Pei Shu'er raised her eyebrows with a smile, clearly possessing a gentle appearance, yet she gave off a sense of ruthlessness.
"What are you talking about? I was obviously dealing with a beast."
The man staggered to his feet: "Just you wait here, I'll report you to the officials, saying you attacked someone."
At this moment, the government officer also looked in Pei Shu'er's direction.
Pei Shu'er said, "Feel free to report. I believe the Lord has a sense of justice. You were just harassing me as if I weren't human. How could I let you ridicule me?"
Pei Shu'er made a distant bow towards the government officer.
"Moreover, this is a private matter between us. The Lord must be tired from a day of travel, so let's not disturb him further."
"Don't go too far." The government officer turned away, ignoring them further.
But Pei Shu'er couldn't leave this matter unresolved.
This issue couldn't begin in the first place.
Once it started, she, being just a woman, in this group that could turn a person into a beast, would only face a dire outcome.
So from the beginning, she needed to establish her authority.
To let them know.
Even if she was alone.
Even if her husband was disabled, she was not to be trifled with.
To provoke her, one had better measure their own weight first.
The man, seeing that the officer really wouldn't interfere, also went over and stood in front of Pei Shu'er.
He couldn't believe he couldn't defeat this delicate lady; it must have been due to his inattention earlier that he fell into the trap.
Looking at her fair and tender skin, she surely wasn't a match for him.
He then lifted his hand, intending to slap this lady hard until she kneeled and cried for mercy.
Just as he extended his hand, Pei Shu'er grasped his wrist, and with some force.
The bearded man howled in pain, kneeling due to the agony.
Pei Shu'er held a leisurely smile, continuing to grip the bearded man's wrist.
With just a click, the bearded man's wrist was dislocated by Pei Shu'er.
The bearded man's scream was like that of a pig being slaughtered, and finally, Pei Shu'er kicked him to the ground, stepping on his face.
"In the future, be smarter. Don't let yourself be used. Otherwise..."
Pei Shu'er lifted her foot and stomped down hard again, with another click.
The bearded man felt like the bones in his face were about to crack under Pei Shu'er's foot.
The pain was unbearable!
Pei Shu'er's lips curved gently, yet her gaze was directed towards her uncle and aunt, her voice sweet and soft, almost like a whisper.
"Does it taste good? Does the young lady's flavor taste wonderful?"
The bearded man cried with tears and snot flowing together.
Even with hatred in his eyes, he couldn't help but plead for mercy.
"I don't dare anymore, I don't dare anymore, Auntie!"
Only then did Pei Shu'er release her foot, and the onlookers looked at Pei Shu'er as if she were a monster.
When Pei Shu'er walked by, everyone instinctively made way for her.
Pei Shu'er lowered her gaze, hiding her trembling hands behind her back.
The effects of that sip of Spiritual Spring Water had been fully expended.
She was now in a state of exhaustion after the depletion of strength.
It's not bad that people feared her; she first needed to show her skills to have the capital to discuss cooperation and be taken seriously.
A fool would only be bullied.
Pei Shu'er lowered her head to begin examining Tang Zan's injuries; finally, no one dared to disturb her.
Now, Tang Zan was almost like a bloody man, with fresh blood staining his face, emphasizing the paleness even more.
Each of Tang Zan's arms had been bitten, removing a significant amount of flesh, and there was a large bite mark on his shoulder.
There was also a bite mark on his chest, with the injuries on his two legs being the most severe.
The meat on his left calf was entirely gone, leaving only the bone, while his right leg was in bad condition too, with two ounces of flesh taken by a wolf from his thigh.
His body was covered in whip marks, with the flesh beaten to a pulp.
Pei Shu'er was impressed by Tang Zan, as anyone else might have died from the pain.
Yet in the original work, he actually managed to escape from the wolves and became the antagonist Regent King, who commanded feudal lords with the Emperor.
At this moment, the members of the Tang Family also arrived.
Upon seeing Tang Zan's miserable state, Mrs. Tang Liu Xu threw herself beside Tang Zan, crying sorrowfully.
"Zan'er, my dear Zan'er."
Tang Zan's 19-year-old sister, Tang Qingning, and his 5-year-old sister, Tang Qinghuan, and 3-year-old brother, Tang Shuo also burst into tears.
Pei Shu'er, already suffering from a headache due to chaotic memories, was now even more pained by the noise.
Facing the pitiful family, she maintained her patience.
"Stop crying. Keep an eye on Tang Zan, and I'll go around to see if there are any suitable herbs to use for Tang Zan."
The group hesitated, casting suspicious glances at Pei Shu'er.
Pei Shu'er saving Tang Zan from the wolves today was already remarkable enough.
And now she intended to find herbs to treat Tang Zan's wounds; did this lady even know herbs?
Wasn't she thinking of poisoning Tang Zan?
Pei Shu'er ignored their thoughts and went to gather a few herbs nearby.
These herbs only had minor anti-inflammatory effects, nowhere near the efficacy of those extracted in later times.
So Pei Shu'er, in a place where no one could see, crushed the herbs with trembling hands.
And took the opportunity to spray Yunnan Baiyao on the herbs.
When Pei Shu'er came over with a pungent mass of black herbal residue, Liu Xu's face immediately changed.
"Shu'er, you mustn't. Zan'er's injuries are already severe, and under the stimulation of these medicines, they might worsen."
Tang Qingning also hurriedly stopped her: "Sister-in-law, I know you mean well for my brother, but none of us know medicine well enough; it might backfire."
Even though she said this, the look in her eyes was full of doubt when staring at Pei Shu'er.
They truly believed Pei Shu'er intended to kill Tang Zan.
As for the earlier rescue from wolves and carrying Tang Zan on her back,
That must be some new scheme by Pei Shu'er.
Tang Qinghuan and Tang Shuo said nothing, merely shielding Tang Zan with vigilance in their widened eyes towards Pei Shu'er.
Pei Shu'er said, "Mother, don't worry, I had some training with a physician before, now I can put it to use."
This was the first time Pei Shu'er called her 'Mother,' the Tang Family members exchanged looks, pursed their lips, and stayed silent.
During this silent interval, Pei Shu'er swiftly tore open Tang Zan's clothes and applied the herbs all over his wounds.
By then, Pei Shu'er finally sank down, exhausted.
Liu Xu anxiously stepped forward to remove the herbal residue.
"Shu'er, Mother knows you mean well for Zan'er, but you are not well-versed in medicine. I think we should remove these herbs."
Yunnan Baiyao might get so furious as to time travel if it knew its abilities were being undervalued like this?
Pei Shu'er's gaze swept over Liu Xu's face.
Fortunately, Liu Xu, with her merchant background, had a gentle character, or Pei Shu'er wouldn't dare to oppose her.
"Mother, trust me, you've seen these are just common herbs; there's no poison in them."
This much was observed by everyone, indeed they had anti-inflammatory effects.
As Pei Shu'er explained, Liu Xu hesitated and said no more.
Tang Peilin and Mrs. Li, having rested enough, began to make sarcastic remarks.
"Shu'er can't wait to torment Tang Zan to death so she can elope with the Third Prince; therefore it's crucial to thoroughly inspect this medicine."