A bamboo tube of cold water was poured over the woman’s face, and under the piercing chill, she finally slowly regained consciousness.
The first thing that came into view was the swaying bamboo forest buffeted by the wind and the surrounding darkness.
The woman’s eyes first showed a trace of confusion, then she abruptly rose with immense fear.
Fortunately, her clothes were still on.
Her body also showed no signs of change.
At that moment, a voice came from not far away.
"No need to worry, that Li Chunfeng has been chased away by me."
Hearing this voice, the woman finally understood and quickly got up and knelt to the ground.
"Thank you, benefactor, for rescuing me; otherwise, I would have been sullied by that scoundrel and might not have survived!"
"No need to thank me; I was just passing by. Be more careful in the future!"
After saying this, Zhao Ya turned to leave.
He initially intended to wake the woman and leave immediately, but upon reconsideration, he decided to offer a few words of comfort. Otherwise, when she awoke, she might not know what had transpired and mistakenly think she had been violated, perhaps even seeking to end her own life, which would be troublesome.
After this incident, even if Li Chunfeng was still brazen, he likely wouldn’t dare make another attempt on the woman.
"Benefactor, please wait!" The woman hastily said upon seeing Zhao Ya about to leave.
"Hmm? What’s the matter?" Zhao Ya turned back and asked.
The woman took a deep breath, "I am Xia Hongyu. May I ask your esteemed name, benefactor, so I can repay you in the future!"
Zhao Ya was slightly surprised.
He truly hadn’t expected this girl to speak such words, and her manner was calm and courteous, clearly not a girl from an ordinary family.
For a girl of such background to end up as a laundry maid in the Song Family, she must have her own difficulties.
Of course, Zhao Ya wouldn’t disclose his name; he merely smiled at her words.
"No need for repayment; anyone would lend a hand in such a situation. You needn’t dwell on it!"
After finishing his words, Zhao Ya didn’t linger any longer and disappeared into the vast night.
Xia Hongyu wanted to stop him, but it was too late. After hesitating briefly, she kowtowed in the direction Zhao Ya had left, then stood up, got her bearings, and hurriedly left.
The next day, Zhao Ya casually inquired about Li Chunfeng from Tan Bin.
Tan Bin, having no suspicions, merely snorted with a cold laugh, "That scoundrel only acts recklessly because he relies on his godfather’s influence. He is uneducated and incompetent. Why? Did he cause you trouble?"
"No, I just asked out of curiosity!"
"That’s good; although he himself is not worth worrying about, his godfather is indeed quite formidable. Even my father has to give him some face, so it’s best to stay away from him if possible."
"Oh? Who exactly is Li Chunfeng’s godfather to wield such power?"
"He took the family name of his master, called Song Renqiang, highly valued by the current Patriarch, and manages meat field cultivation, which gives him a lot of power."
Meat field cultivation!
Upon hearing this term, Zhao Ya couldn’t help but be startled.
Because the method of meat field cultivation is the Song Family’s core secret, essentially the foundation of their family.
Earthworm Dried Meat, Cured Bamboo Meat, and other Exotic Beast Dried Meats are all produced by this meat field, and for Song Renqiang to oversee it shows his status.
Luckily, he didn’t reveal his presence last night; otherwise, it would have been troublesome.
In the meantime, Li Chunfeng arrived at the bamboo forest with several others.
"Li, why are you looking here?" someone asked.
Li Chunfeng didn’t respond, his face sullen as he looked around.
But aside from a sack on the ground, he found nothing.
"Damn, they even picked up the arrows!"
Li Chunfeng had come this time to find the two arrows shot at him last night.
If he could find those two arrows, he might be able to trace them back and find the person who secretly attacked him last night.
But he didn’t expect the other party to be so cautious, not leaving him a single clue.
Of course, he could still confront Xia Hongyu at the Laundry Workshop.
But after this incident, Xia Hongyu had become like a startled bird, and any chance of meeting her alone was gone.
The thought made Li Chunfeng grind his teeth in anger.
Even with a godfather who is the chief manager, Li Chunfeng couldn’t blatantly seize men and women in the Song Family.
So he had resorted to drugging, planning to enjoy Xia Hongyu in a secluded garden corner.
If successful, Li Chunfeng wouldn’t have to fear Xia Hongyu anymore.
But now, not only had he failed, but he also ended up causing a scandal, with his lower back still aching from the blow.
"If I catch you, I’ll skin you alive!"
Helpless, Li Chunfeng could only hurl a vicious threat into the air before leading his companions away sullenly.
The unknown incident passed like this, and Zhao Ya’s life returned to calm, but he never visited that garden corner to practice martial arts again.
Another month passed, the days growing colder as the lunar New Year approached.
That day, Zhao Ya received his first task since joining the Song Family, to escort the Song Family’s young lady to the Great Buddha Temple outside the city for incense offering.
Although he didn’t understand why they chose to go incense offering in such cold weather, as long as he received the Song Family’s salary, he had to do his job.
Zhao Ya arranged things at home, instructing Zui’Er to stay hidden unless necessary, and if needed, to seek out Tan Ziwang.
With Tan’s watchful care, Zhao Ya felt more at ease.
Then he packed necessary items and left the Inner City with the convoy.
The outing was grandiose, with as many as two or three dozen escorts, all skilled.
It was evident that the Song Family was aware of the unstable situation and had cautiously ensured ample protection.
Zhao Ya was quite familiar with these escorts since they worked together; being too solitary wouldn’t be good either.
So everyone chatted while observing their surroundings.
The Outer City was increasingly dilapidated, especially as the temperature dropped; every morning, frozen corpses of vagrants and beggars could be seen on street corners.
Once out of the city, the once expansive camps of refugees were now much fewer.
Not because the disaster had improved, but because most refugees had already died.
Zhao Ya finally understood how disasters were being handled in this world.
As long as they delayed long enough, the disaster victims would naturally die off, and by then, the disaster would essentially be over.
And due to the absolute dominance of Martial Artist over ordinary people, even rebellion was impossible.
Zhao Ya’s heart felt heavy, and he lost the mood to speak.
The other escorts paid no mind, even enjoying looking down upon these lower-class refugees.
Some even laughed and pointed at the emaciated, numb-faced refugees.
"Look, that woman is bare-chested, holding a dead infant; it’s laughable!"