Unorthodox Wuxia: While Others Practice Martial Arts, I Cultivate Immortality - Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Oppression

After Yuan Zhao and Ah Qing entered the courtyard, they mixed water and yellow earth into mud, plastered it along the top of the courtyard wall, and then planted cacti one by one along the top.

Cacti are incredibly resilient plants. Once planted, they need little care and will thrive on their own.

At that moment, Liu Dazhu from next door had just returned from outside and, not finding her husband or son anywhere, began to panic.

“It must be those two little b*tches who did something!”

“No, I have to go confront them!”

Thinking this, she rushed over to climb the courtyard wall again. But before she could climb, she saw the wall was now covered with cacti and, in a fit of rage, cursed loudly:

“You wicked sl*ts, who the hell are you trying to keep out?”

She stormed out to Yuan Zhao’s house and pounded on the courtyard gate with loud bang bang bang sounds.

“You little b*tches, open up! I know you’re in there! Come out! Come out now!”

The gate was already old and rotting and couldn’t take the abuse. After a few heavy hits, with a loud crash, the two doors collapsed to the ground.

Seeing this, Yuan Zhao and Ah Qing had no choice but to come out to see what was going on.

Looking at the ruined gate, Yuan Zhao’s face turned cold and she said:

“Aunt Liu, what has my courtyard gate ever done to you? Was it really necessary to break it down like this? You’d better give me an explanation today or I won’t let this go!”

Aunt Liu stood with one hand on her hip, pointing at Yuan Zhao and Ah Qing with the other, cursing viciously:

“You’re asking me for an explanation? I’m the one who should be demanding one! Tell me, you two b*tches, what did you do to my husband and my son?”

Before she could finish, Yuan Zhao stepped forward and slapped her hard across the face.

“Call me a b*tch again and I’ll tear your tongue out!”

The slap sent Aunt Liu spinning 360 degrees before she fell to the ground, stunned. Holding her face in disbelief, she suddenly burst into loud, dramatic sobs:

“There’s no justice left in the world! These two sl*ts seduced my husband and my son, and now they’ve made them disappear! Why hasn’t heaven struck these fox spirits down yet…”

Her shouting drew the attention of passersby and neighbors, who gathered to watch the commotion.

Before she could continue her rant, she got slapped again, but this time by Ah Qing.

Ah Qing, hands on her hips, said sternly: “Didn’t you hear what my sister said? You still dare to curse us?”

Liu Dazhu pointed at the sisters in disbelief, her lips trembling, unable to speak.

“Just you wait… you’ll pay for this!” she shouted, scrambling to her feet and bolting away.

But she hadn’t run far when the old wolf suddenly jumped out and blocked her path.

Seeing the wolf baring its fangs, Liu Dazhu trembled with fear.

“W-What are you doing?”

“Awooo!” the wolf howled, and the next second, it pounced on her and knocked her down.

Just as she thought she was about to be bitten, the wolf instead raised its right paw and gave her a hard swipe across the face.

Three bloody scratches immediately appeared.

Yuan Zhao and Ah Qing had slapped her right cheek. The old wolf had taken care of the left.

Having done this, the wolf strutted off her body with pride.

‘Hmph! Big master and little master both slapped her. As part of this family, how could I be left out?’

‘Better to not stand out too much as a wolf.’

The look of smug satisfaction on its face made it seem like it had just accomplished something great.

“Well done, Old Wolf!” Ah Qing winked at it.

The wolf became even more pleased, tail raised high in the air. With its seductive figure, it would definitely be considered one of the sexy types among wolves.

(Note: The wolf is male.)

Liu Dazhu ran off and disappeared.

With her gone, the crowd gradually dispersed.

The two sisters didn’t take Liu Dazhu seriously. Their grandfather’s noodle stall had been closed for a while now, and the sisters planned to reopen it the next day. After all, they couldn’t just sit around waiting to starve—the family wasn’t wealthy.

However, they had no beef left at home, and Grandpa’s beef noodles were his signature dish, so the sisters decided to go to the market to buy some.

