Lightning split the sky, bathing everything in a blinding white flash for an instant, followed by the rumble of thunder.

The rain fell on every corner of the world.

Ning Yi pressed the back of his hand to his forehead, watching the figure that had come running through the courtyard gate—and for a moment, he too simply stood there, stunned. In this kind of downpour and chaos, he had no idea how Yun Zhu had made it all the way here.

In truth, some of it wasn’t hard to work out. The gunshot he’d fired here must have drawn plenty of attention, which was exactly why he’d been trying to pull the fighting as far away as possible. Yun Zhu had probably come running after hearing that shot—but by the same logic, others might well converge on this spot too, and the danger of trying to make it here safely would only keep multiplying. Right now she was soaked through, her hair disheveled, her face haggard and stricken—every bit of it spoke to the fear and the carnage she must have witnessed and endured over the past while. She had no fighting skill, wasn’t familiar with the Su estate, and the direction she and Xing’er had originally gone was on the opposite side of the estate entirely; there was no telling how much danger and terror she must have gone through to make it all the way here. And yet, in the end, she had come.

Hearing the infant’s cry from the basket Yun Zhu was cradling, Ning Yi tilted his head, momentarily stunned as well. Yun Zhu’s steps had faltered for a moment, then she managed, “Li… Liheng?” At the same time, more figures came running through the courtyard gate—among them, to his shock, Xi Junyu.

They rushed in, then slowly backed out again, and Ning Yi felt himself relax slightly. In a situation like this, if it had come to a fight, he truly would have had no way out. But having realized as much, he’d braced himself for it in an instant—and yet, seeing the scene before them, Xi Junyu’s group had instead grown fearful. From a distance, Ning Yi heard Xi Junyu mutter, “You… damn it…”

Once they’d retreated, Ning Yi, still gripping the club in his hand, suddenly felt as though every bit of strength was draining out of his body all at once—even watching Yun Zhu approach with the basket in her arms, he found it hard to take another step forward.

Men like Wei Dingguo, Bao Xu, and Xue Yong were formidable to an ordinary person by any measure. Ning Yi had used every trick and contraption he had, and it was only because of his own decisiveness and willingness to commit fully that any of it had worked—but it had cost him enormous effort as well. After fighting one battle after another, having pushed the sixth level of Po Liu Dao to its limit repeatedly, now that the immediate danger had passed, exhaustion was catching up with him fast.

“You… you’re all right…” He took two steps down toward the bottom of the stairs, his voice coming out slightly hoarse. Yun Zhu came half-running toward him, the basket in her arms; she lifted her face, a faint smile on it, though her whole face was wet—whether from rain or tears, there was no telling. She was soaked through entirely now, trembling faintly, but as she looked Ning Yi over, a sudden sob broke through her throat before she managed to stop herself, and she reached to support him as they moved toward the stairs. “You’re hurt…”

“I’m fine, I’m fine…” Ning Yi offered a few words of comfort, letting her help him up the three or four steps to the eaves above. There, Yun Zhu carefully pulled back a stiff piece of hide covering the top of the basket, revealing the crying child’s face. “This is… yours and Tan’er’s baby, isn’t it?”

She gently touched the child’s small face with her hand. Ning Yi nodded, then suddenly spun around, drawing his blade in a flash—but this time, the figures appearing at the courtyard gate weren’t enemies. What reached him instead were joyful voices: “Second Brother-in-law!” Wending, Wenfang, and the others came over from that direction, all of them already wounded; someone had also run back to fetch Xiao Chan and Juan’er. Yun Zhu said softly, “Xiao Chan and Juan’er were both hurt just now. I hope they’re all right. I… I’ve been looking for you this whole time, I wanted to tell you something. I meant to say it after meeting with Miss Su, but there wasn’t a chance… I was afraid you’d… I was afraid you’d…”

She had likely exhausted herself running all this way, and her voice came out weak. Ning Yi said, “As long as you’re safe, that’s what matters. Whatever it is, tell me later—rest for now.”

But Yun Zhu shook her head with a smile. “I… I wanted to tell you sooner, before it’s harder to say once Xiao Chan and the others get here. I’m afraid you’ll… I’m afraid you’ll misunderstand about Miss Su—she didn’t do anything to me just now. Your wife, she truly, truly loves you. She’s remarkable, really—at first I kept thinking I mustn’t let her find anything out from me, but then she suddenly said… hah, she said she wanted to check whether I was still a virgin, and I… my mind went into a spin. Liheng… you don’t know this, but after I undid my clothes, Tan’er came over and pulled them closed again for me. That’s when I realized I’d been tricked… but then Miss Su started crying. She held onto my clothes and just kept crying, and I had no idea what to do. When you knocked on the door, she wiped frantically at her eyes so you wouldn’t see, and by the time you pushed the door open, there wasn’t a trace of tears left on her face—but that’s only because you were standing far away. If you’d been closer, you’d still have seen it… I think she really, truly loves you…”

