Chapter 4: Taking Action

“Release our boss now, or you’ll regret it.”

The three other thugs watched as their leader was manhandled. They sprang into action, closing in on Lin Xiao. They aimed their punches at him, planning to rescue their boss.

Lin Xiao smirked. With a swift yank, he pulled the yellow-haired punk in front of him, causing the incoming punches to land on the punk’s face instead.

Lin Xiao suddenly loosened his grip and forcefully shoved the yellow-haired punk. The thugs saw their boss hurtling toward them. With a loud thud, they all crashed and sprawled on the ground in a disorganized heap.

The scene unfolded in a matter of moments. Everyone in the motel hardly had time to react before they saw the thugs crumpled on the floor. They stared in disbelief. No one could have anticipated the seemingly modest and shabbily dressed Lin Xiao to be so formidable.

The businesswoman’s eyes flickered between the pile of thugs and Lin Xiao, surprise and gratitude evident in her gaze.

Finally, the yellow-haired punk managed to scramble up from the floor. Nursing his aching wrist, he shot a vicious glare at Lin Xiao.

“You’re courting death! If you want to die, just say so, and I’ll do you the favor.”

Lin Xiao’s face remained impassive.

“I suggest you leave while I’m still in a good mood. Push me any further, and the consequences will be severe,” he said calmly.

An inexplicable chill ran down the punk’s spine as he gazed into Lin Xiao’s calm and steady eyes. He hesitated for a moment. However, he quickly shrugged it off, unwilling to entertain the thought.

He was a notorious figure in the area. If he were to retreat now, his reputation would be in shambles.

How could he lead his gang after that?

The yellow-haired punk shot a glance at Lin Xiao, subtly reaching for something at his waist. Then, he brandished a sharp dagger, pointing it threateningly at Lin Xiao.

“You’ve provoked the wrong man. Here’s a piece of advice for you. Beg for mercy now, or I’ll make sure you don’t have a place to be buried.”

The people in the motel gasped as they saw the yellow-haired punk draw a weapon.

The proprietress quickly ushered her niece behind the counter for safety while the young couple scrambled away from their initial position, their faces as white as sheets. They clung to each other in terror.

“It seems you’re hell-bent on making me angry,” Lin Xiao said.

One of the other thugs sneered at Lin Xiao, “Country bumpkin, you’re still trying to act tough? Are you asking for death? Didn’t you hear our boss? Kneel and kowtow in apology. If we’re in a good mood, we might just let you off the hook. Otherwise…”

He made a throat-slashing gesture, his eyes filled with murderous intent.

“One swift cut and you’ll be sent straight to hell.”

The other two thugs watched Lin Xiao with smug expressions. They closed in, fists flying, determined to pay him back for the shame he’d caused.

“You audacious brat! You dare fight us? You’re courting death!”

In their minds, even if Lin Xiao knew how to fight, he was merely a regular person. Faced with a deadly weapon like a dagger, he would have no choice but to endure their beating.

Their mindset was typical. Most people wouldn’t dare to resist under such circumstances. But Lin Xiao wasn’t just another ordinary person.

A sharp glint flashed in Lin Xiao’s eyes. He caught both incoming fists—one in each hand—with startling ease, revealing strength that belied his appearance. Then, with a sudden pivot, his right foot lashed out, driving a brutal kick into the stomachs of both thugs.

A heavy thud echoed through the room. The two men were launched over a meter back, crying out in pain as they hit the floor, curled like boiled prawns. Blood sprayed from their mouths, their bodies writhing.

Since these thugs refused to see reason, Lin Xiao felt no need for civility.

However, he held back. The kick he delivered didn’t claim their lives; at worst, they suffered internal injuries, nothing life-threatening.

Otherwise, with his prowess, he had countless ways to instantly dispatch of them.

Another resounding thud filled the room. Lin Xiao knocked down the last of the yellow-haired punk’s cronies before anyone could react.

