Returning Home

After Wen Wenhai checked everyone's pulse, he smiled and said, "Everyone is in good health, with only minor blood stasis internally. The external injuries are quite severe. I have some common medicinal herbs here, excellent for treating bruises and falls. Apply them externally and take them internally, and rest well." He then took out several small bottles from his embrace and handed them to Zhang Cai. He continued, "This brother's arm is fractured, and I can't do anything about that. Here is some silver for you to see a doctor. It shouldn't be a major problem." He then took out some loose silver and offered it. Zhang Cai quickly waved his hands, repeatedly saying, "I dare not."

At this moment, Zhang Xiaohu, with a bruised eye socket, said, "Take it, Father. We've already received so much from our benefactor, we shouldn't refuse this small gesture. It's just a token of his goodwill, please accept it."

Zhang Cai turned to scold his son, saying, "We've already accepted the money from those people who compensated us. How can we accept more favors from our benefactor?" He then took out the bank notes that had been handed to him earlier and counted them. He was startled; there were forty to fifty bank notes, each worth ten taels. He guessed the short, stout man had pulled them out in a hurry and fear, without counting them carefully.

At this time, Wen Wenhai handed the silver to Zhang Xiaohu, saying, "This young man has a straightforward personality, which I find very agreeable. Take it; that money was compensation from others. This is from me to you."

Seeing Zhang Xiaohu holding the silver, Zhang Cai didn't blame him. He explained the matter of the bank notes to Wen Wenhai. After all, it was a large sum of money, and Zhang Cai didn't dare to handle it himself. Moreover, he feared those people might come back to cause trouble. The money was a small matter, but their lives and safety were paramount. Wen Wenhai looked at the large sum of money and gave a wry smile. In his opinion, making the short, stout man pay a dozen taels would have been enough. He didn't expect his junior sister's actions to bring such significant trouble to this family. He didn't dare to make a decision on his own, so he walked over to discuss it with his junior sister.

Zhang Xiaohua, accompanying her injured elder brother, was far from calm. Her cheeks and the corners of her mouth still stung. The impact of being bullied by the ruffians and nearly losing her life was far less profound than witnessing Wen Wenhai descend from the sky and effortlessly subdue those thugs. She hadn't recovered from the shock and trauma. Her eyes were fixed on the sword in Wen Wenhai's hand, and a seed in her heart seemed to be quietly sprouting.

Two village girls stood behind Zhang Cai, unsure of how to express their gratitude. They had wanted to thank the woman in purple, but seeing her unapproachable demeanor, they didn't dare to approach, only watching from a distance.

The result of Wen Wenhai's discussion with his junior sister came quickly. His junior sister took out a small token from her embroidered pouch and handed it to him. Wen Wenhai didn't take it and said a few more words, but it seemed he couldn't persuade her. He shook his head, took the token, and walked back to Zhang Cai. He said, "Uncle, please keep this large sum of money yourself. Even if we took it, if they come looking for it, you wouldn't be able to return it to them. This is a token from our sect, given to you by my junior sister. If they come looking for the money, you can just return these bank notes to them. The loose silver I gave you is enough for your medical treatment. However, if they have other intentions, take this token to the Lotus Escort Agency's branch in town and find their manager. Tell them the owner of the token sent you, and explain any matters to them."

After speaking, he handed the token to Zhang Cai. Zhang Cai carefully took the life-saving token and examined it closely. It was a black token about three inches in size, surprisingly heavy in his hand, and he couldn't tell what material it was made of. The surface bore two intricately drawn characters that Zhang Cai didn't recognize, surrounded by peculiar patterns. On the back of the token was a character Zhang Cai did recognize: "Qing," which he assumed was his junior sister's mark. Zhang Cai cautiously tucked the token into his embrace, then nervously patted it to confirm its presence, finally feeling relieved.

After Zhang Cai had secured the token, Wen Wenhai cupped his fists and said, "Everyone, we have urgent matters to attend to, so we won't escort you back to the village. If you have the chance to visit Pingyang City in the future, you can look for me. Farewell." Without waiting for Zhang Cai and the others to speak, he turned and rose with the woman in purple, leaving. Their movements, though seemingly ordinary, were incredibly swift, and in a blink of an eye, they disappeared from Zhang Cai's sight.

From the moment they left Lu Town, the woman in purple had not spoken a single word to them, nor had she removed her mask. Therefore, Zhang Cai's family knew neither her name nor her appearance, only that her voice was very pleasant.

After the two had gone far away, Zhang Cai and the others finally withdrew their gaze. Zhang Xiaohua murmured, "How could those two run so fast?"

Zhang Xiaohu said, "You don't understand, Xiaohua. That's the legendary Lightness Skill."

Zhang Xiaohua asked, "Have you seen it before?"

Zhang Xiaohu replied, "No, I guessed. Didn't you see they weren't running, yet they moved faster than running, and they were carrying swords. It must be the Lightness Skill." Zhang Xiaohua blinked and asked no more questions.

The two village girls walked over and bowed to Zhang Cai, thanking him. "Thank you, Uncle, for saving our lives. If it weren't for you, we..." As they spoke, tears welled up in their eyes, still shaken by what had happened. Zhang Cai waved his hand and said, "We are all farmers; helping each other is what we should do. Let's not talk too much about it for now. Let's leave here first. If we stay here too long, someone might come. Which village are you from?"

