Zhao the Scabby didn't even try to hide the greed in his eyes, staring at Su Yan as if he were a piece of fat meat. In their minds, Su Yan was a defenseless orphan whose parents were dead. Whatever skill he had, he couldn't stand alone.
"Get lost!"
Su Yan roared coldly and quickly stepped forward to help Xie Yuzhu up.
"Uncle Xie, where are you hurt?"
"I'm fine, just a kick... don't be rash." Xie Yuzhu held onto Su Yan's sleeve, his knuckles white, terrified the boy would act impulsively and get hurt by thugs like Zhao the Scabby.
However, Su Yan grabbed his hand, patted it, and pulled free: "Don't worry, Uncle Xie. They won't leave here easily today."
"Ah Yan..." Xie Yuzhu tried to stop him, but Su Yan had already turned to face Zhao the Scabby and his annoyed men. Su Yan's previous shout had cost Zhao the Scabby face. Now, he ferociously brandished his short knife, gesturing a threat.
"You arrogant little brat! Don't blame me for what happens next!" He swung the knife, intending to scare Su Yan.
"Stop him!" The village head, the lizheng, was horrified and quickly signaled the villagers to step forward. Debts must be paid, but attacking an orphan in Cloud-Front Village like this? Did they truly think the village was empty?
A few elders, the same generation as Su Yan's father, squeezed out of the crowd, holding farming tools and rakes, ready to intervene. But they suddenly widened their eyes, seeing an unbelievable sight.
Su Yan actually rushed forward, grabbing Zhao the Scabby's wrist.
"Ouch!" Zhao the Scabby cried out. His wrist bones cracked audibly, feeling as if they were clamped in iron. The pain forced him to drop his short knife with a clang and fall to his knees.
Su Yan's eyes were sharp: "Your reach is too long." He exerted force, snapping the man's arm. Zhao Scabby's face twisted crimson from the pain.
The four men behind him were shocked and furious. They immediately lunged forward to attack. Su Yan moved like an ape, meeting them head-on. The leader, holding a steel fork, raised his weapon, ready to stab. Su Yan half-squatted, then surged upwards like a fully drawn bow, delivering a White Ape Offering the Peach strike.
The man's chest made a muffled thump. He was thrown back three or four meters, crashing against the earthen wall.
The remaining three men rushed in. Su Yan showed no mercy, dodging their knives and countering with heavy, powerful punches. In just a few breaths, all five debt collectors were on the ground.
The crowd was silent, gasping in shock. How could Brother Yan be so formidable?
"You... you owe a debt, and you dare to hit people?!" Zhao the Scabby's eyes were wide with fear; he hadn't expected Su Yan to have such skill.
"Debts must be paid; it's the law of nature. But that's a separate issue." Su Yan's tone was calm and measured. He bent down and picked up the steel fork that had fallen, weighed it, found it unwieldy, and put it back, opting instead for a hardwood staff.
"My father borrowed ten taels from Niu Han, with the agreement to repay after the summer tax. I will pay the seventeen taels and eight Qian. But today is not the due date." Su Yan approached Zhao the Scabby. The thug seemed to realize something and instinctively recoiled, his eyes wide with terror.
"You came to collect the debt today before it was due and injured someone. That counts as causing trouble." He stared at Zhao the Scabby and smiled: "Causing trouble means you have to pay the price."
"W-what do you want to do?!"
Su Yan didn't answer. He kicked Zhao the Scabby down, planting his foot on his chest.
"You're the one who kicked him, so you'll lose a leg."
"No—" Zhao the Scabby couldn't finish his plea before the hardwood staff descended with a loud crack, breaking his right lower leg. Zhao the Scabby was in too much pain to speak.
Su Yan stood up. Amid the desperate pleas of the remaining four thugs, he delivered one blow each, breaking one hand of every single one of them. He was utterly calm, even sporting a faint smile. His actions left everyone watching utterly frozen, afraid to intervene.
Only the village head, the lizheng, frowned so deeply that his wrinkles seemed to multiply: "Ah Yan, don't be angry. Don't cause a murder case."
"Grandpa Lizheng, don't worry. I won't kill them." Su Yan threw the hardwood staff onto Zhao Scabby's body with a clang.
