Reborn as the Blissful Wife in the countryside-Chapter 931: Captured

Woof woof woof~

Owwoo!

Tear, tear, tear!

In the dark night, stray wild dogs came out looking for food. Upon seeing Elder Gu and Gu Youfu, they lunged at them and bit them, leaving them covered in injuries within moments.

However, they were lucky and weren’t eaten by the wild dogs; instead, they were saved by a Daoist who was returning to the mountain after selling medicinal herbs.

Knock knock knock!

Two Daoists dressed in coarse hemp clothes, holding a torch in one hand and a wooden stick in the other, fought off a pack of wild dogs. After more than fifteen minutes of fighting, the wild dogs were outmatched and could only growl with bared teeth, glaring with green eyes at the Daoists, waiting for a chance to attack and kill them.

But the Daoists were skilled in martial arts and had torches in their hands. Each time the wild dogs attacked, they were severely beaten back and could only leave angrily.

After driving away the wild dogs, the Daoists immediately went to check on Elder Gu and Gu Youfu’s injuries. The young Daoist exclaimed with joy, "Master, they’re still breathing."

Upon hearing this, the older Daoist immediately commanded, "You return to the pharmacy and bring help. Let the attendants carry them back to the pharmacy for treatment. The injuries are too severe and must be treated quickly, or their lives will be at risk."

"Okay." The young Daoist quickly ran back to the town, and after three-quarters of an hour, finally returned with several attendants, carrying door panels.

"Master You, we’re here, where are they?" The people from the pharmacy were on good terms with Master You, and came as soon as the young Daoist called.

Master You greeted them, "They’re here, be careful, their injuries are severe and they can’t handle being jostled."

"Got it, we understand." The attendants were accustomed to this kind of work and carefully avoided Elder Gu and Gu Youfu’s wounds, lifting them onto the door panels, moving quickly and steadily towards the pharmacy.

Once at the pharmacy, Master You and the pharmacy doctor spent a full four hours to completely treat the wounds of Elder Gu and Gu Youfu.

However, they were bitten beyond recognition, and Gu Youfu’s neck was bitten twice; though the bleeding stopped, his throat was torn and emitted an unpleasant wheezing sound.

The pharmacy doctor shook his head and said, "Old You, I’m afraid this man won’t make it."

Master You, being a serene man, did his best to treat them without expecting success: "Let’s see what his fate holds."

He wondered to himself who these two were, and why they would appear outside the town.

The young Daoist, since encountering Elder Gu and his son, had been pondering these same questions, and now said, "Master, both of them were paralyzed, so it’s impossible for them to reach outside town on their own. I suppose they were carried by family. What a cruel family, seeing them paralyzed and abandoning them, not fearing retribution."

Master You was calm and replied, "There are all kinds of people in the world, and some are indeed not kind. Let’s not concern ourselves with them, just do our own duty and cultivate our own path."

The young Daoist responded, "Yes, I will heed your guidance."

Gu Youfu’s neck was torn, and soon after, he passed away.

Elder Gu, however, was lucky and woke up just before dawn, though only briefly before falling back into slumber.

The pharmacy doctor declared, "It’s settled, this old man will survive."

However...

He looked at Master You and asked, "Are you going to take them back to the mountain again?"

Master You, being a serene individual, believed in fate. Anyone he encountered with nowhere to go, he would take them into the temple if they were willing, allowing them to leave whenever they tired of mountain life.

Master You nodded, "I don’t know where their family is. From their appearance, it seems they were abandoned by their family with nowhere to go. Since I have encountered them, I must take him back to the mountain, at the very least to give him food and a proper burial, ensuring he has an intact body even if he dies."

At least he won’t be left exposed in the wilderness.

The pharmacy doctor agreed, "Fine, when his wounds improve a bit in a couple of days, I’ll have the pharmacy staff help you carry him back up the mountain."

As for Gu Youfu, there’s a forest behind the town. Master You sent the young Daoist to dig a hole there and buried Gu Youfu, chanting a passage to let him rest in peace.

Aside from Master You and his group rescuing Elder Gu, another major event occurred in the town. The old Tang family, living on the far west side of the town, was robbed, having several taels of silver stolen.

The two old people were also smashed and injured, but fortunately discovered early, preventing any fatalities.

When the Tang family elders were brought to the pharmacy, the pharmacy doctor muttered, "What’s happening in our town? How could such a vile thief appear?"

"Who knows? Recently, the times have been difficult. I’m told unrest has persisted in the Northwest and Central State regions, probably driving people from over there who can’t live anymore to come here, and when they can’t find food, they break into homes to steal," said the government official from Si Li Square. "Can you bandage Old Uncle Tang and Aunt Tang now? I’ll go beat the gong to alert everyone about the thief."

"Yes, hurry up, you need to notify everyone quickly, or it’s terrible if another family gets robbed."

The son of the Tang family works as a shopkeeper in Prefecture, earning a considerable salary each month. Despite losing several taels of silver, the family can still make ends meet. If poor families were robbed of this much money, they’d be driven to despair.

The government official nodded and ran to sound the gong to alert everyone, then gathered some stout men from the town to search for the thief’s whereabouts. But Ms. Zhang and Gu Chengli had long fled, and they found nothing.

Ultimately, they could only report the incident to the county government. Since no thief was found and no fatalities occurred, they merely recorded the incident and moved on.

Seeing the town in chaos, Master You didn’t wish to stay longer. Once Elder Gu recovered some, he left with the young Daoist, carrying Elder Gu back to the mountain.

Upon waking and learning that Gu Youfu was killed by wild dogs, Elder Gu was heartbroken. His son, who resembled him the most and was his favorite, hadn’t even reached forty and was gone.

Lying on the bed, he shed tears constantly, recalling how Dashan prospered but disavowed him, Granny Gu put a green hat on him all his life, his biological grandson Gu Chengli abandoned them on the roadside, and how Gu Youwen and Gu Youlu, whom he showered with affection, weren’t his real kin... indeed life seemed worse than death.

But some sins, when created, must be repaid. His miserable end now was nothing but deserved.

...

After stealing several taels of silver, Gu Chengli and Ms. Zhang lived carefree for a few days before the silver ran out. As they continued stealing, their greed grew, and they felt those few taels, even several taels, weren’t real money.

When they arrived at a county town again, Gu Chengli bought a knife, eyes flashing coldly, and said, "Mother, I’ve scoped out a household. There’s only an old woman living with two women and several children, and the men have gone out on business and haven’t returned for several nights. If we hit them tonight, we can score plenty of silver, ensuring you live extravagantly."