Chapter 22 Don't look at me! Watch the road!

"Ha! Failing to deceive me, you've now resorted to robbery? I advise you to think carefully before acting rashly, or you'll bear the consequences yourself," Chen Yi said with a faint, mocking smile.

"Who's robbing? You're the one taking things without paying!"

The second brother's face contorted with rage as he raised his hand and reached out aggressively to snatch the item from Chen Yi's grasp.

"Hmph, you're asking for it!"

Chen Yi's expression shifted abruptly as he moved swiftly, catching the man's hand firmly before it could reach him.

The second brother was visibly startled by how effortlessly Chen Yi restrained him. He immediately tried to wrench his hand free, but no matter how much strength he exerted, it was as if he were trying to move an unyielding mountain.

"Kid, you're looking for death!"

With a sinister grin, the second brother lifted his knee and aimed a ferocious strike at Chen Yi's chest, his movements ruthless and unrestrained.

Chen Yi observed the vicious intent behind the attack. If it had been anyone else, a few ribs would have surely been shattered, leaving them bedridden for weeks.

Since you show no mercy, don't blame me for being ruthless.

Chen Yi didn't dodge. Instead, he tightened his grip on the man's hand and twisted it inward with brutal force.

A sharp, agonizing pain shot through the second brother's wrist, forcing a guttural scream from his throat. He fell to his knees, his wrist feeling as though it had been snapped, and the knee strike he had intended was abruptly halted.

Chen Yi, however, din't stop there. With the same unrelenting force, he delivered a devastating knee strike to the man's face, sending him flying backward. The second brother landed heavily on the ground, completely incapacitated.

Not far away, the monkey-faced man, witnessing the unexpected turn of events and consumed by hatred for Chen Yi, grabbed a bronze incense burner from his stall and hurled it at him with all his might.

Bang!

Before the burner could even get close, Chen Yi sent the monkey-faced man flying with a single kick. With a loud crash, the man landed on his own stall, shattering countless "Qing Dynasty official kiln" pieces, each supposedly worth eight thousand yuan.

Chen Yi stood up, dusted off his hands, and looked at the white-haired old man with a teasing smile. "Elder, are you planning to join the fray as well?"

The old man, who had been holding his cane and preparing to step in, froze in place. Watching Chen Yi effortlessly take down his two sons, he was gripped by terror. He stood there awkwardly, his raised cane neither advancing nor retreating.

The three of them had long been engaged in their fraudulent schemes, often resorting to physical altercations. Yet, they had always emerged victorious. Never had they been so thoroughly defeated in such a short time.

The onlookers erupted into a cacophony of astonished murmurs.

"This young man hid his strength well! We were worried for nothing. Turns out he's a master—he took care of those two scoundrels in no time!"

"Serves them right! They finally ran into someone they couldn't cheat. Did they think everyone was an easy mark?"

"It's about time someone taught them a lesson. They've turned the entire Medicine King Temple into a cesspool!"

While no one had stepped forward to help earlier, now a chorus of mockery and schadenfreude filled the air.

The crowd looked at the two men lying on the ground, their faces full of disdain and contempt.

These con artists had long been a scourge, not only engaging in despicable scams but also poaching customers from other vendors. Their actions had earned them widespread resentment.

Although the monkey-faced man and his crew were greedy, they never dared target the wealthier, more powerful merchants. Instead, they preyed on smaller vendors, embodying the classic bully who only picked on the weak.

Chen Yi's decisive punishment brought a sense of vindication to those who had been wronged by them.

"Heh, my name is Zhao Xuantan. May I have the honor of knowing yours, young man?"

Unlike the others, the bearded middle-aged man showed no surprise. Instead, a rare smile appeared on his face.

"Chen Yi," he replied curtly.

The dragon-shaped malevolent aura surrounding Zhao Xuantan made Chen Yi instinctively wary. His tone was deliberately brief, as he had no desire to get entangled with him.

Although he didn't know the origin of the dragon's malice, Chen Yi was deeply concerned.

Such a phenomenon typically arose from the destruction of a dragon vein by either a vengeful or deceased dragon.

For feng shui practitioners, dragon veins were sacred, akin to totems. They represented the lifeblood of the land and were treated with the utmost reverence. Only those driven by madness or extraordinary circumstances would dare to destroy one.

The consequences of disrupting a dragon vein were catastrophic, bringing misfortune to the land and its people—plagues, wars, and rampant crime.

Even the descendants of those affected would struggle to achieve greatness. It was the ultimate act of devastation, akin to cutting off a lineage at its root.

Those who dared to destroy dragon veins were universally condemned within the feng shui community, marked as enemies to be eradicated.

Throughout history, only emperors had dared to defy the heavens and destroy dragon veins. Figures such as Emperor Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang were among the few who had taken such audacious steps.

Moreover, those capable of destroying dragon veins were no ordinary individuals. They were either immensely powerful figures or belonged to extraordinarily strong organizations, like the alchemists under Qin Shi Huang or Liu Bowen, the trusted advisor of Zhu Yuanzhang.

They were far beyond what Chen Yi could contend with.

Although he couldn't discern the connection between Zhao Xuantan and the dragon's malice, Chen Yi knew it was wise to tread carefully. He had no intention of being drawn into such a perilous vortex.

If he were to be entangled, with his current abilities, he would likely be devoured without leaving a trace.

"This is my business card. Feel free to contact me if you ever need assistance."

Noticing the wariness in Chen Yi's eyes, Zhao Xuantan offered a faint smile, handed him a card, and then turned to leave.

"Thank you."

Chen Yi accepted the card and glanced at it. It bore only a name and a simple phone number, with no other identifying details.

"Let's go."

Chen Yi didn't want to linger any longer. Who knew if the monkey-faced man and his crew had other accomplices? While he wasn't afraid, he didn't want Wu Fatty to fall victim to an ambush—it would ruin the day.

Given the feng shui issues at the jewelry store, the likelihood of Wu Fatty encountering misfortune had increased significantly.

"Brother Chen, you're amazing! I never imagined you'd be so skilled in both feng shui and martial arts. If I were a woman, I'd definitely fall for you!"

As they walked away, Wu Fatty couldn't contain his excitement, gesturing animatedly as he mimicked Chen Yi's earlier moves.

Chen Yi glanced at Wu Fatty's jiggling rolls of fat and broke out in a cold sweat. Thank goodness you're not a woman, or I'd have to run for my life.