The sudden scene startled the middle-aged man, causing him to stumble and nearly fall to the ground.
The two men, also flustered, held their shovels and nervously looked towards the courtyard gate.
At this moment, three figures walked in, led by a young man, followed by two women. One of the women had swollen, red eyes and walked unsteadily.
"Damn it, brat, who the hell let you in? Are you looking for death?!" The middle-aged man's face instantly turned fierce upon seeing them.
Chen Fan's eyes flashed with anger as he saw the courtyard filled with children.
In all his years, this was the first time he had felt such a strong urge to beat someone.
Qin Shuran was also stunned and horrified at the sight of the children covered in scars. She cursed, "You beasts, do you have any humanity left? These are children, how could you be so cruel to them!"
Cui Jie's eyes scanned the crowd, searching for Xiao Ling'er.
To her disappointment, Xiao Ling'er was not among them.
The middle-aged man noticed Qin Shuran and Cui Jie, licked his lips, and a lecherous smile spread across his face. "Whether I have humanity or not, is it any of your business? But I never expected such beautiful women like yourselves to come knocking on our door."
"Boss, what... what do we do now?" the two men asked nervously.
The middle-aged man glanced at them. "Two idiots, since they've seen us, they can't be left alive! First, throw this man and these children into the well."
Then, the middle-aged man said lewdly, "As for these two beauties, they came to us willingly. It would be a shame to kill them immediately. We should have some fun with them first before dealing with them."
"Yes, yes!" The two men's eyes lit up at the sight of Qin Shuran and Cui Jie, their impatience growing.
They grabbed their shovels and walked towards Chen Fan.
It was clear they intended to kill Chen Fan.
"Damn it, you dare-to-die dogs who have eaten the heart of a bear and the gall of a leopard, you dare to lay a hand on Brother Fan? I think you're tired of living!" Just then, another shout echoed from the doorway.
This time, it wasn't just one person. A vast, countless number of figures entered the gate.
Leading them was a burly man, who was none other than Da Xiong, who had just arrived!
"Clang! Clang!"
Upon seeing the crowd pouring in from the entrance, the two men's eyes widened. Their shovels instantly dropped to the ground, leaving them bewildered.
Even the middle-aged man, who had been so smug moments ago, was startled by the scene. He couldn't help but swallow and take a few steps back.
"Brother Fan, we're here! Is Xiao Ling'er at this place?" Da Xiong asked, coming to Chen Fan's side.
Chen Fan shook his head.
Da Xiong's brow furrowed, and his fierce gaze fell upon the middle-aged man and his two companions.
Feeling Da Xiong's stare, the middle-aged man hurriedly held the little girl with the pink doll in his arms, pressing a gleaming dagger against her body.
"You, you let us go, or I won't hesitate to kill this little girl!" the middle-aged man threatened fiercely.
Seeing this, Da Xiong's expression grew even colder.
He took two steps forward, his eyes filled with ferocity. "Do you know who I am?"
"Who the hell do I care who you are! Make the people at the door get out, let the three of us leave, or you can collect this little girl's corpse!"
"Uncle, uncle, I don't want to die, I want my mommy."
The little girl struggled in the middle-aged man's arms.
Da Xiong's face remained icy, and he did not retreat.
Seeing Da Xiong's continued indifference, the middle-aged man was taken aback, feeling as if his words had been utter nonsense.
This made the middle-aged man even more enraged. Ignoring the little girl's cries, he raised his dagger, intending to show Da Xiong what he was made of, and to stab the little girl.
Upon seeing this, Qin Shuran and Cui Jie were horrified and wanted to intervene.
Chen Fan's silver needles were ready, prepared to be thrown at the middle-aged man.
Da Xiong also spoke again at this moment, "If you dare to stab her, I will take your life."
The middle-aged man heard this, and the dagger paused in mid-air. He sneered at Da Xiong, "Heh, kid, do you find it funny when you say that to me? I have the upper hand right now. If you don't believe I'll do it, then I don't mind killing one in front of you!"
With that, the middle-aged man raised his dagger again.
"My name is Da Xiong," Da Xiong's voice rang out again.
Hearing the name 'Da Xiong', the middle-aged man's dagger froze in mid-air once more. The fierce and arrogant expression on his face turned to one of horror.
"You, what did you say? You, you're Da Xiong?!"
How could people like them not have heard of Da Xiong? He was the new underworld boss of Jiangcheng!
Da Xiong's cold voice echoed again, "If you dare to touch any of these children, I guarantee you won't get out of Jiangcheng. And I will send people to find your families and the families of your two subordinates. How you treated these children, I will treat your families the same way."
The two men panicked completely and looked at the middle-aged man. "Boss, we, we don't want to die, we don't want them to trouble our families."
Hearing this, the middle-aged man's face turned extremely grim. He looked at Da Xiong and said, "Don't you know about the code of the martial world? 'Harm to family is forbidden,' don't you know that?!"
"Heh, I'm no saint. I only know 'an eye for an eye'," Da Xiong's eyes flashed with intense killing intent.
"Thump! Thump!"
The two men, terrified by Da Xiong's name and aura, knelt directly on the ground.
"Brother Xiong, Brother Xiong! We, we know we were wrong, please, please don't trouble our families!" The two men knelt on the ground, begging Da Xiong repeatedly.
Da Xiong completely ignored them, his gaze still fixed on the middle-aged man.
Cold sweat beaded on the middle-aged man's forehead. He was certain that Da Xiong would keep his word. The last shred of conscience the middle-aged man possessed reminded him of his elderly mother at home.
Finally, the middle-aged man's face fell. Knowing he couldn't escape today, his legs went weak, and he also knelt on the ground.
"Clang!"
The dagger in his hand fell to the ground. The little girl in his arms seized the opportunity to break free from his grasp and ran crying away from him.
Seeing this, Da Xiong had no intention of letting the middle-aged man off.
"Bang!"
He stepped forward and kicked the middle-aged man directly in the chest, sending him sprawling onto the ground.
"Speak, where did you take the little girl named Xiao Ling'er?" Da Xiong asked coldly.
The middle-aged man clutched his chest in pain. "Brother Xiong, I don't know who Xiao Ling'er is. I, all the children I captured are here."
"Still dare to lie?" Da Xiong grabbed the middle-aged man and delivered several slaps to his face.
Moments later, the middle-aged man's lips were torn, his face bruised and swollen, looking utterly miserable.
The middle-aged man felt a belly full of injustice. "Brother Xiong, I truly don't know who Xiao Ling'er is. Believe me, believe me, ask them, all the children we captured are here!"