Chapter 35: Night Rescue

  It was deep into the night, and the rain had let up a bit. Lying on the hard ground, listening to the patter of the raindrops, Xia Zhen felt uncomfortable all over his damp body. He tossed and turned for half the night, when suddenly he thought back to the difficult days he spent in Xiao Ye Cun, and how he used to sleep soundly on a pile of straw in that broken temple. He couldn't help but laugh out loud: I've only been a young master for a few days? It's really easy to go from simple to luxurious, but hard to go back the other way!

  Her mood calmed down, and she no longer felt that the hard ground was uncomfortable. She lay quietly for a while, and Xia Fan gradually fell into a deep sleep with a sweet snore.

  At the foot of the east wall, there was a small courtyard with thatched cottages and low walls. The night had deepened, and the lights in the house had already gone out. Suddenly, a hurried knocking sound rang out, someone was pounding on the door ring, loudly shouting towards the inside.

  After a moment, an old woman came out to answer the door with a lantern in her hand, and she was still quite agile. Beside her stood a young woman, holding an oil-paper umbrella for her. The soft light of the lantern illuminated the young woman's face, her black hair shone like ink, her eyebrows were delicate, her waist was slender, and every gesture revealed a charming femininity that was rarely seen in a humble household.

  The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law walked to the gate, and the mother-in-law asked through the door: "Who is it? Knocking on the door at midnight?"

  "Is that Old Lady Tang? My surname is Yan, I'm Yan Wang, a servant of the Lu family. Old Lady Tang, tonight my master's seventh wife is giving birth and has been struggling all night, but to this moment the child still hasn't come out! It's a matter of life and death! Please, you and your daughter hurry with me to take a look."

  "Alas, giving birth is a big deal, how come you only thought of inviting the midwife now?"

  Yan Wang stomped his foot and said, "The midwife was invited over last night, and from then until now, she's been struggling to deliver the baby. The child only showed one foot, and that woman worked so hard that she fainted herself. Luckily, they were able to revive her by pinching the Renzhong point, or else there would have been another life lost."

  Old Tang's wife was shocked and said: "The feet came out first? This is terrible, I'm not even sure if it will be successful after going."

  Yan Wang held the lantern and spun around in circles, sobbing as she begged: "Whether it's possible or not, we have to try before we know, right? If we can't save the little one, at least think of a way to save the big one! Aunt Tang, saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. On this dark and rainy night, I really can't find any other skilled midwife for the time being. Please help me, please help me! No matter which one you save, my husband will reward you with a large sum of money."

  "It's not about the money, it's about two lives," Tang's wife muttered a Buddhist prayer and turned to the young woman in a low voice: "Daughter-in-law, you haven't been feeling well for the past two days, just rest, I'll go take care of things."

  The little woman said: "Auntie is already old, it's so late, let the daughter-in-law go instead."

  "Impossible," said Grandma Tang, shaking her head. "This is a difficult birth, you're afraid of not being able to handle it."

  "That wife is going with her mother-in-law." The little woman said, sticking to the door crack and taking a look outside. She saw two household servants holding torches standing on either side of the entrance hall, and an old housekeeper in a green uniform and hat standing on the steps, with a small goatee beard under his chin. At the foot of the steps was a sedan chair, which was indeed the usual arrangement for a wealthy family. She nodded to her mother-in-law and said: "Mother-in-law, wait a moment, I'll go get something and bring you an extra coat."

  Old Mrs. Tang responded with a "yes", and the little woman returned to the room, after a while she came out with her luggage, first adding clothes for Old Mrs. Tang, the two opened the courtyard door, and that old house servant named Yan Wang hastily said: "Ah, Old Mrs. Tang, you've finally come out, hurry up, hurry up, quickly help Old Mrs. Tang onto the carriage."

  Two servants holding lanterns helped Old Lady Tang onto the carriage in a flurry of activity. Just as the young woman was about to get on, Yan looked up and said: "Miss, we left in such a hurry that there are still some things piled up in the carriage that haven't been moved out yet. There's not enough room for two people to sit. Would you mind following us along the way? Our house isn't far from here. Once we reach Front Gate Street, take a right turn and it's the third alleyway."

  The donkey cart was originally not big, and with a few things on it, it was indeed impossible for two people to sit in it. The little woman didn't think much about it and agreed to follow behind the cart. As the cart came out of the alley and onto the main street ahead, it turned towards the city center. Just as they had driven out not far, Yan Wang suddenly pulled out a handkerchief from his sleeve, caught up with the little woman who was hurrying along, covered her mouth with it, and dragged her into a small alley to the side.

  "Woe! Woe~~~" The little woman was shocked and struggled with all her might, and in the tussle, she pulled off Yan Wang's beard, which turned out to be fake. Judging from his agility and strength, he was clearly a young and robust man. The little woman was no match for him, and he covered her mouth with one hand and wrapped his other arm around her waist, dragging her into the alley by force.

