A Good Country Wife

Lin Yue, no matter how strong her patience, couldn’t help it when she heard Quan An’s shameless remarks, not to mention that Quan An had so blatantly stated his intentions. Such shameless thoughts were utterly despicable. Her face turned as cold as ice.

"As the Magistrate of Xin’an City, the parental official of the people, you should be thinking of their welfare. Instead of neglecting your duties, greedily accepting bribes, and perverting the law, you dare to commit such acts. Disguising as bandits to kidnap civilians, extorting money, and harboring such malicious thoughts. A person like you deserves to be an official as much as a dog deserves to assist tyranny. You will sooner or later meet a bad end. I’ll say it again, where are Dalang and his brothers? Hand them over immediately!"

Seeing that Lin Yue was not only unfazed by his intimidation but also aggressively demanding the release of the captives, Quan An realized that mere threats were useless against her. This woman was not one to be compared with ordinary women; she appeared gentle and frail yet was fiercely strong. Moreover, with the situation in his favor, Quan An, backed by his numerous followers, confidently prepared to take action against the trio of Lin Yue. "It seems you prefer punishment over a polite drink. Come on, tie her up."

At Quan An’s command, the group he had brought with him began to surround Lin Yue. She remained calm and stopped Haishi and the other from stepping forward to fight the bandits. Despite their excellent fighting skills, facing such numbers, they would inevitably be at a disadvantage. Of course, it was out of the question for Lin Yue to surrender without a fight. She calmly took out a small ball-like object from her person and tossed it to the ground. Instantly, upon impact, it burst with a loud ’bang,’ releasing a thick cloud of white smoke that rapidly spread in all directions.

Lin Yue was certainly not a reckless person. Although she was concerned for Dalang and his brothers and willing to take a risk, she had also made several preparations. This small orb was one of the trump cards she had prepared—an adaptation of a signal flare that she had obtained from Jiang Ziqi for self-defense. The white powder released by the small ball was a potent knockout drug. Lin Yue’s journey back from the Capital City had been smooth, and so the orb had not been used until now when it had proven extremely useful.

Before Quan An and his men could react, many of them had already fallen to the ground, with others following suit one after another, all lying in disarray, rendered unconscious, Quan An included. Only Lin Yue and her two companions remained standing.

Haishi and the other had already prepared themselves for a desperate fight. Although they were outnumbered, both were skilled fighters, especially the Hidden Guard transferred from the Jiang Family, whose kung fu was exceptional. When it was time to strike, Lin Yue stopped them and now they understood what the medicine she had given them earlier was for. No wonder the lady had dared to venture here with them, she had already prepared ways to cope with the situation.

Haishi once again realized Lin Yue’s intelligence and resourcefulness. With such simplicity, she had dealt with so many people. His face was full of admiration and respect. "So the lady had prepared in advance, this is really great. I was originally worried about them having superior numbers, afraid we wouldn’t stand a chance and thus fail the lady."

"It’s just that we don’t know where they’re hiding Dalang and the others. Let’s take some effort to figure out the location. Here, wake Quan An up first, I have something to ask him." As she spoke, Lin Yue kicked the lying Quan An, venting both her anxiety and her frustration.