Chapter 120: A Kick

The young girl glanced secretly at the guard in green, her face flushing slightly. With a giggle, she whispered, "Him? He just stood there holding his sword, so stiff that his left foot kept tripping over his right. Let alone dancing, the way he looked, he might as well have just collapsed and played dead... Hehe, it was Brother Wu who finally stepped in to save the day and performed a drum dance for us."

As the girl spoke, the guard in green’s face darkened. He turned abruptly and strode away.

Seeing him leave, the girl grew visibly flustered. Biting her lip, she asked in a low voice, "Did—did I make him angry?"

Lu Ying chuckled. "Of course he's angry." Just then, she spotted the nobleman and turned to leave.

She had only taken one step when someone tugged at her sleeve. Lu Ying looked back to see the girl, her face flushed and her eyes brimming with tears, asking in a tiny voice, "What—what is his name?"

"Who? Oh, you mean the one in green? His name is Zhiwu."

"Zhiwu?" The girl murmured the name softly twice, her face reddening further. Lowering her head, she twisted the corners of her garment in her hands and asked gently, "Then... is he... is he married?"

So, she had taken a fancy to him? Lu Ying turned back, narrowing her eyes.

Under Lu Ying's gaze, the girl stamped her foot and pouted coyly, "Why are you looking at me like that?" Unbeknownst to them, she had already adopted the manner of a close friend when around Lu Ying.

Could it be that, seeing her with the nobleman, the girl had mistaken her for a man? Lu Ying was startled at first, but then she regained her composure: No, I am a woman after all.

Dismissing her wandering thoughts, Lu Ying nodded at the girl and replied earnestly, "I will go and ask him for you."

With that, she walked slowly toward where Zhiwu and the nobleman were standing.

Seeing her approach, Zhiwu’s face darkened again. He took a few steps back and simply turned his head to look at the other side of the river.

The nobleman stood to one side, his hands behind his back, wearing a faint, detached smile. His brow was slightly furrowed, perhaps lost in thought. Not far away, several young women were stealing glances at him, and even the young men had most of their attention focused on his presence.

Lu Ying lingered for a while, and it wasn't until the afternoon that she found the girl and said, "Zhiwu is not yet married. Don't worry, I will ask the Master about his intentions."

The girl understood, and after bowing to Lu Ying with a blushing face, she darted away like a frightened rabbit.

That evening, as the sky filled with sunset clouds, the large boat arrived at Jiangzhou (modern-day Chongqing).

Jiangzhou was a major city in the Bashu region, second only to Chengdu, and was very prosperous. A family on the passenger ship was disembarking here, and the ship also needed to restock supplies. As they entered the territory of Jiangzhou, the vessel slowed and began to steer toward the pier.

As they drifted closer, Lu Ying narrowed her eyes.

The pier ahead was packed with boats, and the one at the very front, adorned with large black sails, was unmistakably the same one they had encountered the night before.

She had not expected those boats to be stopping here as well.

Lu Ying stepped to the nobleman’s side. He had already donned his gauze hat.

Leaning in, Lu Ying whispered, "Master, those are the boats we encountered last night."

The nobleman glanced at her, curled his lips, but did not reply.

Though he remained silent, Lu Ying suddenly felt as if he already knew everything.

The dozens of large ships had clearly not arrived long ago, as the goods on board were not yet being unloaded. The vessels floated in the waterway, and large men could be seen pacing back and forth on their bows and sterns.

After observing for only a few moments, Lu Ying locked eyes with the young scholar she had seen the previous night. The scholar had changed into a brocade robe and now looked every bit the elegant gentleman.

He turned his head and looked at Lu Ying and the others with a friendly, smiling expression. Because the nobleman was wearing a gauze hat, the young man only glanced at him twice before focusing his attention entirely on Lu Ying.

He even nodded and smiled at her.

Lu Ying gave him a cold, indifferent look. She felt a bit surprised by his gesture of goodwill, but more than anything, she felt disdain. With her chin held high, she followed the group of youths toward the bow, looking proud and aloof.

The passenger ship slowly pulled alongside the pier.

Just then, a sudden clamor erupted from the dock ahead.

The noise grew louder and louder.

In the blink of an eye, an old woman with disheveled hair broke through the crowd and lunged toward Lu Ying and the others. She shrieked as she charged, "You wretch! You dare to return? How dare you come back here?"

The woman appeared crazed. By the time the passenger ship had settled against the pier, Lu Ying had just stepped off the gangplank behind the young girl.

Almost the moment her feet touched the dock, the old woman clawed at her.

Despite her age, the woman’s lunge was fierce. Lu Ying’s face remained cold; she shifted her weight slightly and tilted her head, dodging the attack with ease.

Seeing her miss, the old woman fell hard onto the ground. She began slapping her own thighs and wailing, "Heaven! Why haven't you taken this wretch away? Heaven, you let such a scourge roam free—are you trying to force my granddaughter and me to our deaths?"

The old woman’s wails were piercing. Her frantic shouting, cursing, and self-flagellation drew the surrounding crowd, who began to point and stare at Lu Ying.

To the onlookers, Lu Ying was impeccably dressed, calm and composed, and possessed striking features. Such a person, no matter where they went, carried the air of a refined young gentleman. How could she possibly be linked to this street-dwelling old crone?

