117 Taking Advantage of My Brother-in-Law

The three of them prepared to leave Xianyang. They had feared being questioned, but to their surprise, no one paid them any mind. Along the way, they encountered neither the Ninth Young Lady nor her subordinates, Xiao Wen and Xiao Cui. Everything went smoothly, and once they passed through the city gates, the tension that had gripped their hearts finally dissipated.

As they traveled, Qu Buping, seeing Xiao Yun'er in such high spirits, sighed with a sense of disappointment. "Blast it! We didn't run into your wife, so all our efforts in disguising ourselves were a waste. A young master like me, all dressed up with nowhere to perform—it's a real shame. It would have been truly amusing to run into that woman right now and slip away right under her nose."

As they spoke, the city of Xianyang gradually faded into the distance, leaving Xiao Yun'er feeling a touch melancholy.

Qu Buping was so exuberant that he began to gesture wildly, but his joy soon turned to misfortune when he collided with a passerby. The man flew into a rage, shouting, "You little brat, are you blind? How dare you bump into me? You must have eyes like a dog's!"

Qu and Chu recognized the man immediately: he was in his thirties, with a sinister air and an iron folding fan in his hand. He was none other than the "Lustful Wolf," one of the Seven Wolves of Hedong.

Qu Buping felt a jolt of alarm, but he was never one to admit defeat. Having learned quite a few martial arts techniques in recent days, he retorted, "You stinking bastard, you were the one blocking the road with your own dog eyes!"

The wolf, a villain by nature, had already suffered a setback at the hands of Long Feihong and was in a foul mood. Seeing Qu Buping's insolence, he flew into a rage. "You little brat, you're courting death!" With that, he brandished his iron fan and launched a lethal attack.

Qu Buping retreated in panic, and Chu Xiaoyu, seeing that his companion was no match for the man, drew his sword to assist. Though the wolf was fighting both of them, he held the upper hand, though he found it difficult to quickly overcome their combined efforts.

Xiao Yun'er, having never applied himself to his martial training, was far too unskilled to intervene; he knew that stepping in would only hinder his friends. As Qu and Chu struggled to parry the wolf's fierce strikes, they became increasingly flustered. Xiao Yun'er stood to the side, anxious and helpless. The wolf knew of Xiao Yun'er's background and dared not harm him, but Xiao Yun'er lacked the power to make the man stop.

Just then, three riders appeared on the road. Xiao Yun'er was shocked to see that they were none other than Long Hanxing, Long Feiyu, and Long Feihong. Fearing recognition, he quickly lowered his head. Long Feiyu, noticing the fight, stopped and asked, "Aunt Xing, there's a fight ahead. Should we intervene?"

"We have important business to attend to," Hanxing replied. "Ignore such trifles. Let's go." With that, the three ignored the combatants and prepared to ride on.

Qu Buping grew desperate. He realized that while he and Chu could hold their own for a moment, they would eventually be wounded by the wolf's weapon. He shouted, "Hey! Lady of the Long family, don't leave! Your Ninth Young Lady's husband is right here!"

The three women paused, casting their gazes toward Xiao Yun'er by the roadside. Seeing their scrutiny, Xiao Yun'er stammered, "There is no such thing here! Don't listen to his nonsense!"

At the sound of his voice, Long Hanxing recognized him. She smiled and said, "Good brother-in-law, so you are here."

Xiao Yun'er could only nod. By now, Hanxing had clearly seen the men fighting. She smiled at Xiao Yun'er and said, "Good brother-in-law, tell your two friends that the weapon that man is using is poisoned. Tell them to be careful."

Xiao Yun'er hurriedly warned, "Brother Qu, be careful! The man's weapon is poisoned—don't let it touch you!"

Qu and Chu had already been on the defensive, but courage often prevails in a narrow pass, and they had been holding on through sheer grit. Now, however, the warning filled them with dread, and their movements became shackled by caution. In an instant, they were driven back, scrambling in a sorry state.

Seeing that Xiao Yun'er still hadn't asked Hanxing to help, Qu Buping couldn't help but curse, "You idiot! Why haven't you asked for help yet? Warnings are useless—they only terrify us! Don't you see your two good brothers are about to meet the King of Hell?"

Xiao Yun'er replied with a bitter smile, "I'm sorry, brothers, it's not that I don't want to help, but I have nothing to offer. If I stepped in, I'd just be throwing my life away!"

Qu Buping panted, "You fool! Can't you ask your sister-in-law to help?"

Xiao Yun'er quickly said to Hanxing, "Sister Xing, please, save my two brothers! They are in trouble!"

Hanxing laughed. "It's not that serious. I don't think they'll die in the next few minutes. Besides, why should I help those two bastards?"

Xiao Yun'er cried out, "Can't you see he's bullying my brothers? He's one of your subordinates—are you going to ignore this?"

Hanxing smiled. "I can intervene, but Master Yun, you must address me properly first."

Xiao Yun'er was puzzled. "What do you want me to call you?"

Hanxing giggled, "Master Yun, you're so clever; why ask me such a simple question? Call me whatever you like—as long as it's the right one, I'll save them."

Xiao Yun'er pleaded, "Sister Xing, for my sake, save these two bastards!"

Hanxing shook her head. "That's not right. You are my ninth sister's fiancé—you are effectively my brother-in-law—so how can you call me 'sister'?"

Xiao Yun'er tried again, "Fine, then I'll call you Little Sister Xing. Please, have mercy and save them!"

Hanxing countered, "That won't do either. I'm older than you, and besides, my ninth sister hasn't married you yet, so you cannot call me 'little sister'."

Xiao Yun'er was stunned. "Then what should I call you? Long Hanxing?"

"That's too distant," Hanxing said. "Not intimate enough."

Seeing that Qu and Chu were about to collapse, Xiao Yun'er shouted, "How about I call you Great Auntie?"

Hanxing chuckled mischievously. "That won't work either! If my ninth sister found out you were calling me 'Great Auntie,' she'd crack my skull open."

Qu Buping, amidst the chaos, couldn't help but curse, "You stinking woman! Have you lost your mind? Why are you flirting with your brother-in-law? Xiao Yun, just call her a stinking hag!"

Hanxing's face flushed slightly at the insult.

Long Feihong chimed in, "What are you shouting about? You're near death's door, yet instead of admitting defeat, you're meddling in other people's business!"

Seeing that his friends were truly at their limit, Xiao Yun'er pleaded, "Sister Xing, please save them! As the saying goes, to beat a dog, one must look at the master..."

"What? You bastard! You're calling us dogs!" Even in his desperate retreat, Qu Buping heard him clearly.

Xiao Yun'er scrambled to explain, "No, don't misunderstand! I meant that one must look at the master before beating a dog, but you aren't dogs—you are human, and my dear brothers!"

Qu Buping grunted, "That's better... ouch!" Distracted for a split second, he took a kick to the chest.