The Fantastic Little Farmer

Chapter 9: Chapter 9: I’m a Farmer

Li Dajiang choked on his words!

He had imagined Zhang Yun might be nervous, terrified, or perhaps stubbornly defiant, but he never expected him to be so relaxed and composed.

He wondered if claiming to help teach them a lesson and needing no thanks in return was something a normal person would even say.

Uncle Xi’s hand trembled slightly as he picked up his teacup. He had only gotten involved because Zhang Yun and his father were usually so poor with words that they were bound to be bullied. Since when had the boy become so silver-tongued?

No, this wasn’t just being silver-tongued—this was pure arrogance!

Zhang Yun’s confidence, of course, stemmed from his own formidable strength and the reassurance of the mysterious space he carried with him!

So what if the man was the boss of a cement plant?

As someone who had seen the world, Li Dajiang managed to keep his composure. ”Li Bing is my nephew, and Li Dahai is my own brother!”

Zhang Yun put on a look of sheer helplessness. ”Fine! If you insist on thanking me, then go ahead! I can accept you pouring me tea or kneeling in gratitude!”

”I’ll kneel to your damn father!” No matter how good Li Dajiang’s patience was, he couldn’t hold it back anymore. This kid was doing it on purpose!

Zhang Fu hurried into the room. Seeing the tense situation, he nervously rushed over, terrified that a fight was about to break out.

Zhang Yun tapped the table with a beaming smile. ”I can accept that, too.”

Li Dajiang felt an internal hemorrhage coming on at that casual acceptance. He had just cursed out loud, yet the other party was still smiling, making him feel like he had just thrown a punch into cotton.

”If you kneel and apologize to my father, I can accept that, too,” Zhang Yun pointed out.

Li Dajiang slammed his hand on the table. ”You’re messing with me, aren’t you?”

The man sitting in the corner, who had remained silent and kept his eyes fixed on Zhang Yun the entire time, suddenly stood up and strode over to him.

”My name is Xu Jin, third place in the city’s free sparring competition. I am now asking you to apologize to my boss!”

Xu Jin’s words carried no anger, but they exuded an unmistakable murderous aura. He didn’t need to flex his muscles; just his proximity brought with it the ferocity of a wild beast. His background as a fighter was undoubtedly real.

Zhang Fu and Uncle Xi both tensed up. They had discussed it that morning: the men Zhang Yun had beaten up the night before were just hired Thugs brought in for show. If they encountered truly ruthless characters, knives would definitely be drawn.

Now, the man Boss Li had brought was no petty street punk. A third-place winner in a free sparring competition—calling him one of the city’s top professional Martial Arts experts wouldn’t be an exaggeration!

”We can talk this over...” Zhang Fu stammered. ”Zhang Yun, apologize to Boss Li.”

”Please don’t get worked up, Boss Li,” Uncle Xi added.

Li Dajiang let out a heavy, cold snort. Xu Jin stepping forward had clearly achieved the desired deterrent effect. ”Apologize? Then go ahead! I can accept you pouring me tea or kneeling!”

He threw Zhang Yun’s own words back at him, waiting for the young man to swallow his pride.

Xu Jin kept his gaze locked on Zhang Yun, refusing to give him any chance for a sneak attack.

Zhang Yun stood up and smilingly extended his hand toward Xu Jin. ”Third place in the city’s free sparring competition... I’m just a farmer!”

Xu Jin had naturally heard about yesterday’s events and saw right through Zhang Yun’s intention. He reached out and grabbed his hand without hesitation. It was an iron grip against steel claws. Neither of them bothered probing; they immediately squeezed with all their might!

Zhang Fu and Uncle Xi were fraught with worry. This was a prepared Martial Arts expert—how could Zhang Yun possibly gain the upper hand?

Li Dajiang, on the other hand, waited to see Zhang Yun scream and beg for mercy. He sneered, ”Since we’re all locals, I tried being polite before resorting to force. But since you refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit...”

He stopped mid-sentence. Not only was Zhang Yun not screaming, but he was completely ignoring him and casually chatting with Xu Jin!

”It’s a good thing you’re only third place. If the city champion became a Thug and a lapdog for some local bumpkin boss, it would be downright humiliating!”

A Thug and a lapdog! Xu Jin’s expression shifted. Those words grated harshly on his ears.

He abruptly dialed his strength up to the maximum, only to feel that Zhang Yun’s grip was even stronger!

With Li Dajiang watching from the side and several seconds passing without a clear victor, Xu Jin felt his pride slipping. He swiftly raised his other hand.

”Don’t you dare!” Zhang Yun bellowed. ”If you dare throw a punch, I’ll cripple this hand of yours!”

