July in Taohua Village burned like a furnace. The sun hung overhead, vicious and white, and the heat pressed down so hard it made a man sweat through his bones.

Out in the reed marsh, Ethan Lorne, the village fool, waded through water that reached past his calves, feeling around for wild duck eggs.

Splash... splash...

A sound came from deep inside the thick reeds.

Ethan froze at once. He held his breath and crept over, light on his feet, parting the reeds with both hands.

The moment he looked through, his eyes went wide and round.

“Daisy Holloway!”

“Ah—!”

Daisy Holloway gave a sharp cry and whipped around, her pretty face going pale. Her eyes flashed over at him in alarm.

Then she saw who it was.

It was only Ethan, the foolish young neighbor.

She let out a breath, her chest easing, and scolded him in a soft, half-angry tone, “You scared me half to death. So it’s you. I thought some filthy bastard was peeping at me.”

Ethan blinked and asked with plain curiosity, “Sister Cuihua, what are you doing?”

Daisy shot him a look, half amused, half helpless. “You really are a fool. I’m bathing. It’s hot as hell today. I’m covered in sweat. Wash it off, and I’ll feel better.”

As she spoke, her gaze slid over him again. In her heart, she could not help sighing.

What a fine-looking young man.

Broad shoulders, straight back, good features too.

A real handsome lad.

What rotten fate, for him to end up a fool.

Three years ago, when she first married into Taohua Village, Ethan had still been a bright, lively young man. His mouth had always been sweet, running after her with “sister-in-law” this and “sister-in-law” that. She still remembered it clearly.

But heaven never lets people live easy.

Less than half a year after her marriage, her husband died in a mining accident and never came back.

“Ethan,” Daisy said at last, lowering her voice. Her face had already turned red. “These reeds are in the way. Pull some out for me.”

“Alright,” Ethan said at once, simple as ever. “But later, you gotta help me find wild duck eggs.”

He agreed with that same dazed honesty, not understanding a thing beneath her words. His mind was plainly slow, nowhere near sharp enough to catch it.

At a moment like this, and he was still thinking about duck eggs.

What a muddle-headed fool.

Daisy sighed to herself, but then another thought rose in her chest.

Maybe that was just as well.

With Ethan like this, no matter what she did next, he likely would not resist. He would only listen and do as she said.

A smile curved at her lips, soft and pretty.

“Fine,” she said. “Help me first, and your sister-in-law will help you look for duck eggs after.”

Ethan only cared about food. He gave a foolish grin, chuckling under his breath as he walked over, completely unaware that the brightest turn of his life was already upon him.

Then all at once, from the other side of the reeds, a man’s lewd voice drifted over.

It was dirty. Shameless. Enough to make the skin crawl.

“He’s a fool. What would he know? Better let me help you.”

Daisy Holloway gave a sharp scream. “Who’s there?” She whipped her head around, panic all over her face.

A rat-faced man pushed through the reeds. It was Dennis Sutton, the village thug. His eyes were shining as he stared at the pretty young widow in front of him, and he kept stepping closer, one step at a time.

Daisy Holloway was scared out of her wits. She staggered backward in the water, voice shaking. “Don’t come any closer. If you do, I’ll shout for help.”

Dennis Sutton let out a nasty laugh. “Nobody comes here. You can scream till your throat splits, and it won’t matter. You’ve been a widow for over two years. Who are you putting on an act for?”

The old rogue lunged like a starving tiger, rushing straight at Daisy Holloway, bent on doing something filthy.

Ethan Lorne moved fast and planted himself in front of her. His face was full of anger. “You can’t bully Sister Cuaihua. I won’t let you.”

“Get lost, damn idiot.” Dennis Sutton spat. “Stand aside, or I’ll kill you.”

Ethan Lorne was just a fool in his eyes. Dennis Sutton never took him seriously. He reached out and shoved hard, thinking he could brush the young man aside like it was nothing.

But he had not expected Ethan Lorne to slam both hands into him with a fierce push.

Splash!

Water flew up. Dennis Sutton stumbled backward, almost falling into the shallows.

He was old, after all. He did not have a young man’s strength anymore. Fool or not, Ethan Lorne was not so easy to handle.

“You little bastard, looking to die?” Dennis Sutton snarled. “Fine. I’ll grant it.”

