Chapter 218: Hero Saves Beauty, I Want to Be Your Beast of Burden

Time to head back.

Luo Zijun carried the person on his back, treading through the thick, accumulated snow, walking back the way they came while complaining all the while.

Xu Ziyin lay flat against his back, not talking back.

Only when he grew tired of speaking would she reply, "Mm-hmm, Brother Dongfang is right."

Luo Zijun instantly lost his temper.

After walking another few miles, a beast's roar suddenly came from the woods ahead.

Following that, a black shadow charged toward the two of them.

Looking closely, it was actually another, smaller-sized demon pig.

This demon pig's body was covered in wounds, with two feathered arrows stuck in its back; it was limping, looking as if it were panicking and choosing its path blindly.

Behind it, a tall figure holding a bow and arrow was in pursuit.

One could see that the figure was wearing a verdant green dress, with a slender, exquisite frame, a ponytail, and a large golden bow in hand; as she ran and leaped, she was like a nimble deer, swift, light, and full of heroic spirit.

"It's her?"

Luo Zijun saw the person clearly and was stunned for a moment.

Seeing that the demon pig was about to bolt past them, Luo Zijun immediately dropped the dead weight on his back, dashed over in a flash, and threw a punch with a "Boom—", directly hitting the running demon pig and sending it flying sideways.

Just as the demon pig landed, the tall figure chasing behind swept up, a flash of sword light in her hand piercing into the demon pig's head.

The demon pig let out a shrill, miserable shriek, kicked its legs on the ground and struggled a few times, then breathed its last.

Bai Qingtong pulled out her precious sword, raised her head, and looked at the person in front with a pair of bright eyes, her gaze filled with vigilance.

Luo Zijun did not speak; he turned and left, picked up Xu Ziyin from the ground, put her back on his back, and then continued walking toward the outside.

Bai Qingtong was stunned for a moment and hurriedly said, "Please stay, brave warrior."

Luo Zijun stopped his steps, turned his head, and looked at her.

Bai Qingtong pondered for a moment, took a few silver banknotes out of her Storage Bag, walked over, and said, "Thank you for just now. Please take these five hundred taels of silver, brave warrior; consider it a reward for your help with that punch."

Luo Zijun glanced at her, did not decline, grabbed them, and then, without saying a word, walked away quickly.

A look of confusion appeared on Bai Qingtong's face; she glanced at the young girl on his back once more before turning to deal with the demon pig.

Once they had walked far away, Luo Zijun finally spoke: "Xu Ziyin, did you see that? Look at how generous others are. I just helped throw a punch, and she took the initiative to chase after me and give me five hundred taels of silver. And you? I've saved you several times, yet you still want to welsh on your debt. You're both women, why is the difference so great?"

Xu Ziyin immediately sneered and said, "She is a Young Lady of the Bai Family; how could I be as rich as her?"

Luo Zijun said, "It's not a question of being rich or poor, it's a question of attitude."

Xu Ziyin kept her pretty face cold and said nothing more.

At this moment, Luo Zijun suddenly stopped his steps, turned his head, and looked behind them.

Xu Ziyin sneered, "What, can't bear to leave?"

Luo Zijun suddenly dropped her and turned back.

Xu Ziyin immediately fell onto the snow, both angry and furious: "Dongfang Junnan, what do you mean by this?"

Seeing that he ignored her, she suddenly said again: "Oh, Brother Dongfang, this little sister is in so much pain..."

"Whoosh—"

Luo Zijun's figure instantly vanished into the woods behind.

When he arrived at the woods where he had just met Bai Qingtong, he discovered that Bai Qingtong was being surrounded by three men.

The demon pig on the ground had already been put away, leaving only scarlet bloodstains all over the ground.

One of the burly men, holding an Opening Heaven Axe, spoke up: "Young lady, don't refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit. I'll give you one more chance: leave the demon pig and leave on your own."

Another short, fat man on the left chuckled and said, "It seems this young lady is reluctant to part with us brothers. How about you leave both yourself and the demon pig behind?"

