The Pitiful Have Their Detestable Aspects!

Lin Guanhuo and his two companions exchanged a glance, quickly set down the Corpse Cart, and squeezed into the crowd.

At the center of the crowd, two grimy-faced men were locked in a scuffle.

One of them, his face covered in pockmarks and now smeared with blood from his nose, looked utterly miserable. It was Huang Dazui, the same man who had taken Lin Guanhuo's steamed bun earlier.

The man straddling him, swinging his fists and pounding away relentlessly, was a white-clad runner named Wang Tiedan.

"Wang Tiedan?"

Seeing this, Lin Guanhuo frowned slightly.

This Wang Tiedan was a classic silent type, usually someone everyone in the Miscellaneous Room Courtyard could push around.

He never got angry, just quietly worked every day, tucking the half-eaten steamed bun he saved from the canteen into his chest to take home.

But today, this honest man seemed to have gone mad. His eyes were bloodshot, his fists raining down on Huang Dazui's face like hailstones, as he roared through gritted teeth: "You animal! I'll teach you to run your mouth! To get handsy!"

"Ow! Murder! Wang Tiedan is killing me!" Huang Dazui howled in pain as he was beaten, but his build was weak, and he was no match for Wang Tiedan, who had real strength.

Listening to the whispers around him, Lin Guanhuo pieced together what had happened.

It turned out that Wang Tiedan's wife had come to deliver his winter clothes today, and she happened to run into Huang Dazui, who had nothing better to do. Seeing that the young woman had some charm, he openly made lewd remarks and even tried to grope her.

That was the last straw.

Even a rabbit bites when cornered, let alone a man? Wang Tiedan exploded on the spot.

"Bam!"

Wang Tiedan landed another heavy punch right on Huang Dazui's mouth, knocking out two of his front teeth.

Wang Tiedan had apparently practiced some crude martial arts in his younger days—his stance was solid, and his punches had some form.

Word had it he'd been injured and his foundation ruined, otherwise he might have even become a Martial Artist.

Now, striking in fury, he beat Huang Dazui's face until it looked like a blooming peach.

"Stop fighting! You'll kill him at this rate!"

In the end, a few of the white-clad runners watching the commotion realized things were getting out of hand. Afraid the trouble would implicate them, they scrambled to pull the two apart.

Huang Dazui got up from the ground, his face covered in blood. He spat out a bloody wad of saliva.

"Fine... just fine, Wang Tiedan! You dare hit me?!"

Huang Dazui clutched his swollen cheek, his words slurred from the missing front teeth: "If you've got guts, don't run! Wait right here for me! If I don't make you kneel down and kowtow to apologize, calling me 'Grandpa' three times, then my surname isn't Huang!"

With that, he viciously shoved through the crowd and limped out the main gate.

His retreating figure carried an air of arrogance, as if he was going to fetch reinforcements.

The courtyard fell silent instantly.

Unless someone was an idiot, they all knew Huang Dazui had gone to get backup.

"Tiedan, you've really stepped in it this time! Huang Dazui's cousin, Huang Bao, is a ranked Martial Artist. Even the county constables have to speak nicely to him."

An older white-clad runner sighed and patted Wang Tiedan on the shoulder. "Before he gets here, take your wife and run! Hide out in the countryside until this blows over!"

"Yeah, that Huang Bao is a ranked Martial Artist—he kills without blinking!"

Everyone chimed in with advice.

Wang Tiedan was breathing heavily, glancing at his trembling wife in the corner. His face shifted between pale and red.

But his stubborn streak hadn't faded, and he stiffened his neck and said: "Why should I run? He was the one who harassed my wife first! Beating him was only right! Even if we take this to the county magistrate, I'm in the right!"

"Is there no law anymore? Is there no justice?"

Listening to Wang Tiedan's words, Lin Guanhuo sighed inwardly.

This man... was too naive.

In this Chaotic World, the law was made for the rich and powerful.

As for justice? The bigger fist was justice.

Lin Guanhuo hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward: "Tiedan, a wise man knows when to bend. There's no reasoning with someone like that. Just lay low for now."

But Wang Tiedan shook his head.

That honest, simple face was etched with obstinacy, stubborn as an ox: "I'm not leaving! I don't believe that in broad daylight, he can just beat me to death!"

