Once the car reached the town, it headed toward Longyang Village.
The road here was quite remote, and there were very few vehicles and pedestrians in sight.
Lin Xiaolong furrowed his brow slightly and glanced into the rearview mirror. "Sis, there are two cars. It looks like they've been following us."
Chen Ying was startled and immediately looked into the rearview mirror, asking with a trace of panic, "Are they following us?"
Lin Xiaolong had already noticed the two cars right after they left the county seat, but there had been too much traffic on the road at the time, so he had only been suspicious and couldn't be certain.
Chen Ying had bought her small car only recently, and she had just gotten her driver's license, so her driving skills were average. Because of this, she had kept her speed at around fifty miles per hour.
The two cars behind them had not tried to overtake them at all; they had simply maintained a steady distance and followed behind.
Now that they were on the road leading to Longyang Village, the two cars were still tailing them closely.
Lin Xiaolong could now be certain that these two cars were definitely following the two of them.
"I think so," Lin Xiaolong said.
Chen Ying grew even more flustered, and she suddenly sped up. "Xiaolong, we'll be fine once we reach the village."
"Sis, don't drive so fast. Be careful not to end up in a ditch," Lin Xiaolong said with a bitter smile.
"Quiet." Chen Ying's driving skills were already limited, and she was concentrating hard on driving. With Lin Xiaolong saying that, she felt even more pressure.
"Don't worry, with me here, nothing will happen."
As he spoke, Lin Xiaolong kept observing the vehicles behind them.
The two vehicles following them were SUVs.
In the passenger seat of the lead car sat a man with a scarred face. The scar ran diagonally from the corner of his left eye all the way down to the corner of his mouth, looking extremely terrifying.
In the back seat sat two punk-looking fellows: one with dyed yellow hair and the other with a bowl haircut, wearing a thick gold chain around his neck that was big enough to leash a large dog.
The SUV behind them also carried four men, all dressed like hoodlums with tattoos and drawings all over them. One look told you they were up to no good.
"Brother Daoba, that little chick just sped up. Should we catch up and cut her off?" the Yellow-haired guy said to the scarred man.
"Damn it, I never expected Huang Gang to have such a pretty and charming wife. If I'd known earlier, I would have made him pay off his debt with his wife long ago," Daoba said with a sinister grin.
"Hehe, this woman is really something. Just looking at her gets you in the mood." The Yellow-haired guy was practically drooling.
"Hmm?" Daoba cast a cold look at the Yellow-haired guy.
The bowl-cut guy slapped the Yellow-haired guy right on the head. "What the hell are you thinking about? This woman belongs to Brother Daoba."
"I know, I know, of course she belongs to Brother Daoba. I just meant that after Brother Daoba is done having his fun, it wouldn't be too late to let us have a turn, right? Once we're done with her, we can send her over to our club. An exquisite young housewife like this could definitely squeeze every last drop of wealth out of those rich young heirs," the Yellow-haired guy chuckled ingratiatingly.
"Alright, catch up and cut her off, but make sure you don't hurt my beauty," Daoba ordered.
"You got it, Brother Daoba."
The two SUVs immediately sped up to give chase.
Within a few seconds, the speed of the two SUVs had rocketed up to a hundred.
Even though Chen Ying was driving quite fast, the performance of her car simply couldn't compare to the SUVs behind her. Coupled with her limited driving skills, the two SUVs quickly caught up and overtook her directly, pulling right across her path.
"Sis, stop the car," Lin Xiaolong warned.
The car let out a harsh screech of brakes and came to a dead stop right in the middle of the road.
As for the two SUVs, they had already blocked the entire width of the road ahead.
The car doors opened, and six men leaped out from the two vehicles, quickly surrounding Chen Ying's compact car.
"Xiaolong, run! They're here for me, they won't give you any trouble," Chen Ying said, frightened as she was.
"What are you saying, Sis? If I ran away, would I still be a man?" Lin Xiaolong said as he prepared to get out of the car.
Chen Ying grabbed Lin Xiaolong's arm. "Don't go down there. I'll get out and deal with them."
"Sis, if you go down there, wouldn't you be walking right into their trap? Be a good girl and stay in the car, lock the doors, and let me handle this."
With that, Lin Xiaolong patted Chen Ying's petite hand.
Chen Ying's pretty face instantly flushed red.
"But..."
"There are no 'buts'. Men are meant to protect women."
With this domineering statement, Lin Xiaolong pushed the door open and stepped out of the car.
Chen Ying sat there in a daze, her hand instinctively locking the car doors as she watched anxiously through the window.
Daoba had known there was a man in the car, but he never expected this man to actually have the audacity to touch the hand of the woman he had set his sights on.
This made his expression turn extremely ugly, and the scar on his face turned purplish-blue with anger.
