Chapter 234: Unreconciled

He Yuzhu stepped forward, and Xiao Erduo's younger brother Lian Hu and several other henchmen immediately stood guard by Xiao Erduo's side, looking at He Yuzhu with fierce and menacing expressions.

He Yuzhu sneered: "To deal with trash like you, do I even need the person behind me? My own fists are enough."

Xiao Erduo grinned, revealing teeth stained yellow by smoke: "Don't think I don't know; you're just relying on that Miss Liu, and she already had a falling out with her father! What are you still pretending to be a big shot for in front of me?"

A murderous intent rose in He Yuzhu; he had once thought Xiao Erduo followed some code of the underworld, but now it seemed he was just a shameless scoundrel.

Seeing He Yuzhu didn't speak, Xiao Erduo became even more arrogant. He spat and said: "I came here today to propose marriage for my brother, is that any of your business?"

Chen Xueru suddenly stepped forward, her face full of disdain as she said: "Pah! Liancuihua, do you have any shame left? How many times have my parents turned you down, yet you still cling on so shamelessly! Let me make this clear today—even if I die, I will never marry your idiot brother!"

Provoked by these words, Lian Hu's face turned bright red, and he reached out to grab Chen Xueru's sleeve.

Just then, He Yuzhu flicked his fingertip, and a pebble shot through the air, striking Lian Hu's wrist with precision.

"Ouch!" Lian Hu cried out in pain, pulling his hand back sharply, a red welt instantly appearing on his wrist.

Standing to the side, Lou Xiaoe hurriedly said to the two Bodyguards beside her: "Go quickly and protect Sister Xueru!"

The two Bodyguards looked troubled, and one of them bowed and replied: "Miss, the master has given orders; our primary mission is to ensure your safety..."

By now, Chen Xueru had retreated to He Yuzhu's side. Lian Hu wanted to step forward again, but was forced back by He Yuzhu's cold, sharp gaze.

Seeing the situation was bad, Xiao Erduo quickly grabbed his brother. Lian Hu's eyes were still glaring at Chen Xueru, unwilling to give up.

He Yuzhu let out a scoff and said: "Xiao Erduo, with your brother's brain, he's barely better than a pig, yet he dares to set his sights on Miss Chen?"

Xiao Erduo spat at He Yuzhu, but He Yuzhu dodged to the side.

"You death-seeking thing!" He Yuzhu cursed.

At this moment, Lian Hu suddenly shouted at the top of his lungs: "Brother! I want to marry Chen Xueru! I want to marry her!"

Xiao Erduo patted his brother's shoulder hard and said loudly: "Next month, I'll have you marry Chen Xueru; even if the Heavenly King himself comes, he won't be able to stop it!"

"With me here, you'd better give up that thought sooner rather than later." He Yuzhu looked at the group with a cold, grim gaze.

Xiao Erduo was so embarrassed he became angry and prepared to spit again, but this time He Yuzhu didn't give him the chance—his figure flickered as he moved forward rapidly, delivering a resounding slap to Xiao Erduo's face through the gap in the crowd.

Xiao Erduo was spun around in place by the blow, completely dazed.

Seeing this, Lian Hu roared and lunged at He Yuzhu with his fists swinging, but He Yuzhu dodged to the side and delivered a heavy punch straight into his abdomen. Lian Hu groaned and fell to his knees, clutching his stomach.

Xiao Erduo was instantly enraged, rubbing his ear as he roared: "Kill him for me!"

Three burly men lunged forward at the command.

He Yuzhu didn't retreat but advanced instead, swinging both arms; his fists were like cannonballs fired from a chamber, slamming directly into the faces of two of them.

With two muffled thuds, those two were sent flying five or six meters back, crashing heavily to the ground with blood streaming from their noses.

Almost simultaneously, He Yuzhu kicked the third man square in the stomach. The man flew back over ten meters and slammed into a shop door, causing it to collapse with a crash. The shop clerk inside screamed in terror.

