Chapter 11: The Advocate’s Intervention

Oh, a public shaming right on the street—how utterly amusing…

The crowd turned their gaze towards the source of the voice.

A seemingly slender young man emerged from the throng, draped in a white, gold-embroidered long gown.

He held a golden nanmu folding fan and wore a smile that was seven parts playful mockery and three parts nonchalant ease.

With an air of calm, he approached He Junan and raised an arm to halt the burly man.

“My good fellow,” he interjected, “pray, show some mercy. Should a life be lost, and the Town Overseer be alerted, that would indeed be a grave misfortune.”

“Who are you?” Lin Shaodong demanded.

He Junan, as if his bones had turned to jelly, lay helplessly sprawled on the ground, utterly devoid of the strength to even stand.

“My apologies, but I am merely an obscure legal advocate. A prominent figure such as yourself, Young Master Lin, would likely never have heard of a humble person like me.”

“A legal advocate?”

“My surname is Gu.”

“Gu…” Lin Shaodong’s brow furrowed slightly.

“Could it be that you are the legendary King of Advocates from Heavenly Edict City, Gu Enting?”

Gu Enting offered a fawning smile, praising profusely as he drew closer to Lin Shaodong.

“Oh, Young Master Lin, I never imagined you possessed such extensive knowledge! To know even the name of a commoner like myself, that is truly remarkable!”

Upon hearing his name, Lin Shaodong’s expression shifted dramatically, like the turning of a page.

His previous roguish air vanished completely, replaced by an affable demeanor.

“My deepest apologies! So it is the esteemed Advocate Gu! I have long admired your reputation!”

“Oh, Young Master Lin, you are far too kind! What meager virtues do I, Gu, possess to warrant such high praise as ‘long admired your reputation’?”

The dying He Junan, mustering his last vestiges of strength, clutched Gu Enting’s ankle.

In a voice barely a whisper, he pleaded, “Help me…”

Gu Enting glanced down, his expression utterly unchanged, his eyes devoid of even a flicker of sympathy.

“Upon closer inspection, this little wolf-dog of yours seems to lack both qilin horns and a qilin tail. Are you a foreigner?”

Wǔ Xīyǔ rushed forward, attempting to help He Junan to his feet, but her strength proved insufficient.

She could only cradle his head in her lap.

“Junan, just hold on. I’ll find someone to take you to the medical clinic right away…”

“Now, now, you two,” Gu Enting chided, a scoff escaping him.

“You’ve angered Young Master Lin, and you still expect to walk away unscathed? Ha!

“Little wolf-dog, it’s not too late to admit your mistake. I’m sure a gentleman from a prominent family like Young Master Lin will be magnanimous and overlook this trivial matter.”

He Junan did not reply, but instead glared fiercely, returning the look with a menacing intensity.

“Tsk, a dog is a dog. Not only does it bite, but it also growls at people.”

Gu Enting swayed his folding fan.

“I ask you, with nothing but your word, you publicly accused Young Master Lin of offending your sister. Can you produce even a shred of concrete evidence to support this? You cannot!”

Without waiting for a reply, he continued with a rhetorical question, giving the other party no chance to argue.

“He didn’t see it, he didn’t see it, he, he, they all didn’t see it…”

As he spoke, he gestured vaguely to the surrounding crowd, as if performing a play.

“As the saying goes, ‘catch a thief with the stolen goods.’ Since you have no evidence, it’s as good as if the other person did nothing. To publicly slander someone’s good name on the street—you deserve to be beaten like this!”

No sooner had the words left his lips than He Junan seized his pant leg, pulling it with all his might.

Seeing this, Gu Enting remained unperturbed.

He bent down and deftly gave He Junan a sharp flick with his fan.

However, He Junan did not release his grip; instead, he pulled even harder.

“Oh, foreigner, I’m merely speaking justly. Must you be so utterly devoid of face?”

“Well said, Advocate Gu! Hahaha—” Lin Shaodong burst into hearty laughter.

“Truly worthy of the title King of Advocates from the capital! Every word you utter is sound, and listening to your counsel is like seeing the sun after the clouds part!”

