Lin Fan returned to his humble dwelling, slicing off a small piece of the Scarlet Blood Lingzhi with his knife, intending to try his luck in the town.
He wondered if anyone would even buy such an expensive item.
Lin Fan first reviewed the Divine Emperor's Resolve, noting his cultivation realm was the early stage of Refining Essence into Qi. Then, he headed towards the main road outside the village.
Luofeng Village was thirty kilometers from Shimenzhen. However, due to occasional travelers on the main road, Lin Fan could only walk at a normal pace, unable to circulate his purple energy for rapid travel.
Still, tricycles often plied the main road, carrying passengers. If he was lucky, he might catch one after a short walk.
It was the height of summer, one o'clock in the afternoon, and the sun blazed intensely.
Undeterred by the sweat drenching his clothes, Lin Fan continued along the main road.
As he walked, Lin Fan suddenly heard a cry for help: "Help!"
Lin Fan paused, wondering why trouble seemed to follow him everywhere.
Was he a jinx?
He recognized the cry for help coming from the woods by the roadside and darted in like lightning.
Soon, Lin Fan witnessed a scene that ignited his anger.
A young girl was pinned to the ground by a pockmarked man with a tiger tattoo on his arm.
Beside them stood four loutish young men, occasionally letting out lewd chuckles.
Lin Fan recognized all five of them as the bullies from the neighboring village, Zheng Shanhu and his four henchmen.
The thought of Zheng Shanhu, idle and doing nothing productive, often leading his men to ambush travelers, robbing them of their money and assaulting women, made Lin Fan clench his fists with a audible crack.
He then looked at the young girl, dressed in a plum blossom qipao, with a pretty face and fair, tender skin.
Wait, wasn't this Song Yue, the village Party Secretary's daughter-in-law!
Song Yue possessed a remarkable beauty, with delicate features that could rival a second-tier movie star.
It was a shame she had married the village Party Secretary's simple-minded son so early.
Because of this, she had long been coveted by many men.
Zheng Shanhu and his gang were, naturally, among them.
What made Lin Fan even more furious was that Song Yue's hands were bound by a rope. Her fair, tender arms already bore blue marks, and her struggles were futile.
Song Yue was in despair, only able to cry out loudly, "Help!"
Zheng Shanhu grinned evilly at Song Yue and said, "Beautiful, out here in the village, you can scream your lungs out and no one will save you. Why don't you be cooperative and do as I say, hmm?"
"Scoundrel!" Song Yue spat, "Let me go! You will face retribution for this!"
Zheng Shanhu laughed heartily, "I never believe in retribution. In these ten-mile villages, I'm the crab, I walk sideways."
"Tsk, tsk, why are you crying? I heard your idiot husband is useless, and you haven't conceived in over a year and a half."
"Since that's the case, why don't you have some fun with me!"
With that, Zheng Shanhu lunged at Song Yue, intending to do as he pleased.
At the same moment, Lin Fan leaped forward, his purple energy surging within him. He launched himself forward and kicked Zheng Shanhu squarely in the backside.
*Bang!*
A muffled thud.
Zheng Shanhu was sent flying backward for five to six meters, only stopping when he collided with a large tree.
With a *crack*, Zheng Shanhu landed heavily on the ground, right onto a pile of dry, sharp branches.
These branches were dry and extremely sharp, like knives, impaling Zheng Shanhu all over, leaving him no untouched spot.
Zheng Shanhu's left eye gushed blood, the intense pain unbearable, causing him to emit a pig-like scream.
After a moment of screaming, he finally recovered, baring his teeth and cursing, "Damn it, you want to die? You dare hit me?"
He then turned to his four henchmen and ordered, "You scoundrels, beat him up! Whoever breaks his legs gets a handsome reward!"
The four henchmen followed Zheng Shanhu purely for money. Upon hearing of a substantial reward, they became as excited as if they had been injected with adrenaline. Their blood boiled, and they swarmed towards Lin Fan.
"Kid, how dare you offend my boss? I'll beat you to death!"
A youth with dyed hair, wanting to be the first, swung his fist at Lin Fan.
Almost simultaneously, the other three ruffians attacked with their fists and feet, converging on Lin Fan from different directions.
The four bullies launched a fierce, four-pronged assault, forming a deadly formation and attacking Lin Fan like a tidal wave.
"Xiao Fan, be careful!"
Song Yue, seeing that it was Lin Fan who had come to her rescue, was both surprised and deeply worried.
Four against one, no matter how strong Lin Fan was, he would surely be at a disadvantage!
Song Yue thought this, but the next moment, an unexpected scene unfolded before her eyes.
Facing the combined assault of the four bullies, Lin Fan sneered, "Things worse than ants!"
As he spoke, Lin Fan swung his palm, delivering a series of resounding slaps to the faces of the four bullies.
The four bullies, like flies being swatted away, were sent flying backward for three to four meters, crashing into trees before falling heavily to the ground, landing on their backsides.
The excruciating pain caused all four bullies to let out pig-like screams.
These screams echoed through the entire forest, as if wild boars were being slaughtered.
Zheng Shanhu was utterly astonished. Hadn't this Lin Fan been paralyzed, lying in bed after an accident?
Even if he had recovered and woken up, he shouldn't have become this formidable!
It was as if an immensely powerful force erupted from his palm before it even touched them. What was going on?
What kind of martial art was this?
Lin Fan advanced with imposing might, step by step, towards Zheng Shanhu.
Zheng Shanhu snapped back to reality, cowering like a turtle, retreating backward repeatedly.
His four henchmen did the same, backing away fearfully, lest they be slapped by Lin Fan again and have their teeth knocked out.
"You, what do you want?"
Zheng Shanhu had never feared anyone, but now his voice trembled.
Lin Fan let out a cold snort, "What do I want? What do you think I want?"
"In broad daylight, you dare to harass a virtuous woman."
"Kneel down and apologize!"
Lin Fan's imposing aura and sharp gaze boomed, sending a shiver down Zheng Shanhu's spine.
"Kneel and apologize?" Zheng Shanhu instinctively shook his head.
He and his "Four Heavenly Kings" had always acted with impunity, how could they easily kneel to two children?
"You don't have to kneel. In that case, I'll take your dog life!"
Lin Fan was enraged. He grabbed Zheng Shanhu by the throat.
Zheng Shanhu struggled with all his might, but he was no match for Lin Fan's strength. No matter how much he struggled, he couldn't break free from Lin Fan's right hand.
If this continued, he would suffocate to death!
In less than five seconds, he felt he was only one step away from death, and he relented. With a *thump*, he knelt before Lin Fan and cried, "Grandpa, spare my life, let me off! I am willing to kneel and apologize!"
As he spoke, he kowtowed to Lin Fan three times, then turned to Song Yue and kowtowed as if pounding garlic.
Song Yue watched with satisfaction as Zheng Shanhu's head bled from his kowtows, and the four bullies did the same.