Xin Shang Xiong Shi Pan Qing

Yang Ruo Ning Chapter Seventeen

Yang Ruoning finally understood why Susu had always avoided her and still wore thick robes in the sweltering heat.

That evening, there weren't many guests, and Yang Ruoning finished her work early. As she walked through the garden to the nearby public bathhouse, she noticed a crowd gathered in front of a room on the second floor.

She overheard two young maids hurrying past to join the onlookers, saying, "Young Master Jiang is drunk again. How unlucky Susu is."

Hearing Susu's name, Yang Ruoning's heart leaped. She rushed over and pushed her way through the throng to the front.

Susu's door was ajar. Though she couldn't see inside, she could hear the man's shouts and curses, and Susu's sobs and pleas. Everyone stood outside, some peering nervously, trying to glimpse what was happening within; others whispered and gossiped, but no one dared to enter.

Yang Ruoning felt a surge of blood rush to her head. She lunged forward and shoved the door open forcefully.

Inside, the room was in disarray, with overturned tables and chairs and shattered vases. A burly, tall man was straddling Susu, raining blows down on her bloodied face.

Susu seemed to have fainted, lying motionless on the floor, making no sound, as the man kicked and punched her. Yang Ruoning felt her rage erupt from within. She let out a roar and grabbed a nearby vase, smashing it down on the man.

The vase shattered against the back of his head, but he didn't collapse. "Fuck," Yang Ruoning cursed, "that's not how it happens in movies." Enraged, the man roared, clutching his head, and turned around.

Seeing that his assailant was merely a maid who had appeared out of nowhere, he let out a contemptuous snort. Then he spat a mouthful of bloody saliva, his eyes growing colder. He lunged forward and grabbed Yang Ruoning by her collar. Although Yang Ruoning was 170 centimeters tall, taller than most people there, the difference in strength between men and women, coupled with the man's imposing build, allowed him to lift her with one hand.

Yang Ruoning was hoisted into the air. She struggled, her hands clawing at his face, but she couldn't reach him.

"Damn it," the man slurred, reeking of alcohol. He backhanded her across the face. Yang Ruoning's cheek immediately burned and swelled. Her head snapped to the side, and her mouth filled with the taste of blood. Before she could retaliate, he raised his hand again and punched her hard in the face, directly on her nose.

His blow was brutal. Yang Ruoning's mind reeled, and the world began to spin.

In a daze, she caught a glimpse of the crowd outside the door with her peripheral vision. Their faces, a mixture of fear, indifference, and morbid curiosity, watched everything unfold inside. Still, no one stepped forward to stop the drunken attacker.

Yang Ruoning understood then. In this moment, no one would help her.

The man roughly threw her to the ground and turned back to Susu. He kicked Susu several more times. Susu, who had been unresponsive moments before, now let out a pained scream, curling into a ball on the floor, clutching her stomach.

Yang Ruoning staggered backward from the force of being thrown. Coupled with the spinning in her head, her feet lost their grip, and she fell to the ground. Her back slammed into a table by the wall, sending its contents crashing down and shattering on the floor.

"No, no, no! You fucker! Don't touch her!!" Yang Ruoning endured the searing pain, struggling to her feet. She wiped the blood trickling from her lip and stumbled towards the man. But before she could get close, he shoved her, knocking her back to the ground.

"You bitch!" he cursed, walking over and yanking the unconscious Susu up from the floor.

"No, no, stop it!!!" Yang Ruoning picked up a shard of porcelain from the ground and lunged, stabbing it fiercely into his back.

The shard was not sharp enough. It cut Yang Ruoning's palm as she gripped it, but only tore his clothes and left a shallow scratch on his shoulder blade.

This act, like that of a thoroughly provoked beast, made him roar and charge at her, his hands tightening around her throat.

His grip was incredibly strong, making it almost impossible for Yang Ruoning to breathe. She struggled, using all her strength to push him away, but his power was too immense. She couldn't budge him. Gradually, the sensation of spinning began to fade, and her vision dimmed...

*Bang...* With a loud thud, the crushing pressure on her neck disappeared. The world, having gone dark for a second, brightened again. Then, she was being helped up from the ground. She coughed, gasping for breath. After a moment, she could clearly see the person who had rescued her.

It was Luo Yuan. He still had his usual detached expression, but his eyes were filled with panic. "Ruoning!"

As Yang Ruoning coughed, she shook her head at him, signaling that she was alright.

When Luo Yuan helped her up, Yang Ruoning saw the attacker also staggering to his feet. His eyes seemed to be burning, while a bone-chilling cold emanated from Luo Yuan.

This cold instinctively made Yang Ruoning take a few steps back. She had always thought "killing intent" was just something from novels, but Luo Yuan's aura of icy coldness made her realize for the first time that it was real.

"Stop, stop, young master!" Just as Young Master Jiang was about to charge at Luo Yuan, household servants, who had "timely" arrived, restrained him.

"Yang Ruoning!" Qing Ye burst in from somewhere.

Qing Ye frequented the Fan Tower, but he was usually very discreet, often wearing plain clothes and a black veil, only removing it when only familiar faces were present. At this moment, he wore no veil.

Clearly, Young Master Jiang had never met the Emperor. He struggled, trying to break free, but was held fast by two servants. He cursed, "You brat, let go of me! I'll kill him! And this bitch!"

Xiao Guizi then emerged from behind Qing Ye. He revealed a waist token in his hand. "Bold! How dare you not kneel before the Emperor."

Upon hearing it was His Majesty the Emperor, everyone inside and outside immediately prostrated themselves, shouting, "Long live the Emperor, long live the Emperor, ten thousand years!"

Yang Ruoning, enduring her pain, leaned against the table to stand. She did not kneel with the others. She looked at Qing Ye. She saw in his gaze a majesty she had never witnessed before.