Chapter 51

"Who the hell did this!?"

In a room in Hupao Alley, Little Tiger Lord was seething with rage, his fury palpable. Several ruffians stood to the side, silent and trembling.

When he learned of the death of his trusted subordinate, Liu'er, earlier that day, Little Tiger Lord had been stunned for a moment. Especially since Liu'er had died right in Hupao Alley.

He had gone to inspect the scene carefully. Based on the situation, it seemed that two of his thugs had been taken out almost instantly. Liu'er, who was quick to react, had tried to escape through the window as soon as he realized the danger. But just as he broke through the window, he was subdued. The assailant was experienced, ruthless, and definitely a professional.

Although Liu'er wasn't particularly strong, he had at least entered the realm of martial arts. With two thugs to back him up and being in Hupao Alley, even against someone at the second level of Qi and Blood, he shouldn't have been so easily overwhelmed that he chose to flee through the window. The attacker was likely at the peak of the second level of Qi and Blood, or even at the third level.

The third level of Qi and Blood!

A martial artist of that caliber wouldn't be an unknown figure in the alleys of Nanquan.

"Was it the Iron Ox Gang? The Wild Wolf Gang? Or the Flying Sand Gang?"

The names of various gangs flashed through Little Tiger Lord's mind, but he quickly dismissed them one by one.

Among these three gangs, only the Flying Sand Gang was on par with their Tiger Head Gang in terms of strength. The other two were far weaker.

The Tiger Head Gang's enforcers were all well-known figures. Sending someone at the peak of the second level or even the third level of Qi and Blood to assassinate Liu'er didn't seem plausible.

Moreover, while there were conflicts of interest between the gangs, killing Liu'er wouldn't bring any real benefit to them.

"Who could it be?"

Little Tiger Lord was deeply troubled.

This incident couldn't have come at a worse time. Among the three enforcers of the Tiger Head Gang, he was the only one still at the peak of the second level of Qi and Blood. The other two had already reached the third level. This had always been a point of weakness for him, and he had often been mocked by the other two enforcers.

A few days ago, his adoptive father, Tiger Lord, had gone to great expense to acquire a bottle of Qi and Blood Pills, intending to bestow them upon him so he could break through to the third level and stand on equal footing with the other enforcers.

However, this plan had met with significant resistance.

But a little resistance wasn't a big deal. With his adoptive father's support and his own determination, it was only a matter of time before the Qi and Blood Pills would be his.

Yet now, his trusted subordinate Liu'er had been killed in Hupao Alley last night.

This incident had given the other two enforcers the perfect excuse to block him from receiving the Qi and Blood Pills.

"Damn it!"

Thinking of this, Little Tiger Lord couldn't help but curse aloud.

At that moment, urgent shouts came from outside the door.

"Little Tiger Lord! Little Tiger Lord!"

Already irritated, Little Tiger Lord felt a surge of anger at the noise. Just as he was about to lash out, he saw several people enter the room. Among them was his trusted subordinate, Feizi.

Seeing Feizi, Little Tiger Lord managed to suppress his anger.

"What is it? Why all the noise? What's going on?"

"Little Tiger Lord," Feizi hurried to his side. "It's that kid from the Chen family!"

"The Chen family kid?"

"Last night, Liu'er had just collected the monthly protection money from several households. After we got the news, we went around to investigate. But when we got to the Chen family's place, we ran into trouble!"

"What kind of trouble?" Little Tiger Lord's eyes narrowed, exuding a fierce aura.

"We wanted to ask about Liu'er, but the kid immediately started yelling at us, even threatening us with the Great Qian laws and the Town Patrol Office. That kid isn't an ordinary civilian—he's got a temporary constable badge from the Town Patrol Office. We thought that if things escalated, it could cause serious trouble. So, we had no choice but to come back and report to you."

Feizi briefly explained the situation, deliberately omitting the part where they had acted aggressively.

"Useless!"

Little Tiger Lord scolded them.

"Since when does the Tiger Head Gang need to follow so many rules? How dare that kid threaten us! He's got some nerve!"

Little Tiger Lord's rage flared, and he shot up from his chair.

"Let's go! Take me to that kid!"

"Yes, Little Tiger Lord!" Feizi and the other two thugs responded respectfully.

As Little Tiger Lord stormed out of the room, the thugs exchanged glances, a hint of glee in their eyes.

With Little Tiger Lord personally involved, that Chen kid was in for a world of pain.

Hmph!

This would teach everyone what happens when you cross the Tiger Head Gang!

Little Tiger Lord, accompanied by seven or eight thugs, arrived at the Chen family's courtyard in a flurry. They were greeted by an open gate and Chen Ping'an, sitting calmly on a chair facing the entrance.

Little Tiger Lord paused, his gaze falling on the firewood knife in Chen Ping'an's hand.

Was this Chen kid really planning to stand his ground?

In his memory, Chen Ping'an was a bit clever and knew how to navigate social situations, but he had never shown such boldness before.

Where did he get the courage?

From his temporary constable badge with the Nanquan Alley Town Patrol Office?

"Good! Good! Good! Even some stray dog dares to mess with the Tiger Head Gang now!"

After a brief moment of surprise, Little Tiger Lord sneered.

He couldn't back down now. He wasn't just representing himself—he was representing the entire Tiger Head Gang.

Though no one was visibly around, the neighbors were undoubtedly watching from behind closed doors.

His purpose here was to make an example, to show these common folk what happens when you cross the Tiger Head Gang.

"Chen kid, you've got some nerve lately! Even daring to block my men!"

Little Tiger Lord walked toward Chen Ping'an with a cold smile.

Holding a firewood knife? Who did he think he was trying to scare?

I was playing with knives before you were even born! Trying to intimidate me? What a joke!

"Ah, Little Tiger Lord!" Chen Ping'an didn't even stand up as he spoke. "Little Tiger Lord, you should keep your men in check. Breaking into people's homes in broad daylight—if they're this bold now, who knows what they'll do at night? They might even slaughter my whole family!"

With his opening words, Chen Ping'an immediately threw a heavy accusation at Little Tiger Lord.

"People might start thinking that the law in Nanquan Alley isn't enforced by the Town Patrol Office, but by the Tiger Head Gang!"

"What a sharp-tongued brat!"

Little Tiger Lord sneered, continuing to stride forward.

Too bad for him, no matter how sharp his tongue, it wouldn't save him from a beating.

He wondered if the kid would still be so bold after a good thrashing.

"Little Tiger Lord!" Chen Ping'an raised his firewood knife. "Take another step, and you'll be entering my courtyard without permission. According to the Great Qian laws, that counts as forced entry, punishable by twenty lashes and three years of imprisonment!"

Little Tiger Lord didn't stop, his sneer unwavering.

Thud!

Chen Ping'an's firewood knife came down hard, stopping mid-air, pointed directly at Little Tiger Lord.

"Take one more step, and it will be a fight to the death."

There was no shouting, no loss of control—just a calm, icy demeanor. Chen Ping'an's expression was cold as he stared at Little Tiger Lord.

He was dead serious.

Hearing this, Little Tiger Lord froze, his steps coming to an abrupt halt.