Chapter 2578 - 2642: Thirty Seconds
Zhang Tianxing clenched his fists. He could handle two or three people on his own, but thirty or more would be a problem. Yet now, this problem was not for him to consider, as he had brothers, each skilled, and each capable of one-versus-many. They were right behind him.
Today, Zhang Tianxing was not fighting alone; he had the help of his brothers, making him fearless!
The people of Zhang Family couldn’t eat anymore, standing up one after another to look out through the fence. Many urged Zhang Tianxing’s parents to intervene quickly, but Zhang Tianxing’s father shook his head, saying, "He has his own judgment, and these comrades are not ordinary people. Don’t worry, nothing will happen!"
Zhang Tianxing’s father, usually reserved and honest, supported his son’s use of martial strength to solve problems today. One can imagine that if they lost this fight, the reputation of Old Zhang’s family would be ruined in the nearby villages, and any mishap would be attributed to them, forcing them to live with their heads down. But if they won, the status of Old Zhang’s family would change, as winning against thirty people would make people shake their heads when mentioned.
Thus, he decided not to stop them, choosing to support his son!
Zhang Tianxing glanced back toward his family, a surge of heroism welling within him, speaking to himself as if addressing Li Yifei and the others: "I am still me, the Zhang Tianxing of the past has returned!"
"You should have come back sooner!" Zheng Mingrui interjected, and the others laughed heartily. Just as the Lang Family brothers charged with knives and sticks, Zhang Tianxing, with impaired leg strength, remained motionless, waiting bare-handed for their approach.
Their first reaction was that they were being bullied too much! They had run several steps, yet the opponents did not even move, completely ignoring everyone. In past group fights, this first charge was a clear sign of whether things would work out—opponents would either retreat or be fearful. Never had they faced such few numbers and yet remained steadfast.
Actually, there was movement; Li Yifei and others had stepped up to Zhang Tianxing’s sides, standing alongside him, their distances just enough to block the small road in front. As for their expressions...it was as if nothing had happened. They showed no fear or worry.
Of course, as they had faced far more dangerous situations before—gunfire and bullets—this farmer melee seemed like child’s play, even if knives were wielded by the opponents.
Not to mention Dumb Guy, even Skinny Monkey, despite his small and thin stature, had ten or twenty ways to deal with any opponent charging at him. These guys weren’t worthy of being called enemies.
"Brothers, it’s time to show what we’ve got, haha!" Zheng Mingrui shouted playfully. Members of the Flying Hawk Squad gathered together, naturally not considering these people as opponents but rather needed to strike an impressive pose for Zhang Tianxing.
Zhang Tianxing chose to face Lang Family’s eldest; he had already dealt with the second brother, who was all façade, undeserving of his build.
Dammit, looking down on me! The Lang Family brothers gritted their teeth, charging with full strength. As both sides prepared to collide, the crowd raised their weapons—knives, sticks, or even shovels and hoes—in a stance suggesting a desperate fight.
The people eating at Zhang’s, watching tensely from behind the fence, some had already closed their eyes, while others gaped, finding it somewhat cruel.
Whoosh! Both sides clashed instantly, with the seven members of the Flying Hawk Squad, led by Li Yifei, battling the troublemakers.
There was nothing to talk about here, as solving the problem was merely a matter of time—and this time might not even exceed...a minute.
No, a minute is an exaggeration. In fact, it was less than half a minute. The Flying Hawk Squad’s prowess stems from their former skills, which, despite possibly being less practiced post-service, never got forgotten to their core; something they’ll remember into old age.
Against common folks, killer moves were unnecessary. One against four or five, even weapon-less versus armed opponents—a result unchanged.
Inside Zhang’s fence and behind Lang’s people, the women watched in shock as both parties clashed, heard the chaotic shouts, and then...not one of Lang Family’s entourage was left standing—all lying on the wet, muddy path—while the opponent’s eight people remained unscathed, except for Zhang Tianxing staggering, not due to being hit, but due to his own impaired leg strength, unable to steady himself after the charge.
Lang Yonggan didn’t join; standing twenty meters away, he watched the scene, subconsciously swallowing hard, finding it hard to comprehend what was happening.
He couldn’t understand; those on the ground were even more baffled. Many of them were experienced fighters, yet they couldn’t touch their opponents once, being beaten to the ground alive. Their injuries weren’t serious, but they couldn’t get up right away, either numb or weak—some had indeed been hit a few times, like the Lang Family’s three brothers, who had been specifically targeted.
After all, being the party that provoked the trouble, Li Yifei and his group didn’t hold back when they started fighting; the three men were now all lying on the ground, clutching their organs and groaning in pain.
