I Am Immortal in Great Yu

Chapter 94: Chapter 44: Ruffian (2)

As the saying goes: the moment power is in hand, the orders begin to fly.

But Lai Liliu had forgotten what times these were. In times of peace, that might have been true. But now? The Official Army had suffered one defeat after another, the Taiping Bandits were on the verge of arriving, and the city was rife with chaos...

Even though Fang Rui was merely an Entry-Grade Martial Artist, he was more than willing to teach this man a lesson.

”Haha!”

When Lai Liliu saw Fang Rui’s gentle smile as he lowered his blocking hand, he grew even more arrogant and smug. ”See? I told you! You don’t dare to lift a finger!”

”Otherwise, you’d be resisting an Official, defying the Court! Your whole family would...”

He, Lai Liliu, had made something of himself. He was a Lord Imperial Envoy! In a common alley like this, he had absolutely nothing to fear!

But Lai Liliu never got to finish.

SNAP!

Fang Rui’s hand shot out, clamping around Lai Liliu’s neck and lifting him off the ground.

”You—you dare lay a hand on me?! You insolent cur...” Lai Liliu’s face flushed crimson as he choked out the words.

”Insolent cur? To hear that from a street thug... how ironic!”

Fang Rui looked at him as if he were a clown. He twisted the hand gripping Lai Liliu’s neck and slammed his other palm into the man’s chest.

THUMP!

Lai Liliu’s chest visibly caved in. He was sent flying backward, straight through the main gate, and landed with a heavy thud in the courtyard, his momentum unchecked.

”Mother, Third Sister, I’ll be right back. I’m not going far... Don’t worry, everything’s fine.”

Fang Rui called out before striding out in pursuit.

”Cough! Cough, cough!”

Lai Liliu struggled to sit up, coughing violently. It felt as if his organs had been pulverized. He spat out a mouthful of clotted blood and stared at Fang Rui in terror. ”You... you... stay away... Spare me...”

The reality of his situation finally hit him, and he was terrified.

Objectively speaking, for a street thug like Lai Liliu to have survived this long, he had to have some street smarts. The problem was, he had the cunning of a thug, not the wisdom of an Official.

In the past, he had been intimidated and threatened by Officials, envying their authority. After being suppressed for so long, the moment he became a so-called ”Lord Imperial Envoy,” all that pent-up resentment exploded outward, manifesting as pure arrogance and the gloating of a petty man who had stumbled into power.

Lai Liliu thought this uniform made him invincible, that it would protect him. He was wrong. Dead wrong.

And the price for that mistake was his life.

”You brought this upon yourself. There’s no point in begging.”

Fang Rui’s expression was icy. In a flash, he was before the grievously wounded, dying Lai Liliu. He struck the man’s forehead with his palm. With a sickening crunch, the skull caved in and blood splattered.

He picked up the corpse as easily as if it were a chicken and strode out the door.

After walking a few dozen yards, he hurled the body with all his might over the alley wall.

And then?

There was no ”and then.” Someone would clean up the mess.

He returned.

Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family rushed to meet him, asking anxiously, ”Brother Rui, that man called himself a ’Lord Imperial Envoy.’ Won’t there be trouble for killing him like that?”

”What kind of Official was Lai Liliu?!”

Fang Rui shook his head with a smile. ”He was just a street thug temporarily hired by the County Magistrate’s Office. In times like these, nobody will care that a man like him is dead. Don’t worry, Mother.”

”That’s right, Auntie,” Third Sister added. ”Did that Lai Liliu come by today? We didn’t see him, which means he was never here!”

”Third Sister has a point.”

Fang Rui hadn’t expected Third Sister to have such a devious side to her.

”Oh, good!” Hearing them both say this, Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family finally relaxed.

”But, Brother Rui, with Lai Liliu dead, the conscription quota for this alley hasn’t been met. Won’t the Government Office just send someone else? We may not be afraid, but it’s still a nuisance, isn’t it?”

Third Sister suggested, ”Why don’t we go to the other courtyard and lie low for a while?”

”Good idea.”

Fang Rui thought for a moment and agreed. ”We should do it sooner rather than later. Mother, Third Sister, pack your things. We’ll leave for Sweet Water Well Alley soon!”

Third Sister was right. He wasn’t afraid of annoying ”Lord Imperial Envoys” like Lai Liliu, but dealing with wave after wave of them would be a hassle.

And once they were in Sweet Water Well Alley, Jiang Ping’an could look out for them, so they wouldn’t have to worry about such things.

