A sudden shout erupted from outside the Qian family’s main gate.
At the sound, Cao Chunmei and Qian Rong paled, their faces gripped with fear and unease.
“What’s going on?”
Elder Qian demanded, his expression stern.
In all these years, no one had dared raise their voice at the Qian residence—utterly outrageous!
Just then, a servant rushed in, flustered, and said, “Master, trouble! Fifth Master Sun is here.”
“He brought a bunch of people, at least a hundred, blocking our gate.”
“They’re all armed, and they said…”
The servant trailed off, glancing at Cao Chunmei and Qian Rong kneeling on the floor, hesitant to continue.
“Said what?” Elder Qian pressed.
The servant replied, “They said if the eldest madam and Qian Rong don’t pay up today, they’ll tear our house down.”
“Outrageous!”
Elder Qian slammed the table and stood, bellowing, “Sun Wu’s just a thug, and he dares stir trouble at my home? Looks like he’s done in Suhang.”
“And you two fools, borrowing from Sun Wu? Are you trying to die?”
He pointed his cane at Cao Chunmei and Qian Rong, fury boiling over.
“Master, what do we do now?” the servant asked.
“I’ll face them myself. I refuse to believe a thug dares touch these old bones,” Elder Qian said, starting toward the door.
Ye Qiu quickly interjected, “Grandpa, they’re just petty thugs. If you go out, you’d only dignify them.”
“Let me handle this!”
Elder Qian glanced at Ye Qiu and said, “I know you’ve got skills, but a strong dragon can’t crush a local snake.”
Qian Weidong added, “Father’s right. Sun Wu’s not to be underestimated.”
“A thug’s nothing to fear,” Ye Qiu said dismissively.
Qian Weidong’s face grew serious as he explained, “Don’t underestimate Sun Wu.”
“He started as a lowlife—petty theft, whatever dirty work paid. Later, he gathered a crew of thugs, formed the Green Wolf Gang, and started collecting protection fees and extorting people, building his fortune.”
“As the gang grew, they branched into bars, loan-sharking, casinos, clubs, hotels, you name it.”
“Over twenty years, the Green Wolf Gang swallowed smaller factions. Now they’ve got thousands, the biggest gang in Suhang.”
“Sun Wu, their boss, is cunning and has skilled fighters at his side. He’s not easy to deal with.”
Qian Weidong continued, “Let me handle this. We’ve got ties to the authorities—Sun Wu won’t dare overstep.”
Elder Qian nodded slightly, “Fine, Weidong, you take care of it!”
Qian Duoduo wasn’t pleased.
He knew Qian Weidong too well—if he stepped in, it’d be all smiles and groveling to Sun Wu’s crew.
Qian Duoduo didn’t want to see that and spoke up, “Dad, don’t push yourself. This is a job for Cousin!”
“Grandpa, Cousin’s way tougher than you think.”
“You don’t know yet, but in the capital, he beat up Young Master Zhang, forced Zhang Qingyao to cut off his own hand, and crippled Xiao Qingdi’s leg. Even the Champion Marquis didn’t dare make a peep…”
“Enough,” Ye Qiu shot Qian Duoduo a sharp look.
This bootlicker talked too much.
Qian Duoduo shrank back, shutting his mouth.
Elder Qian stared at Ye Qiu, stunned, and asked, “Is what Duoduo said true?”
Qian Weidong looked equally shocked.
Ye Qiu said to Elder Qian, “Just some minor scuffles, sorry to amuse you.”
Minor scuffles?
Elder Qian’s mouth twitched at the phrase.
The Zhang family was one of the capital’s four great clans—lowest-ranked, sure, but Zhang Qingyao, the heir, wasn’t someone you could just mess with.
Ye Qiu forcing Zhang Qingyao to sever his own arm—how could that not shock people?
And Xiao Qingdi, brother to the Champion Marquis Xiao Jiu. Elder Qian had seen countless people in his life, and among the younger generation, Xiao Jiu stood at the top in his mind.
Yet Ye Qiu had crippled Xiao Jiu’s brother—audacious beyond belief.
What stunned Elder Qian most was that Ye Qiu pulled off these stunts and still stood here unscathed?
How did he manage that?
Elder Qian gave Ye Qiu a deep look, intuition whispering that Ye Qiu hid secrets.
Big ones!
Ye Qiu smiled, “I’m easygoing, really. Respect me an inch, I’ll give back a yard. Cross me, though, and sorry—I’ve got to hit back.”
“Grandpa, Second Uncle, leave this Sun Wu guy to me.”
“I’m great at handling punks.”
With that, Ye Qiu turned and strode out, ignoring whether Elder Qian agreed.
“Duoduo, call the police quick. I’m worried it’ll turn into a fight,” Elder Qian said, “Sun Wu’s got a lot of men. If Ye Qiu gets hurt, that’s bad news.”
Qian Duoduo grinned, “Grandpa, relax. Cousin knows martial arts. If it comes to blows, Sun Wu’ll be the one crying.”
“They’ve got over a hundred guys,” Elder Qian fretted, “Even with some skills, he can’t fend off a crowd. Call the police!”
“Grandpa, you really don’t need to worry about Cousin. I’ve seen him in action—he’s a freak,” Qian Duoduo said, “In the capital, he took down over a hundred of Young Master Zhang’s men solo, not a scratch on him.”
Elder Qian jolted, “He’s that good?”
“Grandpa, if you don’t believe me, go see for yourself,” Qian Duoduo thought, *A fight would be a show worth watching.*
Elder Qian pondered briefly, “Let’s go look.”
…
Ye Qiu opened the gate and saw over a hundred men surrounding the Qian family’s old mansion.
Nearby, a dozen cars were parked, including a standout tall Mercedes RV.
Ye Qiu scanned them calmly and asked, “Who’s in charge here?”
“Who’re you?” a young guy in a floral shirt with a mustache asked.
Ye Qiu pointed at the gate behind him, “I came out of the Qian house, so I’m with the Qian family.”
“Oh, a Qian family guy, perfect,” Mustache said, “Get Cao Chunmei and Qian Rong out here to pay up.”
“How much total? I’ll cover it for them,” Ye Qiu said.
“You?” Mustache squinted at him, “Can you even afford it?”
Ye Qiu didn’t waste breath on small-time hoods, “How much? Name it.”
Mustache said, “With principal and interest, thirty-five million.”
“Give me the account. I’ll transfer it now.”
Mustache gawked at Ye Qiu—was this guy for real?
But the boss didn’t want cash!
“Wait a sec.”
Mustache jogged to the Mercedes RV, bent over to talk to someone inside, then returned, “Our boss says Cao Chunmei and her daughter borrowed and didn’t pay on time, so there’s a fifteen-million penalty.”
“Plus the principal and interest, that’s thirty-five million.”
“You owe fifty million total!”
