Chapter 48: It’s Me!

The house where Huang Fu stayed was slightly off the beaten path, and there were no food vendors nearby, so he rode his mule eastward.

That place was more than ten miles from Kaifeng Prefecture, making it difficult to be discovered. There were some villages and towns nearby, with tea huts, restaurants, and inns along the roadside, where passing merchants could rest and eat.

“I want ten meat-filled steamed buns, a fat chicken, a corner of wine, and a few side dishes. If there’s steamed fish, bring a bowl!”

Huang Fu, who thought he was about to marry a wife, was very happy and ordered several large dishes that he had seen at wedding banquets in the past.

Because he was afraid of being recognized, Huang Fu deliberately covered his face. In the already warming summer, this made him somewhat conspicuous, and the restaurant waiter instinctively looked at him a few times.

Huang Fu, feeling guilty, quickly pulled his face mask up further and angrily cursed, “You bastard, why are you staring at your grandfather? Hurry up and go!”

The waiter, having been scolded, felt very wronged but couldn’t argue and could only grumble inwardly as he left.

Huang Fu warily looked around and kept urging the waiter. When the items were finally ready, he carelessly threw some silver coins and took them and left.

The waiter stared at his back for a while, seemingly recalling something. He suddenly slapped his palm and turned inside to shout, “Boss, boss, that man just now…”

Originally, this area was sparsely populated, but on his way back, Huang Fu unexpectedly heard faint sounds of horses in the distance.

He suddenly jumped into the roadside bushes, only revealing his two eyes through the leaves to spy. Before long, indeed, two riders galloped past.

They were the yamen runners from Kaifeng Prefecture!

Could they have found him here so quickly? Or were they just passing by on other official business?

Huang Fu cursed under his breath and dared not take chances. He waited for a while, confirmed there was no second wave, and then crawled out from the bushes.

Just as he was about to leave, he thought for a moment and decided to abandon the main road, running instead through the narrow path in the bushes.

That small path had long been deserted, filled with insects and rodents. The wild grass on both sides grew taller than his head, and the rough leaves cut his exposed face. The sweat seeped into the wounds, causing both pain and itching.

When he returned and saw Zhang Baozhu was still there, Huang Fu secretly breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that this young girl had probably truly accepted her fate.

Indeed, with how sincere he had been to her, if she still refused to appreciate it, wouldn’t she be worse than pigs and dogs?

Moreover, he was sure she had been somewhat fond of him long ago; otherwise, why would she have smiled only at him back then?

But thinking again about his humiliating escape when he returned, he couldn’t help but feel a surge of anger and vent it on her.

He carelessly threw the wine and meat on the table, grabbed her hair, and started cursing, “It’s all because of you, you lowly woman, that I had to hide like a dog. If you dare…”

The intense pain came from her scalp, but Zhang Baozhu was so delighted she almost cried out.

What was he hiding from?

It must be the government men coming!

She was saved!

I’m saved!

Zhang Baozhu quickly spoke to comfort him, “Brother Huang, are you so happy you’ve gone mad? What are you afraid of? Now I’ve made up my mind to regard you as my lifelong support. As soon as we’ve had enough to eat and drink, we will get married. Tomorrow morning, I’ll go home and tell my parents I won’t marry anyone else. The past few days were just a plan we agreed upon to elope together. I’m sure my parents will be helpless about it. Once we do this, what can the Li family do, or even the authorities?

My parents love me. As long as I speak up, they will certainly give you money as capital. With your abilities, you will surely turn things around within three or five years… We can be a proper couple and live happily ever after. Isn’t that great?”

She hadn’t expected the authorities to come so quickly. She was so delighted she was almost beside herself, but she kept reminding herself not to fail at the final moment and had to stabilize him even more, so she rambled on with nonsense.

Huang Fu’s raised fist did not fall again, but his anger had not yet subsided. He sneered, “You stinking whore, you talk so sweetly. Do you really want to be with me?”

Zhang Baozhu nodded, “I’ve already been taken away by you. Can I still return to the Li family?”

“Good for you to understand!” Huang Fu felt a bit more comfortable and grabbed the wine and meat, spreading them on the table, “I’m starving. Come on, have a drink with your master. We can’t stay here anymore. We’ll leave first thing tomorrow morning.”

Zhang Baozhu was greatly alarmed but tried to remain calm and said, “Isn’t this place quite nice to live in? I’ve never seen such a big house before. Where else could we go?”