In the distance, Lang Yonggan’s daughter was so scared that her teeth were chattering, and she had a feeling she was about to wet herself. Just as she was about to turn around and run away, she met Zhang Tianxing’s gaze. He was completely different from the cripple she had seen before, and somehow he seemed taller. Anyway, he had changed, though she couldn’t articulate exactly how. At that moment, all she felt was fear. Swallowing hard, she saw Zhang Tianxing walking toward them.
"Dad, Dad, help! He’s coming!" Lang Yonggan’s daughter immediately grabbed Lang Yonggan’s arm and shouted while pointing at Zhang Tianxing.
Zhang Tianxing continued to walk over with a limp. Although the distance was only a few dozen meters, he moved very slowly, yet at this moment no one dared to mock him. Li Yifei and the others stood with arms crossed after fighting, exuding an intimidating aura despite their silence.
The fight only lasted half a minute, an incredibly short time, so many onlookers hadn’t even reacted yet. Once Zhang Tianxing’s parents realized what happened, they breathed a sigh of relief. They had indeed fought, and handled it easily; now everything would be much simpler.
This wasn’t a long distance, and Zhang Tianxing took about two minutes to reach Lang Yonggan. He looked indifferently at the other man and asked, "Did you bring the bride price?"
"I..." Lang Yonggan swallowed hard. The old man had never seen such fierce people before. He had always heard that the Zhang family’s son did well in the military, but he had no clear understanding of what that meant. After he returned and became crippled, he was often looked down upon over the years.
Who could have imagined he would be this formidable, and that his comrades would be equally fierce?
"If you didn’t bring it, then have someone go back and get it. You can’t leave until the bride price is returned. In the meantime, no one is allowed to stand up; everyone stays down!" Zhang Tianxing’s voice was heard not only by Lang Yonggan’s group but also by the three brothers of the Lang family and others laying dozens of meters away.
Lang Yonggan felt an overwhelming sense of pressure that he couldn’t refuse—no, he didn’t dare refuse. He was afraid that if he shook his head, the next second the other side would slap him.
Before Lang Yonggan could speak, Zhang Tianxing limped toward Lang Yonggan’s daughter, who was so terrified that she kept backing away while saying, "Don’t... don’t hit me. Although I talked about breaking off the engagement, the decision was still my dad’s!"
"Since the engagement is broken, there’s no more entanglement. It’s best not to bother us again. If you can adhere to this, I won’t trouble you. Understand?" Zhang Tianxing warned.
Lang Yonggan’s daughter’s teeth chattered as she quickly nodded hard, saying, "Un... understood!"
"The bride price must be returned; it’s no small amount for our family!"
"Dad, I’ll... I’ll go back and get the bride price!" Lang Yonggan’s daughter, already trembling with fear, naturally agreed to whatever Zhang Tianxing said. When Lang Yonggan saw his three sons lying in the mud, he originally wanted to keep stalling, but seeing the others’ attitude, he realized stalling wouldn’t work. Facing Zhang Tianxing’s cold warning, he hesitantly said, "You hit people, don’t you believe I’ll call the police to arrest you?"
"Is that so?" Zhang Tianxing retorted, then indifferently said, "When the police see you wielding weapons, all thirty of you against our eight, who do you think they’ll believe?"
Lang Yonggan puffed up and glared, but ultimately deflated and said, "Fine, I’ll go get the bride price!"
"Go ahead. I’m only giving you half an hour. If you’re late, don’t blame me if your three sons end up with broken arms and legs!" Hearing this, Lang Yonggan wished he could immediately run home. Fortunately, someone from their group was on a motorcycle; otherwise, running home could have worn out Lang Yonggan’s old bones.
More than twenty minutes later, Lang Yonggan returned by motorcycle and handed the box containing the bride price to Zhang Tianxing. After opening the box and checking it, Zhang Tianxing found no discrepancies; all the gold and silver jewelry were there. He nodded and said, "I asked you to return it this morning; you wouldn’t do it until you got beaten up!"
"Let my sons go!" Seeing Zhang Tianxing’s attitude softening, Lang Yonggan reverted to his old ways, speaking more firmly.
"Slap!" A handprint appeared on Lang Yonggan’s face, followed by Zhang Tianxing’s voice: "Considering your age, I won’t hit you today. However, remember this, Lang Yonggan: this all started because of you, and your three sons suffered as a result of your actions. In the future, it would be best for the Lang family not to appear before me. Even without my comrades, dealing with your family would be child’s play for me. You’re welcome to test me if you don’t believe it!"
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