Chu Lian’s heart ached terribly at this moment, and his eyes were again filled with murderous intent as he roared at the man, "Let her go."
Seeing that the man did not reply, Chu Lian bellowed again, "I told you to let her go."
The man, clearly intimidated by Chu Lian’s imposing manner, spoke with a submissive tone, "Big brother, I didn’t mean to, it’s just that I am so hungry. I saw an empty carriage and thought to look inside for some food. I didn’t expect her to come back and frighten me, that’s when I..."
"Stop talking nonsense, let her go." Chu Lian leaped onto the carriage and reached out to pull the man away. The man was yanked aside, releasing his grip.
Without even glancing at the man, Chu Lian immediately pulled Wang Xiangxiang into his embrace, holding her tightly, murmuring, "I’m here, don’t be afraid."
Wang Xiangxiang, being held, was somewhat at a loss. His actions made her feel like she was being protected by him, yet she relished his embrace and didn’t want to push away. How wonderful it would be if this moment could last forever, but it couldn’t.
Chu Lian’s sharp gaze caught the man attempting to flee by jumping off the carriage. Swiftly releasing Wang Xiangxiang, he followed suit and leaped down, quickly subduing the man.
The man, weakened by hunger, had no strength to resist. Pinned down by Chu Lian, he could not move, pleading, "Big brother, please let me go. I’ve told you nothing but the truth."
But Chu Lian would not listen; his eyes were filled with rage. Those who bullied Xiangxiang would not have a good end. His fists pounded on the man unrelentingly. He was accustomed to hiding his martial skills, never showing them in front of others, but he couldn’t hide them now, because Xiangxiang had been bullied.
Such fury startled Wang Xiangxiang. If this continued, someone could die. It seemed that the man was telling the truth, not lying, so she hastily called out, "Stop hitting him, let him go."
Chu Lian, upon hearing Xiangxiang’s plea, did not cease his assault, saying, "He bullied you."
His words moved Wang Xiangxiang to tears, which fell like pearls off a string. She continued to cry out, "Let him go; I’m not worried about him, I’m afraid something might happen to you."
It was only upon hearing these words that Chu Lian stopped striking, and Wang Xiangxiang hurried over, tugging at Chu Lian, "He seems to be telling the truth; maybe he’s just some beggar from somewhere. Let him go."
The man, nearly beaten to death, gratefully acknowledged his rescue, saying, "Thank you. I was swindled out of my money, and I got so hungry I couldn’t make it home, so I did this."
"Let him go then. I don’t think he’s a bad person; he didn’t really do anything to me. I was just scared because I was captured again."
Chu Lian’s eyes filled with compassion upon hearing this. He knew that incident would always be her enduring pain. Wang Xiangxiang’s words quenched the fury in Chu Lian’s heart, "Go ahead, leave."
Seeing that Chu Lian had relented, the man scrambled to his feet and was about to leave when Wang Xiangxiang stopped him, "Wait."
Wang Xiangxiang reached into her pocket and handed him several pieces of silver, "Take this."
The man didn’t take it, but Wang Xiangxiang continued, "Weren’t you cheated out of your money? Keep this for the road and you’ll also need to see a doctor since we’ve injured you. We really don’t have any food left in the carriage, otherwise we would have given it to you."