After buying rice, flour, oil, salt, and sugar, they went to the cloth shop to buy fabric for each family member.
Finally, they visited the market and bought some pork offal, four pig’s trotters, and half a rack of ribs.
“Sister, why are you buying so much pork? We still have plenty of wild boar meat from yesterday,” Yu Mancang asked out of curiosity, not to criticize Yu Banxia.
Yu Banxia replied, “I have some use for it. It wouldn’t be proper to give away something the family has already eaten.”
“So it’s for gifting,” Yu Mancang nodded.
With all these purchases, his sister had spent nearly two taels of silver. In the past, the siblings wouldn’t have dared to imagine such spending. But now, with two hundred taels in hand, two taels didn’t seem like such a large amount anymore.
Besides, this money was earned by his sister, so she could spend it however she pleased.
Once everything was bought, they took it all to Yu Bingsheng: “Old Six, we’ve bought quite a lot of things. Could we trouble you to make an extra trip?”
“What do you mean?” Yu Bingsheng asked, looking at Yu Banxia.
“We’d like you to help us take these things back first, then come back again. We also plan to visit my eldest sister’s house.”
Yu Bingsheng glanced at the nearly full oxcart and finally nodded. “Alright.”
“Old Six, take this roast goose for the road. Sorry to trouble you with the extra trip,” Yu Banxia handed the roast goose she had just bought from Moonview Tower to Yu Bingsheng.
She then took out twenty copper coins and offered them to him. Yu Bingsheng accepted the roast goose but refused the money.
“That’s already enough. You’ve become so sensible now, why are you still being so polite?” Yu Bingsheng laughed heartily, and Yu Banxia smiled sheepishly.
She didn’t insist and put the copper coins away.
Nearby, several youths exchanged glances as Yu Bingsheng drove the oxcart away.
Yu Banxia found another oxcart, negotiated the price, and prepared to head to Little Zhang Village.
Not long after leaving the town, they were stopped by the same group of youths.
The driver’s expression turned grim at the sight. “It’s Er Niu and his gang. They’re notorious troublemakers in this town.”
“Honored guests, how did you attract their attention?”
With obstacles blocking the road, the oxcart couldn’t pass and was forced to stop.
Yu Mancang quickly got off the cart, shielding his two sisters to prevent them from being harmed.
Seeing a cripple trying to play the hero, Er Niu and his gang burst into laughter. “Hahaha, a cripple daring to act like a hero!”
“Brothers, let’s show him what we’re made of.”
“What are you trying to do, Er Niu? This is the outskirts of town. If I shout, I can still attract the guards,” the driver shouted in warning.
Er Niu glared at the driver and snapped, “Old Li Tou, since you know who we are, you should know it’s not wise to anger us.”
“I remember you have a two-year-old grandson at home, don’t you?”
“You!” Hearing the threat, Old Li Tou immediately backed down.
“Cripple, hand over the money, and we’ll spare your miserable lives!” Er Niu yelled.
Yu Banxia stepped down from the cart. Yu Mancang nervously grabbed her arm and shook his head.
Yu Banxia patted her third brother’s hand reassuringly, then turned to Er Niu and his gang, clapping her hands. “Impressive, truly impressive.”
“You have absolutely no respect for Southern Jin’s laws, do you? Not only are you robbing us in broad daylight, but you’re also threatening to kill?””Excuse me, how many lives do you gentlemen have? Or perhaps, what backing do you rely on?”
Er Niu frowned, carefully sizing up the young girl before him: “Oh, I didn’t expect a little girl like you to know the law?”
“Not particularly talented, but I know a bit more than you,” Yu Banxia sneered.
Er Niu was already starting to hesitate. An ordinary village girl couldn’t possibly know the law—had they kicked a hornet’s nest this time?
Did someone in her family hold an official title, or was there an official in her household?
Yu Banxia swept a cold gaze over Er Niu and his men: “Move the obstacles aside. Don’t block the way.”
Er Niu was furious, his anger boiling over: “I don’t believe it. How dare a little girl like you challenge me?”
“Go!” At Er Niu’s command, the other six men charged toward them.
Old Li Tou was filled with regret. Why had he taken this job? Now, he was going to get caught up in trouble.
Yu Banxia glanced at a tree branch by the roadside, bent down to pick it up, infused it with a bit of Wood Elemental Power, and swung it at the charging men.
One of them saw it was just a small branch and didn’t take it seriously at all.
But when the branch struck him, he instantly cried out in pain: “Ow, it hurts, it hurts…”
Seeing him like this, another man mocked him: “Gou Dan, are you trying to kill me with laughter? It’s just a little branch, ow…”
“Ow, it hurts…”
Fortunately, no one was passing by, or they might have thought there were apes around.
Old Li Tou could hardly believe his eyes. It was just an ordinary branch, and he hadn’t seen the girl do anything special, so why were these men howling in pain?
Er Niu was struck on the back of his leg and fell to his knees, howling.
“What kind of devilish thing did you use to hit me? It hurts so much.”
Yu Banxia withdrew the Wood Elemental Power and tossed the branch in front of him. The fool even picked it up and struck the person nearest to him.
That person yelped in fright, but the sensation of being hit was no different from usual—it hurt, but not that much.
“What’s going on?” Both the one who was hit and the one who hit him were confused.
Because the branch had simply snapped.
“You… you’re not some kind of tree spirit, are you?” Er Niu suddenly blurted out foolishly.
Yu Banxia rolled her eyes and then said, “Haven’t you heard of Internal Energy Masters?”
“You… you’re a Martial Arts Master! Please spare us, we were wrong, we were wrong!” Upon hearing this, Er Niu’s entire face scrunched up in fear.
“What a fool. Quickly clear away the mess you made. Don’t block my way.”
At Yu Banxia’s command, Er Niu and his men immediately stopped their wailing and hurriedly cleared the obstacles from the ground.
With respectful expressions, they gestured for her to proceed. Yu Banxia returned to the oxcart and sat down.
Yu Banyue had been gaping the whole time, her eyes filled with admiration.
Yu Banxia couldn’t bear it and stepped forward to close her sister’s jaw: “Sister, even with the veil, it’s still not very ladylike.”
“Oh, right,” Yu Banyue snapped back to reality and smiled sheepishly.
Yu Mancang was also full of admiration: “Little sister, teach me a few moves later. You were amazing just now—it was like dancing, yet so powerful.”
Yu Banxia felt a bit embarrassed. She had only used her Wood Elemental Power to achieve that effect.
But later, she could ask Xiao Bai if there were any good Internal Energy Cultivation Methods suitable for her third brother to practice.”Yes, Master, your third brother is indeed a martial arts prodigy. However, that cultivation method is in the Cultivation Method Hall, and I’m afraid it can’t be retrieved now.”
“It’s alright, we can talk about it later,” Yu Banxia comforted Xiao Bai.
Xiao Bai responded cheerfully before falling silent again.
Old Li Tou was still in shock. Yu Banxia tugged at his sleeve and said, “Uncle, we can continue on our way.”