Starting from the pharmacy, he grew into a martial saint among men.

The villa is built against the mountain, with a continuous, undulating blue stone wall about ten feet high, enclosing the entire villa.

On the huge rock at the entrance, the four large characters "Baojian Villa" are written with vigorous strokes and shine brightly in the sunlight.

On either side of the red-lacquered gate stood four armored guards, each with a long sword at their waist, their posture upright and their sharp eyes scanning the surroundings.

The three men reined in their horses and landed on the ground.

One of the guards immediately stepped forward, brandishing his longsword, blocking the way, his voice booming:

"Who goes there? State your name!"

Xiao Yi stepped forward and raised his hand to reveal the Seven Star Palace disciple's waist token:

"Xiao Yi, a disciple of the Seven Star Palace, has come to pay his respects to Master Su. Please kindly convey my regards."

The guard caught sight of the waist tag, his pupils contracted slightly, and he instinctively turned to announce it.

But in an instant, he remembered the manor lord's instructions, immediately put on a stern face, and spoke arrogantly:

"What Seven Star Palace or Eight Star Palace? Never heard of them. The Master is extremely busy; how could you little brats just come and see him as you please?"

As he spoke, he waved his hand dismissively:

"Get out of here! This isn't a place for kids like you!"

These words carried a somewhat insulting tone, instantly turning Qingqing's previously calm expression as cold as ice.

Her wrist suddenly rested on the hilt of the knife, and she was about to step forward to argue.

Xiao Yi reacted quickly, grabbing her arm firmly and slowly shaking his head to stop her.

At this moment, Chu Hong stepped forward, placed a silver ingot of about ten taels in the guard's hand, and gently patted the guard's arm.

"Brother, guarding the manor is truly hard work. This is just a small token of our appreciation, to help the brothers relax after their shifts."

"Please trouble you, elder brother, to convey our message."

They're here to investigate, not to cause trouble, at least not right now.

Therefore, even if one knows the other party's thoughts, one can only "go with the flow" for now.

The guard weighed the silver in his hand, a glint of greed flashing in his eyes.

But in an instant, his reason overcame this greed.

He secretly weighed the options in his mind. Although the master wanted him to make things difficult for the disciples of the Seven Star Palace, if he really offended them, he would definitely not have a good ending.

At that time, the manor lord would not protect him.

They might not only fail to protect him, but also use him as a shield to defuse the other party's anger.

Just make things difficult for yourself once, and that's enough to get the task done.

The best way to survive is to avoid offending either side.

Thinking of this, he suppressed his arrogant expression, adopted a sensible attitude, and said:

"Since you're so kind, brother, I'll accept it."

"Please wait here for a moment, I will go and inform you."

Having said that, he strode around, turned, and went inside to deliver the message.

In a short while, a group of people walked out quickly, with a burly, square-faced middle-aged man at the head of the line.

His face was beaming with enthusiasm and full of smiles:

"I was wondering why there were magpies calling on the branches so early in the morning. It turns out that a distinguished disciple of the Seven Star Palace has graced our humble abode with his presence. He truly brings honor to our humble dwelling."

"Quickly, quickly, young heroes, please come in!"

The newcomer was none other than Su Changchuan, the master of Baojian Manor.

Behind him were several martial arts experts recruited by the manor.

"Xiao Yi (Chu Hong), a disciple of the Seven Star Palace, pays his respects to Master Su."

"Hmph," Qingqing didn't give her name, but instead let out a cold snort, "Master Su, you have quite the airs. Your guards just told us to get lost."

These words were like sharp, insidious swords, piercing Su Changchuan's heart.

The moment the words left his mouth, the guard's face turned deathly pale, his legs buckled, and he collapsed to his knees with a thud.

"I'm so sorry, I was blind and spoke recklessly. Please forgive me, young hero!"

As he spoke, he raised his hand and slapped himself ten times hard across the face, shouting "I'm guilty, I'm guilty!" as he did so.

He was filled with remorse.

If I had known this woman would be so difficult, I shouldn't have deliberately made things difficult for her earlier.

