Shi Yi never expected that Liu Zhigao would come knocking the moment he stepped away. A flood of memories washed over him—scenes of Liu Zhigao bullying and humiliating him. He said nothing, simply walking over in silence to set down the items he had gathered.
Upon seeing Shi Yi, Liu Zhigao felt neither fear nor guilt. Instead, he frowned and said, "What are you doing back here? Get out of here and crawl back into the mountains, quickly."
"And another thing—this woman of yours? She’s mine now."
"Do you have a problem with that?"
It was the typical arrogance of a servant who had bullied his master for so long that he no longer even acknowledged Shi Yi’s personhood. Shi Yi still didn't speak; he was busy looking for something nearby. Seeing that Shi Yi was ignoring him completely, Liu Zhigao grew even more enraged.
"Shi Yi, I’m talking to you! Are you deaf?"
"I knelt before the official to get this woman for myself; she has nothing to do with you. Do you dare to have an opinion?"
"Fine. I have no opinion," Shi Yi replied, suppressing his fury as he continued to search.
Liu Zhigao assumed he had cowered. He sneered, "Since you know your place, get out! Don’t stand there getting in the way of my good time with this woman. A piece of trash like you wants a wife? Wants to have children? You’re not even..."
*THUD!*
Before Liu Zhigao could finish, Shi Yi, who had finally grabbed a hoe, didn't hesitate for a second. He swung it high and brought it crashing down on Liu Zhigao. Dressed only in his underpants, Liu Zhigao had been completely caught off guard. He took the blow squarely and collapsed, stiff as a board. His eyes crossed, his face frozen in a daze; his brain couldn't even process what had happened.
"The wife I bought... and you, a dog who used to serve my house, dare to covet her?"
Shi Yi raised the hoe again. This time, Liu Zhigao’s brain finally kicked in. He scrambled aside, narrowly avoiding the blow. The hoe slammed into his arm instead, bending it at a sickening angle. The bone was clearly shattered. A surge of intense, agonizing pain tore through him, but his humiliation was even sharper—this simpleton had dared to lay a hand on him!
He pointed a shaking finger at Shi Yi. "Shi Yi, do you want to die? Do you really think you can hit me and stay in the village? They’ll throw you out!"
Shi Yi wasn't in the mood to argue. He raised the hoe again. Liu Zhigao rolled across the ground in a panic. Shi Yi dropped the tool, lunged at him, and pinned him down. He delivered a brutal punch square to Liu Zhigao’s face.
*Splat.*
Liu Zhigao’s nose was crushed, and blood poured out instantly. He shrieked and struggled.
"You dog—*SLAP!*"
"You eastern—*SLAP! SLAP!*"
"You western—*SLAP! SLAP! SLAP!*"
"You—*SLAP! SLAP! SLAP! SLAP!*"
"Can you let me finish a sentence before you hit me!"
"*SLAP! SLAP! SLAP!*"
Shi Yi seized every opening, raining blows down on his face without mercy. After a long while, Liu Zhigao’s face was swollen into the likeness of a pig’s head. Still not satisfied, Shi Yi picked up a heavy rock. He methodically flattened Liu Zhigao’s palm against the ground, aimed the sharp edge of the stone, and slammed it down.
The dazed, half-conscious Liu Zhigao was jolted into absolute clarity. His eyes crossed again, and he even forgot to breathe. Then, he slowly looked down at his mangled hand. A wave of agonizing, earth-shattering pain crashed over him.
"AH! IT HURTS!"
Liu Zhigao’s piercing scream tore through the air. Shi Yi wasn't done; he raised the stone and brought it down again. Driven by an overwhelming instinct for survival, Liu Zhigao channeled every ounce of strength he had left to break free and scramble away.
"Shi Yi, you! You have some nerve, daring to hurt me! Just you wait! You animal, how did you get so vicious? You’ve ruined my hand! Is it broken? You mad dog, you’re a total mad dog—stop chasing me!"
Indeed, Shi Yi was still pursuing him, forcing him to sprint away in terror.
Inside the house, the woman had been watching from behind the window after hearing the screams. She shivered, her skin crawling. "He’s so violent," she swallowed hard.
But when she saw Shi Yi stop the chase and return, she quickly grabbed some straw from the room to cover herself. She had been washing her face by the creek when she realized no one was around; feeling grimy from the journey, she had started to strip off her outer robe to wash up. She hadn't expected Liu Zhigao to come rushing over, stripping as he ran toward her. She was lucky she had been fast, and even luckier that Shi Yi had returned just in time. Otherwise, her innocence would have been stolen by such a man.
But then, a new thought crossed her mind: *Would the man who bought her do the same?*
She began to tremble. The footsteps outside now sounded to her like the approach of the Grim Reaper.
*Knock, knock, knock.*
"What is it?" The woman asked, her voice cold despite her terror.
From outside the door, Shi Yi asked, "That animal—did he touch you?"
"No."
"Oh. Do you need anything?"
"No."
A silence hung between them for a moment.
"Alright then. You must be hungry. I’ll get some food ready; come out and eat in a while."
"I'm not hungry. Thank you."
Shi Yi didn't speak again. The woman remained tense, her face showing no emotion. Time ticked by. Curious, she crept toward the door and peeked through a crack. Shi Yi was no longer at the door; he was by the creek, carefully washing the wild mushrooms he had brought back from the mountains.
*He’s going to eat those? I’ve never heard of such a thing. Aren't those poisonous? Even eunuchs in the imperial palace have died from eating toxic mushrooms,* she thought, baffled. She felt a sense of dread. She didn't know what this country bumpkin was planning, but surely eating tree bark would be better than eating poison.
Beside the rickety wooden house sat an earthen stove, with pots and bowls made of simple pottery. Shi Yi took out some oil that the original occupant had kept for a long time. Once the pan was hot, he poured the oil in and began to cook.
Before long, the fragrance of the wild mushrooms wafted through the air. It was so potent that the woman’s stomach gave a loud, involuntary growl, and she couldn't help but clutch her midsection.
Finally, Shi Yi called out, "You really should come out and eat something."
Under the stimulus of the mushroom’s aroma, the woman’s hunger became impossible to ignore.