Chief, don't hit me in the face

Chapter 49: A Powerful Comeback!

Whoosh! A stone hairpin flew past. Xia Qian was startled and quickly dodged, but he still felt a stinging pain. He touched his face, and his expression turned furious—there was blood on his palm; his cheek had been slashed. Xia Lingyue turned and ran. “You slut!” Xia Qian was furious. He lunged forward two steps, grabbed Xia Lingyue by the hair, and yanked her back. He was prepared to use force; if she kept quiet afterward, that would be fine, but otherwise, he’d have her arrested for tax evasion and paraded through the streets. Of course, before doing any of that, he’d have to cut out her tongue first, to stop her from spreading rumors. Afraid? Not a chance. Xia Qian had done this before—who cares if he killed a lowly, “criminal” commoner? “Help…” Before Xia Lingyue could finish her plea, Xia Qian slapped her across the face. Smack! Xia Lingyue was momentarily dazed by the slap. “You’ve been given a chance but you’ve taken it for granted. It’s too late to beg for mercy now!” Xia Qian cursed, reaching out to grab Xia Lingyue’s clothes, but just then, the door burst open with a loud bang. Xia Wa charged in, dagger in hand, and stabbed straight for his neck. “What are you doing?” Xia Qian, both shocked and furious, quickly dodged the attack—Xia Wa really was a madman. “Ling Yue Sister, you go first!” Xia Wa stepped in front of Xia Lingyue, a dagger in one hand and a scroll drawn from his robe with the other—he was ready to fight to the death! “Xia Qian, are you still going to force your way through?” Xia Lingyue showed no sign of panic and made no move to flee—not only because she couldn’t leave Xia Wa behind, but also because she knew that if things escalated, there would be no easy way to resolve the situation. “Xia Wa, get out of here, or you’re as good as dead!” Xia Qian threatened. “I’m already dead!” Xia Wa’s eyes were wild. “You…” Xia Qian was so furious his hands were trembling. This guy was completely beyond reason—what could he possibly do? So he turned to Xia Lingyue and threatened her harshly, “This is your last chance. Either obey, or I’ll have you paraded through the streets!” Since they’d already burned their bridges and there was no chance of getting along in the future, he might as well go all the way. “You’re delusional!” Xia Lingyue would rather die than give in. “Fine, just you wait!” As soon as Xia Qian stepped out of the thatched hut, he began shouting, “Where is everyone? Are they all dead? Come out, all of you!” Startled by the commotion, neighbors from all around came out, and soon a crowd of over a hundred people had gathered. “You few over there, go tie up Xia Lingyue. She refuses to pay her taxes—I’m going to have her paraded through the streets!” Xia Qian ordered. “What? No way! Ling Yue is so kind—how could she possibly owe taxes?” exclaimed an elderly neighbor, while the others looked equally incredulous. “Are you a tax official? You don’t know a damn thing!” Xia Qian cursed furiously: “What are you all standing there for? Are you waiting to die?” The men who’d been called out dithered. Xia Lingyue was extremely well-liked, and they’d often received her kindness, so they couldn’t bring themselves to act. “I’m afraid there must be some mistake,” The man next door tried to smooth things over. “Me, make a mistake? Then I suppose your family hasn’t paid your taxes, have you?” With that single remark, Xia Qian made the man’s face go stiff; he awkwardly retreated into the crowd. Everyone else was also avoiding his gaze. He snorted smugly—this was the taste of power. “Xia Lingyue really is well-liked—too bad that doesn’t carry any weight when it comes to power!” Xia Qian sneered. Spotting Xia Laoshi, he immediately walked over and dragged him out of the crowd: “You go tie Xia Lingyue up.” “Sir, well…” Xia Laoshi’s face crumpled. His wife had just given birth, and Xia Lingyue had even sent a piece of smoked meat and six bird eggs—how could he possibly bring himself to do