Chapter Seven: The Butcher Dissects the Ox (Part One)

Butcher Ding Dissects the Ox

Wu Hong had also realized the crux of the matter: how could a woman escape the Huang Residence alone?

“All right, come with me!” Wu Hong wasted no words, turning toward the courtyard wall of the Huang estate. The beautiful woman immediately rose, straightened her clothes, and followed behind him.

Wu Hong did not walk fast, but the woman struggled to keep up. Wu Hong had no choice but to slow his pace.

Before long, trouble found them as expected. “There they are! Catch them!” The servant who’d fled earlier had returned with a hundred men in tow, now pursuing the pair.

“Sir, leave me! Save yourself!” The woman’s face changed as she saw the crowd approaching.

Wu Hong frowned slightly, glanced at the oncoming mob, and said to her, “Forgive me!” Without warning, he scooped her up in his arms and sped away.

The woman let out a soft cry, her cheeks flushed. Wu Hong paid no mind to the delicate figure in his grasp, fleeing toward the courtyard wall with all his strength.

Arriving at the base of the wall, which stood nearly ten meters high, Wu Hong set the woman down. “Step back!” he ordered.

Obeying, the woman retreated a few paces. Though the situation was dire, for some reason she felt an inexplicable sense of safety at Wu Hong’s side.

Wu Hong raised his hammer with one hand and shouted, “Open—!” The moment the hammer struck the thick wall, a thunderous boom erupted, and the wall shuddered as if struck by a minor earthquake.

Cracks spidered outward from the blow, but the wall did not yet yield.

“Open—!” Wu Hong swung the hammer again. This time, with another resounding crash, a gaping hole appeared, just big enough for a person to squeeze through.

“Go. I’ll hold them off. Leave Huangyun Town and start a new life elsewhere,” Wu Hong said calmly to the astonished woman.

“Sir, I cannot thank you enough for saving my life. May I know your name, so I might repay you someday?” She bowed in gratitude as she spoke. Though she’d overheard the servants call him “Hong Wu,” she still wished to ask.

Wu Hong gave it no thought. “My name is Wu Hong. Now go!” The woman slipped through the opening, cast Wu Hong a lingering look, and hurried off.

“Seize those adulterers! Don’t let them escape!” A servant, leading the others, rushed toward Wu Hong, his words twisting the truth.

Wu Hong’s anger blazed. Not only did these curs wish to capture him, but they smeared his name. He could well imagine the tales they would spin for the authorities.

The mob stopped before Wu Hong, but none dared attack first.

A higher-ranking servant turned to a steward. “Steward Wang, this is the one who killed Xiao Ran—we caught him in the act, consorting with a woman. Xiao Ran was furious and led us to stop them. Who would have thought he’d injure several of us and kill Xiao Ran as well—” The servant spun a vivid tale to the steward, tears nearly falling.

To any outsider, Wu Hong would seem a villain. But the truth was known only to him.

“Hah! Vile wretch, too bad I didn’t finish you off earlier!” Wu Hong sneered.

“How dare you, Hong Wu! Adultery and murder—no matter the reason, will you not submit to the law? Have you no respect for order?” Steward Wang thundered, his outrage righteous.

Wu Hong’s tone softened. “Steward Wang, whether there was adultery or murder, surely you must hear both sides before passing judgment. I beg you to look into the truth.”

He hoped Wang was reasonable, that he’d seek the facts and not be swayed by base men.

“What is there to say? You let the woman go; Xiao Ran’s corpse lies in the woods. There are witnesses and evidence—what more do you have to say?” Wang replied, though inwardly he hesitated, wary of Wu Hong’s strength—after all, Xiao Ran’s headless corpse still lay in the forest.

So Wang delayed, hoping his words would break Wu Hong’s will before acting.

Wu Hong laughed. “Ah, such a grand estate, yet so full of petty men! Steward Wang, you pin the crime of adultery upon me without even investigating?”

He continued, “Enough. I have always believed that a drop of kindness should be repaid with a spring. Your young mistress saved my life and brought me here. If I betray the Huang family, then I am the one without honor. Do as you will—I won’t resist.”

