Walking into the courtyard, I saw the flickering torchlight outside, mixed with a cacophony of human and dog voices, a low, rumbling din. What fresh hell was this? More patients? Why was something happening here almost every night recently?

"Director Wu! Director Wu!" Someone was shouting loudly from outside.

It seemed it truly was patients, and I hurried to the front of the clinic. Good heavens, what a gathering—so many 'patients,' and every one of them clutching a club or leading a fierce-looking hound, as if they were ready for a pitched battle.

"What in the world are you doing in the middle of the night? This is a hospital, not an arena. Please keep the noise down," I said to the man leading the group, my tone lacking any patience.

The lead man demanded, "Who are you? Where is Director Wu? We're looking for someone; please have Director Wu come out and speak with us."

It appeared these men were villagers from a nearby hamlet. But Director Wu wasn't the police; they should be seeking law enforcement. "I apologize, Director Wu doesn't reside here at night. Whatever your business, tell me. I am his assistant."

A man standing near the leader, bearing a slight resemblance to him, said, "Brother, stop wasting time with him. Let the dogs loose; they'll find the person for sure."

The leader waved a hand dismissively at me. "I respect you as a doctor, so I won't hide anything. Our newly married wife has run away. My brother and I are here looking for her. The hounds tracked her scent to your doorstep. If you've taken her in at your hospital, we brothers thank you in advance. Please hand her over to us."

Damn it, so these were Fang Yanmeng’s two 'husbands' looking for their 'wife'! I was truly bewildered. If she ran away herself, how could her 'husbands' be willing to give up such a delicate little bride? Looking at their large number and the weapons each man carried, it seemed a single wrong word could lead to my immediate downfall.

"If your wife is missing, you should file a report at the police station, not come to a hospital. I'm truly sorry, but I haven't seen any woman matching that description come here." Although Fang Yanmeng and I hadn't seen eye to eye, I couldn't betray her now.

The younger brother became enraged and spat out a curse, "F***, did you swallow her because she’s pretty? Looking at your delicate face, you seem the type to do something like that. I’m telling you, in this entire mountainous region, no one dares cross the Sun family. If you keep blathering, I’ll smash this hospital to pieces!"

I had heard tales of the brutal ferocity of mountain folk. They weren't like the giant python from last night. If this mob rushed me all at once, even if I had eight arms, I might not be able to handle them.

The elder brother was far more polite. He told me, "My brother has a volatile temper; please disregard him. I believe our wife must have snuck into your hospital, and you simply haven't noticed yet. How about this: we'll search inside ourselves. If we don't find her, we'll leave immediately. If we do find her, we promise not to linger."

I dared not let them search. If they did, who knew what they might find? "That might not be appropriate. This is a hospital, after all. We have patients resting and receiving treatment inside. If their conditions are disturbed, I wouldn't be able to explain it to Director Wu or the patients' families."

"Brother Zhao! She really is here! Hurry up, everyone!" A man's voice suddenly shouted from the back courtyard.

Not good—someone took advantage of our conversation to slip into the back. Worried about Zhao Fen and Zhao Fang's safety, I bolted toward the back courtyard without another word.

Sun Er'zi cursed behind me, "I knew that pretty boy had ill intentions! Brother, what are you waiting for? Let's rush in!"

A tall, thin man was fiddling with a door latch. Annoyance boiled up in me. How could three young women be so careless? Didn't they hear the commotion outside? Couldn't they just turn off the lights and hide?

In a flash of anxiety, I lunged forward, grabbed the tall, thin man, and threw him hard. I heard a sharp "Ah!" mid-air, followed by a muffled thud a moment later in the small vegetable garden behind the building. I only meant to shove him away from the door; I certainly didn't intend for him to fly over the roof and land in the cabbage patch, did I?

The villagers froze. Despite the torches, none of them clearly saw what happened. There was just a flicker, and the tall, thin man was gone. Although they heard the cry and the thud, they couldn't possibly believe it came from the man who was just standing by the door.

I positioned myself in the doorway, assuming a stance of singular, immovable defense. "None of you are allowed to enter this room. My wife is sleeping inside. She... she... she's not wearing any clothes. All you men, stay back."

The large hound that had been leading the villagers suddenly started barking furiously at the room. Sun Er'zi said to his brother, "Brother, that girl must be in there! Let's charge in and find her! Don't hesitate! What if he’s a doctor? At worst, we’ll have to walk to the big town hospital from now on. She’s worth nearly three thousand yuan! Are you really going to let this pretty boy get away with her?"

Sun Da'ge nodded reluctantly. Sun Er'zi raised his club and yelled to the villagers behind him, "Everyone, charge in together! My brother and I will treat you all to the Grand Banquet afterward!"

"Aah!" The villagers, brandishing their clubs, rushed toward me like a single, overwhelming wave—a force so strong they looked capable of trampling a tank that dared to block their path.

