Chapter 47: The Protector’s Fury

Cai felt her vision blur slightly. The ends of her golden hair, falling before her eyes, were now a dazzling, vivid red, staining Cai’s entire field of vision.

The sole cause of this grotesque sight was a stone, forcefully hurled from the hand of an adult man.

That makeshift ‘weapon’ now lay rolling at Cai’s feet.

In the opposite direction, the man still clutched another stone in his palm, yet to be thrown.

Cai harbored no intention of questioning why she was subjected to such treatment.

Her only desire was to escape the crowd, but it seemed time was already against her.

With the circle of tormentors already closed around their target, how could anyone possibly grant her an opportunity to leave?

The villagers swarmed, further constricting the small space Cai had left for movement.

Objects began to rain down upon her. Children, their hands empty, hurled vile insults instead.

Every single person had become an aggressor. There was no innocence here, only the stark division between tormentor and tormented.

Not far from the escalating conflict, You, Cai’s brother and the orchestrator of this entire spectacle, watched everything unfold with a chilling detachment.

Had it not been for You’s hidden authorization, the villagers’ actions would never have dared to be so extreme.

This was the first time You had witnessed his sister’s agony, and a strange sense of novelty stirred within his consciousness.

He desired his sister to suffer more, believing it was the only way she would abandon all illusions and dutifully follow him to the Kingdom.

In You’s mind, it was an undeniable truth: ‘A sister must follow her brother,’ and ‘A sister must obey her brother.’

Any other emotion his sister displayed was utterly superfluous!

Before the villagers could lay their fists upon his sister, You decided it was time for his grand entrance.

If he were to suddenly appear before his sister at this very moment and drive away all the wicked villagers,

If that were the outcome, he might just elevate his image in his sister’s eyes.

With that, You’s coveted objective would be partially achieved.

However, ‘man proposes, God disposes!’

Just as You meticulously planned every subsequent event, an unforeseen variable abruptly emerged.

This variable spurred a change, a transformation wrought by an uninvited guest.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Five muffled thuds resounded in quick succession.

When Cai finally registered the sounds, she saw several villagers near the makeshift encirclement behind her, sent flying right before her eyes.

A figure, moving with furious intensity, punched each of them away.

The brutal force shattered teeth, and the clenched fists were marred with streaks of blood, eliciting deathly wails from the assailed.

The figure tore through the villagers’ blockade around Cai, appearing by her side in a flash.

With a swift ‘whoosh,’ the person shielded the girl firmly behind their erect posture.

A terrifying roar echoed through the scene:

“Let’s see who among you dares to move now!?”

Crimson pupils radiated a cruel intensity, casting an indelible, blood-red shadow deep within the minds of every aggressor.

Unlike her self-absorbed brother, the sudden appearance of this new individual meant that their actions were entirely devoid of calculation.

It could be said:

The sudden scene that just unfolded was merely an impulsive act, born from blood rushing to their head.

To hell with rationality!

In this moment, the person knew only one thing: they had to stand here.

They understood that from this point forward, no one would be allowed to harm the girl behind them.

“Who laid a hand on her just now? Step forward!”

Wang’s roar exploded like a clap of thunder, reverberating with a booming intensity throughout the entire street.

Those who heard it swayed as if struck by an invisible hammer.

Those further away stood on tiptoes, observing her, silently grateful they hadn’t pressed too close earlier.

Those nearby recoiled, their heads drawn in, trembling with unease at the sight of her bloodied fists.

The woman’s voice, hoarse with fury, compelled everyone present to instinctively retreat several steps.

Those who had failed to retreat from Wang’s presence were now plummeting from mid-air to the ground.

Their hair was plastered to their heads, their heads resting against the dirt, their fates hanging precariously in the balance.

The villagers realized: ‘The appearance of this girl was completely unforeseen.’

Last night, when You gave his instructions, he had merely told the villagers to play the role of villains and bully a powerless young girl.

Yet, You had made no mention of what they should do if an unexpected person were to appear.

With no one to inform or instruct them, the people began to devise their own solutions.

Now, behind Wang, a burly man clutching a cleaver stealthily approached, moving with the cautious steps of a rabbit, so light they were barely audible.

Some villagers were already plotting how to deal with this detestable newcomer.

Certain individuals mused: ‘Even if a direct confrontation with her might be difficult, a surprise attack from behind, while she’s busy protecting the nun, would drastically change the situation.’

‘Moreover, the one tasked with circling around to her back was the village’s renowned butcher, a man capable of slaughtering even pigs and sheep.’

‘Surely, human flesh wouldn’t be tougher than that of an animal, would it?’

The highly anticipated butcher, in the very next second, reached his target’s back, clasped his hands together, raised the cleaver high, and brought it down.

As the saying went, ‘No matter how skilled, one fears a cleaver.’ The villagers were convinced Wang was doomed.

The merciless blade descended swiftly, without hesitation.

Yet, the person was even more ferocious. The instant she was targeted, she locked onto her self-proclaimed ‘hunter’ instead.

Wang swung her right leg backward. The high-rising kick, without needing deliberate aim, moved purely on instinct, rapidly closing in on the wrist holding the knife.

Thud!

After a crisp sound of flesh tearing, the butcher’s right hand dangled abnormally, falling limply against his shoulder.

The moment the cleaver in the butcher’s grip reached its lowest point, his right wrist nearly parallel to Wang’s waist, this ambush was already doomed to fail.

At that height, Wang’s raised thigh could strike the butcher’s wrist even without her needing to turn her head.

The cleaver, its trajectory altered mid-air before it could even strike, was casually caught by Wang a moment later.

The faintly crimson blade reflected a terrifying distortion of human faces.

“So, this village prefers to express its sentiments through brute force? Fine then! I’ll simply follow local customs…”

Her left hand, clenched into a fist, rocketed forward, sending the butcher flying.

A moment later, Wang lifted her right hand, and the cleaver instantly plunged into the ground.

The person who had discarded the blade bent her knees, immediately appearing before the front row of villagers.

Her left fist, which had never slackened, mercilessly slammed into a head that looked infuriatingly smug.

Although Wang used no weapons, only her bare fists landed on the villagers.

Yet, with sufficient strength and ruthless strikes, it remained an effortless task for her fists to injure or even cripple a person.