Chapter 23

Summer rain comes as quickly as it departs. Not only did the Gu family’s bamboo house leak, but even the sturdier tiled houses in the village could not escape the deluge.

Zhang Cuilan and Jiang Yun were rushing about, their feet barely touching the ground. The wind had torn away thatch from the roof, and rainwater dripped through the gaps onto the floor. With several bamboo stalks in the nearby grove snapped by the gale, they had no way to gather new thatch for repairs. Besides, such work had always been done by Gu Chengwu. Now that he was away, neither Jiang Yun nor Zhang Cuilan knew how to climb onto the roof.

"This really won't do. I must hurry and find someone to fix the tiled roof."

Previously, she had been reluctant to part with the money, thinking a mud-brick house would be just fine to live in. But seeing Jiang Yun running back and forth without a single word of complaint, her heart softened, and she no longer held any objections to the repairs.

"Put on your straw cape. There are a few wooden tubs in the courtyard; go grab them to catch the rain. We’ll just have to make do for now."

"All right, Mother," he replied.

Jiang Yun had no complaints about the Gu family’s current situation; in fact, he felt nothing but gratitude. He was fortunate that the Gu family were good people who had rescued him from such a living hell.

The bamboo grove became hazy as the rain intensified. As Jiang Yun bent down to pick up a wooden tub, he looked up and saw a tall, blurred figure appearing in the grove.

No one ever came here, and because of the poor visibility, Jiang Yun subconsciously assumed it was Gu Chengwu returning. Holding the tub, he waited expectantly.

Down in the mountains, the storm was raging, and it was no better up on the high ridges. The wild animals had all gone into hiding. Gu Chengwu had been lying in wait for over ten days, but aside from a pheasant caught in a trap he had set earlier, he had managed to bag no game. Hunting depended on the whims of heaven; even with his formidable martial arts skills, he could not guarantee a catch every time.

The pheasant was barely clinging to life and would not fetch much at the market. There was still plenty of salted meat at home, so they would not be short of food for a while.

On the day of the wedding, it was Li Si who had run errands and helped out. After descending the mountain, Gu Chengwu did not return home but went straight to town to give the pheasant to Li Si as a token of gratitude.

Since gaining favor and a promotion from the county magistrate, Li Si no longer had to patrol under the sun and rain. He was currently hiding in his rented courtyard, drinking wine and eating peanuts.

Hearing a knock at the gate, he guessed who it was.

"Brother Gu, what brings you here today? Come in quickly before you get soaked; it’s as if the sky has been poked full of holes." Li Si took the bird from Gu Chengwu and ushered him inside.

It was not Gu Chengwu’s first visit, so he did not stand on ceremony. He shed his straw cape and sat under the eaves.

"The pheasant is for you. Thank you for all your help on my wedding day."

"That was only right. You are my elder brother; doing things for you is not about seeking a reward." Though he said this, Li Si accepted the pheasant. He knew Brother Gu’s temperament: once a gift was given, it would never be taken back. Besides, he was fond of the meat.

"I have another favor to ask of you."

After finishing his tea—which Li Si had provided—to shake off the fatigue of his journey through the rain, he wanted to finish his business quickly and return to Qingmiao Village.

"Speak freely."

Gu Chengwu said, "I plan to repair my roof with tiles. Could you help me inquire if there are any skilled craftsmen in town? It would be best to find someone reliable who can get the job done properly."

As an official in the yamen, Li Si was most familiar with the goings-on in town. Gu Chengwu trusted him to find the right person, which would save a lot of trouble; it was always better to work with someone whose background was known.

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Si patted his chest and promised to handle it.

The two shared a bond forged in the fires of war; there was no need for pretense. Li Si wanted to keep him for a meal, but seeing the late hour, Gu Chengwu decided he should head back.

He had only taken a few steps out of the gate when a young constable, looking panicked, rushed toward Li Si’s house and brushed past Gu Chengwu. It was clear something major had happened.

Though the town had been peaceful for years, incidents were inevitable, and Gu Chengwu paid it no mind.

However, just as he mounted his horse, Li Si ran out through the rain and stopped him. Ignoring the rain, Li Si looked grim.

"Brother Gu, something has happened at your home."

Two hours earlier, Jiang Yun had been using the wooden tub to catch water when he saw the blurred figure in the bamboo grove and, thinking it was Gu Chengwu, waited in anticipation.

But the person who arrived was not Gu Chengwu—it was Master Liu, the man who had wanted to force him into a ghost marriage.

Ever since Jiang Yun had been saved from the river, Master Liu had been frantic. Unable to find him, he had gone to the Jiang family, where he interrogated Liu Guihua until he learned that Jiang Yun had married only a few days prior.

