"Lord Xiong, we run a small business here; how can we afford such high stall fees?"
"You've raised our stall fees over twenty times this year, Lord Xiong. This old man truly cannot afford it anymore."
"Lord Xiong, you are a magnanimous person; please don't make things difficult for us, a grandfather and granddaughter. Tomorrow, I will smash pots and sell iron to make up the stall fee you demand."
"If you let Xiao Cui go, everything will be fine."
Xiao Cui's grandfather pleaded bitterly.
The Three Little Ones approached and saw several idlers Waiing Xiao Cui and her grandfather's stall.
The one in front had his chest bared, revealing a patch of dark chest hair, a face full of rough flesh, and hair and beard tangled like a large black bear.
He must be the Lord Xiong Xiao Cui's grandfather spoke of.
At this moment, Lord Xiong grabbed Xiao Cui's wrist, poised to pull her out from behind the stall.
Among the onlookers, everyone dared not speak their anger, indicating that the Money Gang had quite a notorious reputation in the West Market.
As for the Hu Merchant and traveling artists from foreign lands in the Western Regions, they further kept themselves out of it.
People who travel north and south like them know even more clearly what to meddle in and what not to meddle in.
Even the people of Great Xing couldn't manage the affairs within the Great Xing Capital, so they certainly wouldn't dare to get involved.
"Old man, don't waste my time. When you have money, come redeem your granddaughter."
Lord Xiong said, spitting, and put more strength into his hand, pulling Xiao Cui out from behind the stall in one go.
Xiao Cui's face was stubborn, resisting Lord Xiong's strength.
But as a young girl, how could she compete in strength with the bear-like Lord Xiong?
Seeing Xiao Cui about to be dragged away, Xiao Cui's grandfather quickly came out to protect her, but Lord Xiong kicked him away, sending him tumbling like a gourd.
"Grandpa!"
Xiao Cui saw her grandfather fall to the ground in a sorry state and couldn't help but cry out.
Old people are most afraid of falling; one fall could potentially take their life.
But Xiao Cui's grandfather couldn't care about the pain in his body, panting heavily, he climbed up from the ground, and with an unknown burst of strength, he grabbed Lord Xiong's pant leg.
"Lord Xiong, no!"
"Xiao Cui is still a child!"
Xiao Cui's grandfather pleaded bitterly.
Xiao Cui, who had been stubbornly resisting, feared her grandfather would get hurt again. Anxious and wronged, her resistance weakened slightly.
She was afraid her grandfather would die there today because of her.
Lord Xiong immediately noticed Xiao Cui's resistance weaken, and a hint of triumph flashed across his face.
"Old man, don't worry."
"Your granddaughter will become a woman in my hands."
Lord Xiong let out a strange laugh. Seeing Xiao Cui's grandfather's endless entanglement, he raised his foot, ready to stomp down hard.
"Li Xuan, stones."
Li Xuan had intended to help, but then he heard Ankang suddenly speak to him.
He didn't dare to hesitate. With a gentle flick of his tail, several pebbles appeared in Ankang's hand.
Li Xuan's tail also coiled around a larger stone, ready to act immediately if the situation turned sour.
But the facts proved that Li Xuan had underestimated Ankang.
With two whooshing sounds that occurred almost simultaneously, they struck Lord Xiong's wrist, which was holding Xiao Cui, and his single foot, which was supporting his body.
Lord Xiong had used all his strength to stomp on Xiao Cui's grandfather, but then his wrist felt a sharp pain, and his body simultaneously lost balance, toppling over like a collapsing golden mountain and falling jade pillar.
At that moment, two more whooshing sounds struck Lord Xiong's forehead and throat, causing his falling body to tilt back even further before finally crashing to the ground with a thud.
Xiao Cui's grandfather stared blankly at Lord Xiong, who lay before him, not knowing what had happened.
Xiao Cui, freed from Lord Xiong's grasp, immediately knelt to check her grandfather's injuries, then slowly helped him sit up steadily.
"Who's there?"
"Which rat dares to attack from the shadows? If you have the guts, come out and face me."
Lord Xiong's companions immediately drew out short clubs as thick as arms, holding them in front of them, wary of the surrounding onlookers.
They slowly gathered, shielding the fallen Lord Xiong in the middle, and someone immediately went to check on Lord Xiong's injuries.
Lord Xiong's head was bleeding, his wrist was bruised purple, and he clutched his throat, continuously making hoarse sounds but unable to speak, his face filled with pain.
"Lord Xiong, Lord Xiong..."
"Are you alright?"
Lord Xiong's companions also grew anxious.
Lord Xiong was the Hall Master's brother-in-law; if something happened to him on the street, none of them would have an easy time.
