Qingyue stepped into the room last, her calm facade briefly slipping when she saw the bruise on Ru Yi’s cheek.

She looked at the men with a tilt to her head.

They were debt collectors no doubt. She’d had the misfortune of dealing with a couple of them when she previously made her rounds in the village.

"How much do they owe?" she asked, looking at the man who seemed to be their leader. He looked tougher than the rest, his beards taking up more than half of his face.

"Three taels of silver," their leader answered with a predatory look. "Are you going to pay for them?" he looked Qingyue up and down. "Though I’d say you don’t look like you can afford it."

Qingyue felt the back of her neck start to heat up.

A couple days ago she could afford it and even more. She’d never had to worry about money or understand the value of money.

She reached into the sleeve of her robes. There wasn’t much left from the money she’d managed to get away with after they were stripped of everything.

"I have fifty coins, we’ll find a way to get you the rest."

The men’s laughter was maniacal. "Are you playing with me right now? Maybe we should teach you girls a little lesson on how to mind your business."

The air seemed to split as Lieyin immediately lunged forward, grabbing the leader by the collar and slamming him into the ground. The other two barely had time to react before Yexue and Qingyue joined in.

Ru Yi helped the woman sit on the floor and pressed the little boy into her side.

Lieyin fought like fire—fast, brutal, and reckless. Yexue was precise, each movement deliberate as she completely beat up her opponent.

Everything was under control until one man broke away. He grabbed a wooden chair and rushed forward, raising it high in the air. It was aimed straight for Qingue’s back.

There was no time to warn Qingyue.

Ru Yi immediately moved, getting in between Qingyue and the chair. The crash echoed louder than it should have.

For a moment everything went silent.

The chair splintered against Ru Yi’s shoulder as she stumbled into Qingyue, the force knocking the breath from her lungs. Pain bloomed sharp and immediate.

Qingyue froze.

Ru Yi had stepped in front of her.

Before the man could recover, Lieyin struck him down with a force that left him groaning on the ground.

"Filth," she spat. "Fucking coward."

All three men laid scattered on the floor, barely conscious.

Ru Yi tried to steady herself, but her knees wavered.

A hand caught her.

Yexue.

"You’re hurt," Yexue said quietly. "Why did you do that?"

"I’m fine," Ru Yi murmured, though the tremble in her voice betrayed her. She looked at the little boy and his mama. "Are you alright?"

Qingyue’s carefully crafted mask fell for the first time and she let her face show the anger she felt. "Why don’t you worry about yourself first? Why did you get in the way?"

Ru Yi flinched. She used to think Lieyin’s anger was unmatched...but seeing Qingyue burning with fury made her want to open the ground and bury herself inside.

"You didn’t see him and it happened so fast I couldn’t warn you on time," Ru Yi whispered, her gaze on the floor.

"How about worrying about yourself instead of others!" Qingyue fumed, startling even her sisters. "You can’t protect others if you can’t even protect yourself! I would’ve been fine, I’m stronger than you. But look—"

There was a pained look on her face when she saw the bruise forming on Ru Yi’s face. "How can you treat yourself like you’re something worthless?"

She directed her heated gaze to Lieyin. "Take care of the men, if not they’ll only cause more problems later." With that Qingyue stormed, leaving everyone stunned in her wake.

"I’ve never seen her that angry before," Yexue mused, looking at Ru Yi who looked like she was about to burst into tears.

Shen Lieyin got to work, carrying each man out. This sort of grueling work was what she was used to, taking care of the bloody mess after everyone else.

Yexue walked over to Ru Yi, holding her face like it was delicate silverware in her hands. "Let me take a look at that."

The woman finally spoke for the first time. "I have some balm and medicine you can put on it." Then with tears in her eyes she said, "thank you for saving us. There’s nothing I can offer you in this dirt hole but if you want a place to put your head for the night and food to eat."

She held her son’s hand.

"Then I’m willing to help, to show my appreciation," she finished with a low bow.

Yexue nodded. "We’ll very much appreciate your help."

The woman stood up and left to get the balm.

Ru Yi looked at the little boy and the bruises that covered his face and arms. "Are you alright?" she asked in a soft voice, despite her entire back throbbing in pain.

The little boy nodded.

Ru Yi stroked his hair. "Don’t worry everything will be alright. You’re brave for protecting your mama."

The boy nodded again.

Yexue watched Ru Yi talk to the little boy even though he wasn’t giving her any response. But it was the tender way she treated the kid that made a knot go loose in her chest.

The way she’d rushed to protect Qingyue at the expense of her own safety. She certainly agreed with Qingyue, she shouldn’t go around throwing herself into fights like she didn’t matter.

Yexue imagined she was the one being comforted in place of the boy. She raised her hand to stroke Ru Yi’s cheek at the same time the woman of the house came back with a small bowl that contained medicine.

"It’s not much but it’ll help with the pain."

Ru Yi raised her hand to take it but Yexue beat her to it. "Is there a room we can stay in? I need her to undress so I can take a look at her back."

The woman nodded.

Yexue stood up and pulled Ru Yi along to the room. The place was dark and small, a dying candle on the floor was the only source of light. On the opposite side of the bed were small wooden cupboards with clothes overflowing from them.

There was a thin cloth on the floor that served as a bed.

Yexue almost gagged but she knew to be grateful for the little things that she currently couldn’t afford.

Ru Yi sat on it without a word and Yexue followed. She settled into the space behind Ru Yi. "Remove your robe."