"Miss, you need not fear. The villains are dead—slain by none other than yours truly."
With a radiant smile, Third Young Master strolled over, striking a dramatic pose, his eyes warm and tender as he gazed into the maiden's eyes.
The girl looked at the three mangled corpses soaked in blood, their arms nowhere to be found. She then glanced at the young man's blood-stained hands, her face pale as chalk.
"M-Murder…" she whispered, her eyes rolling back as she fainted dead away.
Third Young Master panicked, catching her soft body just in time. He cast a helpless glance at Qin Lei.
"Second Brother, what's going on? I saved her, didn't I? Why'd she pass out like that?"
Qin Lei struggled to hold in his laughter.
"She's not that dumb, I'd say. Sure, you saved her—but from the wolf straight into the tiger's den. What'd you expect?"
Third Young Master wailed dramatically.
"Second Brother, have a heart! I acted purely out of righteous spirit and boundless compassion! Besides, those scoundrels deserved to die! Anyone would cheer to see them gone!"
Qin Lei sneered.
"Oh please, I know you too well. If that girl had been a chubby, cross-eyed hag, would your 'righteous spirit' have flared up like that?"
Then he mimicked him mockingly:
"Qin Ren, why do you train in martial arts?""To scale rooftops and spy on bathing beauties, of course!"
Ignoring the killing glare from his younger brother, Qin Lei sighed deeply.
"Ah, the world is doomed… I, Qin Lei, born with a heart of justice, must bear the shame of calling a flower-thieving scoundrel my own brother… Oh Heavens, open your eyes and see the moral decay of this age!"
"Hah!" A sudden gust of wind swept toward him.
"遮天手—Palm That Shrouds the Sky!" Third Young Master roared as he launched his signature strike.
Qin Lei shrieked and bolted.
"You can't silence the truth with violence! Everyone in the household already knows your 'great ambition'—I'm out!"
Boom! A palm strike smashed through a courtyard wall.
A moment later, an elderly man with a white beard burst out from the wreckage, pulling up his trousers, clutching a wooden stick, and shouting:
"You little punk! You ruined your grandpa's fun—come here so I can beat your teeth in!"
But the old man was no match for the two martial prodigies. In a blink, both had vanished down the street.
On top of a moving carriage, Third Young Master cradled the fainted maiden and shouted down:
"Second Brother! Stop if you've got the guts! Let me smack you once with my遮天手!"
Qin Lei wasn't about to stop. He dashed away, laughing wildly as he vanished into the alleys.
Though Third Brother's lightness skill far surpassed Qin Lei's, carrying someone limited his speed. Besides, the fleeing always had the advantage.
Qin Lei, swift as a gust, spotted their carriage waiting outside a small inn—driver Joe Wei at the reins.
Joe Wei had already secured rooms. He was just about to wave when—whoosh!—Qin Lei leapt inside the carriage, snatched up Hua Linglong, and bolted again, shouting:
"Third Brother! I'm taking your sister-in-law back to Shady Peak Manor to meet our parents! You have fun by yourself! Oh, and watch out—those three guys you killed? Their buddies might be lying in wait nearby. Good luck, hahaha!"
Then he disappeared beyond the town gates, leaving only the echo of his laughter behind.
Back atop the carriage, Third Brother hugged his unconscious beauty and roared:
"Second Brother! I'll get you for this! Just wait till I tell Mom and Dad you've ravished forty-nine innocent women under the guise of righteous brotherhood! Hahahaha!"
His laugh made Joe Wei's spine tingle.
"The Qin family truly isn't ordinary," he thought. "Even their family squabbles are legendary!"
Seeing his brother vanish into the distance, Third Young Master's face gradually softened. He smiled warmly and whispered:
"Heh… Second Brother finally understands—taking a wife home to meet the parents. Not bad, not bad. It's been years since we had this much fun."
He called out to Joe Wei:
"Let's rest for now, Brother Wei!" Then jumped off the carriage and carried the maiden inside.