Chapter 20: The Hero Saves the Beauty
Zhang Zhiyuan had no idea what was going on inside Jiang Changxin’s mind. He spoke in haste, his tone full of anxiety. “Even though this is Ye Ning’s family matter, he’s locked up right now—I can’t just stand by and do nothing! I’ve got no one else to turn to…”
Cheng Zhao hesitated, looking troubled. “Third Young Master Zhang, you said it yourself—this is the Ye family’s private affair. Our young master… ow!”
Before Cheng Zhao could finish, it was as if someone had kicked him. His body jolted, and he nearly fell over.
Yu Yuan, who was secretly assigned to protect Jiang Changxin, had been hiding up in the beams the moment Zhang Zhiyuan arrived. Even Old Master Jiang didn’t know of his existence. So there was no way Yu Yuan would have kicked Cheng Zhao from behind. The only possibility was—
Cheng Zhao turned around in disbelief, eyes wide. Sure enough, he met his master’s gaze. Jiang Changxin’s eyes were sharp as an eagle’s and cold as a wolf’s—piercing, fierce, and powerful. Yet at that moment, those same eyes were paired with a dull, goofy grin.
“…” Cheng Zhao’s scalp tingled, and goosebumps broke out all over his arms.
His mind raced. Did the young master just kick me? What did that mean? Could it be that he wanted to agree to Zhang Zhiyuan’s request—to interfere in Ye Ning’s family matters? Every time Ye Ning was involved, his master somehow found himself meddling. It definitely wasn’t an illusion.
Cheng Zhao stiffly changed his words. “Oh—what I meant was, yes, this may sound like the Ye family’s private matter, but… but Fang Niulao’s behavior is absolutely wrong! How could he lock Ning Ger up at home like that? This… this violates the laws of Great Liang! No decent man could sit idly by after hearing of it!”
Zhang Zhiyuan’s face lit up. “Really? You… you’re willing to help Ye Ning?”
Jiang Changxin was still wearing that silly grin. He nodded at Zhang Zhiyuan eagerly, like a simpleton impatient to go out and play.
Cheng Zhao wiped the sweat from his forehead and forced a laugh. “Third Young Master Zhang, l-let’s hurry then. We’ll go right now.”
A group of them braved the heavy rain as they left the Jiang residence at the north end of the village. They followed the winding path toward the gourd-shaped heart of Qingtian Village. Just as they crossed a small wooden bridge, a cry pierced through the downpour—
“Help! Help—!”
Zhang Zhiyuan’s heart jumped. “What was that?”
“Sounds like the wailing of ghosts,” Cheng Zhao muttered, feeling a chill crawl down his back.
Jiang Changxin narrowed his eyes. Someone was calling for help. The trembling voice was half-drowned by the pounding rain, distorted but still distinct.
He was trained, his senses keen even in such a storm. The voice was unmistakable—it belonged to none other than Zhou Dalang, the infamous bully of Qingtian Village.
“Help! Don’t—don’t hit me! Ah—!”
Through the sheets of rain, under the pitch-black clouds, Zhou Dahu and two of his hired thugs lay sprawled in the mud. All three were covered head to toe in filth. The thugs looked like a pair of mud monkeys, while Zhou Dahu—short, round, and rotund—looked nothing like a monkey at all, more like a pig wallowing in sludge. His face, swollen and bruised beyond recognition, completed the image perfectly—a pig’s head indeed…
Ye Ning had been chased by Zhou Dahu and his two henchmen. The Ger who had fled with him was crying so hard he could barely breathe. There were only two of them, while Zhou Dahu’s group had three. They were already outnumbered, and Zhou Dahu’s bulky frame gave him an edge, while his men were trained fighters. Against two delicate Gers, the odds were hopelessly uneven.
Ye Ning frowned faintly, stepping in front of the tearful ger to shield him. His voice was calm and cold as he said, “I didn’t want to kill you.”
Zhou Dahufroze, then burst into raucous laughter, as though he had just heard the funniest joke of the year. “Hahaha—what did you just say, you little slut? Dalang didn’t quite catch that—you… ahhh!”