Another yellow-haired man holding twin blades approached step by step from behind, preparing to strike directly.

Bai Qingtong held her precious sword and said with a cold face, "I am a person of the Bai Family. Are you sure you want to rob me?"

"The Bai Family?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the expressions of the three changed instantly.

The burly man hesitated for a moment, but the short, fat man sneered: "Just because you say you are, you are? I'm a person from the Prince's Mansion! Big Brother, don't be afraid of her. We don't live in the Inner City anyway; let's take her down first! When we take her back and break her in properly, maybe she can help us earn even more money."

The yellow-haired man also said coldly, "Since we've already made an enemy of her, we might as well go all the way and just kill her. These Cangyun Mountain ranges are high and the Emperor is far away; even if she really is from the Bai Family, who would know?"

Upon hearing this, the burly man made up his mind; carrying his axe, he also began to close in.

Bai Qingtong immediately retreated, leaning against a large tree behind her, gripping the sword in her hand, her gaze quickly scanning both sides as if looking for a path to break through.

The short, fat man leered, "This little beauty has long legs and a perky butt, such a good figure and such a pretty face; it would be a pity to kill her. Big Brother, Second Brother, show some mercy later; don't let her lose an arm or a leg, I still want to take her back and break her in properly. When the time comes, feed her a few of my pills, and even the fiercest woman will turn into a slut. If she's a Young Lady of the Bai Family, that would be even better..."

"Swish!"

Before he had even finished speaking, Bai Qingtong's figure flashed, and the precious sword in her hand pierced toward him first.

The sword tip, flashing with cold light, had been seven or eight meters away a second ago, but the next second, it was already at his throat!

The short, fat man was startled; he hurriedly rolled backward, narrowly avoiding the sword edge that could have pierced his throat, then jumped up and cursed: "This little bitch is so fast? Everyone, be careful!"

At this time, after scaring him away with one sword strike, Bai Qingtong immediately swept out through the gap he had left.

"The little bitch is trying to run!"

The short, fat man was the first to chase after her.

Who would have thought that just as he reached a distance of four or five meters, a fist filled with power suddenly flashed out from behind a large tree, and with a "Boom" explosion, it smashed into his head, directly shattering his skull and sending him flying sideways.

He fell to the ground in a wretched state, only half his head remaining, brains and blood splattered all over the ground; he lay there without moving, having died instantly!

The two men chasing behind, seeing this sudden change, hurriedly slammed on the brakes.

However, the figure hiding behind the large tree did not come out; they only slowly retracted that fist and hid completely behind the large tree again.

The two glanced at the miserable state of the short, fat man on the ground, and without any further hesitation, they turned and ran!

They thought in terror: I fear these are guards of the Bai Family; who knows how many are hiding there.

After the two had fled far away, Luo Zijun finally walked out from behind a large tree, went over, and swiped the Storage Bag from the short, fat man's body.

At this moment, Bai Qingtong returned from the woods, sword in hand, looking at him with a puzzled gaze.

Before she could speak, Luo Zijun walked over, reached out his hand, and said in a gruff voice, "I saved your life; ten thousand taels of silver."

Bai Qingtong was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly took out several silver notes and handed them into his hand, saying, "I only have five hundred taels on me in total. Please take this for now, Young Master. Once we return to the Inner City later, you can follow me to my estate to collect the rest."

Luo Zijun took the five hundred taels of silver, glanced at her again, and said, "I am not going to the Inner City. If you don't have enough silver on you, just give me that demon pig you just hunted."

Upon hearing this, Bai Qingtong did not hesitate; she immediately took out her Storage Bag and dumped the demon pig onto the ground.

The price this demon pig could fetch was well over five thousand taels, yet she had handed it over without the slightest hesitation.

The people of the Bai Family are truly generous!

