Chapter 40

A group of ruffians stood by the carriage, not immediately approaching. Three men pushed their way through the crowd. The one in front was tall and sturdy, with a bald head and a large black robe. Despite the deep autumn rain, he had his chest exposed, and on it was a vividly tattooed tiger head, its mouth wide open, looking fierce and majestic.

Behind him, the man on the left was tall and thin, with a sinister expression. The man on the right was short but moved with a steady gait, indicating he was no pushover.

When these three men appeared, the surrounding ruffians all bowed, showing great respect, clearly indicating their high status among the group.

The bald man with the tiger tattoo walked forward, looked at the dense crowd of villagers at the village entrance, and chuckled. He turned to the tall, thin man and said, "Third Brother, do you remember the last time we came here, you broke five arms and eight legs with just your bare hands?"

The tall, thin man smiled sinisterly and replied, "Today won't be any less!"

The short man chuckled and said, "Brother Tiger, last time I couldn't join in, but this time I'll have to stretch my muscles. You know, Bai Xianzi's people are already beaten to the point where they can't fight back. If we don't go after them, they'll be more than happy. They don't dare to provoke us. Sigh, I really miss the early days when we first started with Boss Xue. Back then, Bai Xianzi had a lot of people, but Boss Xue led us to carve out a territory. Those days, we could have a good fight every day..."

The bald man chuckled and said, "Not letting you fight for half a year, you've been soaking in the Yinyin Pavilion. Your body must be drained by those whores..."

"My body is still strong," the short man said with an evil smile. "Every time I go, I make those bitches cry and scream..."

"Enough of that," the bald man's expression turned cold. "Fifth Brother's leg was broken, and Feng Ergou lost his life. These villagers have really grown some balls. Boss Xue said that if we can't handle these villagers this time, we won't be able to go back."

The short man immediately clenched his fists. "Brother Tiger, let's go now. Knock down a few of them, and the rest will scatter."

The bald man shook his head. "Boss Xue said that these villagers have burned the land purchase documents and even reclaimed the land deeds... Feng Ergou, that useless fool, left this mess for us to clean up." He paused and continued, "Today, we can put aside other matters, but we must get back the land deeds. Without them, we'll lose a significant income every year." He turned and scanned the dozens of ruffians, speaking sternly, "Remember, the higher-ups have said that as long as no one dies, we can do whatever it takes. The authorities have been taken care of, so there won't be any trouble."

The group all clenched their fists, eager to act.

The bald man continued, "Third Brother, Sixth Brother, you come with me." He stepped forward, and the tall, thin man and the short man followed, walking confidently despite the dense crowd of villagers.

Seeing them approach, the villagers, after being calmed by Chu Huan, were more composed but still showed signs of tension.

Chu Huan, expressionless, stepped forward alone, facing the strong enemies, he took on the heavy responsibility, determined to boost the villagers' morale and courage through his actions.

Shi Tou and Hu Xiaoshuan exchanged glances, gritted their teeth, and followed Chu Huan forward.

When the two sides were about four or five steps apart, they stopped.

The bald man hadn't expected anyone to step forward from the villagers. He sized up the situation and saw a young man in his twenties in the middle, unremarkable in appearance. He rubbed his bald head and laughed, "This Liu Family Village is really scared, sending a kid... Right, isn't your headman surnamed Liu? Where is he? Let him come out, I have something to ask him!"

Chu Huan, however, smiled calmly and asked, "Are all of you here?"

This question took the other side by surprise, and they all showed signs of anger. The short man pointed at Chu Huan and shouted, "Brat, you're pretty cocky! Who taught you to be so disrespectful?"

Chu Huan ignored him and pointed at the bald man, "You're their leader, right? Come on, let's talk!"

"Damn it," the bald man spat, seeing Chu Huan's arrogant demeanor. It was rare for anyone to speak to him like this, and he was furious. "You little brat, what gives you the right to talk to me? Go get your headman, that old dog. Feng Ergou is my brother. You killed him and stole the land deeds. If you don't give us an explanation today, none of you will leave!"

Shi Tou angrily said, "You... you're unreasonable. The land deeds are ours, we're just taking back what's ours. Feng Ergou... Feng Ergou was killed by Zhao Bao. We've already reported it to the authorities. If you want to avenge Feng Ergou, go after Zhao Bao!"

