Chapter 34: Sensational Melodrama

Wu Chengyu turned his head to look at Niu Dajie and the other nine; he too held a four-edged copper mace and a pair of short spears. Except for Yu Lao Wu, who carried a short knife, the rest of them actually all wielded long spears and broadswords — these weapons, including the Dianqiang in the brawny man's hand, were all military-issue arms.

"Looks like this man is the real principal behind Lu Dage and the others; he's clearly not someone to trifle with. When the fight starts, A Ku and I had better keep well clear," Wu Chengyu thought to himself.

Upon seeing the brawny man, Lu Dage and his companions all tensed imperceptibly. Niu Dajie's eyes locked dead on the opponent, and she kept rubbing her fist, big as a sandbowl.

Wu Chengyu did not notice at this moment that the one man and one woman who had entered first were now struck dumb with fear. The woman buried her head even lower, her shoulders trembling nonstop. The man had truly turned into a "pretty-faced weakling" — his face pale to a frightening degree. He dared not remain seated; he bent at the waist and stood up, his eyeballs rolling wildly.

From the moment he stepped through the door, the brawny man had fixed his gaze on the woman, his face iron-green, not uttering a word. He merely shrugged off the straw raincoat he was wearing — and in his arms he was actually cradling a little girl.

The little girl seemed already asleep; her eyelids fluttered as if she were dreaming, yet her cheeks bore tear tracks. Her two hands clung tightly around the brawny man's neck.

Only after the brawny man set the little girl down did she wake. Leaving his embrace, she felt a touch of cold; she shrank her neck and looked around, and before long she spotted the woman.

"Mother, Father — it's Mother! Lian'er and Father found you. Mother, don't go. Lian'er misses you. Don't you want Lian'er anymore?"

Seeing the woman, the little girl burst into tears at once. She wrenched free of the brawny man's hands and stumbled toward the woman. She hadn't gone a few steps before she fell to the ground. She didn't bother climbing up; instead she crawled forward on her knees, reached the woman, and clung tightly to her legs, begging incessantly.

The woman seemed to have been struck by an acupoint-sealing technique; her whole body went rigid, unable to move. She let the little girl hold her, but it was clear her heart was anything but calm — her fists were clenched tight.

As for that pretty-faced weakling Qian Yang, at this moment he bent his waist and knees and hid behind the woman. He didn't dare raise his head to look at the brawny man, and he was trembling even more violently.

The brawny man's eyes held no trace of the pretty-faced weakling. He merely looked at his own daughter with a hint of pity, then strode up to the woman with a swagger and sat down. From his bosom he produced a wine gourd, tilted his head back and took a large swig, then glared at the woman — still without a word.

Wu Chengyu, watching the show from the side, never expected that what had been a simp-courting-rich-woman melodrama would, in the blink of an eye, turn even more sensational. The scene before him was clearly that of a married woman seduced by a young pretty-faced weakling; the two eloped, and the original husband pursued her for a thousand li with their daughter in tow.

Elopement, huh — that's really rare. Wu Chengyu couldn't help feeling a bit excited. The most common trope in ancient storybooks sings the praises of freedom and love, but those who actually elope — especially women — seldom meet a good end.

But in modern times, real life really offers hardly any chance to watch someone else elope. With the modern mindset, extramarital affairs are normal, walking away with nothing is commonplace, but the drama of two people agreeing to flee together is already seldom seen. What era is this? You say "divorce" and you divorce; you find a lover and you find a lover — no need to make it that troublesome.

Still, the scene before him gave Wu Chengyu a persistent sense of déjà vu. The stately noblewoman was there, the cringing pretty-faced weakling was there, the little girl weeping in her mother's arms was there. If that's the case, this brawny man shouldn't be wielding a Dianqiang — shouldn't he be equipped with a long sword?

"Invincible under heaven, Golden-Faced Buddha Miaorenfeng — he should be the male lead of the script playing out before us."

Wu Chengyu had the feeling he'd wandered onto the wrong set. The Legend of the Condor Heroes actually contained the sensational plot of Fox Volant of the Snowy Mountain — truly, a bit thrilling.

What a pity, what a pity — this isn't Shangjia Bao, and there's no love-brained Ma Chunhua of the Flying Horse Escort Agency. There's only Niu Dajie, whose arms are thicker than his legs.

