The short, stout man insisted on charging even infants a few months old, which was clearly an attempt to make things difficult for them.

The woman was in a hurry to go up the mountain, so she didn't argue with him. She gritted her teeth and took out another five taels of silver and put it on the table.

Five taels of silver was three months' income for her family. Ten taels of silver was half a year's income gone in an instant.

Seeing that she was somewhat attractive, the short, stout man reached out and pressed his hand on the back of her hand to prevent her from pulling it back, and laughed, "Young lady, didn't your husband come with you?"

The woman held the child in one arm, not daring to struggle or shout, and whispered, "I've already paid, please let me through."

Seeing that she dared not raise her voice, the short, stout man became even more arrogant, grabbing the woman's hand and saying, "Young lady, the mountain path is slippery. What if the child falls and hurts you? Why don't I accompany you up the mountain?"

The woman tried to pull her hand away, but couldn't break free. She turned back and looked at the people behind her for help. The baby in her arms seemed frightened and started crying loudly.

Meng Ruliu was furious. She hated men who harassed strange women the most. She whispered to Su Wan, "That bastard, I'll go teach him a lesson."

Just as Su Wan was about to speak, a young man rushed out from the crowd and said, "What are you doing? How dare you harass a respectable woman in broad daylight?"

Everyone clearly saw the short, fat man groping the woman, but most people chose to stay out of it, adopting an attitude of indifference. Although some people couldn't stand it, they all remained silent when everyone else was quiet. Only this young man stepped forward.

The young man rushed out of the crowd, but before he could get forward, two burly men came from the other side of the mountain path and blocked his way. One of the men said, "You little brat, are you trying to disrupt the order? Go back and line up."

The young man, relying on his momentary courage, came out, but when he saw the two huge men in front of him, their bodies as massive as small mountains, and then looked at his own skinny arms, he realized he was no match for them and couldn't help but feel scared.

He was still not satisfied and pointed at the woman, saying, "He's molesting her..."

The burly man didn't even turn his head, and said, "Which eye of yours saw that?"

The other burly man didn't say a word. He kicked the young man in the stomach, sending him staggering back five or six steps before he fell backward.

There was a rock behind the young man; if he fell, his head would definitely hit it. A sharp-eyed person in the front row of the crowd noticed this and exclaimed in surprise.

Su Wan was standing near the rock. She wanted to rush over and help the young man, but her legs felt weak, so she quickly threw the package onto the rock. The contents of the package weren't hard, and the young man was cushioned by the package as he fell, tumbling off the rock and landing on the ground.

Su Wan bent down and rubbed her legs, thinking both the good and the bad, probably because she had been walking too much lately.

The young man stood up, saw that the package had cushioned his fall and prevented him from getting hurt, so he picked up the package and asked, "Which kind person threw this?"

Su Wan raised her hand and said, "Mine."

The young man approached her with the package and said, "Thank you for saving me, young lady."

Su Wan waved her hand and said, "No need to thank me, no need to thank me. It's not easy for you to stand up when you see injustice."

Although this young man backed down halfway, he was far braver than those who didn't even dare to utter a sound.

The young man turned around and saw a slender young woman rolling up her sleeves and walking towards the two burly men. He quickly called out, "Come back quickly!"

Su Wan said, "There's no need to stop her. She's much more capable than you. She'll handle things over there."

The young man didn't believe it, saying, "She's a woman..."

“Answer my question properly,” Su Wan said. “I’m asking you, with so many of you, why do you tolerate these wicked people bullying the good?”

Her question was serious, and the young man felt an irresistible authority emanating from her. He replied, "I know these people are Jia Tuo's men. Nobody dares to offend them. Besides, Jia Tuo and the county magistrate, the captain and the lieutenant, are like brothers. What can we common folk do..."

As he was speaking, he heard loud thuds behind him, like the sound of fists hitting flesh, along with a man's exclamations and screams.

The onlookers all stared wide-eyed and gaped, as if they had witnessed something unbelievable.

The young man turned around, and in the blink of an eye, the burly men guarding the mountain path were lying on the ground, each clutching their stomachs and writhing in pain. The girl who had been there earlier was now slapping the short, fat man across the face at the table.

“I’m very fair. One vulgar remark, one slap.” The girl slapped him with one hand and then with the other. “You said two things, so one slap on each side is just right.”

After two slaps, the short, fat man's two teeth flew out, and his cheeks swelled up visibly, as if he had two big walnuts in his mouth.

He stopped being arrogant, covered his face, and pulled the tall, thin man along. The two of them hurriedly rushed out of the crowd and headed towards the stables not far away. The burly men who had been knocked down also got up in twos and threes, helping each other along behind them.

The people had been bullied by these people for years and could no longer stand it. They had only swallowed their anger because they were powerless to resist. When they saw a young girl come up and teach these evil people a lesson, they couldn't help but cheer loudly.

"You wait," the short, stout man said, turning back as he rode off and mounted his horse, "wait for my master to arrive."

Meng Ruliu snorted and propped one foot on the table, saying, "We're just waiting for him to come."

The young man stared in disbelief. Only after the group rode away on horseback did he snap out of his daze and run up to Meng Ruliu, saying, "Young lady, you've gotten yourself into trouble. Jia Tuo is not someone to be trifled with. You'd better leave quickly."

Su Wan stepped forward and said, "It's alright, you don't need to worry about it."

The young man asked, "Are you two together?"

Su Wan nodded, then turned to the onlookers and said, "Everyone who wants to go up the mountain to worship Buddha and pray for blessings, hurry up and go. We will handle Jia Tuo's matter."

This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!