for your help in seeking justice!"

"No need for formalities, sit down. You must have been quite shaken up, right?"

"Indeed, I never expected such a thing to happen. My husband was slashed protecting me, nearly losing his life..." Lu Yao took out a handkerchief and wiped his face, showing genuine emotion and convincing acting, evoking sympathy from Lady Jiang.

"Is he alright? Would you like me to send my doctor to check on him?"

"Thank you, Madam. I've started to feel better these past few days. The doctor said I still need some time to recover properly."

"In that case, take two old ginseng roots back to nourish yourself."

Seeing that she didn't steer the conversation towards Quanfu Restaurant, Lu Yao knew this matter was settled. Whether Zheng Yuan was the mastermind or not, it had to be him.

Jiang Ying asked a servant to wrap the ginseng and casually mentioned, "Yazhaiju is currently without an owner. Aren't you planning to inquire about it?"

Lu Yao quickly replied, "Madam, you flatter me. The rent in that area must be sky-high. We can't afford such expenses with our small business."

Jiang Ying smiled but said nothing.

Soon, a servant brought over a box, and Lu Yao thanked her profusely. "There are too many household matters to attend to. I won't disturb you further, Madam."

"Go ahead."

Leaving the Prefect's residence, Lu Yao's face darkened. Jiang Ying was clearly testing his ambitions.

Lu Yao indeed had his eye on Yazhaiju; its location was excellent, and the shop was spacious. But now wasn't the right time.

Outside, Lu Shiliu and Lu Yi saw him come out and hurriedly followed behind.

Lu Yao remained silent, and they didn't dare ask any questions. After what happened, both knew their masters were not to be trifled with.

Lu Shiliu had witnessed Zhao Beichuan slashing someone with a knife, and Lu Yi had seen Lu Yao pour boiling water on someone. Even if given a thousand reasons, they wouldn't dare entertain other thoughts.

When they returned home, "the weak and convalescing" Zhao Beichuan was feeding a mule in the courtyard.

Seeing this, Lu Yao rushed over. "Why did you come out? Does your wound still hurt?"

Zhao Beichuan looked well, though his face was still a bit pale. "I'm fine. The wound just feels a bit itchy."

"Itching doesn't mean you should scratch. It's a sign of healing."

"What about the matter?"

Lu Yao pulled him into the house, saying as they walked, "Zheng Yuan hanged himself. He left a suicide note saying he couldn't bear our restaurant taking away their business, so he hired someone to carry out the attack."

"What about Quanfu Restaurant?" Over the past few days, the two had discussed this privately. Yazhaiju's business had been poor for a long time, so why did they act only when Lu's restaurant gained fame? He didn't believe Quanfu Restaurant wasn't involved.

"Madam Jiang didn't mention it, and I didn't ask. Now that Zheng Yuan is dead, there's no one to verify anything. I'll keep an eye on Quanfu Restaurant for now."

Seeing his frowning face, Zhao Beichuan couldn't help but laugh and ruffled his hair.

"Come on, don't be upset."

Lu Yao held his hand. "I think relying solely on Madam Jiang won't work. If there's a conflict of interest in the future, we might end up dead even faster."

Zhao Beichuan's smile faded as he thought about it. Bean was still too young to rely on, and they couldn't live in such a state indefinitely.

Lu Yao thought of someone—Northern Pacification King.