Copper Hammer

The little girl was undoubtedly Qiu Wa.

It turned out that whenever Uncle Mu went out on his boat, Qiu Wa would come to the dock after school to wait for him. Uncle Mu would always cheerfully pull out a few copper coins and slip them to greedy little Qiu Wa. At those times, the wind would always set the delightful bells ringing. Those were probably the happiest moments of the day for the grandfather and granddaughter.

But now, that purest of joys had been turned by cruelty and violence into a tragic scene from the human world.

"Well, look at that! A little brat's come along. What perfect timing!"

The Black-robed youth pinched the back of Qiu Wa's neck and easily lifted her into the air. Grinning viciously at Uncle Mu, he said, "You old bastard, let's see just how hard your bones really are." As he spoke, he flicked his hand, tossing Qiu Wa into the air.

"Qiu Wa, don't move, no matter what! Grandpa's all right. Grandpa's here with you!"

Uncle Mu cried out hoarsely.

Qiu Wa nodded hard and pressed her lips shut as the gusting wind sent her short hair flying.

Just as Qiu Wa was about to hit the ground, the Black-robed youth reached out and caught her steadily in his palm again. "Old bastard, if you don't kowtow to this young master, next time I might not catch her."

At last, Uncle Mu's rigid neck bent. He struggled to get back to his feet.

"Grandpa, no! Don't! Grandpa, I hate them! I... I want to..."

"Qiu Wa, be quiet! Grandpa's fine!" Uncle Mu glared at Qiu Wa in anger.

"What the hell are you waiting for?"

The Black-robed youth roared in fury and tossed Qiu Wa into the air again. With a thud, Uncle Mu's unsteady knees slammed hard onto the bluestone pavement.

The Black-robed youth threw his head back and laughed, his tyranny soaring to the heavens. Before his laughter had even faded, a shadow flashed through the air and snatched Qiu Wa from midair before she had reached the top of her arc.

Only after the shadow landed did the Black-robed youth see that it was a lean young man with a scraggly beard.

The young man landed beside Uncle Mu. With one arm, he held the girl, whose pretty face was flushed red; with the other, he helped the old man, whose face was smeared with blood, to his feet. He took a handkerchief from his pocket and carefully wiped the blood from the old man's face. At last, he spoke. "Uncle Mu, I'm late!"

Uncle Mu was about to speak, but instead broke into a fit of violent coughing. The young man quickly helped him sit down, gently patting his back to ease his breathing.

The little girl in his arms clung tightly to his neck, pouting as she sobbed. "Bearded Uncle, hurry and take Grandpa away from here!"

There was no doubt about it—the newcomer was Xu Yi.

With his astonishing perceptiveness, he had spotted the commotion at the dock as soon as he arrived. After taking a few more steps, he heard Qiu Wa's piercing cries. The instant he focused his gaze, he saw her being tossed into the air. The sight nearly scared his soul out of his body.

He stomped down hard, shattering several bluestone slabs. His figure flashed like a startled swan, covering more than ten yards in an instant. At the very last moment, he snatched Qiu Wa from the air.

The moment he landed and saw Uncle Mu's pitiful state, his heart felt as if it had been cut by a knife.

Uncle Mu had saved his life. Xu Yi had never thanked him, because he knew that such a debt of gratitude could never be repaid with mere words.

These past few days, he had been staying at the Mu Family's home. Their warm, easy companionship had already given him the feeling of having a home.

Uncle Mu and Qiu Wa were naturally his family.

Seeing Uncle Mu and Qiu Wa treated like this, Xu Yi's expression remained calm, but fury already flooded his heart.

At Qiu Wa's words, the other two spoke at the same time.

"Silly girl, Bearded Uncle's here. There's nothing to be afraid of!"

"What's the hurry, little girl? This young master hasn't had his fill of fun yet!"

Xu Yi finally turned around and coldly regarded the Black-robed youth, who wore a faint smile at the corner of his mouth. He showed him a pitch-black iron badge—the constable's waist badge he had just received—and said solemnly, "I'm the newly appointed constable of this town. Why have you gathered here?"

"A constable? What the hell does that have to do with you? Get lost, and quit acting like you're somebody!"

The Black-robed youth did not answer. Zhou Yaya stepped forward instead.

At first, he had thought Xu Yi was some expert from who-knew-where. But the moment he heard Xu Yi was the town constable, Zhou Yaya's vicious temper flared.

It was true that Furong Town had a patrol bureau, but it was full of useless layabouts who did nothing but eat and wait to die. He, Zhou Yaya, was a well-known figure in Furong Town. What was a mere constable worth?

Xu Yi didn't even look at Zhou Yaya. Keeping his eyes on the Black-robed youth, he said, "You'd better tell me what happened here. I doubt you're the sort who'd dare do something without owning up to it."

The Black-robed youth threw back his head and laughed. "It's been a long time since I met someone as interesting as you. Fine, I'll tell you what happened here just now..."

The Black-robed youth deliberately wanted to make Xu Yi look like a fool. He arrogantly and briefly recounted everything that had just happened, then continued, "Now you know everything you need to know. I've done countless evil deeds and committed heinous crimes. Aren't you a constable? Come arrest me!" As he spoke, he even clasped his hands together and held them out to Xu Yi.

"Ahahaha..."

The crowd of blue-clad attendants burst into laughter.

Zhou Yaya was laughing so hard he could barely close his mouth. He reached out and patted Xu Yi on the shoulder. "Kid, go find somewhere else to cool off. Don't come here and bother..."

The moment the word "bother" left his mouth, Zhou Yaya realized he could no longer speak.

Xu Yi's right hand had clamped around his neck like an iron vise, lifting him into the air. In an instant, his face turned dark and swollen.

The sudden change left everyone stunned.

No one had expected a mere constable to dare lay hands on Zhou Yaya, a major figure in town.

As furious curses shook the heavens, seven or eight bare-chested men roared and charged at Xu Yi.

They were all thugs Zhou Yaya had kept on his payroll for a long time, most of them drifters who had only just entered the Body Tempering Stage.

The strongest among them was the bald man charging at the front, wielding a pair of enormous copper hammers. He was a Body Tempering Mid-Stage expert, and he was the one who upheld most of Zhou Yaya's authority in Furong Town.

Now, this mere constable had dared to grab his employer right in front of him. It was as if he didn't even exist. The bald man was so furious his nose nearly bent out of shape. His pair of copper hammers whirled with a roaring wind, making it nearly impossible to stand within three yards of him.

With a single stride, he snapped a stone slab beneath his foot, then leapt high into the air and swept his twin copper hammers down like a violent storm.

Xu Yi shifted half a step, shielding Qiu Wa from the gale with his body. His other hand shot up, lifting Zhou Yaya high like a willow catkin, and swung him toward the incoming hammers.

The bald man was startled. It was already too late to change his move, so he could only forcefully pull back his strength. His body dropped straight out of the air, and his heavy copper hammers crashed into the pavement, sending shattered stones flying everywhere.

Just then, Xu Yi moved. With a sweep of his hand, he flung Zhou Yaya like a broken sack into the onrushing group. He kicked one of the copper hammers, sending it springing up as if struck by lightning, and caught it in his hand. Then he swung it straight down on the bald man, who had just sprung to his feet with a carp-like flip.

The giant hammer was heavy, yet in Xu Yi's hand it was as light as a stalk of grass. It whistled like thunder as it swung. The bald man had barely gotten to his feet before the hammer slammed into his chest. With a crack, he went flying, blood raining down through the air.