Chapter 234: Swallowing it Whole
Arrogant before, then groveling after, such was the behavior of Han Shi.
The speed of his attitude change was so fast, roaring in anger one second and kneeling the next, that many of the martial arts hall disciples couldn’t even react.
When they finally did react, they were all stunned.
Chu Liang!
This name was like thunder!
Even ordinary people in the county town had heard of this name, let alone these martial arts hall disciples.
What did their martial arts hall do to make this great figure personally come to challenge them?
“Chu… Your Excellency Chu, I don’t know what I did wrong to offend you, Your Excellency.” Han Shi’s voice trembled as he knelt on the ground, devoid of any of the imposing manner expected of a martial arts hall master.
“Yunlai Restaurant,” Chu Liang said calmly with his hands behind his back.
“Ah, this… this… it’s about Yunlai Restaurant…”
Han Shi’s face changed again, his heart filled with bitterness. How could a mere small restaurant provoke a divine dragon from the heavens like Chu Liang?
If he had known that Chu Liang was behind Yunlai Restaurant, he wouldn’t have dared to touch it, even if he had a hundred times the courage!
Although he was fierce and had a violent temper, this brutality was selective.
Facing ordinary people like Shopkeeper Qi, he was naturally domineering and unreasonable. But facing martial artists stronger than him, he adopted a different attitude.
“Shopkeeper Qi is my friend. He said you were unreasonable, so I came to seek justice for him,” Chu Liang said slowly, his tone flat, revealing no emotion.
The calmer his tone, the more terrified Han Shi became.
It was well known that the more ruthless the person, the more indifferent they were, making it impossible to guess what they were thinking.
How would Chu Liang deal with him?
The more Han Shi thought about it, the more panicked he became. Chu Liang, standing before him, felt like an insurmountable mountain, the invisible pressure crushing him, making it hard to breathe, and his forehead was covered in cold sweat.
He had recently heard many rumors about Chu Liang. It was said that Chu Liang had killed countless people in the mountains, and the smell of blood on him could be detected from ten miles away. He was a true killing demon.
“Your Excellency Chu, please forgive me!”
Han Shi’s face was pale, kneeling on the ground, trembling, and begging, “I didn’t know about Shopkeeper Qi’s relationship with you. Please give me a chance. From now on, Shopkeeper Qi will be like my own parents. His affairs will be my affairs. I can swear an oath to be at Shopkeeper Qi’s beck and call, and I will never disobey!”
“Oh?”
Chu Liang smiled faintly and turned his head to look.
Outside the door, Shopkeeper Qi understood, casting a grateful look, and then stepped into the martial arts hall.
He stood in front of Han Shi and said, “Hall Master Han, look up and see who I am.”
Han Shi’s body trembled. He didn’t need to look up; he could recognize the voice.
He was a regular at Yunlai Restaurant and had long known Shopkeeper Qi.
“Shopkeeper Qi, there’s been a misunderstanding between us!” Han Shi hurriedly explained, “Qi Xu was my brother. He died tragically in the mountains, leaving behind the restaurant and shop, which became a piece of fat meat that everyone wanted to take a bite of. I… I didn’t want to annex the restaurant, I just wanted to help him protect it.”
“Hall Master Han, do you believe that yourself?” Shopkeeper Qi asked him.
“I…”
Han Shi was momentarily speechless, his mind racing, thinking of one reason after another.
Only by getting through to Shopkeeper Qi could he save his life from Chu Liang.
Otherwise, with Chu Liang’s current abilities, even if Chu Liang killed him directly, no one in the county town would dare to pursue the matter.
At this moment, Chu Liang spoke, “My time is limited. I don’t want to waste it here.”
Hearing this, Han Shi trembled all over and hurriedly said, “Your Excellency Chu, listen to my explanation. I really didn’t want to annex the restaurant, it’s just… it’s just that the restaurant is so close to me. With such a piece of fat meat right under my nose, even if I didn’t eat it, others would. I really couldn’t resist.”
