usatvline Chapter 4 Starting Over
Chapter 4 Starting Over
The burly Chinese man was furious. He rolled up his sleeves and clenched his fists, shouting, "Heh! What's it to me? I am the Great Qing..."
"Zhao Hu!"
The other person, seemingly unwilling to reveal their identity, immediately spoke up to stop them.
Zhao Hu then realized his mistake and quickly corrected himself, saying, "We are all subjects of the Great Qing! If you don't abide by ancestral customs and cut off your queue, do you intend to betray the country, be trapped in Luzon for the rest of your life, and never return to your homeland?"
Judging from their coordinated manner, they are most likely henchmen sent by the imperial court.
Chen Feng wasn't going to mince words with them, retorting sarcastically, "Your Great Qing Dynasty rules the world, but do you think you can extend your reach to Luzon?"
"Young man, don't be so arrogant. I heard your name is Chen Feng, right? My Great Qing can't control you now, but can't it control your family, relatives, and friends?" another Chinese man said sinisterly.
Upon hearing this, Wang Muning's expression tightened, and he secretly regretted revealing the two men's names earlier. At the same time, he whispered a reminder: "This man's name is Zhou Xincheng. According to them, they came to Luzon mainly to purchase timber."
"If you don't act arrogantly, you've wasted your youth. You're even using your relatives and friends to blackmail me?" Chen Feng laughed, patting Wang Muning on the shoulder at the same time.
Zhao Hu raised his fist: "What, you're not convinced?"
The foreign woman noticed the argument and curiously gathered around, looking like she was enjoying the spectacle. If she weren't unfamiliar with Mandarin, she probably would have added fuel to the fire.
Seeing the tense atmosphere, Zhang Xiuwu quietly took a half step back, his right hand already resting on his quiver.
Wu Dequan stepped in to smooth things over, wiping away his tears and forcing a smile: "Brothers, Brother Chen's hair was probably burned by sparks from the explosion on the ship, which is why he had to cut it. It will grow back naturally."
Zhou Xincheng glanced at Chen Feng's muscular physique with considerable apprehension, then after a moment's thought, his expression brightened: "In urgent situations, we must act expediently. I believe the court will not blame us if they find out."
Zhao Hu wanted to say something more, but he was stopped by Zhao Hu waving his hand.
Seeing that a fight was unlikely, the foreign woman's disappointment was evident, and she began to sized up Zhang Xiuwu.
"hehe!"
Chen Feng sneered.
That cheap master was clearly trying to cause trouble. Although I had no relatives or friends and wasn't afraid of being threatened, I couldn't just let this score go.
Zhao Hu was already defiant, and hearing this sneer only fueled his anger. He roared, "Kid, you're still not convinced? In the Qing Dynasty, we can crush you like an ant!"
"I'm too lazy to waste my breath on you guys!"
No sooner had he finished speaking than Chen Feng suddenly moved, his figure like a ghost, instantly rushing in front of the foreign woman and pulling a dagger from her waist.
"The thief is so brave!"
Zhao Hu also possessed some martial arts skills, and his reaction was even faster than that of the foreign woman. Upon catching a glimpse of the cold light reflected from the dagger, he immediately lowered his waist, braced himself, and assumed a defensive stance.
But Chen Feng's target wasn't him, but the thin Zhou Xincheng standing to the side.
This man looked like a scholar who couldn't even kill a chicken; his aura was weak and unstable, making him obviously easier to manipulate.
"What are you going to do?"
Zhou Xincheng had barely uttered a cry of surprise when he felt a tremendous force pressing down on his shoulder, followed by a chill down the back of his head.
"This queue was originally a shackle of the Manchu Qing dynasty. Today, I will help you break free, and consider it a chance for you to start anew!"
Chen Feng smiled coldly and casually tossed away the braid he had just cut off.
"Ah! My braid!!!"
Zhou Xincheng suddenly knelt down on the ground, picked up his braid, and wailed incessantly.
Chen Feng then turned his gaze to Zhao Hu: "Your turn next."
