Chapter 11: See a Good Deed Through to the End

This is the book’s first time pushing for the rankings. The new book leaderboard is currently filled with experts like clouds. Whether Martial Refining can secure a good rank depends entirely on the support of my fellow readers. I earnestly beg for the recommendation tickets in your hands!

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The Lingxiao Pavilion Disciple who had suddenly stepped out from the crowd circled the two Great Hans several times. A rather cynical expression played on his face, and his gaze gradually turned mocking.

Seeing that the newcomer meant no good, the two Great Hans furrowed their brows deeply. The one supporting his companion glared with round eyes and barked, "You brat, walking in circles like this is making my head spin! What are you trying to do?"

The youth chuckled and stood before them. He took a deep look at the "poisoned" man and said, "This Qing-pale complexion... it seems the poisoning is quite severe."

"Of course," the supporting Great Han quickly played along. Looking fierce and malicious, he said, "If that wasn’t the case, why wouldn’t my brother and I go see a doctor? We risked our lives to come here just to expose this black-hearted boss. We want the neighbors to know his true colors so they’ll never buy from this Rice Shop again."

Boss Hex’s face turned white. He wondered why they were doing this. If they had come to extort money, he could have understood it. But these trumped-up charges were completely baffling and impossible to see through.

While he was deep in thought, Yangx Kai asked softly from the side, "Uncle Hex, have you offended anyone recently?"

Boss Hex racked his brain and replied with a long face, "No."

"Then could it be that your Rice Shop is blocking someone’s path to wealth?" Although Yangx Kai was young, he had seen plenty of the world’s deception and trickery. A quick turn of his mind led him to this possibility.

"It’s just a small business. Whose wealth could it possibly block?" Boss Hex shook his head repeatedly.

He thought it was strange! Yangx Kai narrowed his eyes and looked toward the center of the commotion. He pondered the possibilities in his mind but still couldn’t figure it out.

In the center, after asking his question, the youth from Lingxiao Pavilion suddenly let out a cold sneer. He shouted at the Qing-pale Great Han, "Take this!" As he yelled, he unleashed a move—Black Tiger Heart Stealing—aiming straight for the pit of the poisoned man’s stomach.

An astonishing thing happened. The lethargic, poisoned Great Han—who had been letting out continuous Yingg (groans) since he arrived and seemed to have one foot through the Ghost Gate—leaped backward with agile grace the moment the fist approached. He displayed the impressive flair of being as still as a maiden, yet moving as swiftly as an escaping hare. With this sudden movement, the Qing-pale color on his face instantly vanished, completely replaced by a remarkably ruddy complexion.

The watching crowd let out a cry of surprise, clearly shocked by this sudden turn of events.

"So poisoned," the Lingxiao Pavilion youth said, looking at the two Great Hans with sarcasm. "To have such agility despite being poisoned... I am truly full of admiration."

Having their trick exposed by a single move, the two Great Hans turned a mix of Qing and pale. Now, they actually looked as if they had been poisoned.

The onlookers immediately erupted into a chorus of boos. None of them were fools; seeing this, how could they not know the truth of the matter? For whatever reason, these two Great Hans had come to fake being poisoned and slander Hex’s Rice Shop, only to have their charade exposed by this Lingxiao Pavilion youth.

For a moment, the area was filled with disdain for the two men and praise for the Lingxiao Pavilion youth. The boy was already quite likable in appearance, and with this incident, his reputation as a young hero was firmly established.

Yangx Kai vaguely understood what was happening. They were putting on a double act! It was a staged play of acting as a chivalrous hero, rooting out the strong to support the weak, and then expecting a reward for the favor! If he hadn’t accidentally seen them together in the alley on his way here, he probably would have been fooled by it right now as well.

However, he wondered why they were going through all this trouble.

Unable to keep up their pretense any longer, the two Great Hans glared viciously at the Lingxiao Pavilion youth and said, "Brat, who are you? How dare you meddle in our business!"

The Lingxiao Pavilion youth maintained his elegant demeanor and declared proudly, "I am a Lingxiao Pavilion Disciple, Su Mu!"

