Chapter Eighty-Two: Relentless Entanglement

The young mistress let out a sigh. "When some things come, fear is useless. You are a good man, I know that, and what you do is very much like what a man ought to do. I only wonder why those foreigners outside are being so obedient. It is unlike them."

The calmer she sounded, the more Yang Xiaolin felt an uncontrollable stirring within him. He wanted to smoke again, but when his hand touched his pocket, he let it drop. "They're obedient because I am a beast. Do you know what that means? It means if they do not listen to me, I will kill them without the slightest hesitation."

Even as he spoke, there came from outside a highly cooperative burst of a woman's cries. In the courtyard's hazy moonlight, Yang Xiaolin saw several black men dragging a few women toward the rooms. The young mistress's expression was visibly embarrassed; as a woman, she could not remain composed at such a sight.

Yang Xiaolin lifted the teacup on the table and took a sip. "Those black men are beasts too, so they're willing to be with me."

"Are you really the Yang who fights ghosts from Western Liaoning, the one the papers wrote about?"

Yang Xiaolin nodded. For some reason, he suddenly blurted out, "This time I'll get away for sure. Why don't you come with me to Western Liaoning?"

The instant he said it, he was filled with regret, because the young mistress's face changed at once. In this age, a woman's reputation was valued above life itself. For a widow, chastity was something solemn and sacred, and what Yang Xiaolin had just said was clearly more than she could accept.

Just as he was thinking of how to salvage the situation, she rose to her feet. "I think perhaps the master has misunderstood something. Please never bring this idea up again. I am going back to my room. If there is nothing else, please do not disturb me in the future."

With that, she turned and walked toward her room. Yang Xiaolin followed behind her and said, "After this matter is over, you can't possibly survive alone with a child! The authorities won't let you go. I don't mean anything else. This trouble started because of me, and I don't want to see you taken away and thrown in prison!"

Her steps paused, but she only said coldly, "That is no concern of yours."

Watching her leave so resolutely, Yang Xiaolin felt as though he had been struck hard in the chest. The pain in his heart was impossible to describe. Just then Lu Mozong rushed in in a panic. "Captain, Captain, something's bad! Er Ganzi has started fighting with those black men!"

Yang Xiaolin sprang to his feet. "What happened?"

He was somewhat alarmed. The situation could be called perilous beyond measure, but he was not afraid of that. No matter how many enemies waited outside, it did not matter. The one thing that must not happen was discord among their own people inside the compound. He was never very trusting of those black men to begin with.

Lu Mozong said, "I don't know. It seems to be because of a Russian woman."

As soon as Er Ganzi entered the compound, he had been looking for Domrikshava, and he found her. But Domrikshava did not even look at him properly. Her gaze made it clear to Er Ganzi that this woman did not want to go farming with him, even though he already had enough money to buy an ox. Er Ganzi was deeply disappointed. He did nothing, only stood nearby and stared blankly at Domrikshava. He knew that if the woman was unwilling, there was nothing he could do. He couldn't possibly spend every day not farming and just watching her; that would be meaningless. So he sat beside her, only wanting to see her again and remember her face.

The black men came to choose white women, naturally picking the young and beautiful; even the daughter of the French minister, Cherley, had been brought here, so Domrikshava could not escape either. The matter was that simple. Domrikshava cried for help, and Er Ganzi stepped in. He had thought of no longer meddling in her affairs, but when her shrill cries reached his ears, he could not control himself.

By the time Yang Xiaolin arrived, Nirel had already stopped the fight. "Yang, it was only a small misunderstanding. If your brother likes this woman, we can leave her to you."

Yang Xiaolin nodded to Nirel without saying anything and walked up to Er Ganzi. He saw that Er Ganzi's face was bruised black and purple from the beating, his clothes in tatters, his eyes swollen shut, yet he still stood stubbornly in front of Domrikshava.

Domrikshava trembled behind Er Ganzi, utterly terrified. Yang Xiaolin glanced at her, then asked Er Ganzi, "What's going on? She's your relative?"

Er Ganzi lifted his head. "I slept with her!"

Yang Xiaolin stared for a moment, then gave a short laugh. "When did that happen?"

Er Ganzi panted heavily. "Back when we were at the mine. That night, I slept with her!"

Yang Xiaolin understood. He turned his eyes toward Biaozi, who lowered his head and gently tugged at Er Ganzi's sleeve. But at that moment Er Ganzi's stubborn spirit erupted, and no one could hold him back.

Yang Xiaolin sighed. "Brother, we've been together a long time. You know the rules. Do you understand that if we fall out with these black men, we won't even need the foreigners to lift a hand against us? We'll all die! For the sake of this one foreign woman, you want to get us all killed?"

Er Ganzi was somewhat submissive. "Captain, I know I've wronged everyone, but please have mercy and let her leave here. Do whatever you like with me!"

