Chapter 6741
Don’t be impulsive
Xiao Chen's gaze instantly sharpened, like a knife tempered with ice, shooting straight into the depths of darkness, as if trying to see through everything within it.
In less than ten seconds, seven or eight men wearing black tank tops wandered into the lighted area.
The leader was a bald man with a thick gold chain around his neck. The chain swayed as he walked, and the sound of it hitting his collarbone was particularly clear in the quiet night market, like a death knell.
His face was filled with an arrogant and domineering expression, his eyes narrowed into slits, revealing a fierce light.
The proprietress was standing to the side with a white porcelain plate in her hand. When she saw the group of people come in, her hand trembled and the white porcelain plate fell to the ground with a "clatter". Broken porcelain shards were scattered everywhere, and a few pieces even grazed Xiao Chen's sneakers.
Xiao Chen frowned slightly, but did not move.
Zhang Peng's son's face turned deathly pale instantly, as if all the color had been drained from him, leaving him completely bloodless.
He hurriedly turned around to clean the meat skewers on the grill, his fingers trembling violently, like a sieve, and several times he missed the bamboo skewers.
Half-cooked meat skewers fell onto the charcoal fire, sizzling and burning, filling the air with a pungent, burnt smell.
His eyes were filled with fear, and his body trembled uncontrollably, as if he had seen something terrifying.
"Young man, you'd better pack up and leave now!"
The proprietress seemed to be chased by something terrifying. She didn't even bother to pick up the broken pieces of porcelain scattered on the ground, and stumbled towards Xiao Chen.
Her expression was panicked, her eyes filled with fear. She reached out to grab Xiao Chen's arm, and the bruise on her wrist swayed so violently with her frantic movements that it seemed to be silently telling the story of the pain she had endured.
"They're Brother Leopard's men, you don't understand the rules here..."
Her voice trembled violently, like a leaf shivering in the autumn wind; every word was laced with a sob, as if she were about to burst into tears at any moment.
"What rules?"
Xiao Chen, however, seemed oblivious to the proprietress's anxiety and fear, and slowly tore open the oil paper packaging of the skewers.
Dark brown oil dripped from the skewers onto his hand, making it sticky, but he didn't care at all. He simply asked in a calm tone, as if he were asking about the weather today.
His calm tone contrasted sharply with the tense atmosphere around him, as if he were in another world.
"The rules are..."
Upon hearing Xiao Chen's words, the bald man known as "Brother Leopard" immediately became furious.
He slammed his foot on the empty table next to him, and with a loud crash, the table, along with the grilled gluten and beer bottles that hadn't been cleared away yet, overturned to the ground.
Bamboo skewers were scattered all over the ground, and shards of beer bottles gleamed dangerously under the light.
He casually pulled over a plastic stool and sat down, the stool creaking as he sat on it, as if it might fall apart at any moment.
The gold chain around his neck dangled on the greasy table, swaying gently with his movements and reflecting a dazzling light that made people squint.
“That bastard Zhang Peng owes me a million yuan and still won’t give me this shop.”
"Brother Leopard said fiercely, his eyes seeming to spit fire," he said.
He glanced sideways at the "Closed Tomorrow, Relocating to New Address" notice taped to the wall, and a mocking smile curled at the corner of his gold-toothed mouth, a smile that sent chills down one's spine.
"You won't give me a shop, but you still want to make money? There's no such thing as a free lunch."
"Today he either obediently hands over the shop, or he pays off his debts, otherwise, hmph!"
He snorted coldly, his eyes full of threat, as if he was about to make a move at any moment.
The proprietress was trembling uncontrollably, looking like a withered leaf shivering in the cold wind.
With trembling hands, she slowly pulled a wad of change from a worn-out tin box beside her.
The money was all crumpled, with ten-yuan and twenty-yuan bills piled up haphazardly, and even a few one-yuan coins mixed in.
Oil stains from the skewers still clung to her fingertips, glistening greasy under the light.
She held the wad of change in both hands and carefully handed it to Brother Leopard, her voice trembling with tears and pleading. "Brother Leopard, this is the remaining cash from the shop these past few days, please take it..."
"I'll definitely find a way to make the rest of the money. Please give me a few more days, I beg you..."
Her eyes were filled with fear and despair, as if the person standing in front of her was not a person, but a demon that could devour her at any moment.
"Snapped!"
A loud slap rang out like a thunderclap, instantly interrupting her words.
Leopard didn't even glance at the wad of money; he simply raised his hand and slapped the proprietress hard across the face.
The proprietress staggered from the sudden slap and almost fell to the ground.
The wad of loose change scattered instantly, like a kite with a broken string, flying wildly in the air before finally settling into the cracks between the greasy floor tiles.
"This little money?"
Leopard spat hard on the ground, his eyes full of disdain and contempt.
He lifted his leather shoe and forcefully crushed the banknotes, burying them in the filth as if he were stepping on a pile of garbage, not money.
"I want a million!"
"If you're short even a penny, I'll bring my men and smash up your new shop tomorrow!"
"You can open for one day, then close for ten!"
His voice was vicious, carrying an undeniable threat.
The proprietress was so frightened that her legs went weak and she squatted down on the ground.
She hugged her knees tightly with both hands, her body trembling uncontrollably, as if this would give her some sense of security.
She had almost torn the edges of her apron to shreds, but she was completely unaware of it.
"Fuck your mother, how dare you hit my mom!"
Just then, Zhang Peng's son, who had been standing to the side, suddenly erupted.
He was initially quite scared, after all, Brother Leopard and his gang outnumbered him and didn't seem like easy targets.
But when he saw someone hitting his mother, his brain was instantly congested with blood, and a surge of anger rushed to his head, making him extremely furious.
He grabbed an iron skewer and charged at Brother Leopard, his eyes filled with anger and determination, as if he were ready to fight Brother Leopard to the death.
Upon seeing this, the proprietress's face instantly turned deathly pale.
She hurriedly got up from the ground and rushed over to stop her son.
She hugged her son's arm tightly, her voice trembling with tears.
"Son, don't be impulsive!"
"You're just throwing your life away by charging in!"
She knew very well that if her son rushed in, he would only get beaten up.
The world is not what it used to be.
Since the disappearance of the God of War, martial artists have become increasingly arrogant, taking advantage of their abilities to bully ordinary people at will.
But his son was just an ordinary person, while those on the other side were all martial artists. How could he possibly win?
A single iron skewer is very sharp and poses a great threat to ordinary people, but to a martial artist, it's nothing at all. (End of Chapter)