Free Web NovelChapter 67: Chapter 67: People Arrive
Zhou Gu’er chased after her, raising the blade. Zhou Feng’er, sprawled on the ground and unable to rise, was finally afraid. She started screaming wildly.
Zhang Da and Zhou Mei screamed as well, watching as Zhou Gu’er’s blade was about to descend on the fallen Zhou Feng’er.
So, had Zhou Gu’er completely lost her mind at this point?
No.
When she had attacked Zhou Mazi earlier, she had indeed lost some of her sanity. With the resentment of two lifetimes fueling her, she truly wished she could have just hacked him to death.
But by the time she got to Zhou Mei, though her hatred remained, her mind had cleared. She knew the law: a life for a life. If she really killed Zhou Mei, she would have to forfeit her own life. She had been given a new life; she was here to change her destiny, not kill Zhou Mei only to die herself.
However, Gu’er was well aware that if she had backed down at that moment, she would have been the one to lose out. She had to make them believe she was genuinely capable of killing. ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com
That was why Zhou Mei only ended up with an injured arm when Zhang Da pulled her back. If Gu’er had truly lost her senses, she would have followed up with a second strike immediately, and Zhou Mei wouldn’t have had time to run.
Zhou Mei had run off. Gu’er hated Zhou Feng’er just as much, so she had struck out at her too. But because Zhou Feng’er had been quick to flee, the blow likely wasn’t deep and had only broken the skin.
Though she held the blade high, she knew in her heart, ’I can’t bring this down. I can’t possibly kill Zhou Feng’er.’
"Don’t, please don’t! Sister, please, don’t cut me!"
Zhou Feng’er cried out, begging for her life. She was filled with regret. ’Why didn’t I just leave earlier? Why did I have to stay? I wouldn’t have gotten hurt if I’d just left.’ She wanted to get up and run, but her legs felt like they were nailed in place; she couldn’t move.
"What’s going on here? Stop! You can’t just cut her down!"
"Yeah, that’s right! Don’t do it!"
The shouts from Zhang Da and the others had already alerted the nearby neighbors. Even if they disliked Zhang Da, the commotion—and the talk of killing—was enough to bring them outside. Some had even grabbed torches, and they arrived just in time to see Gu’er holding a blade over Zhou Feng’er, ready to strike.
The scene horrified everyone, and they immediately started shouting.
When Zhou Feng’er heard them, tears started to stream down her face. ’People are here! Thank goodness! I’m not going to be hacked to death, am I?’
Zhou Gu’er looked toward the newcomers, and her blade paused in mid-air. But before anyone could get closer, it started to fall again.
Zhou Feng’er let out a yell and, with a sudden burst of strength from nowhere, scrambled to roll aside. Zhou Gu’er’s blade hit the ground.
"Isn’t that Gu’er? What’s going on? Why is she trying to attack someone?"
Gu’er said nothing. Her grip on the blade had already loosened. Their arrival was timely; it gave her a perfect excuse to stop. Her gaze shifted to the doorway, where Zhang Da was still standing. ’I should have landed a few more blows on him. A real shame.’
Gu’er then glanced at Zhou Feng’er. Though now out of danger, she hadn’t gotten up. She remained sprawled on the ground, sobbing uncontrollably, clearly terrified out of her wits.
Gu’er had now completely calmed down. ’Such a huge thing happened today. The whole village is bound to be drawn here soon. From the Zhou family, who all participated in this?’
’Zhou Duo’er must have known. What about Mom? No! Mom would never get involved. Zhou Feng’er must have schemed to get her out of the way.’
’What about Zhou Mazi?’
’Zhou Mazi probably didn’t know about this either. He still plans to sell me for cash; he’d never let Zhang Da get me for free. That leaves only Zhou Feng’er and Zhou Duo’er.’
’When Zhou Mazi gets here, what will his attitude be?’
’Today I injured Zhang Da, Zhou Mei, and Zhou Feng’er. Even though I’m in the right, there are three of them. If they all demand an explanation from Zhou Mazi, he’ll definitely throw me to the wolves. How should I deal with the aftermath?’