Domrikshava's command of Chinese had improved greatly, and she understood what the two men were saying. For a moment, she stood there in a daze. She had always loathed Er Ganzi, but now, for some reason, she suddenly felt that this Chinese rustic was not so filthy after all. At the very least, when she needed protection, he was willing to stand in front of her, unlike those white men behind her who, for all their respectable appearance, had swarmed around her like bees in ordinary times, yet now showed not the slightest trace of manhood.

Just as she had barely begun to decide that Er Ganzi was not quite so hateful, Yang Xiaolin seized him and hauled him up, then drove a fist into his face! He put all his strength into that blow, because he was truly enraged.

"Are you fucking insane?! Er Ganzi, I'll give you one last chance. Kill this woman with your own hands, and I can pretend none of this happened."

It took Er Ganzi quite a while to struggle back up from the ground. Biaozi and the others watched from the side, not daring to help him.

"Captain! I'm begging you, let her go. You can kill me if you want!"

Yang Xiaolin trembled with anger. If Er Ganzi had not been an old brother, he would have already struck. But now he plainly had no more patience, and in this situation he could not spare even a shred of energy to waste on Er Ganzi's absurd business.

"Fine. Deal with it according to the rules."

After saying this, Yang Xiaolin drew the short knife from the back of his waist and walked toward Er Ganzi. Biaozi became greatly alarmed. Before Yang Xiaolin could reach them, he snatched up a wooden stick from the side and brought it down on Er Ganzi at once. "You son of a bitch! Trying to turn the world upside down? You won't even listen to the captain?"

Biaozi struck again and again, beating Er Ganzi until his whole body was covered in blood and he collapsed to the ground, unable to move. Only when he looked as though he had just one last breath left did Biaozi throw down the stick.

"Captain, this kid's just a fool. Don't be angry. I've punished him for you. Captain, there aren't many old brothers left. Can't we not kill one of our own? If we can make it back, you and Mister Jin can punish him then."

Yang Xiaolin looked at Biaozi. He understood this tactic all too well: keep him from laying a hand on Er Ganzi, and at any rate Er Ganzi might keep his life. Biaozi's words, however, were delivered with some skill. First he appealed to feeling, reminding him that there were not many old brothers left. Then, beneath the surface, he was telling Yang Xiaolin that Er Ganzi was Jin Dadao's man. Though they no longer stood apart from one another, they should still be given some face.

At that moment a black man ran over and whispered something in Nirel's ear. Nirel stepped forward and said, "Yang, a moment ago several people tried to climb over the back wall, and our men discovered them. What should we do? Should we warn them?"

Yang Xiaolin nodded. "Of course. If they try to come in again, we kill them. Take ten foreigners out."

He put away the knife and pointed at Domrikshava. "This woman counts as one."

Biaozi certainly would not show her any mercy. After agreeing, he and Lu Mozong each grabbed one of her arms and dragged Domrikshava, following behind those black men, toward the gate.

The fear of death drove Domrikshava to struggle desperately, but how could she free herself from two fierce bandits? Er Ganzi lay on the ground, staring toward the direction in which Domrikshava had vanished. His arm lifted uselessly, as though trying to seize something, but it rose only a few inches before he coughed up a mouthful of blood.

A burst of rifle fire rang out, and several more blood-soaked corpses appeared at the gate of the Zhao family compound. Reg stood at the entrance and shouted, "Listen to me. If we discover again that you're trying to come in and rescue people, there will be even more deaths!"

Prince Zaifeng of the Qing dynasty was stunned by the scene. He stood there foolishly, unable to speak. The British officer was furious. He seized Zaifeng by the collar and roared, "I told you not to provoke these bandits! Why wouldn't you listen? Now ten more people are dead, and you'll be responsible for their deaths!"

Zaifeng was a prince of Great Qing, the younger brother of the reigning Guangxu Emperor. His status could be said to be supremely noble, but that nobility existed only in the presence of his own countrymen. Before the foreigners, it counted for nothing. A middle-ranking officer of the British Empire could grab his collar and shout at him, and Zaifeng was helpless.

"We will certainly grant generous pensions to the fallen. Your Excellency need not worry..."

He had clearly said the wrong thing. The Briton grew even more furious upon hearing it. "If I killed you, could I then give you a few taels of silver?"

Zaifeng hurriedly waved his hands. "That is not what I meant. You have misunderstood. I too want to save them!"

The British officer said, "If you want to save them, you should go knock on the door now and ask them what terms they require, then satisfy them as quickly as possible!"

Zaifeng wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Yes, yes, I will go at once."

At that moment, several Qing soldiers came forward and tried to move the bodies at the gate, but the soldier carrying Domrikshava by the head suddenly felt that the person in his arms still had a heartbeat. He hurriedly called to his companion to set her down, then reached out to check her pulse. Though very weak, it was indeed beating.

The Qing soldier hurriedly cried, "Your Highness, one of them is still alive!"

Domrikshava was still alive. She had been extremely fortunate. The bullet had strayed just a little from her heart, and it was that tiny distance that let her slip past death's grasp.

Zaifeng was overjoyed. "What are you standing there for? Hurry and get a doctor! Get a foreign doctor!"