At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, they called me a demonic monk.

Fang Yingyu hadn't expected him to be so ruthless. Caught off guard, her body reacted automatically. She sidestepped the sword's edge, her right hand flashing like a knife, slicing along the inside of Zhao Mingxuan's sword-wielding arm—this was the "Water-Splitting Strike" from the Canglang Sword Technique, specifically designed to counter straight thrusts. Zhao Mingxuan felt a numbness in his arm, and his sword clattered to the ground. Before he could react, Fang Yingyu had already grabbed his wrist, twisted it, and pinned him to the ground.

"Let me go! Do you know who my father is?" Zhao Mingxuan struggled and roared.

Just as Fang Yingyu was about to speak, he suddenly noticed a sharp gaze. He looked up and saw a man in black wearing a straw hat staring intently at him from the street corner. The man's eyes were as cold as a snake, which sent chills down Fang Yingyu's spine.

This strange interlude distracted Fang Yingyu. Taking advantage of the moment, Zhao Mingxuan broke free, pulled a bamboo whistle from his pocket, and blew it loudly. The piercing whistle tore through the air. That's how the world is; when good people are in trouble, they often cry out to heaven and earth in vain. But when bad people are in trouble, the authorities arrive immediately! Sure enough, a moment later, a group of officials arrived menacingly.

"Officer Wang, this kid is committing violence in the street, intending to hurt someone. Arrest him immediately!" Zhao Mingxuan shouted, pointing at Fang Yingyu.

Upon seeing that it was the young master of the Zhao family, Constable Wang Chuan immediately bowed and scraped, saying, "Don't worry, Young Master Zhao, I'll arrest her for you right away!" With that, he waved his hand, and several constables were about to step forward to arrest Fang Yingyu. However, one of the constables hesitated and said with difficulty, "Constable, it's not appropriate to arrest someone before we've even clarified the matter, is it?" This constable was named Qin Mi, and he had only recently started working. He was still full of a sense of justice, and Wang Chuan was annoyed that he didn't follow orders and was about to make things difficult for him.

"Wait!" A clear voice came from outside the crowd. Ruan Yichen parted the onlookers and strode over.

Upon seeing that it was the young master of the Ruan family, Wang Chuan immediately became embarrassed: "This... Young Master Ruan, Young Master Zhao said..."

"Whatever he says goes?" Ruan Yichen sneered. "I saw with my own eyes Zhao Mingxuan first harass my sister, and then order the servants to attack her. Brother Fang was merely acting in self-defense."

"Zhao Mingxuan, you bullied my sister?" Ruan Yichen turned to Zhao Mingxuan again, his face ashen.

Zhao Mingxuan forced a defiant stance: "Where did I bully your sister? I just wanted to teach this blind brat a lesson..."

"A lesson?" Ruan Yichen pulled out a handful of loose silver from his purse. "According to your usual rules, one tael of silver for every slap, right?" He suddenly threw the silver at Zhao Mingxuan's face. "Here are twenty taels, enough to slap you two hundred times! Just tell me how much you need to kill me, I'd like to pay for a lesson too."

Having said that, he actually slapped Zhao Mingxuan across the face, causing Zhao Mingxuan to stagger backward. Although the Zhao family was wealthy, they were still far inferior to the powerful and wealthy Ruan family, and Zhao Mingxuan did not dare to fight back.

"Why?" Zhao Mingxuan covered his face, his voice trembling. "We grew up together, and you're doing this for some poor kid..."

"Because you'll never understand the meaning of respect!" Ruan Shanruo suddenly spoke, tears welling in her eyes. "You bully others because of your family background, thinking that money can buy you anything. Fang Yingyu may be poor, but his character is ten times nobler than yours!"

Zhao Mingxuan opened his mouth, but after racking his brains, he found that he couldn't come up with a single righteous word. He had no choice but to remain silent. Between feeling humiliated and angry, he chose to feel humiliated and finally slunk away with his limping servant and the horses.

