Ye Tiancheng couldn't be too obvious. If he was, Liu Lanying would surely refuse. She was an incorruptible village chief and a rare good woman, unlikely to accept Ye Tiancheng's gift. After all, this gift was undoubtedly precious to an ordinary person, otherwise, he wouldn't have dared to offer it.
So, Ye Tiancheng could only hint, trying to be as subtle as possible, to comfort Liu Lanying without putting too much pressure on her.
"Once everything is settled, help me counsel Xue'er, and I'll have a surprise for you."
"You're going to give me a surprise?"
Liu Lanying had some inkling of what this so-called surprise might be, but she assumed it would be something women liked, like designer bags or jewelry. She didn't dare to think too grandly. After all, she was just Ye Tiancheng's friend, not his girlfriend, and it wasn't realistic for Ye Tiancheng to give her something priceless.
"Don't rush to guess. I'll reveal it later, after Xue'er's situation is resolved. Xue'er transferred the curse for me and is now troubled by a love tribulation. This isn't something my disciple can decide based on her own will; it's due to the curse. During this period, she's indeed having trouble controlling her thoughts."
Ye Tiancheng knew he didn't need to explain much to Liu Lanying. She was intelligent enough to understand his meaning with just a slight hint. It wasn't a complicated matter. For a young woman, the phrase "troubled by love" was enough to explain everything simply.
"It's alright. I've already spoken with Xue'er, and I have a general idea of the situation. There's no rush; we can take our time. Everything will be resolved perfectly. You don't need to worry about this."
Although Lin Xue still harbored lingering feelings for that man, she wasn't as frantic as before. At least her emotions were somewhat under control. As a woman, Liu Lanying could sense this. As long as there was reason in a relationship, there was no need to rush.
However, the situation was far more serious than Liu Lanying had predicted. Just as Liu Lanying and Ye Tiancheng were talking, they suddenly heard a sound of suppressed, painful crying coming from Lin Xue's room.
The sound made it clear that the person involved was in immense pain. If it weren't for extreme suffering, such a heart-wrenching cry wouldn't have emerged. It was likely that something terrible had happened. Ye Tiancheng's heart sank. He couldn't wait any longer and rushed into Lin Xue's room, forgetting all about propriety and not even knocking.
As soon as he entered, he saw Lin Xue sitting on the bed, clutching her quilt and crying uncontrollably. She looked so pitiful and helpless that anyone watching would feel a sense of heartbreak. Ye Tiancheng didn't hesitate and rushed to embrace her.
"What's wrong? What happened? Please stop crying. I know I was wrong. I should have paid more attention to you. I didn't realize emotional distress could cause so much harm."
Perhaps it was true that women were more susceptible to hurt in love. Even with several marriages under his belt, Ye Tiancheng's emotional turmoil never reached the same level of heart-wrenching pain. This made Ye Tiancheng suddenly realize that he couldn't truly understand Lin Xue's situation. From a professional standpoint, this was something a woman who understood emotions should handle.
"Brother Ye, you don't need to worry too much. I'll handle it perfectly for you, just you wait. I won't let that scumbag hurt Miss Xue any further."
"It's okay. I'm not that serious. Fatty said he's already gone to resolve it. I believe in Fatty Yin's decisive methods. He definitely won't let anyone who wronged him off the hook, including the scumbag who bullied Lin Xue, who is so important to us."
Although Fatty hadn't said it, Ye Tiancheng knew very well that the hateful look in his eyes as he left meant he was undoubtedly going to deal with the scumbag.
Ye Tiancheng left Liu Lanying to comfort Lin Xue. Before he could even finish comforting her, he heard Fatty opening the door, not alone, but with other voices, including a man's panicked tone. This sudden development put Ye Tiancheng on high alert.
Ye Tiancheng quickly rushed out to take a look and soon discovered that Fatty had actually brought the scumbag over. This was too exciting; now there would be a good show to watch.
He saw the bespectacled man still shouting, "This is a society governed by law. Unless you've all gone mad, you won't get away with anything. Otherwise, I will use the law to protect myself."
As soon as the man finished speaking, he was violently kicked. The kick sent him sprawling to the ground, a brutal act. The moment he was kicked down, the man began to roar madly again. However, it was too late. Another kick landed on his back, directly causing him to bleed and spit out a mouthful of blood, nearly killing him.
"Fatty, that's enough. This fellow has dark energy on him. He's probably being controlled, which is why he's so heartless. If you kill him, you'll be held legally responsible."
Fatty, thinking of all the suffering Lin Xue had endured, suddenly became agitated and couldn't control his emotions. He unleashed a barrage of furious punches and kicks at the scumbag, wishing he could beat him to death.
