The young man with single eyelids had merely intended to pat Hong Jiaxin on the shoulder and suggest she sit at the table with the tall, thin man.
But no sooner had his palm touched Hong Jiaxin's shoulder than he was met with a counterattack.
Two of his fingers were grabbed, and the pain brought the man with single eyelids to his knees.
Hong Jiaxin, having had a few experiences training with Luo Yang, had grown much bolder than before.
Her combat experience had also gradually enriched.
When facing gangsters, she dared to strike back now.
The techniques she had learned before were also gradually coming into play in real fights.
Moreover, with Luo Yang right behind the restaurant in the yard, Hong Jiaxin felt fearless.
Hong Jiaxin kicked the young man with single eyelids to the ground.
It was at this point that the tall, thin man realized Hong Jiaxin was a tough woman.
Seven or eight young men suddenly stood up and surrounded Hong Jiaxin.
An Yuying and other timid beauties screamed in fright.
At that time, Luo Yang and Liao Shengyang had nothing left to discuss and were coming out of the backyard.
Liao Shengyang was following behind.
As they came into the shop, the gangsters were just about to attack Hong Jiaxin.
Liao Shengyang saw the tall, thin man and called out, "Brother He, you've come just in time. Someone is causing trouble here, please help me."
As he spoke, he moved forward to offer the tall, thin man a cigarette.
Luo Yang recognized the tall, thin man; he was none other than one of the Lin Family's strongest five henchmen, known as 'Shou He', whose real name was probably unknown to most people.
When the owner of the restaurant came out, the gangsters had only surrounded Hong Jiaxin but had not yet attacked.
The moment Shou He saw Luo Yang, he was so frightened that the cigarette hanging from his mouth dropped to the ground.
Different from the restaurant owner, Shou He was a man of the underworld and was well aware of its dealings.
This young man, Luo Yang, had long been a figure not to be underestimated within a radius of several miles.
One of Lin Family's strongest five henchmen, Da Feng, had been killed, and Shou He naturally knew that it was Luo Yang's doing.
Even another one of the five henchmen, Lei Gongjun, had been beaten by Luo Yang.
Among the five henchmen, only three had not yet had a direct conflict with Luo Yang.
Now he had unexpectedly run into him here, and Shou He was unable to stay calm.
From Shou He's flickering gaze, it was evident he was in a quandary.
Fleeing would demean his status as a leader.
Staying here, he feared, would likely result in getting beaten seriously.
When Liao Shengyang offered the cigarette to Shou He, Shou He didn't even reach out to take it.
"Brother He." Liao Shengyang placed the cigarette in his hand.
Shou He took the cigarette.
"Brother He, it's this kid." Liao Shengyang pointed at Luo Yang.
But Shou He said nothing.
Liao Shengyang didn't understand the situation, and seeing several gangsters surrounding Hong Jiaxin, he thought Shou He would first handle Hong Jiaxin's matter, so he just stood aside and waited.
Shou He had been known for a long time and was a notable figure in the underworld.
Not to mention the gangsters in Hongyun Town, even those in the county would give some deference to the name Shou He.
Now facing this rising star, Shou He felt intimidated.
However, he did not wish to show fear in front of his juniors, so he took a deep breath, suppressed the fear in his heart, glared fiercely, and clenched his teeth to bolster his courage.
The dozens of people inside the restaurant suddenly fell so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
A tense atmosphere permeated every corner.
The air was thick with the smell of gunpowder, and both sides were on edge, ready to confront each other.
Seeing An Yuying and other beauties like startled birds, Luo Yang went up to hold their hands, signaling they need not be afraid.
The gangsters naturally recognized Luo Yang; each of them was terrified, standing there unsure of what to do.
Luo Yang asked Hong Jiaxin what was going on, and after understanding the ins and outs, he walked up to Shou He.
"Kneel down!" Luo Yang said coldly.
Upon hearing this, Liao Shengyang was stunned on the spot.
