People gazed from afar. Although they couldn’t see clearly, they could still make out that the young lord was stuffing the red-dressed girl’s head between his legs. Damn, this guy is truly shameless, actually forcing this girl in broad daylight... Ah, what a disgrace to decency! It’s really unbearable to watch! Yet not a single one of those onlooking young nobles and scholars closed their eyes; while they muttered curses and criticisms under their breath, there was still a hint of anticipation—this scene was actually rather thrilling.

Chapter 4: Snatching the Bride (Part 1)

Robert Bennett quietly turned around for a glance, hurriedly shut his small eyes, and sighed inwardly, Young master, oh young master, your foolishness is acting up again!

After being tossed around by Little William like that, the red-dressed girl spat out several mouthfuls of clear water—splash! splash! splash!—in quick succession. Because she had drunk too much water, the pressure in her abdomen was too high, and the water she spat out was forceful, hitting Little William’s crotch without exception. After all, the water had been warmed to thirty-seven degrees by her body temperature, so the cold, soaked crotch of Little William’s pants suddenly felt a faint warmth.

After controlling the water, the next step in standard rescue procedure was artificial respiration—mouth-to-mouth. Little William had already prepared himself for this, but when it came time to actually do it, he found that the red-dressed girl had already resumed spontaneous breathing. Though weak, judging by her current vital signs, she should be out of danger, so Little William didn’t need to continue doing anything that would challenge social norms and shock the onlookers. He was just about to gently lay the girl down.

Suddenly, the sound of urgent hoofbeats came from outside. The crowd quickly scattered, only to see a burly, black-faced man in a green brocade robe leading more than twenty warriors on horseback. The black-faced man had a square face, thick slanted brows, bull-like eyes, a flat nose, and thick lips. Though he was burly, his appearance was extremely ugly. He rode a black steed, and shouted, “Waaah! Damn his ancestors for eight generations! Whoever dares to snatch my sister, I’ll tear him to pieces!”

A group of more than twenty, all in fine clothes and fierce horses, charged in with such momentum that tourists scattered in fear, desperate to get out of the way.

Robert Bennett was considered well-informed in the capital. Upon seeing the black-faced man, he immediately recognized him as the eldest son of Tang Wenzheng, the Deputy Minister of the Chariot Department—John Carter. This John Carter was a notorious bully in the capital, relying on his father’s influence to secretly control the city’s horse market and reap huge profits. He kept a gang of idle thugs, bullied merchants, and committed many misdeeds. The horse market was not far from Cuiyun Lake, and he had just heard that his sister had been thrown into the lake by a bunch of ruffians and then pulled out and humiliated. Speaking of ruffians, who in the horse market area could be more of a ruffian than him? Anyone who dared bully his sister must have a death wish—that was a public slap in the face for the Tang family. John Carter immediately gathered more than twenty of his men, fully armed, and rode over to rescue his sister.

When Robert Bennett saw John Carter leading his men over, his face changed at once, and he hurriedly warned Little William, “Young master, this is bad... they’re here to cause trouble.”

Actually, there was no need for him to say it—Little William had already noticed the commotion.

Howard Hoover also said, “Young master, you get on the horse and go first, we servants will cover the rear...” He sounded utterly loyal, but his legs were shaking like a sieve, and his voice had clearly changed pitch. These house servants were physically strong, but they had little real fighting experience. They only relied on their master’s official position to throw their weight around. When it came to fighting, they could bully the few with the many, but seeing more than twenty men suddenly charging over, they were nearly scared out of their wits.

Little William glanced at the chestnut horse tied to the tree. Never mind that his riding skills were poor—even if he were an expert, there was no way he could escape the pursuit of twenty men. But Little William wasn’t afraid at all. Looking at the murderous warriors, he said lightly, “Why should we run? Dakang is a land of law.”

Robert Bennett gripped the hilt of his waist knife, braced himself, and stepped forward to block John Carter’s men, suddenly shouting—not to scare the enemy, but to bolster his own courage: “Halt! Who goes there?”

John Carter led his black-clad warriors like a dark cloud pressing down, and in a flash, they were less than five zhang from Robert Bennett. John Carter held a bronze cudgel in his hand, rolled his fierce eyes, and roared like thunder, startling Robert Bennett into a shiver: “I am John Carter, the undefeated champion of the horse market! Damn you, you blind bastard, how dare you try to snatch my sister!”

Robert Bennett cursed inwardly—this really was a tricky situation, and the young master was truly a handful. Robert Bennett edged forward and whispered, “The flood has washed over the Dragon King’s temple—family not recognizing family. Brother Tang, our master is Lord Mr. Howard, Minister of Revenue! Please show some respect!” At this critical moment, he had no choice but to invoke his master’s name.

John Carter saw his sister lying motionless on the grass, Little William half-naked beside her, her waist sash thrown not far away. He had no idea what unspeakable things this guy had just done to his sister. In a fit of rage, he didn’t care who the young lord was—your father’s an official, but so is mine! Damn! And hearing this fat servant dare to call him “brother” only made him angrier—wasn’t that just mocking him?