Chapter 2: A Hero Rescues the Maiden

Many passersby chose to stand by and watch, some even gazing lewdly at the woman's exposed, pale belly.

"Help me…" The woman's eyes brimmed with tears as she called out in despair.

The crowd around her remained unmoved.

Lin Yuan's eyes narrowed; in a flash, he leapt forward and unleashed a lightning-fast five-kick combo in full view of everyone.

"Ugh…"

"Ah…"

"Ouch…"

Several local thugs were sent flying almost simultaneously.

Realizing she had been rescued, the woman hastily pulled down her clothes to cover herself.

"Well done, young man!" someone shouted in approval.

With the excitement over, many of the onlookers mounted their bikes and left—the whole scene had played out right on the street, after all.

Lin Yuan approached the group of hoodlums.

"Please, boss, spare us…" Seeing this warrior stride over, the thugs, terrified, sat on the ground and scrambled backwards, trying to keep their distance from him.

"Do you have any money on you?" Lin Yuan asked.

The thugs stared at him, dumbfounded.

Then, one by one, they dug through their pockets.

Pooling together what they had, they managed to scrape up twenty crumpled bills.

"Pathetic," Lin Yuan scoffed, though he could understand. Thugs like these often went hungry and seldom had much money to their names.

As for himself, he only had enough left for his fare—travelling without money was nearly impossible.

"Boss, we really don't have any more money, let us go, we've learned our lesson!" the thugs pleaded, kowtowing for mercy.

"I'll let you go, but you each have to take a needle from me. Line up!" Lin Yuan said coldly, producing his silver needles.

If scum like these weren't dealt with, who knew when they might harm another girl? Lin Yuan was no saint, rescuing people out of kindness, but he did have friends in the nearby town. What if one day they hurt a friend's sister or daughter?

"Boss, where are you going to stick us?" The thugs' legs trembled uncontrollably.

"Don't worry, nothing will happen to you." Lin Yuan pricked their Shimen points with his needle—a point that would leave them infertile, impotent for life.

"All right, off you go!" Lin Yuan waved them away.

"Thank you, boss!" The thugs wasted no time, jumping onto their battered motorcycles and fleeing the scene as fast as they could.

"Thank you." The woman approached softly, her voice quivering with tears.

"No need," Lin Yuan replied with a wave of his hand.

"My name is Han Ling. To show my gratitude, can I at least buy you a milk tea? I'm really sorry, I don't have much money…" Han Ling lowered her head, a little embarrassed.

She was on her way to the train station, bound for Binhai, where her family had secured her a job working at her aunt's milk tea shop.

"I don't drink milk tea," Lin Yuan declined, but couldn't help observing her. She had delicate features, fair skin, sleek black hair, and graceful curves—he couldn't find a single flaw. Her beauty rivaled even his senior sister's; he hadn't expected to meet such stunning women at the foot of the mountain.

"Then… is there anything else you'd like to eat?" Han Ling blinked her lovely eyes in confusion.

"Nothing at all. Farewell." With that, Lin Yuan turned and left—he was in a hurry to reach Binhai and had no time for conversation.

…

The next afternoon, he finally arrived at Binhai Railway Station.

Leaving the station, Lin Yuan checked his pockets—he had only ten yuan left.

"Sigh, not even enough for the ride. Am I supposed to use my lightness skill? But I don't even know the address…" He could certainly travel unnoticed using his qinggong, but his master had warned him not to draw too much attention before reaching the highest levels of mastery.

"Are you heading to the city center? Let's go together." Han Ling approached, dragging her suitcase, a bright smile on her face.

"You're here too?" Lin Yuan was surprised.

"Why should only you come to Binhai and not me?" Han Ling replied playfully.

"I'm headed to the Moonsea Villas. Um… could you lend me a hundred yuan? I'll pay you back ten thousand," Lin Yuan admitted—he really was out of money, and he still needed to eat.

"Of course." Han Ling took out a hundred yuan note and handed it to him without hesitation.

"Thank you. I'll pay you back ten thousand." Lin Yuan accepted the money and went to hail a cab.

Han Ling shook her head, not taking his words seriously since he hadn't even left any contact information. Still, as her benefactor, she hadn't expected to get the money back anyway.

…

Moonsea Villas.

Dressed in a white training robe, wearing cloth shoes, and carrying a burlap sack, Lin Yuan strode toward the villa district gate.

"Stop! What do you think you're doing?" The security guard immediately noticed the sack slung over Lin Yuan's shoulder—no doubt another scavenger hoping to rummage through the trash. The guard felt nothing but disdain; he'd been scolded by his supervisor for this problem more than once. Today, he was determined to make an example of someone, to scare the vagrants off for good.

"I'm looking for someone," Lin Yuan replied tersely.

"Hmph, if you're here to scavenge, just admit it. You know anyone in there? Why would you be carrying a ragged sack if you did?" The guard sneered, waving him off. "Get lost! This isn't a place for the likes of you!"

"I really am looking for someone," Lin Yuan frowned, displeased.

"Who are you looking for?" The guard smirked, certain Lin Yuan couldn't come up with a name.

"I'm looking for Lin Ruhai," Lin Yuan answered.

"Kid, you've slipped up now. Do you know who Lin Ruhai is? You think a beggar like you could possibly know him? Get lost, or don't blame me for what happens next!" The guard pulled out his baton, preparing to drive him away.