Chapter 043: Complete Loyalty, Righteousness, and Courage

As soon as Li Dong pushed open the door and stepped into the small courtyard, he was stunned by the scene before him.

Shattered and scattered garments littered the ground, bloodstains splattered across the flagstones, and chaos reigned throughout the courtyard. A fierce and soul-stirring battle had clearly taken place here, and someone must have been gravely wounded during the fight.

Li Dong’s heart sank; a foreboding sense of dread welled up within him. Whoever had been injured, someone had undoubtedly forced their way into this secret courtyard, and a disagreement had escalated into violence.

Lu Lier and his daughter knew no martial arts; though Du Yu was skilled, if the Zhishilang sent a squad of constables to besiege them, the three would be in dire straits. The blood upon the ground was likely Du Yu’s, shed as he fought desperately to protect the father and daughter.

“Brother Yu?! Rou’er?! Mingfu?!” Li Dong called out repeatedly, his anxious voice echoing through the deathly still courtyard. He shouted for a long time, but no answer came.

In a panic, Li Dong rushed into the main chamber. The door opened easily, and inside, disorder reigned: cabinets gaping open, clothes strewn everywhere, furniture overturned. The wall of the boudoir had been smashed through, leaving a gaping black hole, but not a single figure remained.

Where was Lu Rou? Where had Du Yu gone? Li Dong bent down to examine the room; though it was in disarray, there was no blood on the floor. Perhaps the battle had first erupted here, but neither side was wounded, so no blood had been spilled.

Luo Shixin followed behind Li Dong but did not enter. He stood in the courtyard, shouting, “Is anyone home? Who’s here? If you’re alive, say something!”

Li Dong jumped back into the courtyard and saw the door to the east wing tightly shut. He leapt over and pushed; the door groaned under the pressure, resisting his efforts, but did not open. Li Dong felt a surge of hope—someone must be hiding inside.

“Rou’er? It’s Li Dong. Are you in there? Open the door.” He knocked for a while, but there was no response from within. He pressed his ear to the door, listening.

Lu Rou was surely inside—how else could the door be barred from within? The daytime battle must have terrified her, so now, even when Li Dong called her name, she dared not open the door.

Stepping back a few paces, Li Dong launched himself at the wing door, kicking it hard. The door was sturdy; several forceful kicks failed to break it down. Li Dong grew frustrated—even a door was proving too difficult for him.

Luo Shixin spoke up, “This is just my kind of work. Step aside and let me handle it.”

He possessed inexhaustible brute strength; let him take care of the door. Li Dong stepped aside, allowing Luo Shixin to approach.

Without ceremony, Luo Shixin tightened his belt, limbered up his limbs, muttering indistinctly. Suddenly, he raised his leg and delivered a mighty kick. With a resounding crack, both panels flew inward as if sprouting wings, the doorframe shook, and the crossbeam tumbled onto his head.

Luo Shixin’s head jerked as he exclaimed, “Ow, this door’s not easy to bully. I kick it, it hits me. Neither of us got the better—call it even.”

Suddenly, a shrill cry rang out from within—it was Lu Rou’s voice. Li Dong had just been about to tease Luo Shixin’s adorable remark, but hearing Lu Rou, he stifled his laughter and leapt into the room.

Behind a heap of dry firewood, a flash of vivid fabric appeared. Lu Rou trembled, curled up behind the firewood, her body quaking. Upon the pile lay two figures: one was Lu Lier, his face sallow, gently comforting Lu Rou in a whisper. The other lay flat on the ground, his clothing stained dark red with blood.

Looking closely, the man on the ground was Du Yu—his eyes shut tight, lips pressed together, his face pale as paper. One hand clutched a long unfamiliar blade, its surface smeared with blood; the other was pressed to his abdomen, blood seeping between his fingers. He lay motionless, utterly insensible.

Li Dong hurried over, supporting Du Yu, and anxiously questioned Lu Lier, “How was he wounded? What happened?”

Lu Lier trembled for a long time before stammering, “It was terrifying… truly terrifying…”

Seeing both father and daughter unharmed, Li Dong felt relieved. Lu Lier, a scholar, rarely faced such bloody scenes, and must have been shaken by the brutality of Du Yu’s battle. Lu Rou, gentle and unworldly, was even more frightened. It would be impossible to get details from them now; Li Dong resolved to revive Du Yu first, so he could explain what had transpired.

He laid Du Yu flat and gently moved his hand from his abdomen. Li Dong sucked in a breath—the wound was the size of an egg, with pale intestines protruding, and as his hand was moved, blood gushed forth.

Du Yu groaned, awakened by the pain. He opened his eyes slightly, saw Li Dong kneeling beside him, and managed a bitter smile. In a faint voice, he said, “You… in the end… you came back after all.”

Li Dong quickly pressed his hand to the wound. “How could such a thing happen? Don’t speak!” He instructed Luo Shixin to fetch water. When the water came, Li Dong cleaned the exposed intestines, gently tucked them back inside, and tore off his own shirt to bind Du Yu’s waist tightly, stemming the blood as best he could.

After a short respite, Du Yu asked, “Where is the bald thief hiding?”

Li Dong responded, “Bald thief? You mean the monk?”

Seeing Du Yu revived, Lu Rou regained her composure and explained, “Yes, the monk who kidnapped me. He somehow found us here, and with vicious intent tried to take my father’s and my lives. To save us, Brother Du fought him, and both were wounded. I think the monk was hurt even worse… but he managed to escape.”

Broken and fragmented though her account was, Li Dong understood the gist. The most urgent matter was to bring Du Yu back from the brink of death. If nothing was done, excessive blood loss would be fatal. This was not like modern times, where a matching plasma transfusion could save a life.

Struggling to lift Du Yu, Li Dong turned to Luo Shixin, “You carry him.”

Luo Shixin hoisted Du Yu onto his back, and the two sped out of the courtyard.

Li Dong had visited the secret courtyard several times; not far away there was a pharmacy, though he wasn’t sure if, in these chaotic times, the doctor was still in business.

When they reached the pharmacy, the doors were tightly shut. Without hesitation, Li Dong knocked loudly. After a long while, someone finally opened the door.

A young apprentice, clearly displeased, was about to scold them, but seeing the pale-faced man on Luo Shixin’s back, he fell silent. “Please wait, sir, I’ll inform the proprietor.”

He ushered the three inside.

With Li Dong’s help, Luo Shixin gently laid Du Yu upon a couch. The jostling had caused Du Yu to lapse into unconsciousness again.

Soon, the physician appeared—a white-bearded old man, exuding an air of sage-like tranquility. After examining Du Yu, he ordered the apprentice to fetch several blood-clearing and stasis-dispersing herbs, ground them into powder, applied some to the wound, and re-bandaged it. The rest was boiled into a decoction and spooned into Du Yu’s mouth.

After nearly an hour of effort, the old physician finally said, “His life is temporarily preserved. The rest depends on his fate.”

Li Dong asked, “Fate?”

The physician replied, “Most of the blood clots have been cleared; the remainder will dissipate in time. But he has lost too much blood and exhausted his vital energy in combat. If his destiny is strong, he’ll recover in ten days. If not, there is nothing I can do.”

Li Dong grew anxious. If help came only after ten days, even heavenly immortals would be powerless. How could a man of such courage, righteousness, and loyalty as Du Yu be allowed to slip away so easily? He had to find a way to save his life.