Seeing that Lin Xiaolong was just a youth of around twenty, looking immensely naive and green, he immediately sneered.
"Little bastard, you've got some nerve. You dare touch my woman?"
Faced with the encirclement of six men, Lin Xiaolong didn't flinch at all. In fact, a look of utter disdain for these fellows hung on his face.
"Your woman?" Lin Xiaolong sneered. "Why don't you take a look in the mirror? You're as ugly as Zhu Bajie's second aunt—do you deserve to have a woman like this?"
What?!
The six men were completely dumbfounded by Lin Xiaolong.
Based on their experience, with Daoba's scarred face, the Yellow-haired guy's piss-yellow hair, the bowl-cut guy's flashy gold chain, and everyone's gaudy tattoos, ordinary people would have had weak knees and been shaking with fright at the mere sight of them.
This kid, however, not only wasn't scared in the least, but actually dared to provoke Daoba with his words.
This was practically like an old longevity star hanging himself—courting death!
"Damn you, how dare you show disrespect to Brother Daoba? I'm going to cripple you!"
Eager to earn credit in front of Daoba, the Yellow-haired guy didn't wait for Daoba's command before lunging straight at Lin Xiaolong.
He swung the steel pipe in his hand directly at Lin Xiaolong's head without the slightest hesitation.
"Ah..."
Before Lin Xiaolong could even make a move, Chen Ying shrieked in terror from inside the car.
Xiaolong had only just returned to normal; if they beat him back into being simple-minded, how could she face his parents?
She instantly covered her eyes, not daring to watch the cruel scene unfold.
However, a subsequent scream made her unable to resist opening her eyes again.
Because that scream sounded nothing like something Lin Xiaolong would emit.
Then, she saw a sight that left her utterly shocked.
The Yellow-haired guy who had just been about to bash Lin Xiaolong's head in with a steel pipe was now sprawled on the ground several meters away, unable to even crawl back up.
The scream had indeed come from him.
What was going on?
Chen Ying was completely bewildered.
She didn't know that just as she had covered her eyes, before the Yellow-haired guy's steel pipe could land on Lin Xiaolong's head, Lin Xiaolong had let out a cold snort and struck first by kicking out lightning-fast into the Yellow-haired guy's lower abdomen.
That kick had been packed with full force, sending the Yellow-haired guy flying backward through the air.
He had flown a full four or five meters before crashing heavily to the ground, the steel pipe flying out of his hand.
If Chen Ying was bewildered, the other five men were equally dumbfounded, their mouths hanging wide open in disbelief at what had just happened.
"Kid, I didn't expect you to have some tricks up your sleeve," Daoba said with a chilling expression. "However, no matter how tough you are, meddling in my, Daoba's, business is not something you can handle. If you know what's good for you, get lost right now. Considering your youth and ignorance, I'll let you off this once."
Daoba's target today was Chen Ying.
Although he desperately wanted to cripple Lin Xiaolong, they were out on the open road after all; if someone passed by and called the police, it would be troublesome.
Therefore, he only wanted to take Chen Ying away. As for Lin Xiaolong, settling accounts with him later wouldn't be too late.
"I'm not just meddling in random business. The person in that car is my sworn sister. I don't know how she offended you lot, but a bunch of grown men like you actually want to pick on a woman."
Although Lin Xiaolong wasn't afraid of these hoodlums, he still hadn't figured out what was actually going on.
These fellows weren't good people, but to resort to violence out of nowhere just because Chen Ying was pretty—their nerve was simply too big.
"Fine! Since you want to hear it, I'll spell it out for you."
Daoba smiled sinisterly. "Your sworn sister's husband, Huang Gang, owes us two million in debts. Now Huang Gang can't pay back a single cent, and this debt is a joint marital debt. We're looking for her simply to negotiate how this money is going to be paid back."
Hm?
Lin Xiaolong frowned slightly.
He couldn't help turning his head to look at Chen Ying. At that moment, the sound of a car door opening echoed—Chen Ying had actually stepped out of the car and walked over to stand by Lin Xiaolong's side.
"You're lying! That money was borrowed by Huang Gang to gamble outside. I knew nothing about it, and it has nothing to do with me whatsoever. Legally speaking, it's not a joint marital debt at all, and you have no right to demand it from me," Chen Ying said angrily.
"Doctor Chen, do you think saying you didn't know makes it true? Huang Gang specifically said that you did know. So you'd better be a good girl and come back with me to properly discuss how to pay off the debt."
Looking at the mature, voluptuous beauty right in front of him, Daoba could barely wait to drag her into the car and have his way with her right then and there.
"In your dreams!" Looking at Daoba's wolfish gaze, Chen Ying knew they had ill intentions—how could she possibly go with them?
