C20 His Own Woman

Lin Xiaoqiang stared in disbelief as the Azure Dragon soared through the sky, his mind numb with fear. Despite having lived through two eras, he never imagined a dragon could emerge from a blade.

In the era before, dragons were mere myths, without any basis in reality. Yet today, as a candidate for the Ice Lord, he had the extraordinary privilege of witnessing a genuine Azure Dragon and feeling its formidable power.

Frozen in place, Lin Xiaoqiang was petrified that the Azure Dragon might inadvertently bore a hole through him, reducing him to nothing more than a human pelt.

In the blink of an eye, the Azure Dragon paused midair for a mere tenth of a second before diving back into the Azure Dragon Blade. The blade transformed with a resounding boom, becoming a majestic long blade over a meter in length and as wide as a palm.

Holding the blade joyously with both hands, Lin Xiaoqiang inspected it closely. The Azure Dragon seemed to swim within the blade itself, as if the blade's core held a clear pool that sustained it. Wrapped around the hilt was a purple-red dragon, its gaping maw releasing the blade. The weapon was undeniably awe-inspiring.

Overwhelmed with gratitude, Lin Xiaoqiang bowed his head to the blade twice. As he straightened up, a wave of dizziness washed over him, reminding him of the untreated wolf bite on his shoulder.

There was no time to lose. Lin Xiaoqiang hastily retrieved his healing salve and applied it liberally to the wound. The searing pain jolted him back to his senses, and he was grateful for Lin Luoluo's effective remedy. Within minutes, his wounded arm began to form a crust.

Gritting his teeth, Lin Xiaoqiang yanked a scrap of fabric from his backpack and wrapped his arm. He gathered the wolf pelts, rolled them up, and slung them over his shoulder, hurrying toward the village. He was eager to share the news with his fellow villagers and clear his name.

Upon his return, Lin Xiaoqiang discovered that the village was shrouded in darkness, save for a single lit house. It was his late uncle's home, located at the southern entrance of the village. The air was punctuated with bursts of raucous noise and angry shouting.

"Beat her! If Lin Xiaoqiang doesn't show himself, we'll just beat him to death," echoed from within.

Then came a chorus of soft sobs and sharp cries from children.

"You villains, release my mother!"

Lin Xiaoqiang recognized his son's voice and instantly tensed up, sensing that something had happened to Zhang Li.

Without hesitation, Lin Xiaoqiang charged into the courtyard, where torches blazed, lighting up half the sky. In the center stood a makeshift wooden platform where Zhang Li was bound and thrown to the ground.

Lee Erhei was there, lashing Zhang Li mercilessly with a whip.

At the foot of the platform, Zhang Li's son was being restrained by a burly man, his heart-wrenching cries and struggles to no avail.

"Lee Erhei, you're asking for it. Release Zhang Lili now..."

Rage blazed in Lin Xiaoqiang's eyes. He longed to sever Lee Erhei's head with a single stroke, but reason prevailed; he knew he must expose the truth to all the villagers first.

At Lin Xiaoqiang's roar, the villagers shuddered in fear and turned their gaze toward the village entrance.

They saw Lin Xiaoqiang, a towering figure, striding toward them with over a dozen wolf pelts slung over his shoulder.

The locals were thrown into disarray, their first instinct to scatter.

Seeing the villagers' impulse to flee, Lee Erhei bellowed, "Don't be scared! Don't run! With Zhang Li in our grasp, what is there to fear?"

His words jolted the villagers back to their senses, and a hush fell over them.

By then, Lin Xiaoqiang had made his way into the yard, standing amidst the crowd, he dumped the wolf pelts onto the ground.

The villagers couldn't help but inhale sharply at the sight of Lin Xiaoqiang's blood-soaked body and bandaged arms.

"Good heavens, look at all that blood on him. Did he slay all the wolves?"

"I'm not sure, but have you noticed? He seems much taller and bulkier than before. What happened?"

The crowd murmured among themselves, while Lin Xiaoqiang's gaze remained locked on Lee Erhei.

"I'm counting to three. Release Zhang Li now, or I swear, I'll annihilate your entire clan. One, two..."

Lee Erhei's beady eyes scanned the crowd, and seeing no one dared to intervene, he hastily freed Zhang Lili.

"Don't move. You're so strong—please, don't do anything rash. I'm letting her go right now."

Upon seeing Lee Erhei release Zhang Lili, Lin Xiaoqiang quickly stepped forward to steady her.

But he realized Zhang Lili had been beaten to the point of collapse, her legs devoid of any strength.

Without hesitation, Xiaoqiang cradled Zhang Lili in one arm and then went over to the child, lifting him with his other arm.

"Everyone, come on, attack this man. He's turned into a demon."

Lee Erhei tried to incite the villagers against Lin Xiaoqiang.

Yet, he noticed the villagers had all turned a blind eye, their previous rage dissipated. He finally understood that in the face of overwhelming power, all anger was futile and pale.

Under the weight of such power, strength and fury would morph into submission and servility. The villagers had reached this point; they had resigned themselves to their fate, ready to accept whatever Lin Xiaoqiang decided.

Zhang Lili's eyes fluttered open, and she managed a weak smile at Lin Xiaoqiang before slipping back into unconsciousness.

Lin Xiaoqiang's heart ached. He never wanted to drag anyone down with him, but this woman in his arms was suffering because of him. What did this have to do with him, really?

"I've killed all the wolves. Here lies their pelts. You can check for yourselves—every last one is dead. I've told you before, these wolves had nothing to do with me, but you wouldn't believe me. You went after my woman. That crosses the line."

As he spoke, Lin Xiaoqiang's piercing gaze swept over the crowd.

"I'm giving you just one chance. Tell me who suggested bringing my woman here. Speak up, and the rest of you will be spared any punishment. If you stay silent, then I'm sorry, but I'll have to apologize to everyone."

No sooner had Lin Xiaoqiang finished speaking than a young man fell to his knees amidst the crowd, tears streaming down his face.

"Brother Xiaoqiang, please, don't kill us. We don't want to die. It was all Lee Erhei's damn idea. I never agreed with it, but when the whole village went along, I felt powerless."

With his confession, the young man exposed the complicity of all the villagers. Seeing this, the others quickly knelt down, each claiming no involvement in the affair.