Chapter Five: Forged Letters
1178 Words
After hitting me in the back with the bottle, the man actually charged straight at me. Seeing this, I stepped forward to meet him head on and sent him flying sideways with a single kick.
He rolled several times on the ground, stunned by the blow and unable to get up for a moment. He had already been fighting with a group of thugs, and when they saw this, several of them rushed toward me.
“Damn it.”
Lu Yifa clearly had not expected that someone would dare cause trouble in what was practically his territory. Whether drunk or simply reckless, these people had crossed a line.
He grabbed a stool and hurled it at the group. Caught off guard, one of them was knocked aside. After that, Lu Yifa picked up a wine bottle and a wooden plank from nearby, ready to fight.
“Bastards,” he cursed.
He pulled out his phone and made a call, swearing as he spoke. “A few punks think they can stir up trouble here? Bring some people to the night market behind the restaurant.”
Although Lu Yifa and I were both capable, two people could not easily hold off many attackers. We dodged and countered, striking when opportunities appeared, and for a time the situation remained locked in a stalemate.
Just then, a series of heavy footsteps came from the alley beside the restaurant, as if a group of people were running toward us.
I turned my head and was surprised to see Uncle Hammer emerge first.
“Hammer, over here!” Lu Yifa shouted, knocking another man to the ground before waving frantically.
“Damn it.”
Uncle Hammer cursed loudly when he saw the scene. With a wave of his hand, more than ten burly men rushed out behind him and charged straight at the troublemakers.
The outcome was immediate. Those men were clearly skilled, and within moments the thugs were completely subdued.
“What started this?” Uncle Hammer asked.
The thugs were forced to squat to one side. Hammer, Lu Yifa, and I found a few relatively clean stools and sat down. Apart from the stall owner staring at the mess with a pained expression, the street was now empty except for us.
“It was him,” one of the men said loudly, pointing at a thug.
Among the group was a man with fairly decent looks. I honestly could not understand what kind of eyes he had to behave like this.
“Squat down. Who told you to stand up?” one of Hammer’s men snapped, kicking him back into place.
“Xiao Tian, is that true?” Uncle Hammer asked calmly.
It was clear Hammer knew him. The thug nodded miserably. “Uncle Hammer, I might mess around, but I’d never dare offend you. This was all a misunderstanding.”
“A misunderstanding, after smashing things in my place?” Hammer said coldly. “You think that’s enough?”
The thug had no answer and could only look at me helplessly.
“Uncle Hammer, let’s just forget it,” I said. “It’s late.”
I had only gone out to eat and never expected this kind of trouble. Now that things had settled, I had no desire to pursue it further.
Hammer nodded, then scanned the group. “Who was the one that hit my man with a bottle? Step forward.”
One of them panicked and tried to run, but was immediately grabbed and dragged back.
“You little bastard, trying to run?” Hammer said, his eyes icy.
With a wave of his hand, several men rushed in and beat him down. The others trembled in fear.
“Enough,” Hammer said after a while.
The man lay unconscious on the ground, badly beaten but not dead.
“You’ll compensate the owner for his losses,” Hammer said. “If I see you again causing trouble, I’ll deal with you myself.”
The thugs nodded frantically.
Hammer patted my shoulder, signaling me to head back. Lu Yifa also stood up and led the men back toward the restaurant.
Aside from a rumpled shirt, Lu Yifa was not seriously injured. He really was nimble for someone of his build.
“Uncle Hammer, can I ask you for a favor?” I said.
“Go ahead,” he replied easily.
I took an envelope from my bag and handed it to him. On it was an address in Luoping County, Yunnan Province.
“I want you to help me check this address and look into a few things.”
Hammer frowned after glancing at it. “Luoping County? Why there?”
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“Nothing,” he said slowly. “It’s just that Second Master recently took action on something.”
“What kind of action?”
“Tomb raiding,” he said quietly.
He patted my shoulder again. “Don’t worry. I’ll look into it for you.”
After that, we went back inside. I thanked the men who had been disturbed, which left them looking both flattered and surprised.
Back in my room, I lay down, thinking about Second Grandpa’s upcoming expedition and Li Yuan. If Li Yuan truly sent that letter, why had he said so little? All it contained was an address.
Early the next morning, I got up, washed, and stepped outside to see Lu Yifa waiting.
“Let’s eat first. Second Master wants to see you later.”
I nodded without asking more.
After breakfast, Lu Yifa led me to the courtyard again and left. When I entered, my second grandfather was sitting in the same place as before.
“Xiaoyu,” he said, “where did this envelope come from?”
He took out the envelope I had given Uncle Hammer.
“I got it from Hammer. He didn’t write it,” I said.
He listened without reacting much, though his brows remained tightly knit.
“Let me see the letter inside.”
I handed it to him.
“Hmph. A fake,” he said, tossing it onto the table.
“A fake?” I said in disbelief. I knew Li Yuan’s handwriting well.
“That’s right,” he replied. “The Zhou and Li families have both been searching for Li Yuan. I’ve studied his handwriting closely.”
I was stunned. I had heard nothing about this.
“Some things aren’t told to you for your own good,” he continued. “This matter runs deep.”
No matter how much I asked, he refused to say more.
“In a few days, you’ll come with me to Luoping County,” he said at last. “Hammer has already gone ahead. News of Li Yuan has surfaced there.”
I left in a daze. I had never expected to hear anything about Li Yuan so soon.
In a few days, I would be heading to Luoping County with my second grandfather. Whether the journey would be smooth, I had no way of knowing. Everything was still uncertain.
- Writer
