Chapter 44: The Man on the Horse
Chapter 44: The Man on the Horse
Li Zian bent down and picked up the mobile phone that had fallen on the ground. Seeing it wasn’t broken, he just dusted it off and didn’t even say a single curse word.
Ge Jun walked over and said in a soft voice, “I say, Li, it’s only been one night, but you seem like a different person. Yesterday you were so fierce, how come today you’ve turned into such a coward?”
Li Zian replied calmly, “No matter how cowardly I am, at least I’ve never been dragged around like a dead dog, right?”
Ge Jun’s face darkened in just one second. “Let’s see if your bones are as tough as your mouth!”
He gave a signal.
The bodyguards standing beside him understood and started moving to surround Li Zian.
But before the bodyguards could get close, Li Zian turned and ran. His long legs moved swiftly, and in an instant, he reached the iron gate.
A mine employee reacted quickly and pulled the gate open.
Li Zian slipped inside.
The energetic bodyguards were dumbfounded. They never expected Li Zian, who had been so fierce yesterday, to be such a coward today, running away before they could even lay a hand on him.
Just then, Li Zian shouted, “Come on over, you guys!”
In that brief moment, the fierce Crescent Moon Village’s Wu Yanzu from yesterday had returned.
The bodyguards didn’t know what to do and looked back at Ge Jun.
Ge Jun was also very frustrated.
He truly believed Li Zian would lose his temper and fight his men. Whether his men won or not, he planned to have San Jiuxiang step in next. San Jiuxiang had brought over a hundred people. Wouldn’t they surround Li Zian and beat him half to death?
When everyone is at fault, no one gets punished. If they beat him, it would be over. Then whoever spoke up more would be in the right. They could even falsely accuse Li Zian of throwing the first punch and dump all the blame on him.
What a great plan.
But Li Zian ran away, and he ran at just the right moment, moving as fast as a cunning rabbit.
What a huge grievance, what a deep hatred! And you won’t even give me the slightest chance for revenge?
“Ge, you’re only brave with your mouth. Bring your men over, and let’s you and I fight one-on-one. Do you dare?” Li Zian’s voice was loud.
Ge Jun: “…”
“Oh, I remember now. You never had any guts to begin with. You definitely don’t dare to come. Is that your sister with you? What’s her surname?” Li Zian continued to add fuel to the fire.
Everyone has their sore spots, but he was rubbing salt into the wound, and it was strong salt at that.
Ge Jun became furious. “San Jiuxiang! Are you and your people just here to watch? Get moving! Drag that little rascal surnamed Li out here and beat him to death for me!”
San Jiuxiang immediately roared, “Let’s go!”
He led the way toward the iron gate. But after taking several steps, only a few of his close buddies who usually hung out with him followed. The rest just stood back watching. Some pretended to move, making only a gesture as if they were about to follow, but their legs just wouldn’t move.
San Jiuxiang felt his face burning with shame. “What are you doing? Did you take the money for nothing?”
A few more people followed, but they all looked reluctant.
This situation was exactly what Li Zian had anticipated.
Ge Jun must have paid plenty, but San Jiuxiang only distributed a tiny portion to the others.
Those people only got paid as crowd actors. Yet he expected them to act like stunt performers? He was thinking too much.
But the group’s momentum was fierce.
“Get out here, you bastard!”
“Come out! We’ll beat you to death!”
“Kid, I’ll give you three seconds to come out. One… two…”
“Damn your mother! I wanted to beat you up yesterday!”
They yelled fiercely and cursed loudly, but no one actually made a move.
San Jiuxiang became enraged. He kicked the iron gate. The already rusty gate shook violently, broke from its frame, and started to fall inward.
“Step back!” Li Zian hadn’t expected this either. He hurriedly pushed against the falling iron gate.
Over a dozen mine employees quickly retreated.
San Jiuxiang leaped up and kicked the iron gate again.
With a loud clang, Li Zian’s arms shook, and he nearly lost his balance and fell.
Ge Jun seemed to have been triggered. His eyes shone with excitement as he roared, “Hit him! Beat him! Beat that little rascal to death!”
San Jiuxiang took two steps back, let out a loud shout, took two running steps, jumped up, and kicked the iron gate once more.
Are you on some kind of drug?
Before San Jiuxiang could kick the gate again, Li Zian pushed the iron gate toward San Jiuxiang with all his strength.
San Jiuxiang was in midair and couldn’t pull back or exert force. He crashed heavily into the iron gate. His kicking leg got stuck in the gate’s bars, and he fell to the ground along with the gate.
“Ah!” San Jiuxiang screamed in pain.
The iron gate weighed over a hundred pounds. Having it suddenly fall on you wasn’t something just anyone could withstand. Plus, one of his legs was stuck in the gate bars. His ankle was probably broken or at least fractured.
Li Zian said loudly, “You all saw that! He kicked the gate until it fell and pinned him. It has nothing to do with me!”
A mine employee raised his mobile phone high and said, “General Manager Li, I recorded everything!”
Well done!
Li Zian gave a thumbs-up to that quick-witted employee.
