Slap Him

Several men looked at one another, their faces twisted with struggle.

Laying hands on a Clan Elder was a monstrous act of defiance! But... looking at Wang Meng wailing in a pool of blood, then at the thugs clutching their broken legs and rolling about—

Finally, they looked into Fang Yuan's utterly cold eyes... Better than losing their lives!

No one knew who moved first. One man gritted his teeth, charged forward, and swung a palm at the Clan Elder's gaunt face!

Slap! A crisp crack rang out.

The Clan Elder's head snapped to the side. He froze in stunned disbelief for a moment, then erupted into earth-shaking curses:

"Rebellion! Rebellion! You animals! You dare hit this old man?! This old man is a Clan Elder!"

The man who had struck him trembled under the barrage of curses, shrinking back somewhat.

But Fang Yuan's gaze stabbed at him like an ice awl. The man shuddered, hardened his heart, and thought, I've already hit him anyway!

He swung his arm and viciously slapped him again!

Slap!

"Shut up, you old bastard!" he cursed as he struck, as though that could bolster his courage.

"It was you! Your heart was twisted! You wanted to use the Wang Family to cripple Fang Yuan!"

That blow seemed to open the floodgates!

Seeing someone take the lead, the others threw caution to the wind as well. They swarmed around the Clan Elder, slapping his face and body one after another!

"That's right! You were the one who egged them on!"

"All you ever do is throw your weight around and bully people! You're useless as shit!"

At first, they still struck with the reluctant timidity of men being forced into it. But as they hit him, they recalled how the Clan Elder had long relied on his age to lord over others, handled matters unfairly, and made them suffer all those hidden losses.

The force in their hands grew heavier and heavier, while the little guilt in their hearts somehow turned into a strange thrill!

At first, the Clan Elder cursed without pause, but before long, the rain-like slaps had left his hair disheveled and blood streaming from his nose. All that remained were muffled whimpers and futile attempts to shield himself.

The surrounding villagers watched with their eyes wide, erupting into an uproar.

If yesterday the Clan Elder had merely lost face after being beaten by Li Wangshi, then today, being surrounded and slapped by his own clansmen—

The last scraps of his dignity and standing had been swept completely into the dirt!

From now on, within the Fang Clan, he would never be able to hold his head up again. He would be worse off than even an ordinary old man!

Yet those men only grew more enthusiastic, as if they wanted to vent every grievance they had accumulated over the years. Their palms swung with loud whooshes through the air.

Fang Yuan watched the farce coldly, finding it utterly boring.

"Get lost." Fang Yuan waved a hand.

The men felt as though they had been granted a pardon. Scrambling and crawling, they fled without looking back, nearly forgetting even to help up their screaming companions on the ground.

Just as they were about to rush out through the bamboo gate, Fang Yuan's icy voice sounded again:

"Hm?"

That soft snort alone was like an immobilizing spell. The men abruptly stopped, stiffly turning back.

Fang Yuan did not even look at them. He merely tipped his chin faintly toward that puddle of mush on the ground.

Only then did they wake as if from a dream. The two quicker-witted ones rushed back in a panic and, one on each side, hoisted up the limp, unconscious Clan Elder.

At last, the courtyard became completely quiet.

Standing with the Chopping knife in hand, Fang Yuan swept his cold gaze over the wreckage before finally lifting his head toward Village Chief Li's home at the eastern end of the village.

His eyes were deep and unfathomable.

That clash had given him a clearer understanding of his current abilities.

The Basic Saber Technique and Basic Footwork were utter domination against ordinary people who possessed nothing but brute strength and knew only how to brawl fiercely.

Hu Lao San had been right. The difference between someone trained and someone untrained was as vast as heaven and earth. Ordinary people could not even get close.

But...

There was no guarding against thieves for a thousand days.

Village Chief Li's family was like maggots in a gutter, disgusting him time and again, challenging his bottom line time and again.

