Chapter Thirty-Seven: Mei Yuchen Storms Out of the Yang Residence in Fury

The following day, in the Yang family residence at Nanqiu.

Su Yunxue and her son were seated in the front hall. As she waited for the various department heads to report their updates, she inquired about Mei Yuchen’s recent progress in cultivation.

Suddenly, Old Yang burst in, visibly shaken. “Steward Su, Steward Su, something terrible has happened!” he cried out as he hurried over.

Mother and son, startled by the anxious look on Yang’s face, exchanged a glance. Su Yunxue asked, “Uncle Yang, calm yourself. What’s happened?”

“The supply point was smashed!” Old Yang replied, flustered and panic-stricken. Once just an ordinary servant in the Yang household, he had never faced such troubles; even if something did arise, there were always others to shoulder the responsibility. Now, as a main overseer, confronted with such a crisis, panic was his first instinct—he had no idea how to handle it. With the young master absent and Steward Su known for her wisdom and composure, it was only natural that he rushed back to consult her.

Mei Yuchen, hearing that their supply point had been attacked, didn’t wait for the explanation. He exploded with rage, leaping up and shouting, “What! Who did this? I’ll go find them!”

Old Yang barely glanced at him, unconcerned. Hotheadedness was to be expected from youth; he only worried that an impulsive action might make matters worse.

Catching his breath, Old Yang continued, “There’s a gang on the street where our supply point is—the Little Knife Gang. They rely on their meager cultivation to bully the weak, extorting protection fees from small businesses. We never crossed paths before, but lately, seeing our place bustling with business and thinking our people easy prey, they took an interest. Today they sent some thugs to collect ‘security fees.’ If the sum were small, it might be negotiable, but they demanded a full twenty percent of our monthly profits. I refused, so they barged in and smashed up much of our stock. When our people tried to argue, they were beaten—quite a few got hurt. Before leaving, the gang threatened to give us three days to pay up, or else they’d tear down the whole compound. With the young master away, what are we to do?”

Su Yunxue thought for a moment and reassured him, “Uncle Yang, don’t worry yet. First, send someone to investigate them. It’s just a small gang—our guards should be able to handle it. The key is to find out if there’s anyone more powerful backing them. With the young master away, it falls to us to resolve this properly.”

Old Yang nodded, “You’re right, Steward Su. I lost my head, worried it might bring trouble down on the young master. I’ll send someone to investigate right away.”

Su Yunxue advised, “Uncle Yang, have your people visit the taverns in that district. Taverns are full of gossip, a good place to gather information. The innkeepers owe much to the Yang family—they’ll surely be willing to help.”

As the two conversed, neither noticed Mei Yuchen had already left, sword in hand.

Righteous to a fault and always incensed by injustice, Mei Yuchen, now furious over this attack on Cheng’s business, stormed straight toward the street where the old Yang residence stood. He’d helped out there before and knew exactly where the supply point was.

After running a fair distance, his anger cooled somewhat. Coming to his senses, he realized he shouldn’t act so rashly. He visited several local shops, pretending to want to join the Little Knife Gang, and gathered information. Once he’d learned all he needed, he returned to the Yang residence.

He went to the rear courtyard, found Hua Mingzhu, and together they sought out Zhong Qiang and Liu Feng, leaders of the fourth and fifth guard squads. Mei Yuchen often sparred with them, and the three were close friends. Seeing Mei Yuchen’s angry face, Zhong Qiang and Liu Feng wasted no time, quickly assigning orders to their men before following him into the room.

Once the four were seated, Mei Yuchen recounted the day's events. The three were furious—Hua Mingzhu, though timid, idolized the young master and could not bear to see him wronged.

For Zhong Qiang and Liu Feng, as squad leaders, this incident occurring in the young master’s absence felt like a slap in the face. Besides, they owed him much and longed for a chance to repay his kindness. Both insisted that this matter could not be left unresolved.

Liu Feng spoke first, “Brother Mei, since you came to us, you must have a plan. Tell us—how do you want to handle this? I’ll take point.”