  Tang's wife was worried about her daughter-in-law, and from time to time she turned her head to take a look. Suddenly, she turned her head and saw that the road was empty, and there was no sign of her daughter-in-law or the old steward. She exclaimed in surprise: "Daughter-in-law? Stop the car, stop the car! How did my daughter-in-law get lost?"

  The man who was driving the carriage was still pretending, but as soon as he saw that he had been discovered, he hastily whipped the mule and the carriage sped forward. Tang's wife often walked in the countryside and villages to help with childbirth, and she had seen many things in her life. As soon as she saw this situation, she knew what was happening and immediately shouted loudly: "Save someone! Save someone! They're abducting a civilian woman!"

  "Shut that old woman's mouth!" The man who was following the carriage muttered, and quickly turned around to get back into the carriage. Tang Bao's cry was immediately muffled by him, while the man on the ground jumped onto the carriage, took over the whip, and fiercely lashed out again. The donkey opened its four hooves and rushed forward, "got got" echoing as it galloped away.

  When Tang's wife shouted, the mule cart happened to pass by the house where Xia Jiu was staying. Tang's wife's shout was not loud and only had one sound, which was difficult to wake up people who were sleeping soundly. At this time, Xia Jiu was sleeping on the floor of the main room, he... slept very soundly.

  In fact, no one asks for undercover work to be highly vigilant even when sleeping, which is completely unnecessary. Once the identity is revealed in the den of thieves, others will not wait patiently until nightfall to take action. If sleep is always kept in a light state, it will not only affect daytime alertness and reaction, but also make it easy to dream, causing undercover personnel to reveal their secrets in their dreams. Therefore, the conditions for selecting undercover personnel include good sleep quality, infrequent dreaming, and no talking in their sleep.

  At this moment, Xia Yu was sleeping very soundly in the borrowed folk house and didn't hear the shout at all. However, Peng Niang, who had a light sleep, was startled awake by the shout. As a girl, she was now sleeping with a man in the inner and outer rooms, wearing soft armor even when sleeping. When she heard the alarm, she immediately grabbed the ghost-eye knife and flashed out of the bedroom.

  "Ah~~~ Ah~~~" Xia Yu's voice came out evenly.

  "This pig!" Peng Qi cursed in a bad mood and rushed forward.

  "Shrink the land to inches!" What a great lightness! Although it's dark and chaotic, his movements are so agile and nimble, his actions so quick and spirited. When in urgent situations, people can indeed exhibit extraordinary abilities beyond their normal limits. Peng Ziqi was very satisfied with his swift leap, like a rabbit escaping.

  Good, toe tips landed, floating silently. Huh? Why is it a bit soft again?

  "Ahh! Who stepped on me?"

  Peng Ziqi's face flushed with heat, and he secretly stuck out his tongue. He quickly lifted the door latch and chased after her in a flash.

  Although Xiaojun slept soundly, he was startled awake and quickly regained his composure. As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw Peng Ziqi's figure flash by the door and hastily got up to chase after him. The old man in the house heard the commotion, took out an oil lamp to take a look, and only saw that the room was empty. This shock was not trivial, and he thought the two men were thieves. However, upon closer inspection, not only were their luggage and horse packs still there, but even the two horses under the eaves of the door were still present, and he couldn't help but stare blankly at the wide-open door.

  "Halt! Who are you?"

  Peng Ziqi quickly caught up with the horse carriage and blocked its path, asking coldly.

  The horse's head was suddenly raised, the reins were tightened, and a stern voice shouted: "Brother, the big road is open to heaven, each walking on one side, I advise you not to interfere with others' business, it's not good for you."

  Peng Ziqi smiled, gripped the hilt tightly and sneered: "So I don't need to ask, indeed a gang of thieves, not a good family."

  The man who was holding down Tang's wife in the car growled: "Get rid of him and let's get going!"

  Another rascal dressed as a family servant dropped his lantern, combined umbrellas into a spear, and stabbed at Peng Qi fiercely. At the same time, Che Ba Shi also jumped off the carriage, raised his long whip. Peng Qi's body shape shifted, his waist twisted strangely, he dodged the incoming umbrella tip with a slanted willow-like movement, his hand swung his knife strangely, the rascal who was stabbed let out an "ah" sound, was poked in the ribs and fell to the ground, curled up like a shrimp and couldn't get up. The other one's hand was empty, the long whip flew out of his hand, followed by a pain in his throat, he fell to the ground, had difficulty breathing, and cried out in pain with tears streaming down his face.

  The scoundrel who was strangling Mrs. Tang in the car saw this situation, pulled out a dagger from his waist, and just as he was about to get off the bus, an iron arm stretched out beside him, unexpectedly clamping down on his neck, pulling him out, and a palm knife heavily chopped down on the back of his neck, knocking him unconscious.

  "Hehe, you're quite skilled with that embroidered pillow." Peng Ziqi smiled and praised Xia Liu as he appeared on time.

