| TBBOTOF | 198
Wei Dong was a man of extremes—when he was harsh, he was truly ruthless. He could handle things himself firmly at sixteen and still have it under control by his twenties.
With a dozen or so thugs sprawled on the ground, Wei Dong made sure to check if anyone showed signs of getting up.
He waved his arm, and for each one that tried to rise, he delivered another punch. The alley became a chaotic scene of fallen men.
He wasn’t about to stop until everyone was thoroughly subdued.
Fourth brother Pan, watching from the sidelines, winced and couldn’t help but wince in sympathy.
Who would choose to provoke someone like Wei Dong? They certainly got what they deserved.
After ensuring that no one would be getting up anytime soon, Wei Dong turned to Fourth brother Pan and nodded toward the group. “Go, get the mule cart.”
Fourth brother Pan looked confused. “For what?”
“It's not proper to have so many people lying around here. We need to send them back from where they came,” Wei Dong said with an oddly considerate tone that made Fourth brother Pan shiver.
Fourth brother Pan nervously glanced at Wei Dong’s face, then at the various positions of the thugs on the ground, realizing that the “sending back” Wei Dong referred to wasn’t quite what he had in mind.
However, he couldn’t refuse.
Fourth brother Pan quickly returned with the mule cart and watched as Wei Dong methodically dragged each thug one by one and threw them onto the cart, clunking them down in a pile.
The mule, clearly puzzled by its owner's actions, turned its long face around and stared with big, confused eyes.
Unfortunately, Wei Dong was too focused on his task to notice its distress.
The mule swished its tail in irritation, letting out a huff of white breath, and stomped its legs in dissatisfaction.
Thirteen burly men were eventually all tossed onto the cart, lying flat one on top of the other, much like a cartful of dead pigs being brought back from the village in winter.
Wei Dong gave the mule a firm pat on the rear and said, “Let’s go.”
The mule made a low, questioning sound but remained unmoved.
Wei Dong gave it another pat and added, “I’ll give you a fruit when we get back.”
The mule, now slightly motivated, flicked its tail and trotted off with a rhythmic clop-clop.
It wasn’t a long distance; just two turns and they arrived.
At the entrance of the casino, the thugs who had been stationed there were initially puzzled to see Wei Dong arriving with a mule cart.
They were bemused that their colleagues had apparently failed to handle things, but when they saw the cartload of men, their eyes widened in shock.
Without hesitation, they rushed back into the casino, and soon after, a dozen or so more people came rushing out.
Wei Dong and Fourth brother Pan each took a seat on the cart’s shafts, calmly waiting.
“You said we were supposed to return the people, so what are we doing here?” Fourth brother Pan asked, though he wasn’t afraid of people seeking out revenge.
Still, being in a new place where they weren’t familiar with the locals, he thought it would be important to keep a low profile.
However, judging by Wei Dong’s demeanor, it seemed like keeping a low profile was not on the agenda.
Wei Dong didn’t respond. Instead, he reached into a small pouch at his waist and pulled out three strips of dried meat.
He handed two of them to Fourth brother Pan and kept one for himself, munching on it with evident enjoyment.
The dried meat, made from beef, was spicy, salty, and packed with flavor. Though it was only as big as a palm and as thick as a finger, it had a satisfying chew that made it last.
Wei Dong glanced at the group of men in front of him with a disinterested expression and said, “Have your boss come out.”
One of the thugs, wielding a club, shouted back roughly, “My boss isn’t someone you can just see anytime you want! A country bumpkin like you dares to make trouble here—you’re asking for trouble!”
Wei Dong nodded calmly and replied in the same indifferent tone, “Oh, in that case, I’ll just take him to the yamen. Surely someone there will uphold justice for me.”
With that, he gave the mule a gentle pat, signaling it to move.
The thug’s eyes widened in surprise. Clearly, he hadn’t expected the response and was momentarily at a loss for words.
Before he could react further, someone else emerged from the casino. This new arrival was dressed in fine clothes, giving off an air of wealth.
He appeared to be in his fifties, with a pair of small mustaches, a large belly, and a disproportionately small head.
The newcomer wore several rings of various colors on his fingers, with a green signet ring prominently displayed on his thumb.
If it were Tang Xu here, he might have remarked on the wealth of someone running a casino, but Wei Dong found the excessive jewelry to be nothing more than a cumbersome display.
Unperturbed, Wei Dong glanced at the three men blocking the cart and gave them a dismissive look. The sight of his steady gaze made them shiver inexplicably.
“This brave man!” Qian Duojin, the casino owner, called out with a forced smile, trying to smooth over the situation. “Let’s discuss this peacefully. There’s no need to trouble yourself.”
Qian Duojin was originally named Qian Duo. As he made a fortune with his casino, he felt the name was insufficient to convey his status, so he added “Jin” (gold) to his name, thus becoming Qian Duojin.
After all, who wouldn’t want a bit of extra gold in their life?
Looking at the thugs lying on the cart, Qian Duojin was inwardly annoyed but maintained a friendly demeanor.
Wei Dong sized him up and asked, “Who are you?”
Qian Duojin’s expression faltered for a moment, then he raised a hand to stop his subordinates from speaking out. “I am the owner of the casino, surnamed Qian.”
Wei Dong nodded slightly and inquired, “Are these people yours?”
Qian Duojin frowned slightly, clearly displeased with Wei Dong’s tone, but he remained silent and nodded.
Wei Dong flashed a smile, jumped down from the cart, and said, “I just won a little money at the casino, and now you’re sending people to cause trouble. Qian Duojin, is your casino some kind of black market operation that can’t tolerate people winning? If that’s the case, why don’t you advertise it? Put up a sign at the entrance saying ‘No Winning Allowed,’ so people know what to expect.”
