Chapter 57: A Timely Rain

A man reached out to grope Qin Ying, a disgusting lewd smile on his face.

Qin Ying swung her sickle down hard.

Even though the man pulled back quickly, a gash still appeared on his arm. A few clumps of black cotton fell from the torn sleeve of his padded jacket, and blood splattered.

At the sight of blood, the three men revealed their ferocity. They sneered, “So she’s a wild horse after all!”

Qin Ying’s face turned cold. Her earlier panic faded—so what if it came down to a fight to the death?

An’an knew she couldn’t wait any longer and was about to overdraw her energy when a gust of wind suddenly swept in. One of the men charging at them was kicked flying through the air.

Before the others could react, a black figure spun through like a whirlwind and had already taken down the three men, rendering them completely incapacitated and writhing on the ground in pain.

An’an’s movements froze. She peeked her little head over Qin Ying’s shoulder and saw Xu Xia brushing dust off his sleeves.

Not far off, Zhou Yu was striding over quickly, his face as cold as ice.

Howls soon followed behind him, though not from Aunt Zhao and her son.

An’an quickly turned her head to look and saw two guards in green uniforms had already knocked down Hu Da and his group, helping her grandmother and uncle to their feet.

In that instant, it was as if all the strength drained from Qin Ying’s body. Not only could she no longer hold her sickle, but her legs buckled and she nearly collapsed. Luckily, Zhou Yu had just reached her side and caught her.

Qin Ying looked at him gratefully and tried to speak, but her throat was so dry she couldn’t utter a single word.

Zhou Yu gave her a small nod. “It’s all right. You all go home first. Leave these people to me.”

Aunt Zhao and Zhao Hu stumbled over, frantically checking Qin Ying and her daughter. Only when they saw the two were unharmed did they breathe a sigh of relief, completely forgetting about their own bruised and battered faces.

Tears streamed down Qin Ying’s cheeks. She trembled as she reached out and gently touched the split at the corner of Aunt Zhao’s mouth. “Mama, does it hurt?”

Aunt Zhao dismissed it without a care. “It’s nothing! Doesn’t hurt at all!”

Qin Ying turned to Zhao Hu next. Both of his eyes were so swollen they were reduced to narrow slits, yet he still looked at her with a silly grin. Her tears flowed even faster.

An’an hadn’t felt much at first, but sensing Qin Ying’s emotions and seeing the battered state of the Zhao family, her heart twisted tightly in pain. She couldn’t help opening her mouth and wailed out loud.

Startled, Qin Ying quickly took her down and cradled her, gently rocking to soothe her.

The little one’s face turned red from crying, her brow and nose wrinkled, covered in tear stains.

Zhou Yu, who had been giving Xu Xia instructions on how to deal with the assailants, heard the crying and immediately rushed back. “What’s wrong? What happened to An’an?”

Ding! Energy +2.

This was the single largest energy gain An’an had received since arriving in this world, but she felt no joy—only sadness.

And a heavy sense of guilt. What kind of system was she? In the face of danger, she had been completely useless!

Qin Ying’s heart ached terribly at An’an’s cries. Her face, still streaked with tears, became even wetter. She was so anxious that sweat beaded on her forehead.

Zhou Yu was also flustered, pacing beside them. “How did this happen? Was she hit?” His cold gaze swept toward Hu Da and the others, silencing them in terror.

Qin Ying shook her head urgently. “No. I’ve been protecting her the whole time.”

“Brain!” An’an raised her hand and pointed at Aunt Zhao and Zhao Hu, choking back sobs. “Uncle… hurts!”

Qin Ying hugged the sensible child even tighter.

But Aunt Zhao and Zhao Hu looked visibly relieved and quickly tried to comfort her. “Don’t cry, An’an. Grandma and Uncle don’t hurt at all!”

Zhao Hu even grinned and said, “Don’t believe me? I’ll show you a smile!”

But the smile tugged at the wound on his cheek, and he hissed in pain.

At the sight, An’an cried even louder.

Zhou Yu was sweating now too. He wanted to hold the child and comfort her, but considering he lacked experience, he simply said, “It’s cold out here. Let’s go home first and talk later.”

That snapped Qin Ying back to her senses. She held An’an with one arm and supported Aunt Zhao with the other, preparing to leave.

Zhou Yu quickly caught up. “Don’t rush. I’ll escort you.”

He called Xu Xia over to help Zhao Hu and then gently took An’an from Qin Ying’s arms. “Take good care of Aunt Zhao.”

Seeing Zhao Hu limping, Xu Xia figured he had leg injuries and decisively carried him on his back.

Qin Ying remembered Aunt Zhao had sprained her foot and offered to carry her, but Aunt Zhao protested, “I’m fine. You’re too small to carry me!”

Zhou Yu couldn’t bear to watch and called over a guard to carry Aunt Zhao instead.

With that, their pace finally quickened.

Qin Ying had originally wanted to take An’an back, but seeing Zhou Yu wrap her in his wide cloak and stride forward steadily, and considering her own limbs were still weak and she might drop the child, she let it be.

After walking two miles, they encountered villagers returning from visiting their family graves.

Startled by the scene, the villagers quickly surrounded them and asked what happened.

But seeing Zhou Yu’s dark expression, no one dared probe further.

Once back at the Zhao house, Zhou Yu had Xu Xia treat Zhao Hu’s injuries, then took An’an with him, saying he’d return her once everything was settled.

From the moment she was in Zhou Yu’s arms, listening to the steady, strong beat of his heart, An’an gradually calmed down and stopped crying.

Xu Xia had medicinal salve and gave a portion to Qin Ying, asking her to help apply it to Aunt Zhao’s wounds.

Although the Zhao house wasn’t particularly cold, Xu Xia still helped relight the heated brick bed. Then he had Zhao Hu take off his clothes.

As soon as the clothes were off, his many bruises were fully exposed. Xu Xia clicked his tongue, “Kid, you really held your own. Took a beating like this and didn’t even beg.”

“Heh heh!” Zhao Hu chuckled sheepishly. “I’m a man! Can’t go begging for mercy! Besides, I’m the pillar of the family. If I fall, what’ll happen to Mom, Sis, and An’an?”

“Zhao Hu, Zhao Hu, you’re just a paper tiger!” Xu Xia smirked as he rubbed ointment on the bruises. “With your measly skills, how dare you talk big?”

Zhao Hu’s mind sparked, and he quickly grabbed Xu Xia’s hand. “Brother Xu, how about taking me as your apprentice? I saw you kick a guy flying with one leg!”

“If I learn your skills, no one will dare bully my family again!”

He sounded extremely serious, but with his swollen, slit-like eyes and puffy lids, the whole scene turned a bit comical.

Xu Xia laughed and shook his head. “My meager skills aren’t enough to take on a disciple!”

“Brother Xu!” Zhao Hu clung to his hand, pleading. “Don’t think I’m stupid! I’m strong! Even if others learn something in a day, I’ll take three, ten days if needed—I’ll get it down!”

“I don’t expect to be as strong as you. Even half of what you can do would be enough! Please!”