“Advocate Gu, I beg you, please have mercy and help us…” Wǔ Xīyǔ pleaded, tears streaming down her face in desperation.

“Xiyu, go find Uncle Wu…”

“No, I can’t abandon you! We promised to be a family!”

“Stop the theatrics,” Gu Enting shrugged.

“No evidence means no evidence. More acting won’t change anything; the outcome will remain the same.”

“Exactly, exactly,” Lin Shaodong readily agreed.

“If you can’t produce evidence, then I, this young master, simply didn’t do it!”

At this moment, Gu Enting abruptly shifted his tone, turning to Lin Shaodong with a cheerful smile.

“Of course he can’t produce evidence, because Young Master Lin simply didn’t do it. After all, such brazen acts of harassing young women in broad daylight are the exclusive domain of spineless, immoral scoundrels.”

Upon hearing his words, Lin Shaodong’s triumphant smile instantly froze.

He then regarded Gu Enting with a peculiar look.

“As the saying goes, ‘man proposes, Heaven disposes.’ What good end awaits those immoral scoundrels who habitually commit heinous acts?

“Either their sons will suffer rotting anuses, or their daughters will have festering faces.

“Perhaps their parents will meet a gruesome end in an outhouse, and all their relatives, both close and distant, will perish violently in the streets.

“They’ll be reborn as maggots writhing in mud, living out their days in places hidden from light, only to be stepped on by a passerby and squashed into a puddle of foul pus. How truly pathetic—!”

“Advocate Gu, you, you, you! How can you utter such vile profanities? Have you said enough?”

After enduring this barrage of scathing curses, Lin Shaodong’s complexion abruptly turned a mottled black and green, his taut face devoid of any trace of a smile.

“Oh, Young Master Lin, I was cursing those immoral scoundrels who commit evil deeds. Why has your complexion turned so poor?”

“I merely believe… that openly uttering such vulgar and distasteful words in the middle of the street is an utter disgrace to refined society.”

“Young Master Lin is indeed a scion of a noble family, truly learned and reasonable! I, Gu, am truly ashamed of my inferiority!”

Gu Enting maintained his initial smile throughout.

“I shall now retire to a secluded spot and employ my lifelong learning to curse for several hours, using even more cutting words to revile them from their eighteenth generation of ancestors all the way to their descendants.”

As he spoke, he once again engaged with the surrounding crowd.

“By the way, everyone, how about we all join in the cursing?”

“Alright—”

Lin Shaodong detected the hidden malice beneath Gu Enting’s smile.

His face darkened as he questioned in an aggressive tone, “Advocate Gu, you just stated that if there’s no evidence, it means I, this young master, did not commit the act. Does that still hold true?”

“Of course.”

“Then, in your opinion, how should this young man compensate me for publicly slandering me on the street?”

“In my humble opinion…” Gu Enting stroked his chin.

“I offer a rather impartial suggestion: you could simply act as if nothing happened.”

“As if nothing happened?” Lin Shaodong’s brows knitted together involuntarily.

“You, Gu! I am the victim, yet you refuse to seek compensation for me. Have you perhaps cursed yourself into a daze?”

“I, Gu, am rather unclear as to what kind of compensation you desire.”

Lin Shaodong, his face stern, pointed a finger at He Junan, making an impolite demand.

“This fellow provoked me first and struck first! Just look at my handsome nose, it nearly suffered a terrible fate! A few hundred ingots of imperial silver for compensation would not be excessive.”

“A few hundred ingots of imperial silver…” Gu Enting calculated on his fingers.

“Continue, and I’ll help you tally the sum.”

“Given his utterly destitute appearance, he certainly won’t be able to produce that much money.

“So, why not have his sister serve as a personal attendant in my Lin Estate, until he earns enough to redeem her and allow her to leave? What do you think of that?”

Gu Enting spontaneously clapped his hands.

“I never imagined Young Master Lin to be so understanding of human nature, even granting him ample time to repay his debt! Truly, you are a paragon of morality, rarely seen in a thousand years in our Great Huangxia!”

“You…” Upon hearing this, He Junan immediately showed his displeasure, yet no matter how he struggled, he couldn’t muster any strength.

