Chapter Nine: No Matter How You Deal With It

The girl wore a white nightgown, her snow-white skin irresistibly alluring. Xia Hua’s complexion was fair with a rosy glow, her red lips and bright teeth captivating. Her figure was perfectly curved, stunningly sexy in every way. Having been with Zhang Chen for many years, her enchanting charm was truly irresistible.

After bathing that evening, Xia Hua covered the surgical incision on her neck with a piece of waterproof oilcloth.

The girl showed Zhang Chen her nightgown, subtly seeking his affection. Her delicate face flushed at some unknown moment.

“I don’t feel right tonight, my mind is unsettled. I keep feeling something bad is about to happen,” Zhang Chen kissed Xia Hua lightly. “Go to sleep. I’m not in the mood tonight. In a few days, when we move into that big courtyard, I’ll take care of you, little enchantress.”

“Do whatever you want, I’m not afraid,” Xia Hua nestled into Zhang Chen’s arms, closing her beautiful eyes and falling asleep.

Holding Xia Hua, Zhang Chen also tried to sleep, but rest eluded him.

In the middle of the night, he was jolted awake by a commotion. Outside, there were screams and dogs barking all around the village.

He quickly dressed, grabbed the steel knife from the bedside, and stepped into the courtyard.

The previous night, Zhang Chen had Xia Hua light candles in the bedroom—long ones costing five copper coins each, enough to last the entire night.

Dressed swiftly, Xia Hua followed Zhang Chen out of the main house into the courtyard. “Pirates have come, Young Master. We should hurry to that big courtyard on the main street. You should hide in the secret room.”

“I want to see what’s going on,” Zhang Chen said, holding the steel knife in his right hand while pulling Xia Hua by the left to the street in front.

At that moment, Fei Niu also got up, steel knife in hand, and followed Zhang Chen and Xia Hua to the street.

Many villagers had gathered there, talking anxiously and showing signs of panic.

Unclothed on the upper body, Zhang Da’an and Zhang Er’an ran hurriedly from the main street. “Master, bandits raided Liu Village last night. There’s a high chance they’re coming to Zhang Village next.”

After catching his breath, Zhang Da’an continued, “We should rush to that big courtyard.”

Zhang Village was situated on high ground. Only then did Zhang Chen notice the fierce blaze raging northward towards Liu Village. The sky was tinted a dim yellow, flickering ominously in the dark night.

Though Liu Village was five or six miles away, the cries, screams, and wails of its people reached Zhang Village.

Now, Zhang Chen could hear similar cries from the northeast corner of Zhang Village itself. The bandits had arrived and were wreaking havoc.

At the northeast corner of Zhang Village, villagers were screaming and crying out for help.

Zhang Chen told Zhang Da’an and Zhang Er’an to escort Xia Hua to the big courtyard. Clutching his steel knife tightly, Zhang Chen and Fei Niu ran toward the northeast corner, rushing into the fray.

The battle at Zhang Village’s northeast corner was fierce. More than six hundred militia members and able-bodied men of Zhang Village, led by Qi Guoshu and Old Zheng, were locked in a brutal fight with nearly a thousand bandits.

Across the street, several militia members and young men from Zhang Village, including Zhang Chen, rushed to the battlefield and immediately engaged in savage combat with the bandits.

The cries and shouts of battle were commands; comrades from the militia and strong young men of Zhang Village surged into the fight, battling the bandits to the death.

Earlier, the bandits had set many houses ablaze, the flames shooting high and illuminating the scene as brightly as daylight.

More militia and villagers joined the fight intermittently. Zhang Chen saw his eastern neighbor, Zhang Zirou, hacked to death by a burly black-faced bandit wielding a steel knife.

Cursing, Zhang Chen charged forward and struck the black-faced bandit’s neck with a blow, killing him instantly.

Not far away, Qi Guoshu shouted encouragement, narrowly dodging a bandit’s blade aimed at his head. Amid the chaos, he saw Zhang Chen’s powerful strike pierce a bandit’s right chest.

The wound was deep, exposing bone, and several ribs were broken. The bandit screamed in agony before collapsing lifelessly.

“Another one down. Young Master, take it easy—kill bandits slowly,” Fei Niu, who had often trained with Zhang Chen in the Zhang family estate, advised.

Dodging a blade from a short bandit, Fei Niu reached Zhang Chen’s side and swung his knife, cutting down a tall, slender bandit. “Die, bastard!”

The tall, slender bandit screamed as his neck was slashed and fell dead.

“You and I each kill two bandits, that’s enough. You’ve done your part, Young Master; stay safe,” Fei Niu said.

Guarding Zhang Chen’s rear and left side, Fei Niu was agile. After a fierce clash with a hefty bandit, he slashed the bandit’s right arm.

The bandit screamed, dropping his steel knife. Seeing a flash of steel coming at him, the bandit was caught off guard.

Taking advantage, Fei Niu swung hard at the bandit’s face, nearly splitting his head in two.

Without a sound, the bandit collapsed and died.

“Two down. Fatty here took out two bandits. Young Master, mission accomplished. Let’s finish this and head home. Ah, we’re likely to lose.”