Luo Zijun thought to himself, then unceremoniously collected the demon pig from the ground and said, "Young Lady Bai is truly generous, unlike some people. If Young Lady Bai encounters trouble here again in the future, I, Dongfang Junnan, will certainly help."

Having said that, he prepared to leave.

Bai Qingtong said, "Your name is Dongfang Junnan? That must be a fake name, right?" Luo Zijun turned his head to look at her and said, "What, does this Young Master not deserve this name?"

Bai Qingtong smiled slightly, looked at the Mask on his face, and said, "If you were to take off your mask and let me have a look, I would naturally know whether you deserve it or not."

"Hmph, you are not worthy of looking at this Young Master!"

Luo Zijun said this in a gruff voice, then walked away quickly.

Bai Qingtong watched his retreating back, a glimmer of light flickering in her eyes as she pondered to herself: When I was chasing the demon pig earlier, this person's gaze was clearly off when he suddenly saw me, and he didn't hesitate to help me intercept that demon pig. Just now, he had clearly already left, yet he specifically came back to help me... It seems he must know me. Who could it be?

Just as Luo Zijun had walked a short distance, Xu Ziyin emerged from behind a large tree nearby, came up behind him, and suddenly jumped onto his back.

"What are you doing?"

Luo Zijun grabbed her and tossed her off.

Xu Ziyin fell onto the snowy ground, looking at him with her large, dark, and lively eyes: "Brother Dongfang, are you not going to carry me anymore? I'm injured, you know."

Luo Zijun gave a cold snort and said, "If you can walk, walk yourself. Men and women should not touch; don't go saying later that I took advantage of you and used the opportunity to avoid paying back my silver."

!

After saying this, he ignored her and walked away quickly.

Xu Ziyin stared at his back for a while, then immediately scrambled up from the ground and chased after him.

The two, one in front of the other, soon exited the mountain forest and boarded a carriage returning to the city.

Inside the carriage, Luo Zijun leaned back, closing his eyes to rest.

Xu Ziyin sat opposite him, stared at him for a while, and suddenly asked, "Why are you always so fierce to me, but so gentle to that young lady from the Bai Family? Are you a snob who only cares about wealth, thinking that because she has money, you want to fawn over her?"

Luo Zijun said with his eyes closed, "If you were like her, and gave me whatever amount of silver I asked for without hesitation, I would be gentle to you too."

Xu Ziyin huffed, "You're just a snob, hmph!"

Luo Zijun ignored her again.

The carriage sped along the main road and soon arrived at the Inner City.

After Luo Zijun got off the carriage, Xu Ziyin followed him down.

After walking a distance along the street, he stopped his steps, turned his head to look at her, and said, "What exactly do you want?"

Xu Ziyin said, "I owe you ten thousand taels of silver. Don't you want it anymore?"

Luo Zijun turned around and said, "If you follow me, will you be able to pay me back?"

Xu Ziyin said, "Ten thousand taels of silver is too much; I'm afraid I won't be able to pay it back in a lifetime. So, I want to follow you home and work like an ox or a horse to pay you back."

"Tsk tsk..."

Luo Zijun looked at her with an expression of looking at an idiot: "Xu Ziyin, you really are shameless. Do you think this Young Master would be short of oxen or horses like you?"

Xu Ziyin said, "You definitely don't have an ox or horse like me. You are a Martial Artist Fifth Realm, and I am almost there too. I don't believe your household can afford to keep an ox or horse that is at a similar realm to you."

Luo Zijun couldn't help but laugh: "Then tell me, what can this ox or horse of yours do? What is it capable of?"

Xu Ziyin held up her fingers and counted them one by one: "Serving tea and pouring water, washing clothes and folding quilts, pounding legs and kneading shoulders, sparring and fighting, acting as a bodyguard, and working in the kitchen. Doing chores by day, keeping you company at night, capable of heavy labor, and even bearing children—I'm all-purpose!"

Luo Zijun: "..."

"Is Brother Dongfang tempted?"

Xu Ziyin said with some smugness.

