CHAPTER 234: SHIAO YI’S CHALLENGE

He wanted to snatch Shiao Yi away right then, lock the two of them inside somewhere and never let him go.

Then, from among the group of restless men murmuring nearby, a young man suddenly stood up.

Bona tugged at the hem of the man’s clothes clearly trying to stop him, but the man ignored him completely.

His sharp eyes fixed first on Dominic, then on Shiao Yi, and he shouted in a loud, challenging voice, "I challenge that small husband candidate! The golden bride is mine! I’m a better man than that child — I’m the one worthy to be his husband!"

That declaration set off a chain reaction.

"I’ll fight too!"

"Count me in!"

More men rose to their feet, shouting one after another and the whole area descended into noisy chaos.

Bona looked panicked, while the older villagers sat watching the scene unfold with amused grins, as if it were a festival performance.

Dominic who is furious at the absurdity of it all was about to stand up when Shiao Yi placed a hand on his arm, he pushing him gently back down and stood up first.

"Interesting," Shiao Yi said, his voice calm but firm. "You think you can beat me? Fine. I accept your challenge!"

Dominic’s breath caught. He looked up at Shiao Yi, who now stood tall and proud, arms crossed over his chest with a bold, fearless grin spreading across his face. His eyes burned with fighting spirit, gleaming like fire.

The sight stirred something deep inside Dominic. His heart thumped hard against his ribs. No one alive could resist him when he looks like that, Dominic thought, both proud and a little dizzy from the feeling.

Shiao Yi stepped down from the raised platform to the open square, and the men who had challenged him surrounded him at once, forming a rough circle.

"Hey," said Dargo, Aphila’s husband, who sat beside Dominic. "Aren’t you gonna go help your man? He might get hurt." His tone was friendly but worried, maybe Dargo had gone through this kind of "initiation" himself.

"In times like this," Dargo added, "the bride should cheer for the man she loves."

Dominic shook his head. "No need to worry. Shiao Yi is stronger than he looks," he said quietly, never taking his eyes off the scene.

He knew Shiao Yi well, he’s a seasoned fighter who never bragged without reason.

If Shiao Yi accepted the challenge, it meant he had already sized up his opponents and knew he could win.

All Dominic needed to do was wait and trust him.

"I’ll take all of you on!" Shiao Yi shouted, taunting the crowd with a daring grin. "Come on, don’t hold back!"

"You little brat! You’ll regret those words!" one of the men yelled.

"After we knock this kid down, we’ll fight again among ourselves for the bride!" another added.

There were about five or six of them, all strong and confident.

Once they exchanged quick nods of agreement, they rushed at Shiao Yi all at once.

Gasps and shrieks rose from the onlookers.

"Ahhh!"

"Oh no!"

Dominic sighed feeling annoyed. It’s so noisy. Can’t they just watch quietly?

He focused his gaze on Shiao Yi’s movements, it’s swift, precise, and fluid.

Shiao Yi’s body moved like quicksilver darting between the attackers.

He kicked one man square in the jaw, flipped another clean over his shoulder, swept another’s legs out from under him, and drove a solid punch into a man’s stomach.

It was all hand-to-hand combat without any weapons but even Dominic knew it wouldn’t be easy to win against him in a fight like that. Shiao Yi was fast, too fast. Just keeping up with his movements would exhaust most people.

Watching him fight with such confidence and grace, Dominic couldn’t help but smile, he feels proud, aroused, and utterly captivated all at once.

Shiao Yi didn’t even need to use his telekinesis.

The fight ended the moment he gave the last man a hard merciless kick in the back.

That poor fool getting kicked square in the back like that was just pathetic.

If he had been one of Dominic’s soldiers, Dominic would’ve had him retrained from scratch.

There would probably be plenty of bruises afterward, but no one had any broken bones or serious injuries.

Shiao Yi had clearly gone easy on them.

He’d been completely in control the entire time.

"Hmph! Dominic is mine!" Shiao Yi declared proudly with his chest puffed out, his voice ringing with victory.

Dominic couldn’t help but smile at him. Just how many times was this man going to make him fall in love again? He watched with warmth as Shiao Yi walked confidently back toward him and Dominic greeted him with a smile full of affection.

After Shiao Yi was accepted as Dominic’s rightful partner, the defeated men slipped quietly back into the crowdand the noisy scene finally calmed down.

Then, from the path that opened in the middle of the crowd, a woman appeared—likely the only active female in the entire settlement.

She was in her mid-thirties, tall and broad, with thick arms, strong legs, and a wide body that spoke of raw strength rather than fat. She looked like she could knock out any man nearby with a single blow.

She’s definitely not someone Dominic would ever want to get on the wrong side of.

She wore knee-length dark brown pants and a soft blue garment that hung loosely over her body, similar in style to the wedding outfits the brides wore. Her long brown hair was gathered into a single tail that hung down from the top of her head like the others. Her face was serious, her expression solemn, but her red eyes sparkled with amusement and liveliness.

This woman was the head of the settlement, the leader in both name and power. Until the next female chief came of age, she would continue to hold that position.

"Men can’t be trusted for much," she said frankly, looking Dominic up and down with interest. "But you, you’ve got potential. It’s a shame, really, that you’re an outsider. How about it? Can you changed your mind? You could stay here, you know."

She even gave him a bold wink.

Dominic politely declined, of course.