In the early afternoon of the third day of the lunar month, in a dilapidated thatched hut on the northern side of Muyang Town, Lu Sheng was resting on a wooden bed. His performance mishap two days ago had left his buttocks bruised, fortunately not broken, and a few days of rest should heal him.

　　"Dad, the meal is ready," his daughter Lu Ying said as she pushed open the door.

　　"My child, I need to go into the city to set up for our performance later. You're our main attraction, so you eat first," Lu Sheng replied.

　　Lu Ying's face flushed. "Dad, what are you saying?" she exclaimed, throwing down the bowl of rice and leaving the hut with tears in her eyes.

　　Wiping away her tears, she gathered fruit shells and tender grass to feed to the monkey nearby.

　　When she returned to the hut after feeding the animal, she saw that the food in the bowl had not been touched.

　　"Dad, the food will get cold if you don't eat. Let me feed you," she offered.

　　Lu Sheng, however, refused to let his daughter feed him and struggled to get up and eat by himself.

　　Seeing her father eating, Lu Ying went to fetch the leftovers for herself.

　　After finishing their meal and tidying up the dishes, they counted their earnings: a mere thirteen copper coins.

　　Gathering their performance props and leading the monkey, Lu Ying headed towards the town.

　　It was the same main street, the same spot in front of the Zhou Family Tavern, and the same venue.

　　Compared to her father, Lu Ying was a bit more reserved, which made her calls for attention softer and drew in fewer crowds. The novelty of their act had worn off after a few days, and most of the locals just passed by without stopping. Fortunately, there were still many travelers in the town, so they didn't go home empty-handed.

　　As the sky darkened, they packed up their things and left the town. Counting their earnings for the day, they had exactly twenty-three copper coins.

　　Lu Ying bought two warm flatbreads and filled two jugs with water from the river before heading home.

　　Seeing his daughter return safely, Lu Sheng's anxious heart finally settled. If it weren't for his injury, he would never have let his unmarried daughter go into the city alone.

　　As they ate their flatbreads, he asked about her performance and was relieved to hear that she hadn't encountered any trouble.

　　The night had fallen, and it was time to rest.

　　Just as they finished tidying up, a strong gust of wind blew, followed by dark clouds and thunder and lightning. The rain poured down like beans being dumped out of a jar.

　　The old thatched hut provided no shelter from the heavy rain, and most of the roof made of wooden boards had been blown away by the wind.

　　Lu Ying tightened her clothes and ran to her father's room.

　　"Dad, are you okay?" she asked.

　　"Child, I'm fine. You go find a place to shelter," he replied.

　　She looked around but couldn't find a dry spot. The only thing she was grateful for was that they were both unharmed. Suddenly, she remembered something and quickly ran out of the room.

　　Her worst fear had come true. The stake that had been securing the monkey had been uprooted by the wind, and the trained monkey was nowhere to be found.

　　She knew that for their performances in the city, more people came to see the monkey than her.

　　She wanted to go out and search for the monkey but was worried about leaving her father unattended. Lu Ying, caught in a dilemma, didn't know what to do.

　　She took shelter under two remaining wooden boards and wrung out the water from her clothes.

　　After an indeterminate amount of time, when the rain showed signs of letting up, two figures approached stealthily. One of them took out a flying stone and aimed it at her face.

　　Caught off guard, Lu Ying was hit and felt her head spinning. She quickly tried to find her performance props but could only grab an unsharpened short knife in the confusion.

　　She looked around but couldn't see anyone.

　　A voice came from inside the room: "Child, what's wrong?"

　　"Dad, go back inside!" she shouted.

　　Lu Sheng understood what was happening and picked up a wooden stick before stepping outside.

　　"Go back inside, child," he said.

　　It was dark and quiet, with the rain still pouring down, muffling all other sounds. Four more flying stones came flying towards them, two hitting Lu Sheng in the chest and face, and two hitting Lu Ying's arm.

　　A man wielding a steel knife approached them from the front, while another lurked in the shadows, ready to launch another attack.

