The few customers in the store also changed their expressions and retreated to a corner.
This era was unlike thirty years ago when one could see countless people fighting bloody battles in the street.
With such a violent conflict suddenly erupting, everyone feared getting caught in trouble.
"Wait, I am the owner of this store. Let's sort things out before you start fighting," Li Chonglou stepped forward before Lin Weiwei could speak.
He had already inspected the items in the store. Although there were many common goods, none of them were fake.
Ning Lang's discernment was still some distance from his own, but he was also a seasoned expert. Whether for maintaining his reputation or for making money, he wouldn't sell fakes.
These people, on the other hand, looked ferocious and nothing like antique collectors. They seemed more like they were deliberately looking for trouble.
To be so arrogant on Zeng Wang's territory, Li Chonglou had no idea who these people were.
He needed to figure it out to prevent future problems.
"You are the owner?" the middle-aged man leading the group glanced at Li Chonglou, narrowing his eyes as he sized him up.
A cold sneer appeared on his face. "Then that's good. Since you're here, you have to give us an explanation."
"My subordinate bought a snuff bottle from your store the day before yesterday, and it turned out to be fake."
"You have quite the nerve to cheat even my men. What gives you the right?"
As he spoke, the middle-aged man produced a small, golden-red snuff bottle.
Li Chonglou's eyes flickered. He could tell at a glance that it was a simulated antique made of plastic.
He asked, "Weiwei, did we sell this item in our store?"
"We did. We did sell a golden amber snuff bottle the day before yesterday," Lin Weiwei replied, nodding. "It was sold for eighteen thousand yuan."
"Who brought this snuff bottle here?" Li Chonglou continued to ask.
"Brother Ning."
Lin Weiwei's answer was exactly as Li Chonglou had expected.
Upon hearing this, Li Chonglou turned to the middle-aged man. "Golden amber and plastic are very easy to distinguish. Any antique or collectible enthusiast with even a little skill can tell the difference with the naked eye."
"Even if it's a fake, it wouldn't be made with such crude methods."
"Please leave. This item is not from our store."
Li Chonglou's confident reply stemmed from his trust in Ning Lang.
How could the underground emperor of Yong'an, who was also obsessed with antiques, fail to distinguish between golden amber and plastic?
Moreover, given his character, he would never knowingly sell fakes.
This was his confidence.
"Nonsense! You say it's not yours just because you say so?" The middle-aged man's eyes glinted with ferocity as he pointed at Li Chonglou and unleashed a torrent of insults.
"If you curse again, I'm calling the police!" Lin Weiwei couldn't stand it. She gathered her courage, stood beside Li Chonglou, and warned him.
"Calling the police?" The middle-aged man's face twitched, and he sneered, "Try it!"
"All unrelated individuals, get out of here now, or I won't be responsible if you break your arms or legs."
With a fierce shout, the customers' faces turned ashen, and they fled in a panic.
They only dared to watch from a distance.
Other merchants and customers in the mall were also drawn by the commotion and gathered outside to watch the spectacle.
"That antique store is quite something, daring to sell fakes. Aren't they ruining the reputation of our Ginza?"
"Who's to say otherwise? That young girl probably doesn't even understand antiques herself. If it was intentional, she's even more detestable. No wonder people came looking for her."
"You don't know anything. I've seen the leader before. He's the owner of an antique shop on the outer street."
"They've only been open for a few days and they've already offended someone. Tsk tsk… this is going to be good."
...
The crowd buzzed with discussions, their voices low, but Li Chonglou could still hear them.
So they were here to cause trouble, no wonder they could pass off a plastic snuff bottle as an antique.
It was true that competitors were enemies. By opening his store in Ginza, he had undoubtedly snatched away the meager business that man already had.
It was reasonable for him to come and cause trouble.
However, he had chosen the wrong target.
Li Chonglou's expression darkened, and he asked coldly, "This is a society governed by law. If you smash my store, aren't you afraid you can't afford to pay for it?"
"Kid, are you threatening me?" The middle-aged man's face changed slightly.
He hadn't expected Li Chonglou to be so calm. Most people would either pay to avoid trouble or panic.
His intention was to tarnish the reputation of this store and eliminate a competitor.
He didn't actually intend to smash the store, nor did he have the courage to do so.
With cameras everywhere, if he really caused damage, he wouldn't be able to continue his business.
"Loose lips sink ships. Watch your mouth," Li Chonglou's eyes flashed with a cold glint.
He had grown up without a father and cared most about people speaking ill of his father. The middle-aged man was used to mouthing off, but he had undoubtedly touched Li Chonglou's raw nerve.
"Oh, really? Ignorance breeds fear," the middle-aged man said dismissively, his sneer intensifying. "Why don't you ask around who Old Wu the Sixth of East Street is?"
"You can't meddle in the antique business of Yong'an, a greenhorn like you."
"If you don't understand the rules, I'll teach you what they are."
"Tell me, how do you want to be compensated?"
With that, he turned his head, and his men immediately surrounded Li Chonglou and Lin Weiwei.
Lin Weiwei's delicate face turned ashen, as if facing a formidable enemy, and fine beads of sweat trickled down her forehead.
After all, she was a girl and had never witnessed such a scene. If it weren't for Li Chonglou, her backbone, she would have likely gone blank by now.