Just as He Yuzhu had knocked down two men and hadn't yet steadied himself, Xiao Erduo lunged forward like lightning to launch a sneak attack—having a background in wrestling, he wanted to throw He Yuzhu to the ground.

He Yuzhu shifted his body, and with a light hook of his foot, Xiao Erduo was tripped and lunged forward, falling face-first into the dirt, his mouth full of blood.

A roar like a thunderclap rang out. Lian Hu had recovered and charged again like a wild bull, his sand-pot-sized fist aiming straight for He Yuzhu's face.

He Yuzhu dodged swiftly and chopped the back of Lian Hu's neck with his palm. His massive frame swayed and then collapsed with a boom, falling silent.

By now, the remaining five men had rushed over in a surrounding formation.

He Yuzhu didn't wait for them to complete the encirclement and took the initiative. He wove through the five men like a ghost; his fists, elbows, knees, and legs turned into afterimages, each strike accompanied by the muffled sound of flesh colliding and shrill screams. In the blink of an eye, all five were on the ground, unconscious.

He Yuzhu walked back slowly, grabbed Xiao Erduo by the hair, and dragged him like a dead dog to the steps, where he sat down calmly, looking down at the blood-covered gang leader.

"If the person behind me is no longer favored, then I'll rely on myself. Is that enough qualification to reason with you?" He Yuzhu said with a cold expression.

Seeing He Yuzhu sit down, Xiao Erduo seemed to find a golden opportunity and suddenly lunged forward like a toad, trying to grab He Yuzhu's legs.

He Yuzhu had been prepared; he braced his hands and stood up abruptly, then swung his leg, actually tossing Xiao Erduo over ten meters away. He didn't stop, but walked up quickly and gave him several more loud slaps, the force so great it knocked out two of Xiao Erduo's back molars.

By now, the entrance to Xueru Clothing Store was packed solid. The merchants and commoners who were usually oppressed by them saw this and couldn't help but feel delighted, with cheers erupting from the crowd.

Standing at the shop entrance, Lou Xiaoe watched in shock, her small hand gripping Chen Xueru's sleeve tightly—she never imagined that this Brother Zhuzi, who was usually so gentle with her, could be so fierce and formidable when he fought. She decided right then and there that she, too, would learn Kung Fu.

Xiao Erduo was finally beaten into sobriety. He knew that even if ten more men were added, they couldn't beat He Yuzhu. Knowing when to yield, he immediately knelt on the ground and knocked his head three times against the floor in front of He Yuzhu.

He Yuzhu stared at him coldly and said viciously: "If you ever dare to have designs on Chen Xueru again, I will cripple you. Do you understand?"

Xiao Erduo trembled all over and nodded hurriedly: "I... I understand! I won't dare to again!"

"Get lost, now!" He Yuzhu cursed.

Xiao Erduo stood up and gave He Yuzhu an awkward smile, but when he looked at Chen Xueru, his eyes were full of anger.

He led his group of battered and defeated men and fled Qianmen Street in a wretched state.

Watching Xiao Erduo flee, the street erupted in enthusiastic applause—Xiao Erduo had often collected protection money and acted like a tyrant on this street.

But Chen Xueru was not as happy as the others; her heart felt like it was pressed by a heavy stone, and she couldn't forget the warning look in Xiao Erduo's eyes.

He Yuzhu returned to Chen Xueru's shop and took a medical kit from his chest, preparing to treat the two wounds on the back of his hand himself—after all, he was made of flesh and blood, and in the fierce battle just now, his knuckles and the back of his hand had been torn open, oozing blood.

Chen Xueru looked at the wounds, feeling a faint ache in her heart. Her hands were trembling, and she bit her lip hard to steady herself. "Zhuzi, let me help you!"

He Yuzhu stopped and handed her the supplies, and Chen Xueru began to carefully clean and apply medicine to his wounds.

Smelling the faint fragrance on her, He Yuzhu suddenly felt that his wounds didn't hurt quite as much.