Chapter 64 You Dare?

"By seniority, I should address the two of you as uncles.

I have called you uncles, but you shouldn't throw away your own dignity.

I already promised Boss Sun that I would secure this land before July. By dragging your feet and refusing to sign the contract, aren't you slapping me, Liu Donghong, right in the face?"

Yang Sheng's second uncle and another middle-aged man fell heavily to the ground, blood streaming from their heads. A crowd of villagers watched the spectacle, but no one dared to utter a single word.

A stocky man in his thirties with a buzz cut, a clutch bag under his arm, and a thick gold chain around his neck puffed on a cigarette, glaring at the two men with a sinister expression.

This was Liu Donghong. Much older than Yang Sheng, Dagang, and the others, he had gone to the city to run amok in his younger days.

Later, through some unknown stroke of luck, he made a small fortune by contracting the village river for sand mining, and since then, he had lorded over the village as a local tyrant whom no one dared to cross.

Yang Sheng's second aunt helped the second uncle to his feet and wailed loudly, "You want to take away all our family's land for just a few thousand yuan? How are we supposed to survive!"

Liu Donghong looked thoroughly impatient. "Who the hell cares how you survive? You peasants are all short-sighted; how much money can you possibly make from farming?

I'll ask you just once: are you going to sign this contract or not!"

Liu Donghong waved his hand, and his thugs closed in.

He wasn't acquiring this land for himself. His boss in the city, Sun Jing, wanted to build a factory in the village, and it had to be adjacent to the water source.

As it happened, the land belonging to Yang Sheng's second uncle and Dagang's father was right near the water source, which was why Liu Donghong had set his sights on it.

In truth, Liu Donghong could easily have purchased the land at market price since he wasn't the one footing the bill.

Yet, he deliberately drove the price down precisely to display his dominance and authority in the village in front of Boss Sun.

Who could have expected that these two stubborn old men would completely disregard his face and even dare to shout at him?

Just then, a wave of murmuring rippled through the crowd as the villagers parted, and Yang Sheng and his two companions walked in.

"Liu Donghong! You dare lay a hand on my dad?! I'll fight you to the death today!"

Seeing his father's miserable state, Dagang's eyes turned bloodshot, and he lunged forward, only to be stopped by Yang Sheng with a single hand.

Liu Donghong sneered dismissively, "I must say, Dagang, you're a grown man now, why are you still so childish?

Fighting to the death, to the death—do you even have the strength to back that up?"

In Liu Donghong's eyes, Dagang was just a former punk now reduced to a cowed, spineless office worker, hardly a person of any consequence.

However, when his gaze swept past Dagang to land on Yang Sheng, he froze abruptly, his expression shifting slightly.

He recognized Yang Sheng.

That cousin of his who had once been stabbed through the thigh—that was Yang Sheng's doing.

When he first heard about the incident, Liu Donghong had wanted to avenge his cousin.

But after seeing for himself what Yang Sheng, then still a middle school student, was capable of, Liu Donghong immediately dismissed the thought.

This guy was ruthless and vicious to the core; a barking dog didn't bite, but a silent one was lethal. It was best not to provoke him.

Liu Donghong forced a strained smile. "When did you get back, Shengzi?

What happened today isn't me playing the bully; these two old fools simply don't know what's good for them.

Besides, I heard your second uncle secretly sold your dad's house behind his back. That's a truly despicable thing to do.

Consider me venting your anger for you today, brother."

Yang Sheng didn't speak. He simply looked at him with a calm gaze, which somehow sent a shiver of dread down Liu Donghong's spine.

Yet, a moment later, Liu Donghong remembered that he was no longer that low-level punk from the past.

He was now the widely known Second Brother Liu, with dozens of sworn brothers under his command. What was there to be afraid of with this kid?

Liu Donghong snorted coldly, "Shengzi, are you determined not to give your brother any face today?"

With a wave of his hand, more thugs poured out of the vehicles and closed in around Yang Sheng.

However, Yang Sheng merely cast a light, casual glance at them, and wherever his gaze fell, the thugs instinctively stopped in their tracks.

Aura was an elusive concept, yet it was undeniably real.

Yang Sheng had single-handedly wiped out the entire Lin family, who once ruled Longhua City like emperors. He had survived brutal bloodshed in the Longcheng Hegemony world, and in his own right, he was a dragon-head boss of a powerful syndicate.

