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Chapter 393: This Person is Vicious

The woman was bound hand and foot. To prevent her from violently lashing out again, she was thoroughly searched from head to toe, leaving her with no "weapons," not even a small stone.

Her hands were tied securely, and her upper body was bound like a tightly wrapped parcel.

The guards then tossed her back onto the large cart that had transported the steam looms, assigning several men to watch her.

She was escorted all the way back to Gao Family Village.

Back in the fortress, such a "vicious" prisoner had to be handled seriously. Furthermore, she was to be taken to see the Saintess, which required strict security measures. So, the engineer made another trip to the barracks, inviting Padi Tu and Zheng Gouzi, two "masters" who had long served as the Saintess's bodyguards, to escort her.

And so, Padi Tu and Zheng Gouzi, one on either side, escorted the woman, who was bound like a parcel, into Gao Family Village.

The woman glanced at Zheng Gouzi, finding him somewhat like a decent person. Padi Tu, however, looked like anything but; he exuded a roguish, hooligan-like air.

A flicker of panic stirred within her. *Why have they handed me over to this kind of man? Where is he taking me? Oh no, I really should have decisively rammed my neck into a blade and died earlier. Now that I've fallen into his hands, I might just experience the very thing I dread most.*

Just as she thought this, Padi Tu spoke, "You woman, to actually attempt to assassinate Warden Zhong, what a heinous crime! Luckily, I wasn't there at the time. If I had been, hmph, I would have made you taste this Rabbit Master's great sword."

What vile language was this! The woman was greatly alarmed. *Oh no! This man is indeed a shameless lecher; such disgraceful words came out of his mouth immediately. Now that I've fallen into his hands, I fear I'll neither be able to live nor die.*

Padi Tu snarled, "What are you looking at? You dare glare at me? I hate people like you the most. Believe it or not, I'll deal with you right now."

The woman: "!!!"

Li Daoxuan chuckled inwardly. *How many years has this Padi Tu fellow been in Gao Family Village? And he's still full of slang! If you're going to kill, just kill. Why insist on saying 'deal with them'? How terrifying that must sound to the woman.*

He suddenly recalled when Padi Tu first arrived; he clearly wanted to "join the militia" but insisted on saying "join the gang," which had infuriated Cheng Xu.

This slang was fine for casual conversation, even for a laugh, but when spoken to a woman, the meaning changed entirely.

The young woman gritted her teeth. "Even as a ghost, I won't spare you."

Padi Tu scoffed, "This Rabbit Master fears no ghosts. He sits upright and walks straight, having never done a single wrongful deed in his life, so why would he fear ghosts knocking on his door?"

But he just couldn't speak properly; a single boastful sentence would immediately turn vulgar: "This Rabbit Master's virile energy is exceedingly strong; even female ghosts would have to kneel before this Rabbit Master's great sword."

Li Daoxuan: "....."

Zheng Gouzi: "....."

The young woman: "!!!"

How could this conversation possibly continue?

The young woman bit her lower lip and fell silent. No woman enjoys conversing with a hooligan.

The group walked in silence into the Watchtower.

As they passed through the Ancestral Hall, the woman's gaze lingered for a moment on the sacred statue of Dao Xuan Tian Zun, then she turned her head away. She was going to die anyway, so she wouldn't bow to the deity of Gao Family Village.

Soon, the three ascended the Watchtower.

On the balcony, Gao Yiye was already waiting. Qiu Ju and Dong Xue sat gracefully behind her. Padi Tu and Zheng Gouzi pressed the woman down to sit on the ground opposite Gao Yiye. Then, both of them took positions on either side of Gao Yiye, guarding against the woman suddenly leaping up to harm the Saintess.

With this formation set, the woman, however, began to muse inwardly. *It seems I was overthinking things earlier. Since it's a woman, she wouldn't let that fellow who calls himself "Rabbit Master" insult me, would she?*

Li Daoxuan spoke. "What is your name? Who is your brother? How many years have you been in Wang Zuogua's army? What position do you hold? Please state everything clearly."

The woman heard Gao Yiye's questions and steeled her heart. "I cannot tell you my name; we still have our nine clans to consider. You can call me Yizhangqing. My brother's nickname is Little Yue Fei, and he was just an insignificant figure under Wang Zuogua."

Padi Tu exclaimed in surprise, "What? Yizhangqing? Such an unlucky name? Isn't that the name of Hu Sanniang from *Water Margin*? Her father, mother, and brother all died, and in the end, she married a short, ugly man."

The woman retorted angrily, "Illiterate! Yizhangqing was originally the wife of the Northern Song general Ma Gao. After Ma Gao's death, she married Zhang Yong, a general under Yue Fei. It was just a nickname borrowed by the author of *Water Margin* to create Hu Sanniang."

Padi Tu: "Huh? Is that true?"

Li Daoxuan: "Oh? Is that true?"

Well, if even the Heavenly Lord was illiterate on this point, Padi Tu couldn't be blamed.

"It seems you've acquired some knowledge; you're no ignorant woman," Li Daoxuan remarked. "Did your brother, Little Yue Fei, die in our battle against Wang Zuogua?"

Yizhangqing gritted her teeth. "Yes! That's why I intended to risk my life to take down a prominent figure from Gao Family Village, as revenge for my brother."

Li Daoxuan: "Seeking revenge this way seems like a loss for you, trading two lives for one."

Yizhangqing realized that it wasn't Gao Yiye speaking to her, but Dao Xuan Tian Zun. The Heavenly Lord spoke from above, and the woman before her listened intently, then relayed the words.

The thought of speaking with a deity actually stirred a strange excitement within her. This emotion, one that absolutely shouldn't be present, had surfaced, causing her a flicker of annoyance. "Even if it's a loss, I must fight. Otherwise, how can my brother's vengeance be achieved?"

Li Daoxuan: "Currently, Gao Family Village versus your family stands at 0-to-1. If you fight and take one of ours, it becomes 1-to-2, meaning your family still loses one more. If you don't fight, your family still only loses one, and you remain alive. Thinking it this way, not fighting seems more advantageous."

Yizhangqing: "Even if you are a deity, I'm not in the mood for jokes right now. Kill me if you want, dismember me if you wish; I've long since lost the desire to live."

"No, you want to live," Li Daoxuan stated. "If you truly didn't want to live, you would have decisively impaled yourself on one of the ten blades at your neck. Why endure being bound like a parcel and escorted around? In your current state, if the people of Gao Family Village decide to do something even more outrageous to you, you wouldn't even be able to commit suicide."

Yizhangqing: "I can still bite off my tongue to kill myself."

Li Daoxuan: "Biting your tongue won't kill you; it will only be incredibly painful. Death only occurs if, after passing out from the pain, the massive blood loss from your tongue blocks your windpipe. In other words, if someone were next to you when you bit your tongue, helping clear the blood to prevent your windpipe from being obstructed, you wouldn't die."

Yizhangqing: "!!!"

Li Daoxuan: "Then your tongue would be terribly painful, you wouldn't die, you wouldn't even be able to curse, and you'd be tormented by your enemies. Wouldn't that be even more agonizing? Look at this Padi Tu beside you; he's incredibly vicious. Even children are too scared to cry at night when they hear his name. Are you truly not afraid of falling into his hands?"