The two men behind the burly guy, holding water guns, couldn't hold back any longer.
With twisted expressions, they surged forward, intending to beat up Li Chonglou.
But the burly guy stopped them.
"We are civilized people. It's too shameful to fight with this kind of uncultured ruffian," the burly guy said, his face radiating a deep-seated sense of superiority.
He reached down and pulled the girl up from the ground.
He handed her over to his subordinate to take care of.
Then, he walked up to Li Chonglou, looking down at him, their eyes meeting.
His eyes overflowed with mockery. He extended a finger and lightly tapped Li Chonglou's chest.
"I'll give you a chance to apologize to my sister."
"Otherwise, I don't mind teaching a farmer like you, someone I'd never normally interact with, a thing or two about social etiquette and order."
His words were filled with condescending superiority.
This was simply because he had detected a slight Qin Province accent in Li Chonglou's voice.
That small place, Qin Province.
In the eyes of Yong'an people, it was nothing more than the countryside.
A country bumpkin from the rural areas, showing up on his turf, knocking over his sister,
And then daring to tell him to move aside.
How arrogant could he get?
Normally, if Xu Tianyou so much as glanced at a farmer like this, he'd consider it a loss.
But in front of his sister today, if he didn't properly deal with this blind bumpkin, wouldn't he be seen as weak?
"Even if I were a farmer, it's not your place to teach me," Li Chonglou said, his face chilling as he blocked Xu Tianyou. "A good dog doesn't block the way. It turns out city folk are even worse than dogs."
He hadn't done anything. The moment he walked in, he was targeted.
The perpetrator next to him said nothing, clearly enjoying the spectacle.
And his elder brother was spewing insults and causing trouble.
Li Chonglou, who didn't have a good temper to begin with, and was also anxious about the whereabouts of his mother and wife, naturally wouldn't speak mildly.
Hearing this, Xu Tianyou's facial muscles twitched. Before he could speak, a subordinate holding an M14 exploded into action.
He lunged forward with a kick aimed at Li Chonglou's stomach, cursing, "Kid, you're looking for death!"
Li Chonglou subtly shifted his gaze, reached out to block, and nudged the man's leg away.
With a slight exertion of force, he sent the man toppling over.
The water gun in his hand snapped in two as he fell.
It wasn't real metal, after all.
"F*ck your mom, do you know how much this gun costs, country bumpkin!" the other man roared, his eyes nearly popping out.
Li Chonglou's movement was barely perceptible. To an outsider, it looked like a mere brush.
Not only did he knock over his companion, but he also broke his gun.
They had spent no less than a hundred thousand to custom-make this all-carbon fiber water gun.
Such a toy was enough for an ordinary person to work for two years.
And now, it was broken by Li Chonglou.
It wasn't just about the money; a hundred thousand wasn't much to them.
But to get another custom one, it would take at least a year.
Their cherished possession was destroyed, and their anger was imaginable.
This time, even Xu Tianyou's eyes twitched, and veins bulged on his forehead.
Only the young girl's expression was different. She had initially been watching the drama unfold with delight, but seeing Li Chonglou standing calmly and knocking down her brother's subordinate, she couldn't help but feel a surge of admiration.
Her brother annoyed her to death every day, and even dragged her to the club for training. It was hardly a life for humans.
She had just tried to sneak away when she was caught.
She couldn't win in a fight, and she couldn't win an argument.
She was angry when she bumped into the door, but seeing that Li Chonglou had some skill, she felt a flicker of joy.
If only she could use an outsider to teach her brother a lesson and curb his arrogance.
With this thought, the young girl couldn't hide the mischievous smile on her face.
"Brother Tianyou, I'll call someone right now. If I don't break his legs today, I won't be able to swallow this anger," the subordinate whose gun was broken struggled to get up, his face turning purple, his eyes filled with immense hatred.
"Don't worry, I'm here. I'll make this farmer give you an explanation," Xu Tianyou waved his hand, his voice turning cold as he warned, "Kid, you've crossed my line again and again."
"First, you knocked over my sister, and now you've broken my brother's gun."
"Now, get on your knees and apologize immediately."
"Then, pay me a hundred thousand, and I'll let you go."
"This is your last chance."
With that, a sinister glint flashed in Xu Tianyou's eyes.
He had reached the limit of his patience.
If he hadn't been released from custody less than a year ago, he would have slapped Li Chonglou by now.
But this farmer, stubbornly, didn't understand.
This only fueled his rage.
If it continued like this, he'd rather go back to jail, but he'd make Li Chonglou beg for mercy on his knees today.
"It wasn't me who bumped into her, and it certainly wasn't me who broke the gun. I'll say it again, move aside!" Li Chonglou was also starting to get angry.
When the scholar meets the soldier, there's no reasoning.
He didn't have time to check the surveillance footage.
If it really came to a fight, was he afraid of these ordinary people?
He simply didn't want to bully the weak.
But Xu Tianyou's constant reference to him as a farmer and his demand for an apology had completely extinguished his interest in further conversation.
"I think you're looking for death. My boss told you to kneel, and you dare not kneel!" another subordinate said, kicking at Li Chonglou's knee joint.
*Slap!*
This time, Li Chonglou didn't even bother to dodge.