By then, the motel’s patrons had come to their senses. The proprietress’s niece stared at the scene unfolding before her as if she was watching a movie, her mouth agape in stunned silence. The other onlookers in the motel were in no better shape. Each one looked at Lin Xiao with a mixture of awe and fear.

“This… this…”

The punk with the yellow hair stared at Lin Xiao, his face frozen and his forehead slick with sweat. He hadn’t anticipated that Lin Xiao would fight back under the threat of a knife, let alone defeat his men so fast.

He realized that Lin Xiao might be more formidable than he had first thought. If he could, he would drop the dagger and run. But he was backed into a corner now. If he retreated, he would likely lose all respect and influence in this area.

This pushed him to suppress his fear. Clenching his teeth, he brandished his dagger, lunging toward Lin Xiao’s chest.

“Ah!” The bussineswoman couldn’t help but scream, her gaze filled with deep concern for Lin Xiao.

Lin Xiao, however, was the picture of serenity. With his eyebrows slightly raised, he seemed utterly unshakable. Just as the dagger was about to pierce him, he swiftly grasped the yellow-haired punk’s wrist, twisted it with a forceful jerk, and simultaneously delivered a kick to his abdomen.

A crisp sound of bone snapping resonated. Lin Xiao broke the yellow-haired punk’s arm and sent him flying, his body slamming into a wall over two meters away.

“I told you, the consequences will be severe. Now, do you still want me to kneel?” Lin Xiao said calmly.

“Cough… cough…”

The yellow-haired punk was now genuinely terrified of Lin Xiao. Gritting his teeth against the excruciating pain radiating from his body, he managed to stand up with the help of the other three thugs. He couldn’t meet Lin Xiao’s gaze, his face masked with fear.

“I was wrong… I apologize. Please, have mercy and let me off this time.”

Nevertheless, his hatred for Lin Xiao had reached a boiling point. He had never been humiliated so severely before, but the circumstances forced him to suppress his anger.

‘Just let me get out of this safely, and I’ll make you pay,’ he vowed in his mind.

Lin Xiao was oblivious to the thoughts festering within the yellow-haired punk’s mind. Even if he did know, it wouldn’t have mattered. The list of criminals and hardened individuals who had fallen at his hands was endless. How did these small-time thugs compare to them?

‘If current circumstances allowed, I would definitely give these punks a hard lesson,’ Lin Xiao thought.

“Leave.” Lin Xiao dismissed them with a wave of his hand.

“Yes.Thank you, big brother.”

The yellow-haired punk felt an enormous relief. He quickly left the stolen money on the table and scampered out of the hostel, fearful of Lin Xiao changing his mind.

Only after they had left the motel and reached the street did the punks finally slow down.

“I’ve never been this humiliated. We can’t just let it slide. Let’s go find Brother Tiger and make his life unbearable,” said the yellow-haired punk with a fierce look on his face.

Back in the motel, Lin Xiao picked up the money and handed it to the young couple.

“Here, this is yours.”

The young man accepted the money with both gratitude and shame, remembering how he had labeled Lin Xiao a beggar just moments before.

“Thank you, and… I apologize for earlier.”

Lin Xiao just nodded, not saying anything. He hadn’t stepped in to help the couple. He was not one to repay evil with kindness, but the yellow-haired punk had crossed the line, involving innocents, prompting Lin Xiao to act. Since they left the money behind, he returned it to the rightful owner.

The couple felt too awkward to stay and quickly left the motel.

The beautiful woman approached Lin Xiao, her face filled with gratitude.

“Thank you, thank you for earlier. If it hadn’t been for you, who knows what those punks would have done? Oh, my name is Ning Xi. May I know yours?”

“I’m Lin Xiao. It was the least I could do. No need to dwell on it,” Lin Xiao said with a mild smile.

He held a favorable impression of this woman. In these times of unchecked desires, it was rare to find someone willing to take a stand. However, as they were still strangers and Lin Xiao wasn’t much for small talk, he didn’t say much else. He asked about the address, Maple Leaf Street, then left.