At this moment, Ryan Qingyun—my dad—clearly saw what was happening and immediately shouted, "Son, hurry up and save them! Don't let anything happen to our old neighbors!"
Ryan knew how serious this was—no time to hesitate. He shot out of the car in a flash.
"Crush you sons of bitches! You dare fight demolition, go against the Zhang Family? You must have a death wish!" The fat guy at the wheel, cigarette dangling, spat curses like machine-gun fire. He couldn't care less if he ran everyone down—he was here to kill, and didn't give a damn.
Right now, the whole courtyard was filled with desperate screams. Pretty much everyone was losing hope. The thugs outside had blocked every exit—this was straight-up murder.
And seeing the people inside scream in despair, the gang outside just laughed, getting all hyped up.
"Bastards!" Ryan was burning with rage, hating these scumbags to the bone. Sure, there were a dozen lives at stake, but more than that—this courtyard was the only thing that ever made his parents smile since he saved them. Now it was about to get trashed? Ryan was ready to explode.
Ever since Ryan rescued his parents from those monsters, they'd survived—but not had a single happy day. Only this little courtyard brought them any joy. And now, with it about to be destroyed, how could Ryan not be pissed?
"Everyone, stop right now!" Ryan didn't hesitate for a second—he charged straight in.
"Son of a bitch, another hero wannabe? Run him over with the rest!" yelled the suited thug.
"Does he have a death wish or what?" Ryan didn’t even blink. He let out a wisp of Golden Core qi at the excavator—instantly, the supposedly rock-solid machine flew up, got hurled hundreds of meters, and crashed into a giant artificial lake nearby. The fat driver was scared out of his mind, screaming his head off!
"M-monster!?" The guy in the suit was scared shitless, and the rest went ghost-pale—nobody stuck around, they just bolted for their lives.
Ryan didn't bother chasing these nobodies. He didn't want to kill anyone in front of his parents, so he darted into the courtyard and started rescuing people, sweeping aside rubble with a gentle burst of force.
Good thing Ryan got there in time—Old Xu only had a busted leg, which Ryan snapped back into place with a squeeze. The others just had some scrapes, though half the courtyard was wrecked.
"Thank you, benefactor! Thank you so much!" Old Xu, fresh off a brush with death, nearly dropped to his knees when he saw how badass Ryan was.
"Old Xu! Old Lu! Are you guys okay?" My dad, Ryan Qingyun, rushed over, eyes brimming with tears. Twenty years apart, and now their reunion happened in this mess.
"Old Ling, is that... you guys?" Old Xu was stunned, clearly noticing how much Ryan looked like his father.
"That's my son!" Ryan Qingyun quickly introduced Ryan.
"No way, that's your kid? He must be a Martial Arts Grandmaster, right?" Old Lu stared at Ryan in disbelief.
"Grandmaster, my ass! He's your nephew, and you guys are his uncles. Ryan, call them uncle!" Ryan Qingyun pulled Ryan over.
These guys were all my dad's old buddies, so of course I played it respectful: "Uncle Xu, Uncle Lu, hello to all the elders!"
"Unbelievable, Old Ling! After all these years, your son turned out so impressive. My daughter's a knockout—she's in college. Want to introduce them?" Old Xu grinned, leg injury forgotten, already trying to play matchmaker.
"Let's save the matchmaking for later—what the heck just happened here?" Ryan Qingyun said as everyone moved under the big tree.
Old Lu quickly laid out the whole story.
Turns out, the Zhang Family—the biggest clan in Yue City—had their eyes on this prime spot, planning to build a massive club. But the demolition payout was a joke, basically daylight robbery. The old neighbors refused, so the Zhangs hired local thugs to threaten them. They’d already been roughed up a bunch of times, and now tonight, the gang just went straight for murder. It was hard to believe.
And rumor had it, the thugs picked tonight just to give Mandy Zhang, the Zhang Family’s First Miss, a bloody birthday gift.
"Those bastards—doesn't the law do anything about this?" Grace Zhou snapped, gritting her teeth.
"Law? In Yue City, the Zhangs are the law—nobody dares cross them." Old Xu sighed.
"Is that so? Let's see if their Zhang Family is tougher than my fists!" Ryan sneered, ice-cold.
"Nephew, don’t go charging in! I know you’re strong, but the Zhangs have roots everywhere in Yue City—even county officials bow to them. They’re connected to the big shots in Qianzhou City too. We can’t win!" Old Lu shook his head, worried.
"Damn, it’s hopeless!" Old Xu clenched his fists, then let go. He knew that fighting the Zhangs was like fighting Heaven—no way they’d win.
Don't worry, my son really can help you—he's Jiangnan's First Saint. Even Su Province big shots would kneel.
If Heaven's the limit, my son is Jiangnan's Heaven!
"Really?" Old Xu and Old Lu exchanged looks, not quite believing it. In their eyes, Ryan was just a teenager—how could he go up against the Zhang Family?
"Uncle Xu, Uncle Lu, trust me—it's all true. I’ll protect you, and I’ll never let bullies mess with you!" Ryan said, full of confidence.
For me to personally smack down a county clan is overkill—I'm Jiangnan's First Saint, it'd be giving those mutts too much face.
Since the Zhangs think they're the law, I'll show them what real law looks like.
Ryan called Gabriel Xue, told him to send troops—clearing out thugs by the book.
Gabriel Xue jumped to it—he'd already stationed troops on the outskirts, ready to protect the king at a moment's notice.
With everything set, Ryan could finally relax.
Just then, a seven-year-old Lu kid burst in, yelling: "Lots of people coming! Some have police batons!"
Everyone's face changed—night had fallen, no cars around, and outside, thugs were putting up police tape, clearly here to silence witnesses.
Old Xu and Old Lu started shaking with fear.
"Don't worry, with Ryan here, nothing can go wrong," said Ryan Qingyun and Grace Zhou, totally unruffled.
"Damn it, surround those thugs! They're suspected of attacking police—if they resist, shoot them on the spot!" the leader outside barked.