He took the kick head-on, remaining unmoved.
Instead, the subordinate who kicked him had his entire face contorted in pain, sweat beading on his forehead.
"A martial artist?" Now, Xu Tianyou finally saw that Li Chonglou was no ordinary person.
His expression also began to turn serious.
Although his two subordinates weren't trained martial artists, they had been honing their skills in the water gun scene for years, and their agility was not comparable to ordinary people.
Li Chonglou hadn't even moved much, yet he had sent both of them crying out in pain.
It was clear that without some skill, this was impossible.
He realized he might have underestimated Li Chonglou.
But that didn't matter.
Who couldn't practice martial arts?
He had been fond of fighting and boxing since childhood, dabbling in Western boxing and Eastern ancient martial arts. He could easily handle one or two people barehanded.
Could he be afraid of Li Chonglou?
"Kid, I've already given you a chance. Even the police won't be able to save you today!" Xu Tianyou's face darkened, and he reached out to grab Li Chonglou's shoulder.
His grip was powerful.
What seemed like a grab was actually a palm strike.
It was clearly intended to use the force of this palm to make Li Chonglou kneel on the ground.
To regain his lost face.
Li Chonglou remained unmoved, with no intention of dodging, watching Xu Tianyou coldly.
If this man's hand dared to touch his body, his fate would be even worse than his subordinates.
He had said enough.
Any more wasted words, he would find tedious.
"Stop!" Just then, a clear voice, like a silver bell, rang out.
Xu Tianyou's palm, just about to touch Li Chonglou's shoulder, stopped.
He turned his head at the sound.
The fierceness on his face vanished, replaced by gentleness.
Where his gaze fell, a young girl was elegantly walking towards them.
With every movement, she exuded an unusual, soft beauty.
The girl was tall, at least 1.75 meters, but her proportions were extremely perfect, giving no impression of awkward height.
Coupled with her inherent gentle demeanor, she was exceptionally striking.
"Ping'er, why are you here?" Xu Tianyou asked, scratching his head.
"Sister Ping'er, my brother is bullying me again, and he's going to trouble someone else." The young girl, seeing this, immediately rushed to the girl named Ping'er, taking her arm and pouting, "You have to side with me. He only knows how to torment me all day. Only you can handle him."
"Tianyou, do you want to go in for assault again?" Liu Ping'er walked up to the crowd, her brows furrowing as she reprimanded him, "One cannot repeat the same mistake. "
"Ling'er having a brother like you, I truly worry for her."
Hearing this, Xu Tianyou's expression froze, his eyes full of grievance.
He wanted to explain but couldn't.
He could only watch as Liu Ping'er walked up to Li Chonglou, her face breaking into a smile as she apologized, "Guest, I am truly sorry."
"My friend is too hot-tempered and speaks without restraint, causing you alarm."
"To express my apology, you will have your next three visits to the club paid for by me."
"Would that be acceptable?"
Graceful and elegant, like bathing in a spring breeze.
These simple words were insufficient to describe the girl's demeanor.
At least, Li Chonglou, who had lived two lives, was inwardly impressed.
He had met many women who spoke comfortably.
But someone like Liu Ping'er, who made one feel like bathing in a spring breeze, was perhaps only comparable to his senior sister.
With her words, what else could he do?
He followed her lead, nodded, and asked, "Are you the boss here?"
"I'm not here to play. I'm here to find Yan Bin's belongings."
"He has a private room at the club. Please take me there."
Upon hearing the name Yan Bin, a flicker of surprise crossed Liu Ping'er's eyes, but it quickly vanished.
She refused, "I'm sorry."
"Our club has a rule that no one is allowed to enter private spaces, including myself."
"May I ask what your relationship with Yan Bin is?"
"No relationship."
Li Chonglou answered truthfully, "But he has something that is very important to me, and it might be here."
"He is already dead. If I don't get the item, more people will die."
Who couldn't lie?
But facing Liu Ping'er, he found he didn't want to lie.
Telling the truth felt more straightforward.
"Yan Bin is dead?" The moment Liu Ping'er's expression shifted slightly, Xu Tianyou exploded.
He grabbed Li Chonglou's collar with both hands and roared, "How is that possible? I saw him just a few days ago!"
"Tell me, how did he die!"
His demeanor was so agitated, as if a close relative had passed away.
Not only him, but the young girl who had been grinning moments ago, froze upon hearing this.
Tears streamed down from her beautiful large eyes.
She murmured, "Brother Yan Bin, no, he was a good person, he wouldn't die..."
"This is not the place to talk. Come inside!" Liu Ping'er's voice also held a hint of choked emotion, but it was well hidden.
After giving Li Chonglou a deep look, she turned and walked away with the young girl.
Xu Tianyou, as if receiving an order, controlled his rage and released Li Chonglou's collar.
However, the anger and hostility in his eyes did not diminish at all.
"It seems that people from an orphanage are them," Li Chonglou mused as he walked behind them.
He already knew Yan Bin's background quite well.
The information Wu Hao had investigated included several of Yan Bin's siblings from the same orphanage.
The expressions of these people clearly matched the description.
It seemed that to open Yan Bin's room and retrieve the item, he would first have to deal with these people.
Especially that beautiful woman named Liu Ping'er.