The disciple from the Lingxiao Pavilion who suddenly emerged from the crowd circled the two burly men several times, his expression frivolous and his gaze gradually mocking.
The two men, sensing that the newcomer was not friendly, furrowed their brows deeply. The one supporting the other glared and shouted, "You brat, spinning around like that, making me dizzy. What do you want?"
The young man chuckled, stood before them, and scrutinized the "poisoned" man, saying, "Your face is quite pale, seems like you're deeply poisoned."
"Indeed," the burly man took the bait, his tone menacing. "If it weren't so, my brother and I wouldn't risk our lives coming here instead of seeking medical help, just to expose this unscrupulous shop owner so the neighbors would know his true nature and avoid buying rice from him in the future."
The shop owner's face turned pale, utterly clueless about their intentions. If they were here to extort money, he could understand, but their groundless accusations were baffling.
While pondering, Yang Kai softly asked, "Uncle He, have you offended anyone recently?"
The shop owner racked his brains and replied with a mournful expression, "No."
"Then has your rice shop hindered anyone's business?" Despite his youth, Yang Kai had seen much of the world's deceit and quickly considered this possibility.
"It's a small business, how could it obstruct anyone?" The shop owner shook his head repeatedly.
Strange! Yang Kai squinted at the scene, pondering the situation but still couldn't figure it out.
In the center, the young man from Lingxiao Pavilion suddenly sneered and shouted at the pale-faced man, "Take this!" He launched a swift Black Tiger Stealing Heart strike aimed at the man's chest.
Surprisingly, the lethargic and seemingly poisoned man, who had been groaning as if at death's door, agilely jumped back, demonstrating remarkable speed and agility.
With this movement, his pale face quickly regained color, becoming rosy.
The crowd gasped, clearly stunned by this sudden change.
"Poisoned, indeed," the young man from Lingxiao Pavilion mocked the two burly men, "and still with such agility. I'm impressed."
The two men, exposed and humiliated, alternated between pale and flushed faces, looking truly poisoned now.
The onlookers booed loudly. They weren't fools; it was now obvious that these two had come to falsely accuse the rice shop, only to be exposed by the young man from Lingxiao Pavilion.
The crowd's disdain for the two men and admiration for the young man grew. With his handsome appearance, the young hero's reputation was cemented.
Yang Kai vaguely sensed a double act being performed—a play of chivalry and justice followed by a return of gratitude. If he hadn't coincidentally seen them together in the alley earlier, he might have been deceived too.
But why were they causing such a commotion?
The two men, now unable to continue their act, glared viciously at the young man and said, "Who are you, boy? How dare you meddle in our affairs?"
The young man, dignified and poised, responded, "I am Su Mu, a disciple of the Lingxiao Pavilion!"
At the mention of Lingxiao Pavilion, one of the men appeared apprehensive, grudgingly saying, "So, you're a disciple of the Lingxiao Pavilion. No wonder you look like a dragon among men. Today we admit defeat, but remember this, boy, we'll meet again!"
Their words seemed rehearsed, making Yang Kai want to laugh.
Su Mu sneered, "Good riddance!"
At this juncture, if there were no unexpected changes, the two men would likely leave, and Su Mu would be lauded by everyone, especially the grateful shop owner.
But Yang Kai didn't want the shop owner to be kept in the dark. Before the two men could leave, he called out, "We can't let them go. These despicable characters falsely accuse honest merchants. Today it's the He family's rice shop; tomorrow it could be Liu's tailoring shop or Jiang's grocery store."
The onlookers, mostly nearby shop owners, were initially just watching the show. Hearing this, their hearts skipped a beat. How could they allow these despicable men to leave so easily? If they did, who would be next?
With this thought, the crowd, who had been ready to let them leave, stood their ground, glaring menacingly at the two men.
Yang Kai saw a flash of surprise and panic in Su Mu's eyes. At that moment, Su Mu looked in Yang Kai's direction, and their eyes met. Su Mu quickly composed himself.
Yang Kai smiled and urged, "Brother, they say a good deed should be done to the end. Why don't we capture these two together?"
Su Mu, seeing the frail-looking Yang Kai calling him brother and realizing his plan was disrupted, fumed, "Who's your brother?"
Yang Kai replied, "I am also a disciple of the Lingxiao Pavilion. I've been in the sect for over three years."
Su Mu was speechless; this was indeed his senior.
"Enough talk," Yang Kai stepped forward, righteous and dignified. "The most important thing for us in the martial world is righteousness. Upholding justice is our duty. Brother, we can't let you have all the glory. Let's capture these two together and restore justice for Uncle He and the town."
His words earned loud applause from the crowd. Su Mu, feeling trapped by his unknown senior, had no choice but to go along.
The two men also glanced over nervously. Su Mu, looking at them, felt a pang of guilt.
"Brother, let's go!" Yang Kai grabbed Su Mu's shoulder and charged forward.
What a situation! Su Mu wanted to cry. Who was this senior disrupting his plans? But with no other choice, he had to comply. As he rushed towards the two men, he signaled them to stay calm and promised to let them go at the right moment.
The two men nodded slightly. Yang Kai, observing everything, became more certain of his suspicions.
Uncle He, worried about Yang Kai, grabbed a weight and charged, shouting, "Neighbors, come help these two young brothers!"
With Uncle He leading, the shop assistant, who had been kicked earlier, also joined with an empty cloth bag, eager for revenge.
Following Uncle He, the crowd surged forward, making the scene in front of He's Rice Shop bustling and chaotic.
The two men, initially indifferent, turned pale seeing the scene. They barely had time to shout, "Not the face!" before crouching down, covering their heads.