"Endure, you must endure."
Facing Buddha Lord's subordinate, Yang Jian constantly warned himself internally. This was a time to lie low, not to act on impulse or cause conflict, which would only escalate matters and possibly force him to flee again.
If Yang Jian had acted according to his old temper, the young man's finger pointing at his face would have been broken at that very moment.
But now, he could only endure. He bowed his head respectfully to Buddha Lord, neither servile nor overbearing, "I apologize, Buddha Lord. I'm from the countryside and don't understand the rules. I offer my apologies."
Seeing Yang Jian's sensible demeanor, Shan Wei quickly put on a fawning smile, "Yes, Buddha Lord, you are magnanimous. Please don't bother with this country boy?"
Buddha Lord still smiled amiably, "Alright, for Wei Ge's sake, I'll let you off. Young man, pick up the money."
Yang Jian bent down, picked up the money, and put on a look of distress, "Thank you for your reward, Buddha Lord. I truly didn't know this money was for me. I really don't understand the rules here. Please forgive me."
"I can forgive you, but you must keep the reward Buddha Lord gave you forever. Eat this five hundred yuan."
"Eat it? Alright, I'll go buy supper for everyone right away."
Yang Jian thought he was being asked to run an errand. He hadn't eaten any staple food with his seafood dinner and was indeed a bit hungry.
"I told you to eat this five hundred yuan."
"Eat it?"
Not only Yang Jian was stunned, but everyone in the room looked at Buddha Lord in surprise, thinking, "Is it necessary to trouble a country boy with such a small matter?"
Buddha Lord scanned everyone, still smiling. He intended to kill the chicken to scare the monkeys today. He hadn't asserted his authority for a long time, and these fruit shop owners had become perfunctory, not even actively paying protection fees. They were also hesitant when called to play cards.
Shan Wei's face turned grim. This wasn't giving him face; it was slapping his face. But Buddha Lord's influence was too great, and he had to do business in his territory, so he still didn't dare to get angry. Just as he was about to step forward to say something conciliatory, he was shoved aside by Buddha Lord's subordinate.
"Kid, didn't you understand Buddha Lord's words? I told you to eat this five hundred yuan. Do you want me to feed you?"
This young man was about twenty, similar in height to Yang Jian, burly and quite strong. He seemed to have Yang Jian cornered and reached out to pinch his mouth.
Yang Jian could no longer endure. He used his right hand to reverse-grip and grab the young man's wrist. Simultaneously, his left fist struck the young man's armpit. Before the young man could cry out, Yang Jian twisted his waist, lifting the nearly two-hundred-pound body off the ground. The young man flipped twice in the air and flew to the wall about three meters away, smashing the wooden coat rack.
The move was extremely fast and clean. Everyone hadn't reacted when the young man was already sent flying.
Shan Wei's mouth hung open in disbelief as he looked at Yang Jian, unable to speak for a long time.
The others also looked as if they had seen a ghost, all standing up and backing away, sensing that Yang Jian was about to confront Buddha Lord.
Buddha Lord, who had always been smiling, was now filled with shock. Ah Liang was his personal bodyguard and had formidable combat power. He had once single-handedly taken down eight street thugs and weighed nearly two hundred pounds, yet he was easily thrown several meters away by this young rural lad. This was terrifying.
Yang Jian threw the crumpled five hundred yuan in front of Buddha Lord, placed his hands on the table, leaned forward, and looked him in the eye:
"Buddha Lord, I don't cause trouble, but that doesn't mean I'm afraid of it. I have no enmity with you, so don't provoke me. I just want to work peacefully. Let's stay out of each other's way. If you're not convinced and want to deal with Uncle Wei and me, I will make you regret being born into this world.
Don't think you're great just because you have a few men and some money. Unless you don't want to operate in Dongjiang anymore and insist on fighting me to the death, then let me tell you, it's a matter of minutes for me to kill you. Think carefully."
Buddha Lord's face turned pale, completely subdued by Yang Jian's aura. He could feel the intense killing intent in the young man's eyes. This was an extremely dangerous person.
"Uncle Wei, let's go."
Yang Jian patted Shan Wei, who was still somewhat stunned, and turned to leave.
As their backs disappeared through the door, someone went to help Ah Liang, who had been thrown.
Ah Liang's right hand seemed to be fractured, and he walked with a limp, looking very pained. He was likely seriously injured.
"Buddha Lord, let's forget about it today. We can play again another time."
"Yes, Buddha Lord. This young man needs to be sent to the hospital quickly. We can't delay."
Several bosses prepared to slip away, showing outward respect but inwardly rejoicing. Finally, someone had vented their anger for them.
Buddha Lord nodded with a dark expression, "Everyone go. I warn you, keep today's matter a secret. If it gets out, I'll settle the score with you."
"No, no, we definitely won't say anything."
After making their promises, all the bosses fled.
"Buddha Lord, should we gather our men to take care of Shan Wei and that kid?"
Having been defeated by Yang Jian in one move, Ah Liang's pride had been severely wounded. He had never been so embarrassed and now had the urge to kill Yang Jian.
Buddha Lord, however, fell into thought, recalling Yang Jian's eyes and words, considering whether to make a move against him.
"Ah Liang, I think this kid is not an ordinary rural laborer. He must have been involved in the underworld, and a formidable one at that. His martial arts skills are terrifying. We should not provoke him for now."
"But I can't just let him hit me for nothing. If we don't do something, we'll lose face in front of those bosses."
"I advise you not to act rashly. Someone like this working here is either hiding from trouble or being chased by enemies. Such people are desperate. If you push them too hard, they will fight to the death. His martial arts skills are very formidable when he goes berserk. We are here for money. As long as he doesn't block our financial path, there's no need to clash with him to the bitter end."
Buddha Lord was a very intelligent person. He quickly analyzed Yang Jian's general background. They operated tyrannically in this area not to show off their strength but to make money.
Since Yang Jian had no conflict of interest with them, why should they clash with him to the death? It would only result in mutual harm and allow other forces to grow stronger, which was not worth it.
"Alright then, I'll listen to you, Buddha Lord."
Ah Liang dared not disobey Buddha Lord's decision, but his hatred for Yang Jian would not disappear. He was determined to get revenge tonight.
"Ah Liang, I know you're not convinced. Don't say I didn't warn you. If you seek revenge on him privately and something happens, I won't clean up your mess. You're on your own."
Buddha Lord clearly saw through Ah Liang's intentions and was somewhat disappointed in him. He was not entirely satisfied with this bodyguard and planned to speak with Shan Wei separately to see if he could recruit that young man. Whether as a bodyguard or a top fighter, he would be the most suitable candidate.