Close to An Yuying, Luo Yang could smell the faint scent emanating from her delicate body.
Seeing her chest heaving rapidly was a sign that she couldn't calm down, so Luo Yang reassured her, "Sister An, please try to take a few deep breaths."
An Yuying did as instructed, and her breathing indeed normalized.
She was only twenty-two, about five foot seven, dressed in jeans, her legs round and lean, her hips round and perky—extremely enchanting. Light brown curly hair cascaded over her shoulders, adding a touch of sexiness, and paired with her fair skin, she was like a fairy maiden walking in the countryside.
Having regained some capacity to think, An Yuying said, "Niu Zai, what should we do now?"
She knew Xie Dongshan wouldn't let Luo Yang go, so the two of them were now on the same side.
Hearing her use the word "we," Luo Yang was somewhat surprised.
In the past, they would nod in greeting when they saw each other but didn't converse further. He hadn't expected the beauty to now be so close to him, soft as jade, which uplifted his spirits.
"I will handle him. Sister An, do you want to report him to the police?" Luo Yang said.
"This..." An Yuying hesitated.
She was worried because Xie Dongshan had an elder brother, Xie Dongyang, who was even more brutal than his brother. An Yuying feared that arresting Xie Dongshan would bring terrifying retribution from Xie Dongyang.
An Yuying was an only daughter. Her mother, Lin Jialan, was a teacher and the principal at the primary school of the Hongyun Brigade. If it weren't for the necessity of looking after her sick parents, she would have stayed and worked in the city.
The primary school had only about a dozen students, and with such low substitute teacher wages, no teacher from outside the area would come. An Yuying taught lower grades at the school, earning five hundred yuan a month. In her spare time, she grew vegetables to increase her income.
The place where she was standing was her vegetable garden.
Seeing An Yuying lost in thought, Luo Yang said, "I'll take you home first."
An Yuying nodded her head.
Thus, Luo Yang helped An Yuying walk toward the south of the village, where her home was located in the southern part of the Hongyun Brigade.
As they turned a corner, they saw the village doctor, Tang Guihua, limping out of her vegetable garden.
She, too, was one of the three renowned beauties of the Hongyun Brigade, twenty-three years old, about five foot seven, currently dressed in shorts and a tank top. Her clear-cut, chestnut-colored hair hanging straight down complemented her oval face beautifully.
Upon seeing Luo Yang, Tang Guihua exclaimed, "I've been bitten by a green bamboo snake on my thigh! Niu Zai, quickly take me to the village clinic."
Luo Yang and An Yuying hurried over to Tang Guihua, who stood by the gate of the vegetable garden's fence.
Checking Tang Guihua's thigh, they saw a small patch of skin turning from green to black.
Without getting closer to Tang Guihua, Luo Yang had already glanced through her body, and his eyes widened with excitement. He glimpsed her wound and knew how to treat it, as if he had been a doctor in a past life, with the memory lingering in this one.
Luo Yang then halted in his tracks, saying, "Sister Guihua, let me check your wound."
Tang Guihua snapped, "You are not a doctor, what's there to look at?"
She just wanted to get back to the clinic quickly to receive an antiserum.
"Sister Guihua, I can treat you," Luo Yang earnestly said.
"Treat your sister, I am a doctor myself, I don't need you treating me," Tang Guihua retorted angrily.
"Sister Guihua, I don't have a sister, only a little brother," Luo Yang indeed had a younger biological brother.
Listening to their banter, An Yuying urged Luo Yang to quickly take Tang Guihua back.
Luo Yang said, "I'm not lying. It will be quick; I just need to check and see what's wrong with you."
As he spoke, he crouched down to examine Tang Guihua's exposed thigh.
"The venom of the green bamboo snake isn't very strong. Just suck out the poison blood with your mouth. Then find some anti-venom herbs to chew up and apply on the wound," Luo Yang said while examining.
"Niu Zai, hurry and take me to the village clinic!" Tang Guihua urged.
"By the time we get to the clinic, the venom might have spread through your entire thigh. Let me suck out the poison blood. Sit down," Luo Yang said.
Helping Tang Guihua to sit down at the roadside, Luo Yang began to suck at the wound on her thigh.
He started by squeezing her thigh with both hands, then sucked forcefully, spitting out the extracted poison blood and saliva onto the grass.
After a few cycles, he had almost completely removed the snake venom.
"Hold on a second, I'll find some herbs to apply on it," Luo Yang said as he wiped his lips with his hand and bent down to look for herbs. He quickly found purple-flowered, detoxifying herbs a few steps away.
He went over, picked the herbs, chewed them in his mouth—experiencing a bittersweet taste—and turned them into a paste, which he then spat out and applied to Tang Guihua's wound.
"Sister Guihua, how does it feel now?" Luo Yang asked.
"Still a bit numb. It seems to be working! I can't believe you really know medical treatment!" Tang Guihua exclaimed in admiration.
"I know a little," Luo Yang modestly replied.
Seeing Tang Guihua trying to get up but struggling, Luo Yang quickly reached out to help her.
Earlier, she had been anxious because of the snake bite, and although she had seen Luo Yang with An Yuying, she hadn't thought much of it.
Now that she had regained her calm, she suddenly remembered the scene she had witnessed and, smiling, said, "Hey, were you two cuddling while walking just now? Are you dating?"
At this remark, An Yuying's cheeks instantly flushed.
Luo Yang then briefly recounted how Xie Dongshan had intended to harm An Yuying.
Upon hearing this, Tang Guihua immediately voiced her indignation on An Yuying's behalf, encouraging her, "Yuying, you can't pretend this didn't happen. Call the police right away. You must not condone such villains."
The difficulties involved were such that An Yuying felt it inappropriate to discuss them.