"Who, step out for me!"
"You dare to provoke our Money Gang, are you tired of living?"
The Money Gang members, guarding Lord Xiong, yelled at the surrounding crowd.
Everything before had happened too quickly; none of them had seen where the hidden weapons had come from.
Li Xuan couldn't help but look at Ankang with some surprise.
He hadn't expected that Ankang, relying on Stone Flicking Technique, could so easily take down a strong man like Lord Xiong.
It seemed that Li Xuan had indeed underestimated Ankang all along.
Ankang was not as weak as he had imagined.
As Ankang's physique improved and with the addition of Stone Flicking Technique, a technique that suited her very well, Ankang now possessed a certain level of combat power.
At least, dealing with these idlers from the Money Gang was no problem at all.
As the Money Gang members threatened, the onlookers couldn't help but retreat, fearing they would be mistaken for enemies.
Seeing no one admit it, the Money Gang members immediately rushed towards Xiao Cui.
Didn't someone want to be a hero and save the beauty?
If they seized Xiao Cui, wouldn't the person who attacked from behind be forced to show themselves?
From this perspective, the Money Gang's handling of the situation was seasoned and cunning.
Ever since Ankang had made some progress in cultivating Stone Flicking Technique, Li Xuan had specifically found many small stones of suitable size for her in the Imperial Garden.
There was an endless supply of these stones in the Imperial Garden.
Because these stones were also part of the Imperial Garden's scenery, they were regularly replenished and arranged by dedicated staff.
When actually fighting, the Three Little Ones were reluctant to use the chess pieces from the chessboard.
After all, those were valuable items, and using them to hit people would be too wasteful.
Moreover, they relied on the chessboard and chess pieces for their daily practice of Stone Flicking Technique.
Therefore, Li Xuan had specially prepared many "ammunition."
Anyway, there was plenty of empty space in the di hong bone ring now, so storing some small stones wasn't a waste.
However, Li Xuan was also very surprised by Ankang's first actual use of it.
He hadn't expected that her first use of Stone Flicking Technique against a person would be so quick, accurate, and ruthless, which certainly didn't disappoint her hard work in daily practice.
As the saying goes, it's easy to dodge an open spear, but hard to guard against a hidden arrow.
Hidden weapons' strength lies in their unexpectedness and seizing the initiative.
Seeing that they intended to harm Xiao Cui, Ankang was not polite. She flicked all the stones in her hand, not wasting a single one, all hitting them.
In just the blink of an eye, the Money Gang members followed in Lord Xiong's footsteps, each of them hit until their heads bled, lying on the ground, wailing uncontrollably.
After dealing with so many people consecutively, some in the crowd noticed the direction from which the hidden weapons came, silently distanced themselves, and at the same time, cast curious glances.
When people saw that the one who came to their aid was a young girl in a wheelchair, they were even more surprised.
But then they saw Yu'er and the Flower-Clad Eunuchs beside Princess Ankang, and they understood a little.
If not for some backing, no one would dare to meddle in the Money Gang's affairs.
It's just, how does this young girl's family compare to the Money Gang?
People always have a good impression of chivalrous heroes who come to the rescue.
Because most common people are always the ones being oppressed, they always hope that when it's their turn, someone will come to save them.
The fantasy of being able to bully others like the Money Gang is, after all, a minority.
Bullying others also comes with a certain price.
First, you must have the strength to bully others.
Second, you must voluntarily hang a sword over your head.
This sword will one day fall and pierce through your skull.
Just like Lord Xiong and the others in front of him.
Princess Ankang, seeing that the surrounding people had already realized it was she who had acted, no longer hid in the crowd.
The onlookers were simply too professional; they all retreated several steps, revealing Princess Ankang and her entourage.
"Meow, these busybodies."
Li Xuan felt a surge of speechlessness when he saw that he and his companions had been singled out.
These fellows were clearly afraid of being implicated.
At this moment, the Flower-Clad Eunuchs all looked at Princess Ankang, awaiting her command.
Their duty was to protect Princess Ankang, so they would not easily meddle or take action without her command.
Unless Princess Ankang's safety was threatened.
This was their basic quality as guards; if they didn't even have these concepts, they couldn't have become Flower-Clad Eunuchs of the Internal Affairs Bureau.
As for the hidden weapon skill Princess Ankang displayed, they simply pretended not to see it.
Being talkative in the palace could lead to death, and the Flower-Clad Eunuchs knew this better than anyone.
"You, who are you?"
At this moment, Lord Xiong actually climbed back up from the ground, clutching his throat, and asked Princess Ankang in a hoarse voice.
Princess Ankang smiled slightly, then retorted to Lord Xiong:
"What, you want revenge?"