Xu Jin felt a piercing pain shooting from his palm, as if his fingers were being crushed into dust.

He was confident in his own strength, but he was only here to act as intimidation. This wasn’t a life-or-death struggle, and he couldn’t deal a lethal blow. However, Zhang Yun—the same man who had broken Li Bing’s limbs—was very likely to actually crush his hand!

Zhang Yun added one more sentence: ”It’s just a job. Is it worth betting a hand over?”

That single sentence instantly crushed Xu Jin’s psychological defenses! If he lost a job, he could just find another one. But if his hand was crippled, his life would be over!

Xu Jin immediately unclenched his raised fist, shifting it into a one-handed gesture of surrender.

”Your strength is greater than mine,” he admitted.

Xu Jin refused to admit that his Kung Fu was inferior, but to everyone present, it was all the same—a loss was a loss!

Zhang Yun chuckled. ”You’re a teachable man! It’s not easy to train in Martial Arts. Since you know when to pull back from the precipice, I’ll let you off the hook.”

The moment his hand was released, Xu Jin felt a burning urge to lunge forward and beat Zhang Yun to a pulp just to vent his frustration. This defeat was far too suffocating!

He resentfully thought that if the kid was going to farm, he should just farm. Why train for so much brute strength? It wasn’t like he smashed rocks for a living. Was this the hand Power gained from twenty years of being single?

But as a practitioner of Martial Arts, Xu Jin kept his word. Since he had conceded, regaining his honor was a matter for another day. Turning hostile right on the spot would show a severe lack of martial virtue.

Li Dajiang slapped the table in dissatisfaction. ”That’s it? What do I pay you for? You useless trash!”

Xu Jin showed no shame, simply replying calmly, ”You don’t pay for my livelihood; you just hired me for a single trip. Since I couldn’t meet your demands, I just won’t take the money!”

With that, he walked back to the corner and sat down.

Seething with rage but not daring to lash out at Xu Jin, Li Dajiang angrily smashed a teacup onto the floor. ”Useless piece of trash!”

Taking a deep breath, he suppressed his emotions and pointed at Zhang Yun. ”For the sake of us being from the same hometown, I’m here to give you notice today. Compensate Li Bing and Li Dahai with five hundred thousand, and we’ll settle this matter. Otherwise, my lawyers will send you to rot behind bars for three to five years!”

”Five hundred thousand! Behind... behind bars...” Terrified, Zhang Fu collapsed onto his stool, his face completely ashen.

”Zhang Fu! He’s your only son, isn’t he? If you don’t teach him how to behave, then let the state teach him in prison! Let’s see if he can still find a wife after he gets out!” Li Dajiang continued to apply pressure.

Zhang Yun tapped the table. ”Are you finished?”

Li Dajiang said coldly, ”You have a lot of strength, don’t you? But even if you can overpower useless trash, can you overpower the law?!”

”Are your lawyers professional enough? The law requires evidence. You claim I broke Li Bing’s limbs, but do you have witnesses or physical proof?”

”...” Li Dajiang was taken aback.

”Li Dahai brought over a dozen people to my home to cause trouble and extort money. I can easily find dozens of witnesses for that. With over a dozen people bullying their way into my home, and considering I didn’t even draw a weapon, any random lawyer could easily help me argue self-defense, couldn’t they?”

Zhang Yun’s confident, eloquent rebuttal choked Li Dajiang’s words, instantly draining his certainty.

”You know my home is here, along with a fish pond and a few acres of land. As for your assets, Boss Li, heh, the Dajiang Cement Plant is very easy to find. Waiting for you and your family would be highly convenient.”

Hearing this, Li Dajiang’s face changed drastically!

”Zhang Yun! I’m warning you, you’re threatening me!”

Zhang Yun laughed easily. ”You brought a free sparring expert into my home to demand five hundred thousand from me, and I didn’t even accuse you of extortion and intimidation. Yet I state a few facts, and suddenly I’m threatening you? Your cement plant has a big reputation, Boss Li—everyone knows about it!”

Li Dajiang’s breathing became erratic, his body trembling slightly. He wanted to take a sip of water to calm down, but he had already smashed his teacup.

He had thought that a mere rural farmer wouldn’t have any guts. With a big boss like him applying pressure both physically and legally, the kid was supposed to drop to his knees immediately! He never expected him to be this difficult to deal with—his Martial Arts were stronger than Xu Jin’s, and he was clever enough to spar verbally with lawyers. Judging by his tone, he would even resort to any means necessary for revenge!

Unlike Li Dahai, Li Dajiang had a family and a business. He didn’t dare take the risk, so he could only ask in a deep voice, ”What do you want?”