Before Ye Xiaobei could fully process her thoughts, her body moved ahead of her consciousness and stood in front of the two men.
Blocked in by two burly men, Ye Xiaobei couldn’t help but tense up.
Now that things had come to this, she had no room to retreat.
She could only place her hand on her sword hilt and glare warily at the two.
“What do you two think you’re doing, picking on a little girl? Don’t you have any pride as martial artists?”
Hearing Ye Xiaobei’s stern rebuke, the two brothers exchanged a glance and quickly recognized her.
“So it’s you, miss from the tavern. Judging by your words, it seems you’re quite familiar with us wanderers of the martial world? But your arms are as thin as a little girl’s—I can’t see any trace of martial training. Don’t tell me you’ve been reading too many storybooks?”
Treated with such contempt, Ye Xiaobei gritted her teeth, but there was nothing she could do against the two. She simply gave Qing’er a gentle push, signaling her to run away quickly.
Qing’er cast a worried glance at Ye Xiaobei, but obediently left, slipping into the crowd and disappearing like a fish in water.
‘If I stay here, I’ll only be a burden. It’s better to go back and get help. Even if I just bring a few Pure Courtesans from Flower Full Tower, we can make these two end up like trash in a dry well outside the city by tomorrow. But that’s only if they don’t do anything to that yellow-haired miss before then…’
Zhang Shou Nan’s words seemed like casual mockery, but they made Ye Xiaobei a little angry. She had indeed read many storybooks, but did that make the fictional tales written by commoners wrong?
However, Ye Xiaobei didn’t want to clash head-on with the two. The best plan for now was to intimidate them…
Ye Xiaobei reached behind her waist, but grasped nothing.
She paused in surprise and searched again, but still couldn’t find the jade pendant from Heavenly Origin Mansion.
Only then did she remember that she had left the pendant at the mansion when she departed.
Now she had nothing to prove her identity.
Everyone knew that Ye Xiaobei of Heavenly Origin Mansion was a young master—how could they believe her words?
Announcing her title was even more impractical.
After Qing’er escaped, the Meishan Brothers were not in a hurry.
Their attention had completely shifted to her.
They simply stood there, watching Ye Xiaobei mockingly.
After all, they just needed an outlet for their anger.
They didn’t really care who it was.
Yesterday, that female warrior had protected her, but this time no one would help.
They weren’t very interested in her frail figure that looked like it would collapse in a breeze, but they still needed to answer for it.
“Miss, although you let that person go, we’ve also made up for it… Either you go catch her, or we’ll have to ask you to come.”
Ye Xiaobei’s face turned cold.
Just as she was about to draw her sword, she felt her arms go weak.
In her haste, she remembered the firearm slung on her back.
She quickly adjusted it and aimed at the two as Su Mu had taught her.
“Don’t even think about it. You’re just bullying the weak—what do you need to answer for?”
But Ye Xiaobei’s finger on the trigger was still trembling slightly, and her aim was unsteady.
Not only because she was wavering inside, but also because in a way, she was worried about these two’s lives.
After all, the power of this thing was undeniable—even a first-rate expert would find it hard to survive against it. If she ended up killing someone…
“Miss, pointing that thing at us so rashly—are you provoking us? … Wait, that thing of yours is strange.”
Zhang Shou Nan stared at the dark muzzle, feeling an inexplicable fear.
He quickly searched his memory for something related, and then recalled something similar.
The Imperial Court soldiers’ muskets! Although they were hard to aim, and both he and Ci Nan could withstand them, what concerned him more than their power was the origin of this thing.
“Where did you get that? If you don’t tell us, my brother and I will have to eliminate a threat to the martial world today and take you into custody for interrogation.”
Of course, the two didn’t have such righteous intentions; they were just looking for a convenient excuse. But at the moment, it was enough to make Ye Xiaobei panic.
‘Eliminate a threat to the martial world? Is he talking about the Imperial Court… Was this gun my master gave me originally from the court?’
Ye Xiaobei’s mind became a whirlwind of confusion.
The next moment, caught off guard, Shou Nan grabbed the muzzle and snatched it away.
The situation immediately turned extremely disadvantageous.
Ye Xiaobei gripped her sword hilt, her arm trembling, and instinctively backed away many steps.
But the two brothers simply advanced step by step, gradually forcing her to the edge of the crowd, leaving her with no room to retreat.
“Miss, if you don’t give an explanation today, I’m afraid we can’t let you leave… Ci Nan, make your move!”
The next moment, the two roared and lunged with grabbing techniques, their speed blinding.
Ye Xiaobei felt a gust of wind hit her face, and her body became stiff.
The world before her eyes slowed down, like a lantern reel playing back, exactly like the night before when the Yin Soldiers attacked.
The difference was that this time she had a little ability to move her body.
Ye Xiaobei twisted her body desperately, dodging the grabbing hands, and while the two were stunned, she turned and ran, heading deep into the alley.
She had no other special skills; her greatest asset was running. Although it couldn’t compare to lightness skills, in this maze-like environment, she should be able to buy some time… But because Ye Xiaobei subconsciously thought so, it instead put her at a disadvantage.
This subconscious thought affected reality.
Sure enough, within moments, the figures of the two brothers appeared on the eaves not far behind her.
Seeing this, Ye Xiaobei had to turn again.
Zhang Shou Nan leaped down, his massive frame blocking the alley.
He sneered and followed again, but he was secretly surprised.
“Don’t waste your energy. You won’t get away.”
This little girl was as jumpy as a rabbit, hard to catch—it was truly a headache.
Ye Xiaobei ran, occasionally looking back.
When she finally saw that the two figures had disappeared, she leaned against a wall and gasped for breath.
Even with her stamina, she was exhausted.
She could only hope they wouldn’t find her here…
Before Ye Xiaobei could think, the wall behind her shook.
Immediately after, a tremendous force struck her from behind, making her vision go dark and sending her sprawling to the ground.
Ye Xiaobei felt the world spinning.
She couldn’t even control her limbs.
She tried to stand, but her hands and feet wouldn’t obey, and she fell again and again.
“Hehe, big brother, look at my ‘Palm Through the Mountain’—haven’t I improved?”
Zhang Ci Nan’s smug voice came from behind the wall, clearly treating Ye Xiaobei like prey to toy with.
Ye Xiaobei was furious, but she forced herself to get up.
She drew her sword from her waist with trembling hands, bit by bit.
Her beautiful hair was disheveled, mixed with grass and dust, making her look quite ragged.
But the bright eyes hidden behind her hair revealed an exceptionally resolute determination, making one pause in awe.
“You really are disobedient. Then I’ll just knock you out…”