Chapter 48: Thrashing Lai Sanpi
His collar was grabbed from behind. Lai Sanpi strained to turn his head and saw the murderous look on Ye Xing’s face. A jolt of fear shot through him, and he stammered, "I’ll pay! I’ll pay you! I’ll pay you right now!" As he spoke, he frantically pulled two Gold Coins from his pocket.
Ye Xing didn’t even glance at the Gold Coins. He just grabbed Lai Sanpi by the collar and began dragging him toward Qiao’Er like a dead dog.
"Hey, let me go! I’ll pay you! I already said I’d pay, so let go of me!" Lai Sanpi yelled.
Ye Xing dragged him to the shop’s entrance, threw him to the ground, and said coldly, "The money is secondary. The important thing is that you hit Qiao’Er. This won’t be resolved so easily!"
"I... I’ll add two more Gold Coins for medical expenses. How about... How about that?" Lai Sanpi stammered, his voice trembling.
"Heh. Two Gold Coins? Another two hundred wouldn’t be enough!" Ye Xing said coldly. "Get on your knees and apologize to Qiao’Er!"
"Th-this... You... you want me to kneel to some little girl? This... Don’t take it too far," Lai Sanpi said.
"What? Don’t tell me a lowlife like you actually has some backbone!" Ye Xing sneered and threw a punch right at him.
POW! A dark bruise instantly blossomed around Lai Sanpi’s left eye.
"AARGH!" Lai Sanpi shrieked. "You dare hit me? This is the middle of Phoenix Town! You can’t just hit—"
THUD! Ye Xing kicked Lai Sanpi in the stomach, then grabbed his collar and smashed a fist into his right eye. He followed up with a left hook, then a right, each punch landing solidly.
"Aargh, you’re killing me! I’m reporting you to the authorities! You’re beating a man in the street! I’ll have you thrown in jail!" Lai Sanpi wailed.
Just then, Aunt Qiao hurried out of the shop. "Patriarch," she said worriedly, "the County Magistrate is known to be very strict. If you seriously injure him, the Government Office might arrest you and throw you in jail."
The Government Offices of the Tang Country were divided into three tiers for states, cities, and towns, overseen by their respective Prefects and County Magistrates. Phoenix Town’s County Magistrate was said to be an incorruptible and upstanding official, strict with his judgments, and held an excellent reputation in town. As a result, public order in Phoenix Town was impeccable, and few people dared to cause trouble. In a more corrupt town, a hoodlum like Lai Sanpi would be throwing his weight around, not being scorned by everyone. You could say that Phoenix Town had no fertile soil for local ruffians to grow. The town was thus peaceful and safe; never mind murders, even brawls were rare.
The little girl, Qiao’Er, quickly wiped the tears from her eyes and ran over. Her small face was filled with worry as she said, "Big Brother, Qiao’Er is okay! Qiao’Er is okay! I don’t want you to go to jail!"
"Haha, don’t worry, Qiao’Er. I know what I’m doing!" Ye Xing laughed, comforting the little girl. But as his gaze swept over the red palm print on her small face, the coldness in his heart intensified. He resumed beating Lai Sanpi, who started wailing and screaming again.
"Stop! Stop hitting me! I’ll apologize! I’ll get on my knees and apologize right now!" Lai Sanpi begged for mercy. Ye Xing had already beaten him black and blue.
"Don’t be in such a hurry to beg. I’m just starting to enjoy myself!" Ye Xing said, his fists and feet never slowing.
"Serves him right!"
"That shameless dog needs a good beating!"
The surrounding crowd cheered. They clearly despised Lai Sanpi. Not only did no one move to call the authorities, but some even started shouting encouragement for Ye Xing.
THWACK! BAM! POW!
Soon, Ye Xing had beaten Lai Sanpi’s face into a swollen, pig-like mess, his body covered in bruises. Ye Xing’s blows were carefully measured; he aimed for maximum pain without causing any permanent injury. Even if Lai Sanpi really went to the Government Office to file a complaint, they couldn’t do much to Ye Xing. Besides, Lai Sanpi had started the whole affair by hitting Qiao’Er. Moreover, Lai Sanpi’s own record was hardly clean, so he probably wouldn’t dare to involve the authorities. If the Government Office started digging into his affairs, he’d be in for a world of trouble.
After beating Lai Sanpi until his face resembled a pig’s head, Ye Xing stopped. "Alright, I’m satisfied. You can apologize to Qiao’Er now."
"Dyamn kid... you beat me like dish, an’ you... you shtill want me to apologishe?" Lai Sanpi mumbled, clutching his swollen cheeks, his words slurred and indistinct.
"What? You’re not apologizing? You want another beating, is that it?" Ye Xing grinned, baring a set of pearly white teeth in a menacing smile.
Lai Sanpi shuddered and immediately dropped to his knees before the little girl. "Sh-shorry, I’m shorry! I won’t ever dare to hit you again! Please, milady, forgive me!"
"Hmph." Qiao’Er gave Lai Sanpi a look of disgust with her wide eyes, then turned to Ye Xing. "Big Brother, let’s just leave it at that. He’s been beaten badly enough." The little girl was worried that if Ye Xing kept going, it would lead to serious trouble. She didn’t want her Big Brother Ye Xing to be arrested and sent to jail.
"Alright. Since Qiao’Er says to let it go, we’ll let it go for now." Ye Xing shot Lai Sanpi one last cold glance before leading Qiao’Er back into the general store.
The surrounding crowd gradually dispersed, going about their business.
’Damn kid,’ Lai Sanpi thought, a venomous hatred filling his swollen eyes. He sneered as he staggered to his feet and hobbled down the street. ’In a few days, my big brother is coming to Phoenix Town. I’ll make you pay! I’ll take everything you own, and that little girl too... hehehe!’
...
Back in the general store, the morning rush continued until noon. Only when lunchtime arrived did the flow of customers finally begin to subside.
"Aunt Qiao, could you watch the shop? I’m going to take Qiao’Er out for a bit," Ye Xing said. It was lunchtime, so there weren’t too many customers for Aunt Qiao to handle on her own.
"Where are we going, Big Brother?" the little girl asked curiously.
"I’m taking you somewhere nice," Ye Xing said, affectionately stroking Qiao’Er’s head. "I’m going to get you a cute little friend to protect you!"