As Zhang Xiaohua's helpless tears fell on the dusty ground, the 13-year-old's heart stirred up raging waves. He had no time to consider the treacherousness of human hearts, the ugliness of the world, and had no heart to blame others for their weakness and indifference. All he had was the hope for power, hoping to use his own strength to protect his family, and prevent these dog-like villains from bullying them. The punches and kicks that fell on his loved ones were like the plow of a cultivator, planting a seed in his immature heart, making it stronger and more determined.
Two village women rushed over, crying, trying to separate the family servants who were beating Zhang Cai and others, but were stopped by two young masters. There were more spectators than people watching a show, but none dared to speak up in anger. The world fell silent, only the sound of fists and kicks, crying women, and the laughter of the rogues could be heard. The sun began to set.
At this moment, a soft and pleasant female voice floated over from the high wall behind Zhang Xiaohua: "A bunch of things that rely on the power of others, Senior Brother, if you don't do something now, these people will be seriously injured by a group of dogs."
Then a man's voice followed: "Junior Sister, you have a gentle heart. I'll go down and beat the dogs."
As soon as the voice fell, a figure jumped down from the high wall and casually landed behind the evil servants. Without any apparent effort, he grabbed two people with both hands, and threw them to the ground. Then, he flew up, and with a few light "pats", he knocked down the other few as well. The evil servants fell to the ground motionless, not knowing if they were dead or alive. Zhang Cai's family of three, with curled-up bodies and faces covered in blood and dirt, painfully struggled to get up.
It was only then that everyone saw a young man in his twenties dressed as a scholar in white clothes, with a treasured sword in hand. As the scholar glanced at Zhang Xiaohua, the two villains holding him down hastily let go, shrinking back to the side. While crying, Zhang Xiaohua tried to help her father and brother up, then bent down to check their injuries. The two young masters who had been harassing the women paused their actions, and didn't dare to stop the village women from running over to check on Zhang Xiaolong's wounds.
The black-clad bodyguard stepped forward, stared at the scholar for a while, and said with a fist: "May I ask, Little brother, which sect are you from? Evil Tiger Group's Zhao Quansheng wishes to know your name."
Unfortunately, the scholar ignored him and looked towards the high wall, not saying a word. It was then that everyone noticed a woman dressed in a purple dress standing gracefully on the high wall. Her figure was tall and curvy, but her face was covered by a veil, preventing anyone from seeing her real appearance. However, her lofty stance made her seem unapproachable. The woman in the purple dress leaped down from the wall and walked to the white-clothed scholar with light steps, standing shoulder to shoulder with him, not saluting, but her sweet voice rang out again:
"Evil Tiger Group, such a big name, just used to bully men and oppress women, huh? I don't know how Situ Yu manages it."
When Zhao Quansheng first heard this, his face became very unpleasant, and his hand gripping the knife tightened. However, when he heard the last part, his face changed dramatically, and the knife was released from his grip. As soon as the woman finished speaking, he saluted her respectfully and said: "I am a disciple of the Black Tiger Hall, instructed by the Hall Master to protect the son of the town's master. If the young lady is acquainted with my Gang Leader, please forgive any offense."
"Acquainted with your Gang Leader? Heh, you sure know how to change your tune. We've been watching your behavior here for a while, and although you didn't act due to your duty, you may still be guilty by association. As for those two dog heads you're protecting, they oppress the common people and take advantage of women. I've long been fed up with their behavior. If I don't teach them a lesson, who knows how many lives they'll ruin in the future?" the white-clothed scholar said with a smile.
Upon hearing this, Zhao Quansheng frowned and said loudly: "Although you're old acquaintances of our Gang Leader, you intervene in our gang's affairs without revealing your identity. Forgive me, but I cannot comply."
At these words, the woman burst into laughter and said: "You dog, you dare to quibble! If I don't teach you a lesson, you won't be contented!" After saying this, she took a step forward.
The white-clothed scholar quickly stopped her, whispering: "Junior sister, it's New Year, we're here to watch the show. If we act rashly and draw blood, it wouldn't be auspicious. Besides, we still have other matters."
"But look how detestable these two dog heads are, and how pitiful the brave villagers are after being beaten by them. If we don't seek justice for them, I won't rest easy!" the woman in the purple dress said with determination.White-robed Scholar pondered for a moment and said, "Junior Sister, you don't know much about the wickedness of this world. Today, although we punished these bullies and vented their anger, we won't stay here for long. Once we leave, these bullies will take their anger out on the villagers and retaliate maliciously. Isn't our kindness rewarded with ungratefulness and bringing misfortune upon these innocent villagers?"