The taller village girl said, "We live in Baligou. My name is Liu Qian, and this is my cousin, Liu Yueyue."

Zhang Cai pondered for a moment and said, "Baligou is west of Lu Town. To return, we would have to pass through the town. It's better not to go into the town in this situation. If we go around the outside of town, it will be getting late, and we probably won't reach home before dark. Young ladies, we live in Guo Village, north of town. How about you stay at our home for the night, and we'll escort you back tomorrow?"

Liu Qian looked at the sky and said, "Then we'll trouble you, Uncle."

Everyone then got up. Taking advantage of the early hour, they hurried along, dragging their injured bodies, hoping to get home as soon as possible.

Thirty li was not a short distance even for Zhang Cai and the others when they were uninjured, and now they had to detour around the east side of Lu Town. The hardships along the way were beyond description. By the time they returned to Guo Village, it was completely dark. Zhang Cai had originally intended to pass through the small bamboo forest next to the village to avoid attracting attention. Seeing the dark sky now, he felt it was unnecessary.

Guo Village in the dark was no different from before. There were few people on the village paths, and those who occasionally passed by paid them little attention. This eased Zhang Cai's worries about his family being seen in such a disheveled state. It wasn't until he reached the fence gate of his small courtyard and saw his wife's silhouette under the lamplight that he finally felt completely at ease.

As the group pushed open the fence gate and filed into the house, the scene before them greatly surprised Guo Sufi, who had gotten up to greet them upon hearing the door. She rushed forward to support Zhang Cai, saying anxiously, "Husband, what happened?"

After helping Zhang Cai to a chair, she quickly went to check on the children. "My children, are you alright?"

Finally, she saw two unfamiliar girls. She didn't dare to ask, looking at Zhang Cai with a confused gaze. Zhang Cai gave a wry smile and said, "My dear, it's nothing serious, but it's hard to explain right now. This child is Liu Qian, and that one is Liu Yueyue. They are from Baligou. You first take Xiaolong to Old Chen to have his arm looked at, and we'll talk about it when you get back. Oh, and have Xiaolong and Xiaohua wash their faces first, and say they fell from a tree."

Guo Sufi, still puzzled, quickly brought hot water from outside and had the two brothers wash up. She was about to fetch water for Zhang Cai and the others, but Zhang Cai stopped her, urging her to attend to the children's injuries first. Liu Qian also wanted to follow, but Zhang Cai stopped her.

Old Chen was the old veterinarian of Guo Village, having lived there his entire life. His medical skills were quite good. Normally, he not only treated livestock but also many villagers who came to him with minor ailments. At this moment, Old Chen was in his small house, having his wife heat a pot of wine for him. He was initially drinking alone when he heard someone urgently knocking on his door and calling his name loudly. Assuming it was another villager who had fallen ill, he put down his wine cup and got up to open the door. Old Chen opened the door and saw Guo Sufi and her three children. He smiled and said, "Sister, why are you knocking so late? Did the little one eat too much and have diarrhea?"

Guo Sufi carefully helped Zhang Xiaolong into the house and said awkwardly, "Uncle, Xiaolong and the others were playing on the eastern slope tonight and accidentally fell from a tree. His arm is fractured, and they've only just returned. I hurried over, disturbing your rest."

Upon hearing that Zhang Xiaolong's arm was fractured, Old Chen's expression immediately turned serious. "What are you saying, Sister? This is such a serious matter for the child. Even if it were later, I would still get up. Come in quickly, let me take a look." With that, Old Chen led them into a clean small room designated for patients. At this moment, Old Chen's wife also entered. Old Chen asked her to light all the oil lamps, then had Zhang Xiaolong remove the sleeve of his injured arm. He examined it carefully, pressing here and there with his hands, and asked Zhang Xiaolong about his sensations. Then, he visibly relaxed. He said to Guo Sufi, "Sister, don't worry, it's nothing serious. It's just a fracture. The fractures I've treated on cows and horses were more severe than this, and I managed them. Xiaolong's injury is my responsibility."

Old Chen's wife said worriedly, "Old man, you've been drinking. Is it alright?"

Old Chen patted his chest. "I've been practicing medicine for most of my life. What's a little bit of wine? Besides, I haven't really started drinking yet. You can go check my wine pot if you don't believe me."

In fact, Guo Sufi had already smelled the alcohol on Old Chen. However, as he was the only doctor in the village, she had no choice but to rely on him. Hearing him say he could show the wine pot, she knew he hadn't drunk much and finally felt relieved. Old Chen found several smoothly planed wooden splints and took out a porcelain jar from the cabinet. As soon as he opened it, a pungent, spicy medicinal aroma filled the air. Old Chen first carefully straightened Xiaolong's fractured bones with his hands, then took out some ointment from the jar, applied it evenly to Xiaolong's arm, bandaged it with white cloth, and finally secured it with the wooden splints. The entire process was so painful that Xiaolong gritted his teeth, breaking out in a sweat. Guo Sufi tenderly wiped his forehead with a towel again and again.

After finishing everything, Old Chen washed his hands and said to Guo Sufi, "Sister, take the children home to rest. Come back in half a month to change the dressing. It takes a hundred days for bones to heal and mend, so he won't be able to do any farm work for a long time."

Guo Sufi thanked him profusely and left some copper coins before taking the two children home.