061 A Fatal Mistake

Immediately, Wang Fugui’s subordinates raised their blades and rushed at Li Bai. Before Li Bai could even draw his sword, a figure in green appeared before him. With a single sweep of his sword, a group of men fell at his feet. It was You Huan, who, together with Chen Yage, had been tracking Wang Fugui all the way there.

“Brother Bai!” Chen Yage arrived just behind You Huan, and upon seeing Li Bai in his white robes, she noticed that the brightness in his eyes had faded, replaced by a depth she could not fathom. She gazed steadily at Li Bai, and the two stood there silently, eyes locked.

Li Bai hadn’t expected to see Chen Yage again so soon—he was both surprised and delighted, but he forced himself to remain composed, revealing nothing.

Wang Fugui, upon spotting Chen Yage, grew furious and sneered, “So, it’s you again, beggar! Oh, I see you’ve gotten cozy with your savior, is that it? Not bad at all!”

“Shut your filthy mouth!” Li Bai replied coldly.

“Brother Li, is this the one you were pining for?” Meng Haoran glanced at Chen Yage, unable to believe it. He’d imagined Li Bai’s beloved as a beauty capable of toppling kingdoms, not an ordinary woman—plain, and by no means beautiful.

Li Bai neither confirmed nor denied it, which was answer enough. Chen Yage, delighted, moved closer to Li Bai, her voice soft with affection. “Brother Bai, are you alright?”

Li Bai’s expression remained unchanged; he merely nodded. Wang Fugui, meanwhile, gestured to his men, who brandished their blades and charged at Meng Haoran.

Li Bai reacted swiftly, pushing Chen Yage aside and leaping to Meng Haoran’s defense. With a single sweep of his sword, their attackers stumbled back several steps.

Meng Haoran shielded Xu Ziyan as they retreated step by step. Chen Yage joined the fight as well. Wang Fugui watched his men get beaten one after another, his expression darkening. “Useless fools!” he roared, snatching a blade from a nearby servant and attacking Meng Haoran himself. But You Huan, quick to notice, flew in with a kick, sending Wang Fugui sprawling on the ground, howling in pain.

But Wang Fugui was not one to admit defeat easily. His men helped him up, but he shook them off, rubbing his backside and glaring at Meng Haoran with newfound hostility.

Though Li Bai, Chen Yage, and You Huan were more than capable of handling these bullies—brutes who preyed on the weak but lacked true skill—the challenge was that they didn’t want to cause fatalities. They could only knock the men down temporarily; they couldn’t keep them down forever.

This group, however, was stubborn as nails—defeated again and again, yet always getting back up, only to be knocked down once more.

Seeing the situation becoming increasingly troublesome, Li Bai decided not to get further entangled. He signaled Meng Haoran with a look to take Xu Ziyan and escape. Wang Fugui, sensing their plan, was not about to let them go easily.

Meng Haoran, not caring for propriety, grabbed Xu Ziyan’s hand and ran. Li Bai urged Chen Yage to cover their retreat, but she insisted on fighting alongside him. So You Huan reluctantly withdrew first, but Wang Fugui, catching on, hurriedly chased after Meng Haoran and Xu Ziyan.

With fewer concerns, Li Bai and Chen Yage fought with greater freedom. They flipped through the air, delivering swift kicks, and their opponents fell one after another. Li Bai understood these were nothing but a rabble, so he wasted no time, grabbing Chen Yage and hurrying to reinforce Meng Haoran.

After about half a stick of incense’s time, Li Bai and Chen Yage caught up with Meng Haoran, but by then You Huan was already engaged in a fierce fight with Wang Fugui’s men.

Seven or eight men surrounded You Huan, who, unable to take their lives, gradually found himself at a disadvantage. Li Bai leapt into the fray, kicking several attackers aside. Wang Fugui snatched up a blade from the ground and stabbed at You Huan, but Li Bai darted forward, pulling You Huan out of harm’s way.

Wang Fugui, having put too much force into his attack, fell forward. As he rose, he found Meng Haoran standing before him. With a sudden grin, Wang Fugui swung his blade at Meng Haoran, but Li Bai, acting on instinct, drew his sword and deflected the attack. Being a skilled martial artist, Li Bai’s strength far exceeded that of ordinary men—Wang Fugui staggered back several steps. You Huan, unable to contain his anger, delivered a kick to Wang Fugui’s backside, sending him stumbling forward. At that very moment, Li Bai had not yet withdrawn his sword, and Wang Fugui, by a cruel twist of fate, crashed straight into the blade’s tip. Blood spurted from the wound, staining Li Bai’s robes a deep red.

Li Bai froze where he stood as Wang Fugui collapsed at his feet, his wide eyes full of unwillingness and resentment.

You Huan was dumbstruck—he had never imagined his kick would lead to such a consequence. Meng Haoran was equally shocked, while Xu Ziyan, never having witnessed such violence, recoiled in horror, curling up in terror.

“Murder! There’s been a murder!”

“Young master! Young master!”

“Help, someone, help!” Cries rang out from all sides, chaos erupting as the scene descended into pandemonium.

“Brother Bai, run, hurry!” Chen Yage, panicked and flustered, urged him to flee. She didn’t know what punishment awaited under Tang law, but all she wanted was for Li Bai to be safe.

But Li Bai did not move. His eyes were like deep pools, fathomless and still. He slowly brushed aside Chen Yage’s hand.

Soon, more and more people gathered. Those whom Li Bai and Chen Yage had previously defeated also arrived, and upon seeing Wang Fugui lying in a pool of blood, were all stunned.

“Seize him at once!” shouted Wang Qingtian, the same man who had led the group to the ruined temple the day before.

The crowd hesitated, shivering where they stood, but then, as if throwing caution to the wind, they charged at Li Bai.

Chen Yage and You Huan would never allow them to get close to Li Bai; they moved with the agility of fish in water. But before long, a large number of constables arrived.

“Arrest them! They’ve killed my young master!”

Just then, Xu Jin emerged from the crowd. He was surprised to see Chen Yage, but when his eyes fell on Xu Ziyan, he exclaimed in astonishment, “Sister, what are you doing here?”

Xu Ziyan, terrified, stared at Wang Fugui’s body. Xu Jin stepped forward, and when he saw what had happened, he was shocked.

“What on earth is going on?” Xu Jin roared.

Wang Qingtian, upon recognizing Xu Jin, clung to him like a lifeline, grabbing his sleeve and sobbing, “Master Xu, you must get justice for my young master! He—he killed him! It was him! Arrest him at once!”