Now look what's happened; he's gotten himself into this mess.

Upon hearing Qingqing's words, Su Changchuan's expression turned cold. His sharp gaze swept over the kneeling guard, and he said in a deep voice:

"Lax gatekeeping and disrespectful speech have tarnished the reputation of my manor. According to the manor's rules, he should be executed!"

"Guards, drag him to the dungeon!"

The guard felt a chill run down his spine, immediately turned to Su Changchuan, and burst into tears:

"Master, Master, I know I was wrong, I know I was wrong! Please, have mercy on me!"

At the entrance of the villa, a cacophony of shouts and cries erupted, piercing the ears.

Seeing this, Xiao Yi quickly stepped forward, cupping his hands in a gesture of embarrassment:

"Master Su, human life is precious. I don't think he did it intentionally. Perhaps he has been in the manor for a long time and has come to believe that the manor is his home, so he did this."

"Besides, isn't this behavior a testament to his loyalty? Master Su, please reconsider."

"Yes, yes, yes!" Upon hearing this, the guard frantically banged his head on the ground. "Master, I am loyal to the manor!"

Upon hearing these words, Su Changchuan's stern brows relaxed slightly. He looked at the kneeling guard and said in a deep voice:

"Hurry up and thank Young Hero Xiao. You may be spared the death penalty, but you cannot escape punishment. Starting today, you are to clean all the outhouses in the manor for a month without fail."

The guards, their faces contorted with grief, kowtowed repeatedly in gratitude.

After dealing with the guards, Su Changchuan gestured with both hands, saying, "Please come in, young heroes. Let's go inside and talk further."

"Then I'll have to trouble you."

As soon as the group took a step, a series of rapid hoofbeats rang out on the road not far from the mountain gate.

Immediately afterwards, a sharp shout came from the woman in yellow on horseback:

"Su Changchuan, give me back my brother's life!"

Before she finished speaking, a small crossbow appeared in her hand, the bolts on it gleaming with a purplish-black luster.

The next instant, she pulled the trigger, and the crossbow bolt whistled through the air, shooting straight at Su Changchuan's heart.

This turn of events happened suddenly, but Chu Hong, Xiao Yi, and even Qingqing reacted quickly, instinctively stepping back several paces to leave the battlefield to Su Changchuan.

Su Changchuan's gaze sharpened. Facing the incoming crossbow bolt, he neither dodged nor evaded. When the bolt was only an arm's length away, his right hand suddenly shot out and precisely caught it in his hand.

His gaze inadvertently swept over the private markings on the arrow, and he understood immediately.

He watched the woman in yellow rushing towards him without batting an eye, then flicked his finger, and the crossbow bolt changed direction, shooting out at an even faster speed.

"puff!"

A muffled thud.

The arrow pierced the horse's head perfectly, and the force it contained caused the horse's head to explode with a bang.

The headless horse carcass crashed to the ground.

Even though the woman in yellow was prepared, she was still thrown off balance by the unexpected turn of events and tumbled to the ground.

"Capture this thief!"

Upon hearing the commotion, several powerful martial arts experts and guards who had followed her rushed forward and surrounded the woman in yellow.

"You audacious madwoman! How dare she assassinate the Master of the Manor! Brothers, charge! Take her down!"

The woman in yellow staggered to her feet, her gaze fixed on Su Changchuan, filled with murderous intent. She drew her long sword from her waist, poised to charge.

"Su Changchuan, prepare to die!"

But two fists can't fight four hands.

As soon as she made a move, several martial arts experts attacked, subduing her in just a few rounds. One of them even held a long sword to her neck, rendering her unable to move.

"Take him to jail and treat him well!"

At the main gate, Chu Hong saw this turn of events and a hint of doubt flashed between his brows.

He noticed the horse the woman was riding; it seemed familiar, as if he had seen it a couple of days ago.

Just then, Qingqing flashed into the crowd and rescued the woman in yellow.

"Hold your hand. Since this person has come seeking revenge, she must have a grievance. Why doesn't Master Su let everyone hear her side of the story?"