Ye Fan Was Truly Angry, Ma Chuang Was Gravely Injured

After Mo Cang, the lord of Sunset City, disappeared for no apparent reason, his brother-in-law Ma Yuan fled the city. In the past, he had someone to back him up, so he could throw his weight around. Now that even the city lord was gone, who could protect him?

After returning to Phoenix Cry Village, Ma Yuan thought it best to keep his head down. But his brother Ma Chuang disagreed!

"Big brother, nobody in Phoenix Cry Village knows what happened in Sunset City! They have even less idea that the city lord has disappeared. As the saying goes, the heavens are high and the emperor is far away. Here, we're still the city lord's brothers-in-law. As long as we have that connection, who would dare do anything to us?"

Ma Yuan said nothing, his dull eyes rolling up and down!

Seeing signs that his big brother was wavering, Ma Chuang continued, "Big brother, do you really want to go back to being bullied by everyone you meet, barked at by every dog you pass, and spending your days in that thatched hut where the sun never shines?"

"Ma Chuang, keep a low profile for now. I have a bad feeling about this!"

"Big brother!!!" Ma Chuang felt a little like he was trying to plaster mud onto a wall.

"Big brother, that's all I have to say. If you still want to stand above others, shut your mouth and say nothing. If you still want to be bullied, do whatever you like!" A hint of ruthlessness flashed in Ma Chuang's eyes. With that, he turned and walked away.

Around noon, the old village chief and his group reached the outskirts of Phoenix Cry Village!

They had finally arrived!

"Everyone, once we're through this village, we'll be at our destination! Put some more strength into it. Let's try to reach Bright Virtue Academy before sunset!"

"Roar!"

After nearly ten days of constant travel, all the villagers were exhausted in body and mind. Those who had never traveled far from home had found it a little novel at first, but after a few days, they too were worn out. How could they have had any mind left to admire the scenery along the way?

The old village chief looked over the group, his gaze inadvertently falling on one man! Seeing nothing amiss with him, he paid it no further mind! They ate a little dry food and drank some water, then set off again.

The man the old village chief had glanced at was naturally Uncle. This honest mountain villager was not only his childhood playmate but also his right-hand man all these years! So many things truly could not have been accomplished without him. He had never suffered any grievance growing up, but the last time they went out to look for a place to relocate, this honest man had left a lifetime's worth of grievances here in Phoenix Cry Village.

But when a man was beneath another's eaves, he had no choice but to bow his head.

As the old village chief pondered these things, they reached the entrance to Phoenix Cry Village without his noticing.

Ma Chuang and a few others were idly shooting the breeze at the village entrance, every one of them strutting about and looking down their noses at people. Their faces practically begged to be punched. How long had it been? These fellows had grown more and more arrogant and overbearing.

"Brother Chuang, look! A bunch of beggars is coming!"

"I see them. Look how poor and shabby they are, dressed in rags and pushing cartloads of junk. They haven't even gotten close, and I can already smell the stink! What a fucking downer!"

"You two, go drive them away, the farther from the village the better! Keep their bad luck from rubbing off on us."

"Right away, Brother Chuang." The young men swaggered toward the group at the village entrance, swaying with every step as though they recognized neither kin nor friend.

"You there, stop!" Facing several hundred villagers, the two were still a little nervous and had lost the arrogance they had shown earlier.

The villagers naturally heard them, but who were these two affected fellows? They didn't know them. They probably weren't talking to them. So the villagers ignored them and continued on their way.

"Huh?" The two young men looked at each other. Were these people deaf? They gritted their teeth and shouted again, "You stinking beggars, I... I'm talking to you! Are your ears stuffed with donkey hair?"

This time, the villagers were certain the pair were talking to them. But how had these two grown so old without even learning how to speak properly?

The villagers turned to look at the young men, their expressions unfriendly.

"Who the fuck is farting over here?" Though Xiao Feng looked exhausted, he still let go of his cart and pushed through the crowd to stand before the young men.

"So you're the bastards spraying shit from your mouths. What is it? You got business with me?"

Being reprimanded in front of so many people made the two young men's faces darken, but faced with so many scowling villagers, they were also nervous. They were used to throwing their weight around by borrowing another's power, yet today someone wasn't buying it at all. What were they supposed to do?

"Brother Chuang, Brother Chuang, come quick! Someone's causing trouble here!" They had no choice but to call for backup.

"Big brother, calm down. Don't cause trouble!" Seeing her brother confronting the two thugs, Xiao Ke'er hurried out and pulled at him!

The old village chief and his companions had naturally noticed the sudden disturbance as well. Once they got a good look at the men, they thought, These bastards again?