The old woman continued her wailing, and the crowd grew larger by the second.

Back on the ship, the nobleman had stopped walking. He leaned against the railing, arms folded, idly enjoying the chaotic scene.

Amidst the uproar, when the old woman paused to catch her breath, Lu Ying, standing to one side with her hands behind her back, spoke in a cool, clear voice. "Old woman, you’ve done so much shouting, yet you haven't told me or everyone else the reason for this disturbance." She raised her voice slightly, her dark, ink-black eyes shining brilliantly. "Do tell us; I am quite curious."

She carried the air of a mere spectator!

Such an attitude seemed particularly bizarre in this situation. The crowd couldn't help but stare at her, and even the old woman was momentarily stunned.

But in an instant, reminded of her purpose, the old woman slapped her thighs with a sharp *thwack* and shrieked, "You god-damned bastard! You dare claim you don't know what happened? Half a year ago, you came to the west corner of Luo Alley. You—you degenerate! You seduced my daughter, got her pregnant, and then just walked away! You beast!"

No sooner had the old woman finished shouting than a girl’s miserable cry rose from the crowd: "Grandmother, stop!"

A girl with disheveled hair and a dirty face, yet delicate features, rushed forward in rags. She threw herself onto the old woman, clutching her tightly. Then, lifting a tear-streaked face, she looked at Lu Ying and called out in a trembling voice, "Sir, my grandmother is ignorant. She has offended you; please, don't blame her! A-Luo will kowtow to you—I will kowtow to you!"

As she spoke, she crawled to Lu Ying's feet and began to knock her head against the ground with loud, rhythmic thuds.

While the girl kowtowed, the old woman shrieked, "I’ll fight you to the death, you wretch!"

With her feet pinned by the girl, Lu Ying couldn't move. When the woman lunged again, Lu Ying could only lean to the left. Though the woman missed, she still slammed into Lu Ying, forcing her to stumble back a few steps, shattering her composed demeanor and leaving her looking momentarily disheveled!

Amidst the chaos, faint voices could be heard: "Hey, why are you two women causing a scene here? Don't you see that young gentleman is from a powerful family? Be careful, or she might get angry and have you drowned in the river!" "Exactly, exactly. Come back! Can't you talk things out?" "It's a tragedy. These wealthy young masters care most about their reputation. After this, I fear their entire family will be wiped out by tomorrow."

"They ruined a girl and just walked away—truly a villain!" "And to think he looks so talented!"

The shouting and cursing filled the air; the pier was in an uproar!

In the midst of the noise, Lu Ying let out a heavy sigh and said clearly, "You have truly mistaken the person."

"Pah!" No sooner had Lu Ying spoken than the old woman spat at her. Fortunately, Lu Ying dodged quickly, or she would have been hit square in the face!

At this, Lu Ying was truly angry.

As her expression darkened, the pier, which had been as rowdy as a pot of boiling water, suddenly quieted down significantly. Several hostile gazes locked onto her, waiting for her to lash out or attack!

Lu Ying stared coldly at the old woman for a moment, then reached up and tugged at her hair tie, simultaneously pulling down her collar!

In an instant, her long, ink-black hair cascaded down, and her smooth neck—lacking an Adam's apple—was revealed to everyone present.

Facing the stunned crowd, Lu Ying sneered, "Well? Is it still me who forced myself upon your daughter? Perhaps she even bore me a child that you've kept hidden at home instead of bringing here?"

In the crowded space, Lu Ying’s crisp voice carried a chilling edge, and as she stepped toward the old woman, her aura was bitingly cold.

The area fell completely silent.

Truth be told, since boarding the ship with the nobleman, Lu Ying had put effort into her appearance to maintain the illusion that she was a man. She had styled her features to look colder and sharper than usual, and combined with her height—which was slightly taller than the average southern woman—and her fierce, icy temperament, few doubted she was a young man.

But now, with her hair loose and her throat exposed, even the blind could see that the preceding events had been an absurd farce.

Step by step, Lu Ying bore down on the old woman.

Seeing her approach, the old woman scrambled toward her granddaughter in a panic. She stammered, "D-daughter, I... I mistook you for someone else! I, this old woman, made a mistake!"

*No, you didn't mistake anyone! You two were sent here for me, and there were even flashes of blades in this crowd!*

Lu Ying sneered.

She stopped beside the old woman and said coldly, "So, you slander me, defile me, spit on me, and curse me—and now you think a simple 'I made a mistake' is enough to cover it up?"

As her voice fell, the girl knelt down and began kowtowing frantically once more. She sobbed, "Miss, you are a person of great stature, please spare us. Have mercy, and we will set up a spirit tablet for you when we return. With your noble status, is it really worth your time to bicker with people like us?"

"You certainly have a silver tongue."

Lu Ying sneered. Suddenly, she extended her right leg and kicked the old woman hard in the backside, sending her tumbling across the muddy ground and into the river.

The turn of events was so sudden that the girl let out a shrill scream, sobbing, "You are a woman too! How can you be so heartless, so vicious?"

"Heartless? Vicious? You try to scheme against someone, and when it fails, you hide behind your weakness, thinking you can just walk away? There is no such thing as a free lunch in this world!" Lu Ying kicked out again, sending the wailing girl sliding down the riverbank as well.