"To bully the common people just to make a living—that's twisting logic," Hong'er declared righteously, striking the pose of a true hero. "If you know what's good for you, clear out now."

"Yes, yes!" the skinny man conceded, slowly rising. He bowed his head, intending to apologize to the elder, but in the instant he passed Hong'er, he shot a signal to his men, who swiftly knocked Hong'er's sword into the air and swarmed her, pinning her down securely.

"Hahahaha! Jump for this old man!" Now the skinny one was emboldened, laughing loudly. "Little girl, you're lucky to fall into my hands. Seeing how pretty you are, come back with me, and I promise to satisfy you to the absolute limit."

"Haha, Big Brother, after you've had your fill, let the rest of the brothers have a taste too! Haha," the soldiers cheered, clearly excited.

"Hmph! You won't even know how you died. Release me this instant," Hong'er remained entirely unfazed, instead offering a smug retort, "My husband will come and teach you a lesson."

"Husband... Hahahaha!" The skinny man didn't grasp the implication of the language. "I don't care if it's your husband or your little prince; I'm claiming you today!"

Sighing, it seemed intervention was inevitable. Damn, Hong'er was too brazen, calling him her husband in public.

"I said, stop messing around, you skinny bastard! Release my wife," Ye Xiu sauntered up, leaning on his sword, a strand of foxtail grass dangling from his lips. "Wife, don't be afraid, I'm here to save you. Tell me, am I handsome like this?"

"You little brat, who do you think you are, daring to act so bold in front of your grandfather!" The leading skinny man was immediately irritated by Ye Xiu's demeanor. "Judging by your attire, you aren't from Qin, are you? Some country bumpkin from nowhere."

Ye Xiu advanced unhurriedly, positioning himself squarely in front of the skinny man. He was clearly a head taller, forcing the shorter man to crane his neck to speak to him. "Little skinny, you couldn't afford this outfit even if you saved up. Look at this LOGO—Nike. How about that? Never seen anything like it, have you?"

"Smelly kid, I don't care what you call it, Nike or whatever. Today, I'm going to smash your head open! All of you, charge!" The skinny man felt deeply insulted. He shoved Hong'er backward with his sword while ordering his lackeys to rush Ye Xiu.

Ye Xiu felt these petty thugs posed no threat whatsoever. He didn't even need to draw his sword; basic martial arts maneuvers would suffice to end them.

"I want to fight ten," he muttered—that was what Ip Man shouted when fighting the Japanese, and Ye Xiu found the phrase unexpectedly applicable.

"Charge together, charge! Don't be afraid of him; there are so many of us," the skinny man was starting to look fearful and kept yelling orders from the rear.

"What kind of boxing is that?" A soldier lunged toward Ye Xiu but hesitated, afraid to commit fully. "I've never seen anything like it."

Ye Xiu offered no explanation, simply sweeping a leg out to send the man sprawling, leaving them all begging for mercy.

"Go, go!" the skinny man shrieked, "Kill this guy!"

Ye Xiu assumed a stance reminiscent of Wong Fei-hung, looking ready to deploy the Shadowless Kick to dispatch the remaining riff-raff.

"Heh, you fellow," Hong'er couldn't help but laugh, finding the situation amusing. "I didn't realize you looked so handsome when you aren't using your sword."

"Don't laugh!" The skinny man’s hand holding the sword trembled as he struggled to maintain his grip on Hong'er. "Don't you dare come closer! If you do, I'll kill this woman."

Ye Xiu slowly waved his sword a couple of times in front of him, then lowered his gaze to the blade's tip, asking with chilling composure, "Do you know the defining characteristics of my swordsmanship?"

"Wh-what?" The skinny man's voice hitched.

"My swordplay starts with one word: Cool; the execution involves another single word: Dashing; and the finishing move can be described in four words. Understand?" Ye Xiu spoke with wild bravado.

"..." He adjusted his hat self-consciously. "What four words? Don't play games with me."

"So cool it drops jaws!" Ye Xiu roared, unleashing his sword technique.

"Hmph!" Hong'er was slightly speechless at Ye Xiu's performance and lost her enthusiasm. "Stop talking such nonsense and save me first before you start boasting."

Upon hearing this, the skinny man, for some inexplicable reason, instantly dropped Hong'er, leaped forward, and knelt before Ye Xiu, clasping his hands in a plea. "I was wrong, Great One! I dare not do it again. What is the noble name of the hero?"

"Don't be too pleased!" Ye Xiu kicked the man's hat off. "Did you think I'd let my guard down just so you could seize me again?"

"No, no! Your humble servant would never dare," the skinny man had indeed been thinking that, and Ye Xiu voicing it scared him witless. "I wouldn't dare even if you beat me to death."

"Bullying the common folk with undeserved authority." Hong'er delivered a sharp kick to the skinny man before moving aside to help the elderly man up. "Don't worry, with my husband and me here, they won't dare do anything."

