"What are you doing here?"
"I... I..."
"What 'I'? Speak up."
"..."
"Answer me, why are you here?"
"I... have nowhere else to go. Sob, sob..."
"..."
"Stop crying! If that green-turtle-like person over there notices, the consequences will be dire!"
"Pfft..."
"..."
"What is your name, girl?"
"I don't have a name. They call me Xiao Qing."
"Xiao Qing? Where is your sister Bai Xue... Xiao Qing, you've caused me so much trouble..."
Outside Youzhou City, amidst the Yan army, two figures, one tall and one short, one stout and one thin, whispered to each other.
The stout one was naturally Zhou Fugui from Luoyan Village, and the thin, short one was Xiao Qing, a woman disguised as a man, the very琴女 (qín nǚ - zither girl) Zhou Fugui had saved, who had nearly scared him to death...
Zhou Fugui had committed murder and robbery in Youzhou City, killing four Hu people, a capital offense. No matter how thoroughly Zhou Fugui and his companions disposed of the bodies, they couldn't be completely seamless. It was likely that the constables and patrols of Youzhou City were already searching for the criminals.
Zhou Fugui had originally thought that he would soon be heading to the battlefield where Yan and Xia were at war, his fate uncertain. Therefore, even if the constables and patrols of Youzhou City knew that Zhou Fugui and his companions were responsible for the murders, they would be too far away to do anything about it.
Surely the constables and patrols of Youzhou City wouldn't arrest someone on the battlefield, would they?
But now, Xiao Qing, a witness, had found him. If the constables and patrols of Youzhou City tracked them down, wouldn't Zhou Fugui and the others be in grave danger?
However, Zhou Fugui couldn't drive her away, nor could he make a scene. He could only try his best to conceal Xiao Qing's identity as a woman disguised as a man, and find a chance to send her packing later...
This was a case of being in a predicament, a situation where Zhou Fugui was stuck between a rock and a hard place. Zhou Fugui even regretted saving the qin nǚ Xiao Qing, or perhaps regretting his youthful impulsiveness and inability to curb his temper, which led him to kill four Hu people.
"Damn it, what kind of ill-fated bastard wants to make me infertile or rob me of my life? You scoundrel, you deserter, you dog slave!"
Zhou Fugui tried his best to act nonchalant, his expression calm, standing obediently and properly in the crowd. But Zhou Fugui's old horse was restless...
The old horse was over twenty years old, essentially a senior in the horse world. In terms of respecting the old and loving the young, the old horse deserved the respect of other horses. Yet, a young, strong horse stood before the old horse, its tail flicking back and forth, swatting at the old horse's face. This had already infuriated the old horse. Finally, the young, strong horse defecated, a watery stool, splashing three feet high and splattering all over the old horse's face.
The old horse finally flew into a rage, whinnying in anger, rearing up on its hind legs, and kicking fiercely at the strong horse. But for some unknown reason, perhaps due to old age and failing eyesight, it accidentally kicked the buttocks of a burly man in front of Zhou Fugui. This immediately enraged the man, who, clutching his backside, hopped and cursed profusely with all sorts of vulgarities.
"Hahaha!"
Two clear hoof prints appeared on the burly man's buttocks, revealing his black backside. The crowd erupted in laughter. Fortunately, the old horse hadn't kicked a vital spot, otherwise the man might have truly become infertile...
"Your damn ancestor! Trying to rob and kill? What valuable thing do you, a simpleton, have on you? What would I want from you? Your two ounces of stinky flesh? Bah, stinky flesh fit for dogs, I wouldn't even want it if you gave it to me!" Zhou Fugui was troubled, and the incident was indeed his fault, the fault of this old and stubborn horse. He intended to apologize and dismiss it, but the burly man's curses were like thunder, leaving no room for Zhou Fugui to interject. Finally, the insults enraged Zhou Fugui, and he roared back.
"Hahaha, so it's Old Donkey of Jizhou? Donkeys and horses don't share the same trough, you deserve to be kicked!"
"Hahahaha!"
"Old Donkey of Jizhou is still better than your Youzhou Skylark!"
"Skylark, a bird. You bunch of bird-brained people dare to show your faces here?"
"Bang! Ouch, a gentleman talks, not fights! You dare to lay hands on me?"
"I'll beat you, you Old Donkey of Jizhou!"
"Brothers, we can't stand this! We can't afford to lose face! Kill!"
The mutual insults between Zhou Fugui and the burly man sparked a verbal war between the Youzhou and Jizhou banners, and before anyone knew it, it escalated into a free-for-all brawl.
Both sides clashed, and the scene became chaotic. Albugu and other banner commanders tried to intervene, but the fighters were too caught up in the fervor to be stopped.
The fire at the city gate brought disaster to the fish, and some banner commanders and escorts suffered blows for no reason.
Albugu, with his small head, short stature, and a green fur collar around his neck, turned red with anger. He drew his saber and shouted to stop them, but someone pushed him to the ground. He lay on his back, unable to get up for a long time.
The qin nǚ Xiao Qing's face turned pale with shock. She hid among the Youzhou villagers, her gaze full of concern for Zhou Fugui, but she could do nothing.
