Chapter 44 Survival After Calamity

Chapter 44: After the Ordeal

With a wave of the prefect's hand, yamen runners stepped forward, stripped Lei Ding of his upper garment, and bound his hands and feet to the punishment frame. Lei Ding glanced sideways and saw several men already standing beside him. The flogging board was about two fingers thick, and who knew how many lives had been lost under such boards. The lead runner approached, crouched before him, and checked the ropes binding his hands. Blocking him from view, he whispered, "Lord Lei."

Lei Ding looked up, somewhat surprised. The runner had no time for explanations and hurriedly instructed, "When the paddle hits, don't tense up. Try to go limp."

He stood, using his body to shield the action as his other hand swiftly slipped something into Lei Ding's mouth before moving to his side. Lei Ding rolled the object on his tongue with the tip—it was a pill. The taste was familiar to him; it was a pill to protect the heart and meridians, commonly used by martial artists to prevent qi and blood from surging backward.

Lei Ding swallowed the pill without changing his expression.

He understood that these runners likely intended to save him and knew that if he didn't actually die, Wu Peng would not let the matter rest.

Since that was the case, the performance had to be complete.

At the prefect's command of "Proceed," Cui Nanshan watched helplessly as the paddle was raised high and then slammed heavily onto Lei Ding's back. Tears blurred his vision, preventing him from seeing Lei Ding's clenched fists and trembling hands, the expression on his face, or the swollen, split, and torn flesh. All he saw through his tears was a spreading stain of crimson. At first, he could still hear Lei Ding's movements, but after the runner counted to thirty, there was no more sound from him—only the thud of the paddle striking flesh, as if beating a lifeless lump of meat. Lei Xun was still held at the front of the hall, while Yu Yuan and Sun Xun supported Cui Nanshan on either side, barely keeping him from collapsing to the ground.

Fifty strokes, delivered in earnest, did not take long. Soon, it was over. The runners untied Lei Ding's hands and feet, half-dragging, half-carrying him along the ground as they escorted him back before the hall.

Li Gan, too, was uneasy. Yesterday, he had ultimately accepted the silver Wu Qiu brought, not for himself but to distribute among his subordinates to ensure they would follow his orders—to inflict only superficial wounds without damaging Lei Ding's internal organs. To sell the act to the Liu family, they could not hold back; they truly struck Lei Ding's back until there was not a single patch of unbroken skin, with blood flowing freely, a dreadful sight. More importantly, when Li Gan helped Lei Ding up just now, Lei Ding's head lolled to the side, and he spat out a mouthful of bloody foam. Seeing his pale face and the blood still at the corner of his mouth, Li Gan couldn't help but wonder—

This shouldn't be happening. He had checked beforehand; Lei Ding was physically robust, and Wu Qiu had mentioned yesterday that he practiced martial arts regularly. He shouldn't have been unable to withstand it. Moreover, Li Gan had already given him the pill and watched him swallow it. Could it be that they had accidentally injured his internal organs?

Cold sweat broke out on Li Gan's forehead. As soon as the prefect announced the adjournment of the court, he immediately shook Lei Ding's arm and called his name twice. Lei Ding still showed no response. The Lei family members swarmed forward at once, and Li Gan had no choice but to let go, unable to keep holding him. Cui Nanshan and Lei Xun rushed forward in tears to support Lei Ding, who could not stand on his own and slumped against them, his loose hair soaked with sweat.

Cui Nanshan was terrified, his face pale. He and Lei Xun had been physicians for decades, but now, with their eldest son lying at death's door in his arms, he was momentarily at a loss. Li Gan quickly reminded them in a low voice, "Sirs, take him back to your residence quickly. This is no place to linger."

He flicked his eyes toward the outside. Yu Yuan followed his gaze and saw a small sedan chair parked outside the gate, with several bearers in front wearing the livery of the Liu family servants.

