The young man held a rope in one hand and grabbed a middle-aged man who cursed loudly with the other hand, wrapping the rope around his waist in circles.

The middle-aged man struggled several times but couldn’t break free, cursing even more viciously, “You little bastard, mongrel, a worthless brat born out of nowhere. Let me go now, or I’ll break your legs. How dare a country bumpkin like you be so arrogant in the capital? Be careful, you won’t know how you’ll die later. Remember this, let me go!”

The young man punched him hard in the stomach halfway through tying him up.

“Ugh…” The middle-aged man doubled over in pain, his face turning red, unable to complete his words, “Bastard…”

Gu Yundong felt the man deserved it. How could he not see the situation clearly at this point?

Someone nearby, curious, asked what was going on. A bystander who knew the inside story whispered, “It serves Pan the shopkeeper right. He’s always stingy and holds grudges. Some time ago, wasn’t his shop supposed to be renovated? He hired this kid to help. But then many refugees came looking for work these days, willing to work for just a meal, no pay required. Pan the shopkeeper wanted to drive this kid away to hire refugees. But if you want someone to leave, you have to settle their previous wages, right?”

“What, is Pan the shopkeeper trying to cheat him?”

“Even worse. He made excuses that the kid’s work was not good and demanded compensation. But this kid is not easy to bully. He forced Pan the shopkeeper to pay up. But before he could leave, Pan went to the yamen and accused this kid of being a leader in the recent Anqing Prefecture rebellion, getting the constables to arrest him.”

“What? That’s too despicable.”

The onlookers shook their heads in amazement. Is this how people do things? Who doesn’t know what the constables in the yamen are like? If you get arrested, you might get skinned alive!

“Isn’t it despicable? But this kid was lucky. He was brought back by the constables, but released shortly afterward. He should hold Pan accountable, right?”

As they spoke, the young man had already tied up Pan the shopkeeper. He swung the rope over the tree trunk above and pressed it down.

“Ahhhh…” Pan the shopkeeper screamed like a pig being slaughtered as he hung in mid-air, swinging left and right.

Below was a hard flagstone pavement. If the rope broke and he fell, his old arms and legs couldn’t bear it.

He finally began to beg for mercy, “Young man, I was wrong. Please let me down, I’m dizzy. If you want money, I’ll give you ten copper coins. Please let me down, and I’ll give it to you.”

“Hehe…” Someone laughed, enjoying Pan the shopkeeper’s misfortune, “So generous, ten copper coins, considering he’s been to the yamen.”

Pan the shopkeeper’s face turned pale, but in his current position, he couldn’t see who was speaking.

However, the young man completely ignored him. He watched as Pan was lifted two meters high before finally stopping. Then he wound the rope around the tree trunk a couple of times and tied it tightly. Finally, he clapped his hands as if admiring his own handiwork.

The onlookers pointed and whispered more vigorously. Apparently, Pan the shopkeeper’s usual reputation was really bad, as no one stepped forward to help him down or pleaded for him.

Pan the shopkeeper felt he had lost face today. Just wait and see, he wouldn’t let this go. He wouldn’t be surnamed Pan if he didn’t break the kid’s legs when he got down.

However, he soon realized he wouldn’t have the chance.