"Alright!" Wang Xiaoqiang said, "But let's skip the cliché ritual of drinking blood wine!" Wang Xiaoqiang continued, "Come eat with me later and we'll have a drink. That'll be our brotherhood ceremony!"

"Hey!" Lin Juxiong laughed naively and replied. His actual goal was to befriend Wang Xiaoqiang. As for those stale formalities, he was glad to avoid them if possible.

The workers, having seen Wang Xiaoqiang defeat Lin Juxiong, greatly admired their boss. Seeing the two now striking up a friendship, they shared in their joy and spontaneously burst into applause.

Wang Xiaoqiang told the workers, "Alright, everyone can disperse now!"

Upon hearing this, all the workers dispersed.

Lin Juxiong, seeing the workers obey Wang Xiaoqiang, asked, "Brother Qiang, are these all your workers?"

Wang Xiaoqiang replied, "Yes, I'm planning to build a vegetable base and an orchard here. They're all workers I've hired."

"Not bad, Brother Qiang, you've built quite a business!" Lin Juxiong remarked genuinely as he looked at the vegetable greenhouses, the planted fruit trees, and the villa under construction. Initially, when he heard that Wang Xiaoqiang was just a farmer from a mountain village, he was amazed and thought to himself, 'No way, Xu Qingxue's boyfriend can't be this lame.

Even if she found someone to pretend, she wouldn't go to a remote mountain village to find a mere farmer.' But now, seeing the extent of his business, albeit still a farmer, he was impressed!

"Haha, really, but I'm still lagging behind you!"

"Come on, Brother Qiang, please don't compare me to you. I've grown tired of the military life; it's too restrictive!" Lin Juxiong said, "Besides, I'm starting to envy your life now."

"Every line of work has its challenges, ah well, enough talk. Let's go find a place to drink," Wang Xiaoqiang said.

Lin Juxiong, remembering their previous drinking bout, couldn't help but flinch, but realizing this time it was just drinking, not competing, he immediately walked over to the off-road vehicle and opened the door for Wang Xiaoqiang, saying, "Brother Qiang, get in, I'll drive. Let's go to the provincial capital for a meal."

"No, the provincial capital is too far, and I'm too busy to get away. Let's just settle for a casual meal at a hotel in our county town."

"That works too." Lin Juxiong had initially wanted to treat Wang Xiaoqiang to a meal in a fancy hotel in the provincial capital, but seeing Wang Xiaoqiang's preference, he didn't insist further.

Just then, Wang Xiaoqiang's phone rang. It was Xia Guifang, sounding anxious, "Little Qiang, Li Xianghong is in trouble…"

"What happened?"

"Today she took the motor tricycle to the county town to buy vegetables and hasn't returned yet. When I called her just now, she was there crying. She said her electric tricycle scratched someone's BMW at the exit of the county's vegetable market and they're demanding 30,000 yuan in compensation… Isn't this extortion...?"

Since the opening of the Chicken Farm's cafeteria, Li Xianghong seemed more relaxed, but in reality, she was busier than ever—grocery shopping, cooking, washing dishes, these tasks were all hers alone, truly exhausting, yet she never complained.

"Okay, I know, I will be there soon to handle it, don't worry!" Wang Xiaoqiang said, then hung up.

Seeing Wang Xiaoqiang's concerned expression, Lin Juxiong asked, "Brother Qiang, what happened?"

"One of my workers at the Chicken Farm has run into a problem, I need to deal with it. Giant Bear, let's meet up some other time…"

"Brother Qiang, if you consider me a brother, let me come with you. Perhaps I can be of help." Although Wang Xiaoqiang hadn't shared the specifics, Lin Juxiong could tell from Wang Xiaoqiang's phone conversation and his angry demeanor that the employee was being bullied.

"Alright," Wang Xiaoqiang replied, "Giant Bear, you take your car, I'll take mine. That will be more convenient…"

Instantly, Wang Xiaoqiang got into his Hummer, and Lin Juxiong got into his off-road vehicle, and they both hurried to Huagui County Town.

Upon reaching the exit of the county town's vegetable market, they saw a crowd gathered there but neither Li Xianghong nor her tricycle, nor the BMW was in sight.

Wang Xiaoqiang's heart sank, so he immediately called Li Xianghong.

The phone connected, and Li Xianghong's crying voice came through: "Director Wang, Little... Little Qiang… sob..."

Wang Xiaoqiang asked, "Xiang Hong, where are you right now?"

"I'm at the County Public Security Bureau… Little Qiang, they're trying to extort 30,000 yuan from me, they... they also hit me, sob…" Li Xianghong choked up with tears by the end.

"Alright, I know, don't be scared. They hit you, did they? Well, let's see what they get when we show up…" Wang Xiaoqiang gritted his teeth, finished speaking shortly, alerted Lin Juxiong, and then the two of them drove towards the County Public Security Bureau.

Upon reaching the Traffic Police Squad, they parked the car in the parking lot. When the two arrived at the mediation room, they saw Li Xianghong sitting there, silently shedding tears. Her pale cheek bore five distinct red handprints.

Sitting opposite Li Xianghong was a man and a woman; the man dressed in a suit and shiny leather shoes, and the woman wore a dress, heavily made-up, her lipstick red as blood, making her look quite attractive. However, her naturally mean appearance and the fierce look on her face now completely spoiled her beauty.

This well-dressed couple both sat with their legs crossed in front of Li Xianghong, pressing her like criminals and said to her, "Hurry up and have your family gather money. Time is money for us, and if you don't get the money in half an hour, it won't just be thirty thousand anymore…"

Between the two parties stood a traffic police officer, who was supposed to mediate, but now he remained silent, not intervening in the threats made by the man and woman.

