With a deeply pained expression, Chen Yan asked a man standing nearby:

"What’s going on? Are they really kidnapping a girl in broad daylight?"

The man was startled. Seeing Chen Yan’s pained expression, he actually thought he looked even more pitiful than the girl being abducted. He craned his neck, glancing around furtively. Seeing that no one was paying him any mind, he finally whispered:

"You’re not from around here? Sigh. What an embarrassing sight. Eldest Young Master Han has taken a fancy to that girl, Ding Xiang. Sigh... Just her rotten luck. I reckon she’ll be dead in a couple of days."

In the time it took him to say that, the old woman suddenly snatched a rock from the ground and viciously smashed it at the two servants pinning her down.

One of the servants, not expecting such ferocity from the old woman, was caught completely by surprise. The rock struck him squarely, and he couldn’t help but cry out in pain. The other servant, however, flew into a rage.

"You’re courting death!!"

His hand shot up for a slap. The old woman was already frail with age; if the servant struck her with his full strength, the blow would likely kill her.

A murderous glint flashed in Fang Shuwen’s eyes. He was just about to act when a figure blurred past him—Xu Shuxin had already charged forward.

Just as the servant’s hand was about to come down, Xu Shuxin’s foot connected with the back of the man’s knee.

The servant had meant to slap the old woman, but he never imagined he’d be the one to drop to his knees.

He was completely dazed. When he came to his senses, he whipped his head around and saw that his attacker was just a youngster.

He was instantly overcome with rage:

"Where’d this little punk come from? You got a death wish?"

He struggled to get up, ready to fight the boy to the death.

But Xu Shuxin, hailing from a Martial Arts Family, was in a different league. Even without a saber to perform his Unskilled Saber Technique, his lifelong training in Martial Arts made him far superior to mere servants.

Before the servant could even rise, Xu Shuxin landed a chop on his neck.

The servant passed out without so much as a grunt.

The other servant started forward to help his partner, but his vision suddenly blurred. A sharp pain shot through his groin, forcing him to double over. As he did, he saw two fingers stabbing toward him.

He instinctively tried to block, but it was far too late.

Xu Shuxin, furious at their cruelty toward a helpless old woman, showed no mercy. With two sickening squelches, he gouged out both of the servant’s eyes.

Ignoring the servant’s miserable howls, he spun around and, in a few quick strides, closed in on the servant who was dragging Ding Xiang away.

This servant, however, was prepared. He drew a wooden club from his belt and swung it viciously at Xu Shuxin’s head.

Xu Shuxin deftly dodged the blow. His eyes lit up at the sight of the club. He struck the servant’s wrist.

The strike seemed simple, but it targeted a nerve cluster. The servant’s arm went numb, his grip failed, and as the club fell, Xu Shuxin snatched it from the air.

The moment the club was in his hand, Xu Shuxin’s entire aura shifted.

He gave the club a twirl and, with a loud THWACK, brought it down on the servant’s neck before the man could even react.

If it had been a saber, and if his physical power and Inner Strength were more developed, a head would have surely gone flying.

The remaining servant saw this—whether in terror or fury, it was hard to say—drew his own club, and let out a battle cry.

But he saw Xu Shuxin leap into the air, bringing the club down in an overhead strike as if it were a saber.

CRACK! The force of the blow was immense. The servant’s club shattered on impact.

The servant didn’t even have time to register that he’d been hit. A moment later, agonizing pain washed over him. He let out a bloodcurdling scream, his hand flying to his head and coming away slick with blood.

"Murder!!!"

A foul stench filled the air as liquid streamed from his crotch. He screamed as he ran:

"Help! Murder!!"

At first, no one thought much of it. But upon closer inspection, the crowd saw he was leaving a trail of wet footprints. The man had wet himself.

His anger still not spent, Xu Shuxin raised the broken club, ready to give chase.

But a shout from Fang Shuwen stopped him in his tracks.

He turned to look back at the young girl, Ding Xiang. Their eyes met, and when he saw they were filled with terror, he quickly tossed the club aside.

"Don’t be afraid... I’m not a bad guy."

The girl gave a dazed nod. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she scrambled to her feet, crying, and threw herself into the old woman’s arms.

For a moment, the two of them, grandmother and granddaughter, could only cling to each other and weep.

Seeing this, the surrounding onlookers broke into cheers.

"A true young hero!"

"That’s what they deserved!"

"A shame I don’t have that kind of skill..."

After their tears subsided, the grandmother and granddaughter knelt before Xu Shuxin, thanking him profusely.

Xu Shuxin tried to help one up, then the other, getting flustered in the process.

He couldn’t help but glance back at Fang Shuwen, his expression pleading for help.

Fang Shuwen smiled. Leading his horse forward, he helped Xu Shuxin get the pair back on their feet.

"There’s no need for that. We who study Martial Arts have a duty to right injustices wherever we find them."

Chen Yan came over as well, leading his little donkey.

Those in the crowd who hadn’t noticed before now realized the three were together.

The old woman thanked them, tears streaming down her face.

Just then, a voice suddenly called out from the crowd:

"You’d better leave, quickly! The Han Family is powerful, not to be underestimated. They even have highly paid Jianghu masters in their employ."

"You’re all so young—don’t get yourselves killed over this."

Xu Shuxin realized then that his impulsive actions had likely stirred up a hornet’s nest.

He looked at Fang Shuwen, his expression full of guilt.

But Fang Shuwen just smiled.

"If we who practice Martial Arts don’t even have that much spirit, then what’s the point of training in them at all?"

"My thoughts exactly,"

Chen Yan said, his eyelids drooping.