As Gu’er pondered, the crowd at the gate and in the yard continued to swell, and the torchlight brightened Zhang Da’s entire courtyard.
Zhang Da had since returned to the yard and was now sitting on a stool, groaning in pain.
A large gash marred his back, but he knew it wasn’t fatal. ’Why? Because that blade wasn’t sharp—in fact, it was pretty dull. When I bought it, it was mostly to scare people, so I didn’t get a sharp one. Thank god for that. Otherwise, with the force Zhou Gu’er used, that strike would’ve probably broken a bone.’
’That Zhou Gu’er is ruthless. She was really trying to kill me. But how did she know I had a blade hidden here?’
’Dammit. I didn’t get the girl, and I got cut instead. I need to get this wound treated... No. When I see Zhou Mazi, I can’t let him off the hook. I have to extort some money out of him.’
Zhou Mei was also in the yard, clutching her arm while being supported by someone. She had already sent an acquaintance to fetch her father, and someone else had gone to call for the village doctor. ’With so many people here, Zhou Gu’er can’t act crazy anymore,’ she fumed. ’I absolutely cannot let her get away with this. I won’t suffer this injury for nothing.’
The crowd grew even larger, and soon Zhou Mazi was brought over. He reeked of alcohol and was muttering curses under his breath. Just as he stepped into the yard, before he could even say a word, Zhou Mei’s father and mother arrived right behind him. ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm
As everyone began asking what had happened, Gu’er bent down and picked up the blade again. She knew what kind of person Zhou Mazi was, and she didn’t trust Zhou Mei’s family either. She had to be able to protect herself first.
"Which shameless bitch dared to cut my daughter? I’ll fight her to the death! I’ll rip her to shreds!"
Seeing her daughter’s bleeding arm, Zhou Mei’s mother’s eyes turned red with rage. Still shouting, she charged straight at Gu’er.
Without a word, Gu’er brandished the blade.
Zhou Mei’s mother froze, not daring to get any closer.
"Auntie, don’t go! Gu’er will really do it! She even cut her own sister. You don’t want her cutting you too."
A bystander pulled Zhou Mei’s mother back. Though she continued to curse, she didn’t try to advance again, clearly scared herself.
"Make way! The doctor’s here! Let him through to see to the wounded!"
Someone shouted, and the village doctor was ushered through the crowd.
Gu’er glanced over. It was their village doctor, carrying his medicine box. There was a small, modest clinic in the village where people would go to get medicine for common illnesses.
The clinic was very close to Zhang Da’s house, which was why the doctor had arrived so quickly.
The doctor began examining the wounds of Zhang Da, Zhou Mei, and Zhou Feng’er.
"Mazi, you better start talking," Zhou Mei’s father, Zhou Erpao, demanded of Zhou Mazi, his face dark. "Tell me what happened here. If you don’t give me an explanation today, this isn’t over between us."
"How the hell should I know what happened!" Zhou Mazi took the heat from that and immediately redirected his fury, roaring at Zhou Gu’er. "Everyone’s gone mad! Zhou Gu’er, you must be bored out of your mind to be causing all this trouble! You tell your father what happened!"
Zhou Gu’er simply stared at him, saying nothing.
"Dad, she was trying to kill me!" Zhou Feng’er cried out from where she was. "Dad, she’s the one who shamelessly came to find Zhang Da! When we found her out, she tried to kill us! Dad, you can’t spare her!"
Zhou Feng’er wailed from her spot on the ground. She had to be the first to make her tearful accusation; otherwise, if Zhou Gu’er told the real story, they would lose all justification, despite being the ones who were injured.
"You shameless hussy! I’ll beat you to death! All you ever do is cause trouble for me!"
Zhou Mazi’s eyes flashed with fury. He didn’t care if it was true or not—he would hit her first and ask questions later. ’Three people are injured,’ he panicked inwardly. ’If they all come after me, what am I supposed to do?’
