Chapter 2

The other two robbers had not yet reacted when they felt a piercing pain hit them, causing them to collapse on the ground. Chu Ying did not hesitate for a moment and quickly got out of the car.

"Boss, this woman hasn't been taken yet. Should I... take her first?" The soundproofing in the car was excellent, so the people outside naturally couldn't hear what was happening inside. Feeling someone approach from behind, Da Mao and Er Mao, who were still leering at the woman, thought it was the boss finishing up and getting out of the car.

"If you can't take her, just leave her!" Chu Ying said casually.

"Boss, you actually care about... you're not the boss!" Da Mao and Er Mao, sensing something was off, suddenly turned around. Seeing the young man who had been sitting next to the woman, they were startled. Da Mao asked, "Where's our boss?"

Chu Ying rubbed his fingers and said calmly, "He seems to be howling like a wolf in the car."

"Kid, you're asking for death!" Da Mao and Er Mao shouted angrily, their knives attacking Chu Ying from both sides.

"Slap slap!" Chu Ying's palms struck their faces like shadows. Before they could even scream, they crashed into the bus and fainted.

The sudden turn of events left the woman stunned. Seeing Chu Ying staring at her with a playful look, she was terrified and stammered, "W-What do you want? Don't come any closer, or I'll call for help!" Realizing that calling for help wouldn't do any good, she instinctively backed away.

"Don't judge people by their appearance. If I really wanted to deal with you, no one would come to your rescue even if you screamed your lungs out!" Chu Ying gave her a charming smile and turned to leave.

The woman stood there for a moment, her face turning pale as she recalled Chu Ying's last words.

By the time the woman returned to the bus, the three robbers had already been "subdued" by the other passengers. Ten minutes later, two police cars arrived and took all five robbers away.

When the police asked who had subdued the robbers, everyone looked at each other. They only knew that the brave young man was quite handsome, and since all the passengers had given their valuable items to the robbers, no one had taken a photo of him. However, Chu Ying's face was forever etched in the minds of the passengers.

Chu Ying, meanwhile, was walking down a country path. The layout of the surrounding villages matched his vague memories of his hometown. The strong memory of an eight-year-old boy was evident.

The robbery on the bus was just a farce to Chu Ying. Since he had returned, leaving everything behind, he planned to live a peaceful life with his parents, so he didn't kill the robbers. Otherwise, they would have met their end long ago.

...

"Eight-Li Hollow" was a mountain village nestled among the hills. Chu Ying's hometown was at the eastern end of the village.

The surrounding mountains were filled with the sounds of construction. Cranes, bulldozers, and excavators were busy at work. Chu Ying smiled slightly, "I didn't expect such a remote place to be noticed by developers. I guess my parents must be doing well!"

It had been sixteen years since he left home. Chu Ying's memories of his parents were still from when he was eight. His father was tall and strong, and his mother always had a gentle smile on her face. They had never once hit or scolded him, no matter what he did wrong.

But that despicable old man had lured the naive Chu Ying away from his parents with just a candy, taking him out of the peaceful village of Eight-Li Hollow.

"Dad, Mom, do you remember your clumsy son? It's all my fault for making you suffer!" Thinking of the joy on his parents' faces when they would meet, Chu Ying quickened his pace.

Following the mountain path from his memory, Chu Ying soon reached the village entrance. He saw the villagers all running towards the eastern part of the village. A hint of confusion flashed in his eyes, and he stopped a middle-aged man. "Uncle, what's happening over there? Why is everyone so excited?"

The middle-aged man, seeing a young man, replied, "I heard that Huanzi is fighting with those people!"

Chu Ying's heart skipped a beat. "Who are those people? What's the issue between Huanzi and them?"

The middle-aged man, clearly anxious, said angrily, "They're just the thugs hired by the developers! Oh, I can't talk to you now, we need to help Huanzi!" With that, he ran off.

A cold smile appeared on Chu Ying's lips, and he quickened his pace, soon overtaking the middle-aged man and reaching the eastern end of the village.

The scene was chaotic, with a crowd gathered around a mud-brick house. On the roof stood a young man with dark skin, his face filled with anger.

Chu Ying's heart sank. The young man on the roof was his childhood friend, Huanzi. The house he was standing on was Chu Ying's home, but where were his parents?

"Lu Huan, if you don't come down, I'll call the bulldozer over. If you get buried, don't blame us!" A threatening voice called out as Chu Ying was thinking.

Huanzi glared at the tattooed man and said fiercely, "No ten thousand, no deal!"

The tattooed man and the dozen thugs behind him laughed. The tattooed man said, "This mud-brick house? Ten thousand? Are you stupid or am I?"

Huanzi stubbornly replied, "Less than ten thousand, and you can't touch a single blade of grass on this house!"

"Brother Huanzi, forget it, come down!" A soft voice called out from the crowd.

Chu Ying found the source of the voice in the crowd. It was a slender girl with a worried expression on her delicate face.

A look of tenderness flashed across Huanzi's face, but it was quickly replaced by anger. "Chu Xin, why did you come back? Go back to school!"

Pausing for a moment, Huanzi continued, "Your father entrusted you to me before he left. Without a house, where will you live? Without ten thousand, how will you go to school?"

Tears welled up in Chu Xin's eyes, and she said tearfully, "Brother Huanzi, I don't want to go to school anymore!"

Huanzi's body shook, almost falling off the roof. His voice grew even angrier, "What nonsense! I'll work myself to death, but you must go to school!"

The villagers, thinking of the pitiful siblings, sighed. The kind-hearted villagers tried to persuade them, but both were stubborn and refused to back down.

Chu Ying's mind went blank. From the villagers' sighs, he understood everything. His parents were dead, and Chu Xin was his younger sister!

The tattooed man looked at the siblings with a mocking smile. As the surrounding chatter died down, he sneered, "Lu Huan, are you really not coming down?"

Huanzi said angrily, "I said it, no ten thousand, no deal!" He stood straight, his face filled with determination.

The tattooed man waved his hand, and his thugs quickly surrounded the house. His tone was playful, "I can't touch the house, but I can touch you!"

Just as Huanzi was about to respond, a cold voice came from the back of the crowd, "You can't touch the house, and you can't touch the people!"