The thugs under Liu Donghong didn't even measure up to low-level street gangsters.

Under the sweep of Yang Sheng's gaze, they genuinely felt a suffocating, oppressive pressure that paralyzed them, leaving them too terrified to make a move.

Just as Liu Donghong grew exasperated and was about to curse, a convoy of luxury cars slowly drove up, parting the crowd.

A bodyguard emerged from the central Alphard, pulled open the door, and a middle-aged man in a white suit leaned out, frowning as he spoke.

"Liu Donghong, I told you to acquire the land. Why did you make such a massive commotion?

If I hadn't had a sudden whim to check out the foundation site today, I would never have known you couldn't even handle such a trivial task!"

Liu Donghong bowed and scraped, wearing a servile expression. "Boss, give me one more day... No! Half a day, and I'll have everything sorted out."

At that moment, Yang Sheng walked forward, stared straight at Sun Jing, and said indifferently, "You're Liu Donghong's boss? Let's have a chat."

If anyone else had suddenly strutted over and spoken like that, Sun Jing wouldn't even have bothered to glance at them.

He, Sun Jing, was considered a somebody in the city. Was every stray cat and dog worthy of having a chat with him?

Yet, the imposing aura emanating from the young man before him left Sun Jing feeling somewhat uncertain.

After a moment of thought, Sun Jing replied coldly, "Get in the car."

Yang Sheng climbed into the Alphard and sat down opposite Sun Jing. Frowning, Sun Jing asked, "Who are you? What do you want?"

Yang Sheng leaned back comfortably against the seat, looking far more like the master of the vehicle than Sun Jing did.

"Who I am doesn't matter. What matters is that I want a measure of fairness from Boss Sun.

My second uncle and Dagang's father have farmed for a living all their lives. Liu Donghong wants to take their land for a few thousand yuan, cutting off their livelihood and driving them to the brink of death.

Leave a way out for others; don't push things to extremes.

If you want the land, buy it at market price.

As for that fellow Liu Donghong, who forced his own fellow villagers into a corner—break one of his legs to curb his arrogance. That's not asking too much, is it?"

Sun Jing furrowed his brows and instructed one of his subordinates, "Go find out what's going on."

A moment later, the subordinate returned and whispered into Sun Jing's ear. Sun Jing's face darkened instantly. "The idiot! Acting on his own accord, failing to handle a simple task, and turning a good thing into a disaster!"

A half-black, half-white figure like Sun Jing actually adhered to a certain code of conduct; at the very least, he wouldn't swindle a few peasants out of their money and ruin his own reputation for nothing.

Today's farce was entirely the result of Liu Donghong's idiotic cleverness.

However, Sun Jing had no intention of complying with Yang Sheng's demands.

"Even though Liu Donghong acted like a fool today, the compensation remains a few thousand yuan, and I will not punish Liu Donghong."

"Why?"

Sun Jing said coolly, "Because this kind of precedent cannot be set!

If I pay up just because someone makes a fuss today, what happens when others throw tantrums tomorrow? If everyone comes making demands, do they think I, Sun Jing, am running a charity?

As idiotic as Liu Donghong is, he works for me. If I, as the boss, cripple my own subordinate the moment trouble arises, it will chill the hearts of the rest of my men.

My reputation cannot be tarnished over such a trivial matter!"

A sudden smile tugged at the corner of Yang Sheng's lips, carrying a faint trace of contempt and mockery.

"A piece of trash who scrambles up through whatever filthy means are available, and you actually think you're somebody!

Reputation? You're not even worthy of the word."

Yang Sheng had once met Inspector-General Leilu, who wielded supreme power across the underworld and police force, playing the British like dogs.

He had also met Crippled Ho, an overlord with the sheer daring to conquer the Golden Triangle with just a few men.

And Chai Jiu, the Crown Prince of Chai, who endured in silence for three years before shocking everyone overnight.

Compared to them, this Sun Jing wasn't even worth a fart. How dare he speak of reputation before him?

"You're courting death!"

Sun Jing's expression sank, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes.

The bodyguard beside him immediately drew a dagger and thrust it toward Yang Sheng's abdomen.

