Chapter 009: The Straight Man

Liu Dahua pressed the gun against Chen Ying’s head. “Zhao Feng, isn’t it? Toss the censer over here or she dies!”

A hush fell over the crowd.

The villagers nearby were petrified; some of them had never even seen a firearm in their lives. Now, with Liu Dahua brandishing a pistol, terror swept through them all. No one dared to speak; they silently took a step back.

Zhao Feng glanced at the crowd but said nothing. He slowly raised the censer in his hand. “Alright, I’ll give you the censer!”

He stepped forward.

“Stop!” Liu Dahua aimed the gun directly at Zhao Feng. “Stay right there. Don’t come any closer—throw the censer over!”

Zhao Feng hesitated, or so it seemed.

“Hurry up, throw it over!”

Suddenly, Zhao Feng grinned. “Fine! Since you’re so eager, I’ll throw it!”

“Yes, that’s right, I—” Liu Dahua’s words were cut off by a sharp bang as Zhao Feng hurled the censer at him.

A shrill whistling cut through the air as the censer, spinning at high speed, hurtled straight for Liu Dahua’s forehead. He had no time to react. The censer struck him squarely, stars bursting before his eyes as he reeled in a daze.

“Ah!” Liu Dahua clutched his forehead and crumpled to the ground.

His pistol slipped from his grasp and clattered on the earth.

At that moment, everyone present was stunned.

In the face of a loaded gun, Zhao Feng still had the nerve to fight back—his courage was nothing short of admirable.

Seeing the pistol fall, Liu Dahua reacted swiftly, diving toward it. Yet Zhao Feng was faster; in a flash he was upon Liu Dahua, kicking the gun far out of reach.

The pistol tumbled across the ground, rolling far away.

Zhao Feng’s smile was cold. “I may not yet be impervious to bullets, but a useless wretch who isn’t even a practitioner is no match for me.”

He lifted his right foot and stomped hard on Liu Dahua’s hand.

“Ah!” Liu Dahua screamed in agony.

Zhao Feng’s foot had shattered the bones in his hand—he’d likely lose the hand entirely.

Only now did the villagers snap out of their stupor.

Village head Zhao Bo shouted, “Everyone, grab your tools!”

“Yes!” came the replies.

The able-bodied men in the village seized shovels and pitchforks, swiftly surrounding the two or three dozen thugs.

Panic-stricken, the hoodlums huddled together.

“What do we do now?”

“I don’t know!”

Some were on the verge of tears.

“Get them!” Zhao Bo commanded, and the villagers surged forward, swinging their tools at the gangsters.

“Ah!”

The air was soon filled with cries of pain.

Zhao Feng and his family watched from the sidelines. He made no move, but thought to himself, “These villagers are good people. I won’t mind helping them in the future.”

The chaos ended quickly. The delinquents fled in disgrace, leaving only Liu Dahua, sprawled on the ground like a dead dog.

Chen Ying had regained her composure. She approached Zhao Feng. “What should we do with Liu Dahua?”

Zhao Feng replied curtly, “Call the police.”

Chen Ying frowned.

Zhao Feng looked at her, puzzled. “What’s wrong?”

She met his gaze. “He’s backed by powerful people. The police won’t do anything.”

Zhao Feng shook his head. “Doesn’t matter—even if it’s useless, I want to make that Xiang Tao sick with worry.”

Chen Ying nodded. “Understood.”

She took out her smartphone and began to dial.

Zhao Feng eyed the device curiously. “What’s that? A telephone?”

Chen Ying smiled. “Yes! It’s a smartphone, the latest model. If you want one, I can get you one.”

Zhao Feng touched his nose, about to decline, but Chen Lan quickly grabbed his hand. “Oh, Xiaofeng, just accept! Your father and I have heard about smartphones for ages!”

Zhao Feng nodded. “Alright, then.”

Chen Ying beamed. “Great! I’ll take you to the county town tomorrow to buy one—as thanks for saving me.”

He nodded.

After the thugs were chased off, the villagers gathered around Zhao Feng, voices overlapping in excitement.

“Xiaofeng, you’re finally back!”

“Yes, we’ve missed you!”

“Thank you all for everything,” Zhao Feng said.

“No need to thank us!”

“Everyone, let’s disperse. I haven’t been home in a long time—I want to spend some time with my family.”

“Of course, of course!”

The crowd began to break up, and just then, the wail of police sirens approached. Liu Dahua was taken away, and only then did the villagers finally leave.

When the crowd had gone, only Zhao Feng’s family and Chen Ying remained.

Zhao Feng looked at her in surprise. “Why are you still here?”

Chen Ying’s cheeks flushed; she suddenly seemed quite shy, her demeanor that of a woman in love.

She stammered, “I don’t have anywhere to go for now.”

Zhao Feng was even more surprised. “Are you from Xiahe Village? Why haven’t I seen you before?”

She shook her head. “I’m not originally from Xiahe Village.”

“Then you’re…?”

She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “I’m the new village party secretary.”

“Oh, is that so?”

Chen Lan and Zhao Jun were also surprised.

“So young?” Zhao Jun muttered.

Chen Lan shot him a glare. “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all!”

He rubbed his nose in embarrassment.

Chen Lan took Chen Ying’s hand warmly. “Chen Ying, right? From the city? If you have nowhere to stay tonight, come sleep at Auntie’s house.”

Blushing, Chen Ying nodded. “Thank you.”

Neither Zhao Feng nor Zhao Jun thought much of it.

The four of them walked into the courtyard, chatting and laughing.

Chen Lan said, “It’s noon—you must be hungry! I’ll cook for you all.”

Zhao Feng was delighted. “Mom, I’ve been craving your cooking for ages!”

She smiled. “Alright, I’ll get started right away.”

He grinned.

Chen Lan headed into the kitchen, leaving Zhao Feng with Chen Ying and Zhao Jun.

Zhao Feng glanced at Chen Ying. “Judging by your looks, you must be about twenty-five?”

Chen Ying’s lips twitched. This man was truly straightforward—not exactly skilled at conversation, asking a woman’s age right off the bat.

She forced a smile. “Three days from now, I’ll be twenty-five.”

Zhao Feng sipped his tea. “No, no, you’re already twenty-five today—I never get this wrong.”

Chen Ying blinked. “What do you mean?”

He smiled, letting the subject drop.

But Zhao Jun interjected, “So you’re so much older than my son?!”

Chen Ying was speechless, her lips twitching again. These two, she thought, are both incredibly blunt…