Chapter 64 Once Again, A Brazen Demand

"Why are you all standing there like corpses? Get him! Beat him to death!" The bald thug, clutching his broken finger, roared in fury, vowing not to rest until Chen Yi was torn to shreds.

The gang of hooligans, still reeling from the sight of their boss—usually invincible and ruthless—suffering such a humiliating defeat, hesitated for a moment. But upon hearing his command, they snapped out of their daze, pulled steel pipes from their sleeves, and charged at Chen Yi with menacing ferocity.

Chen Yi sneered coldly, striding forward with bare fists, exuding a chilling aura of dominance that defied description.

He plunged into the mob, snatching a steel pipe from one of them and swinging it with ruthless precision. These petty thugs, who could only intimidate ordinary people, were no match for someone like Chen Yi—someone who would charge unflinchingly into a dragon's lair or a tiger's den. To him, they were nothing more than sheep facing a lion. Within moments, their formation crumbled, and they scattered in disarray. In less than a few minutes, they were all sprawled on the ground, writhing in pain and wailing like banshees, tears and snot streaming down their faces.

Chen Yi strolled over to the bald thug, who was still frozen in shock, squatted down, and slapped his gleaming head with a loud crack. "So, which arm or leg do you want to keep?"

The bald thug, seeing how effortlessly Chen Yi had taken down his entire crew, realized he had provoked someone far beyond his league. Swallowing his pride, he clasped his hands together and pleaded, "Leave some room for mercy, brother, so we can meet again in the future. We're all people of the jianghu—why push things to the brink? I was blind to your greatness and offended you today. Please, show some leniency. Tell me your name, and I'll personally bring a grand gift to apologize another day!"

Chen Yi couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of it all. It was the first time he'd seen someone beg for mercy with such eloquence. If this man hadn't been bullying the orphanage, Chen Yi might have even wanted to learn a few lines from him to use in future encounters with underworld bosses.

But bullying the orphanage was a direct hit to Chen Yi's reverse scale—a line that could not be crossed. No amount of eloquence, not even crying and wailing, could save him now.

Smack!

Another crisp slap landed on the thug's shiny head. "Cut the crap! I asked you which arm or leg you want to keep, not for a speech. If you're going to live in the jianghu, you have to be prepared to face the consequences. You knew the risks when you climbed the mountain."

The bald thug's beady eyes widened in anger, glaring at Chen Yi for a long moment. But seeing that he wasn't joking, the thug suddenly let out a pitiful wail, as if he'd just been trampled by a herd of bulls. His voice was filled with anguish and despair. "Big brother, I was wrong! I was just doing someone else's dirty work. I've got a wife and kids at home waiting for me to bring food to the table. Please, spare me this once! Saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. My entire family's fate is in your hands!"

The thug's sudden shift in demeanor—from defiant to groveling—was so abrupt that it left Chen Yi utterly dumbfounded.

D*mn it!

He'd thought this guy was some hardened veteran of the underworld, but it turned out he was just a spineless coward!

Chen Yi had never actually intended to break his arms or legs; he just wanted to scare him. But now, even the desire to scare him had vanished. "Fine, I'll let you keep your limbs for now. But if you dare cause trouble here again, I won't be so forgiving."

Realizing that Chen Yi wasn't going to follow through on his threats, the bald thug felt a wave of relief. His daily rehearsed act of groveling had paid off. He quickly said, "Thank you, big brother, for your mercy! From now on, I'll follow you without question. In this life and the next, I'm yours—alive or dead—"

Chen Yi broke out in a cold sweat. Seeing the thug's increasingly outrageous declarations, he hurriedly interrupted, fearing the man might spout something even more melodramatic. "Enough with the nonsense! I have one more question for you."

"Anything, big brother! Ask away. One question, ten questions, a hundred—I'll answer them all!" The bald thug scrambled to his feet, seemingly forgetting the pain of his broken finger. He nodded and bowed with practiced ease, as if this wasn't his first time groveling.

"Who sent you?"

"The boss of Kunlun Real Estate..."

The self-proclaimed jianghu hero didn't hesitate for even a moment, betraying his employer without the slightest hint of guilt or shame. He didn't even bother pretending to struggle with the decision.

"Fang Yixuan?"

Chen Yi chuckled. What a small world. The last time he'd encountered Fang Yixuan, the man and his flashy wife had tried to show off at the gold shop, only to be humiliated. And now, here he was, crossing paths with Chen Yi again.

Young, successful, and ambitious men like Fang Yixuan were Chen Yi's favorite targets. Now that Fang had come knocking, Chen Yi was determined to bleed him dry. With a plan forming in his mind, he instructed the thug, "Go back and tell Fang Yixuan that an old acquaintance is waiting for him here. The terms remain the same—100,000 yuan per day. Deliver the message exactly as I've said, and he'll understand."

The bald thug's expression shifted, and he glanced at Chen Yi with a mixture of fear and respect. Clasping his hands together, he said, "Big brother, I'll deliver your words without fail. If I miss even a single syllable, you can hold me accountable!"