Before he could finish, Ye Ning took a swift step forward and kicked Zhou Dahu sharply in the knee. He used precise strength, targeting the fragile joint. Caught off guard, Zhou Dahu screamed in pain and crashed face-first into the mud with a perfect dog-eating-dirt fall.
“Get him—get him!”
Zhou Dahu shouted through his cries. “Don’t hit the face! Dalang still needs to use it later! Go for the body—hit him hard!”
The two thugs looked at each other, shaken by Ye Ning’s aura, but they moved in together, flanking him from both sides. The other Ger stumbled backward, nearly falling again, terrified. In contrast, Ye Ning was calm, almost cold. He reached out, snapped a willow branch from the side of the path, and with a sharp whip! sound, lashed it across one thug’s face.
“Ah—!”
“Stop—stop hitting me—!”
“Don’t kick me, you’ll—kill me! Help!”
From afar, the onlookers could hear the screams echoing through the storm. Zhou Dahu and his two guards were all sprawled helplessly on the ground. Ye Ning had taken them down effortlessly. Zhou Dahu’s lower body had suffered two fierce kicks, leaving him curled up in agony. His swollen face had turned a ghastly shade of white; sweat and rain mixed together, running down in streaks that made it impossible to tell one from the other.
Jiang Changxin was momentarily stunned—but then he remembered the first time he had met Ye Ning. That time, Ye Ning had been beating someone too—swinging a chair full force. Whether it was using a chair or using his foot, the method might differ, but the essence was the same. Thinking of this, Jiang Changxin found it no longer surprising at all.
His gaze sharpened. He had originally planned to visit the Ye family to smooth things over. If Ye Ning didn’t want to marry Zhou Dahu but his family insisted, and if he himself happened to need a nominal Fulang to fend off certain troubles… wouldn’t that solve both their problems at once?
But before he could even reach the Ye house, fate had brought him to Ye Ning halfway there.
Zhang Zhiyuan looked bewildered. “Was that… Ye Ning’s voice I just heard?”
Taking advantage of Zhang Zhiyuan’s distraction, Jiang Changxin quietly ordered Cheng Zhao, “Go fetch Father and Mother. And wake the villagers—every last one of them.”
Cheng Zhao blinked in confusion. What does that mean? Was the young master planning to wake the whole village in the middle of the night—just to watch the commotion?
Still, Cheng Zhao never questioned his master’s commands. He nodded quickly and disappeared into the storm.
Zhang Zhiyuan followed the sound, his eyes widening in disbelief. “Ye Ning?!”
He started to run forward—but someone beat him to it. Naturally, it was Jiang Changxin.
Taller and longer-legged than Zhang Zhiyuan, he reached Ye Ning in just two strides. Without hesitation, he pulled off his outer robe and draped it over Ye Ning’s shoulders.
Ye Ning: “…?”
The one being bullied was clearly that frail-looking Ger. Ye Ning’s clothes were neat, his expression calm, and he was the one doing the beating—how did he look like someone who needed to cover himself up? The only thing remotely disheveled was that the rain was pouring down in torrents, soaking his clothes completely. The thin fabric clung tightly to his slender frame, outlining his graceful, lithe figure.
Ye Ning had never seen Jiang Changxin’s face before. Back at the noodle stall, Jiang Changxin had almost stepped down from his sedan chair, but not quite, so Ye Ning never got a clear look at him. This was truly their first meeting.
Now, a stranger suddenly ran over, started taking off his clothes, and smiled foolishly at him. Though the man was tall and handsome, Ye Ning was a proper, upright man—straight as an arrow—and found himself staring strangely at Jiang Changxin from head to toe.
Ye Ning: “…” Could he be an idiot?
At that moment, Zhang Zhiyuan came running up, shouting, “Young Master Jiang!”
Ye Ning finally understood—so he was the Jiang family’s young master. Turns out he really is a fool…
Cheng Zhao had handled things well. At that moment, all the guard dogs in the village suddenly began barking wildly. These weren’t pet dogs that would bark at random—they were well-trained, only howling like this in the middle of the night when thieves tried to steal something. Hearing the commotion, the villagers were startled awake and quickly came out to see what was happening.
The night in Qingtian Village was usually quiet, but it suddenly became noisy and chaotic. People began noticing the scene and, curious, stepped out of their homes.
