"Nothing, it's nothing..." Chen's mother said evasively.
"Bang, bang, bang!!!"
The door was slammed shut as if by a death knell.
"Old man, open the door and pay up! Don't think you can avoid this by hiding at home!"
"I'm telling you, today is the deadline for repayment!"
"If you can't repay the money today, it won't be as simple as getting beaten up last time. I'm telling you, I'll even tear down your house!"
The door shut in broad daylight, the house was bare, and his mother's face bore wounds!
Chen Jiuyang finally understood what was going on.
Chen's mother pleaded tearfully, "I really have no money, Huang Dahu. We're from the same village, please let me go. You've already taken everything valuable from the house."
Huang Dahu was the nephew of the village head. He had dropped out of junior high and gotten involved in shady dealings. In the surrounding villages, no one dared to cross them. When Chen Jiuyang was young, he had also been extorted by them.
Seeing his mother so humble and bullied, Chen Jiuyang trembled violently, his head bowed in silence.
During his absence, what kind of miserable life had his mother and sister endured!
His eyes were filled with sorrow, glistening with tears.
"Bang—" With a loud crash, the front door was kicked open.
Chen's mother's face turned ashen. She quickly spread her arms to shield Chen Jiuyang behind her, her voice trembling as she shouted, "Son, run quickly!"
Huang Dahu spotted Chen Jiuyang behind his mother and sneered:
"This little bastard is here too. You old woman aren't worth much, but Chen Jiuyang, this little brat, is valuable. Sell his kidneys and bone marrow, and that'll be a considerable income. Take them down."
Chen's mother sobbed, "Let my son go, and take me to settle the debt!"
"Mom, your son is back. I won't let anyone bully us!"
Chen Jiuyang suddenly lifted his head. The traces of tears were gone from his face, replaced by a resolute expression, tightly pursed lips, and an aura of cold, dangerous menace. His eyes were like sharp stars.
Like a sharp blade or a javelin, he moved instantly, kicking Huang Dahu several meters away.
Huang Dahu coughed up blood, feeling several ribs broken. His eyes, a mixture of shock and sinister malice, fixed on Chen Jiuyang: "You little bastard, you dare to fight back and hit me? If I don't skin you alive, I'm not Huang Dahu."
Chen Jiuyang's anger surged, but he had learned from past mistakes. Although he possessed great strength, he couldn't openly use it. The incident of him and his father falling off the cliff was still vivid in his mind. He said calmly:
"Huang Dahu, you can eat shit, but you can't talk nonsense."
"How could an ordinary university student like me beat you? I paid homage to the mountain god, and it was the mountain god who acted just now."
"My ancestors have lived at the foot of Qingzhu Mountain for generations. The mountain god will protect our family."
Huang Dahu sneered, "Are you trying to fool a ghost? What kind of mountain god protection is that? When I beat your mother last time, why didn't he manifest and protect her?"
A cold glint flashed in Chen Jiuyang's eyes. He smiled, "That's because I've been praying to the mountain god in the mountains all year. Only today did the mountain god respond to me, allowing me to return home."
"If you disrespect the mountain god, he will punish you."
With that, Chen Jiuyang's divine soul erupted, commanding the snakes, rats, and venomous insects within a hundred-meter radius. Instantly, dozens of poisonous snakes and rats appeared, pouncing on Huang Dahu and biting him until he bled.
"Ah!" Huang Dahu screamed, his eyes filled with terror: "Help!"
The remaining snakes, rats, and venomous insects charged at the others who had kicked down the door, biting them all over.
The men screamed, striking fear into the hearts of the remaining henchmen, their faces turning pale.
Had the mountain god truly manifested?
Seeing that they were not dead, Chen Jiuyang frowned slightly. These snakes and rats were not venomous; they could only inflict serious injuries, not kill directly. It was a slight pity, but since he was back, these debts could be settled slowly. He sneered:
"See? The mountain god is angry. Hurry and take them to the hospital, or they'll die right in front of my house, and I won't be able to explain myself."
The remaining thugs quickly drove away the snakes and rats, dragging the injured men and rushing towards the county hospital.
Chen's mother was astonished. Could it be that the mountain god had truly appeared? But seeing the ground covered in snakes and rats that only attacked those who harmed them and didn't bite indiscriminately, it was hard not to believe.
Chen's mother quickly kowtowed towards the mountain, muttering thanks to the mountain god.
After Huang Dahu and the others left, the snakes and rats also dispersed, disappearing into the mountain in the blink of an eye. This scene was clearly witnessed by Yao Zixuan, who was sitting in her car.
Chen Jiuyang quickly circulated his true qi, healing his mother's injuries. "Mom, don't worry, the mountain god won't let them off."
Zhang Xiuzhen was grateful to the mountain god. Her son was back, and the family was safe. She didn't wish for anything else.
Chen Jiuyang asked, "Mom, why do we owe Huang Dahu money?"
Zhang Xiuzhen sighed, "Half a year ago, my youngest daughter accidentally broke someone's phone at school and they demanded tens of thousands in compensation. But how could we afford tens of thousands? Even relatives wouldn't lend us money. I had to borrow from Huang Dahu to settle the matter. Who knew they would lend me money at exorbitant interest rates? I borrowed twenty thousand, and in just half a year, they're demanding three hundred thousand."
As she spoke, Zhang Xiuzhen began to cry, "But how can we possibly repay so much money?"
Chen Jiuyang gritted his teeth in anger, his rage boiling. They were all from the same village, yet they lent money at usurious rates to his mother, trying to ruin their family!
Relying on his uncle, the village head, Huang Dahu had become lawless, disregarding the law and bullying an ignorant woman like his mother. It was detestable!
Chen Jiuyang comforted her, "Mom, don't worry, I'll handle this."
Seeing that Chen Jiuyang had mostly dealt with the situation, Yao Zixuan got out of the car and approached Zhang Xiuzhen. "Hello, Auntie. You must be Jiuyang's mother. My name is Yao Zixuan, and I'm Jiuyang's friend."
"Ah?" Zhang Xiuzhen looked Yao Zixuan up and down. What a beautiful girl.
She really liked her.
Zhang Xiuzhen quickly patted her slightly messy clothes and tugged on Chen Jiuyang's ear. "Youngest son, it's good that you didn't disappear for a year. Did you bring back a wife?"
Chen Jiuyang's face darkened. He quickly explained, "Mom, this is my friend."
"Ah? Not a daughter-in-law?" Zhang Xiuzhen muttered with some disappointment, "What a good girl."
As Zhang Xiuzhen spoke, Chen Jiuyang remembered that their home was bare and lacked everything. Since he was back, things couldn't stay this way.
He handed the bank card with one hundred thousand yuan, given to him by Li Weiguo, to Yao Zixuan, asking her to go to the county town to buy furniture, appliances, and daily necessities.
Yao Zixuan took the bank card and drove away, her mind buzzing with thoughts.
Now, she truly believed that Chen Jiuyang had a way to cure her cold ailment.
Chen Jiuyang's earlier display of power was extraordinary, even resorting to the pretense of a mountain god's manifestation to conceal his strength. Yet, such a man was being tugged by the ear by his mother and dared not resist.
He was a rather peculiar man.