“I absolutely won’t deceive you,” Xiang Lan hurriedly said. “Just untie the rope on my hands, and I’ll give it to you. My feet are still bound—where could I run to?”
Spring Yan thought silently: “Fifty taels isn’t a small amount. Most of the money I earn goes to that old religious woman. If she has fifty taels, I might as well keep it as security for the future.” She said aloud, “If you’re lying to me, you’ll pay for it.” With that, she untied Xiang Lan.
Xiang Lan let out a breath of relief and rubbed her wrists. She truly did pull out a fifty-tael bank note from her undergarments and stuffed it into Spring Yan’s hand. While Spring Yan was happily examining the note, she carefully tried to inch her way off the bed.
Spring Yan hummed a little tune while tucking the banknote into her clothes. Seeing Xiang Lan’s state reminded her of when she first came to this brothel. She couldn’t help but sigh as she removed her shoes and handed them to Xiang Lan, saying, “I’m in a good mood today, might as well do a good deed. Take these shoes. I checked earlier—the back courtyard isn’t locked. If you were trafficked here, you might as well escape.”
Xiang Lan was startled again and asked, “Why don’t you leave?”
Spring Yan laughed coldly, “Where could I go? Better to make money while I’m young and beautiful. If I’m lucky, I might marry well as a concubine later, or become a madam like Mother and run my brothel, saving some money for myself.” She perked up her ears to listen for movement outside, then carefully pushed the door open a crack. Hearing sudden silence outside, she said, “That shrew must have left. Strange, it was so lively just now.” Then she went out.
Xiang Lan wanted to leave too, but her legs were numb and sore from being bound for so long, and she couldn’t walk. At this time, Qian Wenze was already drunk. The tigress at the front was demanding that the madam hand over Spring Yan. Given his relationship with Spring Yan, Qian Wenze couldn’t bear to see her in trouble, so he came to the back to warn her.
Hearing that Spring Yan had run into Hong Gu’s room, Qian Wenze pushed open the door. With drunken eyes, he saw a beautiful young woman with disheveled hair standing by the kang bed—the same young woman he had met once before. He was dumbfounded.
Xiang Lan was startled, her limbs suddenly going cold. Before she could understand what was happening, Qian Wenze had rushed forward, shouting, “Dear sister, am I dreaming? How did you get here!” He lunged forward to embrace her, trying to kiss her and tear at her clothes.
Xiang Lan was terrified, struggling desperately to escape. Seeing that face full of lust before her, she was overwhelmed with fear. She scratched and kicked, finally biting Qian Wenze’s neck. Qian Wenze, already consumed by desire, let out a horrible scream when Xiang Lan bit him. He grabbed her hair and struck her with his palm, cursing, “You whore, you’re asking for it!” He pinned Xiang Lan to the kang bed, intending to violate her.
At that moment, Du Bin kicked in the door. Seeing the situation, he froze for a moment, then grabbed Du Bin, pulled him up, and stabbed him twice with his sword. Du Bin collapsed in a pool of blood, unable to move.
Xiang Lan was terrified, shaking like a sieve with unstoppable tears. Du Bin saw that her clothes were nearly torn apart, revealing a powder-blue undershirt. His throat tightened as he approached to grab her, causing Xiang Lan to scream shrilly. Du Bin frowned and slapped her, saying, “What are you screaming about? Scream again and I’ll kill you!”
Xiang Lan stopped screaming in fear, trying desperately to calm herself. Du Bin grabbed her, first groping her chest, feeling its soft allure. Cursing that this wasn’t the right place, he looked for the rope to bind and take her away.
Xiang Lan’s eyes darted around until she spotted a beast-headed porcelain pillow on the kang. She thought desperately, “I’d rather die than fall into the hands of these villains again.” With that thought, she grabbed the pillow and smashed it against Du Bin’s head, striking his forehead. He cried out in pain and released her. Xiang Lan, still holding the pillow, scrambled off the kang.
Du Bin was furious, touching his forehead to find it covered in blood. He grabbed for Xiang Lan with one hand while holding his head with the other. Xiang Lan couldn’t dodge in time and was caught by her hair. As he was dragging her back, suddenly there was an even louder commotion outside than before, followed by thundering footsteps. The door burst open with someone shouting, “Hey hey, search carefully for the young master, don’t let anyone escape, arrest them all!”
Seeing the scene inside the room, they were shocked, especially noting the person lying in a pool of blood. Being someone who “never thought any trouble was too much trouble,” he recovered and began backing away while shouting like a troublemaker, “Found them! Found them! Help! Brother! Brother! Someone’s bullying Xiang Lan!”
As he backed out the door, he ran into Madam Zhou who was searching for Spring Yan and fighting with her in the next room. The tigress thought Lin Jinting was there to protect Spring Yan and, enraged, scratched him and ordered, “Beat him!” Lin Jinting had never suffered such humiliation. He cried out in pain and touched his neck to find the skin torn off, stinging terribly. Seeing people coming to beat him, he became furious with embarrassment, jumping up and down and shouting, “Bitch, damn your grandmother, you dare strike your ancestor! Come on men, beat them!” He rolled up his sleeves and joined the fight.