“Little wolf-dog, you’re so severely injured, just keep quiet and listen to us chat!”

Gu Enting displayed a fleeting, helpless smile.

“By the way, Young Master Lin, if I, Gu, recall correctly, you once mentioned that this young lady is a woman from a house of pleasure. Do you still remember saying that?”

“Yes,” Lin Shaodong replied nonchalantly.

“Just look at this little beauty; she’s so stunningly attractive. How could she possibly be born of an ordinary family? She must be a courtesan who escaped from the Yanhua Pavilion!”

No sooner had the words left his lips than Gu Enting, without a change in expression or a flicker of his heart, retorted, “Your mother is the madam of the Yanhua Pavilion, isn’t she?”

“What did you say?!” Lin Shaodong’s eyes immediately widened at his words, and he instinctively clenched his fists.

“You rotten advocate! If you’ve got the guts, say that again, and I’ll rip your filthy mouth to shreds!”

“Everyone heard it. Young Master Lin wants me to repeat it, so I shall repeat it: Your mother is the madam of the Yanhua Pavilion, isn’t she?”

“You!!!”

As Lin Shaodong raised his hand, Gu Enting quickly recoiled, creating distance between them.

“Young Master Lin, why have you suddenly resorted to violence? Can you not persuade with reason?”

“How dare you curse my mother…”

“Then how dare you claim that young lady is from a house of pleasure?”

“Hmph, judging by this woman’s exquisite beauty and appearance, she is certainly no ordinary person. I, this young master, absolutely refuse to believe she’s a common village girl!”

“I, Gu, find your appearance exceptionally lewd, with a dark mark between your brows indicating ill fortune. Your conduct is vulgar and beneath others, making you truly the lowest of the low, akin to a pimp in a house of pleasure. From this, I deduced that your mother might be a madam. Does that make sense?”

“Hahahaha—” The surrounding onlookers couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

“You foul advocate! You dare to publicly insult my mother? You seek death—!!!”

Without a second thought, Lin Shaodong raised his arm and threw a straight punch at him.

However, Gu Enting seemed to have anticipated his move, calmly retreating a few steps backward.

“Young Master Lin, when there’s reason, one should speak with reason. What kind of ability is it to resort to violence?”

“You insult my mother; this is simply going too far! My striking you is an act of protecting my kin!”

“Hahahaha…” Gu Enting suddenly threw his head back and laughed heartily.

“Young Master Lin speaks truly. Your furious punch at me just now was an act of protecting your kin, which, to put it plainly, is simply human nature and social custom.

“Think about it, everyone: I slandered Young Master Lin’s mother and nearly received a beating from him. But just now, he pointed at a young lady from a respectable family and slandered her. Is it then not permissible for her own kin to protect her?”

“This…” Lin Shaodong found himself ensnared by the logic, momentarily speechless, unsure how to respond.

“Could it be that within this Moxuan Market Town, Young Master Lin permits only members of the Lin family to experience the vicissitudes of life, while all others, in your eyes, are mere beasts incapable of human emotion?”

“You foul advocate…”

“Well said—!!!” The surrounding onlookers burst into applause.

Gu Enting unfurled his folding fan, revealing four boldly calligraphed characters: ‘Eloquent as a Rushing River.’

“Young Master Lin, do you concede, or shall we continue our public debate on the street?”

“You rotten advocate, I don’t see you as ‘Eloquent as a Rushing River’ at all, but rather as having a glib tongue!”

“Tsk,” Gu Enting clicked his tongue, then flipped his fan over, revealing four large characters on the back: ‘Glib-Tongued.’

“‘Glib-Tongued,’ I have that too. Surprised?”

“You, you, you…”

Lin Shaodong was so enraged he could barely speak.

Just as he was about to retort, a thought secretly crossed his mind: ‘Debating with an advocate—isn’t that just seeking my own demise?’

His servant, guilt-ridden, timidly asked in a voice barely audible, “Young Master, what… what should we do?”

“How utterly unlucky to encounter such a fellow! Let’s go—!”

