5: Chapter 5 Cao Yun chickened out and made compensation!

The people from the Fuzheng Division originally thought that if they took things seriously, Zhao Zilong would be like a lone sheep entering a wolf pack when facing them alone.

As it turned out, Zhao Zilong was like a tiger entering a flock of sheep.

A broom was wielded by Zhao Zilong with such power that it whistled through the air.

That broom was swung so fast it left afterimages.

Poking, tapping, stabbing, sweeping...

With every move, one of them would fall.

Moreover, all of them were seriously injured.

Some were even swept across the face by the broom, leaving their faces a mess, looking like a man caught by his wife while cheating and having his face scratched up.

Several people had blood-streaked faces, with blood constantly flowing out, to the point where they could barely see anything.

"How is this possible? How can it be? How can Zhao Zilong be this powerful?"

In the woodshed, the bound Jin Rong was filled with disbelief.

If she had known earlier that Zhao Zilong was this capable and not some so-called useless coward, how could she, Jin Rong, have ever followed Cao Yun?

One must realize that although Zhao Zilong was an honest man of few words, he could fully satisfy Jin Rong's needs.

In contrast, Cao Yun was completely unable to do so.

If it weren't to curry favor with Cao Yun and keep him happy, Jin Rong would have truly wanted to kick him off the bed.

With Zhao Zilong possessing such skills, he was bound to make a name for himself sooner or later; Jin Rong wouldn't have minded giving him some time.

What would have been the harm in waiting a bit longer?

Besides, even if Zhao Zilong hadn't made his mark yet, he was extremely good to her and followed her every word.

She had been living the life of a wealthy lady.

When the time came, not only could she enjoy glory and wealth, but she could also earn the title of a virtuous wife.

As the saying goes, 'A virtuous wife supports my soaring ambitions, and I shall return ten thousand taels of gold to her.'

Given how well Zhao Zilong treated her and how he cherished her in every way, what would she have lacked then?

When other men became successful, they would take multiple wives and concubines who would then fight for favor.

As for her, with just one word, it would be impossible for Zhao Zilong to marry any other woman.

Everything Zhao Zilong had would have been hers.

But because of a moment's confusion, she had handed all of it away.

Jin Rong regretted it; if she hadn't been tied up with rope, she would have truly wanted to slap herself a few times.

"No, Zhao Zilong belongs to me. If he can survive this ordeal, I can't just let him go like this."

"Zhao Zilong cares about me so much; as long as I'm willing to return to his side, he will definitely dote on me just like before."

"Furthermore, after going through this, he'll surely be worried about losing me again and will definitely treat me even better."

Thinking this way, a smile gradually appeared on Jin Rong's face.

A beautiful life was beckoning to her.

The neighbors were also filled with shock; Zhao Zilong, this 'useless coward,' was not only strong but terrifyingly so.

Out of the dozen or so people from the Fuzheng Division, any one of them was capable of handling ten ordinary thugs barehanded, yet they were like trash before Zhao Zilong.

In just a short while, they had all been taken down by Zhao Zilong with a single broom.

Cao Yun was somewhat dazed.

He had intended to kill Zhao Zilong, but instead, he had been counter-attacked.

Moreover, bringing so many people today wasn't actually because he needed them to deal with Zhao Zilong, but just to make a scene.

However, these dozen or so men had all been beaten by Zhao Zilong.

An absurd thought couldn't help but surface in his mind.

"Zhao Zilong is a martial artist... he's actually a martial artist!"

The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed. Cao Yun began to panic, sweat breaking out on his forehead.

In the Daye Kingdom, the status of a martial artist was far higher than that of ordinary people, especially those who held official positions.

Although Zhao Zilong was currently just a clerk in the Fuzheng Division, he still held an official post.

Now that he was also a martial artist, and Cao Yun had stolen his wife and brought people to cause trouble for him—if this matter escalated, even his father wouldn't be able to protect him.

"Trash, a bunch of useless things! I intended for you to spar and exchange martial insights with Clerk Zhao, yet you couldn't even take a single move from him. How did the Fuzheng Division raise such a pack of useless people?"

Cao Yun knew he could no longer oppose Zhao Zilong; otherwise, he would be in trouble.

He walked into the courtyard, lashed out at Li Kai, Zhang Da, and the others with a furious scolding, and then approached Zhao Zilong.

A smile had already been plastered onto his face.

"Brother Zhao has such great skill, it's truly admirable. To have a talent like Brother Zhao in our Qingyang County Fuzheng Division is truly our good fortune."

Cao Yun put on an act of full admiration and appreciation.

Zhao Zilong sized up Cao Yun with a meaningful look.

Instead of being angry, Cao Yun was now greeting him with a smile; he had clearly chickened out.

"It seems Cao Yun is afraid of the matter escalating and becoming hard to settle."

"Since he's scared, it means he has something to fear. I definitely can't let him off easily."

"Banner Master Cao committed adultery with my wife and then led men to break into my private residence. If I were to report this to the Director, I wonder how Banner Master Cao would settle it?"