But Li Chonglou knew that these scoundrels wouldn't dare to act for the moment; they just wanted to intimidate them.
If he still had his inner energy, he would have thrown them all out of the store.
Unfortunately, he was just an ordinary person now and wouldn't have the advantage in a physical confrontation.
However, Li Chonglou remained completely unfazed. Instead, he pulled Lin Weiwei over and sat down on a chair, calmly saying, "You are extorting me. The security cameras in the store have recorded everything. You won't get a penny. If I were you, I'd leave quickly."
"Otherwise, you won't be able to leave at all in a little while."
"Hahaha… you dare to threaten me?" Old Wu the Sixth was so enraged he burst into laughter, a sinister glint flashing in his eyes.
He hadn't expected this twenty-something young man to be so troublesome.
He was neither yielding nor aggressive, and he even dared to threaten him back.
This was outrageous!
He, Old Wu the Sixth, was quite a well-known figure in this area, not just in the antique circle but also having ties to the underworld.
Otherwise, his business wouldn't have grown so large.
Now, to be outmaneuvered by a mere brat, his anger was understandable.
Pointing at Li Chonglou, his fleshy face trembled, and he revealed a ferocious expression, "You little bastard, do you believe I can stop you from leaving this door? Do you believe I can fucking kill you?"
"Even the most powerful people in all of Yong'an have to show me respect. What are you, some kind of trash, daring to be so defiant?"
"If you know what's good for you, hurry up and kneel, and maybe I, Old Wu, will take pity and let you off."
"Otherwise..."
Old Wu the Sixth's tone was incredibly arrogant, as if he were the sole emperor of Yong'an.
Self-important and superior.
He didn't regard Li Chonglou as a person at all.
"Just you?" Li Chonglou was amused by his arrogance. "Even Old Ghost wouldn't dare to speak to me with such a tone."
This was a place of business, not a place for displaying brute force.
With so many people gathered outside, if a fight broke out, business would be ruined for a long time.
His reputation, not yet established, would be dragged through the mud, making it difficult to recover later.
However, this Old Wu the Sixth clearly had no intention of letting them off.
"Kid, how dare you mention Old Ghost?" Old Wu the Sixth said with disdain. "You only dare to use a dead person to show off, thinking you're so great."
"Yong'an now belongs to Wolf Lord."
"I am Wolf Lord's subordinate. Offending me is equivalent to offending Wolf Lord. Believe it or not, you won't be able to stay in Yong'an."
Li Chonglou chuckled at the mention of Wolf Lord. "Wolf Lord, what a grand title."
"Ning Lang truly has poor judgment, to even take in trash like you as a subordinate."
"Wouldn't it be a laughingstock if this got out?"
Since he was Ning Lang's subordinate, it would be easier to handle. This kind of scum who used Ning Lang's name to deceive others should be taught a lesson.
"You're courting death! How dare you disrespect Wolf Lord!" Old Wu the Sixth's face changed drastically, and he shouted sternly, "Er Dan, break his arm for me!"
"If you end up in jail, I'll take care of your mother for you."
Behind him, a burly man with a wide brow, who looked unintelligent but was strong and sturdy, immediately moved towards Li Chonglou.
Lin Weiwei was so terrified her body stiffened.
If it were in the past, Li Chonglou wouldn't have cared about such a傻乎乎 (foolish) brute.
But now that he had no inner energy, he wouldn't be able to defeat this person in terms of strength.
Just as he was about to suffer a disadvantage.
At that moment, a commotion erupted from the crowd outside.
"Make way! All of you, make way!" Then, Zheng Rui's impatient voice sounded from outside.
The strong man called Er Dan, attracted by the commotion, stopped.
Old Wu the Sixth also turned to look, his expression excited, and hurried to the entrance. "Dong… Dong Ge, why are you here?"
*Bang!*
Before he could finish speaking, Zheng Rui kicked him. "Are you blind? Don't you see Wolf Lord is here?"
"What are you doing here with these men?"
Almost falling over from Zheng Rui's kick, Old Wu the Sixth quickly looked towards the outer perimeter of the crowd.
Ning Lang, with his hands behind his back, strode in with two bodyguards.
"It's Brother Ning…" Lin Weiwei exclaimed.
After Li Chonglou left, Ning Lang had been visiting irregularly, partly to discuss business with Zeng Wang and partly to help look after the store.
"Get ready to watch the show," Li Chonglou smiled slightly, knowing that it would end here today.
He hadn't even sent a message to Ning Lang, and Ning Lang had come on his own. What a coincidence.
"Kid, you're just waiting to die. Dong Ge and Wolf Lord are here. Even the king of heaven can't save you today!" Old Wu the Sixth scrambled to his feet and shouted triumphantly.
Zheng Rui hadn't paid attention to the store initially, but he looked inside because of Old Wu the Sixth's words.
The moment his eyes met Li Chonglou's, his pupils widened dramatically. "Master Lou… Master Lou is back…"
He would never forget the fear he was once dominated by Li Chonglou.
Ning Lang had already reached the front of the store by then.
Old Wu the Sixth, holding the fake snuff bottle, pretended to complain, "Wolf Lord, you must uphold justice for me. I bought a fake item from this store the day before yesterday."
"The owner is an ignorant punk who doesn't respect you, Wolf Lord, at all."
"He even boasted about killing you."
"It's him..."
As he spoke, he pointed at Li Chonglou.