this! Smack! Xia Qian raised his hand and slapped him: “I told you to tie her up—no backtalk!” “Xia Qian, you scum—how many more people are you going to ruin?” Xia Wa demanded. Whoa! A chorus of gasps erupted—was Eve out of her mind? “Stop arguing! I’ll figure something out!” Xia Lingyue tugged at Xia Wa, not wanting her to get too deeply involved. “Xia Qian, what are you trying to do? Do you really think nobody knows?” Xia Wa sneered, turning to Xia Laoshi: “The Beast Tide just passed—it’s not easy to catch a wild hen, is it? Now that someone’s snatched her away, you don’t even dare to make a peep!” “But what’s a pheasant anyway? Xia Liu, how many times has your wife slept with other men? Don’t you have any idea yourself? Or is it just that it’s cold in winter, and wearing a green hat keeps you warm?” “You’re talking nonsense!” Xia Liu’s face turned bright red. Xia Wa completely ignored him and turned to a man with a pointed chin: “Xia Qian just came out of your house—sleeping with your wife and beating your kid. And you can just put up with that? If it were me, I’d have wiped out his entire family long ago, not even sparing the guard dog!” Ah! The onlookers stood there in stunned silence. Although they knew Xia Qian was a scoundrel who’d done plenty of bad things, this was simply too despicable. “This is outrageous—utterly outrageous! To openly slander a tax official like that! Xia Laoshi, Xia Liu, Xia Ba—are you just going to let this vile woman humiliate you like this? Go beat her to a pulp!” Xia Qian’s face turned ashen. Today, he was determined to destroy Xia Wa and make her understand the consequences of crossing him. Xia Laoshi didn’t want to get involved, but since Xia Liu and Xia Ba’s scandals had been exposed, he’d long hated Xia Wa—so he charged forward in a rage. “Where’s Xia Ye? Where the hell is he?” The neighbor’s aunt was anxious. “I heard he went to the Fengjing Ruins to farm monsters!” “That sickly good-for-nothing Xia Ye—what good would he do even if he were here? Oh dear, Ling Yue is in for a rough time this time!” “That’s right. A penniless commoner—what chance does he have against a tax collector?” The neighbors were very pessimistic. Xia Qian was in charge of taxes, and in their eyes, he was an untouchable big shot. He might not dare to kill someone outright, but he had plenty of underhanded tricks up his sleeve that could ruin a family and destroy their lives. The simplest tactic: when commoners paid their taxes with chickens or ducks, the value would first be converted into Dao coins—and exactly how much that was was entirely up to the tax collectors! The difference from the conversion, of course, ended up in the tax collectors’ pockets. “Shut up, all of you!” Xia Qian roared. In an instant, the street fell deathly silent; some of the more timid even slunk away, crouching low, afraid of being caught in the crossfire. “Hmph!” Xia Qian looked smugly at Xia Lingyue and Xia Wa. Today, I’m going to make you pay dearly! “Ling Yue Sister, find a chance to run!” Xia Wa whispered the warning, preparing to strike—but just then, a furious roar, like a thunderclap, echoed down the long street. “What are you doing?” Boom! The crowd staggered backward, parting like ripples in water. A teenager charged in, saw Xia Liu and Xia Ba closing in on Xia Wa—with Xia Ling Yue right behind her—and without a moment’s hesitation, she pulled the tactical axe from her waist and hurled it forward. Whoosh! The tactical axe embedded itself in Xia Ba’s buttocks, and a piercing scream, like that of a pig being slaughtered, immediately rang out. “Get out of the way!” Xia Ye charged forward, swung his bronze longsword, and slammed it hard against Xia Liu’s arm. Thud! Xia Liu rolled away like a broken sack; his right arm was visibly bent—it had been broken. “Xia Ye？” The neighbors gasped, their faces etched with disbelief. This youth who had suddenly appeared was fully armed: he wore tight-fitting leather armor caked with dried blood, long boots on his feet, and half-finger gloves