Chapter 374 - 375: A Show of Force

Chapter 374: Chapter 375: A Show of Force

Meanwhile, Zhao Chun and his men were gloating.

Even though Li Yang had saved He Tianba, these men didn’t particularly care for him.

After all, Li Yang was just a small-time farmer, and his closeness to He Zinan had drawn their ire.

"Alright, go get some rest." Seeing that nothing could be changed, He Zinan had no other choice. She said to Li Yang, "Don’t wander off. Just stay here. I’ll let you know if anything happens."

"Okay!" Li Yang nodded.

After He Zinan left, Zhao Chun swaggered over, tutting. "What’s this? Trying to play the hero in front of Zi Nan? Let me tell you, you’d better not regret it."

Li Yang just smiled faintly. "I hear there’s a lot of infighting here. You should be careful. Don’t get yourself murdered."

With that, Li Yang went back inside.

Zhao Chun curled his lip in disdain. ’A little village doctor dares to be so arrogant. If you hadn’t saved our boss, I’d have put you in your place by now.’

After this exchange, Li Yang returned to his room.

Meanwhile, He Tianba’s men were constantly coming and going.

Li Yang could faintly hear them discussing something, with intelligence reports coming in from time to time.

Things like who had just arrived, how many people they brought, the current situation, and so on.

Li Yang found it all rather dull, mainly because he didn’t know any of the people they were talking about.

Just then, someone suddenly burst through the door and said to He Tianba, "Master He, this is bad! Liu Tong from Dingzhou is here."

Liu Tong?

He Tianba frowned. "He’s here for us?"

"That’s right!" The big man’s expression was grim. "And I just got word that this Liu Tong seems to have hired a master from the Jianghu to back him up. Looks like he’s planning to extend his reach into our territory this time."

"He dares!" He Tianba sneered. "Do I, He Tianba, look like a pushover? He hired a master, so what? You think we can’t hire one too?"

The big man breathed a sigh of relief, his face lighting up with joy. "We’ve hired a master? Where?"

As they were speaking, someone entered the courtyard. A laugh echoed from a distance. "I say, Old He, it’s a reunion of old friends! I made a special trip to see you. What’s wrong? Aren’t you going to come out and greet me?"

He Tianba stepped out and said coolly to the newcomer, "Mr. Liu, as energetic as ever."

"And you even more so, Younger Brother He!" The visitor was a bald man in his forties, a bit chubby, with a smile on his face that resembled a Maitreya Buddha.

"I heard you guys took care of Master Wen. You know, that kid was a real piece of work. He tangled with you in and around Ruizhou for years, and he even dared to poison you. A bastard like that... you killing him, I support you!"

He Tianba said coldly, "So, what’s your point, Mr. Liu?"

"No point at all..." Liu Tong said with a grin. "Younger Brother He, with Master Wen dead, you’ve got a big gap to fill over there. If you ask me, you probably can’t manage it all by yourself. And me, I just love to help people out. How about this: you give me the other areas, and Ruizhou can be yours?"

He Tianba said grimly, "So you’ve set your sights on my business, is that it?"

"Hey, you can’t just say things like that..." Liu Tong was still grinning. "I’m just here today to help you share the burden, not to plot against you. Besides, what’s our relationship? We’re buddies. Would I really need to give you a heads-up like this? Don’t you think?"

"Liu Tong, mind your own business. Otherwise, you might lose everything you have one day, and then there’ll be nowhere to turn for help."

"Younger Brother He, so there’s no room for discussion?" Liu Tong asked.

"None!" He Tianba’s reply was simple.

"Understood!" Liu Tong laughed heartily and turned to leave.

However, a man who had been standing silently by Liu Tong’s side suddenly glanced at He Tianba.

Then, he lightly tapped his fist against a nearby stone lion.

The stone lion showed no reaction.

But the man pointed at the lion, gave a cold smirk, and left.

He Tianba raised his eyebrows. ’So, he’s provoking me.’

Zhao Chun ran over to the stone lion and scoffed, "Did that guy think he could send the lion flying with one punch? It’s obvious he was scared of hurting his hand, so he could only tap it lightly. The point is, he was trying to act tough in front of Master He, and now he just looks like an idiot."

The others joined in, laughing.

But just then, Zhao Chun’s hand reached out to pat the stone lion.

At that very moment, the stone lion crumbled into dust and vanished into thin air.

The laughter died on their lips.

They stood dumbfounded, staring in disbelief at where the stone lion had been.

’That’s... that’s incredible! With just one tap, he turned a stone lion to ash!’

Zhao Chun stood frozen, a chill running through his entire body.

He quickly went to He Tianba’s side and stammered, "Master He, that’s... a true master!"