Chapter 50: Momentum (Please keep reading)

Chapter 50: Momentum (Please keep reading~)

A sudden knock at the door made Chen Pingan's hair stand on end, his scalp instantly numbing.

Chen Erya, who was busy in the kitchen, also heard the knocking and rushed out of the kitchen, her hands still wet.

Chen Pingan gave Chen Erya a meaningful look, quickly placed the stone in a corner of the courtyard wall, and then moved silently to her side.

With his current strength, he was fully capable of doing this; the person outside the courtyard gate wouldn't notice at all.

Bang!

The wooden beam propped against the gate snapped, and the courtyard door was suddenly pushed open.

"What are you doing in there? No one's come to open the door for so long!"

Several people surged into the courtyard. The speaker was a dark-skinned, disheveled rogue. Upon entering, he scanned the area before glaring fiercely at Chen Pingan and Chen Erya by the kitchen door.

"You!"

Looking at them, Chen Pingan's expression darkened.

"The monthly dues were paid yesterday! You are being so overbearing—what exactly do you want!?"

Chen Pingan's voice was not small, and fury surfaced on his face.

In that brief moment just now, he had quickly scanned the rogues who entered. Among them, there was only one familiar face: a rogue named Feizi, who was a confidant of Master Xiaohu.

Master Xiaohu was not here! This meant the other party had not yet traced things back to him. His business had not yet broken out.

At this moment, his most correct reaction was to explode on the spot; he could not afford even a hint of pretense or appeasement. If he acted submissive, it would only make people more suspicious. After all, he had clashed with the rogue Li'er just yesterday; if he yielded now, it would be contrary to logic.

Although Chen Pingan had a lean build, his sudden burst of momentum was quite intimidating. Seeing Chen Pingan's reaction, the rogue, who had initially looked fierce, flashed a look of astonishment and became somewhat at a loss.

*A bunch of bullies who pick on the weak and fear the strong!*

Chen Pingan sneered inwardly.

"You! Time and time again, you break my gates. You act without any regard, being crude and overbearing. Are you truly trying to drive me to my death!? No matter how destitute I am, I am still a temporary constable of the Nanquan Lane Zhenfu Bureau. Today, if you do not provide a reasonable explanation, even if I have to take this to the Nanquan Lane Zhenfu Bureau, I will demand an explanation from your Master Xiaohu!"

Chen Pingan's face was grim, his eyes fixed intensely on the men before him.

His outburst actually left the rogues feeling somewhat bewildered. Backed by the great tree that was the Hutou Gang, they were feared wherever they went. They had never experienced anything like this.

Furthermore, Chen Pingan kept mentioning his status as a temporary constable of the Nanquan Lane Zhenfu Bureau and threatened to take it to the Bureau, looking as if he had reached his limit and was prepared to go down fighting.

Combined with the terrifying reputation of the Zhenfu Bureau, the men's momentum completely withered.

"Little Brother Chen of the Chen family, don't get excited. Let's talk this through. We came here today to..."

The rogue called Feizi managed to squeeze out a smile, attempting to ease the atmosphere.

However, before he could finish his sentence, he was forcefully interrupted by Chen Pingan.

"Talk this through? Does your behavior just now look like someone trying to talk things through!? You break my door and then expect me not to be excited. There is no such logic! There is no such logic in Lihua Alley, and there is no such logic in Nanquan Lane!"

"Now, you!" Chen Pingan's eyes were like lightning, filled with rage: "Get the hell out of my house!"

"You!"

Feizi felt as if his throat had been gripped by Chen Pingan; for a moment, he couldn't find the right words.

"Chen kid, you've got some nerve! How dare you speak to us like that! Do you even know who we are?"

A rogue beside him tried to muster courage, rolling up his sleeves and shouting loudly.

"I don't care who you are! No matter how deep or great your background is, is it greater than the Zhenfu Bureau? Is it greater than the Great Qian Laws!?"

Chen Pingan laughed out of sheer anger, sneering at them.

"Article 178 of the Great Qian Laws: those who break into a home and commit violence shall receive thirty strokes of the cane and five years of imprisonment! You lot! Are you looking to challenge the majesty of the Great Qian Laws!? If you don't get out now, you won't be able to leave even if you want to!"

The rogue who had spoken turned bright red, choked up and unable to say anything.

It was true; no matter how big the Hutou Gang was, could it be bigger than the Zhenfu Bureau or the Great Qian Laws? They didn't understand the laws, but seeing the expression on Chen Pingan's face as he spoke, they couldn't help but believe him.

"Little Brother Chen, we..." Feizi finally managed to recover and tried to speak, only to be met by Chen Pingan's next words.

"Get out!"

Hearing this, Feizi's face turned cold. He pointed his finger aggressively in Chen Pingan's direction.

"Fine, you just wait! We're leaving!"

"Fine, I'll be waiting!"

Chen Pingan sneered, acting without any restraint.

Feizi glared at Chen Pingan with fury and led the other rogues away.

Watching them leave, Chen Pingan glanced at the half-finished markings on the courtyard wall, feeling a slight sense of relief in his heart.

Fortunately, they hadn't come in to inspect.

There was no need to say what their purpose was; Chen Pingan knew they were here because of the rogue Li'er. They likely wanted to interrogate him. They wanted to strike first to intimidate him, forcing him to cooperate in fear.

Unfortunately, they had picked the wrong person!

Back then, he was willing to swallow his pride because he lacked strength. At that time, his martial arts had not even reached the entry level; if a real fight broke out, he might not have been a match for a rogue with extensive fighting experience.

But now, he was at the third level of Blood Qi. Possessing martial power, courage came naturally!

He truly wasn't afraid of a few mere rogues!

He hadn't expected that once he stood his ground, the other party would be the ones to lose their nerve.

As expected, a bunch of cowards who only bully the weak!

However, judging by their demeanor, this matter likely wasn't over.

Their argument just now wasn't quiet; the surrounding neighbors must have heard it. If Feizi and the others left so dejectedly without doing anything, it might even affect the prestige of the Hutou Gang.

Therefore, they would definitely do something next. This trip back was likely to fetch reinforcements.

As a temporary constable, the title wasn't much more than an ordinary person's unless the matter was escalated. But if it were escalated, Chen Pingan was an official of the Nanquan Lane Zhenfu Bureau.

And people from the Nanquan Lane Zhenfu Bureau were not people a few rogues could afford to offend.

"Nannuan, don't worry. Big brother is here," Chen Pingan comforted Chen Erya.

"Mm." Chen Erya nodded heavily. "I believe in you, brother."

In the situation just now, with her brother by her side, she hadn't felt even a hint of fear.

Chen Pingan picked up the stone and continued working on the markings on the courtyard wall. By the time he finished, Chen Erya was almost done washing the dishes.

Chen Pingan took a wood-chopping knife from the kitchen and went into the house to bring out a chair. He placed the chair in the center of the courtyard, facing the gate directly. Then, holding the knife and facing the entrance, he sat on the chair with a grand, imposing posture, quietly waiting for the people from the Hutou Gang to arrive.

"I want to see if, under the jurisdiction of the prefectural city, this Hutou Gang actually dares to test the law!"