The clients came out of their rooms to watch the excitement, some laughing, some commenting, and some eager to join the fight, all extremely excited.
The courtyard descended into chaos.
After Lin Jinting shouted and retreated, Du Bin knocked the pillow from Xiang Lan’s hand. At this moment, through her tears, Xiang Lan saw a group of people surge into the room, with Lin Jinlou at the center. His gaze was cold as poison arrows, his expression stern and calm, his face frozen like a snow-covered mountain that hadn’t thawed in ten thousand years.
Xiang Lan couldn’t tell if she felt relieved at being rescued or inexplicably disappointed. She feared Du Bin but also feared Lin Jinlou, whose eyes now contained such killing intent, even more frightening than when he had tried to strangle her before.
Du Bin was dumbfounded. His head was buzzing badly, barely maintaining clarity. He tried to grab Xiang Lan as a hostage, reaching for the sword on the kang. At this moment, Lin Jinlou suddenly struck, stepping forward with a shout of “Leave your life!” and punching him, breaking Du Bin’s facial bones with a crack.
Xiang Lan curled up frightened in the corner.
Du Bin had some martial skills and tried to defend himself, but Lin Jinlou was already furious. He grabbed Du Bin’s arm and twisted forcefully, breaking the joint, and causing Du Bin to scream in agony.
Lin Jinlou’s expression remained calm, but he was beyond angry, so angry he felt dizzy. He never expected to find Xiang Lan in such circumstances, seeing her clothes nearly torn off, her hair disheveled, face swollen with several large handprints. Understanding what had nearly happened, his fury reached astronomical heights, veins bulging on his forehead. He ordered his followers, “Everyone out! Guard the door!” Then he began striking with his fists. His martial arts skills, taught by several famous masters, made his fists hard as iron, especially now in his furious state, striking wherever he grabbed. Du Bin tried to resist at first, but having already been hit by Xiang Lan’s pillow, he was somewhat disoriented. After three punches from Lin Jinlou, Du Bin’s face was covered in blood, and he fell unconscious.
Xiang Lan was terrified. Lin Jinlou’s punches were fast and vicious, his expression poisonous. Wherever his fists landed, bones could be heard cracking, yet he left Du Bin barely alive to suffer to death.
At this time, Lin Jinting called from outside, “Brother, have you beaten him enough? Should little brother brew you some tea to soothe your throat before you continue?”
Lin Jinlou finally stopped, straightening up impatiently and returning to his usual elegant composure as a Lin family young master. He asked Xiang Lan, “Was it this fellow who did this to you? What about the one lying on the ground?”
Xiang Lan trembled all over, crying too hard to speak, like a mouse caught in a cat’s paw, looking pitiful.
Lin Jinlou grew even more angry, pulling Xiang Lan up and shouting, “This is what you get for running away! You brought this suffering on yourself!”
Xiang Lan wiped her tears pitifully as they streamed down her face.
From the doorway, an unfamiliar voice lazily said, “Alright, now that you’ve found her, calm down and take her away quickly.”
Lin Jinlou took a deep breath, suppressing his anger. When he released Xiang Lan, she collapsed to the ground again. He sneered, “Look how pathetic you are, yet you dared to run away with such little courage!” Xiang Lan was afraid Lin Jinlou would hit her, so she kept her head down, not daring to make a sound. Meanwhile, Lin Jinlou had removed his crane-feather cloak, picked Xiang Lan up again, and wrapped her from head to toe, covering her completely. He bent down and carried her out over his shoulder.
The courtyard was in complete chaos. Lin Jinlou strode out like a tiger or dragon, carrying Xiang Lan to the outside where someone had brought a carriage. He threw Xiang Lan into the carriage and dropped the curtain. That person strolled over and asked, “So, Yangying, you found your cousin?” Yangying was Lin Jinlou’s courtesy name.
“Found her. I’m leaving first. Please help handle this matter.”
“Don’t worry, don’t worry.”
Lin Jinlou let out another deep breath of anger, and the man laughed, “Yangying, aren’t you usually quite tender with the ladies? Don’t scold her, just comfort her more.”
Lin Jinlou said through gritted teeth, “She’s truly a curse, always causing trouble, and now she’s gotten even more clever!” His tone softened as he added, “I owe you for this. I’ll thank you properly later.”
The man laughed, “We’re about to become family, no need for such formality.” This man was Yuan Shaoren, the Marquis of Yongchang.
Lin Jinlou said, “Come to my place tomorrow, I’ll have that little wretch personally toast you.” He climbed into the carriage.
Xiang Lan had struggled to sit up, curled in the corner like a frightened rabbit. Lin Jinlou didn’t look at her, maintaining his iron-gray expression.