Seeing this, Wang Chuan chuckled awkwardly and led his men away. As the crowd gradually dispersed, Ruan Yichen patted Fang Yingyu on the shoulder: "Brother Fang, are you alright?"

Fang Yingyu glanced gratefully at Ruan Yichen, shook her head, and then her gaze involuntarily drifted to Ruan Shanruo. She stood behind her younger brother, her eyes filled with worry and...something he couldn't decipher. She looked at Fang Yingyu's hand with concern, "Does it hurt?"

Fang Yingyu smiled and shook her head: "I'm not in pain; he's probably in more pain than I am!"

Ruan Yichen looked at his sister, then at Fang Yingyu, and suddenly laughed, "Brother Fang, let's go to Zuixianlou for dinner together, it's on me."

Fang Yingyu was about to decline when Ruan Shanruo spoke up: "Young Master Fang, come along! We...we haven't properly thanked you for saving our lives yet." Her voice was soft, but it carried a tone that made it hard to refuse.

Fang Yingyu's heart skipped a beat again. He subconsciously touched the wooden hairpin in his pocket, and finally nodded.

In a private room on the second floor of Zuixianlou, the window overlooked the bustling street scene of Yuanzhou City. Fang Yingyu sat on a carved wooden chair, feeling extremely uncomfortable. The room was luxuriously furnished, with a woven carpet on the floor, calligraphy and paintings by famous artists hanging on the walls, and even the tableware was top-quality blue and white porcelain. He had never been to such a high-class place in his life.

"Brother Fang, try this signature dish of Zuixianlou, 'Eight Treasure Duck'." Ruan Yichen enthusiastically served the dishes, "And this 'Jade Shrimp' is made with fresh shrimp caught nearby."

Fang Yingyu picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks, but couldn't taste it. His attention was entirely on Ruan Shanruo sitting opposite him. Sunlight streamed through the window, casting dappled patterns of light on her face, making her skin appear as white as snow.

"Young Master Fang," Ruan Shanruo suddenly spoke up, "what kind of kung fu did you use just now? I've never seen such a move before."

Fang Yingyu paused, his chopsticks still. He didn't know how to answer. Should he say it was the Canglang Sect's swordsmanship? But Song Bie had instructed him to keep it a secret... not to mention the three words "Canglang Sect." Ruan Yichen had always learned the Canglang swordsmanship from Song Bie, but only he had received the true inheritance of the Canglang Sect.

"These are just some rudimentary techniques I learned haphazardly, but I received guidance from Master Song, so they're nothing to brag about," he mumbled.

Ruan Shanruo seemed to sense his predicament and didn't press further. She took a sip of tea and suddenly said, "Young Master Fang, I have a favor to ask."

"Miss Ruan, please speak."

"Next month is my eighteenth birthday, and my father is hosting a banquet at the manor." Ruan Shanruo's voice trailed off, "Could you come too?"

Fang Yingyu was stunned. The birthday banquet of the Ruan family's daughter, and they invited a poor hunter like him? This...

"Sister!" Ruan Yichen looked at his sister in surprise, "Are you sure you want to invite Brother Fang? What about Father..."

Ruan Shanru glared at her younger brother: "Father often says that Young Master Fang is a benefactor of our Ruan family, so what's wrong with that?"

Fang Yingyu watched the siblings argue, her heart filled with mixed feelings. She knew how deep the chasm was between herself and Ruan Shanruo, but at this moment, she was trying her best to build a bridge.

"Thank you for your kindness, Miss Ruan," he finally said, "but my status is too low, and I fear it might tarnish the Ruan family's reputation..."

"I don't care!" Ruan Shanru blurted out, then realized her mistake and blushed. "I mean... Young Master Fang is our benefactor, no one will gossip."

Fang Yingyu felt as if his heart had been struck hard. Looking at Ruan Shanruo's flushed cheeks and flickering eyes, he suddenly understood something, yet couldn't believe his own guess.

"Okay, I'll definitely come," he heard himself say.