The rain seemed to be black.
Where water met the sky, in the deep darkness, fishing lights flickered faintly, like ghostly apparitions from the other side. The last note of the qin string dissipated, and the night became unusually quiet.
At this moment, a woman’s sharp scream shattered the silence of the long night.
“Mur… murder—”
In the distant small boats gathered around the painted boat, the guards were sitting together, waiting for Fan Cheng’s signal when they heard the mournful cry, they all froze.
“What’s going on? Why is there a commotion after all this time?” the leading guard asked.
“The young master hasn’t sent a signal, so let’s wait a bit longer,” someone suggested.
Having served as Fan Cheng’s guards for many years, their most important task was to understand their master’s intentions. Such occurrences were commonplace, as Fan Cheng had been the young master of the Fan family for many years. Apart from the women he personally stuck to, he had also taken advantage of many young women from respectable families. On a night like this, such situations had occurred more than once. They would bring those poor women onto the boat or to another residence, and Fan Cheng would violate them. Afterward, they would be given some money and sent away. Those women came from humble backgrounds and had no place to appeal, so they could only accept their fate.
He Yan was about to become one of them.
Originally, Miss He had deep feelings for Fan Cheng, and there was no need for such trouble. Who knew that after the altercation outside the Fan family’s mansion, Fan Cheng had truly lost his temper and wanted to force himself on her. She had decided to end things with him. However, Fan Cheng was relentless, and he resorted to force when his soft approach failed.
What the guards had to do was bring He Yan to Fan Cheng and handle the aftermath.
“I don’t think this is right,” the leading guard stood up and looked towards the painted boat. The boat where Fan Cheng was located was swaying violently in the river, as if someone was fighting inside.
“Something’s wrong! There’s a problem!” he exclaimed. “Everyone, get up! Hurry over; something strange is happening on the boat!”
The others were all startled and quickly rowed their small boat towards the painted boat. As they got closer, they suddenly saw a woman rushing out of the boat. She stumbled and seemed to be avoiding someone. It was He Yan, wearing clothes that matched her description. She looked panicked, and with a cry, she fell into the river.
The surging river quickly submerged her, and there was almost no sound. It was as if a stone had fallen into the water, only causing a small splash on the surface before all was calm again.
“Master!” one guard couldn’t help but call out.
No one cared about He Yan’s life or death. When the small boat was about to reach the painted boat, the leading guard relied on his qing gong* to leap over the bow and climb onto the boat. He took a few steps into the boat and saw a man with his back to him, covering his face with a sweat cloth, only revealing his eyes, which were indistinct in the dim light. At his feet, Fan Cheng was lying on his back in a pool of blood.
* type of martial arts skill that allows practitioners to move swiftly and lightly, almost as if they are floating on air
The masked man held a dagger in his hand.
The guard was shocked. He didn’t expect someone to be on the boat. Seeing Fan Cheng, he feared the situation was dire. Without thinking, he rushed towards the masked man, “How dare you!”
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Rebirth of a Star General (Legend of the Female General)
Romance[fast update] [good translation] The ancient saying goes: Most generals come from Guan Xi, while ministers come from Guan Dong. He Yan was born to be a Star General. She was merely a stepping stone for her family, and was used as her brother's subst...
