The more Wu Caiwei understood Xu Yijie's current situation, the more she felt he was about to do something big, though she was unsure if it was targeted at her or Madam Zhou. While she believed Xu Yijie wouldn't harm Shuqin at the moment, she still reinforced the personnel around her, reasoning that if not Xu Yijie, there was still Madam Zhou.
Wu Caiwei's worries were not unfounded. That night, as she slept soundly, she heard the sounds of clashing weapons in the courtyard. With a sudden movement, she sprang up, grabbed the sword by her bed, and rushed out. The few guards gifted to her by Ouyang Chen were engaged in a fight with a group of men in black.
There were about thirty to forty men in black. A few stood in a line, trying to block their advance, but unfortunately, due to their sheer numbers, they were overwhelmed and sustained many wounds.
Daring to cause trouble on her territory, Wu Caiwei quickly raised her sword and joined them. To everyone's great surprise, it turned out that Doctor Leng was not only skilled in medicine but also a formidable martial artist. She weaved through the men in black with ease, each strike precise and effective.
The pressure on the guards' shoulders suddenly lessened. Gradually, the men in black found themselves at a disadvantage. Seeing that the situation was unfavorable, they quickly retreated.
Wu Caiwei did not press her advantage. She couldn't be sure if this was a diversion, and besides, while she and the guards could defeat these men, she wasn't willing to suffer heavy losses in the process. There would be more days to come.
Turning around, she found the guards looking at her with eyes full of admiration. Wu Caiwei coughed uncomfortably and said, "You should all rest early."
With that, she walked past them and returned to her room, still feeling their gaze following her even from a distance.
In the following days, Wu Caiwei inadvertently overheard the guards privately describing to her servants how brave she had been that day and how skilled her martial arts were. The maids listened in stunned silence, having served Doctor Leng for so long without ever knowing she could fight.
While the atmosphere around Wu Caiwei was harmonious, Madam Zhou was furious. Of the fifty guards dispatched, forty had been sent out, and she was confident they would capture Wu Caiwei this time. To her dismay, these useless individuals had all been injured and had returned in a sorry state. Was she really that formidable? Even if her martial arts were exceptional, how much so could they be? What if she had a few helpers? Didn't they have forty men? Moreover, her father had assured her that these were the elite of the Bai family. And this was the result?
She had held great expectations for them, but now they seemed no better than ordinary men. She waved her hand, telling them to go and rest well. Since she couldn't rely on them, she would have to find another way.
Young Master Zhou was indeed frightened by his near-drowning experience. It was the first time he had encountered danger in his life. Although he hadn't suffered any serious harm at the time, he had developed a high fever that night and was bedridden for several days. As soon as he recovered, he felt he had wasted time on his studies and wanted to return to the academy.
Madam Zhou was hesitant to let him go out, fearing he might encounter danger. However, considering he was a grown man, she couldn't keep him confined to the mansion forever. Thus, she assigned over a dozen guards to escort him daily.
Such a grand entourage walking through the streets attracted many curious glances. Initially, Young Master Zhou felt uncomfortable, but thinking of his mother's concern for him, he reluctantly accepted.
Upon his return to the academy, he expected to be met with the same disapproving stares. To his surprise, after being away for so many days, everyone seemed to have forgotten about the incident. Even Young Master Qian, who had previously been his rival, avoided him upon seeing him, clearly not wanting any further interaction. This brought a sense of relief to Young Master Zhou.
Although he didn't understand why they were behaving this way, it was certainly better than being verbally abused to his face.
In reality, Young Master Qian was extremely aggrieved. After being beaten so badly last time, he had complained to his parents upon returning home. However, his parents had told him to endure it.
He was, in fact, someone who bullied the weak and feared the strong. He had dared to speak ill of Young Master Zhou before because he believed his father, being a scribe in the county yamen and a trusted advisor to the magistrate, commanded respect, and people usually deferred to him. He had thought that the Zhou family, being mere merchants, could be insulted with impunity. He hadn't expected Young Master Zhou to suddenly lose his temper so severely, beat him until his face was bruised and swollen, and still manage to escape unscathed.
Subconsciously, Young Master Qian felt that Young Master Zhou was someone he couldn't afford to provoke. Yet, he couldn't stand him, so he could only keep his distance.
His classmates, who had previously mocked him for studying diligently, had been severely reprimanded by their own parents after Young Master Qian's incident. They now knew that Young Master Zhou was not to be trifled with. Some of the clever ones, observing how Mr. Zhou treated Young Master Zhou, guessed that his biological father's status was extraordinary and encouraged their sons to interact with him more to build a strong friendship.
As time passed, Young Master Zhou found that people around him became even more enthusiastic. This left him bewildered, but he was a kind person and didn't pry into their intentions.
One day, as Young Master Zhou was out playing with his classmates, they were engrossed in conversation and not paying attention to the road ahead. He accidentally bumped into an old man. As the old man fell, he reached out his hand and moaned at Young Master Zhou, "Young sir, you've made me fall. Please help me up."
Seeing that he had hit someone, Young Master Zhou felt a pang of guilt. Although he found the person in front of him rather dirty, he didn't show any disdain and quickly extended his hand to help him up. During the process, he suddenly felt something land in his hand. Without a moment to think, he gripped it. As soon as he helped the man up, the old man walked away, saying, "Thank you, young sir."
Young Master Zhou was a bit dazed at that moment, unsure what the old man had given him. It felt like a letter. Without further thought, he tucked it into his sleeve and continued walking with his companions.
After an unknown amount of time, Xu Yijie finally felt that the tail behind him had disappeared. Days of surveillance had shown him that although Young Master Zhou appeared to be alone, he was actually surrounded by guards. It had taken considerable effort to shake them off after walking for so long.
Indeed, the old man was Xu Yijie in disguise. He hadn't spent much effort on his makeup; rather, the hardships of the past few days had imbued him with a sense of weariness, and his hair had even turned significantly gray, falling to obscure his eyes. The guards hadn't recognized him.
Young Master Zhou had a thoroughly enjoyable day eating, drinking, and playing with his classmates and hadn't given much thought to the minor incident that day. It wasn't until a maid was helping him undress that she noticed a piece of paper fall from his clothes. She asked curiously, "Young master, what is this? Is it useful? If not, I'll throw it away."