Humiliated and enraged, he charged again. This time he grabbed Ethan Lorne by force and, under the water, hooked his leg in a dirty move.

Then he slammed Ethan Lorne down hard and shoved his head straight into the water.

Ethan Lorne’s mind had always been slow. He had no real way to fight back. With his face buried underwater, he could only thrash and struggle with all he had.

But it was useless.

All he could do was blow out a stream of bubbles. Gulu, gulu. His body jerked weaker and weaker. He was about to drown.

Daisy Holloway’s face went white. She rushed forward in a panic, grabbed Dennis Sutton’s arm with both hands, and screamed herself hoarse.

“You butcher! Let go of Ethan Lorne right now. You’re going to kill him!”

“Get the hell off me!”

Dennis Sutton flung his arm hard and threw Daisy Holloway down into the water.

Then the evil in him swelled even more. His face twisted, savage and ugly, as he kept forcing Ethan Lorne’s head down.

“You dare ruin my fun?” he roared. “I’ll make sure to deal with him…”

When Ethan Lorne stopped moving, the old bastard finally let up.

He didn’t care whether the fool was dead or alive. He turned at once and lunged at the woman who had just risen from the water. At the critical moment, Daisy Holloway fought like her life depended on it. She threw all her strength into resisting him, tangling with him in the reeds and shallows, fierce and desperate, with the look of a woman ready to die before yielding.

Dennis Sutton was past fifty. His build was nothing special to begin with. After beating on Ethan’s strong body just now, he was already bent with fatigue, chest heaving, breath ragged. For the moment, he couldn’t easily subdue a young widow in her twenties.

Still, the old rogue knew it well enough. A woman’s strength had its limit. It wouldn’t take long before Daisy ran out of fight, and then he’d have his way.

Not far off, Ethan had toppled into the water, unconscious, limp as a broken branch.

Beneath the water, a long snake covered from head to tail in golden scales glided over. In a flash, it bit Ethan on the leg. Then its whole body turned into a streak of golden light and bored straight into him.

In that instant, a mighty voice rang through his mind.

“The Dragon King enters your body to bring blessing to the common folk. I now bestow upon you the Dragon King Art. From this day on, heal the sick, save the dying, punish evil, uphold good, and stand proud between heaven and earth!”

Right after that, an ancient book blazing with golden light appeared in his mind. On the cover were three large characters.

Dragon King Art!

The pages, bright as if forged from pure gold, flipped open at high speed, revealing lines of titles.

The Divine Healer Canon, All Things Nourishing Art, Golden Eyes of Clairvoyance, and more.

Then they split apart, turning into countless floating three-dimensional characters and diagrams. They swirled around him before fading away without a trace.

At the same time, Ethan’s body began to change.

The muscles all over him swelled and tightened. Thick veins stood out beneath his skin. On his back, a golden dragon tattoo appeared, flashed twice, then sank back into his flesh.

When Ethan suddenly opened his eyes, a streak of gold swept through them.

The water below, muddied by the struggle just now, looked strangely clear to him. He could even see fish darting back and forth.

Then he noticed the churning water not far away. All at once, something struck him. He hurriedly lifted his head and turned to look.

Daisy Holloway was almost out of strength. Tears spilled from her eyes as she cried weakly,

“Ethan... wake up, hurry. Save me... save your sister-in-law.”

Dennis Sutton let out a savage laugh. “That fool’s as good as dead. No one’s coming to save you. Let me show you how I’ll deal with you. Hahahaha...”

“You beast! I won’t let you off!”

The roar ripped out of Ethan Lorne’s throat.

He charged like a trapped animal that had finally broken its cage, all red eyes and raw fury. In two strides he was on Dennis Sutton. He grabbed the man and rained fists and kicks on him without mercy. Thud after thud landed hard. Dennis cried out on the spot, his face swelling fast, nose bleeding, head spinning from the beating.

He did not dare act tough again.

He scrambled away in terror, rolling and crawling, then fled like a dog with its tail on fire.

Daisy Holloway saw all of it.

She stared, dazed, hardly believing the man before her was still that same Ethan Lorne. Shock and joy crashed together in her chest. Her eyes turned red at once, and tears spilled down her cheeks.

Then she rushed forward and threw herself into his arms.

Her body trembled. Her voice caught in her throat as she choked out, “You saved me… I have to repay you…”