At this moment, the first one who had been injured due to the young man's first move being somewhat tense and nervous, not being severely wounded, let out groans and crawled up from the ground. Before he even stood up, he started bellowing:
"Who is it?! Which good-for-nothing scoundrel launched a sneak attack on me!"
"Your mother has sores on her feet, how dare you defy the authority right above your head..."
Upon finishing his sentence and taking a closer look, he only saw his brothers lying on the ground, wailing to the skies. His heart tightened, and upon seeing the young man in blue, though his face was delicate and handsome, the overwhelming and powerful aura almost hit him in the face. He couldn't help but feel the urge to retreat, but when he noticed the local villagers all around, he realized he couldn't let a young boy scare him away without losing face. Grinding his teeth, he swiftly pulled out a gleaming dagger from his bosom and charged, yelling:
"Brat, watch the blade!"
If the man had used the knife from the start, Wang Anfeng might have been hesitant to engage, fearing to attack first, but by now, he had recovered from his initial nervousness. Instantly, his right foot stepped forward in front of his left, and he twisted his body to the left, avoiding the vertical slash. At the moment the man's face showed astonishment, the young man's left hand had already shot up, directly grabbing the man's wrist. Inner Strength surged as he twisted forcefully; his right arm bent at the elbow and smashed into the man's abdomen with practiced skill. Two techniques in one move, Inner Qi in use, the man let out a pitiful cry as the long knife was knocked from his grip before it hit the ground, now caught deftly in the young man's hand as he twirled it with a cold flourish.
He had been feeding pigs at the innkeeper's house since he was a child. Their family's saber technique did not require much strength, but he could posture without a problem. He also understood that evil needs to be countered by evil. With a flick of his wrist, the sharp dagger hummed, resting directly on the big man's neck. The man felt as though lightning flashed before his eyes, followed by a chilling sensation on his neck, causing goosebumps to rise on his back as he trembled and called out loudly:
"This...young hero. Spare, spare my life... this, this isn't our fault, it is, it is the Li Family men who owe us money. We may have been a bit rough, but... but murder must be answered for and debts must be repaid, isn't that morally right? This principle holds true everywhere, young hero..."
As he spoke, the man actually started to sound wronged. A refined and upright middle-aged man nearby became so angry his face turned red as he burst out swearing:
"Get lost with that bullshit of yours!"
"I only borrowed ten taels of patterned silver from you; when did it become one hundred taels? Young hero, do not believe him!"
Seeing this, Wang Anfeng did not immediately pass judgment but looked around at the many onlookers, holding the long knife in his right hand, his left hand raised to his chest as he bowed slightly, pointed to the refined gentleman, and asked aloud, "Honorable elders, I am new to this precious land; may I inquire as to what kind of man this gentleman is?"
Various voices came from the crowd:
"Doctor Li is virtuous and skilled, truly a Divine Doctor!"
"The gentleman is kind-hearted, often providing porridge and medical consultations to the poor without asking for silver."
As the crowd voiced their opinions, the young man nodded slightly. Then he pointed to the man with the ashen face and asked, "And what about this man's usual behavior?" The crowd fell silent for a moment before laughter and jeers erupted, and the man looked around to see who was asking. However, feeling the blade's chill on his neck intensify and sweat appearing on his brow, he dared not make any rash movements. Wang Anfeng withdrew the blade and stepped back, speaking evenly:
"Right and wrong have already been made abundantly clear."
The man broke free and stumbled forward a few steps, his legs weak. Knowing his reputation had been tarnished and the money probably lost, he was filled with indignation and humiliation, yet still remembered to help his brothers up. Just then, a young voice rang out from behind:
"Stop."
"You...you should not bully people too far!"