At the mention of Miss Huang Ling, Wang’s heart skipped. He thought, “How could I forget? Hong Wu was brought here by Miss Huang Ling herself! There have been so many incredible stories about him among the servants these past weeks.” Wang felt unease, caught between duty and caution.

But how could he answer to Chief Steward Zhao? Wang found himself in a quandary.

“Truth will out. It is not for me to judge your guilt or innocence, Hong Wu; the chief steward will decide,” Wang said, his tone now courteous and laced with virtue.

Wu Hong scoffed inwardly. “Base and cunning.”

The Huang family’s main hall was imposing, with carved beams and lofty pavilions rising dozens of meters high. On a massive table, five or six square meters in size, a banquet of dishes was spread.

At the head sat a man with a fleshy face, clad in silks and satins, flanked by five or six wives and concubines. This was the master of the house, Huang Hu.

Opposite him sat Huang Ling. Huang Hu picked up a slice of marbled beef with his chopsticks and chewed it thoughtfully.

“Mmm—this beef grows more delicious by the day. Old Zhao, has the slaughterhouse changed butchers lately?” The chief steward Zhao, attending nearby, quickly replied, “This is the work of a beggar Miss brought home a month ago—Hong Wu, a man of remarkable skill with beef!”

Huang Ling, upon hearing that her rescue had brought such a talented hand to the household, recalled the beggar she’d found collapsed in the street after returning from prayers at the Great King Monastery. Seeing someone lying in the road, she’d thought it cruel to have servants simply carry him off, and so, on impulse, she’d had them bring him back.

Huang Hu listened as Huang Ling explained with poise, “Brother, that’s how it happened.”

“Hmm! This man is a talent. We’ve changed butchers many times, but none have ever produced beef so delicious. He is worth cultivating. I want to meet this young man.”

Neither Huang Hu nor Huang Ling usually concerned themselves with the servants, so they hadn’t heard of Wu Hong until now. But the flavor of the beef moved Huang Hu to summon him.

“Uh—” Chief Steward Zhao hesitated.

“What’s wrong? Am I not allowed to see him?” Huang Hu’s stern gaze made Zhao blanch. “Not at all, Master. I only fear that this man, accused of raping a woman in broad daylight, might offend you.”

“Hahaha! He’s a man—of course he likes women. Bring him here!” Huang Hu laughed, unconcerned.

Huang Ling’s face burned. The man she’d rescued had assaulted a townswoman in her family’s home.

“Of course, at once,” Chief Steward Zhao replied. Zhao was the direct superior of the late Xiao Ran, killed by Wu Hong. He took the opportunity to speak ill of Wu Hong, but he dared not disobey his master. Huang Hu dominated Huangyun Town’s business, and his brother, Huang Long, was the local magistrate. The two controlled the town, and none could oppose them.

Soon, Wu Hong was marched into the main hall, hands and feet bound with heavy chains, to stand before Huang Hu and Huang Ling.

Huang Hu eyed the gaunt Wu Hong, but before he could speak, Huang Ling rose in fury. “How dare you, Hong Wu! Who gave you the audacity to rape a woman in broad daylight? Who emboldened you?”

Huang Ling’s almond eyes blazed at Wu Hong as she scolded him.

“Miss Huang, I thank you for saving my life days ago. I did not commit rape, though I did kill. But the one I killed was Xiao Ran, just as he was about to assault an innocent woman. Now I am slandered as a murderer and a rapist,” Wu Hong replied, his tone hard.

His opinion of Huang Ling fell sharply. Though she’d saved him, she was harsh and judgmental, unwilling to discern right from wrong.

“How dare you talk back to me, you cur! Drag him out and give him two hundred strokes!” Huang Ling commanded. A servant entered, and Chief Steward Zhao’s eyes lit with glee. “Boy, you might have lived, but you’ve wasted your chance! You deserve what you get.”

“Wait!” Huang Hu rose with a gentle smile, waving off the servant. He approached Wu Hong. “I hear you’re a master with beef. I value talent above all. If you can butcher an ox before me and satisfy my palate, I’ll set you free—and reward you handsomely.”

Huang Hu seemed not to care whether Wu Hong had killed or raped; all he wanted was to see if Wu Hong’s skills were as legendary as the servants claimed.