The sudden upheaval saw more than a dozen burly men subdued at the same time, utterly stripped of their ability to fight. The onlookers scattered like birds and beasts, and within moments, the little street was completely deserted.
The diners at the other tables in the stall toppled straight off their benches, several people huddling together for warmth, as though that might grant them a little more sense of safety.
"Who dares oppose my Zhou Family? Are you tired of living?"
Faced with the sudden change, Young Miss Zhou displayed remarkable courage. Rather than shrinking back, she called out in a low voice toward a certain direction—the space directly above the stall.
Duàn Yì turned around and saw that, at some unknown moment, two people had appeared atop the canvas awning over Old Wang's noodle stall.
They were two elders. Their footing was light, as if they weighed nothing at all, and they had arrived without a sound. No one had noticed when they had gotten up there.
Experts—absolute experts! Duàn Yì screamed inwardly, yet he had no way of knowing just how high these two elders' martial arts had reached, or how profound their internal cultivation was.
One of them was a short old woman, around sixty or seventy years old. She wore a thorn hairpin and coarse cloth skirt, and held an exquisitely crafted wooden staff. Its head was shaped like a cobra with a swollen neck, looking strange and terrifying.
Looking at her face, her eyes were tiny as beans, yet they seized the soul, flashing like lightning and gleaming like blades. Even if she had not been a beauty in her youth, she must have possessed a distinctive charm.
The other was her complete opposite: tall and powerfully built, dressed in brocade. His square face was covered in wrinkles, yet his features were upright, while his gaze was as sharp as swords and sabers. In his younger days, he must have been an extraordinarily charming man.
Upon hearing Young Miss Zhou's question, the two elders paid it no mind at all—or rather, they did not take it to heart. They merely leaped down from the awning together, landing without a sound, appearing even more unfathomable.
"Yuè'er, you have been naughty again. You ran out on your own and made everyone worry."
"Once we return to the residence, this old woman will certainly report you to Madam and have you confined for three days. Let us see whether you dare do this again."
The old woman was the first to enter the stall. Holding her snake-headed staff, she grabbed the pale-faced beautiful girl and examined her carefully from head to toe. Only after confirming that she was unharmed did she put on an angry face and speak.
As for why it was only feigned anger rather than genuine anger—did she think everyone else was blind, unable to see the doting smile on her aged face and the concern in her eyes?
Held in the old woman's grasp, the girl first looked pitifully at the elder who had left her to fend for herself. Then she forced a smile onto her small face, blooming like a brilliant flower. Rubbing herself against the old woman, her nose twitching, she coquettishly pleaded,
"Granny An, Yuè'er knows she was wrong. Please don't tell Mother. She doesn't dote on me as much as you do, and she will definitely punish me harshly. And Father is so busy—if he still has to worry about me, it will surely delay important matters."
"Granny An, please? At worst, if I sneak out again, I'll definitely tell Granny An first. How about it...?"
If one wanted to know how exquisite a person's outer appearance could be, one only needed to look at this beautiful girl. If one wanted to know how swiftly someone could change faces, one only needed to look at her as well.
Duàn Yì chuckled inwardly. You little brat strutted around before me like an arrogant young miss, barking orders left and right. How had you turned into such an obedient little darling before these two?
And she was even acting cute. That drawn-out ending was so syrupy and coy—it truly carried a few traces of those internet-famous young ladies from his previous life.
Still, putting everything else aside, Duàn Yì was deeply envious. Sure enough, she was a young miss with backing and pedigree. If nothing had happened to Moon Worship Palace, perhaps he too could have had such patrons to support him.
"I saw the entire cause and effect of this matter. The relatives of a mere outer disciple of the Golden Cauldron Sect dared to act so arrogantly."
"When I reach the Golden Cauldron Sect another day, I will certainly ask Qū Dōng Liú just how he teaches his disciples as sect master."
"As for you, you did not harbor Killing Heart just now. That has saved your life. Now get lost."
While the old woman and the beautiful girl dawdled together, the square-faced elder spoke directly to Young Miss Zhou.
As he spoke, his eyes gleamed with light, radiating immense pressure. Not only did Young Miss Zhou, who faced him directly, feel it—Duàn Yì, merely watching from the side, felt his heart pounding as though it would leap from his chest the next moment.
And leaving aside the elder's aura, the content of his words alone was enough to frighten someone to death.
Think about it carefully.
Young Miss Zhou's arrogance and tyranny stemmed from relying on her elder brother, Zhou Xiong, the chief outer disciple of the Golden Cauldron Sect. Yet before an inner direct disciple, Zhou Xiong would likely have to lower his head considerably.