The brawny man clenched his teeth and glared at Wang Anfeng, only to see the young man pull out a cloth bag from his chest and toss it carelessly. The man instinctively caught it, feeling its weight; he knew it contained silver and copper coins. His face registered surprise as Wang Anfeng drove his knife into the ground, saying:
"Each matter should be treated on its own merits. According to the Great Qin Legal Code, repaying debts is indeed right. There are ten taels of silver in the bag, plus some copper coins to account for my beating you—it should suffice for your medical expenses."
The man paused in surprise at hearing the words. Thugs like them valued the ethics of Jianghu; otherwise, they wouldn't have contained their humiliation and helped their brother up before leaving. Now, seeing the youth dressed in coarse clothes which indicated a modest background, and with the calluses of hard work on his hands, he nevertheless seemed to embody the spirit of a Jianghu hero, valuing honor over gain. The ten silvers were offered as readily as they were promised, so he gritted his teeth, braved the pain, and cupped his fists in salute:
"A true hero! This time we admit defeat. We owe you one and take you for a friend!"
Wang Anfeng, however, shook his head and said:
"I am returning your money simply because I abide by moral principles and respect the fundamental truths. Don't misunderstand my intentions. If you continue to do evil, I will beat you every time I see you!"
Having said this, he smiled lightly and earnestly added:
"Of course, I won't shortchange you on the cost of medicine."
"You!"
The crowd burst into laughter, and the few ruffians, upon hearing this, felt a mixture of shame and anger. Yet as they saw the youth's slender figure with an air of dignified elegance and the sharp knife in front of him that seemed to still flicker with the cold light of lightning, they were filled with fear and fled with their faces covered, while Wang Anfeng turned to the neighbors who were watching the excitement and bowed a fist in salute before turning to the scholarly man, not yet having spoken his purpose. The doctor sighed deeply, the fatigue evident on his refined face, and offered his respects:
"Troublesome young hero... I will count that patterned silver and give it to you later."
Wang Anfeng stepped aside, not daring to accept the courtesy, and reached for his waist to take off a dark iron liquor flask, saying softly:
"Doctor Li, there's no need for such formalities... Otherwise, Uncle Li will complain about me for half a day."
The man hesitated for a moment before noticing the flask in the youth's hand, with its dark base finely carved with dense patterns, and his expression changed dramatically as he exclaimed:
"Is that the Xuanjing Flask?!"
"Are you Uncle Li's son? Or his disciple?! No... no, you didn't call him father, you referred to him as Uncle Li, obviously, you're not his disciple..."
Seeing the scholarly man's shocked and delighted expression, losing his usual composure, Wang Anfeng was reassured that he had indeed found the right person. He was also surprised by how widespread Uncle Li's connections were, and he cupped his fist, saying, "Neither. Uncle Li and my father are good friends, and he treats me as his own kin, so he asked me to deliver this flask to you."
"Ah, drop the formalities. If you're a nephew of Brother Li, then you're my nephew too. If you don't mind, just call me Uncle Li," the man insisted with joy clearly visible on his face.
Wang Anfeng saw his happiness, clearly a result of seeing the flask, which made the recent threat by the brute seem trivial in comparison. Without hesitation and taking kindly to the suggestion, he cupped his fist and addressed him once more, "Uncle Li," and then turned to the woman wiping tears from her face and said, "Auntie."
Doctor Li showed unabashed joy while the woman, grateful to Wang Anfeng for resolving her family's predicament, embraced her child and said with tenderness, "Good child, come inside. Don't just stand there... Come into the house." The scholarly man slapped his forehead in realization and quickly invited, "Right, right, right, my worthy nephew, come inside and have a seat. Xiu Ling, prepare some drinks and dishes. I shall have a good drink with my worthy nephew."
While speaking, he reached out to pull the young man by the arm and lead him inside. The crowd on the street, seeing the spectacle come to an end, dispersed in a hubbub, and only then did two constables with waist sabers in hand hasten towards the corner of the street.
PS: Thanks to Xihai Yan Yu for the beautiful cover. The cover has been uploaded and can be seen on the website, but it's not available on the QiDian APP yet. It seems we need to wait a bit longer.