“Typical woman’s view!” Huang Fu scoffed, unwilling to argue with Baozhu. However, his mind was quickly calculating.

He thought that perhaps the wanted notices had already been issued outside, and it was only a matter of time before they found this place. He had to leave quickly.

As long as he left Kaifeng’s territory quickly, he wouldn’t have to fear anything.

As for how sincere the girl’s words were earlier, he didn’t care. He wasn’t afraid of the Zhang family either. Once the rice was cooked, once she was pregnant, the Zhang family would have to accept it whether they liked it or not!

Hmph, women, you have to conquer them in bed!

When the time comes and she has children, will she still be willing to run away, will she have the heart to run?

Hehe, you people always say I’m no good. What about now?

In my opinion, establishing a family and career is just a matter of moments. Indeed, the timid starve to death, and the bold ones get everything.

Later, wearing his parents’ old wedding clothes to get married and burning some yellow paper for their wishes, it would also fulfill their wishes.

Hmph, those two old bastards scolded me a lot back then, but what could they do now? Aren’t they still getting what they wanted?

Huang Fu felt very filial and became even more pleased with himself, urging Baozhu to pour the wine again.

Zhang Baozhu’s heart sank. After a brief moment of panic, she immediately made a decision.

She absolutely could not go with him.

It had been so difficult for the Kaifeng Prefecture men to find this area. If she left with him, she wouldn’t know where she would end up. She was afraid she would inevitably be violated. If she were defiled by such a lecherous thief, it would be more painful than death!

As she poured wine for Huang Fu, she secretly resolved.

*****

Since the case broke out, Xie Yu and others had barely closed their eyes. Even when they ate, they took turns to ensure they wouldn’t delay and endanger the innocent girl’s life.

Centered around Kaifeng Prefecture, everyone spread out a large net. Wherever there were people, they would go in and ask; wherever there were houses, they would enter to investigate, fearing they might miss even the slightest clue.

At this moment, they were searching when suddenly someone came to report that not long ago, a suspicious person had bought food at a restaurant outside a small town in the southeast.

As soon as Xie Yu heard this, he hurriedly led people there himself.

“He ordered a lot of wine and meat at once and didn’t let anyone deliver it. Then he went northwest,” the waiter pointed in the direction Huang Fu had left, “The servant here just looked at him for a moment, and he became very agitated and started cursing…”

Originally, the shopkeeper’s words were partly out of vengeance, but upon reflection, the customer did indeed have many suspicious points.

The shops and stalls around here most often served either passing merchants, who mostly ate on-site before leaving, or local residents, who, even if they didn’t eat here, would carefully pack a large food box and entrust the waiter to deliver it, bringing the box back.

But that person didn’t carry any luggage, didn’t eat here, and was in a hurry to leave, not allowing anyone to deliver it. It was strange no matter how one thought about it.

Xie Yu took out Huang Fu’s portrait, “Is this the person?”

The waiter squinted and looked for a long time, uncertainly saying, “It was late at night, and he was wearing a face mask. The servant was just curious and took a couple of glances, so I couldn’t see clearly. If I just look at his eyebrows and eyes, he does look somewhat similar.”

There was naturally some difference between the portrait and the real person. It was already difficult for inexperienced ordinary people to recognize, let alone when he was wearing a mask.

But with these few sentences, it was already rare.

Xie Yu asked the yamen runner behind him, “What is in the northwest?”

The runner took out the property manuscript that Yuanpei and others had brought back earlier and flipped through it, “There are no Huang family houses there. There are only two mansions belonging to different owners. Because they are in a remote area and inconvenient to enter the city, they rarely come here after becoming prosperous. Now they are both empty.”

Empty houses… Xie Yu raised his hand and cracked the whip, “Go! Send the signal fire, let the brothers nearby hurry over!”

****

Zhang Baozhu had made up her mind and softly persuaded Huang Fu to drink. However, the man, after a few cups, just stared at her and said, “Little bitch, are you planning to get me drunk so you can run away?”

Her plan was exposed, and Baozhu’s hand trembled as she forced a smile and said, “Brother Huang, what are you talking about? I was just thinking that on such a night of our wedding, it would be a pity to have meat without wine. Shouldn’t we drink a few more cups?”

