Chapter 10: A Thug with Principles

Suddenly, someone appeared behind Lin Ruanruan without her noticing.

This was an alarming oversight for someone who used to be an assassin.

She had been too careless, assuming that there wouldn't be any experts in such a remote town.

Instinctively, she clenched her fist and swung it backward, hitting the person's chest.

She had used all her strength, but her hand was met with a sharp pain.

Startled, she looked up and realized that the person holding her shoulders was the man who had taken her in yesterday.

Great, she thought. She sold his jade pendant, ate his food, and now she had punched him.

This was a big misunderstanding.

"Don't be afraid," said the tall, rugged man, ignoring her small punch and instead pulling her behind him.

Lin Ruanruan was bewildered. Her punch felt like it had hit a stone, not a person.

The numb pain left her unsure of how to react.

Could it be that her current body was too weak, making it feel like hitting a rock?

Luckily, she had managed to throw the mustached man with an over-the-shoulder throw earlier because he was unprepared.

Moreover, the throw required technique more than strength, and she had executed it perfectly.

As the man's large hand held her wrist, she glanced down and realized why her punch had hurt so much.

It wasn't that she was weak or her punch lacked power; it was that this man was incredibly strong.

His hand, holding her wrist like an iron clamp, hurt her hand, and his chest must have been similarly solid.

Quietly, she leaned closer behind him, finding the feeling of being protected not so bad.

"Oh, you have a helper?" sneered the mustached Cheng Dong, clenching his fists and charging forward again.

Bai Cheng'an, much taller and sturdier, looked down at the thug with a disdainful glance and easily caught the punch aimed at his head.

With a simple squeeze of his large hand, Cheng Dong felt his hand trapped in an iron grip.

He gasped and tried to pull his hand back, but the bones in his hand began to crack under the pressure.

If he kept struggling, his hand would break!

Panicking, Cheng Dong stopped moving. At that moment, his underling, oblivious to the situation, charged forward.

"Hey! Let go of my boss!" he yelled, head down and rushing towards the tall man.

Lin Ruanruan couldn't help but turn her head away, knowing how hard the man's chest was. That thug's head might not survive the impact.

Sure enough, when she turned back at the sound of a scream, the thug was kneeling on the ground, clutching his head.

Cheng Dong, who had been held by Bai Cheng'an, was also on the ground, clutching his hand and wailing.

Lin Ruanruan smirked. They should be grateful she didn't have much strength; otherwise, the thug would be on the ground with a broken neck instead of just a bruised head.

Seeing the rugged man's strength the previous day when he drove away those household guards, she knew he was formidable. These two weak thugs were no match for him.

As Cheng Dong and his underling howled in pain, she couldn't help but twitch her lips. What kind of world was this where such useless people could collect protection fees?

"You're finished, you're both finished," said the underling, raising his head.

"My boss is the county magistrate's nephew. You mess with him, and you're dead."

With that, Lin Ruanruan's doubts were cleared. No wonder they were so arrogant—they had powerful backing.

She chuckled, crouched down, and picked up a fallen chestnut, shoving it into the thug's mouth.

The chestnut, still covered in syrup and sand, filled his mouth with grit.

Not planning to stop with one chestnut, Lin Ruanruan bent down to pick up more.

"Consecutively stuffing them into his mouth.

Until Xiaoliu Mang's mouth couldn't fit any more chestnuts, she barely stopped.

"Comp... comp... compensation." Her voice was not loud, stuttering and childish, lacking any dominance.

She glanced sideways at Cheng Dong, who was restrained by Bao Cheng'an, smiling ambiguously.

With a stern expression on his handsome face, Xiaoliu Mang stared blankly at her, then realized he was actually stunned by a stuttering girl.

"What compensation, you've beaten my big brother, prepare to relocate your head." He gritted his teeth and shouted loudly.

"Are these things they knocked over?" Bao Cheng'an pulled Lin Ruannan up, worried that the impulsive Xiaoliu Mang would hurt her, and stepped forward to block him.

Lin Ruannan nodded gently, softly humming in agreement.

She didn't stutter much when she only said one word.

"How much?" Bao Cheng'an glanced coldly at Cheng Dong lying on the ground, asking in a cold voice.

"One... one... one hundred wen." Damn it, she would start stuttering again if she said two more words.

Bao Cheng'an, who looked simple and honest, bent down and lifted Xiaohuzi Cheng Dong from the ground like a little chick.

"Compensate, two hundred wen."

"What did you say!" Cheng Dong was stunned. "She clearly said one hundred wen."

Although he had no intention of paying this money, he despised Bao Cheng'an's starting price.

"One hundred wen for compensation, one hundred wen for fright." Bao Cheng'an said as a matter of course.

With that simple and honest expression, plain and honest voice, it seemed like he was talking about the most ordinary thing.

Lin Ruannan beside him laughed when she heard this. This person actually knew to ask for mental compensation?

"What fright, who was frightened?" Cheng Dong's collar was still held by Bao Cheng'an, and he kept waving his hands, but couldn't touch Bao Cheng'an with a single finger.

"Not paying?" Bao Cheng'an frowned and asked in a deep voice.

"If you dare to ask my big brother to pay, just wait!" Another Xiaoliu Mang struggled to climb up from the ground, half-retreating and half-shouting to call for reinforcements.

Lin Ruannan sweetly smiled at Cheng Dong and took a big step to block Xiaoliu Mang.

"Where... where... where are you going." Yes, there was some humor leaking from her overbearing manner.

This tongue, sooner or later, she would untangle it.

"Little stutterer, move aside. Let me tell you, my big brother is... Ah!"

Before Xiaoliu Mang finished speaking, Lin Ruannan's fist hit the right side of his face.

Blah, blah, blah, what's the point, isn't he just the nephew of the county's steward?

"You dare to hit me!" Xiaoliu Mang was stunned. Bao Cheng'an's sudden appearance made him forget how Lin Ruannan had thrown Cheng Dong over her shoulder just now.

His neck still hurt, and the right side of his cheek was numb and sore from Lin Ruannan's punch. The only thing he could move right now was his feet.

So he gritted his teeth and aimed a kick at Lin Ruannan's stomach.