San Jiuxiang tried to push the gate off with his hands, but lifting it just a foot pulled on his injured leg stuck in the bars, making him gasp sharply in pain.
“You guys, get him! Beat him up!” San Jiuxiang roared.
San Jiuxiang’s close buddies rushed forward together. Someone even pulled out a knife.
Clip-clop, clip-clop…
A series of hoofbeats sounded.
“What’s going on! Everyone, stand where you are!” a voice shouted.
Kaqianda Jielong had finally arrived.
Li Zian knew Kaqianda Jielong would come, but he didn’t expect him to come riding a horse.
Kaqianda Jielong galloped over on his horse. A firearm was slung over his shoulder, making him look mighty and imposing.
Behind Kaqianda Jielong followed a crowd. Some rode motorcycles, some rode electric scooters. In the group were several elderly Caotian Tribe members. They had come by vehicle and were carefully helped out when they arrived. Clearly, they were respected figures in the village.
Kaqianda Jielong jumped down from his horse and strode over, cursing as he walked. “You bunch of idiots! Are you so full you have nothing better to do than come here and cause trouble?”
None of the hundred or so Caotian Tribe members who came with San Jiuxiang to cause trouble dared to speak up. They just silently took the scolding.
San Jiuxiang finally managed to free himself from under the iron gate with the help of two buddies and stood up. But one leg was injured; he didn’t even dare put weight on it and had to be supported to stand.
Kaqianda Jielong strode up to San Jiuxiang and spoke without holding back. “You idiot! You came to cause trouble yesterday, and you’re here again today. Do you believe I’ll punish you according to our tribal rules?”
San Jiuxiang stiffened his neck. “The copper mine owes us our wages. We came to demand our pay. We’re not in the wrong!”
Li Zian said loudly, “I told them yesterday that we’d pay them this morning. Our people went to withdraw the money. But he still brought people to cause trouble. Brother Jielong, look—he even kicked the gate down.”
Kaqianda Jielong glared at San Jiuxiang. “They already said they’d pay you this morning. Why did you bring people to cause trouble?”
“I…” San Jiuxiang couldn’t answer. He glanced toward Ge Jun standing in the crowd.
“You moron!” Kaqianda Jielong cursed again.
San Jiuxiang’s face turned red, but he didn’t dare talk back.
The Caotian Tribe still preserved some ancient traditions and had its own culture. The village chief was like the leader or chieftain from the old days, holding very high prestige and authority in the village. Sometimes the village chief’s words carried more weight than government officials’. If he dared oppose the chief, the entire Jingua Village would have no place for him.
A man in a suit leaned close to Ge Jun’s ear and whispered something.
Li Zian recognized that man in the suit—he was the one who had a secret talk with San Jiuxiang yesterday.
He smiled, pretending not to see, and walked toward Kaqianda Jielong and San Jiuxiang.
Then Ge Jun spoke up. “Village Chief Kaqianda, this copper mine has delayed payments for half a year. Do you really believe they’ll pay just because he says so today? That’s a lie. This copper mine still owes the government over ten million. It’s almost bankrupt. Your people worked hard at the mine, earning a little bit of hardship money, and they still can’t get it. It’s understandable they’re anxious.” Here, his tone suddenly shifted. “But this man surnamed Li actually injured your people. This shows he has no respect for you as the village chief. You must seek justice for your people.”
Kaqianda Jielong looked at Ge Jun. “And who are you?”
Ge Jun smiled. “I’m also here to collect a debt. I sympathize with how they feel. That’s all hard-earned money. What kind of heartless person would withhold migrant workers’ sweat and blood? The villagers came to demand their hard-earned money, not only didn’t they get it, but someone got hurt. I don’t know what you think, but I can’t stand it.”
“That’s right! Pay us back!”
“We all saw it! He hurt San Jiuxiang!”
“Beat that bastard!”
San Jiuxiang’s brothers seized the moment to stir things up.
Kaqianda Jielong frowned. He wasn’t stupid—he could tell Ge Jun was trying to provoke things. But facing his tribespeople’s anger, it was hard for him to handle.
Just then, Li Zian came to his side.
“Brother Jielong, this man is my brother-in-law,” Li Zian said. “He sent someone to bribe San Jiuxiang. He gave San Jiuxiang five hundred thousand to bring people and cause trouble. I don’t know if you knew about this?”
“There’s such a thing?” Kaqianda Jielong’s gaze moved to San Jiuxiang’s face. His eyes were like a lion staring at a wild dog.
San Jiuxiang looked completely bewildered.
He only received fifty thousand! Where was the five hundred thousand?
“Damn! San Jiuxiang, you bastard! You took five hundred thousand and gave me fifty!”
“You’re so vicious! We charged ahead causing trouble while you made money behind our backs!”
“Hand over the money to share! If you dare keep it all to yourself, I’ll fight you!”
A chorus of curses erupted.
San Jiuxiang panicked and yelled, “I only got fifty thousand! Fifty thousand! Which bastard got five hundred thousand?”
Li Zian pointed at San Jiuxiang and said, “Brother Jielong, did you hear that? He took the money.”