Just as Lin Shaodong turned to leave, Gu Enting stepped forward and blocked his path, asking with a cheerful smile, “Have you perhaps forgotten something?”

“You foul advocate, what exactly do you want? Are you going to publicly curse my father now?”

“I recall that when I initially suggested dropping the matter, Young Master Lin adamantly refused. How is it that now you’re not discussing compensation but are instead in a hurry to flee?”

Lin Shaodong swallowed, then with a trembling hand, unfastened a heavy money pouch from his waist and tossed it to Gu Enting.

“This is all I have on me!”

With that, he and his subordinates slunk away.

Gu Enting caught the flying money pouch steadily, weighed it a few times, and muttered under his breath, “Truly a local tyrant, carrying so much money when out and about—richer than my own wife!”

Once Lin Shaodong and his group departed, the curious onlookers also dispersed.

Gu Enting, tucking the money pouch away, ambled over to the two, casually tossing the pouch at Wǔ Xīyǔ’s feet.

“Little wolf-dog, remember to keep your composure in the future. Don’t go biting people indiscriminately before you’ve clearly distinguished friend from foe.”

He Junan, still weak, managed a faint, “Thank you…”

“Thank you, Advocate Gu…” Wǔ Xīyǔ wiped away her tears, nodding her head repeatedly in gratitude, almost to the point of kneeling and kowtowing.

The corners of Gu Enting’s lips curved slightly.

He half-squatted and lightly tapped He Junan’s face with his folding fan, a strange glint seemingly in his eyes.

“Foreigner, someone with your appearance is quite rare. I’ve only seen it once in my life.”

Upon hearing this, He Junan’s eyes immediately lit up.

Mustering all his strength, he eagerly asked, “You’ve seen someone like me?”

“I have,” Gu Enting nodded.

“Do you wish to know?”

He Junan nodded slightly without hesitation.

“I won’t tell you!”

“You…”

“Alright, let’s get you to the medical clinic first; we can talk about other things later. A moment’s delay, and you might just meet your ancestors.”

With that, Gu Enting tucked his fan into his waist.

He placed one hand on He Junan’s side, and with the other, he grasped He Junan’s arm, looping it around his own neck.

Wǔ Xīyǔ followed suit, and together, they strained to lift him… but failed.

“Hey, I never would’ve guessed you were this heavy!”

He Junan managed a weak chuckle.

“You’re just too weak…”

Gu Enting’s expression changed instantly, and he immediately released his grip, letting He Junan fall to the ground.

“Junan!”

“Hiss—”

“Little wolf-dog, is your mouth still so insolent? Do you feel the pain now?”

“You truly are ruthless…”

Ignoring him, Gu Enting slowly walked to the center of the main street, clapped his hands loudly, and called out, “This young lady is willing to offer one ingot of imperial silver as a reward! Which brave man can help carry this gravely injured young brother to the Heavenly Dao Medical Clinic? That ingot of imperial silver will be yours!”

As soon as they heard about the money, several strong, burly men rushed from every corner of the street.

Even the pork butcher nearby dropped his work and hurried over.

Gu Enting raised an eyebrow, remarking triumphantly, “Learn this trick: it’s called ‘money makes the mare go’!”

Thus, Wǔ Xīyǔ watched, dumbfounded, as a group of robust men steadily lifted He Junan and marched in unison towards the medical clinic.

The scene bore a striking resemblance to… a Ghanaian pallbearer dance.

“Why are you standing there gawking?” Gu Enting kindly prompted.

“Hurry and follow them.”

“Thank you, Advocate Gu!” After a brief farewell, Wǔ Xīyǔ quickly followed, appearing petite and adorable like a small pet in contrast to the burly men.

Just then, Gu Enting suddenly noticed what appeared to be two figures standing on a nearby rooftop, cloaked in black.

They wore bamboo hats, completely obscuring their faces.

One figure was powerfully built, carrying a heavy greatsword on their back, while the other was comparatively slender, with a three-foot azure sword at their waist.

He blinked, and the figures on the rooftop vanished, as if they had been an illusion.

‘I haven’t been sleeping well lately; even my eyesight is failing me…’