The Purple-robed Woman immediately grew angry and said in a stern voice, "I don't believe it. What kind of power do these bullies in this remote small town have? If they don't stop, I'll tell my uncle to send troops to put an end to this place!"
These words were loud enough for the bodyguards in strong attire to hear, causing their hearts to tremble. They knew this was not a lie and feared that their mismanagement would bring disaster upon themselves. They immediately approached the pair again, speaking gently, "Both of you young heroes, today Zhao had made a mistake and I apologize once more. I will persuade the two young masters. Please tell us where you come from, so we can turn enmity into friendship. After all, everyone in Rivers and Gardens is just trying to make a living."
Purple-robed Woman pondered her companion's words and found some truth in them, then listened to Zhao Quansheng's surrender and turned around ignoring him to check on Zhang Cai and others' injuries. The White-robed Scholar took out a small token from his bosom and handed it to Zhao Quansheng. Upon receiving the object, Zhao looked at it closely, then carefully handed it back with both hands and retreated to the two short fat men who were looking helpless. After whispering something into their ears, the two men's faces became even more difficult to look at, even turning somewhat pale. Trembling, they walked to the White-robed Scholar, bowed their heads and apologized as the scholar smiled and shook his head, gesturing towards the Purple-robed Woman. They reluctantly walked to the purple-robed woman and begged for mercy. But she was indifferent and showed no signs of relenting.
Seeing that their attempts were in vain, the two short fat men cleverly turned to Zhang Cai's family and the village girls, asking for their forgiveness. The villagers, who lacked the worldly sophistication, seemed to soften their stance after hearing the fat men's pleas. Only Zhang Xiaohua remained cold and indifferent. The village girl glanced at Zhang Cai, and he nodded his head before addressing the Purple-robed Woman, "Sister, what do you think...?" The Purple-robed Woman replied, "You don't have to look to me. I'll listen to you. However, these two fat men may be forgiven for their capital crime, but their lesser crime is inevitable. Let them give you two hundred taels of silver to treat your injuries. You two, never dare to mess with them again, or else I'll end your lives." The two fat men rejoiced in their hearts and promised not to repeat their mistakes. They quickly took out a few silver banknotes from their bosom, not bothering to count them, and stuffed them into Zhang Cai's hand. Then, without daring to leave, they eagerly watched the purple-robed woman until she said, "Get lost." They finally sneaked away, with the black-clad bodyguards in tow.
When they returned to the White-robed Scholar without saying anything, he went to the fallen guards, kicked each one, and prompted them to stand up and gather around the two short fat men. Seeing the situation resolved, Zhao Quansheng didn't dare say more, saluted the pair with his hands, and quickly left with his group.
After they left, the nearby onlookers who had been watching came closer but still did not dare to approach the young man and woman. The White-robed Scholar walked to Zhang Cai and the others and asked, "Can you still walk?"
Zhang Cai replied, "Benefactor, yes, we can."
White-robed Scholar said, "Then let's leave this place first. Keep the silver banknotes safe, and we can talk outside the town."
Upon finishing, he and the Purple-robed Woman led the way out of Lu Town, followed by Zhang Xiaohua and the two village girls who each assisted someone.
The odd group of Zhang Cai and others drew the curiosity of the crowd. The two young men and women in front wore elegant clothes, one wearing a veil, while the others were obviously villagers. Among them, three had swollen faces, tattered clothes, and uncleaned blood on their faces. The teenager, although less severely injured than the others, had a swollen cheek, cracked corners of his mouth, and dirty clothes. Although everyone's eyes were fixed on their backs, no one dared to question or follow them, especially when they saw the swords in the hands of the young man and woman.
Half a mile east of Lu Town was a small stream, where Zhang Cai and the others stopped. The well-dressed man and woman walked under a tree by the stream, while Zhang Cai and the others went to the stream to clean the blood and dirt from their faces and bodies. Fortunately, the guards had not used weapons during the conflict, so though they were heavy-handed, Zhang Cai and the others suffered no serious injuries, except for Zhang Xiaolong's arm, which had been trampled multiple times, likely fractured, but they were unaware of any internal injuries.
Zhang Cai's family finished cleaning up and went under the tree with the two village girls. Zhang Cai bowed and said, "Benefactor, may I ask your names? You saved our lives, please accept our gratitude." He was about to bow down when the White-robed Scholar hurriedly grabbed Zhang Cai's arm, saying, "I am ashamed. Please don't call me benefactor anymore. My name is Wen Wenhai. You acted with righteousness and bravery, regardless of your own lives to help others, setting an example for everyone. Let me see your injuries first."
After saying this, Wen Wenhai took Zhang Cai and the others by the hand, frowning and deep in thought without speaking.