Chapter 3: Poisoned

"Damn you to hell!" Yu Chengfeng shielded An Ning behind him, snatched up a hoe from the yard, and gripped it tightly. "Get lost, now!"

An Ning was terrified. Her large eyes were brimming with tears, and she clung desperately to the hem of Yu Chengfeng’s shirt, her breath coming in ragged gasps.

The burly man whom Yu Chengfeng had kicked down earlier scrambled to his feet, pointing at him and cursing, "Damn you, Yu Chengfeng! You were the one who got drunk and offered to let us have your wife to settle that three-qian gambling debt of yours. Now you're trying to turn on us?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Yu Chengfeng, An Ning, and the neighbors watching from outside the courtyard were all stunned.

Yu Chengfeng’s mind reeled. He had never imagined the original owner of this body could have committed such a heinous act. He looked back at An Ning and saw that she had let go of his sleeve. She was clutching her torn collar, backing away step by step, her eyes filled with absolute despair.

The neighbors outside the courtyard began to whisper among themselves.

"What a beast! To trade his own wife just for a gambling debt!"

"Exactly. That poor girl An Ning hasn't had a single day of happiness since she married him. Look how thin she’s become!"

"How could the Yu family produce such a piece of trash?"

Yu Chengfeng looked at An Ning, his heart aching with an indescribable pain. He tried to explain, "An... An Ning, this isn't what..."

Before he could finish, he felt a powerful force hit his back. The thugs had seized the moment he was distracted to kick him to the ground and began to beat him in a group.

Fortunately, Yu Chengfeng had studied combat in his previous life and possessed extensive experience. He quickly adjusted his posture, shielding his vital points while looking for an opening to counterattack.

Amidst the assault, the thin man exposed a weakness. He raised his leg, intending to stomp hard on Yu Chengfeng, but Yu Chengfeng seized the opportunity, kicking the man squarely in the side of his knee. The man collapsed with a howl, clutching his leg.

It was a pity the body was so frail; in his past life, that kick would have shattered the man’s kneecap.

Yu Chengfeng used that gap to roll over and stand, facing the remaining two. He recognized the burly leader as Hou Quan, the thin man as Zhu Heng, and the third as Lei Tang. They were notorious ruffians in the fortress, known for thieving, brawling, and causing chaos, emboldened only by the fact that Hou Quan’s brother-in-law was a local commander.

The fortress housed about two thousand households. The lowest unit was ten families under a corporal, ten units under a platoon leader, then a captain, and finally, the commander of Huyang Fortress.

"Well, well, Yu Chengfeng. I didn't realize you were hiding such skill!" Hou Quan cracked his knuckles and sneered at him.

"If you know what's good for you, get out. I will pay back the gambling debt." Given Yu Chengfeng’s true nature, he would not have left these three alive, but this body was too weak, and killing them rashly could invite further retaliation. He wanted to settle the matter quickly.

"Bah! Let me tell you, I’m going to have your wife!" Hou Quan charged with his fists raised. Yu Chengfeng dodged, bypassing the man’s abdomen to strike the joint of his forearm with his elbow. As Hou Quan doubled over in pain, Yu Chengfeng drove his knee hard into his face.

With a spray of blood and broken teeth, Hou Quan collapsed in agony. Just as Yu Chengfeng grabbed the hoe, intending to break the man’s other arm, the corporal of his unit appeared and shouted, "Yu Chengfeng! What are you doing? Stop at once!"

Seeing no further chance to strike, Yu Chengfeng dropped the tool and looked back at An Ning. She was sitting against the courtyard wall, her eyes vacant. Yu Chengfeng felt a sharp pang of heartache, cursing the heavens for letting such a gentle, kind girl fall into the hands of such scum.

"Why are you assaulting people?" The corporal scolded, but he froze. The Yu Chengfeng before him was different; the old Yu Chengfeng would have been bowing and scraping in fear, but this one stood tall, meeting his gaze with chilling authority.

The change made the corporal swallow hard, his tone softening. "What is going on here?"

"They broke into my home and tried to insult my wife. I merely defended us," Yu Chengfeng stated.

"That's a lie! It was you! You owed a debt you couldn't pay, so you told us to come get your wife!" Lei Tang, the only one uninjured, pointed at Yu Chengfeng, only to shrink back under his icy glare.

"Is that true?" Hearing Lei Tang’s words, the corporal looked at Yu Chengfeng with undisguised contempt.

"Words spoken under the influence of drink carry no weight. I will repay every cent I owe you," Yu Chengfeng said coldly.

"You say you'll repay me? How do I know if you won't wait five or ten years?" Hou Quan muttered through his injured mouth.

"Within one month, I will repay the principal plus interest: four qian." The declaration was shocking; even the corporal was stunned. Even he struggled to earn four qian of silver in a month.

"Fine. It's a deal. If you don't have the silver in a month, you know what happens." Hou Quan climbed to his feet, threw a final glance at An Ning, and then, with Lei Tang’s help, dragged the injured Zhu Heng away in a panic.

The corporal waved at the crowd of women outside. "Go on, disperse!" He turned to say something to Yu Chengfeng, but was completely ignored.

Yu Chengfeng walked over to An Ning. Just as he was about to speak, he saw her pupils dilate, white foam bubbling from her lips, her hand hanging limp.

He grabbed her hand and saw a piece of oil paper in her palm, covered in a pungent white powder. His heart lurched—it was arsenic!

"No! She’s poisoned herself!" Yu Chengfeng shouted to the corporal to fetch a doctor, while he shoved his fingers into An Ning’s throat, hoping to induce vomiting.

Despite his efforts, the foam continued to pour from her mouth. Desperate, Yu Chengfeng dragged her to the water vat in the yard, scooped up fresh water, and forced it down her throat. He pressed firmly on her abdomen, then lifted her upside down, shaking her vigorously.

After a while, An Ning finally retched, spewing out a mass of white, viscous, foul-smelling gluey matter.

Just as Yu Chengfeng was about to continue the lavage, the corporal returned with a doctor. Seeing Yu Chengfeng holding the disheveled An Ning, the doctor pushed him aside.