Embroiderer Captured

The sun went down.

The shantytown of Qingshan Town.

Wang Shun's wife, Wu Shi, made her way home in the dark.

When Wang Shun saw his wife return, he hastily propped himself up in bed, his voice a little urgent. "Well? Brother Qin still isn't back?"

Wu Shi shook her head, her expression sorrowful.

"They all say Brother Qin was eaten by a wild beast in the mountains. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been gone for six whole days."

Wang Shun stared blankly in silence. After a long while, he let out a deep sigh.

"Brother Qin was a righteous man. What a terrible shame that he died!"

"Wife, go comfort Embroiderer. Make sure she doesn't do anything foolish."

"Yes, I know."

"Mother, I'll go with you."

Mother and daughter went to the door and knocked softly.

"Who is it?"

"It's me, Embroiderer."

After a brief silence, the iron door opened.

Wu Shi looked around, then quickly went inside with her daughter.

The room was dim. Embroiderer sat on the edge of the bed, her face pale and her eyes vacant. Her hair, once combed straight, was now a tangled mess, and the bowls and chopsticks on the table lay in disarray.

The sight of Embroiderer like this made Wu Shi's heart ache.

"Embroiderer, don't be like this. Brother Qin might be back very soon."

Wu Shi held Embroiderer's hand and comforted her softly.

"That's right, Sister. Brother Qin will definitely be all right." Wang Xiaoxi blinked her big eyes.

"Brother Qin only took three days' worth of rations when he left. It's already the sixth day, and he still hasn't come back. Something terrible must have happened to him!"

Embroiderer clutched her head tightly with both hands, her fingers digging into her hair. She was unwilling, and even more afraid, to imagine such a dreadful outcome.

Why had this happened just when their lives were beginning to improve?

Why?

Embroiderer's expression was numb, her tears long since dried up.

Wu Shi held Embroiderer in her arms, not knowing how to comfort her.

A hemp rope always snaps at its thinnest point; misfortune always finds those who have suffered most.

That night, Embroiderer once again lay awake.

Early the next morning, Wu Shi cooked some porridge and made coarse-grain steamed buns to take to Embroiderer.

Embroiderer had had no appetite for days. If Wu Shi hadn't brought her something to eat at every meal, her body would probably have given out long ago.

Bang!

By the time Wu Shi arrived, several yamen runners had already forced the iron door open, and Embroiderer had been dragged out by her hair.

"You little slut, tell me! Where did that little bastard go? Did he flee to escape punishment!?"

Wu Shi grabbed Embroiderer by the hair and slapped her hard.

With a smack, a bright red handprint appeared on Embroiderer's fair, tender cheek.

"Stop!"

Wu Shi hurried forward and stood in front of Embroiderer.

"What gives you the right to hit her?"

"The authorities are handling a case. Everyone not involved, stand back!"

A yamen runner as skinny as a hemp stalk scowled and kicked Wu Shi into the mud. "Get lost! Meddle again and we'll arrest you too!"

"You two, tie her up and bring her back!"

Embroiderer was soon bound hand and foot.

"You need a reason to arrest someone! Even if you're from the authorities, you can't just arrest people whenever you please!"

Clutching her stomach and fighting back the pain, Wu Shi shouted, drawing all the nearby neighbors over.

The crowd whispered among themselves, pointing and gesturing.

Seeing this, the runner's face darkened further.

"Qin Ming murdered Wang Butcher and fled to escape punishment. This woman knew and failed to report it, which makes her an accomplice. We're taking her back to interrogate her about the murderer Qin Ming's whereabouts. What, does anyone here want to stand up for her? Or are you accomplices too?!"

At his words, the people around them paled. They all shook their heads, hastily distancing themselves from Qin Ming.

Embroiderer was quickly led away.

"Embroiderer!"

Wu Shi was frantic, but could only watch helplessly.

"Sister-in-law, go to the Eight Trigrams Martial Arts Academy and find Lu Liu!"

"Shut up! No one can save you, no matter who you find!"

Wang Shi slapped Embroiderer across the face again. "You've fallen into my hands today, and you're in for it now! I can't deal with that little bastard, but I refuse to believe I can't deal with a little slut like you!"

After Embroiderer was taken away, Wu Shi didn't dare waste any time. She ran to the Eight Trigrams Martial Arts Academy without even stopping to change her clothes.

