Lin Mo, who was walking, suddenly encountered a striking figure on the road, and before him were a pair of jet-black, clear, and large eyes looking at him.
"Big brother, did you run into a wild animal?"
"A wild animal?"
Lin Mo hesitated for a moment, glanced at the bloodstains on his body and his somewhat torn clothing, and couldn't help but give a bitter smile.
"Big brother, you're covered in blood, and your clothes are probably torn beyond wear. Why don't you come back to the village with me? I'll help you find some clean clothes to change into."
"...Okay."
Lin Mo looked at the girl in front of him and thought she was exceptionally innocent, like a mountain village girl who had never encountered the ways of the world.
On the way, the girl introduced herself as Hu Niu.
Soon, Lin Mo followed Hu Niu back to the village.
This place was a remote village called 'Ta County,' nestled among the mountains, with inconvenient transportation. There was only one cement road connected to the winding mountain roads. The surrounding verdant hills acted like a natural green barrier, akin to the paradise described by Tao Yuanming.
"Hu Niu, who is this?" As soon as they arrived home, an elderly voice rang out.
The old man looked to be around sixty years old, with wrinkled skin, a thin and stooped physique, and a face filled with the hardships and tribulations life had dealt him.
The old man's surname was Zhou; he made his living by farming and collecting medicinal herbs in the mountains. The little girl's parents worked in Guangdong, so she stayed at home with her grandfather.
"Grandpa, this big brother encountered a wild animal on the road, his clothes are all bloody and torn, so I brought him back to find some clean clothes to change into," Hu Niu said with a smile.
Old Man Zhou sat on the doorstep, tapping his dry pipe on the ground, hesitating for a moment with a wistful smile. He couldn't help thinking Hu Niu was too naïve. What if she brought back a bad person?
However, he took a glance at Lin Mo and noticed that Lin Mo had a tall stature and a stellar demeanor, not seeming like someone from the Evil Path.
Lin Mo also looked at the old man and took out an Elixir Pill, saying, "Old man, I see you are not in good health, suffering from rheumatism and asthma. If you take one of these pills, soon all your ailments will disappear."
"This..." Grandpa Zhou hesitated, then nodded.
Quickly, all of Grandpa Zhou's chronic ailments vanished as though they had never been, and his body felt as robust as during his prime. Consequently, Grandpa Zhou's respect for Lin Mo grew significantly.
Delighted, he even brought out a wild boar he had hunted the day before, roasting the whole pig to treat Lin Mo.
After the meal was finished, a commotion suddenly arose from the outer courtyard.
"Old Man Zhou, we're only waiting on you now. What's so great about living in this rundown house? We're not refusing to pay you."
"Yeah, Lao Zhou, just agree to them, sell it. Otherwise, they'll keep coming to bother you, and your life won't be easy," someone advised.
Lin Mo frowned and stepped outside, only to see a group of thug-looking people standing outside Mr. Zhou's house, with Mr. Zhou and his granddaughter Hu Niu facing them, showing a look of fear on their faces.
The leader among the riffraff was a bald man with a green snake tattoo around his neck, sticking its tongue out. He appeared to be around thirty-five or thirty-six years old. He touched his bald head and glared fiercely at Mr. Zhou, "Old Man Zhou, I have already given you a week, do you really think Mr. Bao is so easy to bully?"
"Mr. Bao, I... I really can't sell this house. I've lived here all my life, and I'm not used to living anywhere else. Besides, my old lady is buried behind the house. If you demolish it, where will my wife's grave go?" Old Man Zhou argued with a red face, although he was afraid.
"Giving you face, aren't you taking it?" Mr. Bao's face showed a ferocious look and said, "Believe it or not, I could burn down your house and make your life worse than death?"
"You have no shame... bullying my grandpa, I'll call the police," Hu Niu said, her small face lifted, and anger showed in her big, watery eyes.
"Little girl, it's not your place to talk here. You look so well-mannered, so how can you speak so rudely?" Suddenly, a skinny thug as thin as a monkey walked up to Hu Niu and brushed her small face with his hand.
Hu Niu was stunned for a moment, then burst into loud cries. Old Man Zhou's whole body shook with anger. The surrounding villagers froze in fear as they realized the skinny thug had concealed a sharp blade between his fingers, slicing a gash on Hu Niu's face, from which bright red blood flowed out.
Hu Niu was just a six- or seven-year-old innocent child, and the thug had sliced a long cut on her face with a blade. That scar would undoubtedly mar her for life. For a girl, a facial scar could ruin her entire future.
The physical injury was minor compared to the psychological trauma that was irreparable, clouding her childhood with a lingering shadow.
The surrounding villagers were too scared to speak out. After all, Mr. Bao's group consisted of the most notorious thugs in Ta County. It was said that the leader, Mr. Bao, was once sentenced to fifteen years in prison for intentional homicide and had only been released in the past year or two.
The village was full of simple and honest folk; who would dare cross such people?
"Hu Niu..." Old Man Zhou trembled with fury: "I'm going to fight you all."
Saying that, Old Man Zhou charged towards the thug who had slashed Hu Niu. He stumbled forward, and it seemed doubtful he would not fall before reaching his target.
"Stinking old man, go to hell," the skinny thug raised his head and slapped Old Man Zhou's face.
But in the next moment, an arm shot out and grabbed the skinny thug's wrist. The thug's eyes focused on the owner of the hand, a cold-looking teenager around seventeen or eighteen.
The skinny thug tried to move his wrist, only to find that the teenager's fingers were clamping down like iron pincers; no matter how hard he struggled, he could not break free.
"Who the hell are you? Do you know who I am? Let go immediately, or I'll beat you up too," the skinny thug yelled, his eyes locked ferociously on Lin Mo.
Lin Mo looked at him indifferently, his fingers tightening just slightly, a strength no ordinary person could endure.
"Crack!"
At the sound of a snap, Lin Mo had crushed the skinny thug's wrist. The thug's face turned pale, he opened his mouth wide, and screamed in agony, a shriek comparable to that of a slaughtered pig.
The villagers around them felt a surge of satisfaction, but they looked worried when they saw Lin Mo.
"Ah, after offending Mr. Bao, Old Man Zhou's family is in for trouble."
"No matter how tough he is, there are so many of them. Even if he's very powerful, can he really win against so many? Besides, those might even have this..." The villager gesturing imitated the shape of a handgun; these were desperados, who might not hesitate to shoot.
"Hu Niu is just so young, and you've slashed her face, effectively destroying her spirit. Only death can atone for this sin," Lin Mo said, his eyes emitting a cold glint.
The skinny thug heard Lin Mo's words and saw the icy coldness in his eyes. His face paled as though drained of blood, his body stiffened. He had never before seen such cold eyes; only those with hands stained in blood, who valued human life as little as weeds, the devils themselves, could manifest such an icy cold gaze.