on both hands as he gripped a long sword. On his back was a bulging leather backpack; a crossbow hung from his side; a quiver filled with feathered arrows rested at his left hip; a short sword was sheathed behind his back; and the sharp-eyed noticed a section of a knife handle protruding from his boot leg—no need to ask; a dagger was surely tucked there. With this gear, he was truly armed to the teeth. “Are you Xia Ye?” the neighbor’s aunt asked in confusion. The youth wore face paint and tattoos; purple dye ran vertically from the tips of his eyebrows, across his eyes, and down to his cheeks—resembling a crescent moon in a starry night or the blood-stained fangs of a beast. Paired with a leather eye patch, this look not only did not detract from his charm but actually added an air of fierce, unyielding resolve. This was indeed Xia Ye, but none of the neighbors had ever seen him looking like this! “Ah, it hurts so much! Stop the bleeding, quick!” Xia Ba screamed in agony, writhing on the ground like a stray dog. “Sister!” Xia Ye said, stomping his long boots down on the wailing Xia Ba’s back before bending over to pull the tactical axe embedded in his buttocks out. Just as everyone thought it was over, Xia Ye suddenly raised the axe and swung it down. Thud! The tactical axe struck Xia Ba’s left hand. Crack! The sound of breaking bone made the onlookers flinch instinctively as they watched a hand fall to the ground. Splatter! Blood spurted wildly. “Ah!” No sooner had Xia Ba let out a cry than Xia Ye launched a flying kick, slamming it hard right into his mouth. Thud! The screams stopped instantly. The neighbors’ eyes widened in shock; they silently marveled at the brutality. Watching Xia Ba spew blood and broken teeth, they could almost feel the pain themselves. Xia Wa’s eyes lit up. Now that’s what I call a man! “Xia Ye！” Xia Lingyue was worried. Upon seeing this, Xia Laoshi quickly backed away, terrified of being maimed. He was now immensely relieved that he hadn’t intervened—otherwise, he’d be finished. He cast another timid glance at Xia Ye. That kid sure knows how to lay into someone! “Who hit you?” Looking at Xia Lingyue’s disheveled hair and the red, swollen handprint on her face, Xia Ye felt as if his lungs were about to burst with rage. “I’m fine!” Xia Lingyue was overjoyed to see her younger brother return safe and sound. As for Xia Qian—her family couldn’t afford to cross him—so she tried to calm the situation. “Ah-woo!” Song Guo darted over: “Hi, big sister!” “Huh? A little bear!” A woman gasped. The little black bear pelt draped over Little Song Guo was so lifelike, and combined with her tiny frame, it scared everyone half to death. Once they got a closer look, they realized she was a little girl of four or five. “You’re…” Xia Lingyue asked, puzzled. “I found it!” Xia Ye replied offhandedly, glancing at Xia Qian. “Xia Ye, you’re right on time—it’s time to pay the back taxes your family owes!” Xia Qian bellowed. “Are you out of your mind? When have we ever not been the first to pay?” Xia Ye looked furious. “You sold that rare item over ten days ago and made three thousand dao coins—you think I don’t know that?” Xia Qian demanded. Whoa! The entire crowd gasped, and the way they looked at Xia Ye had changed—now filled with envy, greed, and a hint of jealousy. “That was the Grand Shaman’s money!” Xia Ye explained, “And it wasn’t even a sale!” “The Grand Wizard’s? Then where did you get this gear? Even if your sister sold herself, she couldn’t afford it in ten years!” Xia Qian sneered, sensing the subtle shift in the atmosphere and feeling a bit smug. He’d spoken so loudly on purpose—most people harbored a sense of jealousy. Why, when they were all penniless, did he suddenly have money? “Miss Mo Wu Heng from Da Mo’s workshop gave this to me!” Xia Ye explained, his gaze turning fierce. He dared to insult his sister—he had to finish him off today. “Haha, that’s hilarious. You’re a good-for-nothing—why on earth would anyone give you gear?” Xia Qian sneered.