“Isn’t that Ning Ger?”
“Oh my, why is Zhou Dalang kneeling on the ground?”
“What’s going on here?”
The Ger who had almost been assaulted immediately pointed at Zhou Dahu and said indignantly, “That scoundrel saw I was a traveler who lost my way and tried to take advantage of me in the middle of the night! Thankfully, a kind soul came to my rescue.”
Zhou Dahu endured the sharp pain as he shakily got up. His thick legs were pressed together awkwardly, his stance twisted inward, and he snapped back, “Nonsense! It was you…. you shameless little flirt, sneaking around in the dead of night trying to seduce men! What kind of decent Ger would wander outside in the dark?”
The Ger burst into tears in panic. “I was on my way to visit relatives! The heavy rain startled the horses, and I got separated from my servant!”
“You say you came to visit relatives, and I’m supposed to believe that?” Zhou Dahu sneered. “I say you came to seduce men—who can prove otherwise?”
As soon as he said that, a calm voice replied, “I can testify.”
The crowd turned toward the voice, parting to make way. Several servant women held oil-paper umbrellas, others lifted their skirts to avoid the rain. That elegant, commanding presence—was none other than the Jiang family’s matriarch herself!
The young Ger’s eyes widened at the sight of her. Tears welled up uncontrollably as he choked out, “Aunt!”
The matriarch’s heart ached. “My servants told me you’d gone missing—I was worried sick and searched everywhere for you. So you were here all along, my poor child. You must have suffered.”
Then, her expression turned cold. Though she was usually kind and gentle, years of managing the Jiang household had made her a formidable woman. Her tone became quiet and sharp as she said, “This is Qian Ger from the Quan family in Jiangnan—my nephew. He is not some indecent person. I stand witness to this. Is that credible enough for you?”
Zhou Dahu’s eyes went wide. “Jiang… Jiangnan… the Quan family?”
Cheng Zhao sneered, “What kind of question is that, Zhou Dalang? Your Zhou family does business in the provincial capital—you should know very well. The Quan family runs the largest restaurants and inns there.”
Zhou Dahu’s face turned pale. His mind went blank, and he nearly collapsed. That was a family he absolutely couldn’t afford to offend!
Jiang Changxin glanced at Cheng Zhao, who immediately understood. Acting like a planted instigator, Cheng Zhao raised his voice mockingly, “Tsk, tsk! Everyone, look! Zhou Dalang was publicly rejected by Ning Ger, but he shamelessly insisted on marrying him anyway—pretending to be all affectionate! And now look—he’s out here bullying an out-of-towner in the middle of the night. What a disgrace to our Qingtian Village!”
“That’s right! Didn’t Zhou Dalang swear he was devoted to Ning Ger? Then why—why would he…”
“Oh heavens, what a humiliation.”
“Zhou Dalang usually struts around like a tyrant in this village, but looks like he’s finally met his match tonight!”
More than half the onlookers were Zhou family tenants, who normally wouldn’t dare speak ill of him. But now that he’d provoked someone far more powerful, they were only too happy to watch the spectacle unfold.
Just then, Father Ye and Mother Ye pushed through the crowd, having rushed over after hearing the uproar.
Mother Ye forced a wrinkled smile and said anxiously, “Isn’t this all just a misunderstanding? Ning Ger, come now, go back with Zhou Dalang and clear things up. Once you talk it through, it’ll all be fine…”
Even at a time like this, Mother Ye still wanted to marry Ye Ning off to Zhou Dalang—afraid, perhaps, that the Zhou family might go back on the marriage. She kept trying to push Ye Ning toward Zhou Dahu.
Zhou Dahu, embarrassed, angry, and hurting, could find no outlet for his rage. He grabbed for Ye Ning furiously, shouting, “Come! Go home with me! Let’s see what I’ll do to you when we get back—”
But before he could even touch a strand of Ye Ning’s hair, Jiang Changxin suddenly reached out his hand. His broad palm pulled Ye Ning behind him, shielding him completely. That tall, commanding figure stood a full head higher than Ye Ning, protecting him firmly. His sharp, hawk-like eyes turned icy as he glared at Zhou Dalang.
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