After searching most of the first floor, Jiang Li started heading toward the second floor. Most of the stores there sold clothes, and since she already had plenty of those in her space, she mainly targeted shoe stores instead, occasionally entering clothing shops whenever she spotted something she liked.
At one corner, Jiang Li heard some commotion nearby. Looking ahead, she discovered four men robbing a woman of her belongings. The woman held the hand of a little boy around three or four years old with one hand, while the other held a knife pointed at the four men.
Of the four men, one wore a floral shirt and had a somewhat sleazy appearance. His arm seemed injured, probably cut by the woman earlier. For now, let’s call him Sleazy Guy Number One. Another man also wore a floral shirt, though with a different pattern. The two looked somewhat alike and were probably brothers, so he could be called Sleazy Guy Number Two.
The third man wore a white dress shirt with a tie, paired with suit pants and black leather shoes. We’ll call him Shirt Guy. The last one wore a black patterned short-sleeve shirt along with a thick gold chain, so we’ll call him Chain Guy.
“I’m telling you, if you know what’s good for you, hand over the stuff on your phone and obediently come back with us. Our boss taking a liking to you is your good fortune,” Sleazy Guy Number One said to the woman. Their boss was probably the man wearing the gold chain.
“Impossible. Even if I die, I won’t go with you people.” The woman glanced at Shirt Guy, who was standing beside Sleazy Guy Number Two, as she spoke.
“Gao Peng, are you really just going to stand there and watch our son and me get bullied? You coward!”
The woman looked to be around thirty, not yet forty, but she carried herself with excellent poise and was very beautiful. No wonder Chain Guy had taken a liking to her.
Gao Peng was the woman’s husband. He was a rather cowardly person. He and the woman had come out together to search for supplies, only to run into Chain Guy and his group. Chain Guy had taken a fancy to the woman, but Gao Peng did not dare resist.
Faced with the woman’s questioning, Gao Peng also felt flushed with shame, but he only wanted to survive.
“He Shan, I don’t have a choice either. Why don’t you just agree to it?” After speaking, he no longer dared look at the woman’s face.
“Bah! You’re nothing but a coward!” He Shan cursed fiercely.
“He Shan, me taking a liking to you is me giving you face. Don’t refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit. Your man can’t protect you, but if you follow me, I can protect you. Besides, you’re a woman with a child. Life can’t be easy for you, right?” Chain Guy said impatiently.
He Shan glanced at her son behind her. The little boy softly called out, “Mom.” He Shan tightened her grip on his hand.
Chain Guy gave Sleazy Guy Number One and the others a look, signaling them to launch a sneak attack while the woman was distracted. The two sleazy men quietly moved toward her from the side. Just as they got close and were about to make their move, Jiang Li acted.
Holding her Tang saber, Jiang Li rushed toward Sleazy Guy Number One and cleanly sliced across his neck in one swift motion. He collapsed to the ground instantly.
Everyone was startled by the sudden appearance of another person, especially Chain Guy and the others. Seeing Jiang Li take someone down so easily in a single move, they immediately lost the courage to fight and turned to flee.
Naturally, Jiang Li was not about to give them the chance. She sent the Tang saber in her hand flying toward them, one strike each, taking down two more men. Then she walked over to them, wiped the blood from the blade against their clothes, and returned the sabers to her waist.
As for the man in the suit, he was already so terrified that he did not dare move. Jiang Li tied him up. This man could be left for the woman to deal with herself. As for what she chose to do with him afterward, that was none of Jiang Li’s concern. She only hoped the woman would not disappoint her.
Originally, Jiang Li had not intended to interfere, but after glancing at the little boy, she ultimately decided to step in.
“I’ll leave this man for you to handle. But once there’s a first time, there’ll be a second. Think it through carefully yourself.”
“Thank you for today. I understand. I won’t be soft-hearted.” The woman tightened her hold on the little boy’s hand before saying to Jiang Li, “Could you lend me your knife?”
“Sure.”
Jiang Li handed the saber to He Shan.
“Thank you,” He Shan said as she accepted the blade. Then she crouched down and spoke to the little boy.
“Haohuo, let’s play a game, okay? Turn around, close your eyes, and cover your ears. Then wait for Mommy to come find you. If you can hold out until then, Mommy will give you something tasty afterward, alright?”
“Okay. Haohuo can hold on. Haohuo wants yummy food.” The little boy obediently turned around and did exactly as He Shan instructed. “Haohuo will be good.”
“He Shan, please let me go. I really won’t do it again. Haohuo needs me. That’s right, I’m Haohuo’s father, He Shan!” Gao Peng shook his head desperately at He Shan.
“Oh, so you still remember you’re Haohuo’s father? Then where were you when Haohuo was being beaten just now? What were you doing when I was being bullied? And now you still have the nerve to say this?” He Shan’s hand holding the knife trembled violently.
“Don’t come over, He Shan. You can’t kill me. I just wanted to survive. What did I do wrong? I—”
He Shan did not give him another chance to speak. She drove the knife straight into his heart in one stab, though her trembling hand exposed just how frightened she really was. Finally, tears began streaming uncontrollably down her face.
After calming herself down, she wiped the knife clean and returned it to Jiang Li.
“Thank you so much for today. Otherwise, I really don’t know what would’ve happened.”
Jiang Li accepted the knife, then took out a small bag of bread rolls and a bag of fruit candies from her backpack and handed them to the woman.
“Give these to your son. There’s still some food left in the supermarket downstairs, so you can try looking there. How are you getting back?”
Looking at the things Jiang Li handed over, He Shan hesitated briefly before accepting them.
“Thank you. Our car is parked outside. As for those men, they’ve apparently been staying in the mall the whole time.” That was something He Shan had overheard them mention before.
After speaking, she bowed deeply to Jiang Li before walking back to her son.
“Haohuo was so brave. Look, you even get candy.”
He Shan unwrapped a fruit candy and gave it to Haohuo.
“Really? It’s so yummy. Thank you, Mommy!”
He Shan rubbed Haohuo’s head, thanked Jiang Li once again, then held her son’s hand and headed downstairs.