Fei Niu surveyed the battlefield, cursing. “Too many bandits. Young Master, I, Da’an, and Er’an will cover your and Uncle Zheng’s escape.”

The battle was turning against Zhang Village. Aside from Zhang Chen, Fei Niu, and a few who had just arrived—Zhang Da’an, Zhang Er’an, and Zheng Shizhen—most villagers were losing ground, with casualties mounting by the second.

Zheng Shizhen, in his forties and battle-hardened, had already slain one bandit and was locked in combat with a black-clad bandit.

Despite an old wound to his left chest, Zheng Shizhen fought fiercely, refusing to retreat.

About twenty meters away, Old Zheng and Qi Guoshu were battling a burly bald bandit, gasping for breath as the fight wore on.

“Da’an, Er’an, protect Uncle Zheng!” Zhang Chen barked. “It’s time to go all out. That bald guy is the bandit leader—fatty. Let’s kill him.”

“We’re outnumbered, Young Master. Let’s run. We both know martial arts; the bandits can’t catch us. I don’t want to die...” Fei Niu muttered, but his feet moved fast as he and Zhang Chen charged the bald bandit together.

“Don’t die, Fatty. You won’t die. Young Master, Fatty doesn’t want to die; you must save your loyal dog,” Fei Niu muttered, gritting his teeth and turning his broad back to shield Zhang Chen from a knife strike.

“Fatty still has some sense—good!” Zhang Chen praised him silently as he swung his steel knife and struck the bald bandit’s neck, severing his head.

The bald bandit’s body collapsed with a heavy thud, sending up a cloud of soot.

Most houses in Zhang Village were wooden structures, and the raging fires sent thick black soot into the air, coating the ground in a layer of ash.

“The leader’s dead!” Chen Xiao’er, the squad leader of the Cishan Bald Strong Bandit Gang, ducked his head and fled, abandoning his opponent—the militia captain Wang Shumeng—and running northwest, hoping to return to Cishan.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Wang Shumeng chased fast and swung his blade, cutting off Chen Xiao’er’s head.

The headless corpse staggered a step forward before collapsing.

“God! The leader’s dead! Run!” Bandit Yang Jiangsen shouted, striking back his opponent before turning to flee.

With their leader Wu Datou’s massive head severed by Zhang Chen, the bandits lost cohesion and scattered, mostly fleeing toward Cishan.

“Fatty’s done for this time. Going to be Dead Fatty now. Dongcao, Young Master’s gotten much stronger. Next year, I’ll beg Young Master to find the Second Young Master, Zhang Erchen. He should give you to Young Master, so we can serve him together...”

Fei Niu’s deep wound—over twenty centimeters deep on his back, exposing bone—bled profusely. He collapsed, unconscious, his muttering finally ceasing.

“Fatty, rest now. I’ll make sure you’re okay. I’ll personally operate on you. Didn’t expect you, Dead Fatty, to have a thing for my former rough handmaid Dongcao,” Zhang Chen said softly as he carried Fei Niu toward the small courtyard behind the street.

His voice carried back: “Don’t spare the silver. Let our village doctors, Doctor Li and Doctor Ye, do their best to treat the wounded. Uncle Guoshu, send patrols to guard against a bandit counterattack. They came from Liu Village, so they probably have gold and silver on them. Be thorough when cleaning the battlefield.”

“I’ll handle the aftermath, Young Master. Rest assured,” Qi Guoshu said, now fully acknowledging Zhang Chen as his lord.

Having slain two fierce bandits alone and, alongside Fei Niu, cutting down the bandit leader Wu Datou, Zhang Chen was the soul and pillar of Zhang Village’s defense.

The casualties were severe, and Zhang Village was on the brink of collapse until Zhang Chen and Fei Niu arrived. After killing four bandits together and the leader, the remaining bandits fled.

In other words, had Zhang Chen not swiftly killed Wu Datou, Zhang Village would have been lost.

Previously, in the Zhang family estate, Zhang Chen had over a dozen handmaids and female servants assigned exclusively to him.

A few days earlier, Mrs. Zhao had selected several handmaids and servants and also picked some male servants from the outer courtyard.

Those more than a dozen male and female servants were part of Zhang Chen’s dowry and had followed him to the Tian family.

The remaining dozen or so servants in Zhang Chen’s small courtyard were reassigned by Mrs. Zhao to other places.

At that time, Zhang Chen’s rough handmaid Dongcao was assigned to Zhang Erchen.

Dongcao weighed more than 150 jin (about 75 kilograms). Zhang Chen hadn’t expected Fei Niu to be fond of the plump handmaid Dongcao.

Fatty should like fatty, Zhang Chen smiled. It was no surprise that the big, burly Fei Niu liked the chubby handmaid Dongcao.

Fei Niu was heavy and strong, but Zhang Chen could still carry him.

Yet after killing three bandits that night, Zhang Chen was exhausted. When he and Zhang Da’an carried Fei Niu back to the small courtyard behind the street, Zhang Er’an returned with Xia Hua.

With Xia Hua’s help, Zhang Chen used sheep intestine thread to carefully clean and stitch Fei Niu’s wound. “We have anti-inflammatory pills; Fatty’s wound shouldn’t get infected. He’ll recover in seven or eight days. I’m exhausted.”