The buzz-cut man staggered from Ye Qiu’s slap, nearly falling to the ground.
Then, with eyes blazing, he glared at Ye Qiu and roared, “You dare hit me? Do you know who I am?”
Slap!
Without a word, Ye Qiu delivered another slap to the man’s face, utterly dominant.
This time, Ye Qiu used slightly more force, causing half the man’s face to swell.
Ye Qiu only used a fraction of his strength, considering the man was ordinary. Otherwise, one slap could have obliterated him.
The villagers watching were stunned by Ye Qiu’s actions.
“Who’s this young man? He dared to slap Cao Jun. That’s bold.”
“Bold? That’s just a newborn calf not fearing the tiger. He’s clearly from the city, unaware of how ruthless Wang Jun’s gang is. He’s in for trouble.”
“Exactly. Wang Jun’s gang has been running rampant for so long. No one in the village or even the town dares to cross them. Anyone who clashes with them never ends well.”
“Could even get deadly.”
Ye Qiu looked coldly at the buzz-cut man and said, “First, there’s no explicit rule that the dead can only be cremated and not buried. Even if there were, a thug like you has no authority to enforce it.”
“You dug up a grave, disrespecting both the deceased and their family.”
“And you dare to attack people. You’re just asking for a beating.”
As Ye Qiu spoke, he prepared to strike again.
But Master Longbrow quickly grabbed him.
“Little rascal, so many villagers are watching. We need to be civilised.”
With that, Master Longbrow stepped forward and slapped the buzz-cut man several times, cursing as he struck, “Idiot, don’t you know the dead deserve respect?”
“You dare dig up graves? Aren’t you afraid they’ll haunt you at night?”
“I’ll beat you to death.”
Slap, slap, slap!
The buzz-cut man spat blood, his face swollen like a pig’s head.
Ye Qiu stared at Master Longbrow in shock.
This is your idea of civilised?
Used to bullying the countryside, the buzz-cut man had never been so humiliated. He shouted to his lackeys, “What are you standing there for? Beat them.”
“Beat them to death.”
“I’ll take responsibility if anything happens.”
Immediately, several burly men grabbed weapons, ready to attack Ye Qiu and Master Longbrow.
But before they could act, a young boy charged forward, knocking them off their feet.
The boy stood in front of Ye Qiu and Master Longbrow, glaring fiercely at the buzz-cut man and his gang, baring his teeth.
Ye Qiu glanced at the boy. He was about one and a half metres tall, roughly eleven or twelve years old, with a sharp chin and gaunt face, looking sickly and emaciated. His messy hair was tangled with bits of dry grass, making him resemble a little beggar.
Ye Qiu and Master Longbrow exchanged a look, both surprised. They hadn’t expected the boy to be so strong.
Those burly men, each over one point eight metres tall and built like mountains, were knocked flying by the boy.
It was simply unbelievable.
“Damn it, a little runt dares to challenge me? You must be tired of living,” the buzz-cut man cursed, shouting to his men, “Chop this little runt to pieces.”
At once, the burly men scrambled up, grabbing machetes from the excavator.
Humiliated in front of so many villagers, they didn’t care anymore. They swung their machetes and charged at the boy in a frenzy.
“Be careful, Huzi!” Old Xiang shouted urgently.
The boy showed no fear, fighting the men bare-handed. Soon, two of them were down, unable to get up.
Three of the remaining four lasted only two minutes before the boy’s punches sent them flying.
The boy was unscathed.
The last man, terrified, held his machete but didn’t dare approach.
The buzz-cut man cursed, “You useless coward, scared by a little runt? Are you even a man? Kill him, and I’ll give you a hundred thousand.”
Spurred by the reward, the man’s fear vanished. He raised his machete and charged at the boy.
The boy kicked him, sending him sprawling.
Crack!
The man fell flat, howling in pain.
The boy turned his gaze to the buzz-cut man.
The man felt like a beast was staring him down, his heart gripped with fear. He quickly jumped into the excavator’s cabin, started it, and drove toward the boy.
The boy kept retreating.
“You little runt, aren’t you strong? Don’t run if you’ve got the guts!” the buzz-cut man sneered, stepping on the accelerator, making the excavator speed up.
The boy retreated for a while but stopped when he reached the coffin.
“Huzi, get out of the way!” Old Xiang shouted anxiously.
The boy, stubborn, seemed not to hear.
Old Xiang pushed the boy, but he stood firm like a mountain, making Old Xiang frantic. “You foolish kid, why do this? Move!”
The excavator drew closer.
“Die!” the buzz-cut man roared, his eyes gleaming with malice. The next second, the excavator’s bucket swung down toward the boy’s head.
If it hit, the boy would be crushed to a pulp.
Ye Qiu was about to act, but the boy moved first, raising his hands to catch the bucket.
“Hm?” The buzz-cut man was stunned, not expecting the boy to block it this way. He sneered and pressed the bucket down harder.
The boy’s legs began to give way, his knees bending, feet sinking into the ground, his face flushed.
“Ah!” the boy roared suddenly, grabbing the bucket’s edge and pulling with all his strength, ripping it off.
Then, he lifted the bucket with one hand and smashed it toward the excavator.
The buzz-cut man, terrified, quickly swerved to avoid the bucket.
Boom!
The bucket hit the ground with a loud crash.
“Damn it, I’m done with you!” the buzz-cut man roared, driving the now bucket-less excavator toward the boy.
The boy raised his hands, ready to block it.
At that moment, Ye Qiu grabbed the boy’s arm.
The boy looked at Ye Qiu, puzzled.
“Take a break. Let me handle this,” Ye Qiu said with a smile, then casually punched the excavator.
The next second, the excavator flew back dozens of metres, crashing to the ground and crumpling.
The buzz-cut man passed out on the spot.
The crowd was dumbfounded.
Everyone stared at Ye Qiu, one thought in their minds: Is this guy a god?
