At dawn, the Zhou family training grounds were much quieter than usual. The usual clamor of clashing weapons and shouted praise was absent.
Since Master Zhou was still on his way home, the household’s younger generation had taken over the responsibilities.
“Training in the coldest winter and the hottest summer, undeterred by wind or rain”—this martial family creed spoke only of defiance against the elements. When faced with man-made disasters, however, it fell apart instantly.
The training ground, never that large to begin with, now seemed a bit desolate. A young man was practicing with a spear, his movements as fluid and powerful as a dragon or snake, slicing through the air.
But this seamless performance was suddenly interrupted by a shout.
Zhou Liu-lang, bare-chested, withdrew his spear as sweat dripped from his body.
“Who’s looking for me?” he asked, turning his head.
A servant standing at the edge of the grounds hurried over.
“It’s Lady Cheng,” he replied.
Her?
Zhou Liu-lang was startled.
“Where is she?” he asked.
The servant looked uneasy.
“The household’s busy right now, and the Madam is too… so she was driven away…” he mumbled.
To hear the name “Lady Cheng” at a time like this was like adding fuel to the fire for Madam Zhou.
“That jinx! She is not allowed in this house! Drive her out, drive her out!”
Fortunately, it was Zhou Liu-lang’s own servant who overheard this and, knowing his young master’s feelings for Cheng Jiao-niang, had quietly run to inform him out of loyalty and care.
“You mustn’t let anyone know I told you…” he added pitifully.
If he angered Madam Zhou, he would be sold off.
“She came herself? Or sent someone?” Zhou Liu-lang asked, tossing his spear back onto the rack.
“It was a servant,” the boy replied. “That gatekeeper lad.”
Zhou Liu-lang nodded and strode out with large steps.
“Young Master, don’t be in such a rush…” the servant hurried to catch up.
“I’m not rushing. What would I be rushing for?” Zhou Liu-lang snapped, glaring at him.
The servant cautiously pointed behind him.
“Master, you haven’t taken your clothes yet…” he said carefully.
Zhou Liu-lang raised a hand and gave him a light swat.
“Eyes but no hands—what use are you!” he barked. “Hurry up and fetch them!”
Clutching his head, the servant turned and bolted back.
Zhou Liu-lang spurred his horse to full speed. From a distance, he could already see a number of horses gathered outside the residence near the Yudai Bridge. He urged his horse on again.
Stepping through the gate and seeing the people standing in the courtyard, his frown deepened.
“General, we’ll head back first.”
“General, you’d best inform Master Wu…”
“General, are you really going to wait here?”
The soldiers crowded around a man, all speaking at once.
“Tell him my ass,” the gruff General Liu waved them off impatiently. “I haven’t had a break since I got here. What’s wrong with taking a couple days off?”
“You lot go—I’m staying right here.”
“Liu Kui.”
A voice called out.
Even if I’ve been demoted, Liu Kui thought, I’m still an officer, at least a minor street patrol commander. However much these soldiers look down on me, they shouldn’t be shouting my name so casually!
Fuming, General Liu turned his head and saw a young man standing at the entrance.
Zhou Liu-lang stepped inside, frowning as he looked Liu Kui up and down, then glanced at the soldiers around him.
“What are you all doing in my house?” he asked.
Your house?
General Liu was momentarily stunned.
“Sixth Young Master Zhou,” one of the soldiers recognized him and spoke up.
Though not from some grand noble house, Old Shan Zhou still carried a fair amount of renown. Especially this Zhou Liu-lang—he was well-known in the capital for cockfighting, brawling, and raising havoc.
General Liu snapped to attention.
“Zhou?” he asked. “Which Zhou?”
“Zhou family, Guide General,” Zhou Liu-lang answered himself.
General Liu’s eyes widened, then he turned to look toward the house.
Ever since everyone had been driven out around the fourth watch and the door had been shut, it had been completely silent in there.
“Then… she’s one of yours?” he asked, pointing at the house.
Zhou Liu-lang also looked toward the door, then noticed Xu Maoxiu, the maid, Ban Qin and several others standing under the eaves. There was also a woman kneeling on the ground, leaning against a porch pillar. Nearby, three men stood alert, forming a loose perimeter—Xu Maoxiu’s sworn brothers.
