Chapter Sixty-One: Qiangzi Has Been Ruined

Chapter Sixty-One: Qiangzi Has Been Crippled

Yesterday, Xu Yun forbade them from showing up, but today the Three Tigers of the Southern City found an excuse to come and show their support by having a meal. Of course, it was only the three of them—if all their underlings had come, the medicinal cuisine restaurant would have been packed to the brim.

“What are you guys doing here?” Xu Yun cast a glance at the three. Qin Wan’er had gone out to host guests, so there was no one left to help with chores. “Perfect timing—one of you come help me wash vegetables. The rest of you, don’t just stand around—go greet the customers!”

The three had come to eat but now stood there speechless. They really should have thought it through—coming to Sister Shuang and Brother Yun’s restaurant, was there ever a chance they’d actually get to sit down and eat? Even the little princess Guoguo helped with collecting payments; the three of them were only worth their salt as handymen.

Business at the medicinal restaurant was as lively as ever. The endless stream of customers was enough to give Lu Feng a headache—if only his own branch could attract this kind of crowd, he’d be overjoyed. Still, the three of them were now familiar with the restaurant’s operations and worked efficiently, no complaints.

As dusk deepened and the crescent moon rose high, the customers gradually trickled out, and the once bustling restaurant finally quieted down. The Three Tigers of the Southern City had had a rough day, working themselves half to death. Xu Yun, recognizing their hard work, let them stay to share a meal together.

“Do you all have nothing better to do than come here and work my kitchen?” Xu Yun asked, bemused, as they sat around the table.

Lu Feng’s face flushed—he couldn’t lie. “Actually, we were worried…worried that…ah, it’s nothing.”

Guoguo’s ears were sharp. “Worried about what?”

“Haha, what’s there to worry about? Guoguo, you must have misheard,” Dan Hongning quickly changed the subject. They’d calculated that Jin Biao would definitely come looking for trouble today, but since everything had been quiet, it seemed they’d misjudged. So, since nothing happened, there was no need to bring it up with Xu Yun.

Kong Zhong grinned widely. “We just wanted to sneak a taste of Brother Yun’s cooking.”

Qiu Yan, usually silent when the crowd was small, suddenly turned to the three. “You’ve stationed so many people around the restaurant—what exactly are you up to?”

No one could escape Qiu Yan’s notice, especially after word had spread of dangerous characters moving into the city. She watched every ripple around the area. The Three Tigers had brought over two hundred men—how could she not notice?

She’d already told Xu Yun about it an hour earlier, but he’d been so busy he hadn’t had time to deal with the three. Now that things had quieted down, it was time to find out what was on their minds.

“Brother Yun, maybe we were a little overly cautious,” Lu Feng finally admitted, embarrassed. “We brought men because we were afraid something might happen…”

Xu Yun glanced at him. “Go on, I’m listening.”

“We were worried Jin Biao might take revenge.” Lu Feng’s heart skipped a beat. “Brother, you don’t know Jin Biao… We heard about you buying Wang Qing’s house for a hundred bucks. We know you’re not an ordinary man, but Jin Biao is no pushover either. Half the big incidents in Hedong City five years ago were all his doing.”

Dan Hongning explained, “Brother Yun, we were afraid Jin Biao would come after you for tricking his wife out of her house.”

“Buying and selling property is a fair deal—I paid her, didn’t I?” Xu Yun scoffed, unfazed.

“Dad, you bought the house for a hundred bucks?” Guoguo stared at him in astonishment.

Xu Yun nodded. “Yep. How about it, pretty good deal, right?”

“I’ll pay double—sell it to me, will you?” Guoguo beamed at him. “If you don’t, I can’t promise what I’ll whisper to Mom at bedtime. Who knows if you’ll ever get to marry her…”

This little one is ruthless, Xu Yun thought.

Ruan Qingshuang, at a loss for words, picked up a piece of stewed eel and stuffed it into Guoguo’s mouth. “No talking while eating. Have you forgotten how your mother taught you?”

But just for that, Xu Yun was ready to hand over the house to his precious goddaughter. “I’ll transfer the deed to you tomorrow, how about that?”

“That’s all I ever wanted, Dad!” Guoguo grinned. “Since you’re being so generous, I’ll keep my word too, just like I promised when we first met.”

Xu Yun recalled their first meeting clearly—Guoguo had extorted two hundred bucks from him, a hundred as a greeting fee, and a hundred as a hiring fee…

The Three Tigers could see that Xu Yun didn’t care in the slightest about Jin Biao’s reputation and were left with nothing to say. Well, it was true—Brother Yun wasn’t some ordinary guy. No matter what trouble came his way, he always remained calm, almost unnervingly so.

Suddenly, Xu Yun’s phone rang. Glancing at the screen, he saw it was Xiao Fei. He answered, “What is it?”

“Brother! Qiang… Brother Qiangzi has been crippled. Our store… someone set fire to it… I…” Xiao Fei, still young, was so shaken by what he’d just experienced that he could barely speak.

Xu Yun’s expression darkened immediately. “Where are you?”

Choking with tears, Xiao Fei replied, “I’m at the shop. Brother Qiangzi’s hands… they nailed his hands… Brother, I don’t know what to do!”

