Chapter 42: Confrontation

Su Tang considered carefully before she spoke, “Sister Li, they’re all one family.”
Li Qingtian nodded. “Yes, they are.”
“Sister Li, let’s not forget, if not for them, I might have…”
Li Qingtian’s expression turned grave. “If not for Lu Da Shan and his son, the young lady’s life would have been forfeit—that’s what that fortune-teller said. But just a few days ago, that same fortune-teller came looking for Lu Da Shan and spoke with him in private for a long time. That shows they must have known each other for some time—this marriage might be nothing but a scheme.”
Xuanjizi and the Lu family lived in the same town; it was only natural they knew each other!
As for a scheme…
“You mean to say they already knew who we are?” Su Tang asked.
Li Qingtian hesitated. “Perhaps not. But maybe, if it had been someone else, there would still have been a marriage.”
“I think that fortune-teller has real powers,” Su Tang said.
Li Qingtian replied, “Just tricks from the underworld, nothing more.”
“What would they hope to gain by tricking us?” Su Tang asked.
Li Qingtian was at a loss for words.
Su Tang smiled. In these days, she didn’t know, but in her old life, it was always for money or pleasure.
As for money, if she hadn’t taken the place of the original Su Tang, there would have been none.
As for pleasure…
Su Tang recalled the youth she’d glimpsed before dinner and said, “You say they’re strange, Sister Li—might they not find us just as strange?”
Li Qingtian was stunned, unable to answer.
That night, it was the young lady and the Lu family’s young man who had seen her come home.
And ever since, whenever the young lady met that man surnamed Zhao, Lu Da Shan was always present.
Perhaps they already knew, keeping silent all along?
“We’re not parents ourselves—maybe, once you become one, you think differently? And men and women are born different after all, their ways of thinking diverge. What we find odd, to them might be commonplace,” Su Tang said.
Li Qingtian frowned, then relaxed. “You’ve read many books, young lady; you must be right. It’s only my own overanxious heart.”
Su Tang shook her head. “No, Sister Li, you’re not wrong. The two of us are all each other has now, far from home, so we must be cautious. If anything seems amiss, we’ll watch a few more days—and if things don’t look right, we’ll leave.”
Su Tang took Li Qingtian’s hand. “After all, we have skills now. Even if we must start over, there’s nothing to fear.”
Li Qingtian looked at Su Tang and suddenly tears poured down her cheeks, sobbing uncontrollably.
“It’s my fault—if I weren’t so useless, you wouldn’t have suffered so much. If only I were stronger, you wouldn’t have to be caught in such a hard place, sob… sob…”
In the memories of Su Tang’s former self, Li Qingtian was always as steadfast as an unbreakable fortress, so to see her like this caught Su Tang completely off guard. She hastened to wipe her tears, to comfort her, nearly pulling her into an embrace to pat her back.
“It’s all right, it’s all right.”
“I’m strong now, I can earn money, I can defend myself.”
“With you by my side, Sister Li, I’ll only grow stronger.”

“…”
“Waaah—” The weeping grew louder.
Oh heavens—
How was she supposed to comfort her?
In the courtyard, the big black dog cocked its ear, listening to the wavering sobs inside the room; then it turned its head back toward the gate, as vigilant as a loyal guardian.

*********

“Ah—!”
A figure tumbled onto the broken brick ground, swept clean but littered with withered leaves.
Moonlight shone down as a tall, burly shadow loomed, menacing as a wrathful guardian deity carved into the ruined walls on either side.
On the ground, Liu Er’s face was bruised and swollen, his tears and snot running together, his face streaked with black and yellow, and he begged for mercy over and over.
“I was wrong, I won’t do it again, never again! Spare me!”
“….”
Lu Da Shan revealed half his face, and under the moon’s shadow, he didn’t need to speak—a single fierce stare and Liu Er felt a chill burst beneath him. When he saw that fist, as large as a fan, coming down, he clutched his head and cried out,
“It was the Fang family!”
“Which Fang family?” Lu Da Shan’s voice rumbled like thunder.
Liu Er blurted out, “The second-to-last house at the end of Pinghe Street, moved here ten months ago, their young master attends the academy…”
“Fang Juncai.”
The voice was clear as a spring, cold as snow.
“Yes, yes, the old servant from that house!” Liu Er answered at once, then fell silent.
Who had just spoken?
The thought flashed through his mind, and he hastily snuffed it out, clutching his head, eyes squeezed shut, unmoving—he saw nothing, he heard nothing.
Outside the ruined temple’s gate, footsteps faded away.
It might have been the sound of someone slipping away, or perhaps just the wind.
Lu Da Shan turned to look. From inside the ruined temple gate, a figure emerged from the shadows.
Tall and slender as bamboo, his expression tranquil, and in the moonlight, his refined and handsome face looked like an immortal from the moon, or a figure in a painting by lamplight.
Liu Er saw nothing—he only heard footsteps drawing near, carrying a faint, icy breath.
“How much silver?” the man asked.
“Twenty taels,” Liu Er answered without a hint of hesitation.
“They all said twenty taels,” Lu Da Shan said.
“I don’t believe it,” the other replied.
Liu Er shivered.
Lu Da Shan glanced at him. “We’ll confront you together in a moment. For every tael missing, I’ll take a tael of your flesh.”
Liu Er trembled even harder, the chill beneath him growing worse.

…
Inside the temple, no one spoke further. Lu Da Shan was silent; so was the other man.
Liu Er had no idea how much time passed—maybe the length of a single incense stick, maybe longer, maybe less. He still dared not move a muscle.
Lu Da Shan was right in front of him—if he dared open his eyes, he’d see those enormous feet of Lu Da Shan’s,
and just the sight of those feet made pain twist through his whole body.
Just one kick before, and he had lost all strength.
Another kick, and wouldn’t that be the end of him?
Suddenly, wind stirred outside the temple.
Someone seemed to approach, or perhaps no one at all.
Lu Da Shan left.
But soon, Lu Da Shan returned.
This time, he brought with him muffled sounds of struggle and whimpering.
Liu Er instinctively curled up even tighter.
Bang.
Something was flung to the ground.
It landed like a sack.
In a moment, the struggling grew louder, the whimpering more distinct—only for there to be two dull thuds, the sound of fists landing on flesh.
The struggle ceased at once, the whimpering turned into groans.
“Who—who are you people?”
“In broad daylight—”
“Do you recognize him?” Lu Da Shan’s voice boomed.
Instantly, the noise stilled.
Liu Er opened his eyes and grinned painfully at the man beside him. “Old man, we meet again.”
The Fang family’s old servant, lying on the ground, stared at Liu Er, suspicion flickering in his eyes. “Who are you?”
Liu Er gave a sly laugh. “I knew you’d try to deny it. Lucky for me, I planned ahead. I might not know what you get up to elsewhere, but in this town there’s nothing I don’t hear about. Your master’s monthly expenses are sixty taels—at least twenty go into your own pocket. If you deny it, I’ll go straight to your master. Don’t say there’s no proof—just the bank receipts in your own room would be enough…”
“Shut up, shut up!” The old servant from the Fang family was frantic, so desperate to silence Liu Er that he nearly forgot his pain. “And you dare accuse me? I paid you forty taels, and what did you accomplish?”
“Forty taels!?”
The ruined temple echoed with a voice like a great bell.