Zhong Qiang nodded, “These thugs need a lesson. We can’t let them disrupt the young master’s business.”

Mei Yuchen’s face brightened. “I was waiting for you both to say that. I’ve already scouted their base—the Little Knife Gang’s den is in a small courtyard five hundred meters from the supply point. At first, I planned to deal with them alone, but their leaders—five of them—are at the Foundation Establishment stage, with a dozen more minor cultivators. So, I came back for reinforcements. They’re not worth much, only capable of bullying ordinary people. If it comes to a real fight, they’re nothing.”

Zhong Qiang grinned, “You’re bold, Brother Mei, ready to take them on alone—a true young hero. Just five at Foundation Establishment? My squad has seven at that level. I’ll bring my men and handle it.”

Mei Yuchen shook his head. “That’s not the way. My mother’s right—the gang itself isn’t a problem; we should worry about forces behind them. Cheng always keeps a low profile. We can’t bring trouble down on him.”

Hua Mingzhu fretted, “Then what do we do?”

Mei Yuchen chuckled. “If we can’t be sure who’s behind them, then we just make sure no one knows it was us. If we do it quietly, no one will suspect a thing.”

Everyone agreed. Mei Yuchen continued, “Here’s my plan: we strike at night, in secret. We’ll bring enough men—Brother Zhong, Brother Liu, both your squads. Cut off all escape routes. Make sure not a single one gets away—that’s the only way to be certain.”

Zhong Qiang and Liu Feng exchanged a glance, startled by Mei Yuchen’s ruthlessness. They’d only thought to teach the thugs a lesson, but he was ready to kill in the city. Both hesitated—killing wasn’t new to them, but this wasn’t the young master’s order. If things went wrong, it might damage their standing with him.

Mei Yuchen assured them, “Brothers, if Cheng blames us afterward, I’ll take responsibility. Tonight, I’ll prepare black cloths—everyone wears a mask. Even if something goes wrong, they’ll never know who did it.”

Zhong Qiang gritted his teeth and agreed, “Alright, let’s do it! If you have the guts, I’d be ashamed to hesitate when I’m over a decade older than you.”

Liu Feng nodded as well.

Hua Mingzhu was both excited and nervous—she had only just begun her cultivation journey and had never witnessed real violence before.

Seeing her face alternately flush and pale, Mei Yuchen regretted inviting her. “Sister Hua, you’d better not come. You’re only at late-stage Qi Refinement—it could be dangerous.”

Hua Mingzhu bit her lip and replied firmly, “I must go. My master always said that no great cultivator made it without braving seas of blood and mountains of corpses. If I can’t get through this, I may as well give up cultivation entirely.” She kept her true feelings to herself: if this concerned the young master, she had to be involved.

Liu Feng considered advising her against it, fearing she might not be much help and that if anything happened, neither Cheng nor Elder Lu would forgive him.

But Zhong Qiang clapped his hands and laughed, “Good! Worthy of being Elder Lu’s disciple. Brother Mei, tell us the details so we can plan and ensure nothing goes wrong tonight.”

“The five leaders are sworn brothers, all wielding short blades—that’s where the gang gets its name. The boss is late-stage Foundation Establishment—leave him to me. No one else is to interfere; I want to test my strength.”

Liu Feng rolled his eyes, thinking, Test your strength? You’ve only just reached mid-Foundation Establishment, with no combat experience, challenging a late-stage opponent alone? Alright, I’ll keep an eye on him tonight—can’t let him get hurt.

“The other four are two at mid-Foundation, two at early stage. Brother Zhong, Brother Liu, your squads can handle them. The rest of the thugs, Sister Hua, you’ll lead the others to deal with.”

“In the afternoon, Brothers Zhong and Liu, rally your squads. Sister Hua and I will prepare black cloths for everyone. After dinner, get some rest and recover your strength. We set out after midnight, catch them while they sleep, and resolve it quickly. We must guarantee absolute success.”

“Agreed, no problem,” everyone replied in unison.