Chapter 33: A Single Blade to Right Wrongs and Restore Order

The autumn maple leaves in Danhua Village fell like rain. It was the peak of the harvest season, and amidst the crimson shadows, the villagers were busy at work. Every household was filled with harmony and joy, a true picture of a peaceful paradise as described in books.

As the sun began to set, children chased each other through the streets, their laughter ringing out everywhere.

"Waaaah..."

Han Yanei, trailing behind Cheng Ruyi and Yan Kuang, suddenly burst into tears.

Yan Kuang stopped in confusion, while Cheng Ruyi hurriedly comforted him. "What is it, Second Young Master? Are you hungry or thirsty?"

"It's not that, Elder Sister-in-law..." Han Yanei sniffled, his eyes red. "I miss my father..."

Seeing Yan Kuang’s brows knit into a tight knot, Cheng Ruyi quickly stepped in to smooth things over. "Ah... the Master is truly good to you, so good... and also, I am not your elder sister-in-law, really, I am not..."

Han Yanei shook his head. "Not at all. My father only sighs when he sees me... I see the head courtesan of Yushuang Tower more often than I see him."

As he spoke, Han Yanei looked toward a spot not far away, where a man was carrying a vegetable basket on his back, his child peeking out from within, while his wife carried a bolt of cloth. The family was chatting and laughing, full of life.

Han Yanei choked up. "Seeing everyone here together, happy and cheerful, makes me feel awful... I barely get to see my father a few times all year round."

Yan Kuang’s expression softened slightly. He couldn't help but recall how Han Shaozhen had cherished him when he was young, and he spoke up uncharacteristically. "Is he not good to you?"

Han Yanei sighed. "Big Brother, I’ve told you already! Our father only has you in his heart! I think he wishes he never had a son like me!"

Years ago, when they parted, Yan Kuang heard that Han Shaozhen had an only son named Han Ning, the leader of the fops in the capital, the apple of everyone’s eye in the Han household.

Cheng Ruyi asked casually, "And what about your mother?"

"My mother... she passed away before I could remember." Han Yanei looked even more dejected, then turned to Yan Kuang. "Father never remarried. Big Brother, do you think we might have other siblings wandering out there?"

Yan Kuang gave Han Yanei an indescribable look, ignored him, and stepped forward to help a man who was unloading a donkey cart.

Cheng Ruyi patted Han Yanei on the shoulder. "Let's go, stop feeling down for now..."

The two followed, and they saw Yan Kuang moving with fluid, powerful strides. With a sack in each hand, he finished unloading the cargo in no time. The man couldn't stop thanking him.

Just as Yan Kuang was about to speak, Cheng Ruyi stepped up. "My good man, you're welcome! Our trio has been well-cared for by the villagers everywhere we go!"

Han Yanei followed them, confused. "Aren't we supposed to ask..."

"Ah, right! My good man, we have a question!"

Cheng Ruyi quickly cut him off. Yan Kuang shot a glare at Han Yanei, who obediently clamped his mouth shut.

Cheng Ruyi continued, "My good man, do you know which family in this village has a young girl around ten years old?" He gestured with his hands. "About... this tall, wearing two pigtails, who likes to pick up maple leaves on the road?"

Seeing the man look confused, Cheng Ruyi knew that asking such a question out of the blue would arouse suspicion, so he quickly added, "Late yesterday afternoon, I met a little girl on the road and spoke a few words to her. When I left, I realized she had dropped her handkerchief, but she ran too fast, and I couldn't catch up..."

As he spoke, Cheng Ruyi took the handkerchief wrapped around a maple leaf from his pocket. "It still looks new, so I thought it would be best to return it to its owner..."

"It does look quite new..."

Hearing this, the man lowered his guard. He thought for a moment, frowned, and said with a touch of distaste, "Oh, could it be Little Hong? That child is always in this area. Sometimes I see her crouching on the ground, tinkering with something or other. There are a few other families with girls, but their height and age don't quite match what you described..."

The man pointed forward. "Go in at that intersection, turn left, and the sixth house is hers. But she might not be home right now, she..."

"Right! Thank you!" Cheng Ruyi responded urgently, and the three of them didn't linger, hurrying toward the house.

***

Along the way, Han Yanei asked in confusion, "Why didn't you just ask who lost a child?"

Before Cheng Ruyi could explain, Yan Kuang surprisingly spoke up. "The streets are filled with playing children, and almost none are accompanied by their parents, which means no one in the village seems to be aware of this matter yet."

Yan Kuang added, "Furthermore, you have no evidence to conclude that the people in the carriage kidnapped the child."

Cheng Ruyi sighed. "Besides... human trafficking is common enough; what if the family sold the child voluntarily? We must find the household first and understand the situation before we can do anything else..."

Han Yanei wanted to say something but fell silent. What he had seen over the past few days of travel was clearly beyond what he had been raised to accept.

The three arrived at Little Hong's house as directed. Cheng Ruyi stepped forward and knocked gently. "Is this Little Hong's home?"

There was no movement inside. Cheng Ruyi knocked a few more times, but still, no one answered.

Yan Kuang pulled Cheng Ruyi and Han Ning aside and stepped forward, saying in a low, cold voice, "We have urgent business to discuss. Forgive the intrusion."

With that, he delivered a flying kick. With a loud "bang," the wooden door collapsed, sending a cloud of dust into the air.

"Cough, cough, cough!"

Cheng Ruyi and Han Yanei were choked by the dust, but Yan Kuang stood firm and walked straight inside.

