"Thank you," she whispered, her voice trembling with relief. "My mother took a debt from the fourth young master of the Yang clan before she passed away. They were forcing me to pay it back."
"You have no place to go?" Mu Yan asked gently.
She shook her head. "No one in this world."
Qin Ying stepped forward and placed a reassuring hand on Mu Yan's shoulder. "Take her in as your maid," she suggested softly. "She can take care of you after I leave."
Mu Yan hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Alright," he agreed, turning to the girl. "You can come with us."
Her face brightened with hope as she quickly agreed to be his maid.
The guards pocketed 10 silver coins and handed over the rest to the head guard. The head guard was surprised when he heard that the debt was already paid. Asking about the whole incident when guards described Mu Yan and Qin Ying, the head guard smiled.
"You guys did a good job." The head guard left, swiftly approaching the central hall. "Young master, I found the girl whom you were looking for", he respectfully said.
The door creaked open to an average-looking man with a slightly protruding belly. He was the infamous fourth young master of the Yang family, Yang Yutian. Yang Yutian was known as the most lecherous person in the city, the lustful toad with his round, chubby face lusting after all beautiful women. Getting information from the head guard, Yang Yutian, swiftly followed Mu Yan's group from afar in good spirits, thinking of his happy days ahead as he captures that beauty.
As they made their way back to the inn, Mu Yan noticed that someone was following them from afar.
When they reached an empty lane far from general view, Yang Yutian and his followers cornered Mu Yan and his group.
"Beauty, at last I found you. Why don't you come with me? I will give you all the riches in the world." Yang Yutian asked arrogantly.
Mu Yan stepped forward, his body a defiant barrier, his voice cutting through the tension with unyielding resolve. "She's not going anywhere with you."
Yang Yutian's perfectly sculpted features twisted into a mask of pure contempt, his eyes narrowing. "And who in the Nine Heavens are you to meddle in my affairs?"
A subtle, knowing smirk played on Mu Yan's lips. "She is my woman. Who do you think I am?"
Qin Ying, standing just behind him, felt a sudden warmth flood her cheeks. A blush blossomed on her face.
Yang Yutian visibly trembled with anger. "You dare? You will pay for those words!" He snapped a furious command, signaling his hulking henchmen. With a guttural roar, they lunged, blades and crude bludgeons glinting ominously in the cavern's dim light.
Mu Yan moved like a whisper in the wind, a blur of motion that belied his current cultivation. He didn't bother with techniques; countless battles honed his movements in a past life, efficient and brutal. Thwack! Thump! Crack! His parries were swift, deflecting weapon strikes with minimal effort. Then, with precise kicks to shoulder joints, neck, and the vulnerable points of their legs, he sent most of them sprawling, their limbs twisted at unnatural angles, groaning in agony before they even registered what had struck them. The head guard, a burly brute, roared, his sword arcing down with malicious intent, aiming to cleave Mu Yan in two. Mu Yan anticipated the blow. He sprang upwards, his body twisting mid-air, and delivered a devastating kick to the head guard's solar plexus. The man gasped, a choked gurgle escaping his lips as he doubled over, howling in pain, his sword clattering uselessly to the stone floor.
"Useless! All of you are utterly useless!" Yang Yutian thundered, his face crimson with fury. "You couldn't even handle a mere brat! I will personally crush him!" His gaze, filled with venomous malice, pierced Mu Yan. "Brat, you have truly enraged me. When I am finished, you will beg for death."
Mu Yan merely scoffed, his patience wearing thin. "Stop yapping. I'm getting bored. Come at me with all you've got." He reached into his backpack, pulling out the rusty, unadorned blade he had found. It looked like a common piece of scrap metal. Yang Yutian sneered, a condescending smile spreading across his lips, as if mocking Mu Yan's meager weapon. With an ostentatious flourish, he retrieved a shimmering, meticulously forged longsword from his spatial storage ring. With a battle cry, he attacked.