His remarks were blunt and unceremonious. Even though Wei Dong didn’t raise his voice, the patrons inside the casino had sensed something was off.
From the moment Wei Dong left, they could tell something was wrong, but most people adopted a ‘watch and wait’ attitude.
After all, it was common for casinos to operate with shady practices; those who got caught were just unlucky.
No one expected that Wei Dong would not only take the money but also leave a bunch of people beaten up. It was said that a young bull is fearless, but Wei Dong was the type to seek out trouble even knowing the risks.
Qian Duojin could hardly believe that his well-trained thugs couldn’t handle one person.
“My men were out of line. I apologize to you, little brother,” Qian Duojin said, putting his hands together and smiling.
Wei Dong waved his hand dismissively. “An apology isn’t going to cut it. You’ve frightened me and made me go through the trouble of bringing them back. Just a simple apology won’t suffice.”
Qian Duojin’s expression darkened as he stared at Wei Dong. “So, what does this little brother want?”
“Pay me to release them,” Wei Dong said, patting the large man on the edge of the cart. The man groaned and struggled to sit up, his face covered in blood.
Qian Duojin’s face darkened, his expression grim.
Wei Dong, unfazed, waited for him to speak.
After a long pause, during which onlookers wondered if Qian Duojin would send more of his men to retrieve the beaten individuals, he surprisingly nodded.
“Fine, name your price,” he said.
Wei Dong turned to another man on the cart and said, “I’ll give you a discount. One hundred taels to release them all.”
The price wasn’t unreasonable at all.
Qian Duojin signaled to a subordinate, who quickly brought out a hundred taels in small silver coins.
Wei Dong took the money, checked it, and nodded in approval.
Then, without further ado, he began tossing the men off the cart, one by one, with a loud clatter that echoed through the alley.
The sound was unmistakable, each thud and crash resonating with the finality of the thrown bodies.
After he finished unloading the men, Wei Dong gave a slight nod to the now-retreating Qian Duojin. “Nice to meet you, Qian Duojin.”
With that, he patted the mule’s rump, and the mule trotted off, pulling the cart along.
The lackey, seething with frustration, looked at the beaten men on the ground and then at Qian Duojin's expression, snapping, “Are we really just letting him walk away like this? How should we get our revenge?”
Qian Duojin, annoyed, slapped the lackey and growled, “What revenge? Can’t you see he’s a ruthless killer? If you provoke him further, he might just come back and slit your throat!”
The lackey, with a fiery sting on his face, clenched his teeth and fell silent.
Qian Duojin, still fuming, glanced at the injured men on the ground and, cursing under his breath, stormed back into the casino.
On their way back, Fourth brother Pan asked with some concern, “What if he comes after us again?”
“It’s fine,” Wei Dong replied, shaking his head. “We only made him pay a hundred taels and didn’t ask for more. Qian Duojin is smart enough to know when to back off. If he dares to stir up trouble again, we’ll just have him arrested and sent to the authorities.”
Fourth brother Pan remained uneasy and suggested, “We should inform Brother Sun, let him give a heads-up to his contacts.”
Wei Dong agreed.
When he reported the situation to Brother Sun, the leader of the merchant convoy and the one who had hired him, Sun Yi showed little concern.
He simply nodded and said, “It’s fine. Qian Duojin is just a small fry. He’ll learn his lesson and be more cautious in the future. No need to worry.”
Fourth brother Pan, munching on a bun, asked with some concern, “He’s a small fry, but doesn’t he have a bigger backer? I’m worried he might cause us trouble.”
Sun Yi smiled and said, “Why didn’t you try to stop Dongzi?”
“Stop him? You’ve seen how stubborn he is,” Fourth brother Pan replied with a grin.
Wei Dong, biting into a bun stuffed with cabbage and a bit of meat, added, “If I didn’t give him a scare, he’d come looking for trouble for sure.”
Sun Yi nodded in agreement, “Exactly. People like him need to be intimidated so they think twice before causing more trouble. They need to know that you’re not afraid of them, and they’re more afraid of consequences than they let on.”
Wei Dong and Sun Yi both understood that all wealthy merchants have this kind of approach, whether they’re from the city or the countryside.
Brother Pan, taking in their words, sipped his thin porridge with only a few grains of rice, feeling enlightened.
As Wei Dong and Sun Yi had predicted, during their time in Jiyang City selling goods, no one came looking for trouble.
Wei Dong even showed Qian Duojin some courtesy by sending him a small jar of wine and two pieces of dried and marinated duck.
Qian Duojin was quite surprised by the gesture, but Wei Dong made sure to keep his words friendly and polite.
Qian Duo Jin, with a smile, took the gifts from Wei Dong and patted him on the shoulder. “Little brother, you’re quite something. I’ve come to like you!”
Wei Dong nodded and took his leave.
A lackey, eyeing the items disdainfully, scoffed, “What good stuff hasn’t the boss seen? Is this just it? I’ll just throw it away; it’s a waste of time.”
Qian Duojin snatched the items back and shot him a sharp look. “What does it mean when someone sends a gift? It means they’re generous and not holding a grudge. Merchants like him, who are willing to show such courtesy, are rare. To put it bluntly, if he really made up his mind to kill us, your death will be in vain once the caravan leaves."
He broke open the clay seal on the wine jar, and a rich aroma of alcohol wafted out.
Qian Duojin took a deep, satisfied breath, his face reddening as he savored the scent. The strong inhale left him slightly winded but content.
1 Comments
thank you for the chapter.. ❤️🐾
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