Shou He was one of the Lin Family's strongest five henchmen, a person who could stand alone in Hongyun Town.
And now, this young man, just starting out, was demanding Shou He to kneel.
"Is this not a fantastical tale from the Arabian Nights?"
Brother He's facial muscles twitched uncontrollably, his eyes fierce and his body shivering slightly, veins popping on his forehead.
He looked like he was about to devour someone.
"Do you know who he is? Not even Brother He recognizes him? You're dead!" Liao Shengyang sneered coldly.
There was just one thing Liao Shengyang found odd—for someone with Brother He's explosive temper, he should have beaten Luo Yang to a pulp by now.
But Brother He just stood there, staring, neither lifting a hand himself nor ordering his men to swarm Luo Yang.
Smack!
Without seeing how Luo Yang made his move, Brother He's left cheek was suddenly slapped, his head tilting to the side as a crimson trace of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.
"Dare to hit me..."
Before he could finish, there was another smack.
Brother He's right cheek was also struck by a slap.
Initially, Brother He's head had been knocked to the right from the first slap.
Now with another hit, his head turned back to the left.
Brother He's mouth corners both bled, resembling someone who had just drunk human blood, his lips stained with blood.
Several finger marks rose swollen on both sides of his cheeks, making him look like a relief sculpture.
"I'm going to kill you..."
Enraged, Brother He clenched his fists, intending to pounce on Luo Yang.
Little did he know, Luo Yang casually kicked him, sending Brother He flying against the wall where he collapsed on his knees, vomiting a mouthful of old blood, half dead.
By this time, Liao Shengyang started to faintly sense that Luo Yang was tougher than Brother He.
Even the cigarette in his hand couldn't be held steady, trembling before falling to the ground.
His face was drained of color, and large beads of sweat formed on his forehead as he shivered incessantly.
Luo Yang hadn't even bothered to look directly at Liao Shengyang but turned his gaze to the thugs.
"Line up over here!" Luo Yang beckoned.
The thugs, heads hanging, obediently formed a line approaching Luo Yang.
Bang!
The young man at the front of the line was slapped to the ground by Luo Yang, nearly fainting.
"Crawl out!" Luo Yang ordered coldly.
Still dazed, the young man struggled to stand but couldn't straighten his back, resorting to crawling on his hands and knees toward the door.
"Next!"
Bang!
"Next!"
Bang!
...
...
Each of the thugs received a slap from Luo Yang and, without exception, all crawled out on the ground, like assassins skulking away in the night, exiting the restaurant one by one.
At this moment, Liao Shengyang's teeth were chattering endlessly in a fierce battle.
His knees buckled, and he knelt before Luo Yang.
"Big brother, I was blind and did not recognize Mount Tai. Please, have mercy and spare me," Liao Shengyang stammered.
"I must protest vehemently, I am not Mount Tai; Mount Tai grew up alongside gorillas. Are you saying I grew up with gorillas?" Luo Yang said in a grave tone.
Far from the extreme fear that had caused Liao Shengyang to lose two souls, leaving him with only one languidly lingering, An Yuying and the beauties couldn't help but let out a laugh.
"Big brother, I didn't mean that. I'm such a confused fool; I deserve to be beaten," he said.
While apologizing, he slapped his own face.
The crisp sound of slaps echoed continuously within the restaurant.
"Old Liao, get up, we know each other; don't be like this. We still need to discuss business. Just name your price and sell me the restaurant. Don't rush, take your time and think about it before you tell me," Luo Yang helped Liao Shengyang to his feet.
Liao Shengyang stood there dumbly, drenched in sweat, his face a mask of helplessness and fright.
"Hold on a moment, let me talk to him first," Luo Yang tapped Liao Shengyang's shoulder and said.
Liao Shengyang had no choice but to nod.
With his men gone, only Brother He was left, a solitary figure slumped against the wall, his chest stained with blood, emitting a pungent smell of iron.