Luo Yang spoke on her behalf, and Tang Guihua was momentarily at a loss for words, not daring to casually urge An Yuying to call the police anymore.
Thinking about the enmity formed with the Xie brothers, even if An Yuying didn't call the police, the Xie brothers would likely come to seek revenge. The matter was simply very troublesome.
The more you tolerate villains, the more severe the consequences become.
After much thought, Luo Yang said, "Sister An, call the police. Don't let Xie Dongshan get away with this."
An Yuying voiced her worries, "If they..."
Luo Yang had already considered this layer.
"I'll protect you, I absolutely won't let Xie Dongshan and Xie Dongyang harm you," Luo Yang swore.
Having already witnessed Luo Yang's outstanding abilities, An Yuying knew he wasn't boasting.
Tang Guihua also advised, "Yuying, we will do our best to help you. When dealing with evil people, you mustn't be soft-hearted, otherwise, you will truly bring about much greater and more terrifying consequences."
Bowing her head to ponder for a while, An Yuying finally nodded and said, "Then I'll call the police! Niu Zai, you have to protect me in the future."
Luo Yang nodded emphatically.
As neither An Yuying nor Tang Guihua carried their cell phones, Luo Yang lent his phone to An Yuying.
Suddenly, An Yuxuan pointed behind Luo Yang, exclaiming, "Niu Zai, look! He's back again!"
Luo Yang turned to look and saw Xie Dongshan charging toward them from a distance, a thick-backed cleaver in hand, clearly seeking revenge.
When the Xie Family's Twin Demons decided to fight, even the biggest bully in the village, Lang Yifeng, would be somewhat fearful.
Seeing Xie Dongshan madly rushing over like a mad dog, Tang Guihua and An Yuying were so frightened that they turned pale, not knowing what to do. A cleaver is not tofu; a single strike could incapacitate you for half a year without killing you.
"Niu Zai, run!" An Yuying shouted.
"You two keep your distance, I'll handle him," Luo Yang instructed.
Tang Guihua's legs were still numb, and she couldn't move quickly; supported by An Yuying, they both retreated to the side.
"Niu Zai, run! You can't beat him!" Tang Guihua urged.
"I know what to do."
Luo Yang raised his hand in a "please don't say more" gesture, thinking since they had already antagonized the Xie Family's Twin Demons, it was either all or nothing. He might as well settle things now: first knock down Xie Dongshan, then deal with Xie Dongyang later.
He sidestepped a few steps, then pulled a stick less than 2 meters long from the fence around the vegetable garden. It was as thick as an arm, originally a pine branch, and still solid and usable.
Tang Guihua and An Yuying walked about a few dozen meters away, then stopped to watch how Luo Yang was dealing with the Xie Family's Twin Demons.
At that moment, the Xie Family's Twin Demons had already reached Luo Yang.
Xie Dongshan charged up, swinging his cleaver with lethal intent, definitely not holding back.
The sound of the cleaver whooshed, and its cold light flashed menacingly.
He had no formal training in swordsmanship, but with youthful strength, he was capable of achieving the feat of "an untrained boxer kills the master."
The pine stick in Luo Yang's hands was longer than the cleaver, which was an advantage. Though tense in his heart, he managed to hold his own by relying on the pine stick for protection.
The pine stick whirled through the air, creating a powerful, whistling wind.
Meanwhile, Tang Guihua and An Yuying were scared into continuous screams. An Yuying, trembling, made the police call.
In the initial stages of combat, Luo Yang was indeed slightly nervous, but after a few exchanges, his mind became clear and settled, and he quickly developed a strategy.
Seeing Xie Dongshan chop from the left, Luo Yang swung his stick to block and lift, knocking the cleaver away, then swept the stick horizontally across Xie Dongshan's head, sending him flying like a kite with its string cut, crashing to the ground unconscious.
Seeing Luo Yang knock down Xie Dongshan, Tang Guihua and An Yuying were both shocked and delighted, quickly returning to Luo Yang's side.
"Niu Zai, you're so amazing!" An Yuying praised sincerely.
"Niu Zai, there's almost no one in our village who dares to touch them. You are the bravest person I've ever seen!" Tang Guihua couldn't stop praising him.
"He's unconscious now but will wake up soon. I'll tie him up first."
Saying this, Luo Yang tossed aside the pine stick, went to Xie Dongshan's side, pulled off his T-shirt, tore it into two long strips, and tightly bound his hands.
Having done this, he then asked, "Sister An, did you call the police?"
An Yuying nodded, "I just did."
The police arrived at the scene quickly, awakened the still unconscious Xie Dongshan, took him into the police car, and asked Luo Yang and others to go and give a statement.
By the time they returned to the entrance of the Hongyun Brigade village, it was time for dinner.
Most of the villagers already knew about Luo Yang's struggle with Xie Dongshan. Usually, the villagers hated the Xie Family's Twin Demons, but they could only express their anger without taking action. Now that they heard Luo Yang had given Xie Dongshan a lesson, they were very happy, but they were also worried that Xie Dongshan's elder brother, Xie Dongyang, might seek revenge and were unsure how Luo Yang would handle it.
Being relatively close to Xie Dongyang, Tang Guihua's cousin Tang Weiqiang suggested, "Yuying, if you're really worried about Xie Dongyang seeking revenge, I could ask my cousin to invite Xie Dongyang to a meal. I'll host it and try to gauge his intentions, how about that?"
An Yuying looked at Luo Yang for his opinion, to which Luo Yang nodded and said, "Okay. That sounds good. If he doesn't hold a grudge over this, it'll put everyone at ease."
In the back of his mind, Luo Yang felt it might not work, but he couldn't give up without trying.