Chapter Three: Shameless

"You... you bastard! I... I'll beat you to death!" Enraged and humiliated, Liu Xiulan balled her fists, ready to fight Zhou Run.

But Zhou Run was a tall and burly man. Liu Xiulan was no match for him.

He seized her fist effortlessly, sneering, "Auntie, you owe me money and refuse to pay, yet you still want to fight me? That's really not right!"

"Bah!" Liu Xiulan spat in Zhou Run's face.

"You bastard! You're worse than an animal!"

"Fuck you!"

Zhou Run wiped the spit from his face, his brow furrowing in anger.

"I'm talking to you nicely, but you just don't know your place, huh? Since that's the case, I'll show you what I'm really capable of today!"

With that, Zhou Run grabbed Liu Xiulan's collar, trying to drag her to the ground.

"Beast! You're looking for death!"

Just then, a furious voice roared from the doorway.

Lu Hao, seeing his mother being assaulted, eyes reddened like a beast gone berserk, lunged straight for Zhou Run.

"Well, look at that! Even a cripple dares to act tough in front of me!" Zhou Run looked at Lu Hao's aggressive charge, entirely unafraid.

In his mind, Lu Hao was nothing but a useless cripple. Killing him would be easy as pie!

Yet in the very next second, Zhou Run realized something was wrong. Lu Hao was shockingly fast—before Zhou Run could even react, Lu Hao kicked him hard, sending him flying.

"What the...?" Witnessing this, even Lu Hao was incredulous.

When had his body become this strong?

Could it be... that the ancestral inheritance had also enhanced his physical strength?

"Son..."

There was no time to dwell on it; Liu Xiulan's desperate voice sounded by his ear.

Lu Hao looked at Liu Xiulan with worry. "Mom, are you alright?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine," Liu Xiulan sobbed, throwing her arms around Lu Hao as tears of grievance flooded down her cheeks.

Seeing her so heartbroken, Lu Hao's heart ached.

Over the years, he had made his mother worry too much and suffer too many injustices.

"Son, your leg... how is it healed?!"

Just then, Liu Xiulan noticed Lu Hao moving with ease. Her eyes widened in disbelief.

The doctors had said Lu Hao's leg was permanently damaged, beyond any hope of recovery.

If there had been even the slightest chance, the family would have sold everything just to cure him.

After all, Lu Hao was the family's only hope.

"It's a long story," Lu Hao replied, unsure how to explain it to his mother.

While the two spoke, Zhou Run had climbed unsteadily to his feet. Eyes fierce, he glared at Lu Hao. "So that's how you dared to stand up to me—you've got your leg back!"

"But do you think just because you're whole again, you can defy me? Do you believe I won't slaughter your entire family?"

He grimaced through the pain wracking his body, his face twisted with malice.

With his father as the village chief, Zhou Run had always acted with impunity in Peach Blossom Village, with no one daring to oppose him.

But Lu Hao had actually struck him!

How could he swallow this humiliation?

When Zhou Run threatened his family's lives, Lu Hao's expression darkened instantly.

Even without the ancestral inheritance, Lu Hao would have fought Zhou Run to the bitter end.

"Say one more word, and I’ll make sure you die here and now!"

Zhou Run snorted, "You little bastard, you dare threaten me? I—ah!"

Before Zhou Run could finish, Lu Hao darted forward.

He extended his index finger and tapped Zhou Run lightly at the waist.

In an instant, Zhou Run felt as if thousands of silver needles had pierced him. He collapsed, writhing on the ground in agony, howling in pain.

"Now tell me—who's killing whom?" Lu Hao stared at him coldly.

"Son... what's wrong with him? Why did he become like this?" Liu Xiulan was terrified by the scene, hastily asking Lu Hao.

"It's nothing," Lu Hao replied casually, raising an eyebrow. "Just teaching him a little lesson."

What he had just used was the Ancestral Blade technique from the inheritance. Mastered to perfection, it could pierce a body with a single finger!

Even though it was his first time using it, it was lesson enough for this insolent fool.

"I was wrong... I know I was wrong! Please, let me go! I’ll never dare again!" Zhou Run sobbed, pleading from the ground.

Liu Xiulan's voice trembled as she begged, "Son, let him go! Don't do anything foolish—murder means a death sentence!"

Lu Hao gave a cold laugh. "Mom, don't worry. He won't die."

He shot Zhou Run a glance. "Let me be clear: the forty thousand we owe you will be repaid on time. But if you dare lay a finger on my family again, you'll regret it dearly. This is just a taste of what I can do."

With those words, Lu Hao grabbed Zhou Run by the collar and tossed him outside like a sack of garbage.

Thud!

Zhou Run crashed heavily to the ground, gritting his teeth through the pain. He shot a venomous glare at Lu Hao’s door and spat, "Lu Hao! I’ll remember this! You’d better pay me back on time, or I’ll dig up your ancestors’ graves!"

Inside, Liu Xiulan sighed as she heard Zhou Run’s curses.

"Son, you were too impulsive. Now we've truly offended the village chief's family. How are we supposed to live in Peach Blossom Village after this?"

"Don't worry, Mom," Lu Hao said, taking her hand and sitting her down. "As long as I’m here, no mere village chief is worth fearing."

Now that he possessed the ancestral inheritance, if the village chief ever dared to take revenge, Lu Hao would not hesitate to destroy his family.

If people leave me alone, I leave them alone. But if they come for me, I will make them pay.

Liu Xiulan opened her mouth, then swallowed her words.

"By the way, where’s Juanjuan? I heard from the villagers that she’s back."

Suddenly, she remembered Xu Juan and asked curiously, "Why didn’t she come home with you?"

"We’ve broken up," Lu Hao replied.

"What? Broken up?" Liu Xiulan exclaimed in shock. "Weren't you about to get married? How did you break up all of a sudden?"

Lu Hao frowned, hesitated a moment, but ultimately decided not to tell her about Xu Juan’s betrayal. It wasn’t to save face, but because he didn’t want his mother to worry or be upset.

"There’s no special reason," he said.

"But..."

Lu Hao smiled, interrupting her. "Mom, please don’t ask. I’ll handle it."

"Have you delivered Dad’s meal yet? If not, let me take it to him today."

"Alright," Liu Xiulan agreed, understanding her son well enough to know he had his reasons. If he didn’t want to talk about it, she wouldn’t press.

Lu Hao picked up the meal she had prepared and prepared to head into town to deliver it to his father.

"Ah Hao, are you going to town? Mind if I come along?"

Just as he was about to leave on his little scooter, a flirtatious voice called from behind.

Lu Hao turned to see Zhao Cuihua standing in his line of sight.