Chapter 6: The Wicked Meet Their Match
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He dared not pause for a moment as he hurried along, finally reaching the riverbank once more. From afar, he saw a thin, small figure standing by the water. Su Mu’s heart sank, fearing calamity, and yet his steps quickened.
As he ran, thoughts raced through his mind—should he compliment Miss An again on her beauty today, or slap himself first to appease her anger? Before he could settle on a plan, he suddenly realized the figure was not An Rui.
The figure heard footsteps and turned to look, joy flashing in her heart when she recognized Su Mu. She waved eagerly, signaling him over.
Su Mu peered closer; he knew this slender figure—it was Xiao Lan, a young maid always at An Rui’s side. Normally, An Rui forbade others from following her when she went out, but when the An family needed to deliver messages, it was always this girl. Having met her often, he knew her name.
Before Su Mu could speak, Xiao Lan hurriedly said, “Su Mu, you’ve finally come! I was so worried! Miss said you’d be here early, but look at the time—don’t be late! Quick, Miss sent me to fetch you to watch the play.”
Su Mu was taken aback. “A play? What play? Where?”
Xiao Lan pushed him along while replying, “You’ll see when you get there. Miss said everything is arranged. If you’re late, you’ll miss it and all will be in vain.”
“All right, all right, stop pushing me. Let me catch my breath, I haven’t had a moment’s rest on the way here, I’m exhausted,” Su Mu grumbled, trying to appease Xiao Lan, panting heavily, but thanks to his strange illness, not a bead of sweat surfaced.
Seeing how Su Mu’s voice was hoarse from fatigue, Xiao Lan was anxious but helpless, worried that Miss would blame her. She patiently accompanied Su Mu, alternating between walking and jogging, heading northeast toward the town.
The farther they walked, the more puzzled Su Mu became. Wasn’t this the way to Aunt Liu’s house? Sure enough, when they reached the gate of the Liu family courtyard, Xiao Lan sighed in relief. “Finally, we made it. Just watch from outside.”
Su Mu’s confusion deepened. A crowd of dozens surrounded the gate of the Liu family, pointing into the courtyard and whispering about something. He couldn’t quite catch their words, but vaguely heard mention of the Golden Mother and causing harm.
Before Su Mu could ask anyone, several constables emerged from the gate, dispersing the idle onlookers. Then, a middle-aged man dressed as an official, with an iron badge at his waist, led the way out. Su Mu recognized him as Head Constable Zhang of the town.
Several more constables followed, escorting Aunt Liu, who wept and wailed along the way.
“I’m innocent, let me go! That Golden Mother statue isn’t mine!”
Head Constable Zhang sneered, “I only said we found a Buddha statue. When did I say it was the Golden Mother statue? Why are you crying and shouting?”
Aunt Liu dared not retort, only crying that she was framed and innocent, secretly resenting her fate. Just days ago, someone had tempted her to join the Golden Mother cult, and now someone came to investigate and found a Buddha statue. She hadn’t even paid for it yet—how bizarre.
Constable Zhang cared nothing for her tears. With a glance, he ordered his men to take her away, while the rest of the Liu family were kept inside, forbidden to come out.
Once his men had escorted their prisoner away, Head Constable Zhang walked west alone. Passing a fabric shop, he glanced around to ensure no one was watching, then slipped inside. Without greeting the shop owner, he surveyed the room and walked to a table at the left.
On either side of the rosewood table sat a carved wooden chair. In one sat a young girl, smiling as she nibbled dried fruit. Seeing Head Constable Zhang enter, she quickly rose in greeting.
He dared not be disrespectful to the girl, stepping forward with a respectful salute. “Miss An, your foresight is remarkable. Even this small southern town has been infiltrated by that evil cult. Thanks to your tip, I was able to eliminate this threat. But may I ask, does Master An know about this matter?”
Such a scene—a government official bowing and flattering a young girl—seemed truly strange, but neither party found it odd.
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An Rui returned the salute with a bow. Head Constable Zhang hastily protested, “No need, no need.” An Rui said, “Thank you for your hard work, Constable Zhang. Before I left, my father reminded me that our An family has yet to contribute to this place, and he feels uneasy. Hearing rumors of the cult, I didn’t know if they were true, but reported them anyway—perhaps a bit rash. Still, I feared the criminals might catch wind of it and wanted to make a friend of you, Constable Zhang.”
Upon hearing this, Zhang was overjoyed. The head of the An family, An Yusheng, was a name others knew little of, but years ago, Zhang had seen him at the residence of a great official, moving freely about as if it were his own home, no one daring to stop him. Ever since the An family moved here, Zhang had wanted to forge a connection, lacking only an excuse.
Yesterday, Miss An approached him, saying members of the Golden Mother cult were causing trouble, and handed him a Buddha statue, claiming it was found in a cult member’s home and asking him to keep it safe. He guessed the culprit would deny everything, so he used the statue as evidence.
Nearly forty, Head Constable Zhang knew such matters well and was delighted—he had searched for a connection with the An family for so long, and now it had fallen into his lap. Whether or not Aunt Liu was truly a cult member, he would brand her as such.
After accepting the statue, he promised to swiftly apprehend the cult members, and the next day, he completed the task. Now, he hurried to the appointed place to report back to Miss An.
“I’ve long admired Master An’s reputation. He is truly righteous. Please, Miss, convey my respects—I shall visit the An family soon.”
An Rui smiled and nodded, secretly amused—her father had no such fame to impress Head Constable Zhang.