He looked terrified and continued, “I didn’t want to drive Shopkeeper Qi and the others away either, but Shopkeeper Qi has been at the restaurant for many years and is deeply rooted. I was afraid he would collude with others to make false accounts and cheat me, so I wanted to replace everyone at the restaurant with my own people. Only by swallowing this piece of fat meat whole could I feel at ease.”
“Swallowing it whole?”
Chu Liang was suddenly startled, lost in thought.
He stood there silently, no longer speaking, deep in thought.
Han Shi’s words gave him a bold idea.
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Seeing him suddenly stop talking, Han Shi became even more terrified, cold sweat pouring down, constantly begging for mercy, saying all sorts of things, such as “offering the martial arts hall and all his wealth,” “becoming Chu Liang’s guard,” and even “becoming Shopkeeper Qi’s restaurant bouncer”…
To survive, he lowered his status again and again, becoming increasingly humble.
Unbeknownst to him, Chu Liang wasn’t paying attention to what he was saying at all, he was just thinking about the matter of hiding treasures.
Shopkeeper Qi noticed that Chu Liang’s state was off and didn’t speak, just stood silently by the side.
After a long while, Chu Liang finally came back to his senses.
He glanced at the kneeling Han Shi and said, “Don’t worry, I don’t like killing. I rarely kill. Unless necessary, my blade will not be stained with blood.”
Hearing this, Han Shi did not relax but became even more fearful.
Not killing him, could it be that he wanted to torture him?
Then he heard Chu Liang say, “From now on, you are the restaurant’s guard. If anything happens to the restaurant, I will come to you first. Do you understand?”
“I understand, I understand!”
Han Shi finally breathed a sigh of relief. The heart that had been hanging in his throat finally settled.
As long as he didn’t die, everything would be fine.
In fact, he had even turned misfortune into a blessing, forming a connection with a great figure like Chu Liang, and could be considered half his subordinate now.
Chu Liang continued, “You must not use my name to bully the innocent and the kind. If such a thing happens, you will bring your head to me.”
“Yes, yes, don’t worry, Your Excellency. I will definitely mend my ways and will no longer be as domineering and unreasonable as before,” Han Shi quickly replied.
Then, he invited Chu Liang, Shopkeeper Qi, and Qi Xiaoyu into the main hall of the martial arts hall, respectfully serving them tea, acting as if he were a servant.
After doing all this, he took out a contract and signed it with Shopkeeper Qi.
Thus, Han’s Martial Arts Hall became the protector of Yunlai Restaurant.
Originally, the restaurant’s backer, Qi Xu, had the same strength as Han Shi, both being Three Strands of Qi and Blood martial artists.
Now, with Han Shi as a guard, those who coveted the restaurant would naturally not dare to come again.
Everything about the restaurant remained the same; it was just like changing a backer.
This matter kept them busy until noon.
Chu Liang had a meal at the restaurant and then took his leave.
As he was leaving, Qi Xiaoyu curiously asked, “Master Chu, do you think I have the talent for martial arts?”
“Of course,” Chu Liang smiled.
“Really?” Qi Xiaoyu was overjoyed.
“Would I lie to you?” Chu Liang smiled, “I have a reputation to uphold, after all. I never lie.”
With that, he tossed out a bottle of pills.
These pills were obtained during his previous experiments in evolving the Skin Transformation Pill, and they were a type of high-grade pill, quite valuable.
Qi Xiaoyu hurriedly caught it and asked excitedly, “Master Chu, how do I take these pills?”
Chu Liang said, “These pills will help regulate your Qi and blood. Take one pill every three days, a total of ten pills. After you finish them, come to the Autumn Blade Martial Arts Hall to become an apprentice.”
“Yes! Thank you, Master Chu!”
Qi Xiaoyu clutched the pills tightly, his face full of gratitude, and kowtowed to Chu Liang several times.
This was a kindness of guidance, one he would never forget!