Yet, the blade was caught mid-air by Yang Sheng's fingers, unable to advance even an inch.

The next instant, a sharp cracking sound rang out.

That very dagger was crushed into a pile of jagged fragments by Yang Sheng's bare grip!

Boss Sun and his bodyguard nearly popped their eyes out of their sockets. Was this something a human being could possibly do?

Boss Sun swallowed hard, his voice losing all its prior arrogance.

"I... I will compensate for the land at market price! And that bastard Liu Donghong—I'll break both his legs!"

Sun Jing didn't carry a gun, nor did he dare to.

Faced with Yang Sheng at this moment, Sun Jing even had the illusion that his life hung entirely by a thread in the other man's hands.

Yang Sheng lightly patted Sun Jing's cheek and said calmly, "Boss Sun, remember this: next time, don't push things to extremes.

When you truly drive someone to the desperate edge, it's one life for one life. Everyone carries one head on two shoulders; nobody is inherently nobler than anyone else."

Yang Sheng stepped straight out of the vehicle. Sun Jing's face turned slightly pale as he turned to his bodyguard.

"Have you ever seen a martial artist who could crush a dagger with his bare hands?"

His bodyguard was also a trained fighter with extensive practical experience.

With a pale face, the bodyguard shook his head and replied, "Of course not. Even disarming someone barehanded isn't done like that.

Besides, I can guarantee you—he has killed people! And more than just one!"

"Bring that bastard Liu Donghong over here right now!" Sun Jing gritted his teeth.

Heaven only knew what kind of monster that idiot had provoked.

Liu Donghong hurriedly scrambled to the front of the car, and Sun Jing said coldly, "What's the background of that guy just now?"

"You mean Yang Sheng? He's from my village, but he left for university and rarely came back.

Later, I heard his parents were killed in a car accident by people from the Lin Group in Hualong City, so he sold his house here and never returned."

At that, the bodyguard suddenly remembered something. "Boss, a senior martial brother of mine is based in Hualong City. I heard that not long ago, the entire Lin family was wiped out, and major figures in Hualong City are still hunting for the killer."

Sun Jing's heart skipped a beat. "You mean..."

The bodyguard shook his head. "I don't know, it's just a guess."

Boss Sun turned back, glaring coldly at Liu Donghong. "Drag this bastard outside and break all five of his limbs!

Oh, and compensate those two families ten times the market price! Drop the land acquisition—we're not building the factory!"

Sun Jing was genuinely terrified. He couldn't fathom Yang Sheng's true background, but staying far away from him was unquestionably the right choice.

The villagers watching from the sidelines had only seen Yang Sheng step into Boss Sun's car for a few short minutes before stepping back out.

Immediately afterward, the tyrannical Liu Donghong was dragged out and had all five of his limbs broken on the spot, passing out cold, while Dagang's father and Yang Sheng's second uncle each received a massive payout.

They had no idea what had transpired behind the scenes, but it undoubtedly had everything to do with Yang Sheng.

Yang Sheng's second uncle and aunt hurried over, the aunt wearing a look of unspeakable awkwardness.

Before the two of them could speak, Yang Sheng said, "Second Uncle, Second Aunt, I have matters to attend to elsewhere and will be leaving tonight.

Take the money and start a small business. You've broken your backs for half a lifetime; it's time to retire."

Afterward, Yang Sheng left his phone number with Dagang and Ming泽, saying, "I need to go away for a while, probably returning in a few months.

When I get back, I plan to open a shop. If the two of you aren't happy with your current jobs, you can come work for me.

While you won't make a massive fortune, I guarantee you won't be pushed around anymore."

Bidding farewell to Dagang and Mingze, Yang Sheng returned to the city and rented a small villa in the suburbs.

For the next two months, he spent his days practicing fist forms and blade techniques, refining his physical strength from the absolute basics.

Although the power bestowed by the Heavens' Samsara was granted instantly, mastering it thoroughly in actual combat still required self-integration and genuine comprehension.

At night, Yang Sheng used meditation to replace a portion of his sleep, allowing his spiritual power to expand and grow.

After more than two months of repetitive yet fulfilling training, accompanied by the prompt of the Will of the Heavens, Yang Sheng ushered in his third Samsara mission.

Volume Three: Jianghu and Imperial Court