booktalesy Chapter 53 Rogue
Chapter 53 Rogue
Just then, a few drunk men at the next table suddenly started making a ruckus.
One of them stood up unsteadily, and accidentally stumbled, knocking over the bamboo plate on Jiang Yuan's table, scattering meat skewers all over the floor.
The drunkard glanced down, scratched his crotch as if nothing had happened, and turned to leave.
"Stop right there!" Han Qian frowned. "You knocked over our things, and you didn't even apologize?"
The drunkard, reeking of alcohol, turned back and yelled menacingly, "Kid, which eye of yours saw me do it?"
Han Qian slammed his hand on the table and stood up: "Still trying to act tough with me?!"
The sight startled the drunkard, who took a step back, stepped right on the meat skewers, and fell hard on his backside.
Jiang Yuan lost his appetite after the commotion, and raised his hand to press down lightly.
"Alright, we've eaten enough. Let's call it a day."
After saying that, he counted out the copper coins and handed them to the old man.
Han Qian immediately panicked, "I promised to treat you, how can I let my senior brother pay! I'll pay, I'll pay!"
"It's not much money, let's go." Jiang Yuan smiled.
"Neither of you little brats are allowed to leave!"
The drunkard staggered to his feet and reached out to grab Han Qian's collar.
Han Qian was furious, so he grabbed his wrist and pushed him away.
The drunkard stumbled and fell onto the road, yelling, "Ouch, someone's hitting me!"
His companions, who had been watching the scene with their arms crossed, immediately surrounded him, demanding, "You think you can just leave after hitting someone?"
"What, do you expect me to pay you back?"
"good!"
These men were just street thugs who mooched off others. Seeing that Han Qian was just a teenager and that Jiang Yuan beside him, though calm and collected, didn't seem to be a powerful or influential person, they immediately had designs on him.
A pockmarked man stepped forward first, shouting gruffly, "If you injure someone, you have to pay compensation! I'm telling you, no one's leaving here today without paying for my brother's medicine!"
The drunkard on the ground seized the opportunity to scramble over, clutching his lower back and wailing, "It hurts so much! I reckon my bones are broken! This isn't over until you pay me at least ten or eight taels of silver!"
The diners around them, who were having a late-night snack, all turned away and gave way. The old man grilling the meat also shrank his neck and dared not utter a sound. It was clear that this gang of hooligans was used to running rampant in this area and that ordinary people could not afford to offend them.
"These two young men are really in deep trouble for messing with Zhang Mazi and his gang!"
"That's right, if you drop something, you can just pick it up. But if it's made like this, it's not something that can be fixed with just a few dozen copper coins."
"Young people are hot-blooded; they don't understand that it's better to avoid trouble."
A few onlookers stood at a distance, whispering among themselves.
"Extorting money? Did you guys not bring your eyes with you when you went out?" Han Qian laughed angrily.
Zhang Mazi scoffed and spat on the ground: "Kid, if you keep acting tough, you're in big trouble. You either pay up or get a beating. Choose one, don't ruin our drinking and fun!"
The remaining people also stepped forward, completely disregarding the two.
Jiang Yuan remained calm and composed, his gaze slowly sweeping over the four or five hooligans who had surrounded him. He then asked, "Junior Brother Han, shall we go or shall we go?"
Han Qian took a breath: "No need for you to do this, Senior Brother. I can handle these guys on my own."
"Oh ho! You two kids want to fight?" Zhang Mazi sneered disdainfully, rolled up his sleeves, and was about to call for reinforcements.
Just then, a figure rushed over and stood between the two sides.
"Brother Feng? What brings you here?" Zhang Mazi immediately put on a smiling face.
"Snapped!"
The man called Brother Feng raised his hand and slapped Zhang Mazi across the face, making him stagger.
"You blind fool, trying to extort money from my young master?!"
Feng Ge, still not satisfied, slapped her twice more, leaving everyone around stunned.
They looked at the two young men standing there with suspicion and uncertainty.
Han Qian glanced at them and recognized the man as one of his usual subordinates. He asked, "Liu Feng, do you know them?"
"Young Master, these are just some local thugs who dare to mess with you. I'll skin them alive today."
Zhang Mazi's face turned ashen, and he repeatedly kowtowed, begging for mercy: "I was blind, I didn't recognize your greatness, gentlemen, please spare my life, I will never dare to do it again..."
