novelhk Chapter 40 Three Heroes and Five Righteous Men
Chapter 40 Three Heroes and Five Righteous Men
Hua Chong was extremely anxious and cursed inwardly: He almost escaped, but it was all that bastard's fault for ruining everything!
He immediately became even more ruthless, seizing the opportunity to leap high into the air. His sharp blade cleaved the tree branch in Bai Yutang's hand in two. Before Bai Yutang could even rejoice, something came straight at him.
"what!"
The flying stone knocked Hua Chong down from the air, and he rolled to the ground with a "ouch".
In that instant, Lu Fang and the others rushed forward.
Xu Qing reacted swiftly, placing his broadsword directly against Hua Chong's neck, while Jiang Ping's Emei dagger pressed against the back of his neck. Lu Fang pressed his two large hands against Hua Chong's shoulders, rendering him unable to move.
"You despicable person, you even resort to underhanded tactics."
Hua Chong angrily cursed Bai Yutang.
Jiang Ping thrust his Emei dagger forward: "You lecherous thief, you used a poisoned dart to injure people yourself, and you still have the nerve to say that my fifth brother used a sneak attack to injure people."
The five brothers had been sworn brothers for many years. Although Jiang Ping had his own thoughts, he immediately flew into a rage when he heard outsiders insulting his brothers and angrily rebuked them.
Xu Qing pressed his blade against Hua Chong's neck, immediately leaving a thin cut, and blood trickled down the wound: "That's right! If you dare to talk nonsense again, your Master Xu's knife doesn't have eyes."
Lu Fang's strength remained undiminished; still concerned for Zhan Zhao, who had been struck by the poisoned dart, he shouted, "Hand over the antidote for the poisoned dart!"
Hua Chong was quite courageous and responsible. Now that he had been captured, although he was indignant, he kept quiet and gave the antidote without saying a word.
After a fierce battle, everyone was exhausted, but their spirits were surprisingly high.
Nothing more!
The Butterfly has been roaming the underworld for many years, and countless respectable women have been persecuted by him. Many families have jointly offered rewards, but to no avail.
Many heroes and warriors had been defeated before him, and now that he had been captured by a few people, everyone felt extremely proud and relieved, even more so than if they had taken a magic pill.
It was already dawn, and as everyone rushed back with the flowers, the village chief was still wondering where the people who had stayed overnight the day before had gone.
Lu Fang recounted the whole story, and the village chief, upon learning that the village women had almost been abducted by rapists, was both furious and grateful.
What angered me was the shamelessness of the lecherous thief, but what I was grateful for was that everyone intervened and prevented the incident from happening.
The villagers should be woken up immediately, especially the family in Huachong who had been drugged, so that they can kowtow to them in gratitude.
"No need!" It was Bai Yutang who spoke, having remained silent the entire way.
The village chief asked in bewilderment, "You have all shown us such great kindness, why don't they express their gratitude in person?"
Bai Yutang shook his head: "It is not easy for women to survive in this world, and their chastity and reputation are extremely important. Although the lecherous thief did not succeed last night, the news has spread, and the woman and her family will inevitably be criticized by the villagers."
To avoid further trouble for her family, we quietly took them away, and this matter will be treated as if it never happened. You must not spread this story or let anyone else know about it.
That's it!
Upon hearing this, everyone snapped out of their daze and nodded in agreement.
This world is sometimes just that unfair.
Although it was a lecherous rapist who violated a vulnerable woman, the rapist might eventually use this as something to boast about, while the woman who was forced would suffer the scorn of the world and the pointing fingers of those around her.
Zhan Zhao: "Brother Bai is right. This is not a good thing. It's best not to spread it around. Let's take this man to Kaifeng Prefecture now and hand him over to Lord Bao for disposal. The village can pretend that this never happened."
The village chief was even more grateful.
He didn't want to make this a public spectacle, after all, it wasn't a good thing. If word got out, not only would the woman Hua Chong was looking for be looked down upon, but all the women in the village would be subjected to scorn.