"Brother Zhao, what happened before was due to a moment of confusion on my part, and today's events were also because of my rashness. I hope Brother Zhao can be magnanimous. How about this: Brother Zhao, you can state any conditions you have directly. If it's within my power, I will surely satisfy them. I only hope Brother Zhao will no longer pursue this matter."

Cao Yun felt extreme hatred in his heart, but he had to bow his head for now.

He would just find another opportunity to deal with Zhao Zilong later.

"Banner Master Cao, if you want me to stop pursuing this, that's fine. Give me some compensation."

Zhao Zilong also knew that if he pushed Cao Yun too hard, he wouldn't gain much of an advantage either.

After all, Cao Yun's father was the County Lord.

Cao Yun chickening out now suited his plans perfectly; he would first make Cao Yun pay a price.

As for Cao Yun himself, he would deal with him later.

The grudge of a stolen wife was irreconcilable.

He would kill Cao Yun sooner or later.

"What kind of compensation does Brother Zhao want?"

Cao Yun asked tentatively, feeling somewhat relieved.

Zhao Zilong didn't speak, simply holding up five fingers.

"Fifty taels?"

Cao Yun was taken aback: "Fine, I will pay that to Brother Zhao right now."

"Banner Master Cao, are you trying to brush off a beggar?"

Zhao Zilong snorted coldly. Cao Yun really had the nerve to say that—did he think fifty taels would be enough to dismiss him?

"Five hundred taels?"

Cao Yun asked again. Five hundred taels was something he could accept; it wasn't much to him.

Zhao Zilong remained silent.

"You want five thousand taels? Why don't you just go and rob someone?"

Cao Yun couldn't help but shout in anger.

His entire year's expenses didn't even reach five thousand taels; this was no small sum.

Zhao Zilong really dared to ask for so much.

"Banner Master Cao, you don't have to give it. However, today's matter won't be settled, and I will certainly report it to the Director. I'm sure Banner Master Cao has already seen that I am a martial artist. Although I am only a First-Grade Martial Artist, according to the laws of our Daye Kingdom, a martial artist with an official post is protected. First, you took my wife, and now you've brought people to falsely accuse me of rebellion and ordered them to kill me. Any one of these two charges cannot be easily resolved. Paying only five thousand taels to settle this now is a rare opportunity."

Zhao Zilong spoke calmly.

Cao Yun's brow furrowed deeply. He could tell from Zhao Zilong's attitude that if he didn't produce five thousand taels of silver, Zhao Zilong would definitely report the matter.

If it were the previous 'useless coward' Zhao Zilong, he could have ignored it, but the current Zhao Zilong was a First-Grade Martial Artist, and his status was no longer what it used to be.

The Fuzheng Division was currently in need of manpower, and martial artists were hard to come by, which was why they were given such high status.

Unless he could catch Zhao Zilong in some major transgression, he really couldn't do anything to him and couldn't afford to offend him.

Besides, he was the one in the wrong this time.

Even if his father stepped in, it wouldn't be easy to protect him too much.

"Brother Zhao, I can give you the silver, but you must guarantee that you will no longer pursue this matter. Otherwise, I, Cao Yun, am not someone to be trifled with."

Cao Yun snorted coldly; he would take the loss this time.

Zhao Zilong said, "Rest assured, Banner Master Cao. As long as the silver is in place, I will act as if the previous events never happened. However, Banner Master Cao must remember: you must never pester my wife again. Otherwise, I won't be as easy to talk to as I am today."

"Then it's a deal. I'll have someone deliver the silver notes later."

Zhao Zilong wasn't worried about Cao Yun tricking him and nodded.

Just then, the sound of hoofbeats came from outside, causing a stir among the neighbors.

A moment later, a person on horseback appeared outside the courtyard gate.

The horse was pure white, tall and magnificent.

The person on the horse wore white robes embroidered with light-ink cloud patterns.

One hand held the reins, while the other gripped a specially-made short blade.

"Deputy Director!"

Seeing this person appear, Cao Yun felt weak inside, and his legs turned a bit soft.

Nevertheless, he still walked toward the courtyard gate to greet her.

The rest of the Fuzheng Division members also endured their physical pain and rose to greet her.

Zhao Zilong looked at the Deputy Director.

Though a woman, she was only about twenty-five or twenty-six years old.

However, her appearance was extraordinary, and she carried herself with heroic grace.

Although her attire and grooming leaned toward a masculine style, her figure was excellent.

It wasn't inferior to Jin Rong's in the slightest; it just lacked some of the feminine charm and coquettishness.

But it had a unique allure of its own.

Cai Wenjing leaped off her horse, and a member of the Fuzheng Division stepped forward to take the reins.

"Deputy Director, why have you come?"

Cao Yun was arrogant and domineering toward others, but he was very respectful when facing Cai Wenjing.

"I, the Deputy Director, would rather ask you, Banner Master Cao—why are you here?"

Cai Wenjing frowned, gazing intently at Cao Yun.

Cao Yun immediately panicked, momentarily unsure how to respond.