"Hahaha! Old man, we meet again. Have you prepared this month’s tax money?"
Masha and the old man flinched. Reflexively, they turned toward the voice and saw a burly blond-haired man approaching.
His face was ugly, twisted into a creepy grin.
The muscles under his t-shirt stood out clearly, and in his left hand he carried a sheathed sword.
His presence instantly struck fear into the other merchants.
"Damn! He’s really here! I need to close my shop quickly!" one merchant exclaimed in panic.
The others reacted the same way. The blond man was a thug in this area, and no one dared oppose him.
He was big, muscular, and terrifyingly strong. Crossing him was as good as signing your own death warrant.
The old man swallowed his fear and said nervously, "Can you give me some time, Jack? I have no money."
Every month, this man came to collect what he called "taxes." Of course, it wasn’t anything legal—just an excuse to extort the merchants.
"Huh?" Jack’s voice grew louder, his eyes narrowing sharply. "Give you time, old man? Are you kidding me?"
Scratching his ear, he continued coldly, "One month is a long time. You should have made plenty of profit by now, right?"
His gaze fell on the pile of bread on the table that clearly hadn’t sold at all. But he didn’t care. His goal was simple: to collect "taxes" from the old man and the other merchants.
Whether they made a profit or a loss was none of his concern.
The other merchants and some passersby felt sorry for the old man, but none of them dared to step in.
Everyone knew that this man named Jack was no ordinary thug. In the past, a hundred men as burly as him had surrounded and tried to beat him down.
Instead of defeating him, all one hundred were slaughtered brutally by his hands. From that day on, no one dared to defy his demands.
Otherwise, their lives would be forfeit.
The old man opened his mouth, then closed it again, as if he wanted to speak but didn’t dare.
At that moment, Masha, who had been silent until now, stepped forward and crossed her arms in front of her chest.
"You bad person! Don’t bully this uncle! He’s a good man!" she snapped coldly.
"Huh?" Jack was taken aback and looked down. "A little girl?"
If not for her voice, he might not have noticed a child standing there at all.
"Don’t interfere, kid. If you do, I’ll beat you up, got it?" Jack threatened with murderous intent.
To him, women or children made no difference—he showed no mercy.
"You... you..." Masha pointed at him angrily.
Since childhood, no one had ever scolded her—not even her father or mother. And now, a stranger dared to reprimand her openly?
Frustration boiled over, and the sudden urge to strike Jack flared within her.
"What do you mean by pointing at me? Are you challenging me?" Jack squinted.
A terrifying aura burst from his body, making everyone’s chests tighten.
Masha felt it too. Her small body staggered as she gasped for breath.
"Hehehe..." Jack laughed indifferently. "This is what you get for challenging me, kiddo."
He reached out, grabbed Masha by the neck, and lifted her tiny body into the air.
"Ugh!" Masha groaned in pain, flailing helplessly against his choking grip.
"Jack, don’t hurt the child!" The old baker shouted.
"Shut up, old man!" Jack roared back, kicking him hard.
The old man’s body slammed into the stall, his back hitting it with a thud. The freshly baked bread toppled from the table and scattered across the ground.
Jack didn’t care. He yanked back Masha’s hood and froze for a moment, stunned by her beautiful, delicate face.
"Oh! What a stunning appearance!" Jack gasped. "Are you some runaway noble girl? Hmm... naughty kid. Do you think the outside world is so wonderful? Hahaha!"
Masha struggled desperately to break free, but it was useless. Regret welled up inside her.
If I hadn’t left the mansion, I wouldn’t have run into this misfortune, she whispered sadly.
Because of her selfishness, she had made a foolish choice. Now she was trapped in the clutches of this wicked man, unable to escape.
Seeing tears stream down her cheeks, Jack’s grin widened. He wiped them away with cruel delight and sneered, "Regret? Too late for that. You’re of high quality—if I sell you at the slave market, I’ll be rich! Hahaha!"
He declared his intentions without shame, right in front of everyone. Of course, no one dared to say a word.
They all knew how insane Jack was. Reporting him to the authorities would only make them the next target of his revenge.
"Let me go! I don’t want to go with you!" Masha cried, struggling and kicking her legs.
One of her kicks landed squarely on Jack’s solar plexus, making him grimace in pain.
"Damn it!" Jack roared, then slapped her hard across the left cheek.
Masha fell silent. The sharp sting froze her body, and seconds later, tears streamed down her face.
"Whoa! That hurts! You’re a thug! Woaa! I’ll tell my father, my mother, and Brother Nolan! Whoa!"
Her loud wailing grated on Jack’s nerves. Annoyed, he growled and raised his right hand to slap her again—only to have his wrist suddenly caught in midair.
Startled, Jack turned and saw a tall, handsome man standing beside him.
The man was nearly two meters tall, so towering that Jack—proud of his size—suddenly felt small.
Although his build was lean, his grip on Jack’s wrist was iron-strong. His sharp features, piercing purple eyes, and short black hair that stirred in the breeze gave him an imposing presence.
The fine, tailored clothes he wore made his noble status unmistakable.
Jack’s heart pounded. His instincts screamed at him to run.
"You—"
Before he could finish speaking, the man—Nolan—tightened his grip, and Jack’s wrist shattered with a crack.
"Argh!" Jack let out a shrill scream.
But Nolan didn’t stop there. He drove his left fist into Jack’s stomach, sending him flying until he crashed hard into a stall.
Nolan then caught Masha, who was about to collapse, and held her securely in his arms.
Sensing the familiar warmth of his embrace, Masha froze in shock. She looked up, and her eyes widened.
"Brother Nolan?" she exclaimed. "Is it really you?"
Nolan smiled gently and pinched her cheek. "Of course it’s me. Who else would it be?"
"Whoa!" Masha burst into tears and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. "Brother Nolan, you finally came! I was so scared! Whoa!"
Just moments ago, she had thought her life was over—that she would be dragged away as a slave. The fear was so overwhelming that she couldn’t stop crying.
But her worries had been for nothing—Nolan had come to save her.
"What a crybaby," Nolan teased with a soft chuckle. He wiped the tears from her cheeks and said soothingly, "Alright, that’s enough crying. Otherwise, people will think I’m the bad guy here, you know?"
Masha’s sobbing slowly quieted, and she gave a small nod. A bright smile blossomed on her face as she replied happily, "Hehehe! I won’t cry anymore, Big Brother!"
"Good." Nolan nodded in satisfaction and was about to say more when a furious shout rang out from the front.
"Asshole! Who the hell are you!?"