Chapter 148: Gloating

For the past two days, it seemed that bad luck pursued him relentlessly, as he kept finding himself captured without warning. Although Zhou Zhi had never formally studied martial arts, he was vicious in his strikes and exceptionally agile in his movements. When dealing with ordinary ruffians and scoundrels from the countryside, he never fell behind, but compared to those truly skilled in martial arts, he fell terribly short.

With this realization, Zhou Zhi felt that being captured was hardly surprising. Yet being captured was one thing; being hauled upside down across a horse's back was an entirely different torment. It was a wretched sensation, with sour and bitter fluids constantly rising in his throat, and his internal organs feeling as though they were turning over.

Fortunately, this time his head was not covered, nor was his mouth gagged, making the ordeal slightly more bearable.

Four sturdy horses galloped all the way toward the northwest, followed by the four ferocious hounds. Roughly half an hour later, a small town abruptly appeared before them.

Though Zhou Zhi had never been here before, the two massive dark characters on the city gate, "Tang County," were unmistakable at a glance.

In scale and prosperity, Tang County was virtually identical to Qingdu County. The four horses rode not far down the main street running north-south through the county seat, then turned east, bringing a vast and imposing courtyard into view.

The four horses stopped at the massive front gate. The four men dismounted and then pulled Zhou Zhi down from the horse's back. Attentive estate servants quickly stepped forward to take the reins, leading the horses toward the stables, while the four guards escorted Zhou Zhi inside.

Fortunately, the bumpy ride upside down on the horse had not lasted long, and Zhou Zhi mustered enough strength to walk on his own feet, though his appearance was utterly disheveled.

Within the courtyard stood several two-story buildings, adorned with carved beams and painted rafters, both beautiful and exquisite. Between the buildings grew various flowers, plants, and trees. Even in the bitter depths of winter, bizarrely shaped ancient pines maintained their emerald green, alongside cold-resistant flowers of unknown names that bloomed resiliently against the chill.

The residence exuded luxury without lacking elegance, instantly instilling a sense of serenity in anyone who stepped within.

Zhou Zhi was certain that in the desolate and remote Tang County of the northern Ming territory, only the prestigious Kou family could possess such a lavish estate.

The bearded man strode quickly into a hall, emerging shortly after with a gloomy expression, and barked, "The Qianhu Commander says he wants to see this brat in person! Drag him inside!"

The other three men, also wearing furious expressions, escorted Zhou Zhi into the hall.

Inside, the hall was bright and clean. Despite the freezing winter, several massive charcoal brazires burned fiercely, and a wave of heat instantly washed over them.

At the northern end of the hall, facing south, sat a soft couch. Upon it sat a man of imposing stature with regular features. Around forty years of age, he stared at Zhou Zhi with a sullen expression. Standing stiffly beside him was a young man in his early twenties.

A single glance was enough for Zhou Zhi to recognize the young man as Kou Peihan's older brother, the Centurion Kou Tong. At the same time, Kou Tong recognized Zhou Zhi instantly. A flash of surprise crossed his face, but he quickly regained his composure.

Below Kou Tong stood five soldiers with stern expressions, casting a suffocating atmosphere over the hall.

The middle-aged man radiated immense authority, exuding an aggressive aura. Zhou Zhi deduced that he must be Kou Peihan's father, Kou Dagang, the Commander of the Daomaguan garrison.

"My lord, this is the fellow who beat your beloved hound to death!" The bearded man pointed at Zhou Zhi and addressed Kou Dagang.

Kou Dagang's gaze shot out a cold glare as he said in a deep voice, "I wondered what kind of character it was, but it turns out to be a mere rustic peasant. Tell me, why did you kill my favorite hound?"

Perhaps seeing that Zhou Zhi was dressed as a farmer, he was willing to give him a chance to explain. Yet Zhou Zhi could tell that no matter how he explained, he would undoubtedly receive a severe beating. Kou Dagang's cold and piercing eyes made everything clear: he was an unreasonable and overbearing man who would never allow himself to suffer a loss.

In short, Zhou Zhi felt he was in for a painful ordeal today, at the very least.

Therefore, before speaking, Zhou Zhi glanced toward Kou Tong. The intention was obvious; since he had met Kou Tong before, he was appealing to him to put in a good word.

In Zhou Zhi's mind, when his elder sister Zhou Luyun had celebrated her grand wedding, the Kou family had sent congratulatory gifts, a fact Kou Tong surely knew. Perhaps the entire family even knew of Kou Peihan's affections for him.

To Zhou Zhi's dismay, before he could even open his mouth, Kou Tong averted his gaze entirely, quietly stepping back and slipping out of the hall.

Zhou Zhi could not help but curse inwardly, silently railing against Kou Tong for being utterly lacking in loyalty.

Kou Tong walked straight out of the hall toward a small building in the inner courtyard. At that moment, Kou Peihan had nothing to do and was learning how to cut paper window decorations from two young maidservants in her room. Ever since her recent runaway incident, Kou Dagang had kept her under strict surveillance upon her return.

Kou Tong gave a light cough as he entered, prompting Kou Peihan to ask indifferently, "Father is currently in the hall reprimanding several soldiers. Brother, instead of properly attending to Father, you've come to your younger sister's quarters—surely you must have a reason?"

"Haha! Nothing much. Brother and Father just returned from Daomaguan the other day and haven't seen you yet, Little Sister, so I just came to check on you," Kou Tong replied smoothly.

"Then Brother, please take a seat wherever you like," Kou Peihan said softly.

To say the truth, within this household, although Kou Peihan was her parents' precious daughter and the apple of their eye, they held her to extremely strict standards, always wearing stern faces and speaking to her with great solemnity. Only her brother Kou Tong was truly considerate, occasionally showing concern for her.

Instead of sitting down, Kou Tong wore a mysterious smile and asked, "Little Sister, actually... Brother actually wanted to ask you something. Do you still remember that fellow Zhou Zhi from Baiyue Village?"

Kou Peihan was instantly startled.

Ever since her parting with Zhou Zhi more than four months ago, his figure had stubbornly lingered in her mind, and her heart seemed to have been carried away by him long ago.

When her elder sister Zhou Luyun got married last time, Kou Peihan had caught wind of it and secretly sent congratulatory gifts. After her father found out afterward, he subjected her to a rigorous interrogation and a harsh reprimand.

Now that Kou Tong suddenly brought up Zhou Zhi, Kou Peihan's heart fluttered, and her fair cheeks flushed involuntarily. Yet she forced herself to act as though she were recalling the memory, feigning nonchalance as she said, "Zhou Zhi from Baiyue Village? Is he the one..."

Before Kou Peihan could finish, Kou Tong smiled and said, "He's the very same rustic boy to whom you secretly sent wedding gifts when his sister got married."

"Oh, right. If Brother hadn't mentioned him, I would have forgotten all about him. Why did Brother suddenly bring him up?" Kou Peihan asked, feigning shyness while putting on an indifferent front.

"Better to forget him, better to forget him! I actually thought Little Sister held some affection for him, but now Brother can rest easy! Actually, it's nothing major—it's just that he beat one of Father's favorite hounds to death. By now, Father is probably giving him a brutal thrashing, wouldn't you say?" Kou Tong finished with a chuckle, watching Kou Peihan with a schadenfreude expression.

"Ah! Such a thing happened? Why didn't Brother tell me sooner!" Kou Peihan's expression instantly turned anxious as she hurried toward the doorway.

"Didn't Little Sister say she was indifferent toward him? Telling you sooner or later amounts to the same thing," Kou Tong said, trailing closely behind her with a playful smile.