Lǐ Fúlái was determined to deal with Zhōu Shènglì, to leave him crippled if not dead, and to stop women from flocking to him.
Lǐ Chéngcái had assigned him the task of monitoring Zhōu Shènglì, and although he had recently been told not to, Lǐ Fúlái's surveillance of Zhōu Shènglì had not stopped. Zhōu Shènglì had been climbing Hidden Dragon Sword for many consecutive days, and most of that time, Lǐ Fúlái had been following him in secret.
Initially, Lǐ Fúlái planned to disguise himself at night, break into Zhōu Shènglì's home, and beat him severely. He then thought that since Zhōu Shènglì was close friends with Zhāng Dàwěi from the police station, Zhāng Dàwěi would surely investigate thoroughly if his friend was beaten, and if caught, Lǐ Fúlái would end up in prison.
Later, after following Zhōu Shènglì to Hidden Dragon Sword several times, he came up with a good plan to both deal with Zhōu Shènglì and conceal himself.
Lǐ Fúlái's new idea was to tamper with the stone platform halfway up Hidden Dragon Sword where Zhōu Shènglì rested.
When Zhōu Shènglì climbed Hidden Dragon Sword, he mainly relied on climbing ropes. However, he could only throw the rope a few meters at a time. He needed to stand on a platform where he could gain a foothold to throw the rope further up, and then grab the rope to ascend.
Although Lǐ Fúlái was over fifty, he had lived at the foot of Dragon Mountain since childhood and had often climbed Hidden Dragon Sword. Later, he was selected to be a martial arts actor in the county troupe, so his physique was agile, and climbing Hidden Dragon Sword was easier for him than for the twenty-year-old Zhōu Shènglì.
He had figured out Zhōu Shènglì's routine: every day after breakfast, he would go to the base of Hidden Dragon Sword alone and start climbing. Each time, he would descend when exhausted and return to his residence before ten o'clock.
After understanding Zhōu Shènglì's routine, he carried a bundle of rope and half a length of iron piton, and waited near the path Zhōu Shènglì inevitably took to Hidden Dragon Sword.
His daily supervision of Zhōu Shènglì was considered work, and the village kept attendance for him. He didn't care about the time.
Seeing Zhōu Shènglì descend the mountain, still gasping for breath, he began to climb Hidden Dragon Sword.
Starting from thirty meters above the ground, he looked for stone platforms underfoot that he could pry loose with the iron piton where Zhōu Shènglì frequently stepped.
Such locations were easy to identify because above thirty meters on Hidden Dragon Sword, few people ever went. Zhōu Shènglì's frequent resting places retained his footprints or scuff marks.
However, prying loose stones with an iron piton was not easy. Lǐ Fúlái, exhausted and gasping, finally found a target stone about fifty meters above the ground that was suitable for his revenge.
This stone had been polished shiny by Zhōu Shènglì's feet. About a meter away, there was a pine stump thicker than a bowl. Lǐ Fúlái stood on the pine stump and used great force to finally loosen the shiny, stepped-on stone.
He stood on the pine stump next to the large stone, catching his breath and straightening up to rest. He planned to find a few more stones above that could be loosened to ensure Zhōu Shènglì would fall. But at that moment, his eyes suddenly caught sight of a person leading a water buffalo below Hidden Dragon Sword. The image of Yáng Xiùměi instantly appeared in his mind.
From his current position, both the person and the buffalo appeared as small as matchboxes, and he couldn't even distinguish the person's gender. He didn't have time to rest or look for more stones to loosen; he hurried down the mountain.
Next to the tree stump he was standing on, a clump of purple mushroom-like growths grew at the base of an even thicker tree stump. The largest one was about the size of a small basin. He had initially set out to harm someone maliciously, and his mind was tense. After loosening the stone and then seeing someone who resembled Yáng Xiùměi, lust surged within him, so he didn't notice it.
However, if he knew he had missed such a treasure, he would regret it for the rest of his life.
When he was about thirty meters from the ground, Lǐ Fúlái saw clearly that the person leading the water buffalo was a woman, and there was no one else in sight.
In all of Shanhou Village, there was only Yáng Xiùměi who led a water buffalo.
An absolutely perfect opportunity!
Lǐ Fúlái's target for his lust was married women, especially widows. Based on his past experience, after he assaulted them, they would usually suffer in silence, concerned about their reputation and their children's face, and not make a fuss. Afterward, he would also use this to threaten them, forcing them to continue an improper relationship with him.
Now, as early summer arrived, Yáng Xiùměi's single thin spring-autumn shirt was soaked with sweat, clinging tightly to her body.
Her youthful charm was gone, but years of labor had kept her figure as upright as when she was young. Her skin was smooth, and she lacked the excess fat and flab common in city women of her age.
The spring-autumn shirt clung to her body, outlining her figure. Coupled with her rosy cheeks, caused by expanded capillaries, she exuded the vitality and charm of a young woman.
At this moment, sweat had soaked her hair, beads of sweat ran down her face, her cheeks were flushed, looking dewy and tender like a freshly washed peach.
Looking at Yáng Xiùměi before him, Lǐ Fúlái recalled her appearance when she first married into Shanhou Village—at that time, she and Lǐ Dàhǎi's wife were considered the two most beautiful flowers of Shanhou Village—lust surged in his lower abdomen.
His eyes stared fixedly at the fair, tender skin below her neck. His Adam's apple moved up and down, making gulping sounds as he swallowed saliva. He dropped the rope from his back and the iron piton from his hand, and with a speed rare for a man over fifty, he suddenly lunged forward, knocking her to the ground.
Yáng Xiùměi had seen Lǐ Fúlái approaching, but she particularly disliked his lecherous eyes that seemed to want to pierce through her clothes. She pretended not to see him. After he knocked her down, she struggled desperately, pleading, "Grandpa, you can't do this. Grandpa, please let your granddaughter-in-law go."
Her struggles and pleas only ignited Lǐ Fúlái's beastly instincts further.
He held Yáng Xiùměi down with one hand and forcefully pulled down her pants with the other, repeatedly muttering, "Grandpa likes you. Just let Grandpa like you once."
Yáng Xiùměi felt her strength waning while her attacker's seemed to grow. Knowing she couldn't hold on much longer, she struggled and shouted loudly:
"Help! Someone! Someone, help..."
Her lips were covered by something coarse, accompanied by rapid, heavy breathing. The foul stench of pipe tobacco smoke shot straight into her throat—this old man's mouth was covering hers.
Yáng Xiùměi tightly closed her lips and twisted her face from side to side, trying to avoid the foul-smelling mouth. But at this moment, she suddenly felt a gust of cool air on her lower body; her pants had been pulled down.
When Lǐ Fúlái heard Yáng Xiùměi's cries for help, in his panic, he instinctively covered her mouth with his own to prevent her from shouting.
The moment he touched her lips, a warm, soft sensation pierced through him. It was like a basin of hot oil poured over his body, instantly igniting a burning sensation. With a forceful tug, he pulled down Yáng Xiùměi's pants and then bent down to pull down his own.
Yáng Xiùměi had been doing physical labor for many years, so she was stronger than an average woman. This allowed her to resist fiercely against Lǐ Fúlái, who was maddened by lust. However, she was still a woman and could not hold on for long before her strength gave out. She fell into despair...