The little girl clung to the woman and wept and pleaded without cease. The woman seemed made of iron and stone, utterly unmoved. Beside them, Niu Dajie finally couldn't bear to watch any longer.

"I say, what's the matter with you, woman? Such a cute young miss and you can bear to abandon her? She's about to cry herself into a faint. Look at that couldn't-care-less look of yours — what kind of mother are you? A woman who elopes with a pretty-faced weakling like you deserves to be dragged off and drowned in a pig cage."

Niu Dajie cursed on and on in her deep, booming voice. Lu Dage at her side couldn't pull her away no matter how he tried. Wu Chengyu, though, felt a pang of doubt — how come he suddenly felt this brawny man wasn't tonight's real principal either? The two sides clearly didn't know each other.

In the Broken Temple at this moment, only Niu Dajie's voice could be heard. A Ku shrank in Wu Chengyu's arms, looking at the little girl across the way with a touch of sympathy. The two should be about the same age. A Ku had no father or mother, but this young lady's mother didn't want her anymore.

The little girl had already cried until her whole body went limp. The brawny man finally spoke.

"Lian'er is still young; she can't do without her mother. You come back with me now, and everything will be as if nothing ever happened."

The woman let the little girl cling to her legs, not a shred of tenderness in her. She shook her head slightly and said,

"She is not my daughter, and I don't want to go back with you ever again."

"Lian'er's birth mother died of illness. You may be a stepmother, but for over a year you got along with her very harmoniously. She already long ago took you for her real mother. Why are you so heartless?"

The woman lowered her head once more, giving no response whatsoever.

The brawny man took a sip of wine and continued, "I, Cao Mao, am just a coarse fellow — ugly in looks, knowing a few fists and weapons. I was never a match for a young lady like you to begin with. I originally thought sincerity would move heaven; who knew that in just a year you'd discard me like a worn-out shoe. He Zhiyu — did I, Cao Mao, lose only because of this face?"

Wu Chengyu listened and nodded inwardly. In terms of looks, Cao Mao lost to Qian Yang by more than a little. Cao Mao looked a bit like Du Yuming, the actor who specializes in villains in later-era TV dramas — even darker and sturdier than him. Qian Yang, on the other hand, bore a few points of resemblance to the pale-faced Huang Zongze — only more sleazy and hypocritical.

Cao Mao shifted his gaze to the cringing pretty-faced weakling Qian Yang behind He Zhiyu. His eyes narrowed slightly, murderous intent surging.

"You're quite experienced. All along the way you laid false trails, changed direction many times, and even left many traces. You even found someone to impersonate you to draw my attention. Too bad I, Cao Mao, have roamed the jianghu for years — such petty tricks are utterly useless against me. Qian Yang, right here, right now — tell me, how should I deal with you?"

A fight was finally about to break out. The other onlookers couldn't help but hold their breath and focus, anticipation rising in their hearts.

No matter the era, a pretty-faced weakling who seduces a married woman is intolerable to the basic moral bottom line. You can't say everyone wants to beat him, but given the chance, who could resist wanting to kick him? Wu Chengyu asked himself — even his own fists were itching a little right now.

Qian Yang's legs were already shaking uncontrollably. He retreated two steps and said to He Zhiyu, "Wife, save me, save me."

Too bad He Zhiyu still kept her head lowered, not the slightest reaction — as if Qian Yang had nothing to do with her.

This point differs from Fox Volant. At least back then Nan Lan stood in front of Tian Guinong. But He Zhiyu just sat there silently, unmoving.

Nan Lan had genuine feelings for Tian Guinong, but Qian Yang seems to hold zero status in He Zhiyu's heart.

Cao Mao glanced at He Zhiyu, reached out and grabbed the Dianqiang. With a light exertion he lifted the iron spear from the ground, then gripped the butt end of the long spear with one hand, raising the Dianqiang aloft and pointing it at Qian Yang from afar.

This book officially signed a contract at noon on April 16. Before that the data was extremely bleak; by the 15th the collection count was only 40-something. Aside from three friends who specifically went to the new-book rankings looking for fresh reads, basically no one could see this book. I thought for sure it wouldn't get signed.

Then, until last night, in just four short days the collection count reached 1,300-plus — truly beyond my expectations. My previous book successfully went VIP and I wrote over a million words, but where was there such treatment?

The author, bringing Fang Xiu along, bows in thanks to all you generous patrons.

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(Chapter End)