"You dare!"
Zhao Hu roared and charged forward first.
"With such rudimentary skills, you dare to show off your amateurish abilities before an expert?"
Chen Feng sneered, his muscle memory instantly activating. He nimbly turned around and circled behind him, lightly slicing with his dagger.
"you..."
Zhao Hu missed his target and stumbled to the ground.
He subconsciously touched the back of his bald head, and then he began to feel fear. If that blow hadn't been aimed at his hair, he probably would have been decapitated.
"It feels good to start over, doesn't it?"
Chen Feng walked up to him, placed his right foot on his cheek, and slowly applied pressure: "This time I'm just giving you a lesson. If you dare to bark like dogs again, it won't be so easy."
Blood seeped from the corner of Zhao Hu's mouth. Although he was full of resentment, he dared not utter another word.
Zhou Xincheng trembled as he watched this scene, and shouted with his head down, "Brave warrior, please calm down. Today, we two were blind to your greatness and have offended you greatly. Please forgive us."
"snort!"
Chen Feng glanced at the man, tossed the dagger back in front of the foreign woman, and turned to Zhang Xiuwu: "I'm sorry to have made you laugh, brother. This place is no place to stay any longer, let's leave quickly."
"No, not at all!" Zhang Xiuwu waved his hands repeatedly, his face full of admiration. "Your kung fu is amazing! Could you teach me a few moves?"
"No problem!" Chen Feng smiled, glanced around the beach, and not seeing the two foreign men, asked Wang Muning, "Junior Sister, where are those two foreign men?"
"They went that way, probably to find their own way out," Wang Muning said, pointing towards the woods.
The direction was completely opposite to where Zhang Xiuwu and his brothers were waiting, so Chen Feng said, "Never mind them, let's go!"
"I'll lead the way!" Zhang Xiuwu became much more enthusiastic and rushed to the front in a few steps.
Wang Muning followed closely behind, her small feet moving lightly, while Chen Feng walked at a leisurely pace behind.
Wu Dequan looked back at the vast sea, sighed, and followed, his body hunched over.
The foreign woman gripped the dagger, her eyes hesitantly glancing in the direction the foreign man had left, then glancing at Chen Feng's retreating figure. Finally, she gritted her teeth and quickly caught up with him.
Zhao Hu and Zhou Xincheng only dared to get up from the ground when they could no longer hear the footsteps of the group. They stared at the backs of Chen Feng and his group with resentment in their eyes, but dared not chase after them.
As they walked and talked in the dense forest, Chen Feng took the opportunity to inquire about the current situation in Luzon.
"I've never heard of a timber merchant surnamed Yang, but most timber merchants in Manila are affiliated with the Zheng family. You can inquire about them later."
"However, things have been unsettled in the city recently. The Spanish governor's office has been extorting Chinese merchants in order to raise funds for the army, and many people have been framed and imprisoned."
"Those indigenous people are also hateful. They don't do any production themselves, all they know is to steal and rob. My third uncle was robbed and killed by them."
The group met up with Zhang Xiuwen, who was waiting in the woods, and walked for more than two hours before a path finally appeared on the ground.
"Brother Chen, just walk straight along this road for half an hour, and you'll reach my house." Zhang Xiuwu carried the monkey carcass in one hand and pointed ahead with the other.
At this time, the trees gradually thinned out, and some crops were planted on the low hills, with people working in the fields in the distance.
Chen Feng looked up and saw that the sky in the distance was a hazy gray. Just as he was wondering if it was going to rain, he heard Zhang Xiuwen say in a deep voice, "It's not going to rain. It looks like a house is on fire, and the fire is quite big."
"Could it be our house?" Zhang Xiuwu asked hurriedly.
"You're such a jinx! With our fire prevention measures, it's impossible for such a large amount of smoke to rise!" Zhang Xiuwen said with unusual firmness.
"Maybe it's just some kid being mischievous!"
That's what they said, but the two brothers quickened their pace considerably.