Nancy Johnson was also startled and hurried forward, grabbing Edward Brooks's arm.

She could tell that the move Edward Brooks just used was the ‘Pigeon Spin’ from sumo wrestling. If he had really used his strength, he might have killed that loafer on the spot. Although she didn’t particularly like Edward Brooks in her heart, he was, after all, her husband. According to the laws of the Song Dynasty, if Edward Brooks really killed that loafer, at worst he would be executed, at best exiled or banished—none of which were outcomes Nancy Johnson wished to see.

Those small hands, like iron pincers, gripped Edward Brooks's arm tightly.

Edward Brooks shook a couple of times but found he couldn’t break free. At this moment, he gradually calmed down, recalling what had just happened, and was also startled. In his previous life, Edward Brooks had been a proper, pale-faced scholar who had never fought anyone. But now, he could actually lift that loafer over his head with ease?

This guy really did have monstrous strength!

Now that he had calmed down, Edward Brooks naturally wouldn’t continue fighting.

He threw the loafer out, dropping him to the ground. Turning his head, he glanced at Nancy Johnson's delicate, rosy face, and suddenly remembered Nancy Johnson's father—his father-in-law—who was quite famous in later generations.

Instructor Zhou, whose real name was Thomas Johnson.

He studied under Tan Zhengfang, received true Shaolin teachings, and was an amazing archer.

Most people thought Thomas Johnson was skilled in archery, but in fact, his boxing skills were just as formidable. One of the most widely spread animal-style martial arts in later generations, Eagle Claw Fist, was said to have originated from the famous anti-Jin general Yue Fei’s Yue Family Freehand. And Yue Family Freehand, it was said, was passed down from Thomas Johnson to Yue Fei, who then improved upon it.

Whether this is true or not is unknown.

Anyway, the Jade Ring Step that Edward Brooks just used was developed by Thomas Johnson from sumo wrestling techniques, with the full name Jade Ring Step Mandarin Duck Kick, and its power was astonishing. Edward Brooks had only used the Jade Ring Step and had already beaten two strong men so they couldn’t fight back. If he had used the Mandarin Duck Kick, those two strong men would have ended up with broken bones and torn muscles...

Thomas Johnson was Yue Fei’s teacher. And as Thomas Johnson's youngest daughter, Nancy Johnson had received his true teachings since childhood, and her boxing skills were also extremely refined. In his panic just now, he had actually forgotten this. Now that he had calmed down, Edward Brooks finally remembered. The heart that had been hanging in suspense was finally able to settle down.

“Are you... all right?”

Nancy was his wife, but every time he faced her, Edward Brooks always felt a strange sensation.

She was his wife.

But he was not the original him.

After Edward Brooks took over this body, it was destined that he and this delicate-looking woman would be bound together for life. Yet every time he called Nancy, Edward Brooks still felt a bit awkward.

Fortunately, Nancy was always cold toward Edward Brooks, so she didn’t notice his oddness.

Hearing Edward Brooks's question, Nancy Johnson opened her mouth, but the words of reproach that were about to come out were, for some reason, swallowed back. She truly didn’t like Edward Brooks, always feeling that his competitiveness and aggressiveness were signs of immaturity. But she couldn’t refuse her parents’ orders. Even after her father Thomas Johnson passed away, Nancy Johnson still married Edward Brooks as agreed, though she was never truly happy about it.

But just now, she had clearly felt Edward Brooks's anxiety.

She wanted to scold him, but couldn’t bring herself to.

So all her dissatisfaction could only turn into a soft sigh in her heart, and she replied in a low voice, “I am fine, but I ask you, Little Yi, to handle this matter properly. Don’t let these loafers keep coming to make trouble.”

Edward Brooks felt deeply ashamed.

Just then, a tall, thin man stepped forward.

He was dressed all in black, with a wide belt around his waist, exuding a fierce aura.

When he saw Edward Brooks, the man’s face first showed fear, but he quickly regained his composure and strode forward.

“Yu Xiao Yi!”

George Harris?

As soon as Edward Brooks saw this man, his name immediately popped into his mind.

This man was George Harris.

One of the most notorious ruffians in Kaifeng, he usually hung around the Sang Family Entertainment District, acting with utter arrogance and lawlessness. Because he was eloquent and had a bit of a rogue’s temperament, he had gathered quite a few loafers around him.

These loafers were also a unique feature of Kaifeng.

To put it bluntly, they were idle, unemployed vagrants—professional hooligans. Such people were extremely troublesome, and even the authorities couldn’t do much about them. They usually roamed in groups of three or five, and ordinary people dared not provoke them.

George Harris ran rampant in the Sang Family Entertainment District and originally had nothing to do with Edward Brooks.

However, Edward Brooks's family’s meat stall was located on Ma Xing Street, one of the most prosperous and famous places in Kaifeng. George Harris always wanted to expand his influence to Ma Xing Street, but because of Edward Brooks's presence, he had never succeeded. Edward Brooks came from a distinguished family, having received the full teachings of Yu Fei and Thomas Johnson. In addition, he was ruthless and skilled in fighting, so he had a bit of a reputation around Ma Xing Street.

At his meat stall, there were five or six butchers, specializing in selling both raw and cooked meats.

George Harris and Edward Brooks had clashed several times over control of Ma Xing Street, but most of the time, he ended up losing.

“Guo Shaosan, you dare come to my house and make trouble?”

Shaosan was George Harris's nickname.