He then praised Miss An’s intelligence, beauty, and grace, showering her with compliments worthy of a goddess, making An Rui laugh.
Finally, An Rui instructed, “Constable Zhang, though today you made a great achievement, this cult member joined only recently. A minor punishment will suffice. I hear her husband conducts business elsewhere and likely has savings—let him pay for his wife’s lesson.”
Zhang was stunned. How did this young girl know such tricks of the authorities? Even without her prompting, he had planned just that, but hearing it from a girl not yet thirteen left him astonished.
Nevertheless, he nodded in agreement, assuming it was at Master An’s behest, and soon took his leave.
Outside the Liu family’s gate, Su Mu witnessed the events with wide-eyed shock. How had Aunt Liu become a cultist overnight? He could not understand.
Xiao Lan came over, patting Su Mu’s arm with a smile. “Was my Miss’s play exciting? Don’t think she only scolds children—her skills are far greater, though she rarely displays them.”
“What! An Rui did this?” Su Mu exclaimed, eyes wide.
Xiao Lan was startled, fearing he’d shouted too loudly before the crowd. She quickly covered his mouth with one hand and pressed a finger to her lips, signaling him to hush.
Glancing around nervously, Xiao Lan sighed in relief—the crowd was busy discussing the Liu family and hadn’t noticed the two children’s conversation. She patted her chest, murmuring, “Thank goodness.”
Then she pinched Su Mu’s arm hard. He looked at her, puzzled by her actions.
Xiao Lan huffed, “Why should Miss help a fool like you to vent your anger, huh.”
Su Mu replied, “That wasn’t how we planned yesterday. What about Aunt Liu’s family if she’s taken by the authorities? What if Xiao Bao misses his mother?”
Xiao Lan answered irritably, “Don’t worry, Miss is only giving a minor punishment. She’ll suffer a bit, but will be released in a few days—nothing serious. Miss knows what she’s doing. Come on, let’s go to the next place.”
Su Mu asked, “Where now? Where’s your Miss? Why haven’t I seen her?”
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“Why so many questions? Miss is waiting at the next place. Let’s go—you’ll find out when we get there,” Xiao Lan said, turning away, not caring whether Su Mu followed. Su Mu, eager to see An Rui, asked no more and hurried after her.
This time the journey was longer—they left town, walking nearly half an hour. Both grew tired. No matter how Su Mu questioned Xiao Lan, she refused to answer, only repeating that Miss forbade her to speak and that he’d know soon enough. If he pressed her, she simply quickened her pace, ignoring him.
They followed a winding path to its end, where several small buildings stood against the mountains, lush trees covering most of the structures. Only a row of stone walls and a massive iron gate were visible, above which hung a black plaque inscribed in red: Lu An Manor.
At the gate, two men dressed in black paced back and forth, keeping watch. Seeing the manor’s name, Su Mu realized what was happening and stood lost in thought.
Xiao Lan stopped Su Mu, signaling him to pause. She fanned herself with her small hand, exhausted, and flopped onto a nearby stone. “We’re here. Miss should be arriving soon.”
Just then, a rustling sound came from the road. An Rui appeared, accompanied by a man of about fifty, tall and grim-faced, his fierce expression intimidating, yet now he followed behind An Rui like a servant, not daring to walk beside her.
Xiao Lan stood and waved. An Rui saw her and Su Mu together, hurried over, and, smiling, said, “Su Mu, did you feel better this morning? Don’t thank me yet—I still have one more score to settle for you.”
Su Mu, worried, drew An Rui aside and whispered, “I think we shouldn’t go. There are too many people, all of them bad. I’m fine, and I don’t want revenge anymore. I promised my mother I wouldn’t upset her.”
An Rui giggled, comforting him, “Don’t worry, neither you nor I need to do anything. We’re just children—we can’t fight those people and would only be mocked. Leave it to us. Uncle Mu would never let me suffer. His skills are beyond your imagination.”
She turned to the burly man, beckoning: “Uncle Mu, those villains are here, but there are many of them. Can you handle it? If not, we can go back.” An Rui deliberately tried to spur him on.
Uncle Mu, whose real name was Mu Zhenshan, was of mysterious origin. He had appeared in the An family years ago, treating only Master An and An Rui with respect, never listening to anyone else.
An Rui hadn’t thought much of Mu Zhenshan until she saw him in action once—his form blurred, and he disabled three men’s arms in a flash, so fast she couldn’t follow his movements. Her father later told her Mu Zhenshan hadn’t even used his full strength, and taught her that the world was full of talented people, and one must always be humble.
This time, to help Su Mu vent his anger, An Rui feared the opposition was too strong. Without her father’s orders, she worried Mu Zhenshan wouldn’t come, so she pretended to be bullied, even shedding a few tears. Mu Zhenshan, enraged, came to avenge her, not noticing the smile on An Rui’s lips.
Hearing her words now, Mu Zhenshan smiled confidently, “Even if their numbers were ten times greater, I wouldn’t care. Don’t worry, let’s go in—I want to see who dares bully you. They must have the courage of a leopard.”
He knew well he was being used as a tool by this young girl, but he was bored and eager to stretch his limbs. Ever since arriving in this small town, he had kept a low profile, growing impatient. Today, An Rui’s persistent request gave him the excuse to act.
The group headed toward the manor, Mu Zhenshan leading the way, An Rui pulling a reluctant Su Mu in the middle, Xiao Lan trailing behind.