Chapter 784 — Sister Xiaoke

Just as Yu Xiaoke's stretcher was about to be lifted into the ambulance, she sprang off it in one leap and waved at Qiu Lingshan. "Bye-bye, Sister Lingshan! I'm off!"

The ambulance stood outside the police cordon, so hardly any officers were still posted beside it; the few who remained were there to assist the medics, and none of them had remotely expected that these seriously injured prisoners might get up and run.

"Yu Xiaoke! Stop right where you are!" Qiu Lingshan's nose was practically twisted with rage. The girl was too cunning by half — she had been feigning unconsciousness all along, waiting until Qiu Lingshan's guard was down before bolting from the stretcher!

And by now it was plainly too late to catch her. Yu Xiaoke might be wounded, but her qinggong was no empty boast! Qiu Lingshan rather regretted that the palm strike had been too light, that she had not left Yu Xiaoke gravely injured and so given her this opening.

In truth, Qiu Lingshan had misread the situation. Yu Xiaoke's injuries were in fact severe: a palm strike from a Huang-rank expert, even one not delivered with full force, is more than an ordinary person could withstand. The reason Yu Xiaoke could still rise and flee despite her wounds was a conviction burning inside her — she must not be caught by Qiu Lingshan. If she were caught and sent to prison, that in itself did not much matter, but what would become of the children at the orphanage?

So even if it killed her, Yu Xiaoke would grit her teeth and escape back. On her shoulders rested the food, clothing, shelter, and travel of every child in the orphanage; her responsibility and burden were too great to permit the slightest slip.

"Sister Lingshan, till we meet again!" Though her expression was pained, her voice was cheerful. She had once again successfully escaped Qiu Lingshan's pursuit.

"Yu Xiaoke, you just remember this! Next time I won't stop until I beat you to death!" Qiu Lingshan was beside herself with fury, glaring at Yu Xiaoke and speaking through clenched teeth.

Yu Xiaoke did not argue with her. She knew her own condition well enough: her injuries were grave, and she was now running toward the orphanage purely on clenched teeth and sheer conviction.

Wei Zhao felt a faint stir in his heart and said to Qiu Lingshan, "I'll follow and take a look."

"You can catch her?" Qiu Lingshan brightened at his words, thinking Wei Zhao meant to help her capture Yu Xiaoke.

"I'm not going to catch her. She's in a bad way — I'm afraid you've beaten her to death." With that, Wei Zhao set off after her.

Qiu Lingshan stamped her foot in anger. It looked for all the world as though Wei Zhao could catch Yu Xiaoke if he chose, yet he deliberately would not, and instead meant to go and check on her injuries!

But she had no way to interfere in Wei Zhao's affairs. Angry as she was, Qiu Lingshan did not dare raise any objection with him.

Wei Zhao followed Yu Xiaoke stealthily and saw her running in the direction of the shantytown. He had to admit that her speed was truly remarkable; had he not already advanced to the Xuan rank and been adept at winning by speed, he could hardly say whether he would have been able to keep up with her.

Yu Xiaoke's figure flew swiftly along; in the blink of an eye she had passed through the shantytown and reached a dilapidated courtyard. She pushed the gate open and went in — perhaps the flight had drained the last shred of strength from her whole body, for the moment she crossed the threshold she collapsed to the ground and could not rise again.

Wei Zhao silently admired her endurance. To have run such a distance and still mustered her last breath to reach this place was truly admirable.

It was a very old courtyard. Above the gate hung a wooden board, white background with black characters, but it was so ancient that it had weathered beyond recognition; only a few characters could be made out, and one had to look closely to decipher the eight words: "Shantytown Private Orphanage."

An orphanage after all? Seeing the sign, most of Wei Zhao's doubts about Yu Xiaoke melted away. Now he could be virtually certain — a hundred percent certain — that everything she had said was true.

Only, the orphanage was so run-down that Wei Zhao could not help but be moved.

Wei Zhao hurried after her, came to Yu Xiaoke's side, bent down, and reached out to examine her injuries.

"Who are you? Let Sister Xiaoke go!"

"Bad man! Get away from Sister Xiaoke!"

Suddenly a crowd of children came running out of the only red-brick house in the courtyard and surrounded Wei Zhao, unwilling to let him near Yu Xiaoke.

"Sister Xiaoke, what's wrong? Boo-hoo... Sister Xiaoke, why are you spitting blood?" One little girl caught sight of the fresh blood at the corner of Yu Xiaoke's mouth and burst into frightened tears.

The other boys who had come along, meanwhile, were glaring at Wei Zhao. "Who are you? Why did you hurt Sister Xiaoke?"

Wei Zhao had not expected his well-meant action to be so misunderstood by these children, but he did not hold it against them. They were young and knew no better; seeing Yu Xiaoke lying there on the ground, they had naturally taken him for the villain who had hurt her.

One thing, though, Wei Zhao could see clearly: the bond between these children and Yu Xiaoke ran deep. Which meant that what Yu Xiaoke had said before was all true as well. Her stealing money had most likely been for the sake of these children — for this orphanage!

"What are you all doing? Get back inside, every one of you!" An authoritative voice rang out. Wei Zhao looked up and saw an old woman of past fifty emerging from the red-brick house. She came quickly to stand before Wei Zhao, glanced at Yu Xiaoke on the ground, then looked at Wei Zhao, and a flicker of something complicated crossed her face.

"Director, this man is a terrible villain — he's the one who hurt Sister Xiaoke!"

"Sister Xiaoke is coughing up blood! Let's call the police and have him arrested!"

"Quiet, all of you! Get back inside!" the old woman they called Director barked sternly at the pack of children. "There's nothing for you here. Go back and read your books!"

"But Director, Sister Xiaoke is coughing up blood... wahhh..." The youngest girl was crying and refused to leave.

"What? Have my words stopped counting for anything? All of you, get back inside!" As the old woman scolded the little girl, she pulled her firmly to her side so she could not get near Wei Zhao, then addressed one of the older boys. "Xiao Ken, take your brothers and sisters back inside!"

The boy called Xiao Ken glanced at Yu Xiaoke on the ground, worried, but he did not dare defy the Director. Only then did he gather the children and lead them back into the red-brick house.