“I’ll be right there.” Xu Yun hung up and stood, turning to the Three Tigers. “Gather your men and come with me to the Hongnan District, to Qiangzi’s branch.”

One look at Xu Yun’s grave expression told the three that something serious had happened. Without another word, they jumped up, whipping out their phones to call their people.

Xu Yun wasted not a second. He ran upstairs for his car keys, grabbed two small bottles from his backpack, then headed down and drove straight to Hongnan District in his old Citroën. From Xiao Fei’s voice, he knew Qiangzi must have been badly hurt.

The entire time, Ruan Qingshuang and Guoguo dared not ask questions. They could see the fury burning inside Xu Yun.

The battered Citroën, under Xu Yun’s hands, sped down the streets with the spirit of a Ferrari, drifting and weaving in and out of traffic, leaving BMWs and Mercedes drivers in the dust.

When Xu Yun reached the Hongnan branch, Qiangzi’s new Passat had been smashed into a heap of scrap metal outside. Kicking the door open, Xu Yun rushed inside to find the store bearing clear traces of fire—scorch marks everywhere. It had been put out in time, but if not, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

“Brother Yun!” Xiao Fei nearly burst into tears at the sight of him. Despite his own swollen, bruised face, he didn’t care. “Those bastards nailed Brother Qiangzi in the kitchen!”

Xu Yun didn’t bother with the chaos in the front, striding straight into the kitchen. There, Qiangzi’s hands had each been pierced through by sharp fruit knives, nailed to the chopping board—a gruesome sight.

Half of Qiangzi’s face was swollen to the size of a steamed bun. Yet, seeing Xu Yun, he managed a pained grin. “Bro, you’re here…”

Whoever had done this had truly enraged Xu Yun. Though his heart was ablaze with fury, he remained calm and instructed Xiao Fei, “There’s a clinic five hundred meters to the left outside. Go buy two bottles of hydrogen peroxide, two rolls of gauze, and a box of painkillers!”

“Yes!” Xiao Fei immediately sprinted out.

“Hang in there,” Xu Yun said, fishing out the two small bottles he’d brought. He opened one and sprinkled the powder onto Qiangzi’s wounds where the knives still transfixed his hands. The powder quickly staunched the bleeding.

The burning pain made Qiangzi’s eyes nearly bulge out, but the intensity only lasted a few seconds.

“Pulling the knives out will cause more damage. Be a man and grit your teeth.” Xu Yun grabbed a handful of chopsticks and held them to Qiangzi’s mouth. “Bite down!”

With a snap, Qiangzi clenched them between his teeth, not even frowning. If you’re a man, you bite down, goddammit! Qiangzi was no longer the small-time hood he’d been half a month ago. Since following Xu Yun, he’d sworn to become a real man.

Xu Yun took a deep breath. He’d helped brothers through worse injuries before, but those guys were monsters—wounds from cold weapons were nothing to them; a bit of medicinal herb chewed and slapped on, and they’d be back on their feet. But Qiangzi was just an ordinary man, and Xu Yun had to minimize further harm.

As Xu Yun gripped the knife handle, sweat broke out on Qiangzi’s forehead. He shut his eyes, biting down hard on the chopsticks, telling himself: Do it! If I cry out in pain, I’m no man.

Almost as if hearing his thoughts, Xu Yun suddenly pulled, yanking the fruit knife from Qiangzi’s left hand in a flash. Qiangzi’s vision went black, and he held his breath for half a minute before finally exhaling.

“Can you hold on?” Xu Yun glanced at the bloodied blade, a cold gleam flashing in his eyes—he would repay this cruelty in kind.

Qiangzi could only nod weakly, chopsticks clenched between his teeth. Without hesitation, Xu Yun pulled the knife from his right hand as well.

At last, Qiangzi slumped in relief. When he let go, the chopsticks in his mouth had splintered seven or eight times, but he managed a crooked smile and forced out a single word: “Sweet…”

Xu Yun couldn’t bear to knock him on the head. “Looks like they didn’t play you hard enough.”

Qiangzi knew it was just venting and managed another grin, but he really didn’t want to talk—his battered face ached to even open his mouth, and even smiling took all the strength he had left.

Just then, Xiao Fei rushed in with the supplies. Following Xu Yun’s instructions, he cleaned Qiangzi’s wounds with hydrogen peroxide, while Xu Yun opened the other small bottle, which held a dark ointment.

“This stuff works wonders for healing wounds, but it may leave a slight mark,” Xu Yun told Qiangzi. “Do you want to give it a try?”

Summoning all his strength, Qiangzi croaked, “Bro, I’m no sissy—don’t care if my hands darken. Do it.”

If Qiangzi had known that this pitch-black Heavenly Fragrance Ointment could fetch seven figures on the black market, he would never have let it be used. If the Nine-Turn Resurrection Pill was a miracle for internal injuries, then this ointment was a divine cure for external wounds.

Xu Yun spread the thick ointment in a layer over both sides of Qiangzi’s wounds. Instantly, Qiangzi felt a cooling sensation, and the earlier burning pain faded. Of course, to say it didn’t hurt at all would be a lie—after all, his hands had been pierced through.