Killing Intent

Passing through Green Mountain City's gates, the sun had only a small sliver left before it completely set.

Li Chengfeng quickened his pace toward home. As he passed the mouth of an alley, he caught sight of a familiar figure.

He took two steps closer and looked—it was Liu Hong. His brows immediately rose.

Ahead, Liu Hong seemed to be in a foul mood. He kicked a stone by the roadside, then walked back with a gloomy expression.

Li Chengfeng's brows rose at once, and the corners of his mouth curled upward.

Seeing that bastard unhappy put him in a good mood.

Li Chengfeng, already delighted by his unexpected windfall, became even happier. He paid Liu Hong no further mind and hurried home cheerfully with his prey.

He quickened his steps and returned to his own courtyard before the sun had fully set.

"Chengfeng, you're back!"

Inside the fenced courtyard, a lovely figure had been pacing anxiously back and forth. The moment she looked up and saw Li Chengfeng returning, uncontrollable joy burst across her face, and she hurriedly ran toward him.

"Why are you only back now? It's almost dark."

Once Li Chengfeng opened the gate, she grabbed his arm and looked him over from head to toe. She spoke joyfully, tears involuntarily welling in her eyes.

"I had some unexpected gains in the mountains today, so it delayed me. That's why I came back late."

Seeing Liu Yuniang like this, Li Chengfeng smiled and spoke with delight.

As he spoke, he took off the cloth sack tied at his waist and the gourd of beast blood he had been carrying in his arms, handing them to her. "This gourd has the blood of two rabbits and a young yellow deer. Look—the sack also has two fat rabbits and a young yellow deer."

As Li Chengfeng spoke, he took out the two brand-new hunting bows from behind his back. Raising his brows, he spoke to Liu Yuniang as he wiped away her tears. "Don't worry, Yu Niang. Haven't I come back? With so much to show for it, our days will only get better from now on."

In this era, a man was a woman's greatest support.

Hunting was dangerous. Li Chengfeng had been in the mountains for so long today and had returned so late; her worry was only natural.

Seeing Liu Yuniang crying, Li Chengfeng merely assumed she was worried over his late return. Smiling warmly, he wiped her tears and softly comforted her.

"Alright, I won't worry. I won't worry anymore."

Liu Yuniang's voice choked with sobs. After hearing Li Chengfeng's words, she raised the back of her hand to wipe her tears. Her slightly reddened eyes looked at him as she said, "Chengfeng, I need to tell you something."

"The mountains are dangerous. Don't go hunting in the mountains anymore. I'll wash clothes for people, and you can see whether anyone in the city needs day laborers. Carrying night soil or chopping firewood, anything is fine. Let's not hunt anymore. Let's live our lives safely at home, alright?"

"We can work for others. We may earn less, but at least it's safe. If the two of us work hard together, we'll still have enough to eat and get by. Don't go hunting in the mountains anymore, alright?"

Liu Yuniang looked at Li Chengfeng, her voice thick with tears. As she spoke, her eyes filled with tears again.

"This... no more hunting?"

Li Chengfeng frowned as he looked at Liu Yuniang. "I told you I wouldn't let you wash clothes and work for others, so you won't wash clothes and work for others. Stay home properly. I'll support you. Don't think about all that messy nonsense."

"The mountains are filled with rare treasures and exotic beasts. There are plenty of good things there. If we want a good life, we have to go into the mountains. Without hunting regularly, where would we get the money to pay the Protection Fee? Where would we get the money to eat meat and rice?"

Li Chengfeng spoke bluntly at first, then gently rubbed her cheek, his tone softening. "Didn't you say yesterday that once I made money, you wanted to buy two pieces of cloth to make me new clothes and sew me new shoes? Why have you changed your mind today?"

"It's nothing, nothing. I'm just worried about you. The mountains are so dangerous. Thinking of you staying in there all day makes my heart twist."

Liu Yuniang shook her head repeatedly. As she spoke, she lowered her head and wiped her eyes.

Li Chengfeng frowned, confirming once again that something had felt wrong when Liu Yuniang was crying earlier.

"Yu Niang, what exactly happened? Did something happen after I left?"

Li Chengfeng cupped Liu Yuniang's soft cheeks in his hands and looked into her eyes. "I'm the man of this household. If something happened, you need to tell me right away."

"I..."

Liu Yuniang opened her mouth, about to say something, but upon seeing the seriousness in Li Chengfeng's eyes, her expression softened. Tears covered her face, and her body went limp as she threw herself into Li Chengfeng's arms.

"Wuwuwu, Chengfeng, after you left this morning, Liu Hong came to the courtyard gate and shouted into the house. He said the mountains were dangerous, and that you had gone hunting alone, so perhaps a wolf would carry you off and leave you dead in the mountains."

"He also said Master Zheng in the city had taken a fancy to me and wanted to force me into becoming his concubine. He said Master Zheng was ruthless, and that several corpses of maids he had recently married had already been thrown out. If I went, I would only die."

"He also demanded that I go to his house and keep him company before tomorrow night. Otherwise, he would call the Black River Gang over early to collect the Protection Fee. If we couldn't pay, the Black River Gang would seize me, break my legs, and make me a beggar."

"Wuwu, I hid inside and never came out. He stayed there until nearly noon before leaving. Before you came back, he even came again. I'm so scared..."

It would have been better if she had said nothing. Once she began, tears rolled continuously from Liu Yuniang's eyes like pearls from a broken string. Her thin, soft body lay against Li Chengfeng's chest as she sobbed and cried, pouring out everything that had happened today in one breath, like beans spilling from a basket.

Li Chengfeng's expression grew darker and darker as he listened.

"Alright, Yu Niang. It's over. Don't be afraid."

Li Chengfeng silently patted Liu Yuniang's shoulder. His eyes brimmed with killing intent, yet his voice remained gentle as he comforted her. "I'm fine. With me here, who would dare force you into marriage? Besides, our family has money now. Even if Liu Hong calls the Black River Gang over, we have enough to pay the Protection Fee. You don't need to worry so much."

As Li Chengfeng spoke, he reined in the fierce killing intent in his eyes. He helped Liu Yuniang out of his embrace, reached out to wipe her tears, and smiled. "I've been in the mountains half the day, and I'm already starving. Besides a young yellow deer, there are two fat rabbits in that sack. There's plenty to do. Go make us something to eat quickly, alright?"

"Alright, I'll make you food!"

Hearing clear instructions, Liu Yuniang hurriedly wiped her tears and spoke through sobs. "You're right. With you here, Master Zheng definitely won't dare force me into marriage. Our family has money, so we're not afraid of him!"

After saying that, Liu Yuniang's sobbing eased considerably. She took a deep breath, looked at Li Chengfeng with red-rimmed eyes, and saw his beaming smile and resolute expression. She finally let out a breath, glanced at the sky, then hurried off to make dinner while wiping her tears.

"Phew~"

Li Chengfeng watched Liu Yuniang rise to make dinner and let out a breath. He then narrowed his eyes, got up and put the two bows with their strings removed inside the house, walked out into the courtyard, skinned the rabbits, and finally gave a piece of meat to Yu Niang for her to cook.