Li Chonglou brought Zhang Dongxu to the last location where the car had disappeared in the surveillance footage.
It was a remote side road named Chendian Road, near the exit of the Qinzhou-to-Yong’an highway.
The cement-paved rural path was one of the few roads in Yong’an, a provincial capital, without surveillance cameras.
Li Chonglou drove his own Hongqi sedan, while Zhang Dongxu craned his neck, peering around furtively.
The situation was worse than they had anticipated.
They had hoped to find a few shops and try to access their surveillance footage.
But unexpectedly, it turned out to be an uninhabited stretch of road.
Dense trees arched over the road on both sides, almost blotting out the sky.
Today, Yong’an was still drizzling, and raindrops seeped through the gaps in the leaves, forming larger droplets that pattered onto the car windows.
After driving nearly four or five kilometers, houses gradually appeared.
A small convenience store stood nearby.
Li Chonglou turned the steering wheel sharply and parked in front of the store.
Noticing a surveillance camera mounted at the entrance, he was about to ask Zhang Dongxu to get out and negotiate when—
*Crash!*
The glass door of the store shattered into pieces.
As the door broke, the sounds of shouting and struggling erupted from inside.
*An incident?*
Li Chonglou opened the car door and stepped out, walking to the entrance.
Inside the convenience store, a young man with flamboyant clothing and a bulbous nose was tightly clutching a woman in her early thirties, who still retained her charm.
The woman looked terrified, her face pale with fear.
The man wore a greasy, lecherous grin.
A few thugs with dragon and tiger tattoos stood beside him.
*Clearly, no good people here.*
Seeing this, Zhang Dongxu, who had just poked his head out of the car, immediately ducked back in.
As a hoodlum himself, he was no stranger to such scenes.
This was obviously a case of a local tyrant taking a fancy to the female shop owner, bringing his lackeys to harass her. The woman had likely smashed the door in an attempt to escape but was caught by the man.
The man’s smug expression suggested he was untouchable here.
*Definitely a local bully.*
Even if they were powerful figures from Qinzhou, they had to tread carefully on someone else’s turf.
*Better not meddle in unnecessary trouble.*
Li Chonglou frowned slightly but didn’t leave. Instead, he strode straight into the store.
Unlike Zhang Dongxu, he wasn’t someone who feared trouble—nor was he a busybody. But with his mother and Jiang Yuxin missing, this store was a necessary stop.
“Help! Help me…!” The trapped woman screamed when she saw Li Chonglou appear, then immediately fell silent as the man pressed a small knife to her throat.
Terrified out of her wits, she could only endure his groping and lewd advances.
“Hey, you! Stop right there! Who the hell let you in?!” the bulbous-nosed man roared at Li Chonglou while continuing to molest the woman.
At his command, several lackeys rushed out, surrounding Li Chonglou with hostile glares.
Li Chonglou paused, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
He hadn’t planned to interfere, but now that he was here, he wouldn’t turn a blind eye.
*Broad daylight, and these thugs dared to act so brazenly?*
The matter itself had nothing to do with him, but while Li Chonglou wasn’t a particularly compassionate person, he wasn’t heartless either.
Especially since his own mother and wife had been kidnapped and deprived of their freedom.
Anger surged in his chest.
He turned his head and asked coldly, “Are you talking to me?”
“Hah? Kid, you’ve got some nerve. You’ve got a death wish, huh? Get the hell over here!” The bulbous-nosed man smirked, waving his knife at Li Chonglou.
He signaled his lackeys to drag Li Chonglou inside.
He had had his eye on this convenience store owner for a while.
After some investigation, he’d learned she was a widow with no connections or backing.
Today, he’d gathered his lackeys, mustered his courage, and locked the store door, ready to assault her.
But the woman turned out to be fiercer than expected. Realizing his intentions, she grabbed a stool and smashed the glass door, trying to escape.
He’d caught her just in time.
And then Li Chonglou had shown up, ruining his plans.
Luckily, this guy seemed clueless. If he’d run off, it could’ve spelled trouble—he’d surely report it, and the bulbous-nosed man would end up in jail instead of getting what he wanted.
So he decided to intimidate Li Chonglou thoroughly.
“Any advice?” Li Chonglou didn’t wait for the lackeys to drag him in. He strode into the store on his own.
As he spoke, his eyes swept the interior.
When his gaze landed on the western wall, a sharp glint flashed in his pupils.
He’d spotted an antique.
*Not only did I run into trouble, but I also found a treasure?*
Though his mind was preoccupied with his mother, professional habit made his heart skip a beat.
*Looks like I’m getting involved today.*
*For this piece—not particularly valuable, but rare.*
“B-brother, let’s talk this out… Here, have a smoke.” Zhang Dongxu, who had been hiding in the car, mustered his courage and rushed into the store.
He pulled out a pack of Zhonghua cigarettes, offering them around.
After all, he wanted to apprentice under Li Chonglou and had even followed him to Yong’an.
Zhang Dongxu knew he couldn’t keep hiding like a coward—it would only make Li Chonglou think less of him.
Besides, he knew his future “master’s” skills and methods.