"You sharp-tongued white-skinned slave, your grandmother, you're asking for a beating!" As the saying goes, every debt has its creditor, and every wrong has its source. The burly man from Jizhou lunged straight at Zhou Fugui.
He had just gotten a new pair of pants, which he hadn't even worn for long, and now his old horse had kicked two holes in them. The burly man was in pain, and Zhou Fugui's insults had further enraged him. He roared, and with his fists, he charged at Zhou Fugui.
"Are you going to fight?"
Zhou Fugui threw down his weapon and strode forward.
They were all part of the Yan puppet army, known as Han bandits, comrades-in-arms on the same front line... Therefore, if they could avoid using weapons, they would. Using weapons would make things serious. Both sides tacitly put away their weapons, seeing whose fists were harder.
The burly man was a fierce northern man, tall and imposing, with well-developed muscles and a broad back. His fists, when swung, moved like a tiger's wind, striking directly at Zhou Fugui's fair face. Zhou Fugui was also strong, but one was dark and strong, the other white and strong. His flesh was pale, like a white fish in the waves.
If these punches landed squarely, Zhou Fugui's handsome face would surely be disfigured into an ugly monster...
Heads may roll, blood may flow, but hairstyles must remain intact! How could Zhou Fugui let his opponent succeed? He sidestepped the burly man's ferocious charge, quickly flashed behind him, and swiftly delivered a kick to the back of the man's knee.
The burly man had tough skin, and blows to other parts of his body were like tickles. His weaknesses, or vulnerable spots, were his joints and throat. Zhou Fugui knew this well, so with one kick, he forced the opponent to kneel on one knee in the mud.
This was still Zhou Fugui holding back, otherwise, if he had kicked the man's knee, that leg would have been crippled.
"Haha, did you just eat sea cucumber... Ouch!"
Zhou Fugui twisted the opponent's left arm and laughed heartily. But before he could finish speaking, the burly man struck forcefully with his right arm, his elbow hitting Zhou Fugui's head with great force, sending him flying backward with a thud into the mud.
"You scoundrel, you disguised woman, you're asking for death!"
The burly man roared, leaping up and descending upon Zhou Fugui like Mount Tai.
If this blow landed, not only would Zhou Fugui's handsome face be in jeopardy, but his internal organs would also be in grave danger.
"Bravo! Bravo! Bravo!"
"Brother Dian Meng is truly mighty!"
"Fugui is not falling behind, well done!"
The Yan soldiers present stopped forming their ranks and cleared a space for the two fighting men. They held their weapons and cheered loudly as they watched the two fight.
Albugu, who had finally managed to get up, sat on the ground, his nose crooked with anger, but he could do nothing to stop them.
The burly man, named Dian Meng, came at Zhou Fugui ferociously. Frightened, Zhou Fugui, who was lying on the ground, lifted his leg and kicked Dian Meng in the chest and abdomen, using the momentum to spin him 180 degrees. With a crack, he landed in the muddy water.
"Good slave!"
The burly man from Jizhou, Dian Meng, lived up to his name and was indeed exceptionally brave. Despite being dazed from the fall, he quickly got up and charged at Zhou Fugui again. Dian Meng was fierce, and Zhou Fugui was not to be outdone, so the two grappled and fought fiercely, neither gaining the upper hand.
"Screech!" After a prolonged struggle, Dian Meng's pants finally gave way under the strain, tearing open a large gap and revealing Dian Meng's dark red buttocks.
"Hahaha!"
The Yan soldiers present burst into laughter at the sight.
"I... I... Boohoo..."
At this moment, Dian Meng stopped fighting Zhou Fugui. Holding up his pants, he actually burst into tears.
Although Dian Meng was exceptionally fierce, he was only just over twenty years old.
"Ah? You're crying... What are you crying for?"
Zhou Fugui had also taken quite a few blows from Dian Meng, and was covered in mud, but his clothes were intact. Furthermore, Zhou Fugui adhered to the principle of keeping his hairstyle neat even during a fight, so he didn't look as disheveled as Dian Meng, at least not as bad.
Zhou Fugui, panting, looked at Dian Meng and asked with a mixture of amusement and exasperation.
"My mother... my mother... spent a full three months sewing it. But I wore it for less than a day, and now... you have to compensate me, or I swear I will not rest until this is settled!" Dian Meng said with a mournful face.
"Haha, 'swear I will not rest until this is settled'?" Zhou Fugui couldn't help but laugh. "It's just a pair of pants. I'll send you a few more another day, stop bothering me."
Indeed, it was Zhou Fugui's old horse, with its bad temper, that had torn Dian Meng's pants... It was at fault first.
"You said that? Don't you dare lie to me." Although Dian Meng didn't believe Zhou Fugui, he had no choice.
Dian Meng, who was usually unmatched in combat, had fought to a draw with the pale-skinned, seemingly effeminate Zhou Fugui. Thus, Dian Meng held some respect for Zhou Fugui.
"Are you done fighting?" Camp commander Murong Tengge, hearing the commotion, finally arrived with over a hundred cavalrymen. Riding his horse, his face ashen, he looked at Zhou Fugui and Dian Meng and ordered, "Guards, bind these two!"
Murong Tengge's subordinates heard the command and lunged forward like wolves and tigers, binding both men securely.
According to Yan army law, rioters are to be beheaded!