Zhao Erhu’s dirt-smeared face instantly flushed the color of liver.
“You’re courting death!”
With a furious roar, his burly yet bloated body lunged at Xu Lang. A wave of foul stench rushed forward.
“Ah!”
Hua Yourong and Xia Zhiruo screamed in fright and instinctively hid behind Xu Lang, clutching tightly at the corner of his clothes.
Murong Yanran’s beautiful face turned cold as she abruptly rose to her feet. With a shift of her steps, she was about to move forward to meet the attack. The fierce blood of a general’s daughter surged within her at that moment.
But a hand stretched out before her, blocking her path.
It was Xu Lang.
“Don’t let this filth dirty my wife’s hands,” Xu Lang said calmly without turning his head.
Murong Yanran froze.
Seeing that Xu Lang still dared to play the hero at such a moment, Zhao Erhu laughed in rage. He stopped, his murky eyes roaming shamelessly over Murong Yanran’s heaving chest and long legs.
“Heh, beauty, don’t rush. After I deal with this skinny monkey, I’ll come take good care of you!”
One of the thugs behind him jeered, “Exactly! Xu Lang is as thin as a bamboo pole, all show and no substance. A silver spearhead that looks sharp but can’t pierce anything. Bet he can’t even satisfy you!”
“We’re strong and sturdy. We’ll show you what being a real woman truly feels like, hahaha!”
The vulgar words were unbearable.
Hua Yourong and Xia Zhiruo trembled with anger but did not dare to speak out of fear.
Murong Yanran’s face turned pale with fury. She had never suffered such humiliation.
This Xu Lang, overestimating himself. If he had not blocked her, she would have kicked this scoundrel flying already.
She suppressed the fire in her heart and made up her mind to let Xu Lang suffer a little. Let him understand that without her, he was nothing. Once he was beaten half to death, she would step in and show him who truly held power in this household.
While Murong Yanran’s thoughts raced, Xu Lang moved.
He did not roar in anger, nor did he waste words.
Facing Zhao Erhu’s incoming punch, he simply tilted his body slightly. The movement was light, as if brushing away a fallen leaf.
Zhao Erhu’s confident strike grazed the corner of Xu Lang’s clothes. Because he had used too much force, he staggered forward instead.
So fast.
Murong Yanran’s pupils shrank slightly.
This was definitely not the reaction speed of an ordinary famine-stricken villager.
Before she could think further, Xu Lang had already stepped forward, slipping into Zhao Erhu’s space. His right hand shot out like lightning, grabbing Zhao Erhu’s wrist and twisting outward in one smooth motion.
A crisp and chilling sound of bone breaking exploded inside the small thatched hut.
“Ah—!!!”
Zhao Erhu let out a pig-slaughtering scream. His thick arm twisted at a grotesque angle, and the intense pain forced him to collapse to his knees.
The other thugs stared in shock.
Just a second ago their leader had been showing off, and now his arm was ruined.
What the hell just happened?
Xu Lang did not stop. He kicked Zhao Erhu in the chest, sending him flying like a broken sack into the straw wall.
Bang.
The already unstable thatched hut shook violently again.
“Together! Kill him!”
One thug snapped back to his senses, eyes red as he grabbed a firewood stick and swung it at Xu Lang’s head. The other two forced themselves forward, flanking from both sides.
Xu Lang did not even glance at them. He delivered a clean side kick.
Thud.
The thug charging in front was struck before his stick could fall. It was as if he had been hit by a galloping horse. His body bent midair before he was sent flying backward, losing consciousness instantly.
Xu Lang’s figure shifted like a ghost, appearing before the thug on the left. The man only saw a blur before a fist rapidly filled his vision.
Thump.
A dull impact sounded.
The thug’s nose collapsed, blood and tears spraying wildly as he fell flat on his back.
Only one remained.
The last thug’s courage had shattered. Seeing Xu Lang standing there like a killing god, he shrieked and turned to run.
But the moment he turned, his neck tightened.
Xu Lang grabbed him with one hand and lifted him like a chicken. The thug’s feet left the ground as he struggled desperately, unable to break free from the iron grip.
The suffocating pressure turned his face purple, his eyes bulging.
Bang.
Xu Lang casually tossed him aside next to Zhao Erhu.
The entire sequence flowed like water, swift and precise.
In barely a dozen breaths, four aggressive thugs had been completely crushed. One had a broken arm, one was unconscious, one had his face smashed, and one was half-dead. They lay on the ground wailing and rolling in pain.
Inside the thatched hut, a deathly silence fell. Only the thugs’ groans and three increasingly hurried breaths could be heard.
Hua Yourong and Xia Zhiruo stood behind Xu Lang, utterly stunned. Their small mouths hung open, their beautiful eyes filled with shock and disbelief.
How could he be this powerful?
Xia Zhiruo’s heart pounded wildly. Looking at Xu Lang’s not particularly tall but now incredibly reliable back, her bright eyes sparkled like stars.
Her husband… was so handsome.
Murong Yanran stood to the side as if struck by lightning. She was completely frozen.
Her mind went blank.
She had imagined countless possibilities. Xu Lang beaten black and blue, kneeling and begging for mercy. Xu Lang bleeding from the head while she stepped in angrily to save him. Even Xu Lang beaten to death.
But she had never imagined this.
A complete crush.
How could that seemingly thin body unleash such terrifying strength and speed? That clean, decisive movement, that ruthless efficiency.
This was definitely not an ordinary farmer.
And she had actually thought of letting him suffer first before stepping in to save him.
What a ridiculous thought.
Shock, shame, and curiosity churned wildly within her.
Who exactly was this man?
[Ding! Murong Yanran favorability +30! Current favorability: 15 (Shocked and Curious).]
[Ding! Hua Yourong favorability +10! Current favorability: 70 (Devoted Admiration).]
[Ding! Xia Zhiruo favorability +20! Current favorability: 70 (Admiring Dependence).]
A string of system notifications sounded in Xu Lang’s mind, instantly lifting his mood. One fight, and the favorability rose rapidly. Especially Murong Yanran, that fiery mare, had finally climbed out of the negatives.
It seemed a man still had to speak with his fists.
He brushed off imaginary dust from his hands, turned around, and gave the three stunned wives a bright smile.
Then he slowly walked toward Zhao Erhu, who lay on the ground clutching his broken arm and trembling.
Xu Lang crouched down, picked up the firewood stick from the ground, and weighed it in his hand.
He looked at Zhao Erhu with a faint smile. His voice was soft, yet it made Zhao Erhu feel as if he had fallen into an icy abyss.
“Just now, who did you say you were going to play with?”
Zhao Erhu was terrified out of his wits. Warmth spread down his pants, and a foul stench filled the air.
“I… I was wrong… Grandfather, I was wrong…”
“Too late.”
Xu Lang raised the firewood stick in his hand. He had no intention of letting these scum off the hook.