"Come here, all of you, gather around," Ye Xiu felt a surge of warmth hearing Hong'er's words. He gestured to the soldiers crawling on the ground. "Come over and form a circle. No talking, hands above your heads. Let me see what nation's soldiers you are."

The men had no choice; they had clearly met an exceptionally bizarre hero today. "We were wrong, we were truly wrong."

"Good, you, the skinny one. Squat and hop over to apologize to this family." Ye Xiu subdued the skinny man with his wooden sword; the fellow had no choice but to comply.

"Thank you, great hero," the elder immediately tried to kneel before Ye Xiu, his face full of gratitude. "If the great hero hadn't helped us today, our family would have been ruined."

"I heard your daughter's name is Xiao Fang!" Ye Xiu found the name strangely familiar. He recalled an old song: There was a girl in the village named Xiao Fang, pretty and lovely, with a pair of beautiful, large nostrils, and thick, long thighs—what trash she was.

"Come, Xiao Fang, thank Big Brother," the elder urged the girl to kneel with him, his plea sincere.

"Great Hero, we've apologized. Can you release us now?" At this moment, the skinny man also began pleading, acting like a beaten dog.

"You wretches shouldn't even exist in this world. I will kill you all!" Hong'er reached for her sword to strike them, but Ye Xiu stopped her.

"You can leave. Remember today's lesson: beyond the heavens, there are always better men. In chaotic times, the strong survive. Though there are despicable people, killing them won't end them all." Ye Xiu didn't wish to kill anyone.

"Thank you, Great Hero, thank you." The skinny man and his soldiers scrambled away, but such contemptible people would surely harbor lingering resentment. "Don't get cocky; I'll deal with you later."

"Why did you let them go?" Hong'er asked, annoyed.

Ye Xiu grasped Hong'er's shoulder firmly and explained slowly, "Killing is useless. As the saying goes, to capture the bandits, first capture their king. Don't you understand this? Didn't your father ever teach you?"

"Father..." The mention of her father brought Wang Long instantly to Hong'er's mind, and she looked close to tears. "Why mention my father at a time like this?"

"Alright, alright! Good girl, Hong'er, don't cry," Ye Xiu immediately pulled her into an embrace, comforting her endlessly.

"Please, both of you honored guests, come inside to talk," the elder offered politely. "It's getting late. Hong'er, go prepare a meal."

"No need, we have our own food," Ye Xiu tried to decline, but his stomach rumbled, making him look troubled by the family's evident hardship.

The interior of the house was dark, lacking even an oil lamp—a clear sign of extreme poverty. Yet, the family remained hospitable.

"The food is ready," Xiao Fang came in, carrying steaming bowls.

Hong'er, also starved, heartlessly took a bowl and began eating. However, Ye Xiu noticed the expressions on the faces of Xiao Fang and the elder, which evoked a wave of sympathy in him.

"You all eat; don't mind me," Ye Xiu said, turning and walking out to the small courtyard by the door. He sat down casually somewhere and gazed up at the sky.

Political upheaval—the common people were always the first victims. So many people couldn't afford food, while the nobles in the palaces squandered fortunes. They deserved to die.

Sunlight spilled into the courtyard. Ye Xiu rubbed his eyes as he woke up, feeling a distinct weight on his left shoulder. He turned to see the girl Hong'er leaning against him; she did possess a fair share of beauty.

Ye Xiu gently patted her shoulder. "It's fine, you keep sleeping. Heh heh."

"Ah!" Hong'er cried out before stretching her arms wide in a massive yawn, nearly striking Ye Xiu with her elbow.

"My highness, you're finally awake!" Ye Xiu was somewhat sharp-tongued. "Lazy as a pig. How did you sleep?"

"Hmph!" Hong'er, possessing a little cunning, gently tugged Ye Xiu's sleeve. "You didn't stand guard all night waiting for me to wake up, did you?"

"Nonsense! Why would I guard you? Get out of the way if you know what’s good for you; my shoulder is killing me." Ye Xiu refused to admit anything, terrified of losing face in front of Hong'er.

"Fine, fine! If you won't admit it, I'll move," Hong'er wasn't so easily fooled. She jumped up but then looked around uncertainly, not knowing where to go.

Ye Xiu didn't ponder it. He walked inside, bade farewell to the family, and then pulled Hong'er toward the hillside to search for their horse. "If this horse runs off, how are we supposed to find it?"

"Where are we going? Do we have a destination?" Hong'er was bewildered, left only to follow Ye Xiu's lead.

"We're heading west toward Huaiyin. We need to look for people in a big city. Do you think your sister would be hanging around some desolate backwater? I don't know what Huaiyin will be like, but I know it'll certainly be more interesting than staying here."

Hong'er glanced smugly at Ye Xiu's current attire and laughed. "It's a good thing that old man gave you clothes. Otherwise, the moment you entered a major city, you'd be arrested."