**Uninvited Guests, Weasels Paying New Year Calls**
Zhao Si’s face was plastered with a fawning smile, but his eyes kept darting into the dilapidated hut. His demeanor, like that of a weasel paying a New Year's call to a chicken, instantly put Lin Xiaoxiao on alert. The two unfamiliar men behind him, though dressed ordinarily, carried themselves with a sharp alertness that suggested they were far from ordinary villagers.
"Brother Zhao Si, my cousin needs to rest. Tell me if there's anything," Lin Xiaoxiao blocked the entrance to the courtyard, showing no intention of letting them in.
"Aiyo, Little Sister Xiaoxiao, what words are these? This is truly a stroke of great fortune!" Zhao Si rubbed his hands together and lowered his voice, deliberately making sure it was loud enough for those inside the house to hear. "I heard the Government Office is conscripting labor. Your cousin, injured as he is, still has to go? How dreadful! A few good brothers of mine know an official in charge. As long as… this much."
He held up three fingers and wiggled them. "We can help your cousin feign 'severe illness' and be exempted from service!"
He paused, a cunning glint flashing in his eyes. "Of course, such arrangements require money. My brothers are a bit short on cash and want to 'borrow' some travel expenses from your cousin to tide us over. When your cousin becomes prosperous in the future, he can repay us then!"
The mask was off! They were here to extort and blackmail under the guise of corvée labor!
**Pressing the Attack, Probing for Weakness**
Lin Xiaoxiao's anger flared, but her expression remained calm. "Brother Zhao Si, I appreciate your kind offer. But as you can see, our family situation is dire. We can barely afford to eat, where would we get the money? Moreover, the village head and the officials have personally examined my cousin's injuries, proving he is seriously wounded. Why bother with this unnecessary step?"
Zhao Si's face darkened. One of the men behind him spoke impatiently, his voice hoarse, "Stop the nonsense! Whether you have money or not, we'll know once we look inside! Perhaps you've found some 'treasure' you shouldn't have picked up?"
The words were pointed, and his sharp gaze swept over the ramshackle hut. Lin Xiaoxiao's heart skipped a beat. Had they heard some rumor? Or was it just simple envy and suspicion?
"The house is full of junk, there's nothing to see here," Lin Xiaoxiao refused to yield.
"Get out of the way!" another man directly reached out and shoved Lin Xiaoxiao with considerable force.
Lin Xiaoxiao stumbled, nearly falling. The rage within her could no longer be suppressed.
**Killing the Chicken to Scare the Monkeys, A Show of Force**
Just as the conflict was about to erupt, a cold, weak, yet undeniably authoritative voice suddenly came from inside the dilapidated hut:
"Who… dares to touch my cousin?"
The voice was not loud, but it landed like a chunk of ice, causing Zhao Si and his two companions to freeze instantly.
Xuán Mò, leaning on a crudely made new crutch, had somehow managed to stand at the doorway on one leg. His face was still pale, but his eyes were sharp and icy, like a drawn sword, slowly sweeping over the three men.
His gaze carried a killing aura, tempered in seas of corpses and mountains of blood. Zhao Si's knees felt weak under that stare. The two men behind him also showed a flicker of change in their expressions, instinctively taking half a step back, their hands reaching towards their waists—where short clubs or similar weapons seemed to be hidden.
"Cousin… Cousin, why did you come out?" Lin Xiaoxiao quickly stepped forward to support him, feeling the tension in his arm muscles.
Xuán Mò didn't answer her, his gaze locked onto the man who had pushed Lin Xiaoxiao. His voice was low and cold, "Which hand did you use to push?"
The man's scalp prickled under Xuán Mò's stare. He forced himself to remain calm. "So what if I did? He's just a cripple…"
Before he could finish, Xuán Mò's wrist, gripping the crutch, flicked suddenly!
Everyone saw a blur before their eyes. The end of the sturdy wooden crutch shot out like a viper from its hole, striking with pinpoint accuracy at the man's wrist joint where he had pushed!
"Crack!" a faint, crisp sound.
"Ah—!" The man, caught completely off guard, cried out in pain, clutching his wrist and staggering back, his face instantly drained of color. His wrist had been dislocated with a single blow!
Fast! Accurate! Ruthless!
Everyone was stunned by the sudden turn of events.
Zhao Si and the other man turned ashen, their eyes filled with terror as they looked at Xuán Mò. This was no dying consumptive patient—this was a Demon God!
**Combining Mercy and Intimidation, Temporarily Quelling the Storm**
Xuán Mò withdrew his crutch, still leaning against the doorframe. His breathing was not even slightly disturbed, as if he had merely brushed away a speck of dust. His cold gaze swept across Zhao Si and the other man who could still stand:
"Scram."
"If you dare to disturb us again, it won't just be your hand that breaks."
The killing intent in his voice made the two men feel as if they had been granted amnesty. They didn't dare to utter a harsh word. Helping their wailing companion, they scrambled away, several times faster than when they arrived.
The area outside the courtyard gate instantly became quiet.
Lin Xiaoxiao helped Xuán Mò, feeling his weight press against her. That move had clearly exhausted a great deal of his energy and strength.
"How are you?" she asked worriedly.
"It's nothing." Xuán Mò closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and slowly moved back to the kang, relying on her support. Fine beads of cold sweat had appeared on his forehead. However, the power of his thunderous strike had been deeply etched into the minds of everyone present—including Tiě Zhù, who had been secretly hiding behind the bushes nearby and witnessed the entire event.
Tiě Zhù looked at Xuán Mò's figure, his eyes filled with shock and reverence. His employer's "cousin" was by no means an ordinary person!
Lin Xiaoxiao looked at Xuán Mò, her feelings complex. He had acted to protect her, but in doing so, he had exposed his strength and the fact that he was not a common refugee. Nevertheless, after this incident, Zhao Si and his ilk would not dare to provoke them again for some time, which also resolved a potential problem.
She walked out of the courtyard and beckoned towards the direction where Tiě Zhù was hiding. Tiě Zhù then emerged sheepishly, his face still carrying traces of shock.
"You saw it all?" Lin Xiaoxiao asked.
Tiě Zhù swallowed heavily and nodded. "Y-yes! Brother Lín Mò… he's amazing!"
"Remember, follow us, and you won't be at a disadvantage. But the rules must be observed, not a single one forgotten," Lin Xiaoxiao seized the opportunity to lecture him.
"I understand! I understand!" Tiě Zhù nodded like a pecking chicken, his loyalty instantly soaring.
**Eavesdropping Ears, Shadows Reappear**
After appeasing Tiě Zhù, Lin Xiaoxiao returned to the house and poured Xuán Mò a bowl of water. Both were silent. Although the recent conflict had been resolved, it had brought new unease.
"You just now…" Lin Xiaoxiao hesitated to speak.
Xuán Mò knew what she wanted to ask. He said calmly, "In extraordinary times, extraordinary measures are taken. If we don't establish authority, the trouble will only increase."
Lin Xiaoxiao sighed and was about to say something when suddenly, Xuán Mò's eyes sharpened, and he raised his hand sharply, gesturing for her to be silent!
He pricked up his ears, listening intently to something, his expression becoming extremely grave.
Lin Xiaoxiao also held her breath, following his gaze towards the outside. In the distance, in the direction of the village entrance, faint yet unusual, orderly, and heavy hoofbeats could be heard! It wasn't one or two horses, but a small troop! And mixed in were the clanging sounds of armor scraping!
Government troops?
Or… have the shadow guards finally stopped hiding and are now openly entering the village to search?!
**Chapter Thirteen (End)**