  "Old Mrs. Tang lost control and cried out urgently: 'Two strong men, save us! My daughter-in-law has been kidnapped, please two strong men, come to our rescue!'"

  Peng Ziqi was shocked and hastily asked: "Was your wife kidnapped by bad people?"

  "Ah, yes! It was just ahead, not far from here. I only turned my head for a moment and she was gone! She must have been dragged into that alley by some scoundrel... Heaven help me, if anything happens to my daughter-in-law..."

  "I'll go save people, you take grandma back home!" Peng Ziqi's figure flashed by, faster than a running horse.

  The mule cart was driven back to the old man's residence, Peng Zikai was not an official, and he did not dare to kill them. He only used his scabbard to knock them unconscious, along with the person who had been knocked out by Xia Fu's knife. All three villains were tightly bound up with ropes by Xia Fu.

  That old man and Tang's wife lived not far from each other, but they didn't know each other. When he walked up to the three scoundrels with his lantern, he recognized them as notorious rascals in the city, and couldn't help but secretly curse his bad luck, fearing that he would get into trouble. However, things had already come to this point, and he didn't dare say much more, so he quietly kept a distance from them, allowing Xia Jiu to take advantage of the situation and temporarily occupy the main house.

  Xia Xun asked Old Lady Tang in detail and found out that she was not a local, but from Huai Xi. She was one of the refugees who moved north this time, and her family had just settled in Putai County for a few months. Old Lady Tang had a son and daughter-in-law, making it a three-person household. Her son's name was Tang Yaoju, who had studied at a private school for a few days but didn't achieve anything. He was now an artisan who sharpened knives and mended pots, and with the approval of the Patrol Officer, he could do some small business in the villages and towns of the county. These past two days, he happened to be away from home.

  Tang's old mother made a living by being a midwife, and after her daughter-in-law married in, she also learned this skill from her. Tonight, the two of them were asked to deliver a baby for the master's concubine at someone's house who came knocking on their door in the rain. Seeing that the household was quite grand and didn't seem like bad people, plus they were in the city, the two of them didn't think much of it and followed them out the door with ease. Who knew they would encounter such a thing?

  Xia Yu had just asked this, when Peng Ziqi suddenly appeared at the door, rushing all the way, his clothes were soaked, and his cheeks flushed with a crimson glow, like two peach blossoms. Xia Yu gestured with her eyes, and Peng Ziqi slightly shook his head. Tang Bao asked if they had found his daughter-in-law, and he couldn't help but burst into loud wailing. However, Xia Yu remained silent.

  He had expected that it would be difficult for Peng Ziqing to find the woman's whereabouts. At this moment, it was raining, and even if the scoundrel wanted to take advantage of her, he wouldn't dare to drag her into the alley and "execute" her on the spot. Moreover, considering how much effort they put into deceiving a single woman, it seemed that he wasn't an ordinary lecher. Otherwise, why would they go through so much trouble?

  Peng Ziqi angrily said: "How is Putai County being governed, and yet such a thing as the abduction of civilians can happen in the city?" As soon as he saw the three unconscious men, Peng Ziqi asked again: "Have they been interrogated?"

  Xia Liu shook his head and said, "Not yet, I just asked the old man about what happened."

  Peng Ziqi fetched water and splashed it on the three thugs, waking them up. He sat down in a majestic manner, pretending to be an official interrogating the suspects. After some questioning, the three men refused to reveal their identities, only responding with cold smiles. When Peng threatened to use torture, they said: "You dare to use corporal punishment privately? Once we enter the government office, I'll sue you first."

  Peng Ziqi was furious, but she had a family and a business to run, and wasn't some kind of outlaw, so she really didn't dare do anything to these three rascals. Xia Liu watched with cold eyes, feeling that the three men seemed to have something backing them up, and her heart couldn't help but stir. She said: "Forget it, you help Old Lady back to her room to rest for a bit, tomorrow morning we'll send them to the authorities to be dealt with!"

  The ruffian leader sneered and said, "Passersby, a strong dragon doesn't oppress the local snake. If you know what's good for you, you'd better let us go early. I'll spare your lives and let you off with a warning. Otherwise... I'm afraid you won't be able to leave Putai County..."

  Xia Han's eyebrows rose, and he sneered: "Oh? This young master has status and position, traveling the world is a privilege granted by the imperial court. Wherever the Great Ming territory is, there is no place I can't go. A small county like Putai, I come and go as I please, and you... probably don't have the ability to keep me here!"

  This sentence was very much to Peng Zikai's taste, and he burst out in praise: "Good, Yang, you've finally said something human! Don't worry, through thick and thin, heaven or hell, I'll be with you, sharing life and death!"

  "If it's a life together and death together, then it's even more touching."

  Peng Ziqi glared at him fiercely and scolded, "A dog's mouth can't spit out ivory!" But in his heart, he thought, "This big fool, has he discovered my daughter's true identity?"

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