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The wildcat was intimidated by the chilling gleam in the girl's eyes.

She's clearly a young lady not yet in her twenties, Ding.

His bones were delicate, fragile enough for him to crush them with a slight exertion. Yet, they exuded an undeniable presence, like a thousand-pound concrete slab weighing down on him, making it hard for him to catch his breath.

The lynx held its breath, snatched the stall cart, and sneered: "Because of you, Miao Street has undergone this disaster. Remember this lesson well, and if there's a next time, I can't guarantee what I might do to you..."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a chair struck Wildcat on the head.

The commandeered food cart toppled over with a crash.

With one hand pressed to the blood trickling down his forehead, Leopard turned in fury. "Who the hell did that?!"

Before he could identify the culprit, a beer bottle struck him, sending him reeling. Dazed, he found himself face up, pinned down by the Fourteen Gang members.

The gangsters formed two lines, creating a narrow passage, and then bowed in unison.

"Brother Qiu!" they exclaimed.

"Brother Qiu!"

Brother Qiu stepped forward from the crowd. Under his furrowed brows marked by a scar, his eyes narrowed slightly as he took the chopping axe from Flying Bird. He gave Chu Yuening an apologetic smile.

"Master Chu, sorry for being late. My brothers insisted on giving me a welcome."

Despite her sour mood, Chu Yuening still managed a smile. "It doesn't matter."

"I'll tidy up first before I come to speak with Master Chu."

With that, Qiu Hao's brand new leather shoes stomped down on Mountain Cat's face.

The mountain cat trembled in fear. So... Sugar Water Girl and the Second-in-Command of the Fourteen Gang really had ties.

Before the mountain cat could beg for mercy, the chopping axe was pressed against his heart. With a slight exertion of force, the tip of the blade spun downward, tearing through the fabric and drawing blood.

"Brother Qiu! Brother Qiu! I was wrong!" The mountain cat's face paled in terror, and his legs, held down, shook uncontrollably. Soon, a noticeable dampness could be seen below.

The Fourteen Gang member holding down the mountain cat's legs wore a distinct look of disgust.

"I truly had no idea, Miss Sugar Water... No, I mean Sister Lemon. I genuinely didn't know..." The Wildcat was on the verge of tears, but when he met Brother Qiu's displeased gaze, he quickly caught on.

"I swear I had no clue that Master Chu was under Brother Qiu's protection! If I had known, I wouldn't have dared to lay a finger on her, not even if you gave me a hundred, no, ten thousandCourage Pills!"

Flying Fish sneered. "Smart move. Whoever Brother Qiu addresses as 'Master' is someone you dare not call 'Sister.'"

"Absolutely not, absolutely not." With his hands bound, the Wildcat frantically shook his head while still attempting to lift his upper body to plead for mercy.

Brother Qiu spun his chopping blade with one hand and held a cigar in the other. Leaning forward, he flicked the ash from the cigar onto the Wildcat's face, grinning menacingly. "Are you clear now?"

"Understood, understood." A pang of agony pierced Mountain Cat's heart, and he shrunk back in fear, attempting to evade the blade's tip.

"Understood? Then remember it well. Next time, I'll chop you up and feed you to the fish in the sea," Qiu Hao threatened, only withdrawing his chopping knife after finishing his warning.

Mountain Cat struggled to his feet. He didn't even have time to cover the blood seeping from his chest before he tried to make a run for it, but Qiu Hao called out to him once more.

Stopping in his tracks, Mountain Cat's legs trembled uncontrollably from sheer terror.

Qiu Hao twirled his cigar in hand, surveying the scene of destruction. The stalls were unrecognizable, finally coming to a halt in front of Chu Ji's dessert stall.

The cart lay on its side, spilling out wooden chairs and tables.

"What do we do now?"

"I know! I know!" Mountain Cat, still wobbling, hurriedly helped his released underlings to right the cart and begin cleaning up the other damaged stalls.

Destroyed cabinets and ruined food lay in disarray.

Under Qiu Hao's fierce gaze, the Leopard trembled as he compensated with all he had.

In the end, Leopard was dragged before Chu Yuening by Flying Fish, tossed to the ground like a discarded ragdoll.

Leopard scrambled to his knees, pounding the floor repeatedly. "Master Chu, please have mercy and let me off."

Chu Yuening glanced at the sky, then back at him. "You stole money from me before."

"Compensation! Of course, I'll pay compensation!" In a panic, Leopard fumbled through his pockets, emptying them all and laying the contents on the ground.

At first glance, there were at least twenty thousand dollars.

"It's all the protection fees from Temple Street. Little Brother here is paying it back to Master Chu," Fishfly said as he swiftly gathered the money and passed it to Chu Yuening before she could bend down. She took the cash and pulled out five hundred notes.

This was the money that had been stolen from her previously.

She then handed the remaining sum to Lin Jiahua.

"Go ask how much each stall paid and return it to them," she instructed.

"Got it." Lin Jiahua took the money and promptly set off to carry out the task.

Seeing this, Mountain Cat hastily fled with his gang, their tails between their legs.

With a cigar in his mouth, Qiu Hao spread his arms wide and addressed the stall owners of Temple Street, "Everyone, be quiet."

The once-noisy Temple Street fell silent instantly.

The infamy of the Fourteen Gang's ruthlessness was well-known; though they typically avoided enmity with ordinary citizens, people still lived in fear of them.

"Master Chu is my savior, the one who ensured I stand here today with all limbs intact."

"After this, I'll be in charge of Temple Street."

As Qiu Hao finished speaking, the stall owners responded with a chorus of jeers.

None could have foreseen that Chu Ji's dessert shop would indeed become the lifeline of the Fourteen Gang's second-in-command.

The Fourteen Gang was unlike those street thugs like the Mountain Cats; they were genuine big leagues. With them around, Temple Street could truly be considered safe.

So, a vendor inquired about the protection fees.

Qiu Hao replied, "There's no need to discuss protection fees anymore. If any more hooligans cause trouble, anyone from Temple Street can inform me."

"Protection fees are waived?" another person asked.

" Waived," Qiu Hao said with a cigar between his teeth. "Rest assured, the Fourteen Gang wouldn't spare a thought for such petty protection money."

No need!

The protection fees are actually waived!