"My sister made it clear: if you want this money, go collect it from Huang Gang. It has nothing to do with my sister, so get out of the way right now," Lin Xiaolong said coldly.
He genuinely hadn't expected that someone as pretty as Chen Ying would end up with such a scumbag husband.
He should have been cherishing a wife this gorgeous every single day, yet he let these hoodlums come and cause trouble for her.
Didn't he know what kind of terrifying consequences awaited Chen Ying if she fell into these people's hands?
At this thought, Lin Xiaolong wished he could find Huang Gang right this second and utterly cripple that scum.
"Kid, looks like you prefer the hard way over the easy way?" Daoba had originally wanted to make Lin Xiaolong back down of his own accord, but seeing him attempt to play the hero saving the damsel in distress, he finally lost his temper.
"Sorry, but I don't like any kind of liquor," Lin Xiaolong scoffed coldly.
"Good! Then today I'll let you know what kind of consequences you face for daring to offend me, Daoba."
With that, Daoba took a step back while fiercely waving his hand forward toward his remaining four subordinates.
Instantly, those four hoodlums charged forward like unleashed wild dogs, gripping the steel pipes in their hands and rushing straight at Lin Xiaolong.
"Xiaolong!" Chen Ying couldn't help crying out.
"Sis, step back."
As Lin Xiaolong spoke, his figure sprang forward explosively. Instead of retreating, he advanced, reaching the bowl-cut guy in the blink of an eye.
The bowl-cut guy hadn't expected Lin Xiaolong to take the initiative while completely unarmed, nor had he anticipated that Lin Xiaolong's speed would be so blindingly fast.
By the time he wanted to bring his steel pipe down, Lin Xiaolong had already grabbed his wrist and jerked it violently downward.
With a sharp *crack*, his wrist was snapped in half by Lin Xiaolong right then and there.
At the same time, Lin Xiaolong delivered a knee strike straight to his lower abdomen.
Accompanied by the bowl-cut guy's scream, Lin Xiaolong snatched the steel pipe right out of his hand.
Before the bowl-cut guy even hit the ground, the steel pipe in Lin Xiaolong's hand had already smashed furiously onto another man's arm.
Another shriek rang out as that fellow dropped his pipe, clutching his broken arm and wailing in agonizing pain.
Lin Xiaolong's figure moved as fast as a howling wind, swaying back and forth while the steel pipe rained down blows continuously.
Before the remaining two men could even react, they ended up just like the previous fellows: their steel pipes either fell to the ground or were snatched away by Lin Xiaolong, and they were left clutching their broken arms and howling in despair.
In less than ten seconds, the steel pipes in all four men's hands had either dropped to the ground or been taken by Lin Xiaolong.
And their arms were broken, without a single exception.
Wielding a steel pipe, Lin Xiaolong walked straight toward Daoba.
By now, Daoba was completely dumbfounded.
He ran gambling dens, issued usurious loans, forced good women into prostitution, and committed every evil imaginable.
In the underworld, while he couldn't be called the biggest boss in the county, he still had quite a reputation.
Though he couldn't say he had fought in a hundred battles, he had certainly beaten up and injured plenty of people.
Yet today, he was genuinely terrified by Lin Xiaolong.
He had seen tough fighters, but never one *this* terrifying.
Moreover, every strike of the pipe was precise, without a single wasted movement.
It looked as though his own men had simply stood there and allowed themselves to be beaten.
This could only mean one thing: the kid was far too formidable, and his men hadn't even had time to react.
Right now, seeing Lin Xiaolong walk toward him, his legs were shaking so hard from fear that he could barely stand.
"Weren't you going to offer me a drink?" Lin Xiaolong asked coldly.
Daoba bit his teeth hard. "I admit I lost today. The mountains are high and the rivers turn—we'll see."
With that, Daoba turned to leave.
"Did I say you could leave?" Lin Xiaolong raised his steel pipe.
"Are you really determined to make an enemy of me?" Daoba was still putting up a bold front, though his voice trembled. "Young man, if not for your own sake, at least think of your family."
This sentence was a naked threat directed at Lin Xiaolong.
"Threatening my family?" Lin Xiaolong's gaze instantly turned chillingly cold. "If you're not afraid of dying, go ahead and try."
Without another word, Lin Xiaolong made his move.
Two swings of the steel pipe came down.
Daoba had no chance to resist whatsoever; both of his arms hung limply at his sides.
Yet he was somewhat of a hard-nosed character; he merely let out a muffled grunt without screaming out loud.
However, the veins on his forehead bulged, and sweat poured down his face—he was clearly in agonizing pain.
"Daoba, I've remembered your words. If anyone in my family loses even a single hair, I'll take your life. If you don't believe me, feel free to try." Lin Xiaolong's voice sounded as cold as if it came from the depths of the netherworld, and his eyes locked onto Daoba with unblinking intensity.