　　The man came closer and said, "Miss, how about becoming a concubine for our Lord Hong? Accept, and you'll live; refuse, and you'll die."

　　The father and daughter finally understood the situation. "It's you again," they exclaimed.

　　"That's right. We've been looking for you for days, and finally found you. So, what's your answer?" the man demanded.

　　Lu Sheng would never sacrifice his daughter, and he attacked the man with his wooden stick, gritting his teeth.

　　However, he was at a disadvantage. First, he was injured. Second, the enemies were both visible and concealed, making them difficult to deal with. Third, they had a well-planned strategy.

　　After exchanging a few blows, he was hit twice in the shoulder by flying stones.

　　Lu Ying desperately swung her knife, but her training had only been in showmanship, and she was no match for real combat. After just a few exchanges, her weapon was taken from her.

　　"Child, run!" Lu Sheng shouted.

　　"No, Dad, I'm not leaving!" she replied.

　　"If you don't leave, we'll both die!" he insisted.

　　The man wielding the knife taunted them, saying, "For the last time, will you accept or not? Accept, and you'll live; refuse, and you'll die tonight."

　　Lu Sheng would never hand over his daughter to such a fate, and he attacked the man with renewed fury, shouting, "Bastards, I'll kill you!"

　　The man lurking in the shadows jumped into the courtyard, saying, "Brother, since he won't accept, why don't we both enjoy ourselves?"

　　Enraged, Lu Sheng attacked again, but his wooden weapon was no match for their sharp blades. After a few exchanges, his throat was slashed open.

　　Lu Ying screamed in horror, "Dad! Dad!" She turned to the two men with a look of despair and fury, shouting, "I'll kill you both!"

　　One of the men laughed and toyed with her, saying, "Who's going to save you now? It's just you and me in this rainstorm."

　　"Help! Help! Someone, please help me!" she cried desperately.

　　Just then, a tall figure jumped into the courtyard, standing in front of her. The man stood over eight feet tall, with a square face and a neatly trimmed red beard, visible in the flashes of lightning.

　　The two attackers were startled. "Who are you?" they demanded.

　　"Just another thief, like you," the man replied.

　　"So you're one of us..." one of them began.

　　But the tall man kicked one of them away, saying, "I'm not as rotten as you. I can't stand to see this."

　　The man who had been kicked picked himself up and charged at the tall man with his knife.

　　However, the tall man effortlessly took his weapon and stabbed him through the heart, following up by slitting the other man's throat.

　　After finishing them off, he found a small pit and washed his hands in the rainwater.

　　He turned to Lu Ying and said, "Miss, you're safe now."

　　Lu Ying heard him say that he was a thief, and she was so frightened that she hurriedly dodged.

　　The man understood what was going on, looked at the body on the other side and said, "Don't worry, I won't do anything to you. He must be your father." He took out five silver coins and said, "Go to the city tomorrow and buy a coffin to wrap it in." And he turned to go.

　　Lu Ying saw that he really did not mean anything, and hurriedly thanked him. After thanking him, she burst into tears.

　　At first, Lu Ying was scared of him because he had identified himself as a thief, but when she saw that he had no ill intentions, she quickly thanked him. Overcome with emotion, she began to cry.

　　The tall man considered leaving her alone in the wilderness, knowing it would be unsafe for her to encounter either thieves or wild animals. Since he had already intervened, he decided to help her until the end.

　　He disposed of the bodies of the thieves and wrapped Lu Sheng's body in a grass mat. Then he sat down on a nearby rock, intending to stay until morning.

　　After crying for what seemed like an eternity, Lu Ying finally exhausted her tears and walked over to him. "May I know your esteemed name, sir? I must repay you for your kindness. How can I ever repay you?" she asked.

　　The man thought for a moment and said, "Repayment? There's no need. I was once a thief myself. Let's just say I still have a conscience, so I helped you. As for my name, it doesn't matter if you know it. But since you ask, my name is Hao Yun. I'm from Hongsu.