Seeing this, the good mood Zhao Tiezhu had been in vanished instantly; he knew these visitors meant trouble.
He immediately got off his tricycle and leaned against the side of the road. He wondered what kind of idiot he had offended to be intercepted like this.
A van in front rattled as seven burly men climbed out, wielding steel pipes, baseball bats, and other weapons. From a BMW behind it, five more men emerged. One was a Baldy wearing sunglasses, a gold chain around his neck, a loud, colorful shirt, and crocodile-skin shoes. The other four were clearly hired muscle, their hair dyed in various garish colors, clutching clubs as they swarmed forward, effectively blocking the tricycle from both ends.
Baldy, standing about 1.9 meters tall with bulging muscles, looked quite intimidating. He walked straight up to Zhao Tiezhu, but just as he was about to speak, he let out a sneeze, and his sunglasses slid right off his face. The aura of menace vanished instantly.
Zhao Tiezhu noticed his purple lips, the prominent veins in his arms, and his bloodshot eyes. He couldn't help but remark, "You haven't got many days left to live, yet you're out here looking for trouble? You’re not trying to scam me, are you?"
That single sentence left Lord Hu, who had just stifled his sneeze, stunned on the spot. This was his first time intercepting someone, and he was being accused of running a scam. He gave a scornful laugh, pointed at Zhao Tiezhu, and barked, "Kid, Lord Hu gets paid to do a job. Someone wants one of your legs to make sure you remember not to offend the wrong people! Now, let me break your leg obediently, otherwise, I can't be sure what else might get damaged! Move, I need to get home and lie down!"
He was blunt about his purpose, leaving no room for escape. At the command, the men on both sides started moving forward with their clubs.
"Listen, kid, be a good boy! I’m a professional; one hit and the bone snaps, you’ll only feel a moment of pain!" one of them sneered. "Put your leg out on the tricycle, don't even think about running!"
They were certain they had Zhao Tiezhu cornered. With arrogant expressions, they prepared to finish the job and clock out.
Seeing this, Zhao Tiezhu realized he was dealing with hardened thugs, far more vicious than the local delinquents in the village. Though he lacked fighting experience, he knew he couldn't let them get close. He decided to strike with everything he had—self-preservation was the priority!
He kicked the nearest man, Baimao, square in the stomach. "Bang!" Baimao flew into the air, crashing into his two companions behind him. They went down in a heap, unable to get back up for a while.
Another man, white-haired, raised a baseball bat and charged. "Damn you, stay down!" Zhao Tiezhu didn't wait to see the result; he spun around and unleashed a fast, vicious kick into the man’s stomach. "Get lost!"
"Bang!" With that shout, the white-haired man went flying, smashing into his comrades behind him. Zhao Tiezhu charged in after them. As the three were tangled together, he leaped and kicked out at the remaining four men. "Bang! Bang!" Two of the thugs, still in shock, didn't even have time to react before they were knocked to the ground.
Seven men were down in the blink of an eye. Zhao Tiezhu didn't dare stop; he kept on kicking the men on the ground. "Bang, bang, bang..." Each of them took at least two kicks, resulting in broken bones and agonizing screams.
The remaining four men finally snapped to their senses. Except for the first guy who was still clutching his stomach on the ground, the other three raised their sticks and charged. "Bang, bang, bang..." They didn't even touch Zhao Tiezhu before he kicked them all to the ground.
Having laid out ten men, he scanned the area and charged toward Lord Hu. Lord Hu had sneezed twice in succession, and when he looked up again, all his men were down, and that rustic country boy was sprinting straight at him.
"Holy shit! He’s a monster!"
He had encountered a real tough guy, but he wasn't afraid. He was confident in his own strength; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to dominate half the entertainment venues in Dongzhen and earn the title of Lord Hu. He braced his stance and threw a punch at Zhao Tiezhu.
"Whoosh!"
He missed! He panicked inwardly, instinctively dodging to the left to escape Zhao Tiezhu's strike. His idea was sound, but he caught a fist to the gut instead.
"Bang!"
His years of conditioning weren't enough to withstand that blow, and he fell to his knees on the spot, gasping for air. Zhao Tiezhu looked down at Lord Hu with disdain. "You call yourself a hired professional? I don't know who’s blind enough to have hired you, but tell me who it was!"
He kicked Lord Hu over and stared at him coldly. Suddenly, he felt a gaze fixed on him. He swept his eyes around and noticed a Porsche’s window rolling up. The driver slammed on the gas, preparing to leave. Even in that fleeting glimpse, Zhao Tiezhu recognized Wang Tianyang, the man he’d had a run-in with earlier.
Hmph! Revenge came quickly. If there was a chance, he would have to beat him up too.
Lord Hu couldn't get up, feeling the heavy foot pressed against his chest like a mountain, making it hard to breathe. "I, I..." He tried twice, but couldn't get the words out, his face turning a deep shade of purple from the effort.
Zhao Tiezhu thought of his illness, retracted his foot, and scoffed, "Trash, get out of here! Don't you dare die on me—what goes around comes around in this world!" He only intended to teach them a lesson; he had no interest in killing anyone.
He got onto his tricycle and sped away from the trouble. He marveled to himself; ever since practicing the Myriad Woods Everlasting Formula, his physical fitness had become terrifyingly strong. The movements of these thugs felt like slow motion—they posed no threat at all.
"Today is a good day, all my wishes are coming true..."
Humming a tuneless song, Zhao Tiezhu headed toward Wang Cuilian’s house. He was thinking about making more money to buy a diesel-powered tricycle—it would haul more and take less effort. A workman must sharpen his tools if he wishes to do his work well!
He rushed into the courtyard and saw his sister-in-law watering the vegetable patch.
"Sister-in-law, look what I bought for you!"
Hearing his voice, Wang Cuilian, wearing a straw hat, tilted her head to look.
"Tiezhu’s back! Let me go make you some food!" A wide smile bloomed on her pretty face as she dropped the hose and walked toward the tricycle.
When she saw the sausages, pig head meat, seafood, and various other foods inside, her excitement turned to worry. "Tiezhu, you just sold some vegetables, how can you spend money so recklessly? We should just eat whatever we have!"
Although they were out of debt, relying solely on the vegetables from the field couldn't support such spending. Even though she knew Tiezhu wanted her to eat well, she couldn't stand the waste.
Zhao Tiezhu picked up the bags and followed her into the house. He made sure no one was around before lowering his voice. "Sister-in-law, I made money! I sold those vegetables I took for over eight thousand—here!"
After putting the food on the dining table, he pulled out the remaining six thousand yuan and placed it on the table.
"What? You sold seven crates of vegetables for over eight thousand?" Wang Cuilian stared at the money on the table, complete disbelief on her face. After counting the bills one by one, she looked up at Zhao Tiezhu, her whole body trembling.
She found him gazing at her with bright eyes, and she couldn't help but look down at herself. Because of the heat, her thin T-shirt was soaked, revealing the outline of her red undergarment underneath.
She blushed instantly and turned away, saying, "Tiezhu, you didn't do anything illegal, did you? How can selling vegetables earn that much?"
Her emotions were complicated, and she truly didn't know how to face him.