LUO FAN
A month passed swiftly, and Jinjing and I had managed to make ends meet. I had reluctantly pawned my mother's locket to raise some quick cash, which allowed us to buy materials and apparatus for medicine production. Together, we worked seamlessly—Jinjing handling the cleaning and drying of ingredients while I took charge of the delicate refinement processes.
In that time, we had visited three villages, and every batch of medicine we brought along had sold out completely. Financially, we had enough to afford a modest wedding ceremony, but Jinjing had insisted we retrieve my mother's locket first. She believed it was important to start our married life debt-free and with a small cushion of savings to carry us through.
Returning from our fourth village visit, we decided to stop by the market to restock on food and essentials. Having been away for five days, we planned to take a week off to rest and produce another batch of medicines before heading out again.
Encouragingly, the very first village we'd visited had sent a message expressing satisfaction with the quality of the medicines they'd purchased and requesting our return. With that in mind, we were already making preparations for the journey ahead.
"I forgot to tell you," I said as we walked past a pottery shop. "The Village Chief of Shitong sent a message inviting us back to sell more medicines."
"That's great news! It means our medicines are working," Jinjing replied with a bright smile.
"Of course. Your husband wasn't called the Divine Mage for nothing."
She giggled. "You're getting cocky. You almost sound like Lord Ruan."
I shook my head. "I could never reach his level of arrogance. It's practically immortal, just like his cultivation."
She laughed, but her amusement was cut short when a carriage suddenly sped toward us. Before it could sideswipe Jinjing, I yanked her behind me.
To my surprise, the carriage screeched to a halt right in front of us. A man leapt out, his posture radiating menace.
"Finally, we meet again," he sneered. "I've been looking for you, blind man."
Though his face was unfamiliar, his voice struck a chord.
"Chang Tao," Jinjing said sharply. "What do you want from us?"
Chang Tao. Now I remembered—the drunkard who had harassed Jinjing before.
"What do I want?" he mocked, stepping closer. "Your man, of course. This beauty deserves someone like me, not a worn-out whore like you."
"Leave her out of this," I said, my voice calm but firm. Insulting me was one thing; disrespecting Jinjing was another.
"Don't worry," he said with a twisted grin. "I'm not here for her. I'm here for you."
"And what exactly do you want from me?"
"Like what I said earlier. I want you, so you'll have to come with me."
"And if I don't oblige?"
"You've got two choices—come willingly or fight me."
"We've fought before, and we know how that ended," I reminded him.
He chuckled darkly. "I was drunk then, and for the past twelve months, I've been training under a master. You're no match for me now, so you'd better come along willingly. I'd hate to ruin that pretty face of yours."
"I must decline," I said evenly. "And I suggest we let bygones be bygones. There's no need for trouble."
Chang Tao leaned in close, his breath hot and foul. "You humiliated me, and you want me to forget? I want repayment." His fingers clamped around my chin. "I want to see your face screaming under me while I—"
Before he could finish, I slapped his hand away with a precise strike. The force left him gasping as he cradled his wrist.
"You're making a mistake," he growled, unsheathing his sword. "I'll make you regret that."
"Jinjing, step back," I said.
She quickly moved to a safe distance as Chang Tao lunged at me, his blade slicing through the air. I sidestepped his attack and struck the vein in his wrist with my staff, causing his sword to clatter to the ground.
"One year of training," I said, "and you still can't hold your weapon properly."
He screamed profanities as he retrieved his sword and charged again. This time, I hit his wrist even harder, sending him to his knees, howling in pain.
"Do you yield?" I asked.
"You son of a whore!" he spat. "I'll kill you, then ravage your corpse and eat it raw!"
The grotesqueness of his words made me recoil. Even Ruan Yanjun, wicked as he was, had never spoken with such depravity.
Jinjing tugged on my arm. "We should leave before this draws more attention," she urged.
Looking around, I noticed a small crowd had already gathered. Not wanting to attract more notice, I allowed her to pull me away.
The last thing I needed was to make it easier for those hunting me to find us.
We hurriedly grabbed the first edible items we could find at the market and paid without hesitation. Within minutes, we were on our way out.
At the market's exit, a man stood waiting. His stance alone told me he was a cultivator, and not a novice. Beside him was Chang Tao, still nursing his injured wrist.
We stopped in our tracks.
This must be the "master" Chang Tao had boasted about. The man looked formidable but lacked the commanding aura of a true master. Cultivation rules required a practitioner to reach Level Six, the "Master's Level," before accepting disciples. Judging by his presence, this man was likely between Level Three and Four—not qualified to have disciples yet.
"My disciple claims you've been bullying him," the man said, his tone sharp.
I cupped my hands in a respectful gesture, despite his threatening demeanor. "There seems to be a misunderstanding. Your disciple insulted and provoked us. I only acted to protect my betrothed and myself from his verbal and physical assaults."
The man turned to Chang Tao. "Is that true?"