且說北俠與倪忠等分別之後，竟奔霸王莊而來。
且说北侠与倪忠等分别之后，竟奔霸王庄而来。
Now, after the Northern Hero parted from Ni Zhong and the others, he made straight for Bawang Village.
更表前文。倪太守因見火光，倪忠情願以死相拚，已然迎將上去，自己只得找路逃生。誰知黑暗之中，見有白亮亮一條蚰蜒小路兒，他便順路行去。出了小路，卻正是大路。見道旁地中有一窩棚，內有燈光。他卻慌忙奔到跟前，意欲借宿。誰知看窩棚之人不敢存留，道：「我們是有家主，天天要來稽查的。似你夤夜至此，知道是什麼人呢？你且歇息歇息，另投別處去吧。省得叫我們跟著擔不是。」倪太守無可如何，只得出了窩棚，另尋去處。剛剛才走了幾步，只見那邊一片火光，有許多人直奔前來。倪太守心中一急，不分高低，卻被道埂絆倒，再也掙扎不起來了。此時火光業已臨近，原來正是馬強。
更表前文。倪太守因见火光，倪忠情愿以死相拼，已然迎将上去，自己只得找路逃生。谁知黑暗之中，见有白亮亮一条蚰蜒小路儿，他便顺路行去。出了小路，却正是大路。见道旁地中有一窝棚，内有灯光。他却慌忙奔到跟前，意欲借宿。谁知看窝棚之人不敢存留，道：「我们是有家主，天天要来稽查的。似你夤夜至此，知道是什么人呢？你且歇息歇息，另投别处去吧。省得叫我们跟着担不是。」倪太守无可如何，只得出了窝棚，另寻去处。刚刚才走了几步，只见那边一片火光，有许多人直奔前来。倪太守心中一急，不分高低，却被道埂绊倒，再也挣扎不起来了。此时火光业已临近，原来正是马强。
But let us go back to what came before. When Governor Ni saw the firelight, Ni Zhong was ready to fight to the death and went out to meet it, so the Governor had no choice but to look for a way to escape. In the darkness, as it happened, he saw a little path gleaming pale before him, narrow and winding as a centipede’s track, and he followed it. Where the path ended, he found himself on the high road. In a field beside the road stood a watchman’s shed with a lamp burning inside. He hurried up to it, meaning to ask for shelter. But the man watching the shed did not dare to keep him. “We’ve got a master, and he comes round every day to check on us. Turning up here in the dead of night like this — who knows what sort of man you are? Rest a little, then go and try somewhere else. Save us getting the blame on your account.” There was nothing Governor Ni could do but leave the shed and look for some other place. He had gone barely a few steps when he saw a blaze of firelight over there, and a crowd of men heading straight toward him. In his panic Governor Ni ran without heeding high ground or low, tripped over the ridge at the side of the road and fell, and struggle as he might he could not get up again. By now the firelight was close at hand — and it was none other than Ma Qiang.
