Arrogant, foul-mouthed insults came from outside the door, accompanied by the thudding of three men kicking the wooden gate:
“Damn it! Open the door! The three of us brothers have taken a liking to that foolish girl of yours; it’s a blessing from your ancestors, so don’t be ungrateful!”
“If you don’t open up, I’m going to kick it in!”
“I’m taking her away tonight; she’ll be perfect for keeping our bed warm!”
“You people are going too far!” Jiang Youning was trembling with rage at these words and was about to rush out to fight them to the death.
Jiang Da grabbed his daughter tightly, his face full of anxiety as he hobbled behind her. “You can’t, Youning! Wang Dahu and his brothers are related to the village head; they are notorious bullies in this village. We cannot afford to offend them!”
“Is that why we should just let them bully and ruin Aunt like this?”
Jiang Youning’s eyes were bloodshot. “Three men marrying one woman, and doing it by force… this isn’t something humans do; they are beasts!”
Wang Dahu and his two brothers had lost their parents early, and even their relatives avoided them.
Although the three brothers owned some farmland, they were idlers who spent their days doing nothing, becoming a plague on the village.
Even the poorest families wouldn’t resort to three brothers sharing one wife.
But these three had fixated on Jiang Yushu’s beauty, claiming, “She may be a little slow, but she is quite pretty.”
Shamelessly, the three had even suggested that Jiang Yushu give birth to a son for each of them, boasting that they wouldn’t mistreat the Jiang family.
This proposal was utterly absurd and went against all human decency!
Jiang Da had been so angry he nearly fainted at the time, firmly refusing and telling them to get lost.
Yet, the three came to harass them daily, and even the village head’s mediation was useless.
They insisted on their “three-man marriage” arrangement, refusing to back down, creating a chaotic, toxic atmosphere.
The village head, finding the matter disgraceful, simply washed his hands of it.
Now, seeing that the Jiang family wouldn’t yield, the three had decided to take her by force.
“If you don’t open the door, I’m really going to kick it in!”
How could a thin wooden door withstand the kicks of three burly men?
Jiang Da’s face was full of despair.
Jiang Youning clenched her teeth, a flash of ruthlessness in her eyes. “If they dare to force their way in, I’ll go out and fight them! If I kill one, I break even; if I kill two, I make a profit! At worst, we die together! I will never let them touch a single hair on Aunt’s head!”
Jiang Youning trembled all over, tears welling in her eyes, but she held them back, not daring to let them fall.
She knew that at this moment, she could not retreat.
The innocent Jiang Yushu did not understand what was happening; she was currently cowering behind Ye Yao, shivering. “Yaoyao, I’m scared…”
“Don’t be afraid.” Ye Yao finally spoke, her voice as cold as ice. “With me here, no one can touch you.”
As she listened to the vile insults from outside, her expression was as chilling as frost.
There was a sense of inviolable majesty between her brows that caused the anxious father and daughter of the Jiang family to calm down inexplicably.
In her past life, Xie Moyan had come with her at this time.
He had suppressed the situation with his status as a scholar and invoked the laws of the land, forcing Wang Dahu and his brothers to retreat temporarily.
But in this life, she was alone.
Yet, she was no longer the helpless little concubine she once was.
“When the door opens, I will handle them.”
Ye Yao commanded calmly. “Sister Youning, use the opportunity to slip out and find the village head. Make the commotion as big as possible; it would be best to draw the whole village here. Today, I am going to make these three beasts pay for their actions!”
After she finished speaking, she instructed Jiang Da and Jiang Yushu to stay inside and not to come out, especially to keep a close eye on her aunt so she wouldn’t run off.
Jiang Da felt reassured and nodded repeatedly. “Don’t worry, Yaoyao, I will watch her.”
Ye Yao nodded, exchanged a glance with Jiang Youning to signal her to open the door, and then turned to walk quickly into the kitchen.
Creak—
As soon as the gate opened, the eldest brother, Wang Dahu, saw it was Jiang Youning and began cursing immediately:
“You damn girl, you only open the door now! I’m telling you, you’d better agree to this marriage, or else—ah!”
Before he could finish his sentence, a burning torch smashed into his head. Sparks flew everywhere, instantly setting his clothes ablaze.
“Which one of you is tired of living and dares to disrespect your grandfather like this?!”
Wang Dahu frantically swatted at the flames on his body, spouting filthy curses.
Wang Erhu and Wang Xiaohu also rushed forward. When the three of them looked up, they saw a woman with delicate, beautiful features standing beside Jiang Youning, her expression as cold as ice.
Ye Yao held two torches in her hands and shouted sharply, “All of you, stand still! Whoever dares to take another step forward, I will burn you!”
Wang Dahu’s clothes were already burned through with holes. He narrowed his triangular eyes, his face twisting. “You stinking bitch, how dare you burn your grandfather? You are truly tired of living!”
“Run!”
Ye Yao pushed Jiang Youning. Jiang Youning clenched her teeth, slammed into Wang Dahu, and rushed out.
The three men stumbled from the impact and couldn’t immediately give chase, because Ye Yao had already brandished the torches and forced her way forward.
The flames hissed, and if that touched someone’s face, it would surely result in mangled skin and flesh.
“I’m going to kill you today! Erhu, Xiaohu, go up together and grab the torches!”
Wang Dahu’s flabby face quivered, his lecherous gaze roving over Ye Yao’s body as he reached out to grab her.
Ye Yao quickly backed away, but the three men took the opportunity to pounce on her at once, grabbing her wrists to snatch the torches.
No, I have to stall until Sister Youning brings people here!
Hardening her heart, Ye Yao used all her strength and smashed the torch hard against the bridge of Wang Dahu’s nose.
“Ah—!”
Wang Dahu let out a hog-like shriek, his rage absolute.
He rolled up his sleeves and swung his fist to strike.
“You bitch, watch as I beat you until you kneel on the ground and beg for mercy!”
Both of Ye Yao’s wrists were held fast. She closed her eyes in despair, bracing herself to take the blow.
“I’m asking you, who are you telling to kneel?”
At that moment, a deep, icy voice pierced through the clamor like a bone-cutting knife, sending a chill down everyone’s spine.
The expected punch did not land.
Ye Yao secretly opened her eyes and was instantly stunned. “Xie Hanshuo?”
She had almost forgotten that he said he would come to pick her up.
Xie Hanshuo frowned in displeasure. He grabbed Wang Erhu and Wang Xiaohu by the back of their collars, one in each hand, and flung them away as if they were nothing more than chicks.
As for Wang Dahu, who had been swinging his fist to strike, he was now lying on the ground, clutching his stomach and groaning in pain.
Just as his punch was about to land, the tall man had charged in like a gale, landing a vicious punch squarely in his abdomen.
Wang Dahu felt as if his internal organs had been displaced; a breath was stuck in his chest, and he didn’t even have the strength left to scream.
“I’m asking you, who are you telling to kneel?”
Xie Hanshuo stepped on his chest.
The man who spent his years hunting in the mountains, who could skin and bleed a wild beast without blinking an eye, was radiating such malevolence that he looked every bit like the King of Hell.
He looked down at the man under his foot, his voice low and cold, every word as heavy as iron.