The ruffians had just taken a few steps when suddenly, strange muffled noises came from inside the carriage, and the vehicle slightly trembled.
“Huh? What’s this thing?”
Curiosity hung thick in the air above the group. Before Qiao San could act, the ruffians rushed forward together, trying to tear off the black cloth covering the carriage.
“Stop!” A sharp shout rang out. Surprisingly, the delicate young female Taoist priestess rushed over. One ruffian couldn’t dodge in time and was swept off his feet by her punch.
Although the injury was minor, Qiao San, who always protected his subordinates, couldn’t help but feel furious. He unleashed his supernatural abilities, conjuring a fierce gust of wind. With a wave of his sleeve, the female Taoist was blown away in an instant, disappearing without a trace.
The black cloth wrapped around the carriage finally tore into pieces.
“Ahh!” After an exclamation of shock, silence fell over the scene. All the ruffians stood frozen like clay or wooden statues.
A girl! Inside the cage was actually a young girl—an extremely ugly girl—and moreover, a female spirit from the mortal realm with absolutely no magical powers!
Her left eye was large, the right one small; her nose was crooked sideways, her mouth slanted; her cheeks twisted like pretzels. At the sight of such an unbearable face, Qiao San’s first instinct was to flee.
The gang leader turned sideways, only to realize that all his men had already fled without a word.
“Such disloyal guys!” Bold San was indeed the boldest. Facing a female spirit uglier than a ghost, he actually managed a faint smile, then suddenly changed expression and fled with all his might.
Suddenly, a mental force yanked Qiao San back. At the same time, the voice of the book spirit echoed in his mind, filled with subtle reprimand: “Qiao Sheng, save her!”
Qiao San didn’t want to rescue anyone, but the book spirit’s will was unshakable. Finally, it forcibly controlled Qiao San’s hands, opening the cage door and carefully helping the ugly girl down from the prison-like carriage.
“You… how did you end up in there?” Perhaps his eyes had gradually adjusted, or perhaps the bloodstains on the girl’s clothes truly stirred pity in him. For once, the ruffian king actually spoke kindly to an ugly girl.
The terrified girl, with her mismatched eyes, stared intently at Bold San. As she gazed, making Bold San increasingly uneasy until he felt like “Cowardly San,” she finally “spoke”—but not with her mouth, with her hands.
“Ahh, she’s also mute?!”
Qiao San emphasized the word “also” heavily. He had truly never seen a girl so unfortunate. Heaven had indeed been “generous” to her!
Thinking of this, the man who usually hated heaven felt a sudden sense of shared resentment. Without needing the book spirit’s control, he proudly slapped his chest and, his mind aflame with passion, declared: “Don’t be afraid. This is Liumang Town. As long as Bold San is around, no one will dare to bully you!”
Before the ruffian finished speaking, the mute girl’s expression suddenly became extremely excited. Not only did her hands fly in gestures, but she also let out muffled cries from her throat. Her mismatched eyes flushed red with intense anxiety.
The mute girl’s exaggerated expressions immediately sobered Qiao San, causing goosebumps to rise all over his body. He regretted deeply: “Hmm… How did I end up getting involved with such an ugly, mute woman? How will I ever show my face in public again? Waaah…”
The ruffian had never been a gentleman. Just moments after his solemn vow, sensing the situation was unfavorable, he turned and fled. Glancing sideways, he even saw the mute girl chasing after him with frantic gestures.
The girl’s pursuit only made the ruffian run faster. First sprinting wildly, he soon transformed into a black shadow, vanishing into the ground and leaving the powerless, ugly girl far behind.
“Ahh!” In her urgency, the mute girl tripped and fell. Her frail shoulders trembled continuously as she silently wept pitifully.
Though the mute girl’s weeping was soft, the anxious, sorrowful aura seemed to sprout wings, striking the fleeing ruffian king who had just vanished underground. Qiao San’s heart quivered. Suddenly, he thought: “This ugly girl has already been mistreated by heaven. If I despise her too, am I not just like the cruel heavens—how despicable!”
Time slowly passed. Just as the mute girl’s eyes brimmed with despair, believing the ruffian wouldn’t return, the sky and clouds shifted. It seemed as if a gate of light had split open in space, revealing the radiant figure of Bold San shining with noble light.
The ruffian king flew back to the mute girl’s side and compassionately helped her frail body up.
The girl’s weeping stopped instantly. Her mismatched eyes widened to their limit as she stared back at Qiao San in astonishment. Perhaps in her short life, no one—especially no man—had ever helped her like this.
Unaware of the mute girl’s inner change, Qiao San immediately pulled out a black cloth and said: “Here, cover your face with this. I’ll take you to my home. From now on, you can work as a servant girl there—with food, shelter, and no one will dare to bully you!”
“Umm!” The mute girl was taken aback, then dumbly accepted the cloth. Qiao San’s kindness made her throat tighten with emotion. Though she couldn’t burst into tears, joyful tears flowed freely from her eyes.
With the help of the cloth, Qiao San finally dared to look at her directly. Only then did he notice that this frail body was actually quite tall. Looking from behind, four words suddenly popped into his mind—gracefully tall and shapely!
“Wow, my goodness!” As the thought arose, the girl’s monstrous face immediately flooded Qiao San’s mind. He couldn’t help but feel disgusted with his own sense of aesthetics, his whole body shivering with revulsion.
Sigh, if only she were wearing a mask, or if her ugliness were just an illusion! Clinging to his last hope for beauty, Qiao San’s eyes flashed with divine light—but the result disappointed him, as it would any man!
Waaah… Ugly girls appear every year, but this one is especially fierce! There are so many men in the world—why did fate choose me?! Book spirit, I hate you!
Qiao San’s mournful inner cry finally revealed the truth: his strange behavior was all the book spirit’s doing.
The anomaly arrived silently. Facing the book spirit, Qiao San could never muster resistance. Like a wronged child, he could only wear a dissatisfied expression and silently roar with frustration.
“Waaah… No! I don’t want to be good!”
Being a rogue meant having beautiful fox spirits around; being good meant dealing with an ugly girl. Sigh… It’s hard being a person, harder still being a man, and hardest of all being a good man!
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