Those inner direct disciples had to respectfully call Qū Dōng Liú Sect Master, or even Master. Yet this elder could directly call Qū Dōng Liú by name and even dared climb the mountain to question how he taught his disciples. At the very least, he was someone on the same level as Qū Dōng Liú.
All things considered, if Zhou Xiong met this old master, he would probably piss himself in fright. He simply could not afford to provoke him, much less Zhou Xiufen.
"You... Fine. You win. We're leaving."
Judging from her earlier behavior, this Young Miss Zhou, Zhou Xiufen, was fairly sensible whenever she was not mooning over a handsome face.
Thus, after realizing she could not recover her dignity, she first fixed Duàn Yì with a hard stare, as if saying that this was not over between them. Only then did she speak to her subordinates, turn, and leave. The fat shopkeeper and the servants who had climbed up from the ground followed after her.
Seeing this, the diners in the stall also vanished in a puff of smoke. They probably had not paid, making the stall-owner couple's eyelids twitch, but they did not dare stop them. Was money more important, or was life?
Even the Zhou Family's young miss dared not provoke these people. If they offended them, how could they possibly survive?
However, the beautiful girl was not the sort of wicked customer who ate without paying. She directly flicked a piece of broken silver from the purse at her waist to the stall-owner couple, making up for their losses. Thus, the matter came to an end.
For a time, the little street, which had originally been fairly lively, grew much quieter. With the sky darkening as well, it appeared even more desolate.
"Boy, you remained calm in the face of danger and protected my young miss. You have some courage. What reward do you want?"
Only after settling the girl down did the old woman have the mood to examine Duàn Yì. Secretly, she found it strange that the youth truly was so handsome and refined. No wonder Yuè'er had been willing to share a table with him and had even spoken up for him time and again.
The square-faced elder showed no expression as he looked at Duàn Yì, but there was also a trace of approval in his eyes.
He had seen Duàn Yì's performance when he acted just now. His martial arts were weak, but his reactions were good, and he had acted decisively enough. If he were taught by a famous master, he might achieve something.
"There is no need for a reward. Miss Yuè'er and I met by chance. She treated me to a meal and even offended Young Miss Zhou on my behalf, so it was only right that I acted.
"If there is nothing else, I shall take my leave."
Duàn Yì showed little interest. He cupped his hands to the old woman in salute and prepared to leave—more precisely, to leave these two unfathomable elders.
Before the beautiful girl, even knowing that she came from an extraordinary background, Duàn Yì still dared tease her. She was young, cold on the outside but warm within, someone with a sharp tongue and a soft heart.
Before Young Miss Zhou and the Zhou Family servants, Duàn Yì dared fight back. Aside from trusting that the Minor Capturing Hand could protect him, the more important reason was that he was confident he could emerge unscathed.
Only when facing these two elders did Duàn Yì lack confidence.
He knew nothing of their origins or temperaments, yet they possessed martial force that could absolutely kill him in an instant. In such circumstances, the best way to protect himself was to stay far away from them.
It was like the law of the jungle. If herbivores wished to survive, they had to keep their distance from carnivores. Whether the carnivore was full or whether it harbored Killing Heart, that was still the best approach.
As for the beautiful girl, although he liked the ease he felt around her and even regarded her as a younger sister, he could not continue drawing close to her.
"Hey, are you leaving? I mean, if you really want to learn martial arts, I can help you."
Seeing that Duàn Yì was leaving, the girl suddenly felt reluctant to part with him. She stepped forward and called after his back, wanting to keep him.
Zhou Xiufen could have Duàn Yì enter the Golden Cauldron Sect, and so could she. Zhou Xiufen could not guarantee that Duàn Yì would become an inner direct disciple, but she could. She could even have Duàn Yì take the Golden Cauldron Sect's sect master directly as his master.
What was more, if Duàn Yì did not wish to study martial arts at the Golden Cauldron Sect, she could have either of the two elders beside her teach him. She merely wanted him to keep her company, even if they only talked.
The girl's reaction made the old woman beside her frown. Her tiny eyes narrowed, as though she had thought of something unpleasant, and the way she looked at Duàn Yì turned unfriendly.
The young miss is still young and has not experienced the ways of the world. She can easily be deceived. She must not be allowed to have further contact with this boy.
Duàn Yì did not turn around, but he felt two unfriendly gazes examining him from head to toe. He suddenly shuddered, waved behind him as he continued walking forward, and did not reply again.
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