That was a person he had bought for dozens of taels of silver to marry his deceased son; with the person gone and his money wasted, he could not let it go.

He had chosen a time when Gu Chengwu was away to abduct Jiang Yun quietly, never expecting to startle the woman in the house.

Zhang Cuilan’s eyes were red, and she was gasping for air in her fury. Wiping her tears, she said, "The heartless wretches! In the blink of an eye, I sent Yun-ge'er to get the tubs. Who would have thought? I only heard the sound of the tubs hitting the ground, and he was already being taken away."

Several burly men had arrived at once. As a woman, she was no match for them and could only watch helplessly as Yun-ge'er was dragged off. She followed them all the way to a mansion in town but could not get inside.

In her panic, she remembered to seek out the county yamen. Fortunately, the constable on duty had attended Gu Chengwu’s wedding with Li Si and knew he was an important person, so he had rushed to find Li Si without delay.

Only when Zhang Cuilan saw Gu Chengwu appear at the yamen did she regain a shred of composure.

The surrounding air seemed to freeze. Rainwater pelted Gu Chengwu’s shoulders. His lips were pressed into a thin line, and deep within his eyes lurked an murderous intent.

Watching him, Li Si suddenly remembered the years of war, when Gu Chengwu had worn the exact same expression as he severed the head of an enemy commander.

"Lead the way."

Zhang Cuilan did not dare delay for a second, leading the men toward the back of the Liu residence. "It’s the last house on Camphor Tree Lane. I followed them myself."

At these words, the sound of hoofbeats thundered against the earth, cutting through the curtain of rain as they sped toward the lane.

...

In the back courtyard of the Liu mansion, the mourning hall was empty, save for a spirit tablet. The young man on the floor was curled slightly in a state of semi-consciousness, drenched from head to toe, his cheeks flushed with an abnormal fever.

Jiang Yun did not know how he had woken up. When he opened his eyes, his head was spinning, and his breathing was burning with fever. The surrounding white banners and paper money made him realize his predicament.

His mouth was gagged, so he could not speak, let alone scream.

Madam Liu, who had appeared so kind that day, now sat in the mourning hall, rolling prayer beads in her hands, her gaze fixed on him with disgust.

"It is your good fortune that we allowed you to enter our door. When you die, your name will be carved into the Liu family ancestral hall. But you dared to marry some wild man behind my son’s back. Since you are so ungrateful, do not blame us for being unkind."

Jiang Yun struggled with his bound hands, his heart filled with terror. He did not want to marry a dead man; he wanted to live.

As he struggled, Jiang Yun’s strength gradually faded, and all he could think of was Gu Chengwu.

Madam Liu seemed to see through his thoughts and said, "You were abducted. If a young man arrives at such a large estate, do you think people will believe nothing happened?"

Jiang Yun froze, not understanding her meaning.

Having achieved her desired effect, Madam Liu continued, "Do you think your husband will still want a spouse who has lost his purity? He will likely be too busy driving you away."

With that, Madam Liu closed the doors of the ancestral hall and left. The pitch-black room was airtight, and Jiang Yun felt as if he were sinking to the bottom of a lake, enveloped by fear and cold.

He did not dare imagine life after being cast out of the Gu family. They were good people, and Gu Chengwu was a good man, but who would want a spouse who had been abducted and lost his honor? In the village, such a person might even be thrown into a pig cage to drown.

A faint light filtered through the window, illuminating Jiang Yun’s pale face. The high fever clouded his consciousness, and in his daze, he thought he saw the figure of Gu Chengwu.

It must be a dream. Gu Chengwu should still be on the mountain.

Only when he was lifted up and felt the physical warmth of the man’s body did Jiang Yun realize it was real.

The man was soaked and cold, clearly having braved the rain. Water droplets from his hair trailed down his jawline and onto Jiang Yun’s chest. Behind Gu Chengwu, where Jiang Yun could not see, the blood on his dagger had not yet dried.

Jiang Yun’s mouth moved, and he buried his head in Gu Chengwu’s chest. Only the damp warmth soaking through his clothes reminded Gu Chengwu that he was crying—even his weeping was so cautious.

"It’s over. I’m here." Gu Chengwu’s arms were slightly stiff as he held him. Not knowing how to comfort anyone, he could only offer this one sentence.

The peace of the Liu mansion was shattered when the door was kicked open. The gatekeeper did not even see who it was; he only saw a blurred shadow streak past.

A moment later, the screams of a woman and a man echoed through the house. When the servants rushed over, their masters had already been bound and thrown outside the hall. Master Liu had a finger severed, and Madam Liu was in no better shape; someone had slapped her face so hard that the mark was etched into her skin.

