Chapter 3

Qing Shuang wiped away the tears on her face with her slender fingers and walked up to Xu Yun, saying, "Thank you, thank you so much..."

Xu Yun chuckled and waved his hand, saying, "It was nothing, I just couldn't stand seeing a group of big men bullying a weak woman."

"Hey, looks like we've run into a hero saving a beauty today?" said a fierce-looking man with a tattoo, who was the leader of the group.

Xu Yun's slap and kick just now had truly stunned them, shocking their eyes, but the tattooed men didn't take Xu Yun seriously. In their eyes, Xu Yun was just good at fighting, but behind them stood the Four Wolves Gang with over a thousand members, so they had nothing to fear from him.

Xu Yun turned his head to look at the tattooed man and said with a smile, "What? Do you guys also want the ten thousand yuan?"

"Kid, speak politely! I'm from the Four Wolves Gang. If you don't want to be chased and cut by over a thousand people, shut up and get lost!" the leader of the tattooed men said angrily.

The moment the words "Four Wolves Gang" were spoken, the onlookers all took a step back, their faces showing a hint of fear, clearly indicating the gang's notorious reputation in the area.

"If I don't go, will you cut me?" Xu Yun frowned and said.

"Hmph, kid, I know you can fight, but today I'm here to collect a debt. Once the debt is collected, if you want to fight, we can set a time and place anytime!"

Xu Yun sneered and said, "If you're collecting a debt, you should go to the debtor, not an unrelated person. At best, it's a case of mistaken identity; at worst, it's harassment..."

"Hmph!" The leader of the tattooed men snorted, his eyes glaring fiercely at Qing Shuang, "Does Lu Bao owe the casino money, and are you going to pay it back or not?"

"Lu Bao owes you money, you should ask him, it has nothing to do with me," Qing Shuang said, her face still showing some fear.

"Looks like you think that with this kid protecting you, you can owe the Four Wolves Gang money, huh? I'm telling you right now, if you don't pay back the money for Lu Bao, I'll tear down this herbal medicine shop of yours!" the leader of the tattooed men said viciously.

Qing Shuang never expected them to be so unreasonable. She was both shocked and afraid. She was alone in Hedong City; who could help her?

Without thinking, Qing Shuang instinctively looked at Xu Yun.

Xu Yun gave Qing Shuang a reassuring look, then stepped forward to face the leader of the tattooed men and said with a smile, "I wasn't too opposed to people who make a living from casinos and brothels, but now, well, hah... I'll give you two options: one, finish your tough talk and get lost, or two, end up like Lu Bao and have the ambulance take you away. Choose one!"

"Huh? You dare to compare the Four Wolves Gang to a brothel?" The leader of the tattooed men's eyes widened, his anger almost bursting out, and his followers were also furious.

"Don't flatter yourselves, how much cleaner are you than a brothel?" Xu Yun said calmly.

"Damn, kid, you're asking for it..." The leader of the tattooed men said, pulling out a baton from his waist and swinging it at Xu Yun.

"Ah! Be careful..." Qing Shuang screamed in fright. She had never seen such a scene before, but despite being terrified, she still shouted to warn Xu Yun.

Xu Yun didn't dodge. Just as the baton was about to hit his head, he moved.

His right index and middle fingers shot up like a snake striking a mouse, so fast that they almost left a trail in the air.

Smack!

Xu Yun's fingers met the baton, making a crisp sound. The sound wasn't loud, but everyone around was stunned as if struck by lightning.

The baton, which had been swung with great force, was effortlessly stopped by Xu Yun's fingers.

This change not only shocked the onlookers but also stunned the man holding the baton. He knew how much force he had used, and even a stick would have left a dent, let alone two fingers, but it was stopped.

Shocked, stunned, terrified...

Before the leader of the tattooed men could react, Xu Yun used the baton to push down hard.

The leader felt his wrist and arm being twisted by a powerful force, causing his body to flip and land hard on the concrete ground, his eyes seeing stars and his head spinning.

Xu Yun didn't stop there. He stepped forward and used his foot to lift the man, who was over 200 pounds, like a stuffed toy, sending him flying two meters high in a perfect parabola before his head hit the ground, just like Lu Bao.

"Is this all you've got for collecting a debt? Even bank robbers have more skill. Tsk!" Xu Yun muttered, then darted into the group of approaching thugs.

Straight punches, knee strikes, and slaps all came at once.

Dominant, direct, simple...