Seeing Wang Xiaoqiang arrive, Li Xianghong immediately wiped away her tears, stood up, and grasped Wang Xiaoqiang's hand, saying, "Little Qiang, I'm sorry for the trouble I've caused you."

"It's okay, you're my employee, and of course I should take responsibility for you." Wang Xiaoqiang stared at the clear palm print on Li Xianghong's face and asked in shock and anger, "Who hit you?"

Li Xianghong timidly glanced at the man and woman sitting opposite, then jerked her chin towards the woman and said, "It was that woman."

Wang Xiaoqiang turned around, his eyes fiercely fixed on that woman.

The woman raised her proud face, her eyes full of hostility, defiantly meeting Wang Xiaoqiang's gaze as if to say, "So what if I hit her?"

The traffic police officer, who had been silent all along, seeing that Wang Xiaoqiang was about to take action, immediately stepped forward to shield the man and woman, saying, "You are Li Xianghong's boss, right?"

Wang Xiaoqiang glared at him and demanded, "Move aside!"

Wang Xiaoqiang's words startled both the traffic police officer and the couple; they hadn't expected him to speak so boldly, daring to address the head of the Traffic Police Squad in such a manner.

Previously in the mediation, everyone had learned of each other's identities. They knew that Li Xianghong was just a countryside woman working regularly at a Chicken Farm. And this young man who just appeared, possibly her boss; even if he was the boss of the countryside Chicken Farm, what would it matter? In Huagui County Town, he was nothing!

"Pfft, telling me to move aside? Do you know who I am?" the traffic police officer arrogantly said, his face showing a sneer as if he had just heard a bad joke.

Before he could finish speaking, a tall, burly man yanked him aside as easily as spinning a top. It should be noted that this head of the Traffic Police Squad was also a police academy graduate, trained formally, yet in the hands of another, he seemed no stronger than a child.

The one who had snatched away the head of the Traffic Police Squad was none other than Lin Juxiong. It was at this moment that people noticed this massive man, who could only be seen from an upward angle. Lin Juxiong, silent, his gaze icy, caused everyone present to catch their breath.

Seeing Lin Juxiong pull away the annoying traffic police, Wang Xiaoqiang rushed up and slapped the woman's arrogant face.

Slap!

The crisp sound of a slap echoed. A vivid imprint of five fingers appeared on the woman's pretty face, and blood seeped from the corner of her mouth.

She stared at Wang Xiaoqiang in shock, unable to believe that he had dared to hit her, especially in the traffic police station knowing she was the sister of the deputy director of the County Public Security Bureau and her boyfriend, the son of the deputy county head.

"Ah... you..." The man in the suit stood up in shock and anger, pointing at Wang Xiaoqiang and exclaimed, "You've got some nerve, hitting someone here! Do you know who you're hitting?"

Wang Xiaoqiang ignored the man, instead turning to ask Li Xianghong, "How many times did she hit you?"

Li Xianghong was also shocked. She hadn't expected Wang Xiaoqiang to strike back on her behalf so promptly. Although exhilarating, it was also unnerving because just before, Chief Wu Hongzhi of the Traffic Police Squad had deliberately informed them of the man and woman's powerful familial connections.

The man, Yu Zhili, was the son of Deputy County Head Yu Mingsheng, and the woman, Feng Yan, was the sister of the deputy bureau director of the County. They were plainly not people she, a mere countryside woman, could afford to offend, no matter how unjust they were. Then she was reminded to obediently gather the money.

"Uh... once," Li Xianghong said nervously.

Upon hearing this, Wang Xiaoqiang finally stopped, turned around and walked back to Li Xianghong's side, patting her shoulder and reassured her, "Don't worry, it's all right!"

"It's all right?" The man in the suit, Yu Zhili, seeing Wang Xiaoqiang's fearless and brash demeanor, laughed out of sheer anger, stepped forward and swung his hand at Wang Xiaoqiang, shouting, "I'm going to knock some sense into you."

But before his slap could land, Wang Xiaoqiang effortlessly flicked it away. After repelling Yu Zhili's hand, Wang Xiaoqiang slapped his face, the Aura of Geng Metal burst forth, producing a loud slap, and a clear palm imprint appeared on Yu Zhili's pale face, resembling a branded marker.

At the same time, he felt a numbness on his right cheek, as if he had developed facial paralysis, leaving him unable to speak.

"You, you, you'll regret this," the woman, seeing Wang Xiaoqiang also hit her boyfriend Yu Zhili, jumped up, pointing at Wang Xiaoqiang while screaming like a shrew, "Wait and see, I'll make you kneel down and apologize profusely!"

"Who kneels is not yet decided!" Wang Xiaoqiang shot her a contemptuous look.

Seeing Feng Yan and Yu Zhili both getting hit, Chief Wu Hongzhi of the Traffic Police Squad broke out in a cold sweat, attempting to intervene, but was blocked by Lin Juxiong. Lin Juxiong quietly pulled out his military officer identification and flashed it in front of him.

Wu Hongzhi took a close look and saw it designated the rank of a brigade commander, a senior colonel - a realization dawned over him that, although this person's military rank didn't hold much direct authority here, the influence and connections of someone possessing such military status and position were not to be underestimated.

He immediately ceased his resistance. Turning his gaze back to Wang Xiaoqiang, he suddenly understood why this young man was so dominant, not hesitating to strike first; the identity of the friend backing him was indeed no small matter! (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, welcome to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for it or pass on a monthly ticket. Your support is my greatest motivation.

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