"Less than a piece of trash?"
Wasn't that exactly what it looked like? Song Han was currently on both knees in the mud, no different from a dog kowtowing to its master.
"You're asking for death!" Song Han had now realized that the girl standing in front of him was none other than the so-called "idiot" from the Ye family — Ye Lingyue.
His face twisted with rage, eyes flashing, Song Han suddenly tensed the muscles in his legs and lunged forward.
Seeing their young master being humiliated in public, the four guards accompanying him also charged forward like ravenous wolves.
But Lingyue had already anticipated this. With one agile sidestep, she dodged one of the guards and grabbed him, hurling his body directly at Song Han.
Caught off guard and unable to pull his punch back in time, Song Han's fist landed squarely on the guard's skull with a sickening crack.
"Oh my, you're actually taking your anger out on your own men just because you're not as skilled." Lingyue chuckled, gliding effortlessly through the chaos like a snake among the crowd.
With a quick dodge, she baited two guards into slamming into each other, both collapsing to the ground with painful groans and dizzy eyes.
Song Han rushed forward again, throwing another punch, but Lingyue saw it coming. Opening her palm, she deflected his blow and grabbed his wrist. Suddenly, he felt a strange force pulling him forward uncontrollably — he tripped and fell again.
Lingyue sneered and didn't let up. Taking advantage of her positioning, she yanked him around like a rag doll, spinning him in a full circle.
After being flung around like that repeatedly, Song Han had lost all will to fight. All he wanted now was to run away. But just like the guards lying sprawled across the ground, he could only be another clown in this one-sided show.
Meanwhile, Ye Qing and Ye Ning stood frozen with their mouths hanging open.
Since when did Lingyue become this strong?
Wasn't she only a fourth-rank martialist during the last clan competition?
And her opponent was Song Han, a sixth-rank martialist. Yet here he was, being tossed around like a straw puppet. How was this possible?
In truth, both Lingyue and Song Han were at the sixth rank in Body Training. However, Song Han had underestimated his opponent. That carelessness cost him, and he was now being thrashed thanks to the power of the "Jade Flower Hand" — a technique that fused Yuan energy with Spirit Force.
"Stop!" A thundering voice shattered the moment. Everyone from the Ye family turned toward the source.
Reinforcements had arrived.
Retracting her Spirit Force and Yuan energy, Lingyue released her grip and flung the battered Song Han to the ground.
Silence fell over the area. All eyes were on Lingyue.
Now with a clearer view, Song Han finally saw her face properly. To his shock, the one who had humiliated him so badly was a stunning young girl — his heart practically popped out of his chest!
Her long sleeves and slim waist, a face shaped like a heart at first glance, a small pointed nose, thin brows, and two casually braided strands of hair framing her cheeks — she didn't look like a noble girl on a mountain excursion. Rather, she looked like a carefree youth with nothing but a cute, silly dog by her side.
"You're Ye Huang Yu's daughter? Did you do all of this?" The man questioning her had tiger eyes and arched brows like a dragon. He was the oldest among the new arrivals.
From his high position on horseback, he stared down at Lingyue with disdain and superiority.
"That's right," Lingyue replied, not bothering to be polite.
"You've got some nerve to humiliate the Song family!" the older man barked, his eyes flashing with fury.
"What's the point of a mountain hunt if you're not brave? Otherwise, stay home and cry to your mama," Lingyue mocked, clicking her tongue sharply.
"Who do you think you are? Even Ye Liu Yun wouldn't dare act so arrogantly in front of me!" Enraged, the man raised his palm, ready to strike her down.
"Song Guang Zhi! And who do you think you are, talking to a member of our Ye family like that?" Ye Saint and the others from the Ye family quickly rushed over.
"Ye Saint, perfect timing. Is this how you lead your people? This girl hurt members of the Song family without any provocation." Song Guang Zhi, elder brother of Song Han and eldest son of Song Mo Shi, was clearly furious. Known as the most talented person in the Song family, he had been away studying martial arts for years. His return for the mountain hunt was completely unexpected.
"Lingyue, what is the meaning of this?" Ye Saint frowned. His impression of Lingyue didn't match the troublemaker Song Guang Zhi was describing.
"On the way here, Song Han charged through the road and splashed mud on my clothes without any care. All I did was return the favor," Lingyue explained as she lifted her skirt to show the mud stains.
She might as well not have — the moment she did, both Ye Saint and Song Guang Zhi's gazes fell on her embroidered skirt, now stained with splotches of mud.
Then their eyes moved to Song Han and the guards — bruised faces, swollen lips, and bodies caked in mud. If anything, they looked like monkeys that had been flung into a swamp — only worse, with broken arms and legs.
No matter how they tried to wrap their heads around it, they couldn't reconcile this fragile-looking young girl with such ruthless and brutal methods.
She was worse than a thug mugging people in a dark alley!
Ye Saint struggled to keep a straight face. Behind his back, he discreetly gave Lingyue a big thumbs-up in silent admiration.
Song Guang Zhi's mouth twitched uncontrollably. He was just about to explode when a calm voice cut in.
"Ye nephew, Song nephew, this was just a little warm-up before the mountain hunt. Why make such a fuss?"
An elderly man with a kind appearance walked forward. The moment he appeared, Song Guang Zhi's rage evaporated. He didn't even dare breathe too loudly.
This was none other than Old Liu, the mayor of Autumn Maple Town.
Everyone in the region knew him — the only true Upper Celestial Realm martialist in town, far more powerful than either of the family heads.
Rumor had it that he once served as a commander in Da Xia's military. And the military, as everyone knew, was the largest domestic buyer of Yuan iron.
Because of this, neither the Song family nor the Ye family dared to offend the old mayor, fearing retaliation from the military.
It was his presence — like the ocean-calming needle from legends — that kept the rivalry between the two families from erupting into full-scale war. Thanks to him, the townsfolk had been able to live in peace for years.
(For those unfamiliar, the ocean-calming needle is the golden rod used by the Monkey King in Journey to the West, or the Monkey King Bar from Dota.)
This was Lingyue's first time meeting the mayor. His white hair and kindly demeanor didn't give off the vibe of a martialist — until she saw his eyes. Sharp, deep, and piercing — those weren't eyes an ordinary person could possess.
With the old mayor mediating, the two families were forced into a temporary truce. Not long after, the other families from town also arrived for the hunt.
By noon that day, Mayor Liu finally declared the official start of the mountain hunting competition.