Chapter Forty-Seven: Drawing the Sword in Aid

At noon, Ding went to a small eatery for lunch, not expecting to encounter a gang of local thugs extorting the shop.

Should he intervene or not?

According to the conventions of novels and TV dramas, the protagonist would certainly step in at such a moment, seizing the chance to show off and put the bullies in their place. But in real life, most people would keep their distance when faced with such situations.

If one does not possess a certain measure of strength, meddling in others’ affairs only invites trouble and may end up saving no one while getting oneself dragged into the mess. After all, you never know what connections your opponents might have. Especially in the ancient world, where laws were weak and human lives meant so little before power.

Ding barely had time to consider when the leader of the three thugs, a man with a thick neck, was already growing impatient. After slapping the young man across the face and seeing him still plead desperately, he kicked him aside, intent on smashing up the shop.

Then, his gaze landed on the woman cowering in the corner—a girl of only fifteen or sixteen. The thick-necked brute strode over, lifted her chin to inspect her face, and saw that she was quite pretty. Though her hair was styled like a married woman, it could not hide her youthful charm.

The thug threw his head back in laughter and shouted, “If you can’t pay up, then she’ll settle this month’s account for you!” With that, he seized the girl’s arm and began to drag her outside.

The girl burst into tears, crying, “No, please, no! Husband, save me…”

The young man, seeing the thug about to take his wife, hurried to block the way. He dropped to his knees, kowtowing and begging, “Sir, I beg you, please let Xiaocui go. I’ll bring you the money as soon as I have it…”

But the thick-necked brute wasn’t listening; he kicked the young man aside again and continued dragging Xiaocui toward the door.

At this, Ding could no longer restrain himself.

If it were merely a matter of extorting money, Ding might have turned a blind eye. Such things happened all the time in this era; the weak were destined to suffer, and even if Ding wanted to play the chivalrous hero, he couldn’t possibly right every wrong.

But now the thugs were abducting a person, and Ding could not stand by. The girl was about the same age as Erniu and Xiao’e. If the thug took her away, her fate was all too clear. How could Ding watch a good young woman be ruined by such a beast?

Just as he slapped the table and made to rise, a clear, determined voice rang out from the other side: “Stop!”

Ding quickly looked toward the other table, just as the two people seated there also glanced over, having heard his slap.

Both were dressed as scholars—one in a robe of pale moon-white silk, the other in lake-blue. Their skin was pale as jade, their features delicate and slightly undergrown, clearly sons of wealthy families who’d never done a day’s hard work.

Their eyes met Ding’s. He felt nothing in particular, but the two of them lowered their heads, a faint blush coloring their cheeks.

Ding stared, taking a closer look—and was startled to see that the two looked nearly identical: twins. What surprised him even more was that, though dressed as men, they were in fact two young women, no older than seventeen or eighteen.

He noticed the two swords resting on their table and guessed they must be martial artists. So, Ding decided to hold his tongue. If someone else was stepping in, he was content to let them handle it.

By now, the three thugs had also been startled by the sound of Ding’s slap and the shout from the twin girls. They paused, glancing this way and that. Suddenly, the scrawny one beside the thick-necked brute spotted Ding and exclaimed, “Hey, Simpleton Tian! What are you doing here?”

Ding was taken aback. He hadn’t expected this lean, dark-skinned thug to recognize him.

He said nothing, only watching the three in silence.

The scrawny thug, seeing Ding remain mute, said to the thick-necked leader, “Brother Xue, pay him no mind. He’s just a fool.”

The one called Xue glanced at Ding, saw him standing there motionless and blank-faced, and shot him a contemptuous glare before turning away.

“So, you two young gentlemen want to meddle in other people’s business?” Xue asked the twins.

“Let the girl go, or I’ll put a few holes in you with my sword,” said the one in the moon-white robe.

“Oh? Such bold words from someone so young! You’ve got a sharp tongue, but do you know who I am? In Sunset Town, when Xue Qinshou speaks, who dares contradict me?”

Xue Qinshou? Ding couldn’t help but smile inwardly at the name.

In fact, when his father named him Qinshou, he intended it to mean “industrious and long-lived”—never imagining that the beloved child would grow up to become a “beast.”

The girl in the lake-blue robe couldn’t help but laugh, exchanging a glance with her sister. Dimples appeared on both their faces, their smiles sweet and mischievous.

“You dare laugh? You two look so delicate—are you a couple of rabbits, then?” Xue Qinshou widened his round eyes at them, then burst out laughing.

Ding wondered—if he could tell at a glance that they were girls, why couldn’t these thugs?

But it was understandable. As a modern man, Ding had seen countless such disguises in stories and television. He was intimately familiar with the differences and subtleties between men and women. But in this era, it was different—women seldom appeared in public unless forced, especially unmarried girls, let alone ones running around the martial world with swords.

Most people of this time were simple and straightforward. Even the bad ones, like Xue Qinshou, tended to be openly wicked—if they wanted a girl, they simply took her. Those who schemed and plotted were few: either educated, well-traveled in the martial world, or seasoned officials.

So, the twin sisters’ simple ruse was enough to fool nearly everyone.

When Xue Qinshou called them “rabbits,” the twins exchanged a glance. They clearly didn’t understand the meaning but could tell it was no compliment.

“Enough nonsense! Are you going to let the girl go or not?” the one in moon-white demanded.

“Ha! Let her go? Not a chance. But you two can come with me as well—I may not be interested, but I have a friend who likes boys…” Xue Qinshou laughed shamelessly, but before he could finish, something flew through the air and struck him squarely on his front tooth.

“Ow!” He clutched his mouth, then spat onto the floor. Amid the bloody saliva lay a single broad bean—and a yellowed tooth.

As the saying goes:

Karma and fate are known with age; the great path never counts gain or loss.
Evil men will always meet their match—only their retribution has yet to come.