"Yes, we won't dare to do it again." The previously arrogant men begged for mercy one after another.
Liu Feng tentatively asked, "Young Master, what about these people...?"
Han Qian was about to speak when he looked at Jiang Yuan with a questioning gaze.
"Let your men handle it," Jiang Yuan said in a low voice.
Han Qian nodded. "Did you hear that?"
"Yes."
Jiang Yuan nodded slightly and instructed Liu Feng, "Tell them not to cause trouble for this old man selling roasted meat in the future."
"No, no!" Before Liu Feng could speak, the others rushed to agree.
The diners watching from a distance were completely dumbfounded. Just a moment ago they were worried for the two young men, but in the blink of an eye, the situation had turned completely upside down.
"My God, that pockmarked-face guy was actually slapped so hard he didn't dare fight back!"
"Didn't you hear? That young man is the young leader of the gang! No wonder he has such an extraordinary presence."
"Which gang's young leader? Could it be the Green Robe Gang?"
"It's probably true! Look at Liu Feng, isn't he a member of the Green Robe Gang?"
"Tsk tsk, Zhang Mazi and his gang have really messed up today. They've been running rampant all this time, they've finally met their match!"
"Serves them right! They've been bullying us all this time, now someone's finally going to teach them a lesson."
"The other young man seems to have an even bigger background; it looks like even the young gang leader listens to him."
The crowd discussed amongst themselves, their eyes filled with awe and curiosity as they watched Jiang Yuan and Han Qian's departing figures.
After walking for a while, Han Qian suddenly chuckled: "After all this fuss, it turns out that our fellow disciples are not as effective as our subordinates showing their faces."
Jiang Yuan laughed too: "In this world, big fish eat small fish, and small fish eat shrimp. How can a big fish eat shrimp directly?"
"I'm hardly a big fish," Han Qian said with a wry smile. "I reckon in a while, I won't even be able to keep my position as the young gang leader."
Jiang Yuan asked in confusion, "What trouble has the Green Robe Gang encountered?"
He knew the real drama was about to begin.
Ever since Han Qian coincidentally appeared near his home, Jiang Yuan guessed that his junior brother must have come specifically to find him.
Han Qian sighed and said, "To be honest, my father was injured not long ago, and other gangs in the vicinity have been eyeing us covetously. Although our gang makes a living by gathering intelligence, we also need experts to keep the villains in check. When I heard that you had broken through to the Ming Jin level, I asked my father for permission to invite you to take up a position in our gang. I am willing to offer you ten taels of silver every month."
"Since the Green Robe Gang has the backing of the Listening Wind Pavilion, why not ask them for help?"
Han Qian looked troubled: "Senior brother, you don't know this, but the Qingyi Gang is not the only gang affiliated with Tingfeng Pavilion. They fight each other for territory and business. As long as they don't cause any major trouble, the higher-ups usually turn a blind eye and don't bother to interfere."
The gang is currently lacking someone who can command respect and make outsiders think twice. Senior Brother has just entered the Ming Jin realm, is young, and is at the peak of his potential. You could take on a nominal position; you wouldn't need to worry about miscellaneous tasks, just show up when necessary.
After he finished speaking, he looked at Jiang Yuan expectantly, waiting for a reply.
Jiang Yuan listened quietly, glanced at Han Qian's young face which was a mixture of anticipation, anxiety, and a hint of embarrassment, and said, "I'll go back and think about it some more."
"become."
Han Qian breathed a sigh of relief. Since he hadn't been directly rejected, it meant there was still a chance.
The two chatted for a while longer until Jiang Yuan arrived at his doorstep, at which point he said goodbye and left.
Jiang Yuan didn't go inside; he turned and disappeared into the night from another direction.
That drunkard just now was very suspicious!
Ordinary people would hardly notice it, but Jiang Yuan's eyesight far surpasses that of ordinary people. In addition, he has just broken through to the Ming Jin level, making him exceptionally sensitive to the flow of Qi and subtle changes in his body.
As the drunkard reached out to steady himself on the edge of the table, his fingertips seemed to flick at him unintentionally, leaving a little powder on his sleeve. The flick was so fast that the drunkard didn't even have time to dodge.
He didn't react on the spot, wanting to see what this person was up to.