However, he was a shrewd and worldly man, and knew that people love fame.
Now that these people have quietly helped the village so much, saving the villagers from humiliation, he must respond. Otherwise, they might think the villagers are all ungrateful and hurt people in a fit of rage. That's why he suggested that someone come to express their gratitude.
Moreover, he had already decided that if they readily agreed, he would only call over that family and their relatives and friends, and then instruct them not to make a fuss about it.
To his surprise, Bai Yutang rejected his proposal as soon as he made it, and how could he not be moved to tears?
He now genuinely felt that these people were rare heroes, upright gentlemen who asked for nothing in return. He repeatedly urged them to stay for breakfast before leaving, but they politely declined, mindful of Hua Chong's feelings.
Sure enough, news came from Kaifeng Prefecture a few days later that the flower thief Hua Hudie Huachong had been caught. The village chief was relieved and immediately went to the family and told them what had happened the night before.
“Those heroes are not interested in fame or fortune, and we are just ordinary people who can't help them much. We can only be grateful, remember their great kindness, and pray that they will be safe and sound in the future. Good people are rewarded!” the village chief said with emotion.
The family was naturally overjoyed, grateful that they had saved their daughter and that their discreet actions had spared them from gossip. They immediately set up a memorial tablet for the group, bowed three times every morning, burned incense morning and evening, and made daily offerings, praying that the good people would be rewarded.
That's a story for another time, so let's leave it at that!
The group left the village and headed straight for Kaifeng Prefecture.
Bao Zheng never expected Zhan Zhao to give him such a big surprise. Not only did he bring back Bai Yutang and the Three Treasures of Kaifeng, but he also captured Hua Hudie, who was wanted by the court, on the way.
Zhan Zhao was not one to take credit for others' work. He immediately recounted in detail the cause and effect of capturing Hua Hudie, as well as his actions towards the village afterward.
After hearing this, Bao Zheng was even more pleased with Bai Yutang.
Previously, he had been somewhat dissatisfied with Bai Yutang's disregard for the law and his arbitrary actions, but now, through the Hua Chong incident, he discovered Bai Yutang's selfless and altruistic side, which was not seeking fame or fortune.
Especially after meeting Bai Yutang in person, seeing his dignified yet humble demeanor and composed and elegant manner, I felt even more that he was a young prodigy with extraordinary bearing and outstanding appearance.
The previous incident was harmless; on the contrary, it demonstrated his exceptional skills and chivalrous spirit. Now, his calm surrender shows even more responsibility, and he immediately agreed to vouch for him before the officials.
Chen Lin, whom Bai Yutang saved by killing someone in the palace, was very grateful to him. Together with Bao Zheng, Bai Yutang spoke highly of Chen Lin in front of the emperor. When Chen Lin met the emperor, Bai Yutang specially dressed him in brand-new clothes, making him look dashing and extraordinary.
The Emperor, being kind and lenient by nature, readily pardoned Bai Yutang's crimes after hearing their kind words. Knowing of his actions in capturing Hua Hudie, he was even more pleased.
In addition to bestowing upon Zhan Zhao the title of a fourth-rank bodyguard, Bai Yutang was also granted the title of a fourth-rank bodyguard, instead of the fourth-rank bodyguard title left over from Zhan Zhao's previous bestowal, as was done in the original work.
Bai Yutang calmly accepted the course of events.
He accepted everyone's congratulations and generously hosted a banquet to thank them for their hard work.
His matter was successfully concluded, and everyone then began searching for Han Zhang, the Earth Rat.
Jiang Ping volunteered again, offering to go find his second brother.
Bai Yutang smiled at his enthusiastic expression and said nothing.
Now that Hua Hudie is imprisoned and to be executed on a later date, Han Zhang will not encounter him again, thus avoiding the injury. Presumably, Jiang Ping's journey will be very smooth.