The little star from the Gobi Desert, handed over to the state, is hailed as a national treasure.

Liang Zhe held Tian Tian's little hand and walked along the bumpy dirt road in the mining area towards the back mountain. Although the afternoon sun was warm, it didn't feel very warm on their skin, instead making the lonely wooden house look even more desolate.

Sweetie clutched the aluminum lunchbox containing the chicken leg tightly in her hand, her little mind racing as she pondered how to share this delicious treat with her older sister, Xiaoyu. But the closer she got to the house, the more hesitant she became.

Her cheerful little face slowly fell, and her little nose kept twitching, as if she had sensed something was wrong.

"Daddy..." The little girl stopped, took Liang Zhe's finger in her small hand, tilted her ear, and whispered, "Can you smell it?"

Liang Zhe was startled and held his breath to sense the situation, but the wooden house in front of him was quiet and there was not a sound at all.

Even the softest whispers that should have been heard were absent; the silence was almost abnormal.

Just as he was about to bend down and ask Sweetie what was wrong, the little figure beside him suddenly moved.

Like a small cannonball, Tian Tian suddenly shook off Liang Zhe's hand, took short strides, and rushed towards the mud-brick house. Her small body burst out with great strength, pushed open the half-closed wooden door, and rushed straight in!

"Sweetie!" Liang Zhe's expression changed, and he quickly followed her inside. Before he could even step over the threshold, the scene before him made his blood rush to his head.

The room was dark and cramped, with almost no decent furniture. In the center of the main room stood an old eight-immortal table with an unfinished embroidered scarf hanging on it.

Under the long towel was a brazier with burning charcoal. Ah Zhen, with her hair disheveled, was being pressed down on the neck by a large hand, which was about to shove her face into the brazier.

The ends of her long, drooping hair were almost touching the sparks, emitting a hissing, burnt smell. Sweetie must have smelled that just now.

Following that rough, large hand, Liu Mazi, his face contorted with rage, stood in the center of the room. His other hand was raised high, and he kept striking Ah Zhen's body. Blood seeped from the corner of Ah Zhen's mouth as he hit her, but she bit her lip tightly, not daring to make a sound.

The two were locked in a stalemate when Tian Tian rushed in. Without the slightest hesitation, she mustered all her strength, and her usually soft and cuddly little body became like a firecracker with its feathers standing on end. She angrily rammed into Liu Mazi's leg!

"You bad guy! Don't hit Auntie!"

Liu Mazi was completely focused on dealing with Ah Zhen and was totally unprepared for the sudden collision. What's more, he had previously broken a leg and was only supporting himself on one leg.

Sweetie bumped into him, causing him to stumble and fall forward, his hand involuntarily pressing down on the half-embroidered long scarf on the table.

A needle was pinned to the long scarf with its tip pointing upwards. Liu Mazi pressed it precisely, and with a soft "snap," most of the needle pierced into his palm, causing him to scream in pain!

"Xiaoyu!" Liu Mazi thought it was Xiaoyu, whom Ah Zhen had let run away, returning. "You little brat, how dare you bump into me!"

He roared and turned around angrily. When he saw that the person who bumped into him was a little girl he had never met before, with delicate and beautiful features, his old face immediately turned red!

"Where did this brat come from!" he roared in fury, "You dare to meddle in my family affairs! You're asking for it!"

The needle in his palm was pricking him painfully, but he didn't bother to pull it out. Instead, he stretched out his left fist, as big as a bowl, and smashed it towards Tian Tian's little body!

He was a veteran miner, and even now, despite his injuries, he still possessed a robust physique and a strong build. Moreover, his fierce, glaring expression was enough to frighten any young child.

"I'll beat you to death!"

He roared, his fists whistling through the air, showing no mercy whatsoever!

At this critical moment—

"You dare touch her!"

Liang Zhe's roar was deafening, and in the blink of an eye, he was already right in front of them!

He grabbed Liu Mazi's outstretched wrist, and before Liu Mazi could react, Liang Zhe twisted his arm into a pretzel, while simultaneously kicking him hard in the wide-open stomach.

"Aww—"

Liu Mazi let out a miserable scream, like a pig being slaughtered!

Liang Zhe's kick was incredibly powerful. Liu Mazi felt as if a red-hot iron rod had been stabbed into his stomach, and his internal organs were churning violently.

He tucked his belly in, arched his body like a shrimp, lifted his feet off the ground, and fell backward.

First, his back hit the octagonal table behind him, the table legs scraping the ground with a screeching sound, and then with a thud, he fell to the ground.

As luck would have it, the back of his head slammed into the wall panel as he fell. The panel was made of thin wood, and the impact caused it to bulge outwards with a dull thud. Liu Mazi's vision went black, stars flashed before his eyes, and he let out another scream:

"ah--!!!"

After being hit by two heavy blows in succession, Liu Mazi's arrogance was instantly shattered. He collapsed on the ground like a lump of mud, no longer caring about grabbing Tiantian.

Liang Zhe then stepped forward and pulled Tian Tian into his arms. His palms touched his daughter's warm body, confirming she was unharmed, and his tense nerves finally relaxed.

Before he knew it, a thin layer of sweat had seeped out from his back.

Sweetie was still holding the lunchbox in her hands. She pointed her little hand in Ah Zhen's direction and cried out urgently, "Daddy, save Auntie!"

Liang Zhe's expression hardened, and he looked in the direction she was pointing.

Ah Zhen was still kneeling by the brazier. Her long hair was loose, the ends of which had touched the sparks and were hissing and emitting wisps of smoke, filling the room with a burnt smell. But she seemed not to feel the pain, only keeping her head down, biting her lip tightly, her shoulders trembling violently.

Liang Zhe strode over and reached out to pat the sparks out of her hair. His hand touched her hair, which was already brittle and curled from the heat, and would break at the slightest touch. When he touched her, Ah Zhen flinched, like a startled rabbit.

"Don't be afraid," Liang Zhe said. "I'm a new expert at the mine."

Ah Zhen slowly raised her head.

Liang Zhe saw her face clearly.

His face was so swollen it was almost unrecognizable. His left cheek was swollen high and bruised, with blood pooling around his eye socket, squeezing his eye into a slit. There was dried blood under his nostrils, and blood seeped from a cut at the corner of his mouth, mixing with tears and smearing his face.

She looked at Liang Zhe, her eyes unfocused, as if she hadn't yet recovered from the fear she had just experienced. Her lips moved for a long time, but she only managed to let out a muffled sob.

A fire suddenly ignited in Liang Zhe's heart.

He turned his head and looked at Liu Mazi, who was curled up on the ground.

Liu Mazi had just caught his breath and was trying to sit up. He clutched his stomach with one hand and used the other to support himself as he moved with difficulty. His broken leg dragged behind him, offering no support.

Liang Zhe stood up and walked towards him.

He didn't walk fast, but his chilling aura made Liu Mazi tremble with fear.

"You...you stay away!" He instinctively shrank back, his back pressed against the cold wall.

There's nowhere to get a refund.

Liang Zhe walked up to Liu Mazi, looked down at him, then grabbed his collar and threw him away again without any politeness!

"ah--!!!"

Liu Mazi's screams were more horrific than the previous two combined.

He hit his injured leg when he fell, and was in so much pain that he rolled on the ground clutching his arm, his face turning a deep purplish-red, with tears and snot streaming down his face.

"Who the hell are you?!" he yelled, baring his teeth. "I've never done anything to you, what right do you have to hit me?!"