Chapter 6: Putting Sun Laizi in His Place

“Ah—!”

Just then, Chen Qingqing opened the door and bumped straight into Lu Chuan.

She looked up and, the moment she saw his face, her cheeks flushed bright red.

“Lu… Brother Lu, what brings you here?”

“You remember I promised to bring you some meat yesterday? How’s Aunt Wang doing?” Lu Chuan asked.

Chen Qingqing sighed and stepped aside to let him in.
“She’s doing okay. She ate a bit yesterday, but her fever still won’t go down. The room’s so cold, I didn’t dare wipe her down…”

Lu Chuan nodded, set down the meat and the pole he was carrying in the courtyard, and stepped into the room.

Inside, he saw Aunt Wang leaning weakly against the wall, clearly drained and sick—most likely from exposure to the cold.

Back in this era, most people just had to tough out their illnesses.
There were herb shops in the towns, sure, but not many could afford to see a doctor.

Doctors were rare and valuable, usually trained for years under a master or born into a family of physicians.

“Aunt Wang, I came to check on you,” Lu Chuan said gently, placing a wild rabbit on the table.

“Later, you can have Qingqing make some stew with it. When I go into town, I’ll see if I can find any herbs. If I do, I’ll bring some back for you.”

“Lu Chuan…”

Aunt Wang looked up, her eyes filled with emotion—though Lu Chuan caught a flash of something else behind her gaze.

Was that… caution?

That made Lu Chuan a bit puzzled.

So guarded? Still, what good would it do? Even with a goalkeeper, the ball still ends up in the net sometimes.

“Thank you,” she said sincerely. “I really didn’t expect you—of all people in this village—to come check on me and even bring me food.”

Aunt Wang was genuinely touched.

Over the years, plenty of men had lingered near her door, all acting overly polite and eager. But once winter hit and this year’s harvest failed, none of them even showed their faces.

And yet this young man—Lu Chuan—had come to see her.

Lu Chuan knew some basic first aid, but without proper herbs or supplies, there wasn’t much he could do. Even if he knew exactly what was wrong, treating her would still be difficult.

“Alright then,” he said, “I’ve brought what I came to give. I should be heading off now—I’ve still got things to do.”

Just then, Lu Chuan’s ear twitched.

He suddenly flung open the door—

—and spotted a weaselly-looking man tiptoeing away with the deer meat from the bundle, trying to sneak out of the courtyard.

“Sun Laizi!” Lu Chuan shouted angrily. “What do you think you’re doing?”

This guy’s real name was Sun Mian, but everyone in the village called him Sun Laizi (“Mangy Sun”). He was a local thug—lazy and good-for-nothing.

People in the village had suffered from his nonsense for years.
Always sneaking around, peeking over walls, stealing things.

Lu Chuan hadn’t expected Sun Laizi to try stealing his stuff.

“Sh*t!”

Sun Mian realized he’d been caught and tried to make a run for it with the deer meat on his back.

But Lu Chuan wasn’t going to let that happen.

In three quick steps, he caught up and grabbed the back of Sun Mian’s collar—

—then slammed him down hard onto the ground.

“F**k!”

Sun Mian roared as he scrambled back up and pointed at Lu Chuan, cursing.
“Lu Chuan! You son of a b*tch—you dare throw me down like that?!”

As he spoke, Sun Mian suddenly drew a hatchet from his waist.

“You believe I won’t stab you clean through and pull it out red?!” he threatened, waving the blade.

Lu Chuan’s lips curled into a mocking smile.
“Wow… you stole my meat, and now you’re acting like I wronged you? Where’d you get the guts?”

He tilted his head, his expression filled with disdain.

What a joke. Maybe the old Lu Chuan would’ve feared Sun Mian, but not the current one.

“You son of a—!”
Sun Mian exploded with anger. He couldn’t understand it—why was this guy, who used to be so timid, suddenly daring to go against him?

“Your stuff? I want it, so now it’s mine!”

With that, he raised the hatchet and charged straight at Lu Chuan.

But Lu Chuan didn’t hesitate.

He ducked slightly, timed it just right, and punched Sun Mian squarely in the kidney.

Back when he worked as a mercenary, Lu Chuan specialized in lethal, one-hit techniques. If he wanted to kill Sun Mian, he could’ve done it easily.

But killing him would cause major trouble. The authorities wouldn’t let him go so easily.

So instead, he went for a technique that left no visible wounds but inflicted devastating internal damage—especially painful and irreversible for a man.

It was one of his best methods.

“Aaahhh!!”
Sun Mian howled in agony. His whole body trembled violently.

Then, he collapsed like overcooked noodles, going limp instantly.

“You…”
Sun Mian tried to raise the hatchet, still desperate to threaten Lu Chuan.

But he quickly realized—he couldn’t summon a shred of strength.

Lu Chuan grabbed him by the collar, a cold, cruel smile on his face.
“Sun Laizi, I remember—you extorted quite a bit of grain from me in the past.”

“And you even stole my money.”

“Grain, money, plus interest… that’s 1,000 coins.”

“Have it delivered to my house tomorrow—nicely. Otherwise, next time, I won’t go so easy.”

He gave Sun Mian a pat on the neck and calmly retrieved the stolen venison from his shoulder.

Then Lu Chuan turned to Chen Qingqing.
“As for him, I’m tossing him out. You should reinforce the courtyard wall with thorny branches or something. Otherwise, he’ll just keep climbing back in. Not safe.”

“Okay…”
Chen Qingqing nodded, feeling both grateful and embarrassed. “Thank you, Brother Lu.”

Lu Chuan waved a hand dismissively and tossed Sun Mian over the wall like trash.

Then, with the venison slung over his shoulder, he confidently headed toward the town.

Hongtu County, where the county seat was located, was about a half-hour walk from Shuangshui Village.

With no cart or wagon, walking was his only option.

He really needed to figure out how to get an ox or donkey to pull a cart for him.

Horses were out of the question—heavily regulated, especially warhorses. For an ordinary person, getting a horse was practically impossible.

Once in town, Lu Chuan didn’t immediately set up a stall.
Instead, he strolled around casually—no shouting, no sales pitch.

He observed carefully.

Eventually, he stopped in front of a rather luxurious-looking estate.