Hearing the words ’Lingxiao Pavilion’, one of the Great Hans appeared quite wary. With a strained expression, he said, "So it’s a Lingxiao Pavilion Disciple. No wonder you stand out like a dragon among men. My brother and I admit defeat today. I’ll remember you, brat. We will meet again!"

This speech sounded so rehearsed that it made Yangx Kai want to laugh.

Su Mu sneered, "Good riddance!"

At this point, if nothing else happened, these two men would likely leave. Then, this Su Mu would undoubtedly receive everyone’s praise, and Youu (especially) Boss Hex’s gratitude.

But Yangx Kai didn’t want Boss Hex to be kept in the dark. Taking advantage of the fact that the two hadn’t left yet, he quickly shouted, "We can’t let them go! These petty scoundrels use despicable methods to frame honest merchants. Today it’s Hex’s Rice Shop. If we don’t teach them a lesson, tomorrow it might be Liu’s Clothing Shop or Jiann’s Grocery Store!"

The majority of the onlookers were nearby shop owners. They had just been watching the spectacle, but hearing this, their hearts skipped a beat. They thought, "That’s right! How can we let these two despicable scoundrels leave so easily? If we let them go today, what if they come to run wild in our shops tomorrow? We’d lose money and have our reputations ruined. And we might not be as lucky as Boss Hex to have someone bail us out!"

With this thought in mind, the people who had been about to make way immediately stood their ground, glaring unkindly at the two Great Hans in the center.

Yangx Kai clearly saw a trace of astonishment and panic in Su Mu’s eyes. Right at that moment, Su Mu traced the Yingg (sound) of Yangx Kai’s voice and looked his way. As their eyes met, Su Mu quickly adjusted his expression.

Yangx Kai chuckled lightly at him, forcing his hand. "Junior brother, as the saying goes, ’If you’re going to do a good deed, do it all the way.’ How about you and I team up to take these two down?"

Seeing that Yangx Kai had a thin frame and looked weak as a breeze, yet dared to call him junior brother—and considering his plan had just been ruined—Su Mu was annoyed. "Who is your junior brother?"

"I am also a Lingxiao Pavilion Disciple," Yangx Kai replied. "I joined the Sect over three years ago."

Su Mu was completely Muu Wu (speechless). This guy really was his senior brother.

"Enough idle talk," Yangx Kai said, stepping forward with an awe-inspiring display of righteousness. "For those of us walking the martial world, the most important word is ’chivalry.’ Upholding justice is our duty. As your senior brother, I can’t let you take all the glory. Today, let us brothers join forces to take down these two despicable scoundrels! We will get justice for Boss Hex and restore a clear Qiankun to Wumei Town."

This speech drew a roaring cheer from the crowd. Su Mu’s stomach tied into knots of anxiety. He felt like he had been dragged onto a pirate ship by this senior brother he had never met before, and now there was no getting off.

The two men were also looking in their direction. Su Mu glanced up at them, feeling a surge of guilt.

"Junior brother, let’s go!" Yangx Kai grabbed Su Mu’s shoulder and charged straight ahead.

He thought, "What kind of situation is this!" Su Mu wanted to cry but had no tears. He wondered where this senior brother had popped out from to ruin his grand plan! However, since things had already reached this point, Su Mu had no other choice. As he charged toward the two men, he gave them a pointed look, signaling them to stay calm and that he would find a chance to let them escape.

The two men gave a slight nod. Everything was seen by Yangx Kai, further confirming the suspicions in his heart.

Over on the other side, Boss Hex, worried that Yangx Kai would be at a disadvantage, grabbed a scale weight and rushed over. "Neighbors! Ladies and gentlemen! Don’t just watch the show! Come give these two little brothers a hand!" he shouted.

Since Boss Hex was joining the fray, the Rice Shop’s young clerk also howled to show his loyalty. He grabbed an empty cloth sack in one hand and charged forward. He had been kicked by one of the men earlier, and now it was naturally time to exact his revenge.

Prompted by Boss Hex, the onlookers stopped just looking on and swarmed forward. For a time, the area in front of Hex’s Rice Shop was packed with people and extraordinarily lively.

The two Great Hans hadn’t cared much at first, but upon seeing this scene, they were instantly terrified, their faces turning Cang-pale. They only had time to yell out a single sentence, "Don’t hit the face!" before wrapping their arms around their heads and squatting on the ground.