Huang Fu, satisfied with her words, hugged her and laughed heartily. He suddenly grabbed the wine pot, pinched Baozhu’s mouth, and forced her to drink, “Since that’s the case, my good girl, you also eat. Let’s have a cup together and become happy lovebirds!”

After a few sips, Baozhu felt dizzy and flushed, both anxious and angry. Her throat rolled, and she opened her mouth and vomited.

Huang Fu was furious, threw her aside, and started cursing again.

Zhang Baozhu vomited for a long time, ignoring his noise. She finally dared not try again, fearing that Huang Fu wouldn’t get drunk, but she would lose consciousness first.

Fortunately, it was only the coarse wine brewed by a farmer’s family, which was weak in flavor and low in alcohol content. After vomiting once, she could still barely hold on.

Baozhu smiled apologetically, said a few good words, and quickly returned to the table to eat heartily.

With an empty stomach and weak limbs, how could she escape?

She had to fill her stomach first!

After the meal, Huang Fu could no longer wait and wanted to pull her into the room.

Zhang Baozhu was ashamed and furious. In a moment of desperation, she said cleverly, “Master, master, just now Baozhu was rude and dirtied your clothes. Let me serve you as an apology.”

Huang Fu was already a bit drunk, but his mind was still clear. After hearing her words and thinking for a moment, he agreed.

He loved to see virtuous women acting like prostitutes. If this little girl truly submitted willingly and flattered him to the utmost, it would be more refreshing than drinking cool honey water on a hot summer day!

Baozhu, suppressing her nausea, served him with trembling hands as he lay down, her mind racing with thoughts on how to find a good opportunity to escape.

It was said that she had been married before and had some knowledge of such matters. She knew that men were naturally stronger and faster than women, so a direct confrontation was impossible. But there was one place that was particularly vulnerable.

In the past, she didn’t know her own strength and accidentally touched it when she was with Li Er. The other party almost died from the pain. If she could do the same now…

Huang Fu, confident of victory, half-reclined on the bed, his face flushed with excitement, his eyes filled with lustful thoughts.

“My good girl, be thorough. Do it well, and there will be a reward!”

Baozhu gritted her teeth in hatred, mumbled a few words, and saw that his eyes were closed in pleasure. She immediately steeled herself, swung her arm, and used all her strength to grab his most sensitive area and yanked hard!

Something seemed to snap!

“Ahh!!” Huang Fu let out a piercing scream, kicked Baozhu away, clutched his crotch, and fell down, his face instantly turning pale, cold sweat pouring down.

This was a pain that no man could endure. Huang Fu’s kick was full of force. If his pants hadn’t been half off, making it hard to lift his leg, Baozhu might have been kicked into unconsciousness on the spot.

Despite that, she flew backward several steps, her chest aching unbearably, her vision darkening.

This was her chance!

Baozhu’s heart pounded like a drum, her will to survive instantly overpowering the pain. She staggered to her feet and ran toward the door as fast as she could.

“Ah, it hurts so much!” Huang Fu curled into a ball, rolling on the bed, “Bitch, you bitch!”

He struggled to get up, stretching out his claw-like hands to catch Baozhu, but the pain made his vision go black, his legs gave way, and he fell to the ground.

“Ahh!”

Baozhu was terrified, frantically pulling the door bolt, and throwing herself into the endless darkness.

Run, run fast!

Faster!

Her mind was blank, she couldn’t think of anything, just desperately swinging her legs and running forward. The cool night wind whistled in her ears, accompanied by her wildly beating heart, almost exploding, deafening her.

Run!

Faster!

She didn’t know where she was, her mind filled with only one thought: run, run as far away as possible!

Now that she had hurt Huang Fu, if she was caught back, it would surely be disastrous.

Run, even if she accidentally entered a wolf’s den or fell into a river and drowned, she would rather die than fall into the hands of the lecherous thief!

The roadside was full of wild grass, which often caught her clothes. Baozhu took off her outer robe, leaving only her undergarments, and continued to run frantically.

While running, she hurriedly looked around to identify the direction. Unintentionally, she tripped over a tree root and fell heavily to the ground.

The fall was very hard, Baozhu felt her whole body go numb, her chin hit the ground, her mouth full of blood, her head buzzing.

But she didn’t know when Huang Fu would catch up, so she didn’t dare delay for a moment. She staggered to her feet, holding her head and opening her eyes to desperately look around.

There’s light!

There’s light over there!

