Chapter Eighty-Nine: Beating the Constables

Zhou Zhi's sharp rebuke had not been made without cause.

First, he could not fathom why the constables would appear at such a moment. More importantly, he noticed that although the four men behind the burly-bearded constable wore the dark uniforms of the constabulary, the shoes on their feet were altogether wrong.

Ordinarily, a constable would wear black, knee-high boots with white soles. These four, however, had on black cloth shoes padded with cotton. What was more, all of them were caked in mud; some even had holes torn through the uppers, stained and filthy beyond recognition. Only common folk, and among them the poorest, would wear shoes like those.

At Zhou Zhi's thunderous cry, the burly-bearded constable's face changed at once. Yet he quickly forced himself to calm down, doing his best to keep his expression normal as he looked coldly at Zhou Zhi.

If the burly-bearded man still had some composure, the four "constables" behind him were far less steady. One and all, they looked panicked and tremulous, utterly at a loss.

Their reaction only confirmed Zhou Zhi's suspicions.

Liu Hui stood beside him and had also sensed that something was wrong. Seeing those four men in such a state, he shouted along with Zhou Zhi, "That's right, they're fake constables! Beat them!"

The ruffians and thugs had been so terrified at first sight of the constables that they were nearly beside themselves and had not distinguished truth from falsehood. But at the orders from Zhou Zhi and Liu Hui, the bolder among them raised their clubs high and made as if to strike the four men.

Even so, they were still somewhat timid, wavering and hesitating.

Zhou Zhi, however, moved with decisive speed. Before Liu Hui had even finished speaking, his long staff was already crashing down upon the legs of the rearmost man. With that one blow, the man cried out in agony and collapsed limply to the ground.

His leg was not broken, but the pain struck at once.

One man down, then a second.

Once the thugs saw Zhou Zhi had started, they no longer dared delay. The four men posing as constables behind the burly-bearded one scarcely had time to resist before they were brought to the ground one after another.

Seeing this, the burly-bearded constable immediately drew the saber at his waist, his face hardening with menace. "A fine lot of lawless rabble! You have some nerve, daring to beat a constable. Do you think there is no law?"

"Hmph! It is you who do not know the law!" Zhou Zhi answered fiercely, gripping his staff and glaring back. Then he swung it down toward the man's head.

The burly-bearded constable did not evade. He met the blow head-on with his saber, and with that single clash Zhou Zhi's staff was snapped cleanly in two.

The man's hands were quick and crisp; clearly he knew a few martial arts.

Liu Hui saw this plainly. He snatched a machete from one of the thugs beside him and said in a low voice, "Brother Zhou Zhi, step aside. Let me take him on."

As the leader of the gang, Liu Hui was no weakling. He did not often draw steel unless he had met a truly tough opponent.

Yet the instant the burly-bearded man moved, Liu Hui could tell he was no easy enemy. Zhou Zhi had a hard streak in him, yes, but he had never before faced someone with real skill and quick hands.

The burly-bearded constable had cut his staff in two with a single stroke, and Zhou Zhi was thoroughly astonished. He immediately judged that they had run into a formidable man today.

A man may be bold, but boldness must suit the occasion. Zhou Zhi understood that it would be unwise for him to face this burly-bearded constable now. He would not be a match for him. So he obediently stepped aside. Liu Hui sprang forward, his machete slashing straight down.

Both men fought with blades. Liu Hui was swift and deft, his knife work practiced and sure, while the burly-bearded man fought with vicious, ruthless techniques, every strike aimed at a fatal point on Liu Hui's body.

Zhou Zhi watched coldly from the edge of the fight for only a short while before he said, "Brothers, this fake constable is dangerous. Let's all take him!"

Indeed. They had forty or fifty men on their side, while the burly-bearded constable stood alone. At a time like this, who cared about gentlemanly duels?

No matter whether the cat was black or white, so long as it caught the mouse, it was a good cat.

Right now, anything went; they only had to drive off the burly-bearded constable.

The ruffians and thugs were best at mob violence to begin with. Now that they had Zhou Zhi's order, they instantly caught on and surged forward in a swarm.

Staffs and machetes came raining down on the burly-bearded constable all at once.

Liu Hui did not know whether to laugh or cry.

He was a man who loved martial arts. Today, having finally encountered a worthy opponent, he had wanted to spar with him alone and gain some actual experience in battle.

But after only a brief exchange with the burly-bearded man, Liu Hui had already sensed that the opponent was far too strong. If the fight dragged on, he might not truly be able to win.

With so many people surrounding one man and beating him down, the burly-bearded constable cursed incessantly. "A bunch of ignorant brutes! If you have the nerve, come at me one by one. What kind of fight is this, ganging up like wolves? Hmph! Do you think I, Li Lin, am afraid of you?"

In effect, he had declared his name: Li Lin.

The woman tied up beside them, Li Xiaoying, also cried out anxiously, "Brother, run!"

It turned out that Li Lin was her elder brother. She could see plainly enough that if this continued, her brother would soon be wounded by the mob.

In truth, Li Xiaoying need not have warned him. Li Lin had long since lost any will to fight and was already searching for an opening to escape.

At the very moment Li Xiaoying spoke, Li Lin seized his chance. Whipping his saber about like the wind, he first covered his whole body, then suddenly let out a mighty roar and sprang away with nimble steps, actually darting clean through the midst of several thugs. One man was too slow to dodge and had his arm sliced open by Li Lin's saber, blood slowly seeping out.

That thug still had some backbone. He barely made a sound, yet still raised his machete and gave chase after the burly-bearded constable, Li Lin.

Once free of the encirclement, Li Lin vanished into the moonlit night without once looking back.

To Zhou Zhi and Liu Hui, if Li Lin ran, then let him run. The night's purpose had already been achieved, and they bore no grudge against him. Chasing him would be pointless.

Besides, dawn was beginning to break; they could not linger any longer in Xin Village.

Zhou Zhi and Liu Hui gathered everyone together. Several of the thugs kept watch over Li Xiaoying, and Liu Hui had already had someone drape a long coat over her. After all, it was indecent to escort a woman dressed only in her undergarments, and the weather was far too cold. If Li Xiaoying were truly frozen to death, it would become a terrible trouble indeed.

Four of the thugs took turns supporting Old Zhou Tie, and the group quickly left Xin Village.

Old Zhou Tie had in fact been carried along by several men all along. He was plainly weak, and more importantly, worn out with fatigue. He had seen the whole brawl between Zhou Zhi and the others. He knew that Zhou Zhi had stirred up a catastrophe today, but by then there was nothing he could do to stop it.

Tonight, Zhou Zhi had come to rescue him, and he knew that without Zhou Zhi, his own life might well have been in danger. Yet whenever he thought of Zhou Zhi's future, Zhou Tie still felt boundless worry.

Alas. It seemed he could only take things one step at a time.

As for Li Xiaoying, of course they would not bring her back to Baiyue Village. Zhou Zhi planned to find a secluded place along the road and question her carefully to see how much she knew of the Daoist Li Shun's secrets. He would also give the woman a little punishment before letting her go.

The east was already flushed with red, and the morning sun was beginning to show itself.

Zhou Zhi still walked at the front of the group. By now they had traveled some seven or eight li from Xin Village. Looking ahead, one could scarcely make out any village at all; the surrounding fields lay silent and empty.

They were hurrying onward when a cry suddenly came from behind them. "Not good! Someone is chasing us!"

Zhou Zhi turned around and looked back. Dust was billowing in the air, and more than a dozen fast horses were thundering toward them.