Yun Zhu went on: “I know you might have some misgivings about it in your heart, so even though she told me not to tell you, the moment I stepped outside, I wanted to say something to you. Don’t misjudge Miss Su… honestly, seeing her cry like that, I thought—even if she really had checked me, it wouldn’t have mattered at all. I… Liheng… I’m in a bit of pain…”

As she spoke, she set the basket down beside her, then leaned back against the wall. Ning Yi saw her body slide toward the ground and rushed forward to catch her—only then noticing the blood flowing from her head. He shook her gently, but no sound would come from his throat; he had no idea what to say, his jaw clenching and unclenching with a faint clicking sound, his eyes filling with blood-shot red. By then Xiao Chan and Juan’er had made their way over, supporting each other; seeing this, Xiao Chan burst into tears too. “Young master, Miss Nie, she tried to save the baby—it looks like… it looks like she took a blow to the head…”

Over in the inner courtyard, Wending, Wenfang, and the others hadn’t noticed any of this—everyone in this catastrophe had lost or seen die someone close to them—and now, seeing Xue Yong and Bao Xu lying on the ground, they crowded around. Someone shouted, “He’s still alive!”

“Damn it, kill him!” Wending drew his blade, meaning to finish off Xue Yong on the spot, but Ning Yi spun around at once, snatched up the club lying on the ground, and hurled it. The club whistled across the courtyard and struck Wending’s blade with a crack, sending it flying from his hand; Wending stumbled back two steps in fright as Ning Yi’s voice rang out: “Stop!”

Ning Yi’s emotions had already begun to slip out of his control; the shout echoed through the entire rain-soaked courtyard. Wending and the others turned to look and saw Ning Yi, cradling Yun Zhu, his face carrying the look of a wild beast. Hesitantly, someone said, “But he’s still alive!”

Someone shouted, “My father didn’t make it out—he might have been killed by them…”

“And my brother too…”

“Why can’t we kill them! I want to kill them!”

Several of them cried out at once. Seeing Wenfang about to move as well, Ning Yi roared, “Do you want your whole families to die!”

Wenfang froze. Ning Yi pointed at them. “Do you want your whole families to die?! Some of us are already dead! But what happens next? Do you want the entire Su family wiped out?”

They all stared at him, dumbstruck. Only then did Ning Yi wrap both arms around Yun Zhu and turn away. The others couldn’t see his expression, only heard him say, “They’re going to die—but today, they live! Today… they must live!” With that, still holding Yun Zhu, he suddenly seemed to remember something and turned back around. “Search them—get everything off their bodies, all of it! Now!”

He’d studied a bit of the treatment of injuries and bruises after taking up martial arts, though he was far from skilled at it; a head wound like Yun Zhu’s could be minor or serious, there was no telling. But holding her now, he could at least feel that her heartbeat and pulse were steady. Men like Bao Xu, wandering the jianghu as they did, would surely be carrying good wound medicine on them somewhere… He no longer had the clarity of mind to make careful judgments right now—all he could do was see to what needed doing and leave the rest to fate. He held Yun Zhu, his gaze drifting toward the direction of the main hall, then toward Xiao Chan and Juan’er, both also wounded. He gave Xiao Chan a light embrace, brushed a hand gently over Juan’er’s swollen, bruised cheek, and gave her a small smile.

There wasn’t much in this world that he truly cared about, and he wasn’t the kind of man devoid of all emotion—but right now, all he could do was tell himself to stay calm, absolutely calm. Losing control now would mean paying a price he truly couldn’t bear.

His jaw clenched tight with that thought, teeth grinding audibly, the taste of blood spreading through his mouth…

…

Inside Jiangning city, the unrest had finally spread into full chaos amid the pouring rain. The men who had broken free from the prison had stirred up disorder throughout the city, and it kept growing, spreading toward several of the city gates. Much of the chaos remained confined to the main streets, but some smaller households without any retainers to protect them were also being looted. The city garrison had certainly been roused by now, but this unrest, having originated with the prison’s escaped criminals, wasn’t the kind of thing that could be put down quickly. The Liangshan men, along with the freed chieftains under Fang La, had used the cover of the general chaos to slip away in whatever direction they’d chosen, their movements untraceable for the moment.