"What is this, a soap opera? Enough with the dramatic lines! Get lost!"

Seeing the anger flash across Chen Yi's face, the thug scrambled to his feet, terrified that Chen Yi might change his mind and lash out again. He fled with such speed that his subordinates were left in awe of their boss's record-breaking sprint.

"These cowardly bastards deserve a beating!"

Watching the thugs retreat, Uncle Li spat on the ground and cursed angrily.

"Uncle Li, they've been causing trouble here for a while now, haven't they?"

"Sigh, it's been over ten days. They come every day, scaring the kids so much they don't even dare go to school..."

As they talked, the two of them walked into the orphanage.

Chen Yi quickly learned that the thugs had been harassing the orphanage for days. Initially, they'd held back, wary of the rumors that a Feng Shui master was protecting the place. But when no such master appeared, and their employer upped the reward—offering a 200,000-yuan bonus for forcing the orphanage to vacate—they became increasingly brazen.

Two hundred thousand yuan! Split among seven or eight people, each would still get twenty or thirty thousand—a year's worth of internet café and gaming expenses.

Driven by greed, the thugs threw caution to the wind. With their numbers and their hooligan tactics, they terrorized the orphanage, knowing full well that Chen Yi was hospitalized. Uncle Li, furious but helpless, had no choice but to endure.

He'd called the police multiple times, but the officers—familiar with the thugs—did little to intervene. Eventually, they stopped showing up altogether, leaving the thugs free to escalate their antics. By day, they blocked the entrance, frightening the children; by night, they howled and danced like madmen.

After hearing the full story, Chen Yi felt he'd gone too easy on the bald thug. He should've broken his arms and legs. At the same time, he couldn't help but marvel at the man's acting skills—he'd make a perfect villain in a TV drama.

The world truly was full of hidden talents.

It was a Saturday, so the children weren't at school. Trapped in the orphanage by the thugs, they had watched through the cracks in the door as Chen Yi defeated the villains like a hero. To them, he was as awe-inspiring as Ultraman. They swarmed around him, their eyes filled with admiration.

"Brother Gou Sheng, do you know kung fu?" one child asked, stars in their eyes.

"Take me as your disciple, Brother Gou Sheng!" another chimed in, more practical in their request.

Little Nan Nan, recovering from her surgery, wanted to join the crowd but was held back by Aunt Wang. Pouting in frustration, she listened to the other children chatter excitedly about Chen Yi's heroic deeds. Though she hadn't seen it herself, she could imagine it clearly. Her earlier displeasure vanished, replaced by pure admiration. Climbing onto Chen Yi's lap, she clung to him and said sweetly, "Brother Gou Sheng, do you like Shin-chan?"

"Shin-chan? Who's that?" Chen Yi was puzzled. Had the orphanage taken in a new child while he was hospitalized?

Nan Nan pouted again. "Crayon Shin-chan, of course! Brother Gou Sheng, you're so silly. You can be Shin-chan's daddy, and I'll be his mommy, okay? Okay?"

Chen Yi: "..."

What on earth was going on in this little girl's head? Chen Yi decided he'd have to ban her from watching cartoons in the future—they were clearly corrupting her!

...

After lunch, Chen Yi played with the children, teaching them wrestling moves to use against their classmates at school—how to trip them, pin them down, and keep them from getting back up. In this way, an unscrupulous young man imparted mixed martial arts techniques to a group of innocent kids.

Meanwhile, Fang Yixuan, dressed impeccably in a tailored suit and gold-rimmed glasses, had been standing nearby for half an hour.

Finally, as Fang's patience wore thin, Chen Yi shooed the children away, telling them he had to negotiate with the "big bad guy." Feigning surprise, he turned to Fang and said, "Oh my, Boss Fang! When did you arrive? Why didn't you say anything? I'm so sorry for ignoring you. Please, have a seat."

Suppressing his anger, Fang Yixuan declined to sit. His tone was ice-cold as he said, "Let's cut to the chase. How much do you want?"

After their last encounter, Fang's wife, Zhao Liping, had investigated Chen Yi and learned that he was no saint. He was a master of extortion, and the incident that had drawn the attention of provincial leaders had only solidified his reputation. Knowing this, Fang had held his temper until now, but his patience was wearing thin.

"Boss Fang, you wound me! Why bring up money? I don't want your money."

Chen Yi, unbothered, poured himself a cup of bitter herbal tea brewed by Uncle Li and took a slow sip, savoring its unique flavor.

"Oh?" Fang Yixuan narrowed his eyes, sensing a trap. "Then what do you want?"

"Since Boss Fang is a straightforward man, I'll be direct. My terms are simple: build a new house for the orphanage. Three stories, thirty rooms. Nothing too extravagant."

"What?!"

Not too extravagant? Three stories and thirty rooms?

Even though Fang had braced himself for an outrageous demand, he hadn't expected Chen Yi to be this ruthless. He immediately refused. "No way! I'll give you three million, not a cent more."