Gong Xiaohua looked down at the greasy man in front of her, with his fat head and oily face. Behind him stood four muscular servants, clearly well-trained.
The greasy man spoke to her, "Little chubby beauty, would you like to follow me? I guarantee that you'll live a life of luxury and have servants at your disposal."
Gong Xiaohua furrowed her brow. Was she being harassed?
Madam Gong, seeing her daughter being harassed, quickly positioned her massive body in front of Gong Xiaohua and glared at the man. "Why don't you take a good look at yourself in the mirror? You're like a toad wanting to eat swan meat, how disgusting!"
Laughter erupted from the surrounding crowd.
Wang Yunpeng had never experienced such humiliation in public before. Filled with anger, he pointed at Madam Gong and said, "You old hag, do you want to die?"
Before he could finish his sentence, a hand from the side grabbed his raised hand.
Following the hand that held him, Wang Yunpeng saw a familiar person—a young constable who had shared a few drinks with him in the past.
Gong Xiaonan said to Wang Yunpeng, "Lord Peng, we can consider ourselves acquainted. These are my mother and sister. Can we put an end to this matter today, for my sake?"
"You expect me to give you face after your mother insulted me? A lowly constable like you also wants me to give you face? Who do you think you are?" Wang Yunpeng retorted.
With that, he stepped aside and ordered his servants, "Drag away this interfering woman and this ignorant boy!"
Upon hearing the order, the servants flexed their muscles and advanced.
Gong Xiaonan, with a red face filled with anger, was about to make a move but was stopped by Gong Xiaohua.
Gong Xiaohua bypassed her mother and approached Wang Yunpeng, crossing her arms over her chest and looking down at the shorter man beside her. She said, "Hey, short pig. If your group can defeat me together, I will go with you. But if they lose, you'll have to kowtow to me a few times. How about that?"
"You insolent wench! You dare to speak so arrogantly to me? Fine, I accept your challenge," Wang Yunpeng replied.
Hearing that her sister intended to fight alone against Wang Yunpeng's group, Gong Xiaonan anxiously called out, "Sister, you can't!"
One must know that the men from the Wang family were no ordinary servants; they were the true enforcers hired to protect Wang Yunpeng.
Madam Gong's face turned pale, and she quickly grabbed her daughter and charged towards Wang Yunpeng.
One of Wang Yunpeng's servants quickly positioned himself in front of Wang Yunpeng and extended his left foot, aiming to kick Madam Gong.
But before he could land the kick, Gong Xiaohua swiftly stepped forward, her agile body rotating 180 degrees in the air. With a whooshing sound, her right foot delivered a powerful kick to the servant's leg, causing him to fly uncontrollably and collapse to the side.
The stall behind him collapsed with a loud crash, shattering into pieces.
Time seemed to stand still as everyone stared in disbelief at Gong Xiaohua, a fierce and determined young woman who effortlessly knocked down her opponent with a single move.
The other three thugs, seeing their companion being knocked unconscious, immediately rushed over to protect Wang Yunpeng.
Wang Yunpeng, feeling the protection from his household servant, unleashed a string of curses without fear, "You wretched woman! If I don't bring you back home today and torment you to death, I'm not worthy of my title as Wang the Invincible."
Gong Xiaohua glanced at the men in front of her, a contemptuous smile playing on her lips. She then turned to her younger brother and said, "Xiaonan, take Mother to the side."
As she twisted her neck, arms, and stretched her muscles, she walked towards Wang Yunpeng. Each time she flexed her muscles, the sound of bones cracking could be heard.
Wang Yunpeng and his servant took a step back every time she took a step forward.
Just as the fight was about to erupt, a voice from the crowd shouted, "Stop."
The crowd parted, and Wang Yunpeng saw a stranger approaching. He was about to reprimand the man when the stranger spoke, "I am a member of the Qin family's fifth young master. These gentlemen are friends of my master. My master requests that Wang Gongzi show some face and let this matter go. What do you say?"
The Qin family currently holds great power in the capital city, and Wang Yunpeng's father had repeatedly warned him not to offend them.
"You claim to be from the Qin family, but how can I believe you?" Wang Yunpeng retorted.
"If Wang Gongzi doesn't believe me, you can look up." Li Zichen pointed towards the second floor of Yipin Pavilion.
Wang Yunpeng followed Li Zichen's finger and indeed saw Qin Chuyuan and other young masters from prominent families standing by the window, observing them.
Gritting his teeth, Wang Yunpeng realized that he wouldn't gain anything by provoking this woman today. It would be better to follow Qin Gongzi's lead.
"Carry this useless piece of trash and let's go," he commanded, turning away.
Once Wang Yunpeng and his group left, Li Zichen approached his elder sister and her two nephews.
"Sister, Xiaonan, Xiaohua, you should hurry back home. Thanks to our master's intervention, you've been spared from suffering. Without him, who knows what kind of trouble you might have encountered."
Upon hearing this, Gong Xiaohua muttered under her breath, "Who's to say I would have suffered? I could have dealt with it just fine without him."
"What did you say?" Li Zichen glared at Gong Xiaohua.
Madam Gong quickly pulled Gong Xiaohua behind her. "She's just talking nonsense, Zichen. Don't pay her any mind. Xiaohua, let's go to Old Man Qi's place and buy the things we need. Once we're done, we'll head straight back. You should hurry back to your duties and not worry."
"Alright, you two, buy what you need and return quickly. Don't linger on the streets," Li Zichen advised.
"Understood. Let's go," Madam Gong said, leading Gong Xiaohua to Qi Pharmacist Drugstore. They purchased the herbs Gong Xiaohua needed, including fennel, cubeb, bay leaves, star anise, cinnamon, and ginger, although she wasn't sure what they would be used for.
On the way back home, they also stopped by the West Market to buy a few pounds of pork and pig offal that no one else wanted.
During the journey, Gong Xiaonan asked his sister, "Sister, that move you used earlier, the mid-air spin, looked amazing. Who did you learn it from? Can you teach me?"
"In the Ministry of Justice, I learned from others. If you want to learn, I can teach you when we get home. But it's not something you can learn in just one day. You need to master the fundamentals."
"How long does it take to master the fundamentals?"
"With your talent and determination, hmm, it will take about a year."
"Oh, that's troublesome. I think I'll pass then."
At the Yipin Pavilion on the second floor.
Several young gentlemen remained calm as they watched Gong Xiaohua effortlessly perform a mid-air spin, followed by a swift kick that knocked out her opponent.
It was their first time witnessing a woman with such graceful and skilled movements, surpassing most men who practiced martial arts.
What should they do about finding a master?
Qin Chuyuan was also astonished. He knew Gong Xiaohua was a female prison guard, but he didn't expect her martial arts skills to be so impressive.
"Ayuan, do you know that woman? Introduce her to us, will you?" Lin Zhiyuan asked.
"I don't know her personally. As an imperial official responsible for protecting the common people, it's my duty," Qin Chuyuan replied.
The others didn't believe a word he said!