The chaos at the Su estate, which under ordinary circumstances would have stood out sharply against its surroundings, had now been swallowed into the larger citywide upheaval. A great column of escaped criminals surged past near the Su estate; the surrounding households all bolted their courtyard gates, standing guard with blades and clubs against this sudden calamity. At some point, the barred side gate of the Su residence was smashed open with a crash. The handful of black-clad men stationed there rushed forward at once—only to lower their weapons and bow to the men storming in. “Brother Li.”

“Iron Bull! Brother Lin!”

On Liangshan, the men addressed this way could only be Li Kui and his companions. Having broken through the gate, the group strode quickly inside. A little further back, a burly man carrying a great spear frowned. “Why isn’t this finished yet!”

“Seems like there’s been some kind of problem…”

“What problem could there possibly be.” Li Kui, twin axes in hand, led the group straight toward the main hall. He didn’t know the Su estate’s layout, but he could still tell well enough where the fighting was.

As they spoke, the group pressed straight on toward the main hall without pause. The chaos outside continued unabated. Before long, the courtyard gate near the main hall was smashed open, and the mob surged in; led by Li Kui, they tore through like a pack of tigers and wolves, crushing what resistance remained in moments.

“So few of them, and it’s taken this long? Brother Xi, what’s going on!”

Covered head to toe in flecks of blood he’d spilled, Li Kui spotted Xi Junyu pressing a hand to his stomach as he approached, and asked, “Where are Brother Bao and the others! What are they up to?”

On Liangshan, Li Kui admired Song Jiang above all others, but the man whose temperament most closely mirrored his own day-to-day was Bao Xu—fierce, violent, similar to him even in manner, almost like his own second half and shadow. Hearing the question, Xi Junyu, who’d only just finished bandaging his wound and had come over, hesitated. “I… I’m not sure, either… Brother Bao and the others went after that Ning Liheng. I don’t know why they haven’t come back yet. Maybe… maybe they…”

“Don’t be ridiculous! With Brother Bao’s skill, how could he possibly be brought down by some green kid with no fighting ability at all? He must be using his knowledge of the layout to lead them on a chase—hmph… they’ll be found sooner or later, but this is taking far too long…”

The real purpose of this expedition to Liangshan had been the prison rescue; the revenge against the Su estate had only been a convenient side task. Xi Junyu didn’t dare mention that Bao Xu and Xue Yong had already been killed—loyalty among brothers was talked about often enough on the mountain, but if it turned out losses this severe had happened on his watch, it wouldn’t reflect well on him. Since Li Kui had already found him an excuse, he simply said, “Might well be.” Lin Chong glanced over at him. “What exactly happened to that wound of yours?” Lin Chong valued loyalty highly, and though he and Xi Junyu had never been especially close, his tone carried real concern.

“It’s nothing—some worthless woman got a lucky shot in on me… my thanks for your concern, Brother Lin.”

With that brief exchange settled, the surrounding courtyards had already been fully secured. The Liangshan men then began driving the Su family members out of the courtyards, herding them in a great mass toward the square outside the main hall. The sky was dark, the rain pouring down in sheets, and before long, over a hundred members of the Su household—men and women, old and young alike—had been driven out into the square, surrounded on all sides in the pounding rain, with black-clad men holding blades stationed at every point around them.

“Let’s settle this quickly.” Lightning split the sky, thunder rolling after it. Li Kui, saying this, asked Xi Junyu once more for details, then stood on a raised platform, twin axes in hand, and bellowed, “Ning Liheng! Get your worthless hide out here right now! Otherwise—your whole family’s right here, and I’ll cut them down one by one!”

His skill was formidable, his voice thunderous; the shout, delivered with full force, seemed to echo across the entire Su estate—”cut them down—” “cut them down—” reverberating over and over. Below, in the crowd gathered in the square, cries and sobs rang out, but plenty of people also recognized the man standing under the main hall’s eaves above, pressing a hand to his stomach—Xi Junyu. Though he’d once been nothing more than a shopkeeper, quite a few people knew of the old grudge behind all this. Suddenly, someone stepped forward from the crowd. “Shopkeeper Xi… Chieftain Xi, every grievance has its source and every debt its debtor—the one who wronged you was Second Sister, was the First Branch. My second sister is right here now—why must you kill the rest of us?”

The one who had stepped forward was none other than the Su family’s seventh young master, Su Wenji of the Third Branch. He knew better than anyone how Xi Junyu had once felt about Su Tan’er, and had even used that fact to stir up trouble between them once before. As he spoke, Xi Junyu’s gaze drifted toward one side of the crowd. There, in a corner of the crowd, wrapped in a rain cloth, stood Su Tan’er—clearly being shielded at the center of a small group led by Steward Geng. Beside her stood Su Yu, leaning on his cane.

Su Tan’er, who had been huddled in her rain cloth trying to stay out of sight, suddenly found herself, at this one shout, the focus of every eye in the square…