"200 taels of silver? That’s practically robbery!"
"I earn just enough to support my family, and it’s all spent. I have no money," Ye Yunniang refused.
"You get monthly wages and plenty of rewards—gold bracelets, silver ingots worth 200 taels!"
"There’s no silver, no gold bracelets. The Jiang Family gave me fabric and silk flowers. When I came home, we had no income, so we sold everything. There’s no money left, none at all."
"You wretched woman, I’ve been patient with you. You think I’m easy to bully?" Wan Guiyong raised his fist, ready to strike Ye Yunniang.
Ye Yunniang wasn’t about to stand there and take it. She stepped back, dodging his swing, then grabbed a stone from the ground and hurled it at him.
The stone hit Wan Guiyong square in the jaw.
"Ah!" he cried out, clutching his throbbing chin. "You dare fight back, you bitch? I’ll kill you!"
Any lingering desire to toy with her vanished. Wan Guiyong struck with brutal force. Ye Yunniang couldn’t evade in time—his palm slammed into her face.
She fell to the ground, but quickly scooped up a handful of dirt and flung it at Wan Guiyong as he lunged for her.
"Ah! My eyes!" He howled, rubbing furiously at his face.
Seizing the moment, Ye Yunniang kicked him hard between the legs.
"Oooow—!" Wan Guiyong doubled over, hands clutching his groin, his screams turning shrill.
Terrified, Ye Yunniang scrambled to her feet and bolted down the path she’d come from.
"You damn woman, I’ll kill you!" Wan Guiyong staggered up, murder in his eyes as he gave chase.
Panic drove Ye Yunniang forward, but in her haste, she didn’t see the obstacle in her path. She tripped—
Just before she hit the ground, an arm caught her, steadying her before she could fall.
"Thanks, brother! Help me grab this bitch!" Wan Guiyong panted, reaching for her. "You hit me and think you can run?"
The man blocking him didn’t comply. Instead, under Wan Guiyong’s bewildered glare, he drove a foot into his gut.
Wan Guiyong flew backward, slamming into the wall before crumpling to the ground.
He clutched his stomach, howling in pain.
The man released Ye Yunniang and strode forward, planting a foot on Wan Guiyong’s hand.
He pressed down. Hard.
"Ah—! Stop! Let go—!" Wan Guiyong shrieked, flailing his free hand uselessly against the man’s leg.
Unmoved, the man crouched, gripping Wan Guiyong’s throat.
"Ye Yunniang is under my protection. Stay away from her from now on."
"Y-yes! I’ll stay away! Just—let me go!" Wan Guiyong gasped.
The man released him and stepped back.
Wan Guiyong scrambled up. "I’ll keep my distance, I swear." Then, without warning, he swung a fist at the man.
The man caught his wrist and twisted.
Crack.
"AAAAH—!" Wan Guiyong arched backward, his arm now bent at a sickening angle.
His wrist was broken.
Thud!
The man kicked his legs out from under him. Wan Guiyong crashed to his knees.
This time, real fear gripped him. "Mercy! Spare me! I’ll never dare again, never! Please!"
He knelt there, sobbing and begging.
"Wan Guiyong, I’ll say it one last time. She and her family—are under my protection."
"Yes! Y-yes! Understood! I won’t touch them, never again!" He kowtowed frantically.
"Get lost."
"I’m gone, I’m gone!" Limping badly, Wan Guiyong stumbled away.
Once out of the alley, he glanced back—no one followed. Hatred burned in his eyes.
Once he healed, he’d go to his boss. That man would pay.
And Ye Yunniang? He’d make her suffer. Sell her to a brothel, let her be used by countless men—that’d make up for today’s humiliation.
The fantasy eased his pain—his leg hurt less, his wrist barely registered.
But Wan Guiyong’s plans crumbled the next day when constables stormed his home.
"What’s this? Why are you arresting me?" He struggled.
"Wan Guiyong, you’re under arrest for suspected murder," one constable declared, clapping chains on him.
"Husband! Don’t take him! He’d never kill anyone! Help! Someone help—!" His wife wailed, but no one stepped forward.
Wan Guiyong had always been a parasite—stealing from neighbors, even snatching food from children.
Everyone despised him. But he ran with the gambling den’s thugs, so they endured in silence.
Now, whatever the reason for his arrest, the neighbors secretly hoped he’d rot in prison forever.
Ye Yunniang watched the bear-like man approach and shrank back.
"Stay away," she whispered, voice trembling. He’d dealt with Wan Guiyong, but that didn’t make him safe.
"The bad guy’s gone. You’re safe," Tie Xiong said gently. "I’m not one of them. My name’s Tie Xiong. I live at No. 8, Wanxia Lane."
Ye Yunniang studied him, weighing his words.
"I’m not lying. My uncle is Tie Yi—the one who gave you the dagger." Tie Xiong mentioned Tie Yi’s reputation.
Some tension left her. "Thank you for saving me."
"Let me walk you home." He kept his distance, sensing her wariness.
"No. I’ll manage." She wanted no man near her right now.
"Yunniang!" Cai Damei’s voice rang out as she rounded the corner, basket in hand. She froze at the sight of her daughter with a stranger.
Then she saw the livid handprint on Ye Yunniang’s face.
"Who hit you?" Cai Damei snarled, yanking a dagger from her robes and leveling it at Tie Xiong.
"Mother, no! It wasn’t him! Wan Guiyong ambushed me. This man saved me!" Ye Yunniang grabbed her mother’s arm.
Cai Damei knew Wan Guiyong’s reputation.
She sheathed the blade and eyed Tie Xiong.
"You’re Tie Xiong?" She’d seen him once before with Tie Yi.
"Yes. Tie Yi’s my uncle." He stood straighter.
"Thank you for protecting my daughter," Cai Damei said, bowing slightly.
"No need for thanks, auntie. Anyone would’ve helped."
Cai Damei thought otherwise—these days, most cared only for themselves.
"Let us escort you home," Tie Xiong offered, taking her basket and leading the way.
Ye Yunniang clung to her mother’s arm, head bowed to hide her bruised face.
They reached home without encountering anyone.
After seeing Tie Xiong off, Cai Damei fetched ointment and entered Ye Yunniang’s room.
Bruises and scrapes marred her daughter’s pale skin from the struggle.
Cai Damei applied the salve with feather-light touches.
Ye Yunniang bit her lip, tears welling but unshed.
Finished, Cai Damei draped a robe over her shoulders. "Cry if you need to."
"Mother—" Ye Yunniang collapsed into her arms. "I thought… I’d never see you or Pan’er again… I was so scared—!" Sobs wracked her frame.
Cai Damei held her tight, guilt a leaden weight in her chest. "This is my fault. I failed you."