Today, they could bring Wang Meng. Tomorrow, they could bring Zhang Meng or Li Meng.

Keeping them around would ultimately be a disaster.

He had to find an opportunity to take care of them. Cleanly and thoroughly.

As for revenge from Wang Meng's group?

The corner of Fang Yuan's mouth curled into a cold arc. He did not care in the slightest.

Didn't those people run rampant through the village because they were ruthless and had plenty of brothers?

Now Wang Meng's legs were ruined. He had become a complete cripple. Those he had once oppressed and those with whom he had formed grudges—

Among those who had dared to rage but not speak, there would naturally be people eager to pay him a visit and reminisce about old times.

Kicking someone when they were down was the most common spectacle in this world. Fang Yuan did not need to lift another finger.

A clan?

Fang Yuan's gaze passed over the retreating backs of those clansmen, and his heart held nothing but contempt.

This thing was only of some use when the village fought over water or land and needed to band together for a brawl.

Normally, it was merely a tool used by the Clan Elder and a few old bastards in power to throw their weight around, squeeze, and oppress ordinary clansmen.

He no longer even wanted to stay in Fang Family Village. Why would he care about this damned clan?

If it had been before, he truly would have been afraid.

Afraid of the ever-present clan laws and rules, afraid of being isolated, afraid that in this remote and impoverished countryside where imperial authority did not reach—

A single word from the Clan Elder could determine a family's livelihood, even their fate.

So long as no lives were lost and no official case was filed, every matter in the village—marriages, funerals, land disputes—was decided by the Clan Elder's word alone.

But now...

Fang Yuan looked at the blood dripping from the Chopping knife in his hand.

Rules were made for those who followed them.

When someone no longer followed those rules and possessed the strength to break them, all the old order became laughable and fragile.

He turned and walked toward Liu Wanwan and little Douding, who had been anxiously watching him from the doorway. The Sha Qi around him slowly receded, but the resolve in his eyes only grew firmer.

The plan to leave had to be accelerated.

Liu Wanwan stood at the door, her fingers still trembling faintly from the fright she had just endured.

Remembering how he had knocked down so many fierce men as easily as chopping melons and slicing vegetables, a thought belatedly wormed its way into her heart.

Perhaps Fang Yuan had truly acquired some real skill!

He was no longer that frail scholar who only knew how to bury himself in books and swallow his anger whenever trouble came.

Otherwise, how could one man have driven off so many ruthless people?

Just then, Fang Yuan sheathed the knife and turned toward her. His tone was as calm as though he had merely chased away a few annoying flies:

"Wanwan, go make another meal. Rice, and slice up all the cured meat."

"Huh?" Liu Wanwan did not react at first. She raised her head at him in surprise.

"Didn't... didn't we just eat this morning?"

Though the household had become a little more comfortable recently because of that wild boar, they could not afford to eat like this!

In her understanding, even Master Chen's family, the wealthiest in the village, only ate two proper meals a day, at most adding a late-night snack in the evening.

Seeing his wife's surprised yet slightly pained expression, Fang Yuan softened his voice and explained:

"I need to go up the mountain. Before the heavy snow completely seals off the mountain, I need to make a few more trips and stockpile some things."

He paused, his gaze sweeping beyond the courtyard. The prying eyes had already shrunk back in alarm the moment he looked their way.

His voice carried a reassuring certainty:

"After what just happened, I imagine no one will dare come looking for trouble for the time being. With you at home, I'll be able to rest easier too."

Liu Wanwan looked into his steady eyes and nodded heavily.

"Alright. I'll go make it now."

She turned and hurried toward the stove, her steps lighter and stronger than ever before.

Though three meals of proper rice with cured meat in a single day was so extravagant that it made her heart race, her husband was going up the mountain—he needed to eat his fill to have the strength!

And he had said no one would dare come looking for trouble... Liu Wanwan believed him.