Meeting Lin Xiaolong's icy gaze, Daoba finally revealed a look of utter terror.
He was truly scared.
He completely believed that Lin Xiaolong was capable of doing exactly what he said.
"Can... can I leave now?" Daoba asked through clenched teeth.
"Get lost!" Lin Xiaolong said coldly.
Hearing Lin Xiaolong's words, the hoodlums scrambled back into their cars, enduring their excruciating pain.
The two drivers were so frightened they were nearly wetting themselves; terrified that Lin Xiaolong might remember them next, they hastily turned the vehicles around and drove back toward the county seat the way they had come.
"Xiaolong, that Daoba is a vicious and merciless man. What if he really comes back to take revenge on your family?"
Once Daoba and the others had left, Chen Ying let out a breath of relief, but immediately grew worried about Lin Xiaolong's family.
"Don't worry, I'll keep my family safe," Lin Xiaolong said calmly.
His family had already suffered deeply once before; Lin Xiaolong would never allow a second time.
"What about you, Sis Chen? What are you going to do?" Lin Xiaolong asked in turn.
Chen Ying's husband Huang Gang had sent these hoodlums after her just to pay off gambling debts; if Chen Ying fell into their hands, the consequences were unthinkable.
Though Lin Xiaolong had taught them a harsh lesson today, if Chen Ying returned to her home in the county, they likely wouldn't let the matter rest.
Chen Ying was just a woman on her own and stood no chance against them.
Thus, Lin Xiaolong was extremely concerned for her safety.
"For the next while, I plan to stay right here at the village clinic," Chen Ying said.
"That's good. Sis, if anything happens, just call me and I'll protect you," Lin Xiaolong said firmly.
"Xiaolong, thank you so much," Chen Ying said, deeply moved.
"What are you saying? You've taken good care of me plenty of times in the past." Lin Xiaolong rubbed the back of his head with an embarrassed smile.
Seeing Lin Xiaolong looking so sheepish, Chen Ying burst into a bright giggle.
Just moments before, while protecting her, Lin Xiaolong had cut the figure of a completely domineering macho man.
Yet in the blink of an eye, he had turned back into a shy boy.
How amusing.
Getting into Chen Ying's car, the two of them soon returned to Longyang Village.
Because the afternoon weather was scorching hot, many villagers were seeking shade under their gates.
Seeing Lin Xiaolong return in the car of the pretty village doctor Chen Ying once again, many of the women immediately started gossiping.
Naturally, neither Chen Ying nor Lin Xiaolong paid them any mind. Chen Ying went back to the clinic, while Lin Xiaolong headed straight home.
"Bro, how did it go?" Seeing her older brother return, Xiaoxue rushed right over to him and asked expectantly.
Yesterday's two-plus hundred catties had fetched over twelve thousand yuan.
Today they had brought over two thousand catties—just how much money would that be?
Yet since her brother was back so early, she wondered if Sister Yaxian had actually bought those cherries.
With so many cherries, would people try to drive the price down?
After all, buying so much at once usually meant paying wholesale prices, and wholesale prices were naturally much lower than retail.
"Hehe, today they bought all of it at seventy yuan per catty, making over fourteen hundred... wait, fourteen thousand... no, fourteen-odd ten thousand yuan! Combined with yesterday's, we've already got a bit over a hundred and fifty thousand!"
"What?!"
Seeing the balance on her brother's phone, Lin Xiaoxue almost fainted from shock.
In all her years, she had never seen so much money.
This was completely absurd! Fourteen-odd thousand—no, over one hundred and forty thousand yuan worth of cherries sold in a single day! If the rest of the villagers found out about this, they'd probably die of jealousy.
"Sister Yaxian bought them all in one go at seventy yuan a catty, nothing to be surprised about," Lin Xiaolong said. "Besides, less than two hours after taking them, Sister Yaxian turned around and resold every single one of them at one hundred yuan a catty, making a profit of over sixty thousand."
"Good heavens! Even at over a hundred, people still wanted them?" Lin Xiaoxue felt like her brain was about to short-circuit.
"Not only did people want them, but they were in huge demand," Lin Xiaolong said, patting his sister's head. "Alright, stop being so surprised. Let's hurry up and tell Mom and Dad so they can relieve some of their stress—with this money, we can pay off our debts whenever we want."
"Right, right! Let's tell Mom and Dad right now and give them something to be happy about."
Lin Xiaoxue excitedly dashed into the house.
Smiling, Lin Xiaolong followed her inside to find both of their parents wearing expressions of utter shock, as if their brains had completely crashed.
"Good lord, Xiaolong, is your sister talking nonsense?" Wang Ju flatly refused to believe it.
"Of course it's true, our family's cherries are in high demand." Lin Xiaolong showed his parents the balance on his phone.