Inside the sedan chair were none other than Liu Yu and the accompanying Wu Peng. As a young master from a prominent family, Liu Yu could not watch the execution in person, fearing the stench of blood would affect him. Yet, unwilling to miss out, he had the sedan chair parked outside the yamen. After the punishment was over, he quietly lifted the curtain a crack to peer inside. "Fifty strokes, and with prior instructions... I wonder how it turned out."

Several servants had been sent to observe earlier, and now one returned to report—it was Xue Hu. Xue Hu was beaming with triumph and said repeatedly, "Young Master, I saw it with my own eyes. That Lei Ding was beaten until his skin split and flesh tore, bleeding profusely. He couldn't even walk half a step on his own."

Liu Yu, who had little experience with such matters, clapped his hands and laughed upon hearing this. "Good, that's satisfying! Let's see if he can still act so arrogant now."

Wu Peng, with his sharp eyes, said, "Just skin splitting and flesh tearing isn't enough. Our five hundred taels of silver weren't meant to buy him some superficial pain. Did you see clearly whether he's still alive?"

Xue Hu hurriedly replied, "You're right, sir. I was afraid he might be resilient, so I squeezed to the front for a closer look. I saw it clearly—as soon as Lei Ding was taken down from the rack, he vomited blood and showed no signs of life. I reckon even if he's alive by some chance now, he won't last long. I'm afraid his family's miraculous medicines won't have time to take effect before he breathes his last!"

Only then did Wu Peng nod. Just then, the crowd of onlookers outside parted to make way as Lei Ding was carried out and loaded onto the Lei family's carriage. Some commoners noticed the Liu family's sedan chair and whispered among themselves, but fearing the family's influence, no one dared approach.

Liu Yu grew restless. "Why are they staring at us? Do they dare gossip behind our backs?"

Wu Peng spoke calmly, "What's the hurry? Your leg is still injured; don't move around recklessly. Now that Lei Ding is dead, let them say whatever they want. We should return to the estate. There are too many gawkers outside; it's no place for you."

While the commoners gossiped about the Liu family's actions, Lei Xun and the others paid no attention. Sun Xun rode ahead to clear the way, while Yu Yuan drove the carriage closely behind, rushing back to the clinic. Lei Xun and Cui Nanshan stayed in the rear compartment, tending to Lei Ding. Lei Ding had remained silent outside, not even opening his eyes. Now, back in the carriage with no outsiders watching, he finally opened his eyes. His lips moved as if trying to speak, but no words came out—only an extremely suppressed groan of pain.

The wounds on his back were too severe for him to lie down or sit up. The carriage was too narrow for him to lie prone, so he could only half-support himself, leaning in Cui Nanshan's arms. Cui Nanshan dared not touch his back, barely holding his shoulders instead. Lei Xun pressed on the philtrum below his nose. Lei Ding, originally dazed and nearly unconscious, regained some clarity from the pressure. Struggling to open his eyes, he mustered all his strength to speak, instructing Cui Nanshan, "Don't... don't let Qiu Er see... have someone... watch over him..."

He feared his gruesome injuries would frighten and distress Wu Qiu, who might not be able to bear it. He also worried that with everyone busy tending to him, no one would be watching over Wu Qiu. If Wu Qiu experienced any discomfort, there would be no one to treat him promptly.

These few words seemed to drain all of Lei Ding's strength. His voice grew weaker and weaker, and after speaking, his head lolled to the side as he fell completely unconscious.

For Wu Qiu, every moment since meeting Li Gan yesterday had been torture. Last night, Cui Nanshan and Yang Shu stayed in his room, fearing something might happen to him. Though Wu Qiu was grateful, with Lei Ding absent from the east wing, his heart felt incomplete.

He found a set of inner garments Lei Ding had changed out of the previous day, which hadn't yet been given to Madam Liu for washing. Clutching the clothes, he curled up under the covers. Weeping softly, he sniffed the scent on the garments and draped the sleeves over himself, imagining Lei Ding holding him close.

