"Let’s hire some fighters," Xia Zheng suddenly spoke up, and Lin Yuan then remembered what Shopkeeper Liu had mentioned to her last night when she had just arrived at the Fuman Building for dinner.
Yes, it was time to hire some guards.
Originally, she had felt no need for them, but now it seemed that if she had employed skilled martial artists from the start, today’s incident might not have happened.
Lin Yuan nodded in agreement. She had previously discussed hiring guards with Shopkeeper Liu, so she immediately sent Liuzi to the Fuman Building to relay the day’s events to Shopkeeper Liu.
Shopkeeper Liu was efficient in his work, and he promptly went to a martial arts school with which he had a good relationship to select four of the top young fighters.
When Liuzi brought these four men to the Rice Flower Fragrance, Lin Yuan was tidying the front hall with Sister-in-law Luo and a few others.
Xia Zheng and Lin Yi were standing aside, speaking about something with solemn expressions.
Knowing the Young Master’s temperament well, Liuzi didn’t dare to interrupt, so he approached Lin Yuan instead: "Madam Boss, I’ve brought the men, what do you think?"
Lin Yuan dusted off her hands, which were smeared with dirt, and looked at the four young men standing before her. They were all not much over twenty, with dark, tough skin and strong builds, clearly the result of long-term training.
Feeling embarrassed to poke their muscular arms, she was contemplating sparring with them when Xia Zheng cut in, "Lin Yi, why don’t you test them?"
After speaking, Xia Zheng pulled Lin Yuan aside and warned her half in annoyance, half in amusement, "You want to test them yourself? Don’t overestimate your own strength!"
Lin Yuan was speechless; she wasn’t that weak—after all, she had once taken down bandits with a stick.
Although Lin Yuan didn’t need to take part in the fight herself, she still wanted to personally assess the results.
Lin Yi led the four men to the backyard, and Liuzi, who loved a good show and never thought things were too trivial, called everyone together to watch, even boldly starting a bet.
What was the bet? Whether Lin Yi would be taken down by these men!
Only Xia Zheng and Lin Yuan knew about Lin Yi’s identity as a hidden guard; others simply thought he was just another ordinary guard for Xia Zheng, so they naturally inclined to support the four-on-one odds presented by the newcomers.
However, this time, everyone was in for a disappointment.
Lin Yi, using just one hand, took down all four men, and even snatched away the tray of silver that Liuzi had wagered.
Liuzi, stunned by the turn of events, realized the tray full of silver was gone. He wanted it back, but fearing Lin Yi’s subtle and profound martial arts, resigned himself to standing on the side with a sad face.
Lin Yuan shook her head with a smile and turned to Xia Zheng. She might not understand martial arts well, but she was aware of Lin Yi’s prowess—he was truly formidable.
So, what about these four men? How did they fare?
Xia Zheng looked at the four sullen-faced lads and nodded to Lin Yuan, "Although they’re not on par with Lin Yi, they’re more than capable of dealing with common thieves and robbers. I trust Shopkeeper Liu’s judgment on this. Alright, let’s keep them. Liuzi, take them to the side rooms."
Liuzi, still immersed in his sorrow over losing the silver, let out a dispirited sigh and led the four men to the side rooms.
After they had left, Lin Yuan finally learned from Xia Zheng what all the martial arts schools in Zhuma Town were for.
Zhuma Town might not be that large, but it was home to quite a few wealthy families. The more affluent families there were, the more thieves and bandits naturally followed.