The two brothers were discussing it when they heard Huang Zhong say indignantly from the side
"Big brother, more people have come. It looks like they really are from the Old Niu family."
Hearing Huang Zhong's words, Wang An couldn't help but curse
"Fucking hell, these assholes. I've really given them too much face lately."
Turning his head, Wang An said to Wang Li
"Old Fifth, let's go. Let's see what these idiots want. Fucking hell."
And so, Wang An and Wang Li rode their horses back toward the saline-alkali land.
Sure enough, the people who had come this time were from the Old Niu family of Kaoshan Village. There were five of them in total, led by Niu Dalin and Niu Dashuang.
As soon as the Oroqen horses came to a halt, Wang An flipped himself off the horse and jumped down, and Wang Li followed with nearly the same motion.
Wang An, clutching his horse whip, marched aggressively toward the five men. With his eyes wide open, he roared at them
"What the hell do you want? Do you know any rules? Can't you see this whole mountain area is marked with signs? We've already set traps in this spot, so what's the deal with you coming in here?"
By leading with the "rules," Wang An instantly left the five men bewildered.
Although many of the mountain rules were no longer followed by many people, rules were rules. Anyone who hunted or grazed livestock in the mountains still tended to be superstitious or respectful of these things.
It was like many things that everyone knew were superstitions, yet basically no one would actively try to test them.
After a few seconds of silence from the group, Wang An continued
"What? What's your meaning? You want to steal the prey? Or are you planning to shoot someone in the back?"
As he spoke, Wang An pulled out the Type 54 pistol he always carried.
The reason Wang An pulled the gun so quickly was because Niu Dalin was among the five.
Ever since his younger brother, Niu Dabin, had acted as a spy for that kid Dahui—and after Dahui was shot dead and Niu Dabin was arrested—Wang An felt that Niu Dalin was more or less acting abnormal.
Of course, this was just Wang An's illusion; more accurately, Wang An was overly suspicious.
After all, Wang An had dealt with Niu Dabin quite severely. As Niu Dabin's older brother, it was perfectly normal for Wang An to feel that Niu Dalin might hold a grudge against him.
In reality, after Niu Dabin's incident, Niu Dalin remained the same as before, with no obvious changes.
Seeing Wang An pull the gun, Niu Dalin, Niu Dashuang, and the other three finally broke.
Niu Dalin said with a look of helplessness
"Xiao An, where is your mind going? We found this place first. We've been lying in wait here for several days."
It was clear that Niu Dalin was telling the truth; he wasn't talking nonsense.
After Niu Dalin finished, Niu Dashuang also frowned and said
"Exactly. It's not that we aren't following the rules. We found this place first. You're the ones breaking the rules by putting up signs, aren't you?"
Just as Wang An was about to speak after Niu Dalin finished, Niu Dalei, who was standing beside him, spoke up with an air of utter defiance
"Exactly! We've been guarding this place for days, and just because you put up signs, it's your territory now? Who says so?"
"Besides, I haven't heard that these mountains were contracted to any one family. If you can come, why can't we? Why the fuck do you think you're so special?"
Niu Dalin and Niu Dashuang were both considerably older than Wang An, so they knew more about the rules of the mountains.
But Niu Dalei was younger than Wang An, roughly the same age as Wang Li. Even if he knew the rules of the mountains, he likely wouldn't follow them.
However, although Niu Dalei's words were unpleasant, they were exactly what Wang An wanted to hear.
Because if he hadn't said those things, Wang An would have had to argue the details with Niu Dalin and Niu Dashuang. The main point was that the saline-alkali land had been discovered by several people simultaneously, and Wang An's group's behavior of directly marking signs to claim the territory was indeed a bit too underhanded.
But Niu Dalei's words had nothing to do with the rules; he was clearly just being crude and arrogant.
Since they weren't playing by the rules, who did Wang An have to fear?
Although the other side had more people, in Wang An's view, what use were more people? Does a tiger fear a flock of sheep?
Consequently, the previously aggressive Wang An immediately broke into a cold sneer.
As soon as Niu Dalei finished speaking, the expressions of Niu Dalin and Niu Dashuang changed instantly. The looks they gave Niu Dalei were filled with anger and frustration; it looked as if the two of them wanted to pin Niu Dalei down and give him a brutal beating.
The main issue was that this was originally a matter that could be reasoned out, or at the very least, a deal could be made to split the prey. But with Niu Dalei's words, they went from being in the right to being in the wrong, immediately putting Niu Dalin and Niu Dashuang in a very passive position.
The two of them reacted and were about to speak, but they saw Wang An's expression change again. His eyes widened, and he pointed at Niu Dalei, cursing loudly
"Fuck your mother! You're not talking sense to me, are you? Come here, fuck your mother, let me see just how arrogant you are!"
Cursing as he went, Wang An strode toward Niu Dalei, clearly intending to start a fight.
Like Wang Li, Niu Dalei was at the age where he believed "Heaven is first, Earth is second, and I am third." However, Wang Li had always been suppressed by Wang An and was frequently kicked and beaten, so he didn't usually act so volatile.
But while Wang Li had someone to suppress him, Niu Dalei had no one.
Therefore, back in the village, Niu Dalei was the kind of person loathed by everyone and dogs alike—a truly irritating character.
The main problem was that not only was the kid hot-tempered, but he was also tall and sturdy; most eighteen or nineteen-year-old youths couldn't beat him.
The only peer who could possibly handle him was Wang Li, but Wang Li spent his days busy making money with Wang An; he had no spare time to fight for fun every day.
Moreover, without a severe conflict, the two of them didn't have a reason to clash!
Thus, hearing that Wang An dared to curse him and was walking toward him with such an arrogant air, Niu Dalei naturally refused to be outdone.
Niu Dalei immediately charged toward Wang An like a bull ready to lock horns.
At the same time, he shouted curses at Wang An
"Fuck your mother! Who the fuck do you think you are? Who the fuck do you think you're better than?"
It must be said, Niu Dalei's speed was actually quite fast. Niu Dalin and Niu Dashuang both reached out to stop him, but they both grabbed only air.
The distance between the two was not far, so in an instant, they collided.
However, the contact was brief. The moment Niu Dalei reached Wang An, he was sent flying backward by a powerful, heavy kick from Wang An.
Yes, he was sent flying. Not a single lie; everyone saw it.