"Come back after the summer tax to get the money. If you don't want to wait, go find me at the Golden Ape Martial Academy. The silver will be there." Su Yan scanned the crowd: "Although I'm an orphan, heaven has taken pity on me and granted me some martial talent. I have a rough mastery of a few fist techniques. If you're not satisfied, go tell Niu Han to come see me."
Zhao the Scabby, completely terrified, dared not speak. He quickly signaled the four men with broken hands to help him up. They stumbled and limped out of Cloud-Front Village, desperate to escape before Su Yan's violent temper flared up again and he actually killed them.
The old lizheng opened his mouth but didn't know what to say. He sighed: "Brother Yan has made something of himself."
"Indeed, indeed," the surrounding villagers quickly agreed, their faces plastering on forced smiles: "Brother Yan becoming a martial artist is great news for Cloud-Front Village. Don't forget us poor neighbors in the future."
"Grandpa Lizheng, please tell everyone to disperse. Thank you all for your help today."
The lizheng nodded: "Disperse! Disperse! Brother Yan is fine. Everyone, go back to your work."
The crowd scattered, leaving only Xie Yuzhu and a few others remaining.
"Sigh, you..." Xie Yuzhu had recovered a bit. He looked at Su Yan, unsure whether to be happy or worried: "Why provoke them when you've achieved success in martial arts? If Niu Han comes to make trouble, it could ruin your future..."
Xie Yuzhu was about to say more, but his wife, Li Lian, firmly tugged his sleeve, stopping him.
"Brother Xie, Sister-in-law, we'll be going now. Take care of yourselves and Brother Yan." The trekking partners saw the strained atmosphere, found an excuse, and quickly dispersed.
"Aunt Lian, I'll help Uncle Xie back."
Xie Yuzhu's house was close to Su Yan's, which was why he had been able to intervene so quickly when Zhao the Scabby and his men started trouble. Su Yan helped him into his house and onto a bamboo chair. When Xie Yuzhu opened his coarse hemp shirt, a purplish-blue footprint was visible on his chest.
Su Yan's eyes were cold. Seeing such a bruise, he realized his retaliation had been too lenient.
"Daddy, what's wrong?" A round-headed boy peered in, his eyes full of concern. This was Xie Yuzhu's son, Xie Bao, about eight or nine years old.
Xie Yuzhu grinned, the smile somewhat strained: "Daddy's fine. Just stumbled on the mountain."
"A'Bao, don't bother your father. Go get the medicated wine." Li Lian called A'Bao over and was about to retrieve the family's medicinal wine. For mountain-folk, bruises and scrapes were common and considered minor injuries. Broken limbs were the serious wounds. So, families always kept herbal medicinal wine on hand for general injuries.
"A'Bao, here. Try this." Su Yan quietly took out a package of pastries from his Bug Realm space and handed it to the boy.
A'Bao took the paper-wrapped package, opened it, and cried out in delight: "Daddy, Mother, it's a pastry! Thank you, Brother Yan."
"This..." Xie Yuzhu recognized the delicate pastry. Such fine goods could only be found in the city. He instinctively complained: "Child, why are you wasting money like this?"
"It's for A'Bao to enjoy. How can that be a waste?" Su Yan just smiled, then looked at Xie Yuzhu and said, "Uncle Xie, tomorrow I'll take you to the Mountain Market to see a doctor and treat this injury."
Xie Yuzhu frowned: "It's just a bruise and swelling. Why do I need to see a doctor? I'm fine—"
Su Yan interrupted him, speaking earnestly: "Uncle Xie, please follow my plan. You should get it checked. We can also check your old rheumatism at the same time. I have the silver."
Xie Yuzhu's pupils shrank: "Ah Yan, what are you planning...?"
Su Yan cut him off again, shaking his head slightly: "Uncle Xie, trust me. Nothing bad will happen."
Xie Yuzhu remained silent. Li Lian had just returned with the medicinal wine but suddenly stopped: "A'Lian, put the medicine away. We'll use it tomorrow." Li Lian saw the tension between the two men. She opened her mouth slightly but nodded silently and put the wine away.
Su Yan wanted to say more but held back, offering only a few words of caution before standing to leave. As he walked out the door, he heard Xie Yuzhu's serious voice behind him: "Be careful."
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