Chapter 9: Chasing and Beating Them Like Dogs
Bai Zhi was facing Liu. When she saw Liu grab a weapon and charge over, she immediately bent down, picked up the laundry stick from the ground, and swung it. Liu’s attention was fixed on Mrs. Zhao, so she didn’t see Bai Zhi pick up the stick, much less expect the always-submissive girl to strike her. The blow slammed into her body, making her shriek in pain.
"So you feel pain, too? Before my mother got back, how many times did you hit me with this stick? Have you even kept count?" When she first woke up, her whole body had ached as if it were about to fall apart. Exerting herself now only made the pain worse.
"You dare defy me! Watch me beat you to death today." Liu had never suffered such a loss in her entire life. First, she’d been slapped by Mrs. Zhao, and now this little bitch was hitting her with a stick. It was an utter humiliation.
But Bai Zhi was no pushover. Though she had only been a doctor in the 23rd century, she had a wide range of hobbies: Judo, Taekwondo, Sanda—she was proficient in all of them. Even if her current body lacked strength, it had agility on its side, which was more than enough to handle a brute like Liu.
Mrs. Zhao had been about to help, but she saw that Bai Zhi seemed to be handling it with ease. Not a single one of Liu’s broom strikes landed on her; instead, Bai Zhi’s stick rained down on Liu, making her howl incessantly.
The old woman had gone into the inner room, but when she heard Liu start howling again, she rushed back out. The sight of her eldest daughter-in-law being chased and beaten by that little bitch Bai Zhi made her so shocked her eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
Liu was usually such a formidable person, one who would never let herself be disadvantaged in the slightest, yet today she was being chased and beaten by a little girl like a dog.
The old woman found a stick in the courtyard and charged forward to help Liu. Bai Zhi had long since taken a disliking to this old woman; more than half the injuries on her body were the old woman’s handiwork. ’If I don’t pay her back a little, won’t I have suffered for nothing?’
At this thought, she simply lifted her foot and kicked Liu to the ground. Freeing up her hands, she gave the old hag a solid whack with the stick. Of course, being a doctor, she knew exactly where to hit a person to inflict severe pain without it being fatal.
The old woman never imagined this girl would dare to strike not only her Aunt, but her own grandmother as well. Good heavens, the stick came down on her again and again, the pain so intense she nearly fainted several times. Yet, just as she was about to pass out, the girl would pinch her, forcing her awake. It was a fate worse than death.
Zhao Lan watched the scene unfold. Though shocked, she said nothing to stop it. She knew how much Zhi’er had suffered in this family, how she had nearly died at their hands. If she wasn’t pushed to the point of extreme fury, she would never resort to violence. ’But when did Zhi’er’s moves become so sharp?’
"Alright, alright, that’s enough! Stop, or someone will get killed." The village chief came in from outside, shouting at Bai Zhi. He had actually been there for a while but had deliberately not come in, wanting the two vicious women of the Bai Family to suffer a bit. Still, this girl, Zhi, had truly made him see her in a new light.
Hearing the village chief, Bai Zhi finally stopped swinging the stick. Her arm was sore and aching. She tossed the laundry stick to the ground, shot them a cold glance, and said flatly, "Remember this. From now on when you see me, Bai Zhi, you walk the other way."
The old woman pointed at Bai Zhi, stammering, "You... you... you..." several times, unable to form a complete sentence. She finally turned to the village chief. "Village Chief, you saw it! This girl is completely defiant and lawless! Daring to beat us nearly to death in broad daylight! I’m reporting this to the officials! I want her thrown in jail!"