"Thud!"
With a single sound, Zhang Laoliu lay motionless on the ground.
"Brother... Brother Yangzi, you didn't kill him, did you?!"
Xue Bingbing scrambled up tremulously, her eyes flickering with anxiety.
Though she detested Zhang Laoliu as well, she was equally terrified that Zhou Yang might be implicated in a homicide. Zhang Laoliu was utterly obnoxious and a genuine rascal, true, but he did have family backing.
Feeling a care unique to Xue Bingbing that he had not experienced in so long, the warmth in Zhou Yang's heart grew even deeper. In his past life, wandering outside for all those years, he had constantly fantasized about having Xue Bingbing by his side in moments of peril. Yet when he finally returned triumphant, all he received was the news of her passing. The once-fervent hope had instantly transformed into icy blades in a freezing cave, hacking away at his heart chamber with every blow.
In this lifetime, experiencing Xue Bingbing's solicitude at such a moment made that warmth burn all the brighter.
Zhou Yang felt no shyness now; he simply offered a natural, gentle smile.
"Don't worry, Bingbing. You have to trust your Brother Yangzi—I'd never do anything I'm not sure of. He's neither going to die nor be crippled."
Sure enough, not even a few seconds after Zhou Yang spoke, Zhang Laoliu began struggling to get up. But his head was spinning, and the moment he rose, his knees buckled and he almost tumbled back down.
"Really... really nothing is wrong?"
Xue Bingbing stared at Zhou Yang's face with her bright, watery eyes, asking once more.
Her gaze was so intense that Zhou Yang could no longer bear it. He quickly turned his head away, unwilling to let Xue Bingbing see his embarrassment.
"Mm, nothing's wrong."
Zhou Yang's voice grew faint again.
By this time, Zhang Laoliu had managed to climb to his feet. After hurling a fierce threat at Zhou Yang and Xue Bingbing, he stumbled away down the mountain path.
"Besides, if anything really happens, we'll just haul that tiger down a bit later, and the villagers will think even more of us for it."
Zhou Yang watched Zhang Laoliu's receding figure grow smaller, speaking softly.
"Right! Brother Yangzi, I'll be your witness when the time comes. I'll make sure all the elders and villagers know that Zhang Laoliu was just trying to pull his scoundrel tricks on me, and that you only hurt him by accident while trying to save me!"
Xue Bingbing lowered her head, her gaze burning with steadfast resolve as she spoke.
"Thanks, Bingbing. Let's head down the mountain first. Once we're down, you go straight home, and my dad and I will figure out a way to haul the tiger back."
Zhou Yang turned his head, lingering with a slight gaze on Xue Bingbing's fair cheeks before finally pulling his eyes away.
"Let's go, Brother Yangzi. It's all my fault for making you come along with me to pick these wild vegetables today, or you never would have run into any of this."
Remorse filled Xue Bingbing's heart. Today they had encountered both a tiger and Zhang Laoliu, as if she were leading Zhou Yang straight into one pit after another.
Walking ahead, Zhou Yang gave a casual wave of his large hand and said offhandedly.
"Think nothing of it, Bingbing! If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have become a tiger-hunting hero!"
Zhou Yang said it half-jokingly, the sunlight casting long shadows of the two figures on the ground. The slightly awkward atmosphere eased, and their bond grew closer without either of them noticing.
Upon reaching the foot of the mountain, the two parted ways at the crossroads. Xue Bingbing went straight home, while Zhou Yang headed off to find his father.
"Dad!"
As he reached the courtyard of his home, Zhou Yang drew breath from his dantian and shouted out. The sound seemed to make even the thatched roof rattle.
"Aiyo! What are you shouting at your dad so loud for, you brat? Your dad's getting old—aren't you scared you'll scare your old man into a heart attack?!"
Zhou Daniu emerged carrying two bundles of dried grass, twisting his face into an exaggerated expression of suffering.
"Alright, Dad, cut that out. I've got good news for you!"
Before Zhou Yang could finish, Zhou Daniu dropped the bundles of grass and hurried right up to him. He looked him up and down with a suspicious eye.
"You brat out fighting guerrilla warfare or something? Why are you all covered in dirt, and how'd you get your face busted up?"
Frowning, Zhou Daniu circled around Zhou Yang, as if trying to make sure his foolish son wasn't missing any arms or legs.
"No, Dad, you have no idea! Today, Bingbing and I brought down another big catch!"
Zhou Yang held his head high, like a prize-winning child showing off before his parents.
"What big catch?"
Zhou Daniu was startled. His foolish son certainly had ability, but just days ago he had bagged a wild boar, which was already a huge catch. Seeing his expression today, even fiercer than before, could it be a wolf or something similar?
Before Zhou Daniu could press him, Zhou Yang spoke up.
"Dad, let's hitch up the cart! We're getting ready to head up the mountain!"
No sooner had Zhou Yang spoken these words than a noisy commotion suddenly broke out in the distance.
"Right here! The Zhou family—it's that Zhou boy!"
Frowning, Zhou Yang turned around to see Zhang Laoliu in the distance, gesturing wildly as he recounted to his mother how Zhou Yang had bullied him.
By the time they reached the front of the Zhou family courtyard, Zhang Laoliu stopped, panting heavily.
"So you're the one who beat up my son?"
The woman narrowed her rat-like eyes, a shrewd glint flashing in them as she fixed her gaze on Zhou Yang.
"So what if I did?"
"So what? Let me tell you, you little punk, you're paying compensation today, or my son and I are camping out right here and not moving an inch!"
Zhang Laoliu put his hands on his hips and started throwing a full-blown tantrum.
"What... what is going on here?!"
Zhou Daniu asked with an anxious expression, looking back and forth between them.
"Dad, this shameless Zhang Laoliu tried to make a move on Bingbing, and when I stepped in to stop him, he wouldn't accept it."
"Oh, is that so!"
Zhou Daniu had been somewhat flustered, thinking his foolish son had gotten into trouble. But upon hearing that this Zhang Laoliu had made a move on his son's sweetheart, rage instantly surged within him, and he locked shields with Zhou Yang on the spot.
Seeing Zhou Daniu join Zhou Yang in acting so aggressively, Zhang Laoliu's mother grew so furious that her teeth chattered.
"Your boy doesn't know any better, but you're a man who's lived over half a century—don't you know any better either? He hit someone, so he should pay compensation. Isn't that how it works?"
"Oh, give it a rest! Neither of you has any room to talk. You go picking on a decent young girl, shouting insults at her, and even trying to force yourselves on her—have you no shame at all?"
Zhou Yang couldn't be bothered to hold back any longer. He pointed straight at Zhang Laoliu and his mother and let loose a torrent of abuse.
Zhang Laoliu's face turned alternately green and white under the barrage. The moment Zhou Yang finished and he tried to snap back, Zhou Yang didn't even look at him, turning instead to Zhou Daniu to push the cart.
"Let's go, Dad. We're going to haul that tiger down!"
"A tiger?!"
Zhou Daniu had just taken a step to follow Zhou Yang toward the cart, but upon hearing those two words, his foot nearly slipped and he stumbled in his tracks.
"Pfft?! Zhou Daniu, has your boy lost his mind or what? Still putting on an act! Look at your family's condition—no equipment, no extra hands—and you're hunting tigers? Who are you trying to kid?!"
Zhang Laoliu's mother sneered derisively.