Where there is light, there are people, and where there are people, she could be saved!

Like grabbing a lifeline, the exhausted limbs that had already run out of strength suddenly found some more, and Baozhu, holding her breath, started running again.

Faster! Faster!

Run! Run!

She had been a bit drunk before, but now she had sweated out both cold and hot sweat, and the little bit of alcohol had flown out through her pores.

She had never been so clear-headed as now.

“Stop, you little bitch!” Huang Fu’s voice came from far behind.

He was chasing her!

Baozhu was terrified but dared not look back.

Is there anyone? Save me!

Her legs felt as heavy as lead, her chest burned with pain, each breath felt like being pricked by needles, with a strong metallic taste.

She didn’t know how much longer she could run or if she could survive, but as long as the pursuer hadn’t caught up yet, she couldn’t stop for a moment.

She didn’t know how far or how long she had run, but Huang Fu’s voice was getting closer. Just as Zhang Baozhu was almost despairing, she suddenly heard the sound of horse hooves in the distance!

Someone was coming!

She pushed away her messy hair and looked up toward the sound, only to see a few flickering lights in the dark gradually approaching.

Someone was coming!

Seeing a glimmer of hope in despair, Baozhu was both surprised and delighted, and her feet suddenly quickened.

She didn’t care if Huang Fu heard her anymore. While running, she screamed hoarsely, “Help! Help me!”

Huang Fu, who heard the noise, immediately locked onto her position and, feeling the burning pain in his crotch, gritted his teeth and said, “Whore, let’s see who will save you!”

Baozhu screamed for help many times. The sound of hooves in the distance paused, as if the riders were carefully identifying the direction. Then, indeed, they turned toward this side.

The riders shouted while running, “We are the yamen runners from Kaifeng Prefecture. Is that Zhang Baozhu?!”

It was the officials!

Baozhu was overjoyed to the point of tears and screamed hoarsely, “It’s me, it’s me! Help!”

When the several riders heard this, they immediately cracked their whips, and their horses’ speed suddenly increased.

Kaifeng Prefecture officials had come? Huang Fu, who also heard the noise, was greatly surprised. How could they be so fast? That shouldn’t be possible!

What should he do? Should he run?

But looking at Zhang Baozhu, who was only dozens of steps ahead, Huang Fu was reluctant.

His manhood was almost torn off, probably ruined. That woman dared to deceive him and injure him. Such a deep hatred could not be forgiven!

He steeled his heart and immediately rushed forward like a madman.

Even if he died, he would drag that woman with him, becoming a ghost couple in the underworld!

Hearing the footsteps suddenly approaching from behind, Baozhu’s hair stood on end. She fearfully reached out to the yamen runners who were already visible ahead, “Help!”

“Stop the villain!”

“Stop!”

The leading rider roared, seeing that Huang Fu not only didn’t stop but instead became more aggressive, rushing forward. The torchlight illuminated his face, looking like a wild beast.

“Damn it!” He immediately took the bow and arrows from his back, drew the bow, and in an instant, an arrow shot out like a meteor.

Zhang Baozhu felt a cold breeze brush past her cheek, lifting a few strands of messy hair, and then heard a muffled groan from behind. A claw-like hand fiercely landed on her shoulder but unwillingly fell away.

She suddenly widened her eyes, her mind buzzing, vaguely guessing something, and froze in place, too afraid to move.

In an instant, several riders arrived nearby. The rider who had shot the arrow smoothly dismounted and asked with concern, “Madam Zhang, are you alright?”

This voice directly pulled Zhang Baozhu back from shock and fear.

She slowly blinked her eyes, gathered her courage, and stiffly turned around. She saw Huang Fu lying on the ground, groaning, an arrow piercing through his shoulder, blood staining half of his body.

“Madam Zhang?” Seeing her dazed look, the yamen runner called again, “Madam Zhang?”

They had finally found her, but they were afraid she might be scared out of her wits.

Zhang Baozhu suddenly shuddered, then took a few steps to Huang Fu’s side, looking down at him, and said in a low, clear voice, “I won the bet.”

After saying that, she lifted her leg high and stepped fiercely on Huang Fu’s crotch!

Huang Fu, already severely injured, rolled his eyes and didn’t even make a sound before fainting.

The yamen runners all sucked in a breath of cold air.

After doing all this, Zhang Baozhu stood straight, swaying, then stood still for a while, finally bursting into tears.