Chapter 116 — Tianshui Stockade
The Sword Questions the Heavens · Page 6 of 6
Ruffian C mocked Ruffian B. "What do you know about eating spicy and drinking fragrant? It's eating fragrant and drinking spicy!" Then he turned to Xiaobai. "Little sister, my family owns ten thousand mu of good fields. Come with me and I guarantee you..."
Halfway through he could not go on, for Xiaobai's smile had deepened, a charm seeming to radiate from within her, and in her bright eyes the light rippled like water about to overflow.
But her body drew back a step, to stand beside Ming Li, and she said softly, "I already have a husband."
Another uproar from the crowd. The monkey Xiaohui, which had already climbed onto Ming Li's shoulder, plopped down with a "swoosh" to the ground.
A moment later, for no apparent reason, Xiaohui suddenly flung itself flat on the ground and began pounding the earth frantically with its paws, grinning and chattering with laughter.
Ming Li stood there silent, his face dark, feeling the three ruffians' six fierce, hostile eyes fixed on him.
A moment later the ruffians rushed at him—it seemed the southern border proverb, "the wife comes from the fist," was still vigorous after a thousand years, and still observed by the folk of the south.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Three blows, and three figures flew through the air, struck the wall by the roadside, and came down hard, groaning loudly.
The onlookers gaped. Ming Li said mildly, "Let's find a place to stay, and set out at dawn." With that he walked on. Xiaohui, flat on the ground, caught up in a couple of bounds, scrambled onto his shoulder, chattering with laughter, and turned to pull a face at Xiaobai.
Xiaobai smiled faintly and followed, and coming up beside Ming Li, she said suddenly in a low voice, "You see, after three hundred years locked away, I'm not so old after all, am I?"
Ming Li said not a word, only quickened his pace.