When he got a clear look at Wu Liangchen’s face, the man with the underbite jolted and cried out in shock.

"It’s you?"

"And why can’t it be?" Wu Liangchen asked flatly.

By now, the other men in the courtyard had also recognized Wu Liangchen. After all, the impression he had left on them was far too deep.

They’d tried to rob him and had been beaten for their trouble. Wu Liangchen had stripped them of all their money, leaving them to subsist on thin porridge for days afterward.

They had finally found a new line of work and were just starting to see some success, only for this guy to show up again.

There was just no justice in the world.

The leader’s expression flickered uncertainly. In the end, he could only swallow his anger and ask, "You know this person?"

"Of course. Why else would I have come all this way?" Wu Liangchen said before turning his gaze to the bound Liu Dongchuan.

"Brother Liu, what on earth happened?"

Liu Dongchuan had since recovered from his initial shock. Hearing the question, he gave a bitter smile. "I’d just gotten off work. It was still early, so I came to the lawless district to unwind when I ran into a woman."

"She was crying her eyes out, telling me some sob story, and said she’d only charge half of what the other prostitutes did."

"I wasn’t thinking straight, so I followed her. The moment I was in the room, before I’d even taken my clothes off, the woman started screaming for help. Then these men burst in and tied me up without another word."

"They said I’d tried to rape a decent woman and demanded money, threatening to hand me over to the authorities. They took what little money I had on me, but they still said it wasn’t enough. First, they forced me to give them my home address, then they made me sign a note before sending someone to deliver it."

At this, Liu Dongchuan lowered his head, his face filled with shame.

Wu Liangchen had no intention of scolding him. After all, no one was a saint, and it wasn’t his place to judge. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

He looked at the man with the underbite. "Is what my Brother Liu said true?"

The leader had gradually calmed down by now. He first gestured with his eyes for his men to block the temple gate, then to surround Wu Liangchen.

With that done, his confidence returned, and he sneered.

"I don’t care about the rest of it, but this man tried to rape my wife. I caught him in the act. So now there are two options: pay up, or we hand him over to the authorities!"

"Fine!" Wu Liangchen nodded without hesitation. "Compensation, you said? As it happens, I brought some."

With that, Wu Liangchen pulled ten silver coins from his robes, stacking them in his palm. The sight instantly captured the attention of the leader and his lackeys.

"Catch!" Wu Liangchen tossed the coins. The leader scrambled to catch them. After carefully inspecting each one and confirming they were real silver, his heart bloomed with joy.

To be honest, he had been terrified just moments before. The impression Wu Liangchen had left on him last time was simply too deep.

If this man really was a Martial Artist with peerless skills, his whole crew together would be no match for him.

But he never expected things to go so smoothly. With the money now in hand, a great weight lifted from his heart, and a wide grin spread across his face.

"Good! Very straightforward! Quick, untie Brother Liu here."

One of the lackeys stepped forward, cut Liu Dongchuan’s bindings, and handed his clothes back to him.

Liu Dongchuan shakily walked down the steps to Wu Liangchen’s side. "Xiaowu..." he said, full of shame.

Wu Liangchen smiled. "It’s alright, Brother Liu. We’ll head home in a bit."

Then, Wu Liangchen lifted his gaze to the leader and his crew.

"Is Brother Liu’s matter settled?"

"Settled. You can go now."

"Good. Then it’s time to settle things between us," Wu Liangchen said coolly.

"Things between us? What things between us?" The leader looked baffled.

Wu Liangchen pointed to the marks on Liu Dongchuan’s body. "You beat my Brother Liu. There has to be a price for that, doesn’t there?"

"I won’t bully you. Ten silver coins for each lash mark. I see six marks, so that’s sixty silver coins in total. Pay up, and we’ll call it even."

Hearing this, the expressions of the leader and all his henchmen turned ugly.

The leader stared daggers at Wu Liangchen, his voice dripping with ice. "Friend, are you kidding me?"

"Do I look like I’m kidding?" Wu Liangchen replied with a faint smile.

Flames practically shot from the leader’s eyes. "You’re going too far! You really think I’m afraid of you? Get him!"

He had no choice. As much as he dreaded Wu Liangchen, he had to stand firm now. If he backed down, he would lose all authority over his crew.

For the sake of his pride, he had to fight.

Besides, it was just Wu Liangchen alone against their superior numbers. What if they won?

The henchmen swarmed forward, swinging wooden clubs and choppers at Wu Liangchen.

Wu Liangchen felt a slight thrill. This was, after all, his first time dealing with a real melee. The encounter at the Five Blessings Hall had been more of a sneak attack, allowing him to pick them off one by one instead of facing a coordinated assault.

Still, this was an excellent opportunity to practice.

After all, if a Martial Artist only ever trained in seclusion, he would inevitably be clumsy and flustered when facing a real enemy. It was better to accumulate some experience beforehand.

Bang!

Wu Liangchen’s fist shattered a club aimed at his face. At the same time, a swift back kick sent a man trying to ambush him flying seven or eight meters.

But by then, the other henchmen had closed in, their clubs and choppers raining down on him.

"Xiaowu, look out!" Liu Dongchuan cried out, about to rush forward himself.

Just then, Wu Liangchen let out a cold snort and swung his fist in a wide arc.

The immense force sent the closest henchmen flying.

In the next instant, Wu Liangchen bounded up the steps in a single leap. A sharp slap sent the short blade clattering from the leader’s hand as Wu Liangchen seized him by the collar.

"Don’t move!"

In a flash, the entire courtyard fell silent.

The leader was shocked, terrified, and filled with infinite regret.

He was shocked that Wu Liangchen was truly as formidable as he’d feared and terrified to be at his mercy now.

If he had known it would come to this, he would have just let Liu Dongchuan go and avoided this whole mess.

But it was too late for regrets. "Hero, spare my life! Spare my life!" he panicked.

"So," Wu Liangchen said coolly, "are you going to pay or not?"

"I’ll pay! I’ll pay!" the man gasped out, already finding it hard to breathe.

Wu Liangchen abruptly released his grip. The leader fell to the ground with a thud, gasping for air.

"Get the money," Wu Liangchen said.

"What are you waiting for? Get the money from inside!" the leader yelled at his sister.

By now, besides Wu Liangchen and Liu Dongchuan, the only other person left standing was the leader’s sister.

She stood pale-faced before the doorway, her whole body trembling uncontrollably.

Her brother’s shout jolted her back to reality, and she hurried inside.

A moment later, she emerged carrying a small box. She placed it timidly on the ground and opened the lid.

"S-Sir... all the money is in here."