But when they returned from the market carrying over ten jin (about 10–12 pounds) of beef, they found a large crowd gathered at their gate.

Sensing trouble, the sisters immediately rushed forward and saw the old wolf facing off against several strong men.

[TL: I am wondering whether they are going to give this poor wolf a name anytime soon…]

The men were holding sharp iron pitchforks, surrounding the old wolf, who was crouched low, growling menacingly in an attempt to scare them off.

Just as the men were about to stab the wolf with their pitchforks, Yuan Zhao shouted:

“Stop!”

She pushed through the crowd with Ah Qing, shielding the old wolf behind them, and demanded coldly:

“Who are you people? What are you doing at my home?”

Her icy expression made the crowd flinch, but they quickly regained their confidence—she was just a young girl, what was there to be afraid of?

At this point, Liu Dazhu, hiding in the crowd, shouted in a harsh voice:

“You dare talk to them like that? Do you even know who these people are?”

Yuan Zhao’s frosty gaze swept across the crowd.

At the front were five elderly men, all with white hair and beards, their backs hunched. Some were bald, some toothless, and some couldn’t even stand properly.

Liu Dazhu couldn’t wait to announce: “You blind b**ch, these are the five elders who govern our Tianmen Town!”

Tianmen Town wasn’t large, but it had a long history.

Due to high population turnover and its location as a border exile zone of the Liang Kingdom, it had attracted a large number of outsiders.

As more and more outsiders arrived, the local residents began to feel threatened and formed alliances. The most powerful families became known as the “Five Clans”: Wu, Ou, Sha, Wei, and Tao.

The Wu family, to which Liu Dazhu’s family belonged, was one of them.

Because Tianmen Town was in a special geographical location—not governed by the Liang Kingdom or the neighboring Xiao Kingdom—and had a mix of merchants and martial artists, there was no official authority in town.

So the Five Surnames declared themselves rulers of Tianmen Town and appointed five “elders” from their families to govern.

Of course, capable families in town never acknowledged the Five Clans’ authority, so they typically only bullied those with no power or backing.

And wouldn’t you know it—Yuan Zhao and Ah Qing were exactly that: alone and vulnerable.

Yuan Zhao had heard of the Five Elders, but this was her first time seeing them.

One of the bald elders spoke first: “Girl, you’re mistaken. You, and that girl Ah Qing, have no home in Tianmen Town.”

He spoke the most despicable words in the kindest tone.

Ah Qing angrily retorted: “Lies! This is my home. Mine, Grandpa’s, and my sister’s!”

Another elder, this one toothless, said with a slur: “This was indeed Old Zhao’s house. But he’s gone now. The house, the buildings, and the land naturally revert to the town. And you two… are just orphan girls he picked up. You have no right to inherit anything from him.”

This toothless elder was from the Ou family. The bald one from before was from the Tao family.

Next, the elder from the Sha family added: “Even if you were Old Zhao’s biological granddaughters, you’re just two girls. What right do you have to inherit the family business? You must hand over the house, the money, and Old Zhao’s noodle recipe.”

“That’s right! That’s right!” others chimed in.

“Hand over the house! Hand over the money! Hand over the recipe!”

“Get out of Tianmen Town!”

“Get out of Tianmen Town!”

The crowd surrounding Yuan Zhao’s home, composed of people from the Five Surnames, easily numbered over a hundred, all shouting at the sisters like they were criminals of the worst kind.

The exaggerated scene had already frightened her into trembling uncontrollably.

But even so, she still resolutely stood in front of her sister. Even though her legs were shaking beyond control, she didn’t take a single step back.

“You’re lying! You’re lying! This is the home Grandpa left for us—no one is allowed to take it away!”

Even though Ah Qing shouted with all her strength, how could her voice possibly overpower the barking of a hundred people?

At this moment, in Ah Qing’s eyes, these human-shaped creatures looked like demons screaming at her. Their faces distorted, stretching out claws to drag her into a bottomless abyss.

They were getting closer and closer…

Ah Qing felt like her head was about to explode.

Just then, a cold and clear voice rang in her ears, instantly pulling her back from the edge of the abyss.