They were all here…
“What happened?” Zhou Liu-lang ignored General Liu and asked directly.
“Nothing much,” Xu Maoxiu replied. “My sister is treating someone’s injury.”
Treating an injury?
Zhou Liu-lang’s gaze shifted to General Liu.
Was it a patrol soldier?
“It was our cook, Li Dashao. He was ambushed and injured last night,” Xu Maoxiu explained simply.
Zhou Liu-lang’s expression shifted from shock to anger.
“You didn’t catch the culprit?” he asked.
Xu Maoxiu shook his head.
“The dogs were barking fiercely, so some villagers nearby came together to investigate. The attacker had already fled by then,” he said grimly.
Truly a time of unrest.
Zhou Liu-lang fell silent. First, his father’s sudden incident, and now trouble at the Tai Ping Residence—could the two be connected?
“Miss might know who did it,” the maid said.
Xu Maoxiu, Zhou Liu-lang, and the others all turned to look at her.
“Yesterday, Miss mentioned that trouble was coming,” the maid added.
That lady…
“So what you’re saying is, this wasn’t aimed at Li Dashao, but at…” Zhou Liu-lang said, pausing mid-sentence, “the Tai Ping Residence?”
Everyone fell silent for a moment.
“We’ll know more once Li Dashao wakes up,” the maid said.
“Then we wait,” Zhou Liu-lang replied, sitting down under the eaves. He looked toward General Liu, who was still standing in the courtyard. “General Liu, I can vouch for them—they’re not criminals.”
So she really was that famed healer from the Zhou household. Turns out the miracle-working lady didn’t carry the Zhou surname—her name was Cheng.
General Liu waved his hand dismissively.
The soldiers, following orders, turned and left. The noise at the gate faded into silence.
“I know,” General Liu finally said, walking over and sitting beneath the eaves as well. “I’m waiting too.”
What are you waiting for?
Zhou Liu-lang frowned and looked again toward the house.
“Is the injury serious?” he asked.
“The other wounds aren’t too bad,” Xu Maoxiu replied. “But reattaching the hand is difficult. My sister said… it might take until after midday…”
He hadn’t finished speaking when Zhou Liu-lang suddenly dropped to one knee, his face filled with shock.
“Hand?” he asked.
“Yes, the cook’s hand was chopped off by the attacker,” Xu Maoxiu said.
Being attacked by thugs and having a hand or foot severed wasn’t all that rare—after all, that’s what thugs did.
But… weren’t such injuries treated with bandages and stopping the bleeding?
What did he mean, reattaching the hand?
“What did you say? Reattach the hand?” Zhou Liu-lang raised his voice in disbelief.
The maids and others quickly hushed him with scolding glances.
No wonder General Liu and his men had stayed…
Reattaching a severed hand…
He had heard of setting broken bones to heal—but reattaching a hand? That was unheard of…
That lady really dares to say anything…
Zhou Liu-lang pulled his leg back and slowly sat down, staring at the tightly shut door with a complicated expression.
So, that’s why she had someone call for him.
She must know this could stir up trouble…
Zhou Liu-lang sat up straight with his back to the door, his expression tight. Whether it was the rising sun or something else, his cheeks were faintly flushed.
There were five or six people sitting in the courtyard, and a few villagers in the back. But the entire residence was quiet as a tomb.
Only Jin Ge’er and Ban Qin moved back and forth, pouring water and bringing food.
But no one had any appetite to eat.
“It’s been so long now—how is there still no sound at all?” Zhou Liu-lang couldn’t help saying, glancing up at the sky.
The midday sun was glaringly bright.
Zhou Liu-lang turned back to look at the door.
Xu Maoxiu and the maid stood on either side of it, each clearly positioned to block anyone who might try to barge in—whether by design or instinct.
Zhou Liu-lang gave a quiet snort in his heart.
If someone really wanted to rush in, could you stop them?
Look—the door opened all on its own…
That thought flashed through his mind—and then he froze.
The door opened!
“Miss!”
Xu Maoxiu and the maid cried out first, their voices overlapping. General Liu was the first to leap to his feet, eyes fixed intently on the woman standing in the doorway.
But after that first cry of greeting, silence fell again. Everyone clung to that hush, as if any sound might shatter it—and it would never return.