Princess Ankang's tone was so gentle that it didn't sound like a master who had dealt with these idle ruffians at all; instead, she sounded like a cute little sister from next door.
"State your terms, the Money Gang will generously repay!"
Lord Xiong yelled out a harsh threat.
Li Xuan scoffed.
Lord Xiong also possessed some Qi and Blood Power, though it was very thin, barely enough to be considered a ninth-rank.
With this level of strength, he still dared to come out and bully others, truly asking for death.
No matter what connections you have, if someone who dislikes you kills you and leaves, what good would it do if the Money Gang avenged you?
You'd already be cold.
"Alright then, I'll give you a chance."
Princess Ankang said this, then looked at Xu Lang, who was the leader of the Flower-Clad Eunuchs.
"Cripplethem, but spare their lives. I want to see what this Money Gang is capable of."
Upon hearing this, Lord Xiong's face immediately changed.
The other Money Gang members, who had been wailing on the ground, immediately struggled to their feet.
They all quickly helped Lord Xiong up from the ground and then pushed him to the front of their group.
These Money Gang members all huddled behind Lord Xiong, each one shouting louder than the last.
"Young lady, as the saying goes, it's better to resolve enmity than to create it. I advise you not to be too extreme."
"Our Money Gang is not some small gang; even if your family background is extraordinary, how can you casually cause trouble for your family? I advise you to think twice before acting."
"Young lady, we can let bygones be bygones regarding you hitting us today, but don't go too far. Making a big fuss won't benefit anyone."
But Xu Lang, having received his orders, had already begun to act, slowly but steadily approaching Lord Xiong and the others.
He understood Princess Ankang's intentions, so he deliberately created the greatest sense of terror for these people.
As they watched Xu Lang approach step by step, no matter how much they pleaded, Princess Ankang showed no sign of changing her mind, causing them to break out in cold sweat.
Normally, they were the ones bullying others; they had never been bullied like this before.
It was only when they truly faced such a situation happening to themselves that they understood what fear and helplessness were.
"Young lady, do you know who I am?"
"My brother-in-law is Hall Master Tang Sha, the Poisonous Mantis, the hall master of the Greedy Wolf Hall of the Money Gang."
"If you touch me, my brother-in-law, and the Money Gang, will not let you off!"
Lord Xiong's bravado hid his inner fear; he initially appeared calm, but as Xu Lang approached, his legs grew weaker and weaker.
Even more infuriating was that he wanted to hide, but the gang members behind him kept pushing him forward.
That made Lord Xiong seem utterly fearless.
And thanks to the concerted efforts of the gang members, Lord Xiong was the first to fall into Xu Lang's hands.
Xu Lang was not polite; he lifted Lord Xiong like a chicken, then casually patted his four limbs and dantian, directly shattering all the bones in his hands and feet and his dantian.
Lord Xiong couldn't believe such a thing would happen to him, and immediately screamed like a pig in pain, his cries heartbreaking.
As arrogant as Lord Xiong had been when he bullied Xiao Cui and her grandfather earlier, that's how pathetic he was now.
Among the onlookers, whether they were citizens of Great Xing or foreign Hu Merchant and performers from other lands, all showed varying degrees of satisfaction.
Brutal strong people bullying the weak, such things happen everywhere.
Especially those who made a living together in the West Market, they felt this even more deeply.
This is why everyone has a dream of being a hero in their hearts.
Who doesn't want to be genuinely loved and supported by people?
After Xu Lang crippled Lord Xiong, seeing him being noisy, he kicked him hard in the crotch, immediately scrambling his testicles and spilling their contents all over the ground.
But Lord Xiong also passed out from the sheer pain and could no longer wail.
Seeing this scene, regardless of gender or age, everyone present felt a chill down their crotches and silently clamped their legs together.
The Money Gang members were even more terrified when they saw Lord Xiong's miserable fate.
Someone even pointed at Xu Lang and corrected him:
"Your young lady only said to cripple us, not to castrate us!?"
Xu Lang paid no mind to what these scoundrels were saying; he just showed a cruel smile, which scared the Money Gang members so much that their legs went weak, and they didn't even have the strength to run.
How to break a person's psychological defense, this was a basic course in their Flower-Clad Eunuch training.
For these good-for-nothings in front of him, Xu Lang just had to scare them a little, and they were so terrified they nearly wet themselves.
Xu Lang was not verbose; he followed suit and crippled several more people.
When it came to the last person, Princess Ankang suddenly spoke, stopping Xu Lang.
"Wait!"
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Princess Ankang: "Wait!"
"I'll go get some sleep first, and then continue teaching them a lesson tomorrow."