“How ridiculous—an entire mob of despicable bullies, yet you have the nerve to cloak your actions in the name of righteousness? You’re nothing but shameless beasts in human clothing—opportunistic, cowardly, and utterly vile!”

Although Yuan Zhao’s voice wasn’t loud, it rang crystal clear in every person’s ears.

The five old men turned red with rage, pointing trembling fingers at her and shouting, “Nonsense! Utter nonsense!”

The elder from the Wu clan glared venomously at the two sisters and said through gritted teeth, “I say we don’t bother kicking them out of Tianmen Town. These two orphan girls come from who-knows-where. Instead of expelling them, why not sell them off? At least that would fetch a price and help supplement the clan’s expenses. That’d count as their good deed.”

This was the first time Ah Qing had ever faced such blatant malice. Sensing her fear, Yuan Zhao gently took her hand.

Feeling the warmth in her sister’s palm, Ah Qing finally felt herself come back to life.

After comforting Ah Qing, Yuan Zhao looked out at the crowd again. In her eyes now, these people were no different from the dead.

At that moment, the Luo brothers and Zhou Qing, having heard the commotion, rushed over.

They pushed through the crowd and stood in front of the sisters, shielding them behind their backs.

Luo Dazhu shouted furiously, “This is outrageous! Uncle Zhao just passed away and you’re already bullying his granddaughters? Are you even human?”

“You’re beasts—every last one of you! If you want to bully these sisters today, you’ll have to go through us first!” Luo Erzhu said, spreading his arms to block them.

Seeing this, the elder from the Sha clan warned, “Luo boys, I advise you not to meddle in things you can’t control.”

The Luo family was a minor household, going against the Five Clans was like striking a stone with an egg.

“People should live with a clear conscience!” Luo Dazhu replied.

Uncle Zhao had done their family a great favor. They couldn’t just stand by and watch his granddaughters be harmed.

Back when they first moved to Tianmen Town, they had nothing and were forced to sleep on the streets. It was Uncle Zhao who helped them. Thanks to him, they were able to settle down.

Zhou Qing couldn’t help but say, “All of you are elders, what’s the point in picking on two young girls? Can you even sleep at night with that on your conscience?”

The elder from the Wu clan snapped, “Zhou brat, you too? This is foolish. Step away now, and for your father’s sake, I’ll let it slide.”

Luo Erzhu spat and said, “Save your threats. Come at us if you dare—we’ll see if I take a single step back!”

“Fools!” sneered the elder from the Tao clan. He waved behind him and ordered, “Grab these three brats!”

As soon as he gave the order, three burly men stepped out from the crowd and easily subdued the Luo brothers and Zhou Qing.

The three struggled fiercely, but to no avail. Two fists couldn’t beat four hands.

By now, many townspeople had gathered to watch, but none stepped forward to help.

After gagging the Luo brothers and Zhou Qing, the elder from the Wu clan turned to Yuan Zhao and said, “Wu Dazhuang and Wu Yong are missing. According to Dazhuang’s wife, you’re behind it. Why don’t you tell me where they are?”

Yuan Zhao smiled and said, “What if I told you it had nothing to do with me?”

Wu Elder’s face hardened. “Girl, I suggest you be honest. Otherwise, you’ll be the one to suffer!”

“Fine then~” Yuan Zhao chuckled. “I’ll tell the truth. They’re both dead.”

In Tianmen Town, a couple of deaths weren’t considered a big deal. With no government and no law, Yuan Zhao had no reason to hide it.

But how could two big, strong men like Wu Dazhuang and Wu Yong have been taken down by two young girls?

Yuan Zhao shrugged. “See? I told the truth, and you still don’t believe me.”

Finally losing patience, Elder Wu barked, “Capture these girls and interrogate them! I want to see how stubborn they really are.”

Two strong men stepped out from the crowd.

Yuan Zhao let out a soft laugh and turned to ask Ah Qing, “Ah Qing, are you afraid of blood?”

Ah Qing shook her head firmly. “No, I’m not afraid, Sister!”

“Good!” Yuan Zhao smiled, staring straight ahead.