"You insolent ruffian! Do you know where you are? How dare you break into a residence in broad daylight!" Master Liu was delirious with rage, the severed half of his finger lying on the ground nearby.

Once he regained his senses and looked closer, he realized the intruder was the young man he had seen that day—Jiang Yun’s husband.

The insults died in Master Liu’s throat, and he scuttled backward in fear. When he met the murderous gaze of Gu Chengwu, he lost control of his bladder, his face turning a sickly shade of blue.

Gu Chengwu untied the ropes from Jiang Yun’s hands and placed him on a chair in the hall, whispering softly, "I’m going outside to deal with this. Don't look."

He closed the door, separating the world into two spaces. Jiang Yun had not yet recovered from the shock of his abduction, and with Gu Chengwu not by his side, his heart felt suspended in the air.

Just as he wanted to follow, he heard the wailing outside, accompanied by desperate pleas for mercy.

By the time Gu Chengwu finished dealing with them, Zhang Cuilan and Li Si had finally arrived.

Master Liu, with a broken hand and leg, knew that pleading was useless and turned to threats instead. "I’ll report this to the authorities! I’ll have the magistrate execute you!"

Before he could finish, Gu Chengwu stepped on him, punching him and knocking out his teeth. Madam Liu, lying in the rain, saw this and fainted from fright.

At the entrance, Zhang Cuilan said worriedly, "What are we to do? Wu-zi has beaten them; I fear the magistrate will not let him off."

In this world, corruption between officials and merchants was rampant. If the magistrate didn't side with the wealthy and powerful Master Liu, would he really side with poor farmers like them? In her haste, Zhang Cuilan forgot that the Liu family was at fault from the start.

Li Si, however, was not as frantic as Zhang Cuilan. "Auntie, you underestimate Brother Gu. He never does anything without being sure of the outcome."

Ever since Gu Chengwu started working in town, Li Si had helped him out from time to time. He had often seen high-ranking officials' sons interacting with Gu Chengwu at the archery range; he was certainly not as reckless as he appeared.

Brother Gu was not a man of only brawn and no brains; otherwise, he wouldn't have captured the enemy leader alive all those years ago. Li Si sometimes wondered why Brother Gu, who could have been a general based on his military merits, would choose to be a hunter in Qingmiao Village instead of serving as an official.

Moreover, he knew the Liu family well; they weren't as close to the magistrate as Master Liu claimed. Last year, their greed had nearly affected the magistrate’s promotion review, and the official had been looking for a chance to deal with them anyway.

Gu Chengwu didn't even need to do anything; Li Si could handle this himself.

Li Si, hand on his sword, stepped forward with a fake smile, projecting an air of fairness and justice. "Master Liu, the magistrate is a busy man. You can tell me whatever you need to say."

Gu Chengwu finished his work and let out a cold laugh, tossing Master Liu into the courtyard like garbage.

The rain was still falling. Master Liu crawled and rolled through the mud, but he didn't care; seeing Li Si, he acted as if he had seen his ancestor. "Constable Li, you must uphold justice for me! This murderous bandit broke into my home and beat me..."

Li Si gave Gu Chengwu a look, signaling him to take his spouse home; he could handle the rest.

The Liu family was no threat to Gu Chengwu. But with someone waiting for him inside, he didn't want to waste time. After handing things over to Li Si, he went back in to retrieve Jiang Yun.

Zhang Cuilan followed them, patting her chest in lingering fear. "Thank goodness he’s safe. If something had truly happened, I wouldn't know how to face my godson." She had been the one who failed to watch over him; if Jiang Yun had come to harm, she wouldn't have known how to answer to her godson.

Jiang Yun’s eyes were slightly red, his nose stinging as he choked out, "Mother, I... I am fine. Please don't worry." Even after being tied up by the Liu family, he hadn't been beaten.

The Gu family never hit him, nor did they blame him for his tarnished reputation.

"As long as you're safe, as long as you're safe," Zhang Cuilan muttered. Seeing that Gu Chengwu was not taking the path back to the village, she asked, "Where are we going?"

"To the clinic," Gu Chengwu replied.

Zhang Cuilan’s head swam with relief, and she momentarily forgot to suggest taking Jiang Yun to see a doctor herself. She snuck a glance at her godson, sighing inwardly; it was truly better to marry early. His feelings had become so delicate, and she hadn't even thought of that detail.

Along the way, Jiang Yun was held tightly. The fear he had felt toward Gu Chengwu earlier vanished in an instant, and he didn't even realize when he had fallen asleep against Gu Chengwu’s chest.