’Besides, here in Willow Alley, the neighbors all know me too well. If something happens, I can’t just act freely. Even if the neighbors don’t have the keen eye to discern my true strength, it’s still a potential liability.’

’In contrast, nobody knows me over in Sweet Water Well Alley, so I can be a bit more unrestrained.’

’And another thing: once my family leaves, any potential loose ends from this business with Lai Liliu will be completely severed.’

Even if someone suspected Fang Rui, in these chaotic times, no one would go to the trouble of tracking down a family that had already moved.

They packed their things in a hurry.

Aside from some personal clothes for themselves and the two little girls, Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family and Third Sister packed scarce goods like pork lard, eggs, soybeans, and cured meat, as well as medicinal herbs. In total, it amounted to two or three hundred pounds of supplies.

As for daily necessities like their staple grains—wheat bran and Sorghum Flour?

Third Sister had already prepared all of that at the courtyard in Sweet Water Well Alley, so there was no need to trouble themselves with carrying it over.

”But there’s still so much grain and medicine here!” Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family said, her heart aching at the thought of leaving it.

”Don’t worry, Mother. We’ll leave them in the cellar. I’ll set something up outside; no one will be able to get to them.”

There were still eight or nine hundred pounds of grain left in the cellar, mostly wheat bran with a smaller amount of cornmeal and Sorghum Flour. The little bit of white flour they had, of course, was taken with them.

After they had taken what they needed from the cellar, Fang Rui found some dry grass to conceal the entrance. Then he moved over some large boulders he had gathered a few days prior, piling them up outside to look like a decorative rockery.

Once everything was ready, they locked the door.

They set out.

Fang Rui led the way, an oversized burlap sack in each hand filled with the scarce food, medicinal herbs, and other heavy items. Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family and Third Sister followed a little behind, traveling lighter. They each carried a bundle of clothes on their backs and led one of the little girls by the hand.

The sky had completely darkened by now. As night fell, shadowy figures moved through the gloom, and it was impossible to know how many evil deeds were being done.

Along the way, Fang Rui felt prying eyes on them more than once.

But he was effortlessly carrying two huge sacks, a Broadsword hanging at his waist. One look told you he was not someone to be trifled with. No one was reckless enough to challenge them; every shadowy figure they encountered gave them a wide berth.

This was true for street thugs and patrolling governmental officers alike.

...

A short while later, the group arrived at Sweet Water Well Alley.

”Brother Rui, Auntie, over here!” Third Sister called out, leading them to the gate of a courtyard.

She unlocked the gate, and they went inside.

Fang Rui saw that although this courtyard was said to be smaller than their old one in Bai Yang Alley, it was actually quite spacious.

While not a grand, three-section compound, it had both a front and back yard. In addition to a kitchen and a main hall, there were four rooms and a stable built from bamboo.

”NEIGH!”

A sound came from the stable.

”Wow, Brother, look! A big horse!” Fang Ling exclaimed.

Nannan also stared curiously. While it was true that Third Sister had prepared this courtyard, Nannan herself had only been here a few times.

”It’s just an old nag.”

Third Sister smiled and patted the two little girls on the head, then explained to Fang Rui, ”This horse is being looked after by Aunt Zhao next door... Aunt Zhao has had a hard life. Her husband died young, her eldest son was conscripted into the army, and now she’s left at home with just her two daughters. I give her some wheat bran every month, and in return, she helps feed the horse, clean the house, and keep an eye on the place...”

”It’s the same over at Bai Yang Alley. An Aunt Bai is watching over that place...”

”I see.”

Fang Rui nodded. ”What a coincidence! This courtyard isn’t far from my friend’s house. It’s just a short walk, which is very convenient.”

Just as he spoke, footsteps sounded from next door, and a woman appeared at the gate. She looked to be in her fifties or sixties, dressed in coarse hemp clothes, with a stooped posture and graying hair.

”Third Sister?”

”Yes, it’s me, Aunt Zhao. Let me introduce you. This is...”

”I knew I heard someone arrive.”

...

After the introductions were made, Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family and Third Sister began tidying up the rooms, with Aunt Zhao helping them get settled.

”Mother, Third Sister, you two get everything sorted out here. I’m going to go say hello to my friend. Just give a shout if you need anything!”

Besides, Fang Rui would be keeping an ear out for them, so he wasn’t worried about anything happening.

”Alright, go on. You should go say hello,” said Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family.

”Don’t worry, Brother Rui,” Third Sister said with a slight smile.

After letting them know, Fang Rui headed straight out the door toward Jiang Ping’an’s house.

...