Luo Zijun stared at her pretty, smug appearance for a while, then suddenly walked up to her, grabbed her wrist, and said, "Let's go!"

Xu Ziyin blinked her eyes and said, "Did Brother Dongfang agree?"

Luo Zijun quickly pulled her into a small alley nearby, then suddenly landed a few punches on her stomach. After knocking her to the ground, unable to get up, he warned, "Debts must be paid; it is only right and proper! Don't get any crooked ideas about trying to welch on this silver! Ten thousand taels, I'll give you one month! If you can't pay it back by then, I'll go to your house to collect it! I'll beat you first, then I'll beat your brother!"

Having said that, he strode away.

Xu Ziyin clutched her stomach, crouched on the ground for a while, then slowly stood up. Watching the alley entrance where he had left, the corners of her mouth curled up slightly: "Hmph, I'll wait, I'll wait for you to go beat that guy."

She left the alley, took a carriage, and headed toward the Outer City.

After returning home.

She first went to take a bath, changed her clothes, and then went to eat lunch.

At this time, Xu Xian's pageboy ran back in a hurry and said, "Second Miss, it's bad, the Young Master has again..."

"Get out!"

Before he could finish, Xu Ziyin kicked a stool beside her leg, sending it flying and smashing him directly onto the ground.

Xu Mu hurriedly went over to help the pageboy up and asked, "Shu Er, what happened to Xian'er again?"

The pageboy cried and said, "The Young Master saved a woman who had fallen into the water, but then the woman said the Young Master touched her chest and bottom. Her husband and brother-in-law happened to arrive, so they grabbed the Young Master and took him away, saying we must bring one hundred taels of silver to ransom him..."

After hearing this, Xu Mu let out a long sigh and said, "Let him fend for himself and die outside. Ziyin, let's eat, we won't worry about him."

Xu Ziyin lowered her head to eat, saying nothing.

The pageboy looked at her timidly, then cried again and said, "When I was coming back, the Young Master also said that if the Second Miss doesn't go to save him, I should... I should find a way to the Inner City and find... find Young Master Luo to save him."

Xu Ziyin paused, looked up at him, and said, "Which Young Master Luo?"

The pageboy wiped his tears and said, "Luo Zijun, Young Master Luo... he is the Young Master's good friend, they studied at the same Academy and school. The Young Master said that Young Master Luo treats him very well and will definitely save him."

Xu Ziyin paused, looked at him coldly, and said, "Then why are you still kneeling here? Go to the Inner City and find that Young Master Luo."

Seeing that she did not seem to be joking, the pageboy had no choice but to cry as he got up and left.

Xu Mu endured it for a while, but could not hold back, and said with a forced smile, "Ziyin, how about..."

"I have said it before, I will absolutely not go to save him again."

Xu Ziyin kept a cold face, then looked at her and said, "Am I your biological child, or is he your biological child?"

Xu Mu was silent for a moment and said, "He is your brother after all. He is indeed a bit foolish, but his heart is kind. Ziyin, you will eventually be married off in the future; when that time comes, who can your father and I rely on? Won't we have to rely on him?"

"Hmph, rely on him? I'd rather rely on the heavens!"

Xu Ziyin was in no mood to continue eating, so she got up and left.

Xu Mu opened her mouth, and seeing that she did not return to the backyard but instead went straight out the door, she immediately felt relieved and muttered to herself, "This girl is truly kind-hearted. She is really good to her brother. Every time she talks tough and says she won't save him, she ends up going every single time. Sigh..."

Xu Ziyin went out the door and followed far behind the pageboy.

The pageboy had no status and could not enter the Inner City alone, so he first went to find Wang Dafu and explained the situation clearly to him.

Upon hearing this, Wang Dafu immediately said heroically, "No need for such trouble, I have money here! Let's go, I will accompany you to redeem him!"

The pageboy was overjoyed and hurriedly thanked him.

At this moment, Xu Ziyin suddenly appeared, her pretty face cold, and blocked the two of them.

(End of this chapter)