With him around, these small-time thugs were no threat.
*Slap!*
The next second, the cigarette Zhang Dongxu offered was smacked away by the bulbous-nosed man.
“Who the hell do you think you are, calling me ‘brother’?” The man sneered, releasing the terrified woman, his eyes gleaming with malice.
Zhang Dongxu froze, his face flushing red.
He hadn’t expected the other party to outright reject his gesture.
*If this were Qinzhou, the guy would be the one offering me cigarettes—otherwise, I’d beat the shit out of him.*
But here in Yong’an, in front of Li Chonglou, he had to swallow his pride.
His lungs nearly burst with suppressed rage.
The bulbous-nosed man turned his attention back to Li Chonglou, gesturing at the shattered glass door.
“Kid, you broke my friend’s store door. How are you gonna make up for it?”
“What do you mean?” Li Chonglou feigned ignorance.
*This bastard is trying to extort me now?*
*Caught in the act, he’s suddenly playing the victim, calling the woman his ‘friend.’*
*What a genius.*
“Are you deaf? Pay up!” one of the lackeys shouted. “This glass door costs 100,000!”
“One cent less, and you’re leaving here in a body bag.”
*Brazen extortion.*
If he hadn’t witnessed it himself, Li Chonglou might not have believed such audacity existed.
But then again, these thugs had stormed into a store in broad daylight to assault a woman—clearly, they were societal scum who didn’t fear the law.
“You dare extort my master? I’ll fight you!” Zhang Dongxu exploded, throwing a punch at the bulbous-nosed man’s face.
*Bam!*
Fighting was second nature to a debt-collecting hoodlum like him.
Coupled with the element of surprise—
The bulbous-nosed man took the hit square on the nose, blood gushing instantly.
Clutching his face, he howled in pain.
*Now’s the perfect time to prove my loyalty to Li Chonglou.*
*Gotta take the risk.*
The lackeys, seeing their boss struck, flew into a rage.
One kicked Zhang Dongxu to the ground, while another raised a stool to bash his head in.
*Whack! Whack! Whack!*
Before the stool could descend, Li Chonglou struck like lightning.
Three swift kicks sent the thugs flying out the door, sprawling on the ground, moaning in pain.
They struggled to get up but convulsed in agony.
The bulbous-nosed man’s face paled with terror.
Gritting his teeth through the pain, he roared, “Don’t you dare hit me! You’ll regret it!”
“My boss is Brother Lang from Xishan Bridge! He’ll crush you like a—”
*Smack!*
Before he could finish, a palm struck his face with thunderous force.
Stars exploded in his vision as he collapsed, unconscious.
Half his face swelled instantly, two front teeth knocked out and rolling across the floor with a trail of blood.
“Trash.” Li Chonglou didn’t spare him another glance. “Zhang Dongxu, throw them out.”
“Master, you’re amazing!” Zhang Dongxu’s eyes widened, his heart still racing.
*Thank goodness I didn’t cross Li Chonglou too badly before.*
*Otherwise, that idiot’s fate would’ve been mine.*
He scrambled up to clean up the mess.
Meanwhile, Li Chonglou addressed the stunned woman. “You’re the owner?”
“I’d like to check your store’s surveillance footage.”
“Y-yes, here… I’ll show you on my phone…” The woman, having just watched him effortlessly dispatch the local thugs she feared, didn’t dare hesitate.
Grateful, she showed Li Chonglou how to access the surveillance recordings on her phone.
“Young man, the guy you just hit is a local bully. The ‘Brother Lang’ he mentioned is a big shot in the southern district.” As Li Chonglou scanned the footage, the woman warned anxiously, “You should leave as soon as you’re done.”
“If they come back, you won’t get away.”
Li Chonglou paused and looked up. “Aren’t you afraid they’ll retaliate against you?”
“And in this day and age, with the anti-gang campaigns in full swing, how dare they act so lawlessly?”
“Ah, you don’t understand…” The woman sighed. “Yong’an isn’t like other places. It’s remote, with little oversight.”
“It’s always been poor, and the people aren’t well-educated.”
“Nowadays, making money is hard, so some will do anything, laws be damned.”
“What can ordinary folks like us do? I don’t even have a man at home. If not for you today, I might’ve lost my dignity…”
By now, Zhang Dongxu had finished clearing the store.
Hearing this, his face turned as red as a monkey’s backside.
*I’m exactly the kind of person she’s talking about—someone who disregards the law for money.*
Though he prided himself on only chasing money, never harassing women—especially not widows.
“Who is this Brother Lang?” Li Chonglou nodded, continuing to scan the footage as he spoke.
“A big shot we can’t afford to offend. Rumor has it he rubs shoulders with wealthy businessmen. From your accents, you sound like you’re from Qinzhou?” The woman, accustomed to dealing with travelers, had a sharp ear. She urged, “You should hurry back to Qinzhou. Don’t bring disaster on yourselves.”
“Quit scaring us! My master isn’t afraid of trouble!” Before Li Chonglou could respond, Zhang Dongxu bristled indignantly.
Just then, Li Chonglou’s eyes blazed with intensity.
He’d found what he was looking for!