"Chhk!"
The woman brought her blade down without hesitation. Luckily, someone behind the fair-skinned man yanked him back, keeping the blow from hitting anything vital. Even so, he fell to the ground, twitching in pain, a horrifying gash across his shoulder.
Yao Shunyu clenched his fists and was just about to make a move when someone beside him grabbed his wrist tightly. The middle-aged man in old-fashioned glasses shot him a series of warning looks, telling him not to act rashly.
"Well, well! You thieving men are all in this together now, are you? Looks like you still haven't learned your lesson." The madwoman brandished the Butcher's Knife, her face twisted into a vicious scowl. It grew more and more contorted, as if another, ghostly face lurked beneath her human one.
The men no longer backed down. Every one of them stared fixedly at the madwoman. The fair-skinned man who had been slashed also got to his feet, his bloodshot eyes fixed on her face.
Just as the confrontation was about to erupt, footsteps sounded outside the courtyard. The newcomers were familiar to Li Bai and Yao Shunyu: an old woman who needed help walking. They thought her name was Sun Elder, and she seemed to command considerable respect in Heishui Village.
Seeing the madwoman on a rampage, Sun Elder said nothing. She marched right up and slapped her twice. Though she had trouble getting around, she moved with decisive speed when it came to throwing a punch. Li Bai barely saw what happened before the madwoman was knocked to the ground, blood running from her nose and the corners of her mouth.
"You can't even take care of your own daughter. What use are you to Heishui Village?!" Sun Elder's voice was not loud, but it carried with startling