Hearing the commotion outside, the people inside the house flung open the door, and a horde of armed guards streamed out.
Then, Zhao Chuanyi emerged, dressed in his official robes, dragging his still-injured leg as he pushed through the guards.
Zhao Chuanyi scowled as his eyes swept over the people lying haphazardly on the ground. He roared menacingly, "Who dares to act so recklessly here?"
Uncle Li let out a disdainful snort.
Zhao Chuanyi's gaze landed on Uncle Li. He sized him up for a long while, and his face gradually showed signs of shock and uncertainty. His body trembling, he exclaimed in horror, "You, you, you, Li Lang? It's you again?"
Uncle Li shot him a glance and sneered, "Who else but your grandpa?"
Zhao Chuanyi recalled the last time when Uncle Li had broken his leg. His face turned deathly pale, and his legs shook as he summoned the courage to ask, "What are you doing here in the middle of the night? Do you know that it's a crime to commit violence without cause under the emperor's nose?"
Uncle Li pointed at the dying black-clad man in the corner and spat, "So you know it's a crime to commit violence without cause under the emperor's nose? Then what about your good dogs that hurt my girl? How do you plan to settle this?"
Zhao Chuanyi followed Uncle Li's finger and saw the black-clad man in the corner twitching non-stop, with blood oozing from the corner of his mouth.
He looked truly pitiful.
Zhao Chuanyi trembled all over and shouted, "This has nothing to do with me! It must be a misunderstanding! You can't blame me for this!" As he spoke, he retreated into the door and waved for his servants to close the door quickly.
"Do you think I'll believe you?" Uncle Li flew into a rage. He casually picked up Wei Dongling and threw her behind him. Without giving Zhao Chuanyi a chance to close the door, he leaped into the air and kicked Zhao Chuanyi hard in the chest.
The people Uncle Li brought quickly stepped forward and caught Wei Dongling in a flurry.
Seeing this, the guards beside Zhao Chuanyi leaped forward to protect their master. Uncle Li leaped forward, kicked the two guards away with one foot, and stepped heavily into the main hall of Baoqing Tower.
Wei Dongling felt a surge of blood in her chest. Finally, unable to hold on any longer, her consciousness gradually blurred, and she fainted with a tilt of her head.
Uncle Li gave a contemptuous look at the two fallen guards and glanced at the other guards standing around. His look made the guards shiver, and they instantly remembered that this was the old beggar who had come to cause trouble some time ago.
The guards turned pale with fright and trembled all over.
The tall young man Uncle Li brought leaped forward. He cracked his knuckles with both hands and laughed wickedly, "Boss, after all these years, it seems that we brothers can finally have a good fight today!"
Saying that, the two looked at each other and smiled, then rushed forward one after another towards the guards of Baoqing Tower.
The cries of pain from Baoqing Tower could be heard from afar.
Occasionally, a few households were awakened and peeked out of their windows. They saw a few burly men standing at the door. One of them was holding a dying girl in his hand, and there were several black-clad men lying on the ground. The sight scared the households into silence, and they quickly closed their doors and windows tightly.
That night, half of the capital could see the flames of Baoqing Tower by the Falling Moon Lake shooting into the sky. The fire burned from the first floor all the way to the third floor.
The raging flames lit up half of the sky, and the fire didn't go out until dawn.
The next day, all that was left in people's sight was a pile of blackened and unrecognizable beams, tiles, and walls.
Thus, all kinds of rumors spread like wildfire in the streets.
It was said that the emperor's uncle, Zhao Chuanyi, had offended a powerful figure he couldn't afford to mess with.
It was also said that someone had seen Zhao Chuanyi being beaten black and blue. Finally, he had escaped by jumping into the lake with a few of his confidants and managed to save his life.
It was also heard that the emperor was furious and had sent people to investigate the matter thoroughly. However, the group of perpetrators was elusive, and it was impossible to know where to start the investigation.
Wei Dongling didn't wake up until night. When she opened her eyes, she found herself lying in a strange room. There was also a woman sitting by the bedside whom she had never seen before.
"Water..." Wei Dongling's face was pale. Her throat was dry and painful, and she managed to squeeze out this single word.
The woman, who had been dozing off, heard her weak call. She opened her eyes, got up, and poured some warm water for Wei Dongling. She fed her with a spoon bit by bit.
This woman was in her thirties. Her features were delicate and three-dimensional, and her eyes were as black as ink. Although she was wearing a simple coarse cloth dress, it couldn't hide her graceful figure.
Wei Dongling moistened her throat. Her black eyes sparkled as she looked at the woman. She cleared her throat and asked, "Are you Uncle Li's wife?"
"Don't even dream!" The woman curled her lips and smiled, "Girl, lie down properly. I'll ask Brother Lang to come and see you." Saying that, she put down the bowl and left.
Wei Dongling was stunned. Could the Brother Lang she was talking about be Uncle Li?
Soon, Uncle Li came in response. There was a group of people following behind him. They surrounded Wei Dongling and sized her up from side to side as if she were a gorilla.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, the girl is awake?" Uncle Li's face was full of concern.
Wei Dongling looked at Uncle Li and forced a smile. She whispered, "Uncle Li, where have you been all this time? I was so worried about you."
"Hey, I went to pick up a few brothers." Uncle Li waved his hand and introduced to the others, "This girl is the daughter of my sworn brother. She's like my own daughter."
The group of people looked at Wei Dongling on the bed curiously and said in a hubbub, "Hey, Brother Lang's daughter is also our daughter!"
"That's right!"
Uncle Li glared at them and shouted, "Get out of here!" This made the group burst into laughter and scatter.
Uncle Li said to Wei Dongling, "Girl, these are my brothers from the frontier. We've gone through life and death together. They're all your uncles."
Wei Dongling's eyes were full of smiles. She nodded obediently and shouted, "Hello, uncles!"
Her voice was clear and sweet, which melted the hearts of these rough men. They responded one after another, "This girl is so cute!"
"Girl, take good care of your injuries!"
There was also an old man with white hair and beard who nodded and said, "Girl, if anyone bullies you, just tell Uncle. Uncle will teach them a lesson for you!"
Wei Dongling didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Before Uncle Li could object, a fat man with an oily face and a beer belly squeezed through the crowd. He took off a gold ring inlaid with jade from his fat finger full of gold rings and stuffed it into Wei Dongling's hand. He said with a big smile, "Girl, this is Uncle Lin's little gift as a token of our meeting. If you run out of money in the future, just come to Uncle!"
Wow! He's so generous! He's like a god of wealth!
Just as Wei Dongling was about to thank him, a group of people surrounded the god of wealth and shouted, "Second Brother Lin, we're also out of money!"
The fat Millionaire Lin pretended to be angry and mumbled, "Get out of here! Do you think you're all my girl?"
The group of people made a great commotion, and Wei Dongling was stunned.
Just then, the woman's thunderous voice sounded at the door, "What are you big men making such a racket for? The girl needs to rest. Get out of here quickly!"