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Butcher Hu turned his head and saw that it was Su Qingqing grabbing his wrist. His pupils contracted slightly.
“You!” he spat.
Su Qingqing had found his voice familiar earlier, but just as she was trying to remember where she’d heard it, a childish voice echoed in her mind:
“Qingqing, you were amazing today! You earned ten taels of silver. I’ve recovered a tiny bit, but we still have a long way to go before restoring the ‘new world.’ Keep it up, Qingqing!”
It was that damn annoying system again. She rolled her eyes, utterly speechless. She had no intention of responding to this chirpy AI. Instead, she returned to figuring out where she had heard that threatening voice.
The angry man continued to shout a few more lines, and that’s when it clicked—he was the one who bought her little brother.
Without hesitation, she spun around and saw Butcher Hu reaching to grab the young man by his collar. She didn’t think twice—she reached out and firmly grabbed Butcher Hu’s wrist.
She had overheard the young couple quietly trying to protect her just now.
Su Qingqing was someone who was easily moved. If others treated her with a bit of kindness, she would repay it tenfold.
She tightened her grip, and Butcher Hu let out a shriek of pain.
The sound attracted a crowd of onlookers.
“You damn wench, let go of me, or you’ll regret it!” he snarled.
“Oh? You’ll make me regret it?” she replied in a sweet, soft voice, which completely lacked any threat.
Hearing that, Butcher Hu hesitated briefly. His hand had already been inching toward his back—hidden there was his pig-slaughtering knife.
But he quickly shook off the pause. Yesterday, he’d let his guard down, which was the only reason this wretched girl had gotten the better of him. But today, he was prepared. With his trusty butcher knife hidden behind him, sharp and deadly, there was no way she’d be faster than him.
Having decided, he reached for the knife, ready to give this arrogant little girl a lesson she’d never forget.
The bystanders, overhearing his threat, couldn’t help but tense up for the skinny girl. Everyone in town knew that Butcher Hu was a local tyrant—people called him Hu Yamao, the King of Hell.
His brother-in-law worked at the county yamen, which made him even more fearless. He often ate without paying, and anyone who didn’t buy pork from him could expect a beating.
Just a few days ago, he beat Old Zhang from the opposite stall so badly he coughed blood. The next day, it was Old Zhang’s son and daughter-in-law who took over the stall—rumor had it that the old man was still bedridden.
Now, this little girl actually dared to go head-to-head with Hu Yamao? The crowd exchanged worried looks, signaling to her, but she seemed to ignore them completely.
Everyone thought: This girl is done for. If she doesn’t die today, she’ll be half-crippled.
The onlookers sighed and shook their heads in pity.
But just when they were certain the girl was about to be beaten to a pulp, a shocking scene unfolded—
Butcher Hu was suddenly kicked, flying backward and crashing into his own meat stall.
She had aimed her kick squarely between his legs.
He dropped to the ground, both hands clutching his groin, face turning a deep purple as he let out a pitiful groan.
The crowd around them swelled.
People looked at each other, confused: Who am I? Where am I?
Even the young couple stood in stunned silence, jaws slack.
They too were lost in the existential moment: Who am I? Where am I?
Su Qingqing had been watching Butcher Hu’s movements closely. When she saw his hand reach toward his back, her internal alarm bells rang. She immediately prepared to dodge.
Sure enough, he pulled out a gleaming, blood-stained butcher knife and slashed toward the hand she was using to hold his wrist.
She quickly let go and leapt backward. The speed granted by her “heavenly blessing” wasn’t just for show.
He missed. And from overexertion, the knife flew from his grasp as he stumbled forward.
That was her moment. Su Qingqing charged forward and kicked him squarely in the groin.
She was furious. He had tried to slice her hand off.
So—she made sure he would never have children again. Better to keep him from ever harming another innocent woman.
If it weren’t for the divine power granted to her, it would be her lying on the ground groaning right now.
“If people don’t cross me, I won’t cross them. But if they do, I will strike back. And if they cross me again, I’ll wipe them out completely.”
Someone in the crowd timidly called out: “Good job!”
Then another joined in, louder: “Yeah, well done!”
Soon, the entire crowd was chanting together—“Good job! Well done!”—their voices echoing through the streets of the town.
Everyone here had been bullied by Butcher Hu in one way or another. Even those who hadn’t suffered directly despised his domineering ways.
Now, seeing him crumpled on the ground, unable to get up, they were thrilled. Some even wished they could throw in a few kicks themselves.
Su Qingqing, however, felt a headache coming on. Judging by the excitement in the crowd, it wouldn’t be long before her fearsome reputation spread far and wide.
She cleared her throat and said, “Alright, I think the excitement is over. Maybe it’s time to get back to your day?”
The crowd exchanged glances.
True. They’d seen enough and gotten their adrenaline rush. Time to head home and gossip with the neighbors.
In moments, the crowd dispersed—leaving behind only the stunned young couple, Butcher Hu groaning in pain on the ground, and Su Qingqing, looking rather complicated.
Once the crowd was gone, the couple finally snapped out of their daze. They stepped in front of Su Qingqing—and immediately dropped to their knees.
Su Qingqing dodged to the side and quickly said, “What are you doing? Get up!” She stepped forward, trying to lift them up.
But the couple refused to budge.
The young man said, “Please let us bow to you! Thank you for saving me and helping my whole family by teaching that butcher a lesson!”
Su Qingqing sighed and frowned slightly. “If you don’t get up, I’ll leave.”
Only then did they reluctantly stand, nervously eyeing her.
The man said, “Miss, I’m Zhang Ping’an, and this is my wife, Zhao Cui. Thank you for what you did just now.”
Su Qingqing waved it off. “There’s no need to thank me. Your kindness is what saved you. If you hadn’t tried to protect me, he wouldn’t have targeted you.”
Zhang Ping’an and Zhao Cui looked ashamed.
“Miss,” Zhang Ping’an said, “you may not know, but Butcher Hu has been terrorizing the town for years. Ever since he started selling pork across from us, he’s been stealing all our business. He won’t let anyone buy from us until he’s sold out.
“My father used to run our stall, but a few days ago, Hu tried to force him to sell pork at a dirt-cheap price—he planned to resell it at a higher price. My father refused and was beaten so badly he’s still bedridden.
“My wife and I… we’re cowards. We’ve been swallowing our anger every day, waiting until Hu sells out before we dare sell anything.
“So earlier, when you came to our stall, we were terrified. That’s why we told you to go to his instead. I hope you’ll forgive us.”
As Su Qingqing listened to Zhang Ping’an’s story, fury burned in her eyes. She hadn’t expected the man to be this vile.
She turned back to look at Butcher Hu—now half-dead on the ground, groaning and clutching himself.