只因惡賊等到三鼓之時，從內出來到了招賢館，意欲請太守過來，只見惡奴慌慌張張走來報道：「空房之中門已開了，那主僕二人竟自不知何處去了。」馬強聞聽，這一驚不小。獨有黑妖狐智化與小諸葛沈仲元暗暗歡喜，卻又納悶，不知何人所為，竟將他二人就放走了。馬強呆了半晌，問道：「似此如之奈何？」其中就有些光棍各逞能為，說道：「大約他主僕二人也逃走不遠，莫若大家騎馬分頭去趕，趕上拿回，再作道理。」馬強聽了，立刻吩咐備馬，一面打著燈籠火把，從家內搜查一番。卻見花園後門已開，方知道由內逃走。連忙帶了惡奴光棍等，打著燈籠火把，乘馬追趕，竟奔西北大路去了。追了多時，不見蹤影，只得勒馬回來。不想在道旁土坡之上，有人躺臥，連忙用燈籠一照，惡奴道：「有了，有了！在這裡呢。」伸手輕輕慢慢提在馬強的馬前。馬強問道：「你如何竟敢開了花園後門，私自逃脫了？」倪太守聽了，心中暗想：「若說出朱絳貞來，豈不又害了難女，恩將仇報麼？」只得厲聲答道：「你問我如何脫逃麼？皆因是你家娘子憐我，放了我的。」惡賊聽了，不由的暗暗切齒，罵道：「好個無知賤人！險些兒誤了大事。」吩咐帶到莊上去，眾惡奴擁護而行。
只因恶贼等到三鼓之时，从内出来到了招贤馆，意欲请太守过来，只见恶奴慌慌张张走来报道：「空房之中门已开了，那主仆二人竟自不知何处去了。」马强闻听，这一惊不小。独有黑妖狐智化与小诸葛沈仲元暗暗欢喜，却又纳闷，不知何人所为，竟将他二人就放走了。马强呆了半晌，问道：「似此如之奈何？」其中就有些光棍各逞能为，说道：「大约他主仆二人也逃走不远，莫若大家骑马分头去赶，赶上拿回，再作道理。」马强听了，立刻吩咐备马，一面打着灯笼火把，从家内搜查一番。却见花园后门已开，方知道由内逃走。连忙带了恶奴光棍等，打着灯笼火把，乘马追赶，竟奔西北大路去了。追了多时，不见踪影，只得勒马回来。不想在道旁土坡之上，有人躺卧，连忙用灯笼一照，恶奴道：「有了，有了！在这里呢。」伸手轻轻慢慢提在马强的马前。马强问道：「你如何竟敢开了花园后门，私自逃脱了？」倪太守听了，心中暗想：「若说出朱绛贞来，岂不又害了难女，恩将仇报么？」只得厉声答道：「你问我如何脱逃么？皆因是你家娘子怜我，放了我的。」恶贼听了，不由的暗暗切齿，骂道：「好个无知贱人！险些儿误了大事。」吩咐带到庄上去，众恶奴拥护而行。
It had happened like this. After waiting until the third watch, the villain had come out from the inner rooms to the Zhaoxian Lodge, meaning to invite the Governor over — when a vicious servant came rushing up in a fluster to report, “The door of the empty room is open, and master and man have gone, nobody knows where!” This gave Ma Qiang no small fright. Only Zhi Hua, the Black Fox, and Shen Zhongyuan, the Little Zhuge, were secretly glad — and puzzled too, for they could not guess who had gone and set the pair free. Ma Qiang stood dumbfounded a long while, then asked, “What are we to do now?” Some of the ruffians, each eager to show what he could do, said, “Master and man can’t have got far. The best thing is for all of us to ride out in different directions after them, catch them and bring them back, and then decide what to do.” At this Ma Qiang at once ordered the horses saddled, and meanwhile had lanterns and torches lit and the house searched. They found the back gate of the garden open, and knew then that the pair had escaped from inside. In haste he took his vicious servants and ruffians and, with lanterns and torches, rode out in pursuit, making straight down the high road to the northwest. They chased a long while without seeing a trace of them, and had no choice but to rein in and turn back. Who would have thought that on a bank of earth beside the road someone would be lying? They quickly held a lantern to him. “Here he is! Here he is!” cried a vicious servant, and reaching down, gently and slowly, he lifted him up and set him before Ma Qiang’s horse. “How did you dare open the back gate of my garden and steal away on your own?” asked Ma Qiang. Governor Ni thought to himself, “If I name Zhu Jiangzhen, won’t I be bringing disaster on that poor girl in her turn — repaying kindness with harm?” So he answered sternly, “You ask how I escaped? It was your lady wife who took pity on me and let me go.” At this the villain secretly ground his teeth. “The ignorant slut!” he cursed. “She very nearly wrecked everything.” He ordered him taken to the manor, and the vicious servants closed round him and marched him off.