The neighbors, meanwhile, erupted in an uproar.

"Murder! That boy Qin Ming actually dared to kill someone!"

"I was wondering why I hadn't seen Wang Butcher around town for such a long time. So Qin Ming killed him!"

"What a shame. A lovely woman like Embroiderer was wasted on Qin Ming. She never had a good life after she got together with him, and now she's been dragged into this. She's going to have a miserable time of it."

"Every pot has its matching lid. If you ask me, this Embroiderer isn't any good either. Maybe she was having an affair with Wang Butcher on the sly. Otherwise, why would Qin Ming kill him for no reason?"

The crowd's talk grew more and more outrageous. In the end, they barged straight into the room and looted everything Qin Ming and Embroiderer had left behind.

"Food! There's food here!"

"And meat!"

"What a warm quilt! These two actually slept under such a thick cotton quilt. What a waste!"

"The quilt is mine! Give it to me!"

The group fought over the belongings, beating one another until heads were split and blood flowed.

"Stop! All of this belongs to Brother Qin and Sister Embroiderer. You can't take it!"

Wang Shun's seven-year-old daughter, Wang Xiaoxi, bravely stepped forward.

"Get lost! Out of the way!"

Wang Xiaoxi was kicked out the door. Her head struck the corner of the doorway, and she immediately lost consciousness.

"Xiaoxi!"

Wang Shun struggled and fell out of bed. Inch by inch, he made his way to the doorway and gathered his daughter into his arms.

Qin Ming's room was soon stripped bare. Not even the pots, bowls, ladles, or basins remained.

The crowd scattered in a rush.

Wang Shun watched helplessly, his eyes full of indignation and his face sorrowful. "Qin Ming, where on earth are you?"

The inner courtyard of the Eight Trigrams Martial Arts Academy.

"Master, Junior Brother Qin is also a member of our academy."

Lu Liu knelt before Fei Heng.

"Lu Liu, you should know perfectly well that only upon entering the Skin Refining Realm does one qualify to become a true disciple of the Eight Trigrams Martial Arts Academy. Qin Ming is just a pig butcher. It was an immense act of kindness for me to accept him at all!"

Fei Heng spoke indifferently.

"That may be so, but punishment shouldn't extend to one's family. Besides, Junior Brother Qin isn't the murderer at all. I've already made inquiries. Wang Butcher was related to Wang Bo at the town yamen. Wang Shi must have deliberately framed him. Please, Master, see that justice is done!"

"I'll say this one last time: only by breaking through to the Skin Refining Realm and becoming a martial artist can one be considered my disciple, a disciple of Fei Heng. Enough. You may leave!"

Fei Heng turned away.

Seeing this, Lu Liu could only withdraw, unwilling though he was.

"How did it go?"

Outside the courtyard, Li Shengnan leaned against a tree with her arms folded and a blade of grass in her mouth.

Lu Liu shook his head.

"I knew it."

Looking unsurprised, Li Shengnan spat out the blade of grass. "All right, let's go to the yamen and have a look first."

"I advise you not to provoke the authorities."

Eldest Senior Brother Yan Yangtian suddenly appeared.

"A mere outer-courtyard disciple isn't worth it."

"He's no ordinary outer-court disciple."

Lu Liu shook his head. "Qin Ming is the hardest-working person I've ever seen when it comes to cultivation. He'll definitely make it into the inner courtyard and become our junior brother someday."

"So what?"

Yan Yangtian's face turned cold. "Enough. I've warned you. If anything happens, you can explain it to Master yourselves!"

Yan Yangtian turned and left.

Lu Liu and Li Shengnan looked at each other.

"Why did Eldest Senior Brother get angry?"

"I don't know."

"What do we do now?"

"Go to the yamen first and see if we can get her out."

Meanwhile, after leaving the Eight Trigrams Martial Arts Academy, Yan Yangtian slipped into a dark alley while no one was looking.

Someone was already waiting in the alley. Hearing him, the person slowly turned around.

"My patience is limited, Yan Yangtian. Have you made up your mind?"

"I lost both my parents when I was a child. Master has raised me all these years, and we've long been as close as father and son. Yet you want me to kill him!?"

"So?"

"Pay me more!"