Chapter 300: Reason Does Not Exist
When school let out today, Wang Yi had to stay a bit later because he was on cleaning duty.
Consequently, as Wang Yi walked out of the school gates and just past the village, Qi Xiaofeng's older brother, Qi Xiaoshan, led a group of people to corner him.
They beat Wang Yi into this wretched state, and finally, Qi Xiaoshan stomped on Wang Yi's knee, declaring that from now on, Wang Yi should take a detour whenever he saw Qi Xiaofeng.
After hearing this, Wang An frowned and asked Wang Yi, "Didn't you tell them I'm your brother?"
Wang Yi replied, "I did. I said it afterward. As soon as I mentioned your name, they ran away."
Liu Guilan said, frustrated by his lack of resolve, "What were you doing earlier? Did you have to be beaten into this bear-like mess before you remembered your big brother?"
Wang Yi said aggrievedly, "They just started hitting me; they beat me into a stupor."
Wang An looked at Wang Yi, feeling utterly helpless.
Because Wang An knew Wang Yi, and from the way he spoke, Wang An could tell.
His younger brother felt he had grown up and didn't want to trouble the family with many things; he wanted to handle his own affairs.
As for this mindset, Wang An understood and supported it, because he had been the same way when he was Wang Yi's age.
People who strive for self-reliance usually turn out fine.
Unfortunately, the opponent was far too powerful, forcing Wang Yi to face reality instantly.
Otherwise, a normal person being beaten would usually have their head filled with thoughts of who could save them, rather than being so dazed that they couldn't remember anything.
Wang An had deep experience with this, as he had been beaten by anyone with significant combat power, and whenever he was beaten, it was never light.
If Wang Yi had just shouted "My brother is Wang An" while being hit, under normal circumstances, he wouldn't have been beaten so miserably.
One must realize that ordinary folk or small-time thugs would absolutely not proactively provoke a renowned "Big Thug."
In this era, which Big Thug wasn't ruthless and cruel?
Trying to compete in ruthlessness with a Big Thug? That was simply redundant; they weren't even in the same league.
Suppressing the anger in his heart, Wang An said softly to Wang Yi, "Come on, let's go inside and see what your leg looks like."
It must be said that Wang Yi was truly stubborn; from the courtyard to the room, he refused to let anyone support him, insisting on walking himself and claiming he was fine.
However, when Wang Yi took off his pants, his knee was a shocking sight; it was so swollen that taking off the pants had been a struggle.
Seeing his brother's leg trampled into such a state, Wang An ground his teeth in rage.
Wang Dazhu told Wang Yi to endure the pain and carefully pressed on Wang Yi's knee with his hand.
After a good while, Wang Dazhu frowned and said, "The bone is fine, it's just slightly displaced."
Displaced meant the joint between the two bones had been sprained.
Wang An said, "We should still go to the hospital to make sure there are no lasting issues."
Wang Dazhu said, "No need. I'll invite Sun Dafu over in a bit to take another look at Xiao Yi, and that'll be enough."
Many people in this era knew a bit of bone-setting or joint-resetting. Although many people left with sequelae after broken bones were set, Wang Yi's bone wasn't actually broken, so it wasn't a big problem.
Thus, Wang An asked Wang Yi, "That guy called Qi Xiaoshan—do you know which village he lives in?"
Wang Yi thought for a moment and said, "Liu Family Village. His house is right at the front; the one with several apricot trees in the yard."
"Alright, I've got it." As Wang An spoke, he turned to leave.
Reaching the door, Wang An told his family, "I'll be back soon. Go ahead and start cooking."
Walking outside, Wang An first put the saddle and bit on the white horse.
The Big Son horse and the Big Li horse had just made a trip to the county seat and hadn't eaten much fodder yet; Wang An felt it wasn't appropriate to use them again.
Besides, the white horse and the mule were idle every day; they needed to be walked occasionally.
Then, Wang An took out the ash wood club he had prepared yesterday for knocking down nests in the canopy—which he hadn't ended up using—and tucked it into his waist.
Finally, Wang An vaulted onto the horse and headed straight for Liu Family Village, also known as the Xing'an Commune.
Liu Family Village was indeed very close to Kaoshan Village, about two li, or a little over a thousand meters.
Riding the horse, Wang An soon arrived at the gate of the house with several apricot trees that Wang Yi had described.
Tying the white horse outside the gate, Wang An gripped the ash wood club and walked into the courtyard.
To be honest, Wang An looked quite imposing as he walked, and anyone could tell at a glance that this matter would not end peacefully today.
When Wang An entered that "beast-like" state of aggression, reason simply did not exist.
Therefore, when Wang An reached the door of the house, he didn't call out, nor did he give a polite cough.
Through the straw door curtain, he kicked the door. With a "bang," the two doors were kicked open.
It was evident that the doors weren't bolted, merely closed.
Lifting the curtain was out of the question; Wang An's right hand was holding the club, so he grabbed the curtain with his left hand and yanked backward with force, ripping the curtain clean off.
Just then, someone from inside the house, hearing the noise, ran out.
Wang An saw it was a man and, regardless of who it was, swung the club.
It must be said that the hit was damn accurate; the man's forehead took the blow and immediately started bleeding.
Then, his eyes rolled back, and he fainted, falling straight onto the ground.
Wang An ignored him and stepped over the man to enter the house.
In the Northeast, whether it was eating, family chatting, or receiving guests, it all happened in the east room.
In the countryside, the east room was where the elders of the family stayed—commonly known as "the old couple's room."
So, after entering, Wang An headed straight for the east room without hesitation.
At this moment, the whole family was likely in the room, mainly because Wang An didn't know who was who in this family.
Holding the club, Wang An pointed at a man who looked slightly older than himself and shouted with a grin
"Are you the fucking Qi Xiaoshan?"
As he spoke, Wang An prepared to step forward and deliver a blow.
The family was still in a state of shock, primarily intimidated by Wang An's sheer aura of violence.
Thus, the man instinctively replied, "Xiaoshan just went out, didn't you see him?"
Wang An, who was in the heat of rage, was momentarily stunned by the answer.
Then Wang An suddenly realized that his previous blow hadn't actually been a mistake.
Consequently, ignoring the people in the room, Wang An turned and walked back toward the outer room.
Because Wang An was tall, his legs were long, and long legs meant large strides.
In fewer than three steps, Wang An reached Qi Xiaoshan. At this moment, Qi Xiaoshan was lying between two stoves, head to the north and feet to the south, blocking more than half of the exit.
Wang An didn't care how he was lying; he stepped on Qi Xiaoshan once more and walked to the man's feet.
Then Wang An spun around, swung the club in a wide arc, aimed for Qi Xiaoshan's knee, and smashed it down.
Ash wood is incredibly hard, and this particular club had been prepared for knocking trees; it was as thick as a pickaxe handle.
A club as thick as a pickaxe handle was far more useful for fighting than one as thick as a shovel shaft.
Because this tool allowed for the application of force, maximizing the discharge of a person's strength.
Just then, the people in the room reacted and were running out. Just as they reached the outer room, Wang An's club landed.
Thus, under the gaze of the entire Qi Xiaoshan family, Wang An's club made an intimate contact with Qi Xiaoshan's left knee.
With a crisp "crack," the ash wood club in Wang An's hand was completely unscathed.
However, Qi Xiaoshan woke from his stupor, let out a scream, and began wailing while clutching his leg.
Seeing this, an old woman—likely Qi Xiaoshan's mother—screamed and rushed toward Wang An: "Ah! I'll kill you!"