A Good Country Wife
Chapter 514 - 508_1

Chapter 514: Chapter 508_1

Lin Yue, though skilled in some martial arts, could handle a village woman or two, but the masked man before her seemed much harder to defeat. She could only look for an opportunity to strike unexpectedly. Yet, because she was nervous, a cold sweat broke out on her forehead, despite the cold weather, as she warily watched the masked man.

The masked man saw Lin Yue looking like that and thought she was scared stiff, foolishly standing still, dumbly standing there, neither shrieking nor crying out, which really saved him some trouble. An expression of unconcealed contempt spread across his face—he had never taken a fragile woman seriously to begin with but, for the sake of appearances, he still uttered a few intimidating words, "Be good, there’s no one here to save you. If you dare to scream, don’t blame me if my fist doesn’t go easy on you and hurts you bad."

"Mister, why are you blocking this young lady’s way? Are you trying to rob me? I have some silver on me, if you take the silver, please, please spare me," said Lin Yue, pretending to be frightened and trembling, further lowering the masked man’s guard.

"Ha, the young lady has silver? Just what I need since I’m short of money. Hand over the silver quickly, and I’ll think about whether to spare you or not." The masked man had set his sights on Lin Yue and naturally wouldn’t let her go without getting what he wanted. He’d lull her into handing over the silver coin first and then sell her off to some brothel. With her looks, he could get at least ten taels of silver. Let her go? Impossible!

Hearing what the masked man said, Lin Yue pretended to reach into her sleeve for the silver while moving closer to the masked man. Seizing the opportunity when he was off guard, she grasped her dagger and thrust it fiercely toward his chest.

The masked man wasn’t expecting Lin Yue to suddenly attack him; he was stabbed squarely in the chest. Even though the pain was sharp, his reaction was quick. He slapped toward Lin Yue’s head, but Lin Yue leaned to the side to avoid a hit to her head, though her body still took a powerful strike. Her entire shoulder went numb, but she couldn’t worry about that now; escaping was critical. Taking her chance, she fled from the masked man’s reach and broke into a run.

However, Lin Yue didn’t run into the spice shop. After all, she didn’t have any real relationships with the shop’s staff: she had only purchased spices a few times, at most being merely an acquaintance. Even if she ran into the spice shop, the shopkeeper and the clerks might not help her. They might even turn her over to the masked man for their own safety, for the masked man clearly wasn’t someone to be trifled with. Committing robbery in broad daylight meant he had to have some powerful backing that made him bold enough to act so brazenly. To get involved with him would surely bring trouble. Seeking benefits and avoiding harm is human nature. Even Lin Yue couldn’t say for sure that she would help in such a situation, so why test others’ nature at this moment? A correct gamble could possibly lead to being saved but also bring trouble and danger to the rescuer. A wrong bet would be far worse. After what had just happened, if she fell into the masked man’s hands again, he certainly wouldn’t go easy on her; he might even torment her.

Although her mind raced with these thoughts, Lin Yue’s feet sprinted rapidly. She unleashed the fastest speed she had ever achieved in her life, desperately running toward the more crowded areas. She wasn’t too far from Jimin Hall; once she reached it, she would be safe. But it was still several streets away, and she didn’t know whether she could last until then, or whether the masked man might give up the chase because it was daytime.

The masked man, although stabbed and slowed down by Lin Yue, still relentlessly pursued her. If he hadn’t gambled away everything and found himself penniless during the holiday season, he wouldn’t have thought of taking the opportunity to do another job to earn some silver coins for the New Year. He targeted her because she was a lone woman with a pretty appearance, and her clothes suggested she carried some silver coin, which made her a prime target. Little did he know that he would be so out of luck to be played by a woman and even stabbed. If he couldn’t capture this detestable woman and torment her thoroughly, he would not be able to quell the anger in his heart.

"Stop right there, you damned wench! If I get my hands on you, I’ll strip you naked and throw you to the beggars, let them have their way with you, then sell you off to a brothel! You filthy wench!" The masked man cursed as they ran, one desperately fleeing and the other furiously pursuing. It was the middle of the day in the streets, and it wasn’t that there were no people around—just none brave enough to get involved, they all kept their distance.

Lin Yue simply couldn’t keep running forever, especially since she rarely worked in the fields ever since her family became wealthy. She had spent her days at home, growing much more delicate, and after running such a long distance, she was extremely exhausted and could hardly keep going. The masked man behind her, however, still hadn’t given up the chase, determined not to stop until he had her in his grasp.

Seeing the distance between them closing, and the masked man almost upon her, Lin Yue knew she couldn’t outrun him. It was still half the distance to Jimin Hall, and she surely couldn’t hold out that long. Accepting her fate, Lin Yue stopped running, conserving the last bit of her strength. Clutching the bloodstained dagger in her hand, she turned to face the masked man head on.

Submitting to the masked man was out of the question, especially after the vile threats he had just made. If she fell into his hands, her fate would be dire. Reputation was of the utmost importance in this era, and even if Lin Yue didn’t care much for such vanities, she had to consider the consequences. If the masked man took her away, even if she managed to return unharmed, her reputation would be utterly destroyed. Not only would she be shamed, but Zhao Erhu, Dalang, and her other brothers would also suffer from the stain on her name. Lin Yue could never tolerate such an outcome. So now, the only choice before her was to muster all her remaining strength and fight the masked man to the bitter end, even if it meant risking her life.

The masked man hadn’t expected Lin Yue to suddenly stop, but he would have caught her soon anyway if she had continued running. Now at least he could save some effort.

"Filthy wench, knew you couldn’t run, didn’t you? If you please me well, considering you’re not bad looking, I might let you die quicker, suffering less." The masked man reached out to grab Lin Yue as he spoke, but she dodged swiftly, her dagger striking towards him.

The masked man, knowing Lin Yue had a sharp weapon, dodged quickly despite his preparedness but was still slashed by Lin Yue, leaving a new wound over the existing one. Furious and humiliated by the additional injury, he no longer cared that his opponent was a seemingly fragile woman and showed no mercy in his attack against Lin Yue.