At that moment, Wang Tiedan suddenly remembered something. He frowned at Lin Guanhuo and said: "Lin Guanhuo, why are you so eager to get me to leave? This morning I saw you giving Huang Dazui a steamed bun, and now you're speaking up for him? You two aren't in cahoots, are you?"

"This..."

Hearing this.

Lin Guanhuo was speechless. He said no more and silently retreated into the crowd.

I kindly advise you, and you suspect me??

Such stubbornness, in this dog-eat-dog world, was often fatal.

Before long, Huang Dazui returned to the Miscellaneous Room Courtyard with a young man in tow.

This young man was around twenty-five or twenty-six, with a handsome appearance.

As he walked, he moved with a tiger's stride and a dragon's gait, exuding a powerful presence—clearly a trained practitioner.

This person was none other than Huang Bao, a formal member of the Mad Saber Martial Arts School, and also a genuine, true-to-rank Martial Artist.

The moment he appeared, he drew the attention and wariness of the entire crowd.

Rumor had it that Huang Bao was ruthless in his methods, having stained his hands with no small amount of blood in his pursuit of becoming a Martial Artist.

Just then...

"Cousin! It's this bastard! Him!" Huang Dazui pointed at Wang Tiedan, who was still standing in the middle of the courtyard shielding his wife, and shouted viciously.

"Oh?"

Huang Bao didn't strike immediately. He glanced at Wang Tiedan.

Walking up to Wang Tiedan, he even revealed a faint smile: "Brother, I'm Huang Bao. I hear from my cousin that there's some misunderstanding between you? I'm a reasonable man. If my younger cousin is at fault, I'll discipline him strictly."

These words were spoken with an air of righteousness, carrying a certain grace befitting a reputable sect.

The onlookers, who had been on edge, all breathed a sigh of relief.

They thought to themselves that this ranked Martial Artist truly had poise, not seeming like someone here to stir trouble.

Wang Tiedan hadn't expected such courtesy either. His previously tense nerves relaxed slightly. "Master Huang, here's what happened. My wife came to bring me clothes, and your cousin... not only insulted her with words, but also got handsy. I couldn't stand it, so I..."

"Oh? Handsy?"

Huang Bao raised an eyebrow, his gaze passing over Wang Tiedan to land on the trembling young wife behind him.

His eyes roamed brazenly over the woman twice. The righteous expression on his face suddenly twisted into a sickening, sinister smirk.

"Tsk tsk, she does have some charm."

Huang Bao stroked his chin, his tone shifting abruptly as he drawled, "But... my cousin is usually the honest type. Why would he flirt with her for no reason?"

"I think... it's your woman here who couldn't stand the loneliness and seduced my cousin first, right?"

At these words, the crowd erupted in shock!!

Wang Tiedan's woman, already shaken from the earlier harassment, had a panicked look. Now, hearing this, her body trembled, and her face turned deathly pale.

And hearing Huang Bao insult his woman in front of so many people...

"You... you're lying!"

Wang Tiedan shook with rage, his eyes instantly bloodshot. "You're slandering me! It was him who..."

"Hm?" Huang Bao's face darkened. The false kindness vanished in an instant, replaced by a chilling brutality. "What? Are you saying I'm lying?"

"This is too much!!"

Unable to bear the humiliation any longer, Wang Tiedan let out a furious roar.

Like a mad bull, he charged forward, throwing a punch straight at Huang Bao's face.

This punch, driven by rage, carried the force of the wind and was no light blow.

Yet in Huang Bao's eyes, this punch was as slow as a snail.

"Hmph, overestimating yourself."

Huang Bao didn't move from his spot. Only when the fist was about to land did he suddenly lift his leg.

"Bam!"

This kick was as fast as lightning, striking after the punch but arriving first, slamming hard into Wang Tiedan's chest!

A Martial Artist's strike carried overwhelming, heaven-shaking force!

"Crack!"

The crisp sound of bones breaking rang out.

Wang Tiedan didn't even see how the other party moved. His entire body flew backward like a kite with a broken string, landing five or six meters away.

He crashed heavily to the ground, spewing a mouthful of blood.

"Ow~~ Ow!!"

Wang Tiedan let out a few miserable groans, as pathetic as could be, all traces of his earlier stubbornness gone.