After being mocked last time, the old men had actually been holding in their anger. They had always wanted a chance to pay them back for the humiliation. So the old village chief did not step in to stop them.

"Ke'er, stay out of it. Get behind me. I can't stand these dumbass bastards! Look at the way they're acting, their fucking nostrils are pointing at the sky. I have to teach them a lesson today!"

"Big brother..." Xiao Ke'er clung tightly to Xiao Feng's arm. She knew her brother's abilities; if he charged over there on his own, he would definitely come off worse...

"Well, well, what a pretty little thing!" Brother Chuang, who had come at their call, looked at the girl clinging to a man before him. He could no longer tear his eyes away. Though her clothes were a little worn and there was some dust on her face, he had to admit she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. More importantly, Xiao Ke'er's worried expression made her look heartbreakingly lovely! It only fanned Ma Chuang's desire to possess her.

"Where the fuck are you looking?!" Seeing the hooligan staring fixedly at his sister, Xiao Feng moved to strike without caring about anything else. But before he could throw a punch, someone else stopped him. It was naturally Ye Fan.

After stopping Xiao Feng, Ye Fan said to Xiao Ke'er, "Ke'er, get behind us. We can handle this!"

"But..."

"Oh, little sister, don't worry. Go stay in the back."

The villagers also pulled Xiao Ke'er behind them and formed a wall of people to block the thugs.

Mother Ye looked anxious, but she said nothing at the moment and merely glanced at Father Ye! "Dear, it's all right. Don't worry!"

"Little girl, you're fleeing a famine, aren't you? You must be starving. How about this? I'll take you out for a big meal!"

Their boss's arrival also calmed the two young men's nerves! Putting on airs again, they chimed in, "That's right, little lady. Stick with Brother Chuang and you'll be guaranteed fine food and drink! Isn't that much better than begging?"

The two had not noticed the girl earlier. They only saw her when she rushed out to pull her brother back, and they were stunned by her beauty. She was far too pretty. Their minds really had gone blank at the time. They had never seen a girl so lively and lovely, as though she had stepped out of a mural. Though she was dressed in shabby clothes, they could not conceal her ethereal bearing.

"Bastard, you're courting death!" Xiao Feng could no longer hold back and swung a fist! But though he came from a physician's family, being physically fit did not mean his fighting skills were superior. His punch missed. Ma Chuang had stolen chickens and dogs, climbed trees and gone into rivers since he was little. When it came to fighting, he was considerably better than Xiao Feng.

"Brat, you want to fight? Think it through. Once we start, I'll make you suffer more than you can bear!" Ma Chuang did not take Xiao Feng seriously. He shot Xiao Ke'er a lecherous glance. She's too beautiful! I have to have her!

"Brat, weren't you acting all cocky just now? You're not much, are you? Can a limp punch like that even hurt anyone? Haha..." Seeing Brother Chuang had the advantage, the two lackeys mocked him.

"Brat, I'll be straight with you. The lord of Sunset City is my brother-in-law. In all of Sunset City's territory, no one dares say no to me! Be sensible and let me take this girl away. She'll have fine food and drink with me, instead of suffering with you!"

The lord of Sunset City? What did he do? The villagers looked bewildered. He was probably like their old village chief.

"You're shameless!" Xiao Ke'er's cheeks flushed crimson with anger, making her even more captivating. The two lackeys breathed faster at the sight!

"I don't care whether your brother-in-law is a city lord or anything else. You're not taking a single person here!"

"You three bastards, if you want to take my sister, you'll have to step over my body first! If you can't beat me to death, I'll kill you today!" Like a maddened leopard, Xiao Feng glared fixedly at the three men before him.

"You lot?" Ma Chuang gave Xiao Feng and Ye Fan a contemptuous glance. He turned to the villagers and said, "Today's business is between me and these two brats. If you don't want to die, get the hell out of the way! Once I'm done with these two and his sister, you can go wherever you like. I won't stop you."

Perhaps Ma Chuang was too used to employing this trick, or perhaps he did not understand how united the people of Hundred Stars Village were. When he finished speaking, the villagers took hunting tools from their wheelbarrows-crossbows, spears, long sabers... and pointed them all at him. Not one villager spoke throughout. A hundred or so villagers simply stood there silently with their weapons!

Fuck, that always works. What's going on today? Do they know the city lord's missing? Has the truth come out?

"Elders and fellow villagers, today's matter is between them and Brother Feng and me. Just stand aside and watch the show. Leave these fellows to the two of us!" Ye Fan had originally wanted to say he would handle it himself, but seeing Xiao Feng's furious expression and his fists clenched so tightly they crackled, he feared it would be unwise not to let him vent.

Hearing this, the villagers put away their tools and stood to one side. They continued to protect Xiao Ke'er!

