He Shun let out a burst of laughter, "Everyone, have you all seen? A mere girl dares to speak such nonsense."
Before he could finish speaking, the young girl darted to his side. With a clang, her long sword unsheathed and was held to He Shun's neck.
He Shun shivered, nearly wetting himself from fright.
But he still wanted to take a gamble. He bet that in front of everyone, the girl wouldn't dare to do anything to him.
With this thought, he stiffened his neck and said loudly, "Everyone, you all see this, right? She's in the wrong and resorting to force."
After speaking, he gently flicked the girl's sword with his finger, "Don't try to act tough with me. Everything boils down to what's right!"
With that, he turned his head to look at Fang Jun in the distance.
Fang Jun naturally understood He Shun's intention and quickly shouted, "Little girl, come back quickly, don't escalate things."
The girl stomped her foot in anger and retracted her sword. "Brother, you're going to be the death of me."
Yong Hao, standing nearby, couldn't help but chuckle. He then turned to the guards who had just gotten up from the ground and said, "Go ahead, clear the path in front. Make it clean for this young master Fang."
Fang Jun pushed aside the Liu family guards and walked out of the room.
The girl, anxious, shouted from behind again, "Brother, what are you doing? I already told you, Sister Xiaoyue is at Centipede Ridge and will be back soon."
Meanwhile, He Shun pressed on, "Fang Jun, let's be clear. If you don't find it after searching my place, you lose."
"It's already generous of me to wait until morning. What about Centipede Ridge, Spider Ridge? You're just trying to stall for time."
Fang Jun's face turned crimson. "I... I'm not stalling for time! A man of honor keeps his word. Isn't it just crawling? I'll crawl."
With that, he walked out of the inn.
Seeing that she couldn't persuade him, the girl stomped her feet in frustration and grabbed a Liu family guard. "Quick, go stop my brother! Whatever you do, don't let him crawl. I'm going to Centipede Ridge."
The guards agreed and followed Fang Jun forward.
As they walked, they discussed that if Fang Jun insisted on crawling, they would do their best to stop him.
Meanwhile, the young girl galloped towards Centipede Ridge once more.
By now, Fang Jun had lost some of his reason. He walked along the main road to one end of Xiaojia Town and stopped.
Seeing him stop, He Shun quickly stepped forward. "Alright, let's start from here. Yong Hao, get the broom and sweep the path ahead."
The Liu family guards rushed forward and surrounded Fang Jun, "Young master, you mustn't crawl! You mustn't!"
He Shun, seeing this, burst into laughter again. "Fang Jun, stop with the act of self-harm. If you don't want to crawl, just say so!"
"Pitiful! A man without integrity, how can you establish yourself in Xiaojia Town? You should just go back where you came from."
Yong Hao and the others understood He Shun's implication and chimed in, "That's right, that's right. How can someone untrustworthy marry Miss Xiaoyue?"
Fang Jun could no longer hold back. He let out a roar.
He snatched the sword from a nearby guard and brandished it a few times. "All of you, step back, or don't blame me for being rude."
Fine. Things had come to this, and there was nothing more to say. The guards could only turn and retreat.
Fang Jun then threw the sword aside and slowly crouched down.
Seeing that Fang Jun had finally fallen for it, He Shun laughed heartily and said to the surrounding villagers, "See? This is the consequence of opposing me, He Shun."
The onlookers, amidst their laughter, understood why He Shun had made such a spectacle of forcing Fang Jun to crawl in the street. It was to tell everyone that opposing He Shun had dire consequences.
At this time, the young girl had met Chen Xiaobei and his group halfway. Chen Xiaobei and the others, also fearing complications, had a quick meal and were returning with He Zhen. Also accompanying them were Guo Chuan and Princess Zhaoning.
The group galloped to Xiaojia Town and saw a crowd gathered in the distance. Some were laughing, some were shouting, it was chaotic.
Seeing the scene, the young girl's brow furrowed, sensing something was wrong. She shouted and charged forward.
The onlookers heard the shout and looked back. Seeing the girl and her horse charging towards them, they were startled and quickly made way for her.
The young girl rode her horse into the crowd and saw her brother, Fang Jun, prostrate on the ground, crawling forward.
The girl's anger flared, and she leaped from her horse, rushing forward to grab her brother's shoulder.
"Brother, get up quickly."
Fang Jun looked up at the girl and shook his head stubbornly. "A man of honor keeps his word..."
Before he could finish, the girl stomped her foot in exasperation. "Sister Xiaoyue has been found! She really is at Centipede Ridge. If you don't believe me, look..."
As she spoke, the girl pointed behind the crowd.
He Shun, who was following behind the crowd, also looked up and saw Chen Xiaobei and his group. In particular, his son He Zhen was tied up, lying on a horse, looking pleadingly at him.
Seeing his father, He Zhen couldn't help but cry out, "Father, save me, save me!"
He Shun's gaze shifted again to Guo Chuan, who was beside them. With a smile, he walked forward.
"Ah, General Guo, what an honor. We were unprepared for your arrival. My apologies."
Guo Chuan glanced at him but remained silent.
He Shun, clearly not grasping the seriousness of the situation, continued with clasped fists and a smile, "General Guo, my son's conduct has been inappropriate. He has caused you trouble, and I will discipline him strictly."
Guo Chuan sighed and pointed at Fang Jun. "Shopkeeper He, do you know who this Young Master Fang is?"
"Fang Jun is the grandson of the former Prime Minister, Fang Zheng."
At this, He Shun's face contorted in shock. He quickly waved his hand. "Oh, General Guo, but I am in a difficult position. I had an agreement with this Young Master Fang beforehand..."
Liu Rumei, standing nearby, pointed at He Shun and reprimanded him sternly, "You abduct innocent women and then act so high and mighty. You truly deserve to die."
He Shun cupped his fists towards Liu Rumei. "May I know who this young lady is..."
Guo Chuan looked at him with a helpless expression. "Miss Liu's father is the Duke of Protection, Marquis Liu."
Upon hearing this, a flicker of panic crossed He Shun's eyes. He quickly put on a conciliatory smile and bowed to Liu Rumei.
"I was blind and did not recognize your esteemed status. I am truly deserving of death, deserving of death."
At this moment, Princess Zhaoning, standing nearby, narrowed her eyes. "You don't need to die a thousand deaths. Dying once is enough."
He Shun heard this and looked at Princess Zhaoning with surprise. Seeing that she was merely a young girl of eighteen or nineteen, he couldn't help but smile. "May I know who this young lady is..."
Guo Chuan was about to speak when Princess Zhaoning, with a clang, drew her long sword and leaped towards He Shun.