Chapter 5 A Small Test
1317 Words
Chapter 5 A Small Test of Skill "Xiao He, don't go!"
Chen Xiao He jumped to his feet, ready to rush forward and fight Zhou Defa, but was grabbed and held back by the injured old man.
Looking at his withered hands, the pleading look on his old face, his stubborn fists clenched, his eyes glaring at Zhou Defa, trembling violently.
"You brat, those eyes are so fierce, do you want to beat up your master?
Come on, take this kid down, your master wants to teach him a lesson himself.
Haha!"
Zhou Defa laughed wildly, his gold teeth gleaming brightly.
The scene was filled with righteous indignation.
The men, gritting their teeth, wanted to step forward to stop him, but were held back by those they feared.
The people living in this slum were, after all, a vulnerable group, how could they possibly fight against a landlord protected by wicked servants?
Just then, a sudden clap of thunder rang out from the crowd, causing Zhou Defa's fat body to jerk violently.
"Zhou Defa, do you want to die?!"
The voice, imbued with true energy, boomed like thunder, startling Zhou Defa, who turned to look at the source of the sound.
At the entrance to the courtyard, the crowd parted to both sides, and a young man slowly emerged.
He was about 1.7 meters tall, thin, dressed in clothing incongruous with the world around him, his handsome face contorted with anger, as if a raging fire of fury was burning within him.
Upon seeing him, Zhou Defa paused slightly, then hesitated for a few seconds before bursting into laughter.
"Lin Hao, you silly boy, you've come at the perfect time.
Come here quickly, pay me back for my medical bills."
Zhou Defa was a businessman who had amassed a considerable fortune in his earlier years by reselling medicinal herbs and spirit hides.
In recent years, after the medicinal herbs and spirit hides were monopolized by large families, he bought a property and dozens of acres of land in Qingyun City, steadily earning rent and becoming a landlord.
This slum area was one of his properties.
Normally, relying on his wealth and power, he often acted arrogantly and domineeringly.
Meanwhile, he had long coveted Lin Xue, the granddaughter of the Lin family, but Lin Hao had always thwarted his attempts.
This time, hearing that Lin Hao had suffered a head injury in the arena, greatly reducing his strength, and had been missing for several days, possibly gone missing, he seized the opportunity to cause trouble, attempting to take Lin Xue away.
To prevent Lin Hao from suddenly appearing, he also brought two skilled fighters.
If Lin Hao were to return, with his current strength, he would be no match for two martial artists.
Zhou Defa looked at Lin Hao with a mocking expression, as if he could already see him being beaten to his knees and begging for mercy.
"Brother."
Although he couldn't see, his pale face was noticeably more radiant.
Chen Xiaohe and his companions also felt a glimmer of hope, as if Lin Hao were their savior at this moment.
"Lin Hao, don't rush in.
Landlord Zhou brought thugs today.
They're very powerful, all mid-level martial artists."
A neighbor reminded Lin Hao, who was injured and no match for them.
Lin Hao waved his hand, sneered, and stepped forward. "Zhou Defa, how much do you want me to pay?"
Zhou Defa laughed loudly, "Originally, I wanted a hundred taels of silver, but considering so many people pleaded for you, I'll give you eighty taels. I'll forgive you then."
Lin Hao sized up the overweight middle-aged man, then his gaze settled on his large face. He said disdainfully, "You think your pig-headed face is worth eighty taels of silver?"
Zhou Defa was stunned for a moment, then roared like a mad boar, "You i***t, you dare insult me?
Fine.
Lin Hao, I know you won't come out. I won't waste my breath on you. Men, take this little b***h back to the manor!"
"Yes, sir."
The two burly men behind him laughed loudly, their hands reaching for Lin Xue's weak body.
"Wait!"
"What's wrong, Lin Hao? Getting anxious now?
Where did your arrogance go? You were cursing me earlier!"
Seeing Lin Hao's anxiety, Zhou Defa felt a surge of superiority, as if he controlled someone else's fate. "If you want to save your sister, kneel down and kowtow. Kneel a hundred times, and I'll forgive your disrespect.
Kneel two hundred times, and I'll waive half the cost of your medicine.
Kneel five hundred times, and I'll let you go today!"
"No need. Eighty taels of silver, I'll pay!"
Pay?
Can you even afford that?
Zhou Defa sneered, but before he could finish speaking, his disdainful expression turned to surprise at a glittering silver ingot.
Lin Hao pulled a gleaming silver ingot from his robes and held it high. Under the light, the large silver ingot almost blinded Zhou Defa.
One hundred taels of silver!
A gasp of surprise echoed from the small courtyard.
Zhou Defa was equally astonished.
No one could have imagined that the impoverished Lin Hao could suddenly produce so much money.
Given the income levels of people living in the slums, one hundred taels of silver would take years to accumulate.
Zhou Defa didn't believe Lin Hao was so wealthy, but the gleaming silver before him couldn't lie.
He was displeased. He had come for Lin Xue, and now that Lin Hao had produced a hundred taels of silver, how could he possibly take advantage?
"Give it to me."
But why not take the hundred taels of silver? Consider it travel expenses.
Zhou Defa snorted and reached for the silver ingot in Lin Hao's hand. Just then, Lin Hao's lips curled into a strange arc.
The gleaming silver ingot arced away from Zhou Defa's hand, then with a "smack," landed heavily on Zhou Defa's forehead. A shocking stream of water instantly cascaded down Zhou Defa's balding forehead.
The sudden turn of events stunned everyone.
The previously noisy courtyard fell silent.
People stared blankly at Zhou Defa, his forehead stained crimson, a look of disbelief on his face, all expressions of shock on their faces.
Even the two thugs Zhou Defa had brought were dumbfounded, standing frozen in place.
He had actually broken Zhou Defa's head?
Ah!
Zhou Defa's pig-like gruesome state jolted everyone awake.
He scrambled backward, only to be grabbed by the collar by Lin Hao and pulled forward.
Smack!
A silver ingot flashed across the surface, striking Zhou Defa's face again, shattering his nose and spitting blood.
"Landlord Zhou, here's 100 taels of silver, take it."
At this moment, Lin Hao was smiling, but that bright smile was more terrifying than a demon in Zhou Defa's eyes.
He never imagined that the honest, simple-minded fool from before would be so ruthless.
Looking at the face before him, terrified of dying, he finally panicked and stammered, "You, you, what are you doing?"
"Your face is worth eighty taels of silver, isn't it? I'll buy it.
Keep the change."
Lin Hao's generous words left him speechless, yet also relieved. He then raised the silver ingot in his hand and smashed it down on Lin Hao's face.
"Stop!"
Two burly thugs finally reacted, shouting as they lunged at Lin Hao.
They were thugs hired by Zhou Defa, receiving their commissions. If they allowed Lin Hao to smash the silver ingot on Landlord Zhou's head any longer, their good days would be over.
The two men charged at Lin Hao menacingly, one of them wielding a steel knife.
The knife, imbued with true energy, gleamed faintly as it sliced through the air.
"Impressive."
Lin Hao immediately sensed the aura emanating from the blue-clad martial artist, but he didn't panic. On the contrary, he felt excited, as this was his first time fighting against someone.
- Writer