In less than half a minute, the remaining five or six tattooed men were lying on the ground like dead dogs, unmoving and unable to be dragged away.

"Your face is your own, but the money belongs to the Four Wolves Gang! Seeing you all beaten up like this, I feel sorry for your parents. Tsk!" Xu Yun said.

"..." The onlookers were speechless at his words.

"Those who don't want to die, get lost. Those who want to die, keep lying there!" Xu Yun said calmly.

As he finished speaking, a roar reached his ears.

"Kid, if you have the guts, leave your name..."

Xu Yun turned to see the man who had just been beaten up like Lu Bao, "Xu Yun. If you want revenge, come find me anytime, but I'll warn you, next time won't be so easy!"

"Good, kid, we'll see, Four Wolves Gang... ah..."

As the leader of the tattooed men was speaking, Xu Yun stepped up to him, kicked him in the stomach, and silenced him, leaving only a series of agonized screams.

"I've already told you my name, so stop blabbering. You deserve a beating."

Seeing their leader's fate, the thugs on the ground winced in pain, some holding their faces, some their stomachs, and some their legs, and they helped each other into the crowd.

With the Four Wolves Gang members beaten, the onlookers knew that the gang would soon come for revenge, so they quietly dispersed.

Qing Shuang looked at Xu Yun with gratitude, her pale face regaining some color.

"Thank you, Xu Yun," Qing Shuang said, walking up to him gracefully.

"It's nothing," Xu Yun smiled.

At that moment, a child's voice suddenly rang out.

"Mom, Mom..."

As the voice sounded, Xu Yun almost froze, for he saw a five or six-year-old girl rushing into Qing Shuang's arms like a baby bird returning to its nest.

"I, this, damn! What's going on? Did I see wrong? Was I fooled?" Xu Yun thought, feeling like crying.

Qing Shuang smiled apologetically at Xu Yun and lovingly patted the girl's head, "This is my daughter, Guo Guo. She's a bit mischievous, I'm sorry."

These words were like a thunderclap in Xu Yun's ears, almost shattering his hopes of a beautiful woman.

"Ha, ha... You don't look that old, is your daughter six years old?"

"Ah?" Qing Shuang's face turned slightly red, "She's my goddaughter."

Xu Yun felt like a withered tree coming back to life, his face turning red as he smiled, "That's good, ha, that's good..."

"Mom, I'm hungry!" Guo Guo said, biting her chubby, tender finger.

Qing Shuang said apologetically to Xu Yun, "If you don't mind, come to the shop, I'll make some herbal medicine for Guo Guo."

"Sure," Xu Yun agreed without hesitation.

The three returned to the herbal medicine shop. Qing Shuang put Guo Guo on a chair, then took the apron from the table and went into the kitchen.

Guo Guo, like a curious child, stared at Xu Yun, looking him up and down.

Xu Yun didn't dislike children; in fact, he liked them. Whenever he saw them playing happily, he felt a sense of envy, as he never had such a childhood, spending his days practicing martial arts and running with weights...

Thinking about it, Xu Yun started chatting with Guo Guo.

The two chatted happily, and Xu Yun learned about Guo Guo's background. It turned out that a few days ago, Qing Shuang had gone out to buy ingredients and passed by a scrap yard where she found the dirty little Guo Guo. Her maternal instincts kicked in, and she brought Guo Guo back to the shop, raising her as her own daughter.

"Superman, you were so cool when you beat up the bad guys!" Guo Guo said excitedly.

"Superman?" Xu Yun felt like his underwear was on backwards, but what Guo Guo said next made him feel even more uncomfortable!

"Hehe, Superman, do you like my mom?" Guo Guo asked.

"..."

"Don't deny it, I can tell," Guo Guo said seriously.

"..."

Xu Yun was speechless. Are kids these days so mature?

Guo Guo blinked her lively eyes and said with a smile, "Superman, will you be my dad?"

Xu Yun's eyes lit up. In ancient times, there was the story of a man traveling a thousand miles to become a stepfather, and now there was the story of a man becoming a godfather after just a few miles. If he could win over this little girl, with Qing Shuang's love for her, he would have no trouble getting closer to her.

"Uh, ha, sure!" Xu Yun pretended to think for a moment before agreeing, finding the little girl irresistibly charming.

Guo Guo's lively eyes darted around, and she held out her chubby little hand to Xu Yun, "Give me a hundred yuan."

Xu Yun was taken aback for a moment before realizing that the girl was asking for a gift. He immediately took out a hundred yuan and gave it to her.