Chapter 149: Chapter 120: Flower... Monk
The "Zheng" of Zheng Haoran, the "Shan" of a great philanthropist—it was as if this was the best interpretation of his name.
「Inside the abandoned residence.」
The atmosphere was oppressive, as if shrouded by dark clouds.
"Should we just fight them to the death?" Pang Shengyun ground out, getting to his feet. He scanned the group. "They’ve obviously gone to get people to capture us! We’ve crossed someone we shouldn’t have this time. If we wait for them to return, they won’t let us go!"
Chu Susu shook her head. "There’s no need! Xiaoju, Xiaolang, and Brother Ya’s leg injuries haven’t healed; we can’t run far! A person must take responsibility for their own actions. I’m the one who stole the token. If it comes down to it, I’ll go with them! I refuse to believe they can just trample all over the law in this world!"
A young man called "Brother Ya," who was lying on the ground, gave a wry laugh. "The law? Only the rich and powerful get to talk about the law. We weren’t born with that kind of luck."
The moment he spoke, the room fell into a deathly, sorrowful silence.
Even Chu Susu and Pang Shengyun couldn’t find a way to argue.
"You bastards! Don’t you bully my brothers and sisters!"
CRACK!
A sharp crack echoed from outside the door.
It sounded like something had snapped.
"They’re... they’re... they’re back!"
An enticing aroma wafted over the low wall. The eight-year-old boy on watch duty stumbled in, brandishing a stick, his face a mess of tears and panic.
Sobbing, he covered his face as he came in and tossed the broken stick aside.
THUMP!
The child was so frightened he fell right where he stood.
"Do I look that scary?"
Zheng Xiu, who had just snapped the boy’s stick with one hand, perplexedly touched his own face.
A moment later, Zheng Xiu slapped his forehead in sudden understanding. After his recent run-in with that crooked inn, he had learned his lesson and equipped [Intimidation]. It was meant for situations where getting physical wasn’t an option. He’d accidentally terrified the boy with just a single look.
"What do you want?! I’m the one you want, so I’ll take responsibility! Leave them out of this!"
The frail Chu Susu spread her arms, shielding the others from Feng Bei and Zheng Xiu. She forced herself to glare up at the tall Mighty Man.
The Mighty Man stepped closer. His towering figure blotted out the sun, casting a shadow over Chu Susu and plunging her world into darkness.
"You must be hungry. No need to shout. We’re not bad people."
Zheng Xiu grinned, pulled a steaming meat bun from his robes, and stuffed it into Chu Susu’s mouth, silencing her. Seeing the Mighty Man immediately get physical, Chu Susu had been ready to die before she would yield. But the moment she felt the warmth in her mouth and smelled the fragrant meat, she froze in place, completely dumbfounded.
"Come on, everyone must be hungry. I have sharp ears; I can hear all your stomachs growling."
Zheng Xiu distributed the meat buns.
A few of the children were hiding behind a wall, too afraid to approach. But they couldn’t resist; the buns smelled too good. Within moments, everyone had crowded around him.
"There are chicken legs, too."
"There’s enough for everyone, no need to rush."
After distributing the food, Zheng Xiu walked over to the injured, bent down, and checked their wounds.
The Mighty Man’s act of handing out buns was a clear sign of his goodwill. Even Pang Shengyun and Chu Susu, now gnawing on their own buns, nodded to the injured on the floor, signaling for them not to worry and to just see what this Mighty Man was up to.
"What’s your name?"
Zheng Xiu’s hand went to the young man’s leg. The lower half of his shin was disfigured and purple with bruising. It was broken.
"Mo... Mo Ziya."
CRACK!
With a sharp crack, Zheng Xiu yanked the deformed leg straight. He moved so quickly the young man hadn’t even registered the pain. The next instant, the Mighty Man slapped the [Bone-setting Ointment] on the injury.
"It’s a clean break. Now that the bone is set, apply this ointment externally and change it every ten days. Keep it immobilized with a splint. In two months at most, it’ll heal on its own, and you’ll walk just fine."
"They might not like hearing this," Zheng Xiu said, nodding back toward Feng Bei, "but even though Xu Shu is a piece of work and looks like a born traitor, he’s not completely deranged. What he did was basically just throwing a tantrum. Any Physician with a bit of experience could’ve handled these bone fractures. I asked around when I was getting the herbs. This city is too small; all the Physicians heard this ’gang’ had offended someone important and were too scared to treat them."
Feng Bei was surprised. "Are you actually making excuses for Xu Shu?"
Zheng Xiu shook his head. "I’m just stating a fact. Someone who deserves a beating still deserves a beating. Once we catch him, we’ll give him one. It’s not a big deal."
He treated everyone’s injuries one by one, his movements so practiced and sure he seemed like a seasoned doctor. When he was done, he stood up and said to Feng Bei, "You’re all from Ye Weiyang, but his sins have nothing to do with you. You don’t need to feel so guilty."
Feng Bei was stunned.
After a moment of stunned silence, Feng Bei lowered his head and murmured a soft assent. A faint warmth spread through his chest.
’So that’s why Senior Zheng Shan went to all this trouble. He was worried I’d feel guilty because of what a fellow member of Ye Weiyang did.’
’Senior Zheng Shan is so thoughtful.’ Feng Bei felt he was seeing another side of the Mighty Man—a meticulous mind hidden beneath a rough exterior.
For a while, Feng Bei just watched in silence.
As the others in the room ate, they were won over by the Mighty Man’s actions without even realizing it. No one brought up the atrocities of the Black-clothed People again.
After all, ’the evil deeds of the Black-clothed People are their own business. This Mighty Man isn’t even wearing black, so what does any of it have to do with him?’
By the time he had finished treating all the wounds and fractures, it was nearly dusk.
Just then, a Raven flew in from the distance. It landed hesitantly on top of the wall, not daring to come any closer.
"Caw..."
Yue Yan’s Raven let out a faint caw.
It was terrified.
"That Raven looks a bit familiar," Zheng Xiu commented, glancing outside.
"Mm, Yue Yan’s Raven."
"...You could have said so earlier."
He walked outside the wall, and the Raven flew onto his hand. A small bamboo tube, containing a letter, was tied to its leg.
"What does it say?"
