Seeing Xu Xinghe's resolute attitude, Yi An quickly chased after her, "Su Xiao, don't be so stubborn! It's really too dangerous to go back now!"

Xu Xinghe continued walking towards Lijia'ao without stopping, her face expressionless, and she did not respond to his words.

"Listen to me!" Yi An quickly walked around to her side and stopped her with his hand. "Those people in the village are very protective of their own. Even if Uncle Li were here, they might not listen to your advice. They might really lock you up and force you to pay compensation. Then, even if you're in the right, you won't be able to explain yourself!"

“Since you don’t want to lose money or cause trouble, why don’t you stay away for a few days? It’s not too late for you to come back once they’ve calmed down and things have settled down.”

Xu Xinghe stopped and slowly raised her head to look at Yi An. "What about after hiding for a few days?"

Yi An was taken aback, not understanding what she meant.

"Will they forget about this after hiding for a few days?" Xu Xinghe continued to ask. "How long can I hide? Never go back to Lijia'ao? I still have things to do, I can't keep hiding forever."

She looked at Yi An and said, word by word, "We'll have to face it sooner or later, and the outcome will be the same, so what's the difference between a little earlier or a little later?"

Yi An was speechless at her question. She opened her mouth, but couldn't find any words to refute it.

He knew Xu Xinghe was right.

He could hide for a while, but he couldn't hide forever. Yet he was still worried that she would suffer if she went back.

He was silent for a moment, then slowly released his hand from hers, his tone complicated, "Su Xiao, if you really want to go back, that's fine. For the sake of those five hundred yuan, I'll help you."

"No need." Xu Xinghe refused without hesitation. "That five hundred yuan is your reward for taking me to Black Wind Ridge and Eagle Beak Cliff. You only need to do those two things. You have no obligation to help with anything else, and I don't need it either."

After saying that, she stopped looking at Yi An and turned to continue walking towards Lijia'ao.

Yi An stood there, watching her retreating figure, her heart filled with mixed emotions.

He now understands Xu Xinghe's personality; once she makes a decision, she won't easily change it.

He hesitated for a moment, but finally gritted his teeth and followed.

Even if she didn't need help, he couldn't just watch her face so many angry villagers alone.

The two walked silently, one in front of the other, and soon saw the entrance to Lijia'ao Village.

Just as Xu Xinghe reached the village entrance, a villager carrying a hoe on his way home saw her and his eyes lit up instantly. He immediately shouted into the village, "Su Xiao from Uncle Li's family is back! That outsider girl who beat someone up is back!"

This shout was like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, instantly creating ripples throughout the village.

Villagers who were working or resting at home all ran out of their houses and gathered towards the village entrance.

The families of the girls who had been beaten by Xu Xinghe earlier ran as fast as they could, their faces filled with anger, and squeezed to the front of the crowd.

"You dare come back!" A middle-aged woman rushed forward first, pointing her finger at Xu Xinghe's nose and shouting angrily, "You wild outsider, how dare you hit my daughter! We must get an explanation today!"

"That's right! How dare you hit our daughter?" another middle-aged man shouted, staring fiercely at Xu Xinghe. "Our daughter is all grown up, and we wouldn't even lay a finger on her. How could you hit her so hard! Pay up! Apologize! Otherwise, you're not leaving today!"

"Apologizing and paying compensation are minor matters. You're an outsider who's causing trouble in our Lijia'ao area. You have to give us an explanation!"

The villagers chattered amongst themselves, their angry voices rising and falling, all glaring at Xu Xinghe with hatred, surrounding her completely.

The villagers who were initially observing were also stirred up by this anger and began to criticize Xu Xinghe, making the scene extremely chaotic.

Seeing this, Yi An immediately stepped forward, standing beside Xu Xinghe, and shouted to the villagers, "Everyone, calm down! Let's talk things out, don't fight!"

But the angry villagers wouldn't listen. They continued to surround the two men, shouting and demanding an explanation. Some even started pushing and shoving, and the atmosphere became increasingly tense.

Xu Xinghe stood in the center of the crowd, her face calm and without the slightest panic.

She glanced at the villagers who had surrounded her, especially the angry family members, and already had a plan in mind.

"Stop!" Xu Xinghe's voice wasn't loud, but it instantly drowned out the noise at the scene.

The villagers who had surrounded her instinctively stopped shouting and looked at her, their faces still showing lingering anger.

"Everyone, please calm down and listen to me for a moment." Xu Xinghe's gaze swept over the crowd, her tone calm yet clear. "First of all, it takes two to tango. I'm an outsider with no grudges against them, so there must be a reason why I suddenly attacked them. Otherwise, why would I go looking for trouble by hitting people?"

After these words were spoken, the room fell even quieter.

Those villagers who were originally uninvolved but just joining in the fun immediately became gossipy and nodded in agreement, saying, "That makes sense. There's no reason to beat someone up for no reason."

"Yes, tell me quickly, why did you take action?"

The girls surrounded in the middle still had faint redness and swelling on their faces. They stood behind their families, their eyes darting around.

Standing next to the village chief, A Cui still wore a smug look on her face, as if she was certain that Xu Xinghe couldn't cause any trouble.

Xu Xinghe's gaze fell on the girls, and she slowly said, "I was planning to go to town to run some errands this morning. I was walking along the river when I was stopped by a group of them as soon as I reached the intersection."

"Without saying a word, they called me an ugly monster, said I brought bad luck, and told me to get out of Lijia'ao immediately. They also accused me of seducing the men in the village and put such a big label on me."

She didn't mention Yi'an's name to avoid causing him trouble.

Xu Xinghe turned to the villagers who had gathered around, “I explained to them that I just happened to run into them and that I didn’t mean anything by it, and then I tried to take a detour to leave. But they wouldn’t let me go, they blocked my way, and even reached out to grab my hair, tear my clothes, and tried to hit me. I ask you all, I did nothing, why should I be beaten by them for no reason?”

The villagers immediately turned their attention to the girls.

Those girls, unlike Xu Xinghe, were not mature enough. With so many eyes watching them, they panicked and stammered their explanations.

"You made a mistake! Who told you... who told you to seduce Yi An Ge!"

"That's right! My mother said you have an unknown background and will cause trouble if you stay in the village. We're doing this for the good of the village!"