Ye Tiancheng's attempts to dissuade him were futile. Fatty's eyes were bloodshot as he delivered a flying kick, aiming for the man's head.
If he weren't stopped, it was highly likely that someone would die.
Fortunately, at the critical moment, Ye Tiancheng sent a surge of true qi flying over, expelling the dark energy from the man's body. He also dodged Fatty's kick, preventing him from being kicked so hard that his brain matter would splatter out.
"Please, spare me! I know I was wrong. I promise I'll never see Lin Xue again. Everything was my fault. Please spare me this once!"
Ye Tiancheng felt a sliver of relief at the man's attitude. If he hadn't shown any remorse for harming his beloved disciple to this extent, Ye Tiancheng would have saved the scumbag and beaten him even more severely in Fatty's stead.
"Brother Ye, I don't understand why you're stopping me. He bullied Miss Xue! Do you know he's married?"
Ye Tiancheng's emotions had just begun to calm down, thinking that violence wouldn't solve the problem and that he should gently untangle their complex relationship. But upon hearing this, his face immediately flushed with anger.
"What did you say? He's already married and still messing around? This kind of person deserves a beating!"
Ye Tiancheng instantly switched sides. For someone who had a wife and family and should be responsible, but couldn't keep himself from getting involved with other women, such a man should be castrated. Only by castrating him would it be the most secure solution.
Otherwise, cats that steal fish will always steal again after the first time. This kind of person must be dealt with; otherwise, they will be a source of endless trouble in the future.
"I know I was wrong. I will never do it again. I don't know how it happened, but we just fell for each other. I still can't figure it out. I used to be an honest and upright person. Even if I had such thoughts, I wouldn't do anything strange."
The man was also confused, feeling as if he had been possessed. The days he spent with Lin Xue now seemed unbelievable, like a dream. He couldn't figure out what had happened; it just did.
"Then I'll castrate you. I think the reason you made mistakes is because you can't control your lower body. If it's removed, you'll probably be more peaceful, and it will be a form of compensation for my disciple. Miss Lin is someone I cherish dearly, and you've hurt her like this. I think I need to make this clear to you. Don't think you can just hurt someone and not take any responsibility; that's absolutely impossible."
His intentions were made clear. Ye Tiancheng looked at the dejected man before him. Even without experiencing it himself, he could basically guess how much suffering Lin Xue had endured at this dog's hands. Therefore, to settle everything, the most reliable method was to directly confront this man and turn this unfeeling, fickle scumbag into a eunuch.
"No! I promise I will never see Lin Xue again. Please spare me this time. I don't want to become a eunuch. I'm only in my twenties, and I have a lot of life ahead of me. If I become a eunuch, I really can't live. Please, please don't make me a eunuch! I never touched Lin Xue. We had a pure spiritual love. Please believe me. Otherwise, you can ask Lin Xue. Even if I concealed my marriage, it's not a crime deserving of this! Please spare me this time!"
Upon hearing Ye Tiancheng's suggestion, the man instantly panicked. Ye Tiancheng had made up his mind, his eyes filled with a bloodthirsty determination that was terrifying. He trembled all over, as if nothing could stop him, no matter how tragic the outcome might be; it was already set and unchangeable.
"Stop the nonsense. All your pain will end soon, and I will let you go. But before that, you must pay a terrible price for what you've done!"
Ye Tiancheng shouted, then gathered his true qi again, deciding to castrate the scumbag. Just then, the scumbag suddenly let out a pig-like howl, calling Lin Xue's name.
Lin Xue had heard some commotion from her room. The reason she hadn't come out was that Liu Lanying was holding her back. She also wanted to use this opportunity to completely sever ties with this scumbag. To do that, she first needed to be ruthless. If she couldn't be heartless, all her efforts would be in vain.
However, the curse was still in effect. Lin Xue still had feelings for this scumbag. How could that love, for which she was willing to give her life, disappear instantly? She was merely forcing herself to endure.
When she heard the scumbag frantically calling her name, Lin Xue finally couldn't hold back and tried to push Liu Lanying away.
"Miss Liu, I know you're doing this for my own good, but I have to save him. At this moment, no one else can save him but me. I am his last hope. We had a connection once, didn't we? This is why you want me to save him, right?"
Liu Lanying had been entrusted with a task, and failing to do what she was asked was her greatest taboo. Whether it was for Lin Xue or for her own pride, Liu Lanying would not let Lin Xue go.
"You are not allowed to save him. Such a man is not worthy of pity. Once you start pitying him, you will quickly fall into an abyss of no return. This time, listen to your sister. Ye Tiancheng will handle it."