This was turning disastrous. Not only was saving Mei in question, but I was certain to end up looking like a bruised pig's head soon. But before I could think of retreating, a club jabbed directly into my chest.

Although I lacked the fearless spirit of someone completely unfazed by sudden danger, five years of military training had ingrained certain reflexive responses.

I snatched the club with one hand and flung it outward. Before I could register the situation of the man attached to it, other clubs struck in quick succession. I could only instinctively grab and hurl them out, one after another.

Sun Da'ge and Sun Er'zi had never seen The Matrix or Kung Fu. When they saw bodies flying through the air, illuminated by the torchlight, both men were stunned senseless. Unfortunately, the brothers didn't manage to exclaim, "What the hell, are we filming a movie?" It was only after a sound of messy impacts that they snapped back to reality.

"Brother, this kid definitely knows black magic! Let's set the dogs on him!" Sun Er'zi suggested.

My initial terror had morphed into overwhelming elation. I never imagined my strength was this immense; a casual flick sent a man weighing over a hundred pounds soaring through the air. Could I be protected by a celestial spirit? No, wait—was it the Snake Immortal protecting me?

With my courage bolstered, why should I fear a mere wolfhound? That half-man-tall brute bared its teeth and hadn't even lunged halfway before I fixed it with a glare. It whimpered and scurried to hide in a corner. Damn it, you dare bully the Snake Immortal? I scare you into that state with one look. What kind of wolfhound are you, anyway? A lapdog, more like.

"Huzi! Huzi, go on, bite him! Bite him hard!" Sun Er'zi, furious, rushed over and kicked the large dog. The hound glanced toward me, but no matter how its owner kicked, it just lay there, refusing to move, not even daring to bark.

I felt my aura growing stronger, an unstoppable force even against a horde of thousands. "If anyone still objects, step up! But you are absolutely forbidden from touching my wife, not even looking!"

Sun Da'ge and Sun Er'zi exchanged bewildered glances. They never imagined that sheer numbers wouldn't work when their men were being tossed around like beanbags, unable to get up. Adding just the two of them now would likely be pointless.

Just as I was basking in my moment of triumph, I heard three sharp female shrieks from the room behind me: "Ah! How did you get in here? Get out!"

Who got in? Anxiously, I crashed through the door and rushed inside. The interior lights were on, and everything was clear. It was the tall, thin man I had thrown into the vegetable garden. He hadn't been killed by the fall; he must have landed in the cabbage patch. During the chaos outside, he had managed to smash a window in the back wall and crawl into the room.

I rushed forward to grab the thin man, intending to throw him out into the courtyard, but then I saw Sun Da'ge, Sun Er'zi, and several of the villagers who had managed to climb back up surge into the room.

"It's her! She really is here! You little pretty boy, you said the woman inside was your wife and wasn't wearing clothes! Does that mean all three of them are your wives! Why aren't they all naked!" Sun Er'zi roared at me.

Although the current situation suggested this mob was no match for me, my lie had been exposed on the spot. Theoretically, I had no solid ground to stand on, and for a moment, I was speechless, unable to rebut.

The three girls were naturally terrified, huddling behind me. The more fragile a woman appears, the stronger a man’s protective instinct is aroused. I released the thin man and told Sun Er'zi, "That’s right, all three are my wives. Whether they are naked or not is none of your business. Even if they were, we wouldn't let you look. We are going to sleep now; you all need to leave quickly."

Sun Er'zi snorted coldly, "Leave? Hmph. Don't think that just because you have brute strength or some minor trickery you can dominate everything. Let me tell you, in this entire ten-mile radius, we are the bosses. Give us back that cheap woman. If you do, we can still be friends when we meet next time. Otherwise, even if I end up crippled tonight, I will demand justice."

That statement was truly ridiculous. Me, dominating everything? Them demanding justice? What kind of world was this, that such people still existed?

I said coldly, "I will say this only once more: please leave. You are no longer welcome here."

Sun Da'ge had remained silent until now. From his appearance, he seemed to have better character. Who knew that before I finished speaking, he would suddenly attack? Because we were standing so close, and his movement was swift, I couldn't guard against it, and he brought his club down hard on my head.

"Brother Zhao! Qian Zhao!" The three girls urgently cried out, clutching my arms. They probably thought that after taking such a blow, I would either be bleeding profusely or instantly become a vegetable.

After the crack, I reached up and touched the top of my head. Good lord, not a single drop of blood, no pain, no dizziness. But Sun Da'ge’s club seemed to have broken! When had I ever trained in Iron Head technique? I was so startled by this sudden divine power that I completely forgot to retaliate for the blow I just took.

Sun Da'ge and Sun Er'zi stared blankly at the club snapped in two. Hundreds of thoughts must have raced through their minds in that brief time. Finally, Sun Da'ge made a resolution, tossing the broken half of the club aside. He looked at me and said, "Alright, young man, I concede. My brother and I will let you have this woman. However, we spent two thousand eight hundred yuan to acquire her. If you want her, you must compensate us for our losses."