Husband~

The old Taoist grinned chillingly. Seeing Luo Bin distracted by the sobbing from upstairs, he concluded that the young woman mattered to him.

Then, like a ghost, he headed upstairs.

A faint smile curled Luo Bin's lips. As the old Taoist moved swiftly, Luo Bin came to the side of those few people in the initial and middle stages of Golden Skin. Shadows of the White Ape Through-Arm Fist crisscrossed.

The violent force of his punches was drawn inward. With every punch Luo Bin threw, it precisely invaded his opponents' bodies. Mixed with pale golden blood-and-qi, the force became a small, treacherous blade that wreaked havoc through their meridians.

"Pfft—"

Someone had only just been struck by a fist when he sprayed blood and collapsed to the ground, unable to move.

At that moment, the old Taoist swept upstairs, ready to seize the Sun Family Eldest Miss and use her to threaten Luo Bin, only to find the situation utterly absurd.

Luo Bin didn't care in the slightest whether the Sun Family young miss lived or died. The old Taoist's men were completely helpless against him. In the end, he picked up a man and a woman as if they were lifeless objects.

Then came a loud "bang." Luo Bin flung the two people he was holding out of the building. Several hundred meters away, Martial Masters in Chen Tianren and Sun Jingyao's convoy hurriedly appeared to catch them...

A thunderous shout boomed through the building:

"These two are very useful. Keep a close watch on them..."

Only then did the old Taoist upstairs finally understand Luo Bin's goal. The clearest reason the latter had returned after leaving was to get these hostages...

He would take them back to the Chen Family, pry open their mouths, and obtain useful information related to himself...

"You vicious brat. That young woman is so beautiful, yet you don't care about her at all. If she really dies, how will you face the Sun Family?"

The old Taoist looked at Luo Bin.

Luo Bin took a few slow steps forward, staring at the old Taoist standing on the stairs. He scoffed:

"The Sun Family was already at odds with me. Why should I care whether its people live or die?

"Besides, you're not as terrifyingly strong as I imagined. It's just that those tricks of yours, the ones that resemble 'sorcery,' are rather bizarre.

"But do you know that there are more than a dozen heavy machine guns outside, along with countless light rifles? The Chen Family even brought mortars."

"I can retreat to the Chen Family's side whenever I want. You, on the other hand, can only flee into the mountains behind us like a stray dog."

Chen Tianren and the others wouldn't have dared enter without a clear picture of the situation inside the building. Their guns and artillery could only show their full power when the terrain favored them...

At that moment, Luo Bin even...

The old Taoist fell silent for a moment, then laughed heartily. "You're so young, yet so capable, and you were originally from the Pei Family. Why settle for a place at Chen Tianren's side?"

"Why not let me, Jia Yao, vouch for you and arrange for you to return to the Pei Family? The Pei Family is thriving in Tianhai these days, and they've even gotten in with an influential figure... What do you say?"

Luo Bin rested a hand beneath his chin and pondered for a while. Then he actually said:

"I'll think about it..."

The air gradually grew heavy. Upstairs, Sun Shuhua, the Sun Family Eldest Miss, was bound with hemp ropes as thick as two thumbs. They dug painfully into her, leaving deep grooves across her delicate body.

A wad of white cloth was stuffed in her mouth. She could only make muffled sounds and breathe in short, rapid gasps.

In Sun Shuhua's eyes, Luo Bin's first appearance had been like that of a peerless hero riding in on a rainbow cloud. But after he rescued Chen Jing, his cold departure made him seem like a bloodless monster who treated human life like grass.

In an instant, countless thoughts sprang into Sun Shuhua's mind.

"Why didn't he take me out with him, too?"

"I... I'm so scared. What if these madmen kill me to silence me? I don't want to die yet."

"Why did he come back? Is he here to save me? The storyteller's tales, the plays at the theater... a hero saving a beauty... doesn't the beauty have to pledge herself to him?"

Luo Bin's departure, return, and departure again left Sun Shuhua's emotions pulled back and forth.

She truly had no idea what the "rising star of Ping City's martial arts world," the man who had single-handedly subdued Moon Veil Pavilion and was featured in the papers, really intended...

Fortunately, after hearing "Why should I care whether the Sun Family's people live or die?" and "I'll think about it," Sun Shuhua gave up completely.

That was right. A pampered young miss like her only had a father and older brother who would worry whether she lived or died.

Why would a martial arts prodigy she'd never met, someone whose face she'd only glimpsed in the papers, risk ruining his future and offend a powerful enemy with deep connections and unknown strength?

"If they reach an agreement, they won't let me live..."

"So be it. Sixteen years from now, I, Sun Shuhua, will still be a fine hero!!"

Just as Sun Shuhua was consumed by despair, Luo Bin finally responded to Jia Yao's offer.

"What you say makes sense. I really am somewhat dependent on the Chen Family. I've thought about leaving and making my own way...

"But I don't really want to go to the Pei Family. They're too cold-blooded, without a shred of human warmth."

Jia Yao was slightly surprised. Luo Bin's openness and sudden change of heart were somewhat unexpected, but the outcome was extremely favorable to him... What kind of temptation could a young man of sixteen or seventeen resist?

As long as Luo Bin didn't keep him tied down, he could find a chance to escape into the vast wilderness and mountains behind the ruined building. Who would be able to find him there?

Jia Yao suppressed his agitation. "Where do you want to go, or what do you want? As long as it's within my power, I'll grant it!"

Luo Bin's eyes lit up. He looked at Jia Yao's old face with delight, his tone carrying a hint of flattery. "Taoist Master, do you really mean that?"

"I do!"

"Good. I want the woman upstairs to be my wife and warm my bed!"

Jia Yao: "..."

Luo Bin pressed his advantage. "Taoist Master, you don't know how treacherous the Chen Family is. They promised me a marriage alliance, but there's still no word of it. That Chen Family Eldest Miss, Chen Manqing, is nominally my fiancée, but she loathes me..."

"She even moved out to avoid seeing me and took in a pretty boy... I rose from humble beginnings. I don't have grand ambitions. I just want to find myself a pretty wife, and there's one right here, ready-made.

"I hope you'll grant my wish!"

Luo Bin's forceful plea was heartfelt and moving. When the old Taoist heard about the pretty boy Chen Manqing had taken in, Wu Gou's face appeared in his mind.

"So that's how it is... Young man, I'm afraid I'm the only one who can understand all the hardship and heartache you've endured along the way.

"Very well, then. Take that young woman upstairs as my gift to you. May you have a happy marriage that lasts a hundred years!"

With that, Jia Yao headed upstairs. Luo Bin stood quietly where he was and waited. Before long, Jia Yao came back down with Sun Shuhua, who was staggering.

Luo Bin was so impressed by his own "world-shaking wisdom" that he didn't get a good look at the Sun Family young miss's face at first. Instead, his attention was drawn to her figure, wrapped in clothes that fit her to perfection.

She wore a crow-blue silk qipao with a subtle entwined-lotus pattern, tailored in the fashionable nipped-waist style. The collar was slightly open, revealing a patch of smooth, luminous skin. The curves of her chest rose soft and full beneath it, her waist narrow enough to encircle with one hand, and her rounded hips were firm and shapely. She looked lush and full of life.

The qipao's side slit reached three feet above the knee, making Luo Bin click his tongue in quiet amazement.

Sun Shuhua's eyes glistened. She smiled sweetly at Luo Bin and curtsied.

"Husband~"

Luo Bin: "?"