Chapter 315: 308
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If it had been in the past, the Yan Family and other local gentry, to him, would have been behemoth-like existences.
But now, Qin Niu had grown, and when looking at these local gentry, they seemed not that remarkable anymore.
He performed the Misty Rain Traceless Step and in the blink of an eye, appeared beside Wang Furen.
“Uncle Wang, who did this?”
Seeing Qin Niu appear, Wang Furen was like a bullied child seeing his parents, unable to help his sorrow from welling up.
“Don’t worry about me, hurry and save Wan Yan. She’s been captured by the He Family and is locked inside that carriage.”
Wang Furen was even more concerned for his daughter’s safety.
“Ah Niu, a wise man knows better than to fight when the odds are against him. Admit your errors, save Wan Yan, and take her far away from here.”
He lowered his voice and added another piece of advice.
Qin Niu helped Wang Furen up from the ground.
But the poor shopkeeper dare not stand, because the He Family’s people were right there.
If the He Family wanted him to kneel, he wouldn’t dare utter a word of protest.
“Hey you, did Fourth Master He tell you to get up?”
As soon as Qin Niu helped Wang Furen up, a middle-aged man nearby asked coldly.
Wang Furen’s body shuddered violently, broke free from Qin Niu, and knelt down on the ground obediently.
This shopkeeper, indeed a merchant through and through, showed not the slightest defiance in the face of power. Understandable, really.
After many years of travelling around, he had seen countless gruesome scenes.
He knew all too well what end awaited those who offended the powerful.
The He Family was one of the three great gentry families of Jade Stream Town. Although they seldom came to Shuangfeng Village, people’s names cast long shadows. Residents of Jade Stream Town might not know the Black Tiger Gang Leader, but they couldn’t be ignorant of the gentry families’ fame.
Qin Niu turned his head to look at the middle-aged man who had spoken.
Fourth Master He, who had been scared off by Qin Niu in the morning, was now fully “revived.”
Not far away, an armchair and a tea table were set up, with Fourth Master He sitting there, legs crossed.
He held the teacup and savored it leisurely.
There were also desserts and fruits on the tea table.
This B’s act was worthy of full marks.
Behind Fourth Master He stood more than thirty Protectors of the He Family, all wearing leather armor and carrying long sabers at their waists. The formation was fairly neat, their eyes cold.
The He Family had evidently intended to train them into a private army.
But because they had never been on a battlefield, these people, with cultivation only in the Mortal Realm, lacked some imposing aura of murderous spirit and military might. Instead, they had the air of a show without substance.
These men posed no threat to Qin Niu.
The really formidable one was the old man standing next to Fourth Master He, over fifty years old and less than 1.6 meters tall. Dressed in gray, and wearing a bamboo hat, he looked every bit the part of an old farmer.
Don’t be fooled by his short stature and unremarkable appearance, for it’s not the pleats that make the bun.
This man gave Qin Niu a sense of invisible pressure.
It meant either he possessed powerful treasures, or he was also a strong practitioner in the Innate Realm.
One thing was certain: he was definitely not a strong practitioner in the Spirit Qi Realm.
Because Qin Niu simply couldn’t sense the cultivation level of such existences, he could only feel an overwhelming “vast ocean,” unfathomable.
He dared to challenge the He Family, naturally not out of reckless bravado.
Even if the He Family had even stronger experts hidden behind them, stronger than those in the Innate Realm, Qin Niu could still rely on the strength of the Fang Family.
And if worse came to worst, once his Green Demon Bees were bred for some time, he would have the capability to challenge those in the Spirit Qi Realm on his own.
Moreover, he had already slain a strong practitioner in the Spirit Qi Realm and had seen their strength, so he dared to confront them when major interests were compromised.
“Is the He Family prepared to fight this out to the bitter end?”
Qin Niu stepped toward Fourth Master He, considering the thirty or so Protectors of the He Family as if they were nothing.
The Ink Blade was already grasped in his right hand, held at the ready.
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The Hundred Treasures Insect Bag contained a large number of Termites.
Among them were Soldier Ants and Worker Ants possessing highly toxic venom. Just one sting from their poison, and anyone below the Innate Realm would likely drop dead on the spot.
Even Qin Niu, their owner, had no antidote.
Perhaps a Detoxification Pill could cure their venom, but it had not been tried.
“You killed a member of the He Family, you must give an explanation.”
He Siye replied unhurriedly.
When it came to putting on airs, Qin Niu was convinced this man was second to none.
When it was time to flee with his tail between his legs, he did not hesitate. When it was time to strut, he strutted with style and swagger.
“Who kidnapped my fiancée?”
Qin Niu asked.
“I did. That woman was feisty, but she had smooth skin and a top-notch figure. I may have been a bit rough with her, but she brought it upon herself.”
The answer came from the same middle-aged man.
This person must be the head of the Yan Family Protectors, not weak at all—probably at the peak of the Acquired Realm.
But still a bit short of the Innate Realm.
With that kind of strength, he definitely had the means to run amok in the countryside.
Yet his retribution had come today, in the form of Qin Niu.
“Besides you, was there anyone else?”
“Capturing that little vixen alone, do we need several people for that? Our master’s intention is this, you kneel today and give a kowtow, admit your mistake to the He Family, and we’ll let bygones be bygones. Your fiancée will be returned to you.
If you don’t recognize what’s good for you, thinking you can act recklessly before the He Family just because you have some ability and status, even if we can’t do much to a distinguished nobleman like you, as for your future wife, our master will take full responsibility.”
The middle-aged man’s words carried an undertone of arrogance.
Clearly, the He Family had dared to seek revenge and reclaim their standing by investigating Qin Niu’s background thoroughly.
What they could find out was probably just surface-level information.
As for Qin Niu’s true strength and his resources, the He Family likely had no clue.
The He Family thought Qin Niu was a native of Shuangfeng Village with a history of only a few months. Even if he had some strength and opportunities, they were limited.
Moreover, Qin Niu was young, which only further convinced the He Family that he had become arrogant with a little power.
Arrogance is the nature of most young people.
“Sun Gui spoke well, I, the fourth master, do enjoy that. Taming the unruly fiancées of the disobedient, that’s my favorite pastime,” He Siye said with a smile, nodding repeatedly.
“You, are you not afraid of the law?”
Wang Furen, hearing that his daughter might be tarnished by He Siye if taken back, was both anxious and angry. His daughter was the apple of his eye.
Besides, if she were defiled by He Siye, there would only be two paths left: either to take her own life or to beg to become He Siye’s concubine.
The men of the He Family were famously licentious in the local area.
He Siye’s grandfather was the kind to even marry a cousin.
He Siye’s father was also promiscuous, fathering a large brood of children. Seven sons alone.
“Haha, the law? In these parts, might is right. I, the fourth master, have taken not less than three fiancées, what’s one more to me? Anyway, the He Family has plenty of land and grain, we can afford it, rest assured,” He Siye said joyfully.
Not to mention locally, even in Black Tiger City, or the entire domain of the Hundred-Tempering Immortal Sect, power means everything.
The law can only restrain the common folk.
It has always been so, throughout history.
“Those who insult me, kill! Those who insult my family, kill! Those who insult my fiancée, kill!”
Qin Niu repeated the word ‘kill’ three times.
Since the He Family knew he was a first-class noble yet still dared to seek retribution, Qin Niu would have to establish an even greater deterrence.
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