The worker’s words chilled everyone to the bone, and anger surged straight up from their hearts.

Yang Houcheng slammed the table hard: “They’re simply beasts!”

Chi Can sneered: “Don’t insult beasts, will you?”

“Right, they’re worse than animals!” For the first time, Yang Houcheng found his friend’s sharp tongue adorable.

Shao Mingyuan remained exceptionally calm, though dark fire flowed in the depths of his eyes.

Somehow, the two speaking guests didn’t make the worker feel anything particular, but the guest who sat still without moving and remained calm made the worker suddenly feel cold all over. He subconsciously moved a step aside.

The worker squeezed the silver in his hand and sighed inwardly: Fine, for the sake of the silver, I’ll give them a warning.

“Gentlemen, please leave quickly after you finish eating.”

“What, eating at your place still requires driving people away?” Yang Houcheng glared at him.

“No, this humble one is looking out for you, gentlemen.” The worker looked around and said quietly, “The deadline for sending young women to the Japanese pirates is almost here, and the officials haven’t gathered enough people yet. You have three young ladies here—if you don’t leave quickly, I’m afraid you won’t be able to leave at all!”

“Thank you for the reminder, little brother.” Shao Mingyuan said indifferently.

Seeing that after saying all this, this guest remained so composed, the worker was greatly puzzled.

Shao Mingyuan raised his eyebrows and said to Chi Can and the other: “Hurry up and eat.”

Yang Houcheng nodded: “Right, we need to eat our fill to have the strength to fight.”

The worker’s mouth twitched.

What kind of people were these?

The worker shook his head and went out. Not long after, noise came from outside.

“Where are the people who came to eat at your place?”

The voices of several Imperial Guards came: “What do you want to do?”

In the private room, Yang Houcheng immediately stood up upon hearing this: “They came!”

Shao Mingyuan looked up at him: “Don’t be impulsive. Finish eating first.”

After saying this, he stood up and walked toward the door: “I’ll go take a look.”

“Hey, didn’t you say to finish eating first?” Yang Houcheng couldn’t help but call out.

The man who had reached the door didn’t look back and said casually, “I’m finished eating.”

Yang Houcheng stared blankly at the empty bowl in front of Shao Mingyuan’s seat and hurriedly wolfed down his rice.

Chi Can put down his chopsticks: “I’m also finished eating.”

“How do you all eat so fast?” Yang Houcheng said indistinctly.

Chi Can stood up and said with a smile: “Because we each ate one bowl, while you ate three bowls.”

Yang Houcheng: “…” Such a blunt truth left him speechless.

The atmosphere in the main hall was tense. Seeing Shao Mingyuan and Chi Can come out one after the other, several Imperial Guards restrained themselves somewhat, while those newcomers couldn’t help but look over.

Shao Mingyuan was also sizing up these visitors.

The leader was tall and burly with a ruddy complexion. His clothing appeared quite respectable, and he stared fixedly at the doorway.

Shao Mingyuan’s sword-like eyebrows furrowed slightly.

The other party’s gaze was too presumptuous, truly unpleasant.

Chi Can was already furious: “What are you looking at? Look again and I’ll blind your dog eyes!”

The leader chuckled with amusement, his eyes intoxicated: “Well, well, this young lady is fierce. Such beauty, and her male disguise is quite convincing—even her voice sounds like a man’s. If I didn’t have good eyes, I would have been fooled.”

Chi Can had delicate features, and being not yet twenty, his build was somewhat slighter than that of grown men, but he didn’t look feminine at all. The reason the newcomer took him for a woman was first because the newcomer had received word that there were young women among these outsiders, creating a preconceived notion, and second because no young women had been seen in the town for a long time—suddenly seeing such a beauty, he naturally wouldn’t think it could actually be a man.

What Chi Can hated most was being mistaken for a woman by men. He immediately flew into a rage and laughed angrily: “Is that so? Are you so capable?”

He stepped forward through the crowd, walking step by step to the leader.

The leader was already intoxicated in body and mind, saying involuntarily: “Young lady, would you like to try?”

Such a beauty—he only wanted to hide her away, truly reluctant to hand her over.

“Then I’ll try.” Chi Can smiled without warmth and lifted his foot to kick directly at the leader’s lower body.

A man naturally knew the exact location of another man’s vital parts better than a woman would. This kick was both accurate and vicious. The leader screamed and immediately fell to the ground, rolling, letting out miserable howls while rolling.

Yang Houcheng, who had finished eating like a whirlwind, stood at the doorway and murmured: “Well, that’s good—there’s one more eunuch in this world.”

“You, you… What are you standing around for… give me, give me…” The leader couldn’t finish saying “attack them” before his eyes rolled back and he fainted from the pain.

His subordinates looked at each other, momentarily not knowing what to do.

Shao Mingyuan calmly reminded them: “Shouldn’t you hurry and take him to get looked at? Perhaps there’s still a chance to reattach it.”

Those people were stunned, then one of them said: “Who’ll come with me to take the young master to the medical hall? The rest of you stay and don’t let these people escape!”

As soon as he finished speaking, a group of people scrambled to say: “I’ll go, I’ll go!”

Don’t joke around—who would dare to stay? The young master’s balls had been crushed by these people. Whoever stayed would be unlucky!

“Go what go? If everyone goes, what if these people escape? If they escape, how do we explain to our superiors?” The man cursed. “Old Four, you come with me!”

The named Old Four was overjoyed and shouted, “Alright!”

The two men carried the unconscious leader and ran away as if flying.

The remaining people looked at each other. One of them had a bright idea: “I’ll go report to the town magistrate!”

The others grabbed him: “Why should you go? I’ll go!”

Several people trembled at the thought of the scene where their young master’s vital parts had been kicked to pieces just now, all wishing they could flee immediately. Naturally, they fought without giving an inch.

Finally, with no other choice, one person suggested: “How about we all go report together?”

“Good!” This suggestion was immediately accepted by the others.

The person who made the suggestion glanced at Shao Mingyuan and the others, then said with forced bravado: “If you have guts, don’t leave!”

Chi Can burst out laughing: “Are you idiots, thinking others are idiots too?”

But Shao Mingyuan said indifferently: “Fine.”

Eh? So agreeable?

Those people couldn’t help but stare wide-eyed at Shao Mingyuan.

Did this person’s words count for anything? If they ran off now to report to the town magistrate, and when the magistrate brought people back, only to find these people were gone, they would be in trouble.

“Don’t worry, we really won’t leave.” The young general casually picked a chair and sat down, a smile playing at his lips: “Didn’t you say so yourselves? Those with guts don’t leave.”

Yang Houcheng laughed loudly: “Right, you gutless ones, hurry up and go.”

Those people’s faces turned red with shame. They put on a show of bravado, saying: “You just wait!”

The main hall suddenly became quiet.

Yang Houcheng plopped down in a chair and asked Shao Mingyuan, “What do we do next?”

“We need to replenish supplies for going to sea here, so naturally we have to stay. It’s perfect timing to see what kind of character this town magistrate is, the one who sends the town’s young women to Japanese pirates.” Shao Mingyuan said indifferently.

The town was very small. In about two quarters of an hour, the tavern was surrounded by a group of people.