The Unlucky Little Maid

After saying that, Ping'er felt a little regretful. This burly man was a Four-star Dou Shi. If Young Master came to harm, things would be troublesome. Thinking of this, she could not help feeling a little annoyed with herself.

Without giving her much time to think, Xiao Shuang glanced around. The Xiao Family guards had already vaguely surrounded the burly man. Presumably, if he made any suspicious move, they would be able to stop him immediately.

Pulling Ping'er back a few steps and making sure he was standing in an absolutely safe position, Xiao Shuang called out, "What? You say my little maid stole your money pouch?"

The burly man immediately heard the heavy threat in Xiao Shuang's words. However, he was no pushover either. Raising his chin, he cursed, "What do you mean, yours? This was earned by this lord from hunting magical beasts!"

A string of unbearable insults followed, but after the burly man said only a few words, the Xiao Family guards closing in from both sides pressed him to the ground.

The sudden turn of events froze the expression on the burly man's face. He circulated the Dou Qi within his body and struggled, but the results were not obvious. These fierce Xiao Family guards showed no mercy. One of them viciously kicked the burly man several times in the stomach, and the intense pain made him curl up.

"Don't... don't hit me."

Xiao Yan also pushed through the crowd. Looking at the burly man pinned to the ground, he smiled. "You reckless fool, you came to the Xiao Family Marketplace looking for trouble?"

"I failed to recognize a great person. I beg Young Master to show mercy and spare this lowly one." Strangely enough, the burly man, who had been arrogant and overbearing just moments ago, began begging for mercy the instant he was pressed to the ground. His proud bearing had already been thrown aside...

Seeing the burly man like this, Xiao Yan said with a half-smile, "Hehe, telling me is useless. The Young Master you offended is over there. You scared his little maid badly."

Xun'er gave the burly man a disgusted look, then turned away, intending to cleanse her eyes by looking at Xiao Yan.

"Tsk, acting so arrogantly in the Xiao Family Marketplace? Anyone who didn't know better would think you were the Xiao Family's Young Master." Xiao Shuang turned around to comfort Ping'er, then mocked him without even raising his head.

"Hmph, you're only relying on having more people. In a one-on-one fight, this lord might not necessarily fear you." The burly man's eyes flickered. He abandoned his earlier pleading attitude and struck back at Xiao Shuang's mockery.

"Oh?" Only then did Xiao Shuang raise his head and glance at the burly man, who wanted to provoke him into a duel. The disdain in his eyes grew even stronger.

"You think you deserve it? Calling yourself 'this lord' again and again? How old are you now? I'm only ten this year, and you're trying to provoke me?" Xiao Shuang abandoned his usual taciturn manner, and even Xiao Yan gave him a slightly surprised glance.

Because of his earlier disrespectful words, the burly man received another vicious beating. His aura grew listless as well.

As he was beaten, the burly man kept laughing bitterly to himself. He no longer had the ability to hunt magical beasts. Though he was a Four-star Dou Shi, he could not even display the strength of a two-star fighter. He relied on such methods every day to scrape together money. Normally, when ordinary people saw that he was a Four-star Dou Shi, they would choose to let things go rather than cause trouble. He had not expected to misjudge the situation today and run into someone formidable...

It was also his own greed to blame. When he heard the constant clinking of Gold Coins from the money pouch on the girl's body, his reason gradually scattered. He only knew that if he could get this money into his hands, he would not have to worry for an entire year. He could even go enjoy himself.

As his consciousness gradually faded, the burly man lay on the ground like a dead dog. Once they had ensured there was no more danger, the Xiao Family guards released him.

Seeing this, Xiao Shuang leaned close to Xiao Yan's ear and whispered, "Take him back. The Marketplace's security needs to be strengthened as well."

Xiao Yan nodded. He glanced at the burly man lying on the ground, waved to the guards beside him, and said, "Take him back."

Two of the guards stepped forward, each taking one side of the burly man and hauling him up. The others saluted before dispersing.

As for what punishment the burly man would receive, that was unknown.

As for the spectators, they had already been driven away when the Xiao Family guards made their move. In Wutan City, no one dared offend any of the three great families, much less on the Xiao Family's territory.

They could watch excitement anytime, but it would be ugly if they brought disaster upon themselves.

"I'll treat you all to a meal first. Ping'er, come along too. It'll help calm your nerves." Xiao Shuang weighed the money pouch in his hand, gradually returning to his usual calm and composed appearance.

Ping'er gradually calmed down as well, but she was still terrified when she thought about what had just happened. If Young Master had not arrived in time, what would she have done? Although she would eventually have been taken away by the Xiao Family guards for questioning, she was ultimately Young Master Xiao Shuang's maid. If such a dispute occurred, it would certainly tarnish Young Master Xiao Shuang's reputation.

Her pretty face was somewhat pale. Even though she had calmed down, Ping'er's voice still trembled slightly. She lowered her head and followed behind Xiao Shuang, failing to notice that he had stopped. In the end, under Xiao Yan and Xun'er's astonished gazes, she bumped straight into Xiao Shuang's back.

Like a startled rabbit, Ping'er hurriedly backed away several steps and waved her hands. "Ah, Young Master, I'm sorry."

"It's fine."

After entering the restaurant, Xiao Shuang untied the money pouch from his waist and placed it in Xiao Yan's hand.

"Little Yanzi, go order whatever you want to eat."

Xiao Yan took the money pouch. With his sharp eyes, he naturally saw that the two had something to say, so he pulled Xun'er away with him.

Ping'er still stood uneasily behind Xiao Shuang, nervously twisting her small hands together.

"Sit down. Don't be nervous. This is partly my fault as well. It was my oversight to have a girl like you carry so much money." Xiao Shuang tried his best to soften his tone, but as soon as he said this, the little maid's body trembled slightly. In her understanding, a master could never be wrong, especially when Young Master had always treated her so well.

"No, it was this servant's fault. If this servant had been more careful, this would not have happened!"

Xiao Shuang had always gotten along very peacefully with the girl, yet after what happened today, she had changed how she addressed herself to "this servant." She must have been frightened badly.

Seeing this, Xiao Shuang stopped trying to comfort her. He leaned back against his chair, then pointed at the tea on the table.

Generally speaking, the tables in such expensive restaurants were furnished with very precious tea. Even outside, it would be worth a considerable sum. The fact that they placed such tea on the table as a complimentary offering reflected the restaurant's class from the side.

Ping'er's hands were still trembling slightly, but she steadily picked up the teapot and poured the tea into a cup.

Taking the teacup from Ping'er's hand, Xiao Shuang took a light sip. He said nothing more and instead had Ping'er sit beside him.