Allure of a Country Maiden
Chapter 103 - 101: Fight

Chapter 103: Chapter 101: Fight

Shen Chengyao stopped the bullock cart and spread open his arms, instinctively shielding his wife and child. Despite him knowing that his actions would hardly have any effect given the number of people facing him, the instinctive reaction to protect loved ones in times of danger took over.

"I don’t know what you all want with me?" he asked.

"Aren’t you Shen Chengyao? We’re from the Victory Gambling House, here to collect gambling debts." Said the person in the centre, oscillating a money bag in one hand and fluttering a piece of paper in the other.

"My name is indeed Shen Chengyao, but I don’t owe any gambling debt. I think you’ve got the wrong person." Shen Chengyao felt a bit relieved knowing these people were from a gambling house rather than robbers.

"Is she Mrs. Liu?" The man extended the hand holding the money bag and pointed at Mrs. Liu.

"Yes, but nobody in our family gambles, so it’s impossible for us to owe any gambling debt." Debt collectors from the gambling house, though often resorting to violence, would avoid harming the innocent.

"The debt was racked up by Liu Minjie. He owes 500 taels. He claims that Mrs. Liu is his sister and told us to collect from you. You’d better hand over the money quickly, otherwise, we might not be able to control our batons!"

"We severed ties with him years ago," Mrs. Liu quickly explained.

"Same mother or not, what kind of ’sister’ is that! Go find the actual debtor, or you might regret it!" Xiao’er spoke coldly.

Mrs. Liu’s brother, trying to deflect the debt onto her, failed to realise that he’d have to push these people to get any money from her!

"Regret it, huh? The only regret will be if we fail to obtain the money. You won’t pay us, huh? Well, the old lady said, if you don’t pay, we beat you until you do. Mr. Hei, give them a beating!"

A man with dark skin came forward and started to thrash the things on their bullock cart.

Yun’er screamed in fright. Mrs. Liu immediately held her tight, and they quickly jumped off the bullock cart.

"Stop! Let my wife and children leave first, and then I will give you the banknotes!" Shen Chengyao hurriedly stopped them, then turned to his family and said, "Quickly, go!"

"Leave, huh? Not without leaving the banknotes! Brothers, keep it up until he hands them over!" The one with the money bag ordered.

The group began to close in, even starting to hit Shen Chengyao.

"If you dare touch a single hair on my wife or children, you won’t get a single coin!" Angered, Shen Chengyao responded by kicking the closest man to him!

While no one was watching, Xiao’er snatched a baton from one of them and swung it. She knocked a man unconscious instantly. Then, she held the baton fearlessly, charging ahead and smacking anyone she saw. Each strike triggered screams of pain, some clutching their legs, others shielding their heads!

Jingrui, Fang Wenri, and Jinghao shielded Mrs. Liu and Yun’er, carefully retreating while keeping their eyes on their attackers.

"Be careful." Xiao’er grabbed a couple more batons and threw them to Jingrui and Wenri.

"Hao’er, help me find some stones, big ones!" Xiao’er threw the baton at another person’s head after taking it.

On hearing her words, Mrs. Liu, Yun’er, and Jinghao began picking up stones hurriedly. The roads in ancient times had more stones and grass than actual road. Xiao’er hurled the stones at the heads of the further-off enemies. Her aim was infallible; every throw hit its mark.

A shadow descended from the sky, a blade flashing, instantly severing the hand of someone swinging a baton towards Xiao’er.

"Ah!"

"Stop!"

With a flash, the dark figure’s sword was now at the neck of the man who was chillingly swaying the money bag earlier.

Terrified, the man’s legs began shaking as if jolted by electricity, and he threw up his hands. The money bag dropped to the ground, "Spare me, hero!"

"Stop! Don’t make me say it for the third time!"

"Stop, stop it. Didn’t you hear what the hero said?"

Everyone halted. Some looked at Xiao’er with a tinge of fear. This young girl was a better fighter than her father, and where she hit... it hurt!

The figure in black embedded the severed arm with his sword, held it up to the amputee’s face before directing his words to the ringleader, "Misfortune has its source; debts have their debtors. Don’t wrong the innocent next time! Some people are not to be trifled with! Take it back and see if it can be reattached!"

"Yes, yes, yes. We promise there won’t be a next time!" The man who had been swinging the money bag hurriedly agreed, nodding his head and bowing in quick succession.

The figure with the severed arm held up a trembling hand, forgetting his fear in the face of excruciating pain. He tried to claim his severed arm, but the man in black used his inner strength to make it fall to the ground.

"Don’t cut off my hand!" Scared, the man instinctively attempted to protect his remaining hand, then realised he had lost the other one!

"Get lost!" The group fled in a hurry, abandoning their unconscious companions.

"Thank you, sir, for your assistance," Shen Chengyao bowed deeply to the figure in black.

"No big deal." The figure in black jumped back onto the hillside by the road and disappeared.

Xiao’er watched thoughtfully in the direction where the black-clad figure had disappeared. Why had this man helped them? And he’d been secretly following her family since morning. Who was he? What did he want? Had the secret of the dimension been discovered?

Shen Chengyao turned back around, inspecting Xiao’er from head to toe, "Xiao’er, are you hurt? What about the rest of you? Any injuries?"

Xiao’er shook her head, "I’m okay, but Dad, does your shoulder hurt?"

"We’re all fine," Mrs. Liu shook her head.

"I’m okay," confirmed everyone else.

Shen Chengyao, his shoulder aching from a forceful blow, nonetheless shook his head, "I’m fine, let’s go home."

Xiao’er handed Shen Chengyao a pill. After he took it, the pain subsided instantly, making him truly appreciate the miraculous nature of Master Xiao’er’s medicine.

The debt collectors returned to the Victory Gambling House and relayed the events to their leader. Imagining the scenario, the leader tapped the table, "Send men to find out about that family!"

The ringleader’s feelings oscillated between terror and rage. He’d been tricked by the damn old woman and now he’d messed with the wrong people! He had to settle this account with Liu Minjie!

The investigated information about Shen Chengyao’s family was reported, and the man added, "They were arrested a while back. Arrested in the morning, they were released by afternoon. Officers came banging on drums and gongs in a parade of apology, shortly after their return."

"Never heard of officers apologising after an incorrect arrest!" The leader of the gambling house flicked at the tea leaves in his cup covered with a lid and took a sip of tea.

"That family has ties with the Marquis Mansion, Lai Mansion, and the son of Ming Mansion."

"A simple farming family has ties with the Marquis Mansion, Lai Mansion, and Ming Mansion?" After a moment of thought the gambling house leader said, "Mr. Li, take some gifts and go apologise tomorrow."

"We were brutally beaten up, hands and feet severed, and we still have to go and apologise?" Even if they had ties with the Marquis Mansion, they had their own backing.

"The officers apologised after making an arbitrary arrest, are you bigger than them?"

"Um, alright!"

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.