Chapter 531: Chapter 248: Scared Shitless

He held up five fingers. "Fifty thousand! Not a single cent less! And that rabid dog must be killed immediately! Beaten to death right in front of my very eyes! Or else..."

He hadn’t finished speaking before his voice suddenly cut off, as if an invisible hand had clamped around his throat.

Yang Qi, who had been expressionless the whole time, lifted his eyes and glanced at him.

It wasn’t an ordinary gaze.

Yang Qi’s eyes were placid, but deep within his pupils, it was as if a frozen lake lay still—profound, glacial, and filled with a piercing indifference. There was also a faint, almost imperceptible condescension, the way one might look down upon an ant.

This was compounded by a chilling aura that could only come from a Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer cultivator—one who had survived life-or-death struggles and kept company with ferocious, avian Spirit Beasts.

That one look was like a tangible ice pick, instantly piercing through Jiang Dafu’s blustering facade and striking the primitive fear deep within his heart.

"Guh—"

Jiang Dafu’s mouth was still hanging open. His Adam’s apple bobbed with difficulty, and all the threats he was about to make died in his throat.

An inexplicable, bone-deep chill shot up his fleshy spine to the crown of his head. The hairs on his body stood on end, and his heart began to hammer erratically in his chest.

He subconsciously staggered half a step back. The arrogance on his face was replaced by a mixture of shock, confusion, and uncontrollable fear.

The "Red-beaked Gull" beside him, however, didn’t notice her husband’s strange reaction. Seeing Yang Qi remain silent, she assumed he was scared and became even more energized, continuing to shriek at him.

"Did you hear me? Fifty thousand! Not a cent less, and the dog gets put down! Or else we’ll sue you, have you thrown in jail! We’ll have you..."

"Shut up!"

Jiang Dafu snapped back to his senses, both startled and furious—partly from the shame of his own lapse, partly from lingering fear. He roughly grabbed his chattering wife and yanked her behind him.

He then stared daggers at Yang Qi, trying to muster up his bravado again. But when his gaze met those terrifyingly calm eyes, the harsh words on the tip of his tongue were swallowed back down. All he felt was a dry throat and cold sweat trickling down his back.

Yang Qi didn’t spare them another glance, as if he had just casually swatted away a fly.

He strode over to Yang Dalin and the others.

"Uncle Da Lin, Uncle Guoqing, Uncle Gen, Uncle Wang, you’ve gone to a lot of trouble. Thank you."

Yang Qi sincerely thanked the village elders who had been guarding his home.

His tone was gentle, a stark contrast to his earlier iciness, making him seem like a completely different person.

"You silly kid, there’s nothing to thank us for."

Seeing Yang Qi return, Yang Dalin finally felt a weight lift from his shoulders and let out a long sigh of relief. Then he added gruffly, "I’m the village chief. If I cower when people from another village come to bully one of our own, then what kind of damn chief would I be?!"

"Still, this is a real mess. That guy from the Jiang Family was bitten, and it drew blood. They’re technically in the right, so they’re kicking up a fuss..."

"Right, right, Xiaoqi, this won’t be easy to handle."

The others nodded in agreement, their faces etched with worry.

"My apologies. I’ve made everyone worry."

Yang Qi smiled, reassuring them.

Then, he took a red envelope from his coat—it was the very same envelope containing the ten-thousand-yuan prize money the Yuanzhou City Bureau had awarded to Xiaojiu.

Opening the envelope, Yang Qi took out half the money and handed it to Yang Dalin.

"Uncle Da Lin, I’ll have to trouble you and Uncle Guoqing to go to the hospital. Find Jiang Fugui and pay his medical bills in full. Tell them to use whatever medicine is best, and please keep the receipts. Whatever is left over can be considered an advance for his recovery expenses. As for the rest..."

Yang Qi paused, his voice still calm. "Once I have a clear understanding of the situation, I’ll pay every cent of what I owe. But for what isn’t my responsibility, no one will pin it on me."

"Right!"

Yang Dalin took the money and nodded firmly, asking no more questions.

He knew Yang Qi’s character. The boy had his own mind and the means to back it up. Since he’d said this much, he surely had a plan.

"Guoqing, let’s go. We’ll make a trip to the clinic."

When Jiang Dafu saw Yang Qi pull out a thick wad of cash, his eyes lit up instantly, his greed practically spilling out.

The lure of money suppressed much of his earlier fear. He craned his neck again and pointed at Yang Qi, yelling, "Is that just a few thousand? Are you trying to get rid of a beggar? I said fifty thousand! Not a cent less..."

However, his words once again came to an abrupt halt.

Yang Qi glanced at him again.

This time, the gaze was even more placid, almost devoid of emotion. But to Jiang Dafu, it felt like he was being targeted by a ferocious beast. His scalp went numb, and a chill shot from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his skull!

The courage he had just mustered instantly disintegrated, leaving behind only an indescribable trepidation and fear.

He opened his mouth, but couldn’t get a single word out. A fine sheen of cold sweat even broke out on his forehead.

The "Red-beaked Gull" started to protest again, but Jiang Dafu grabbed her arm in a death grip, his nails digging into her flesh. She let out a pained "Ouch!" and immediately fell silent.

Yang Qi paid the crowd outside the gate no more mind. He turned, pushed open the half-closed courtyard gate, and walked inside.

"Grandma, I’m home."

Yang Qi walked quickly to his grandmother’s side and knelt down. He took her somewhat cold hands in his and said softly, "It’s alright, Grandma. Don’t be afraid. I’m here now."

"Xiaoqi..."

Seeing her grandson, his grandmother’s eyes immediately reddened. She gripped Yang Qi’s hand tightly. "Bai Wan..."

"Bai Wan is fine. Don’t worry, Grandma. I know everything. It wasn’t Bai Wan’s fault."

Yang Qi patted the back of his grandmother’s hand, then turned to thank the several aunties who were beside them.

"Thank you all for looking after my grandmother."

"Oh, think nothing of it. It’s what we ought to do."

Yang Bo’s Mother and the others quickly waved their hands in dismissal.

Yang Qi knelt down again and ruffled the big, furry heads of Hu Zi and Leopard in turn.

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