He also knew that if anything happened to him now, the family would be even more overwhelmed. Therefore, he did not insist on going with Cui Nanshan today but stayed in the east wing, waiting for their return. Yang Shu, Lei Li, and Lei Tan also stayed in his room, comforting each other. Wu Qiu desperately restrained himself from thinking the worst, but the anxiety in his heart was unstoppable. When Lei Li and Lei Tan spoke, he often drifted off, unable to focus, restless and uneasy.

The child seemed to sense something too, moving more actively than usual, turning and kicking in his belly. Wu Qiu gently patted his stomach with one hand, soothing the restless child, while with the other, he picked up the fetal-calming decoction that had been set aside to cool and drank it in one gulp. He had to be brave—not only to protect his child but also to allow Lei Ding to recover peacefully without worrying about him.

A commotion arose outside. Lei Li and Lei Tan stood up simultaneously. "It must be Father and Eldest Brother back!"

Wu Qiu immediately urged the two children to go check and help treat Lei Ding. Lei Li and Lei Tan were reluctant to leave him alone, so in the end, only Lei Tan went to look, while Lei Li remained behind. Lei Tan returned shortly, his eyes and nose red. Wu Qiu anxiously asked, "How is it? Are the injuries severe?"

Wu Qiu grew truly fearful now, grabbing Lei Tan's hand. "Good Tan Er, please, tell me the truth. I can handle it. Is your eldest brother really alright? Really alright? No... I can't wait. I need to see him."

As he tried to get up, Lei Li and Yang Shu hurriedly stopped him. Yang Shu held his hand. "Good child, you mustn't go out."

Lei Tan also urged, "Brother Qiu, Eldest Brother's life isn't in danger, but he lost a lot of blood. If you see him and it shocks the fetus, what then?"

Wu Qiu's heart ached with pain and anxiety, but he understood that with everyone busy treating Lei Ding outside, he really shouldn't go out. He didn't even dare to weep aloud, afraid that excessive grief might harm the fetus. He could only suppress it with all his might, letting tears roll down silently. Yang Shu held him, comforting him. "It won't be long. Once Master Cui and the others treat his wounds, you can go to the front."

While Wu Qiu wept inside, Cui Nanshan and the others outside hadn't stopped their tears either. The wounds on Lei Ding's back were too gruesome, and he had lost considerable blood. They had to fetch several basins of water to clean the injuries first. Lei Ding had been unconscious, but whenever Cui Nanshan touched the wounds on his back, the pain would jolt him awake. Lei Xun brewed a dose of anesthetic powder and forced it down his throat, finally sparing him some suffering during the cleaning.

The clinic had prepared the best medicinal herbs for wound treatment yesterday. Yu Yuan held Lei Ding's body, fearing he might struggle if he woke. Lei Xun and Cui Nanshan applied the medicine for him, layer by layer, wrapping it with white gauze, and prepared internal medicine for him to take.

Cui Nanshan suddenly remembered Lei Ding vomiting blood at the yamen earlier and grew frightened again. Lei Xun had already checked Lei Ding's pulse and confirmed no internal injuries, but if there were no internal injuries, why would he vomit blood? Cui Nanshan felt chilled to the bone, his hands trembling, unable to steady the pulse. He quickly pulled Sun Xun over. "Good child, check his pulse again. See if there are any internal injuries."

Sun Xun also recalled the earlier scene and focused intently, placing his hand on Lei Ding's wrist. Everyone held their breath, waiting. After examining carefully for a long while, Sun Xun finally shook his head. "The pulse doesn't seem to indicate any..."

Yu Yuan seemed to remember something. Using a medicine spoon, he pried open Lei Ding's mouth and examined it closely before suddenly laughing. "So Eldest Brother knew this was an act to fool the Liu family! He bit his tongue and spat out blood when facing others, pretending to be severely injured and vomiting blood. In reality, his internal organs are unharmed!"

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