"Xiao Feng, count me in. I'll beat this bastard until he's searching the ground for his teeth!" Chen Yun, dark-skinned and sturdily built, stepped forward. He was Granny Liu's son.

You can bully me, but bully Xiao Ke'er? Even an honest man can tear you apart with his bare hands...

By now, the village entrance was surrounded by people who had heard the commotion and come from the village.

"Ma Chuang again. He's used to bullying people, but he's kicked an iron plate today, hasn't he? Serves him right!"

"Exactly. Someone really should give him a good beating. He throws his weight around because his brother-in-law is the city lord!"

"Bullshit. His sister became the city lord's concubine. The city lord's already so old, and she's not even ashamed!"

"But can these outsiders beat Ma Chuang? That bastard might be no good, but he does have some ability..."

"Can't you see how many villagers they have? One swing of a pickaxe from each of them would kill him! Don't worry..."

Though there were many villagers watching, not one spoke up for Ma Chuang.

Die, you stinking beggar! Furious, Ma Chuang could no longer restrain himself and struck first.

"Brother Feng, let me." Ye Fan stepped forward first and blocked Ma Chuang's fist with his hand. In a flash, he moved behind Ma Chuang and kicked out with a bang. Ma Chuang flew straight out like a cannonball.

"Oh!..." The villagers' eyes followed Ma Chuang's flying figure.

"Brother Fan, be careful!" Xiao Ke'er called anxiously from behind the people protecting her.

Ma Chuang had barely hit the ground when Ye Fan reached him. Planting a foot on his chest, he said contemptuously, "That's all?"

Ma Chuang's face was flushed red, his teeth clenched. He wanted nothing more than to eat Ye Fan, who was stepping on him, alive!

"Brother Chuang!" The two lackeys did not dare come forward and called timidly from behind.

They might have been better off keeping quiet, because their shout reminded Xiao Feng and Chen Yun of them! The two clenched their fists and strode over to the lackeys with the gait of dragons and tigers. That'll teach you to run your fucking mouths! That'll teach you to block our way! They let loose a barrage of punches without holding back!

"Ah, Brother Chuang, Brother Chuang!"

The people of Hundred Stars Village cheered. Not making trouble did not mean they feared it! They had fought fierce beasts in the mountains; would they be afraid of a few bastards like these?

The beating went on for quite a while before the old village chief waved for the villagers to stop it.

Several burly men stepped forward and pulled Ye Fan, Xiao Feng, and Chen Yun away. "That's enough, Xiao Fan. If you keep hitting them, you'll kill them!"

"Good riddance if they die!" Xiao Feng was still gnashing his teeth. Clearly, he had not vented his anger yet.

"Big brother..." Xiao Ke'er pushed through the crowd and ran up to Xiao Feng! She asked anxiously, "Big brother, are you all right?"

Looking at his sister, Xiao Feng slowly regained his senses. "Don't worry, Ke'er. I'm fine."

Seeing that her brother really had no external injuries, Ke'er hurried over to Ye Fan. She wanted to check him for superficial wounds, but she felt it would not be proper to take his clothes off at a time like this. At a loss, she asked, "Brother Fan, are you all right? Are you hurt?"

"Don't worry, Ke'er. Even the coyotes that are more hateful than him are no match for me. He's nowhere close!"

Blood still lingered at the corner of Ma Chuang's mouth! Those kicks from Ye Fan had felt like being struck by a meteorite! His internal organs had nearly been knocked out of place.

"Cough, cough..." Ma Chuang looked listless-no, his face could not be seen now, because it was covered in blood! His face smeared with blood, Ma Chuang coughed twice, each cough bringing up a spray of bloody foam.

None of the watching villagers had stepped forward to stop the beating; it seemed they too had suffered plenty of oppression from this scum. The villagers of Hundred Stars Village came forward and gathered around, looking ready to start fighting at the slightest disagreement.

"Old sir, you'd better leave quickly! These scumbags may deserve to die, but there really is an important person in his family. It's not worth going to prison over these scumbags," an elderly man from Phoenix Cry Village said to the old village chief and his group!

The old village chief cupped his hands slightly! He said to the crowd, "I believe everyone knows full well what happened here. These men have repeatedly humiliated us with vulgar words and filthy behavior. These young men of ours could not stand by and watch, so they taught them a lesson. If they refuse to repent, they are welcome to seek revenge on us. We have important business today, so we will not linger! Farewell!"

Hearing this, everyone picked up their bundles, packed away their tools, and set off pushing their wheelbarrows.

But none of them noticed that when Xiao Changlin passed Ma Chuang, a silver needle flashed from his palm and sank into Ma Chuang's chest.

"You dared set your sights on my daughter. How could I spare you!"