Chapter 176

A sharp crack echoed, and the little angel felt she'd stepped on something; she paused in confusion, and then a deafening scream erupted beside her—a middle-aged woman clutched her leg, bent at a seventy-eight-degree angle, wailing in agony.

At her screams, two burly female guards burst out of the room behind her and rushed over to support the woman, urgently crying: "Lady, Lady, what happened? What's going on?"

The middle-aged woman clutched her leg and sobbed: "My leg, my leg—it's her, it's her! Grab her, seize her!"

The little angel looked bewildered, tilting her small head at the woman's broken leg. It looked… like she'd broken it. Was this considered assault?

The two female guards charged forward with snarls, and the little angel immediately smiled—they'd struck first, so fighting back didn't count as assault.

Left punch, right punch—the two guards flew back, clutching blackened eyes. Against opponents this weak, she didn't even need to use holy light.

At Ang's request, the little angel had been holding back, not going so far as to seriously injure anyone.

After defeating the enemies, the little angel turned and scampered away quickly.

The two female guards carried the middle-aged woman away, still roaring: "You remember this! Come on, come on, let's go get reinforcements—we're tearing this shithole down!"

The entire Jingyan Skin Care Shop descended into chaos. A beautiful, fair-skinned young woman rushed out, grabbed a staff member, and demanded answers—then turned pale: "That she-dragon? Oh no, oh no—she's the most vicious woman in Luolan City! How did you provoke her?"

The female employee, still clutching her stinging cheek, wept: "She insisted I remove her freckles and wrinkles—I told her I couldn't do it, so she flew into a rage and hit me. I ran straight to the manager, but as soon as I stepped out of the room, she took it out on a little girl, tried to kick her—and somehow broke her own foot!"

"Took it out on a little girl? Broke her own foot? How hard did she kick? What if she'd hit the child? So cruel, so vile!" the young woman spat angrily—but then she frowned:

"That she-dragon doesn't reason. Now she's suffered a huge loss and broken her leg—she won't let this go. She's the widow of Duke Tuo, and her brother's the Garrison Commander of Luolan City—he can summon the city guard anytime to harass us. Get all the customers out, and you all leave too. Come back only after the trouble passes."

The female employee, still holding her face, asked: "But what about you, Manager Katie?"

"Of course I stay to guard the shop—this is my Lord Ang's property. No one gets to destroy it." Katie said without hesitation.

As soon as she uttered "my Lord Ang," Ang, standing just around the corner of this street block, clearly sensed her thought—and couldn't help glancing in her direction.

"But…" Katie was ordering everyone to leave because she clearly had no confidence the woman wouldn't resort to violence—yet she herself stayed behind. Wasn't that extremely dangerous?

Katie brushed off all objections: "Go, go, go! Find that little girl—tell her to run too. Do you know whose child she is?"

No sooner had she finished than the little angel scampered back—Ang had sent her to check the place, and she'd already finished her round.

The slapped employee grabbed the little angel: "Little girl, little girl, where are your guardians? Where did they go?"

The little angel pointed outside with her hand—meaning: My guardian is out there.

Just then, a dozen soldiers burst through the front door, weapons drawn, blocking the entrance.

Katie gasped: "Trouble! May my Lord protect us!" She rushed forward, pulling the little angel and the staff members back behind her, spreading her arms to shield them.

At her cry of "May my Lord protect us," Ang finally realized what he could do—and swiftly projected his consciousness over.

He'd done this kind of projection three times before—the first two were when Silver Coin died and was reborn. This was the third, but the circumstances were utterly different.

The two previous times, he'd projected across dimensions. Now, he was projecting through only a few walls—the clarity was like being physically present, as if he'd replaced Katie in her position, barely less vivid than the soul-link he shared with the little angel.

Ang felt as if he were truly there—he "saw" the middle-aged woman with the broken leg being carried through the door by her two female guards.

Katie stared at the woman's twisted, ashen face and cried urgently: "Duchess, I deeply regret this incident. I am willing to compensate you fully and treat your injury immediately—please forgive them."

The duchess ignored Katie entirely, jabbing a short, fat finger at the soldiers: "Grab those women! I'll carve their faces, then sell them to the cheapest taverns."

The lead soldiers' eyes lit up with lewd grins; they surged forward eagerly.

Katie's face paled—she hadn't expected the duchess's widow to be this brutal. She cried out: "Duchess, you cannot do this! They didn't mean it! This is property of the Silver Coin Guild—you cannot act like this!"

"Silver Coin Guild? Never heard of it. Doesn't matter if it's silver or black—I'm tearing this place down today. None of you are leaving. I'll carve every face, then sell you to the cheapest taverns—where you'll be slept on by a horde of commoners! Arrest them!"

Katie's face twisted with despair. She'd tried reasoning—but now she realized how powerless she was against someone who refused to listen.

The duchess's words sent a chill through her. The thought of her beauty destroyed, forced to live in a cheap tavern, daily tormented by garbage collectors and gravediggers—she wanted to smash her head against the wall.

Worse still, the duchess's threats might become reality. Even if Silver Coin arrived to save her, it would take days—and by then, she'd likely wish she were dead.

For the first time, Katie hated herself for never learning magic or martial arts—something to protect herself in moments like this.

Despite her terror, Katie clung tightly to the little angel and the female staff behind her, shouting: "Do whatever you want to me—but they're just children, innocent and clueless. Let them go!"

"None of you are leaving! Aaah~" The middle-aged woman shrieked hysterically—perhaps her broken leg flared again, making her groan, her gaze turning even more venomous.

Seeing that look, Katie knew there was no chance of mercy. She closed her eyes in despair and whispered: "My Lord, protect me. I offer my body and soul—I beg for Your divine wrath to descend…"

It was merely a desperate prayer. Katie didn't expect any change—she was clinging to the last thread of hope. But as she murmured, a powerful, overwhelming force surged into her body.

The force blasted from the crown of her head straight to her soles, jolting her entire frame. Her hands involuntarily clenched, as if grasping for something.

Several soldiers reached her, reaching to grab her—but their impure intentions caused their hands to misplace.

Katie slammed her fists shut—and a staff of holy light materialized in her grip.

A staff? To cast a spell or divine art? The thought flashed through her mind—but her hands moved on their own, swinging the holy staff and smashing it down onto the soldier's head.