The short man shouted, "To hell with you! Feng Ergou died in your village, you can't escape responsibility. Stop talking nonsense. Will you hand over the land deeds? If you do, I might let you off. Otherwise, we'll wash your Liu Family Village in blood today!" As he spoke, he saw a blur and realized someone had already appeared in front of him. Before he could react, he saw the other person lift a leg and kick straight at his chest.

The short man was truly surprised. He hadn't expected the other side to attack first.

Among the eight top lieutenants under Boss Xue, he ranked sixth, but when it came to fighting, he was the most ruthless. On his chest was a tattoo of a venomous snake, and his attacks were as vicious as the snake.

Seeing the kick aimed at his chest, the short man reacted quickly, forming a fist and smashing it at the ankle of the leg. He was confident that if he hit the ankle, the leg would likely be broken.

However, the leg was extremely fast. Initially, it seemed to be aimed at his chest, but in the blink of an eye, it rose higher and kicked him in the face.

The kick was powerful, and the short man couldn't defend himself. When he realized what was happening, he felt intense pain on his face, especially in his nose, which was broken by the kick.

Chu Huan, having kicked him in the face, didn't give him a chance to react. He kicked again, this time at the short man's abdomen, hitting him hard. The short man was kicked back several steps and fell to the ground, unable to get up.

Chu Huan's sudden attack stunned not only the villagers but also the ruffians, many of whom couldn't believe their eyes.

Especially the ruffians, who saw the short man, Sixth Brother, as a seasoned fighter who had seen many battles and rarely lost.

But now, in front of everyone, he was defeated almost instantly.

After a moment of shock, the ruffians reacted, and someone shouted, "Brothers, Sixth Brother has been hit, charge!" Several ruffians, wielding wooden sticks, led the charge, and over thirty people rushed over like a pack of wolves.

Liu Tianfu, seeing the situation, looked grim and shouted, "Everyone, charge! We can't let them bully us anymore!" He was in his fifties, raised his wooden stick, and led the charge.

Chu Huan's initial move had already boosted the villagers' morale, and Liu Tianfu's shout made them even more determined. They all charged forward, shouting, forming groups of three as Chu Huan had instructed.

The bald man, seeing the short man fall instantly, was also shocked. But he was no ordinary man and quickly reacted, kicking at Chu Huan.

As the leader of the eight top lieutenants, his skills were the strongest. His kick was powerful and fast, and Chu Huan, seeing the force, didn't block it but stepped back and swung his fist at the bald man's leg.

Shi Tou, seeing the fight start, also shouted and punched at the bald man. The tall, thin man, however, was prepared and, as Shi Tou punched, he leaped forward and kicked at Shi Tou.

Hu Xiaoshuan, whether from nervousness or excitement, his face red, didn't hesitate and, like a rabbit, leaped forward, grabbing the tall, thin man's leg and shouting, "Shi Tou, hit him, hit him!" The tall, thin man, with Hu Xiaoshuan holding his leg, shouted in anger and punched Hu Xiaoshuan in the back. The punch was powerful, and Hu Xiaoshuan cried out, spitting blood, but he didn't let go, shouting, "Hit him, hit him!"

At this moment, both sides' reinforcements rushed in, like two waves colliding. In the continuous autumn rain, a spectacular brawl began at the entrance of Liu Family Village.

Compared to the ruffians, the villagers were clearly at a disadvantage in individual combat. However, Chu Huan had already instructed them to form groups of three and focus on one opponent. Despite their nervousness, the villagers remembered this and, once the fight started, they followed the plan, with each group focusing on one ruffian.

For a moment, sticks flew and screams echoed. As soon as the fight began, both sides had people hit by sticks, and many were already bleeding and injured.

The bald man, now attacking fiercely, seemed to have the upper hand as Chu Huan retreated a few steps. The bald man, much taller and stronger than Chu Huan, thought Chu Huan's earlier victory over the short man was just a surprise attack.

Seeing the chaos around him, the bald man realized that the villagers' morale likely came from this young man who had stepped forward first. He decided that if he could defeat this young man, the villagers' morale would be greatly weakened, and they would be easily defeated.

With this thought, he roared and kicked at Chu Huan.

At the same time, Chu Huan crouched down, and his left leg swept out. The bald man's kick passed over Chu Huan's head, but Chu Huan's leg hit the bald man's supporting leg.

Simple, swift, sharp, cold, and effective!