The Rogue Villager Chen Erbao

The main area of the Lijiang City District wasn't large. Aside from the ancient town—a popular tourist spot—and a few bustling commercial streets, the rest was either factories or hundreds of miles of primal mountain forests.

Predators lurked, lying in wait.

Chen Erbao returned to the Vienna Hotel with a terrified Wang Mian. He took the raw jade to his room and immediately got to work cutting it.

Although he didn't have a proper cutting machine, projecting his Spiritual Power was far more effective.

He worked until past six in the evening before stopping, satisfied with his efforts. Looking at the seven Spirit-Containing Objects in his hands, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Taking the Spirit-Containing Objects with him, Chen Erbao got in his car and drove off.

Medicine King Hall had a branch in Lijiang; after all, Dian Nan was mountainous and produced a rich supply of medicinal herbs. The person in charge of the Lijiang area was a relative of the Lin Family, one of Lin Zhiqing's cousins.

Chen Erbao had already contacted him. He arrived at Medicine King Hall that evening, handed over the Spirit-Containing Objects, and asked his contact to arrange for someone to deliver them to Jiangnan Province.

With his business concluded, Chen Erbao drove back to the Vienna Hotel, quickly ate dinner, and returned to his room to rest.

He slept well, but the Xie Family was in an uproar.

Xie Yuan stood in the villa's courtyard, erupting in a furious rage. "Motherfucker! Find him! Keep a close eye on that son of a bitch. The moment he dares to leave Lijiang, I want him dead on the road!"

They had already made arrangements at the airport. It would be virtually impossible for Chen Erbao to buy a plane ticket to leave.

"Young Master, from what you've said, Yang Bo couldn't even last a single round against him. The man might be a Grandmaster!"

The Xie Family was a prominent local family, and the one who spoke was their hired advisor.

The advisor's name was Hou Jiufang.

In his youth, he had been a tough figure who had seen the world. While not a Grandmaster, his physical conditioning and martial skill were not to be underestimated. Most importantly, he was extremely well-connected. There wasn't a single famous elder in the martial arts world today that he didn't know.

Even if he went to Binhai or the Capital City, people still had to address him as Master Hou Jiu!

Ordinarily, for a man of his stature to be tucked away in Lijiang as the Xie Family's advisor was a true waste of his talents.

But there was a story behind it.

The old Patriarch of the Xie Family had saved Hou Jiufang's life years ago. Furthermore, Hou Jiufang wasn't young anymore and had already been planning to retire from the martial arts world. So, he took the opportunity to follow the old Patriarch back to Lijiang and settle down.

Training apprentices and maintaining order were still no problem for him.

His judgment was sharp. The moment he heard Xie Yuan's account, he knew Chen Erbao was highly skilled—his abilities were approaching the level of a Grandmaster.

Anyone who could take down Yang Bo, the "Gun King of the Jinsha River," so easily was definitely a formidable man. Even if he wasn't a Grandmaster, he had to be close!

But despite some apprehension, Hou Jiufang wasn't overly concerned.

'So what if he's a Grandmaster?'

Having witnessed countless upheavals over the years, he understood one truth deeply: Grandmasters were still human. A bullet to the head would make their brains "blossom" just the same.

'A hundred or so elite gunmen should be enough.'

Xie Yuan was bent on revenge, and the Xie Family elders supported him.

If anyone could just come to Lijiang and walk all over the Xie Family, how could they maintain their reputation?

"Go all out!"

Those were the exact words of the Xie Family elders.

As for angering Medicine King Hall, that was a problem for another day.

The Xie Family's businesses were in jade and smuggling. Medicine King Hall was relatively weak in these areas; their reach didn't extend that far.

After a flurry of arrangements, a dozen or so trucks carrying weapons and elite killers entered Lijiang City that very night.

This commotion didn't escape Cao Yang's notice. He was in his room at that moment; the woman beneath him moved on her own without prompting, while he himself was lost in thought about Chen Erbao.

Perhaps Yang Bo's warning had worked; he ultimately decided to wait and see if the Xie Family's plan would succeed.

'Fuck, what the hell is this? After all these years in the game, I run into a reckless punk like him!'

The angrier he got, the more he thought about it. He grabbed the woman's waist and thrusted violently for a moment, then began to shudder before everything fell silent.

As he sat on the sofa smoking a post-coital cigarette, his phone suddenly began to ring urgently.

Cao Yang picked up his phone and saw it was a call from his big boss.

"President Chen!"

"Xiaocao, I heard you had some trouble over there today?"

A calm, steady voice came from the other end of the line.

Cao Yang sat up straight and gave a bitter laugh. "President Chen, so you've heard... Sigh. I guess it was just an unlucky day. I ran into this reckless kid from out of town. I looked into him—he comes from an ordinary background. Must've been some kind of dumb luck that got him a partnership with Medicine King Hall. On top of that, it seems he's a Martial Arts Grandmaster!"

"In business, it's best to be on good terms with everyone. A young Grandmaster is a rare sight indeed. You need to handle this with care," President Chen advised.

Cao Yang nodded. "Don't worry, President Chen. The Xie Family was humiliated even worse today. They're already preparing to make a move. I'll watch from the sidelines for now. If things go south, I'll just have to eat the loss."

"Alright, handle it as you see fit..."

President Chen hung up, leaving Cao Yang alone in the room to ponder.

...

The night passed without incident. The next day, Chen Erbao woke up early.

After a night's rest, his exhausted Divine Sense finally returned to its peak.

After practicing his forms for a while in the suite's living room, Chen Erbao went downstairs.

Wang Mian had prepared breakfast. While Chen Erbao ate, Wang Mian spoke, his tone grave.

"President Chen, we've received word that the Xie Family gathered their men last night. It looks like they're planning to make a move..."

Chen Erbao waved a hand dismissively. "Let them. Don't worry about it. We'll handle whatever they throw at us. Besides, I've been itching for a fight. Let's see what they've got!"

Seeing Chen Erbao's confidence, Wang Mian said no more.

After finishing his meal, Chen Erbao packed his luggage and drove to the train station.

The flights to the Banna District had been suspended last night. Chen Erbao guessed the Xie Family was pulling strings, so he decided to just take the train.

Time was tight, and with nothing of value left for him in Lijiang City, he didn't want to waste any more time here.

All in all, he had gathered more than ten Spirit-Containing Objects. After going to the Banna District and collecting another dozen or so, he could head home.

Wang Mian had offered to drive Chen Erbao to the train station, but Chen Erbao, worried the Xie Family might attack them en route, decided to go by himself.

He was fearless on his own, ready to walk through fire and water. Bringing someone else along would only get in the way.

Sure enough, just as his car pulled out from the Vienna Hotel, a few tails started following!

Chen Erbao glanced in his rearview mirror and saw two or three black Jeeps tailing him.

They were sticking close, making no effort to hide their intentions.

Chen Erbao glanced out the window, a plan already forming in his mind.

BANG!

Before he could act, a head poked out of the Jeep behind them. The man was holding a Type 54 "Black Star" pistol and began firing targeted shots at Chen Erbao's car.

The shooter's aim was good. In just a few shots, one of Chen Erbao's rearview mirrors was blown off. The car's body rang out—CLANG! CLANG!—as bullets hammered dents into the metal.

"Fuck!"

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