The two were about to follow when a gust of wind flashed before their eyes!

Before they could react, a blinding blade struck out, aimed directly at Yan Kuang!

Han Yanei was frozen in terror, and Cheng Ruyi shouted a warning: "Master Yan, watch out!"

Yan Kuang spun around instantly, and a silver-gleaming crescent blade crashed down beside him! As Yan Kuang looked up and saw the attacker, his breath hitched.

"Junior Sister?!"

The face from his sealed memories gradually became clear. Yan Kuang stood stunned; after years of separation, he barely recognized the junior sister he had once spent every day with.

The attacker shouted, "Han Kuang! You dog!"

She twisted the handle of her blade and launched another attack!

Yan Kuang was unarmed and couldn't fight back, so he could only dodge. Seeing this, Cheng Ruyi grabbed a shovel from a neighbor's yard without a second thought and rushed forward, swinging it at the woman's head!

"Huh? Help?!" The woman dodged to the side. Yan Kuang caught the shovel mid-air and used it to parry, pinning down the woman's long-handled blade. He shouted, "Junior Sister, stop! There are innocent villagers everywhere!"

The woman eased her tension, and her grip on the handle loosened.

Only then did Cheng Ruyi get a clear look at the "god of death"—she was tall, holding a long-handled crescent blade, dressed in a red outfit with narrow sleeves and a matching cape. A red ribbon bound her dark hair in a simple, sharp style. Her almond-shaped eyes were wide, and her demeanor was fierce, yet she could not hide the heroic spirit within her.

Han Yanei had collapsed to the ground in fear. Seeing Yan Kuang and the woman stop fighting, Cheng Ruyi hurriedly helped Han Yanei up and signaled for silence.

The woman in red spoke first. "Han Kuang... you dog! I never expected... after all these years, I would see you here! Shameless... you still want to use the lives of villagers to threaten me, don't you!"

Yan Kuang looked at the woman's face, complex emotions swirling in his eyes. Finally, he could only say quietly, "Junior Sister Lin, you misunderstand."

"Misunderstand... I misunderstand?! All the brothers and sisters of the Muxue Valley were slaughtered by the Emperor's dogs! And Master..."

"Do you remember how Master died? Do you remember!"

***

The woman in red’s eyes grew red. She pointed at Yan Kuang and scolded, "And you! You turned around and defected to the imperial court, serving as a dog for the enemy! You really have no shame left!"

"Have you been doing well?" Yan Kuang asked in a low voice.

The woman in red froze. "What? What did you say?"

"You look like you've grown up... have you been well all these years?"

Cheng Ruyi saw Yan Kuang trembling. His hands, his shoulders, and even his voice were shaking.

This was a side of Yan Kuang that Cheng Ruyi had never seen. He didn't know what kind of past this woman and Yan Kuang shared, but he knew she was very important to him.

The woman in red stared blankly at Yan Kuang, her lips moving, and suddenly she burst into tears!

"Nonsense! It's been ten years... of course I've grown!"

She cried her heart out, grabbing his collar and beating him. Yan Kuang’s previous injuries hadn't fully healed, but he didn't stop her, clenching his teeth as he let her strike him.

"Hey... Heroine!" Cheng Ruyi couldn't watch anymore and stepped forward to intervene. "Let's talk this through... stop hitting people."

The woman wouldn't listen, and her strength was great; she hit Yan Kuang so hard he coughed up blood!

Cheng Ruyi rushed to pull her away. "Stop! Stop! You've made him spit blood! Little Han! Hurry up and help!"

Han Yanei, who had been scared stiff outside, finally snapped out of it. With his garlic-shaped topknot wobbling, he rushed forward to help, but the woman let go on her own.

"Are you alright...?" Cheng Ruyi asked with concern. Yan Kuang wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and shook his head.

The woman in red stopped crying, wiped her tears, and laughed self-deprecatingly. "Hmph, I never thought the famous Commander Yan would still remember a remnant of the rebel party like me!"

Yan Kuang said sternly, "You are not a rebel remnant. You are my Fourth Junior Sister, Lin Jiangyue."

Lin Jiangyue waved her hand and snorted coldly, "Spare me the sentimentality. My name is Lin Yidao now!"

"You, you are Lin Yidao!?" Han Yanei, who had been afraid to speak, suddenly cried out in excitement. "You are that heroine, the one known as 'one strike to kill and rob,' Lin Yidao?!"

"That's right, I don't change my name or my surname, that's me!" Lin Jiangyue started, then realized something was wrong... "What 'kill and rob'?! It's 'one strike to punish the wicked and restore order'! Lin Yidao!"

Han Yanei looked at her with pure adoration. "Heroine Lin! I am your biggest fan!"

Lin Jiangyue looked at Han Yanei's garlic-shaped hair and dodged in disgust. "And what kind of garlic are you? Get lost!"

"Cough..." Cheng Ruyi pulled Han Yanei aside. "Heroine Lin, I think there may be a misunderstanding between you and your, uh, Senior Brother? But we have urgent matters right now... why don't we exchange contact information and talk later?"

Yan Kuang nodded in agreement, but Lin Jiangyue suddenly remembered something. "Little Hong... where is Little Hong?"

Lin Jiangyue looked around. Everything in the small room was neatly arranged; even during their fight, nothing had been disturbed.

Lin Jiangyue frowned and asked Yan Kuang, "Where is Little Hong? Why are you here? Who are these two? And where is the little girl who lives here?"