Chapter 80: Chapter 75 Establishing Authority i

Translator: 549690339

“What, what did you say?”

Wang Haikun’s eyes, as big as copper bells, nearly bulged out of their sockets; he glared at Qin Niu, shocked and furious.

This fellow, who once seemed like a mere worm under his feet, capable of being squashed with just one hand, today seemed to have consumed the courage of bears and leopards.

Then again, it might also be possible that he was possessed.

People had long said that this kid wasn’t quite right in the head.

What normal person would wander into the mountains in the middle of the night?

“Remember to give me the two silver money and four qian on time! We’re all villagers here, and if 1 have to charge you interest, it won’t look good on you.”

Qin Niu said earnestly.

From beginning to end, he never took Wang Haikun as an opponent; with his caliber, he wasn’t even worth it.

“I’ll make your face look awful right now!”

Wang Haikun clenched his fist, the size of a bowl, and slammed it with a fierce force towards Qin Niu’s face.

The village tyrant’s reputation was not to be challenged, much less trampled upon by a youth.

Otherwise, who would fear him in the future?

With a calm expression, Qin Niu reached out to grab Wang Haikun’s fist and applied a slight force.

A “crack” sound of bones being crushed by a powerful force echoed.

“Ow… it hurts, it hurts!”

Wang Haikun looked at the youth before him with eyes filled with terror.

Was this the same Ah Niu who used to nod and bow at everything?

And moreover, how had his strength become so formidable?

Wang Haikun considered his own strength to be not bad, more than enough at least to bully the average villagers.

But in front of Qin Niu, he felt as weak as an infant.

His strength was only a little better than that of an average person, while Qin Niu had already achieved a threefold strength as a commoner, exerting over three hundred catties of force.

This three hundred catties weren’t as simple as moving a three hundred catties weight.

It meant lifting a three hundred catties weight above one’s head.

In ancient times, when selecting strong warriors, the minimum standard was to lift a five hundred catties stone weight above one’s head.

If anyone lacked the strength but still attempted the challenge, getting crushed to death on the spot was a consequence of their own doing.

The most famous of all was Xiang Yu who could lift a thousand catties bronze cauldron.

Lauded in poetry, “With the strength to uproot mountains and the spirit to overshadow the world.”

Such a master in this world would merely be a commoner with tenfold strength, which was just enough to qualify for an official salary.

“If your punches are soft, don’t even think about bullying people all day long! Starting today, Qin Niu of Shuangfeng Village is no longer someone you can bully, understand?”

Qin Niu increased the force in his hand by a fraction.

His bones were being crushed out of shape, and a fracture was imminent.

“I understand, 1 understand! I won’t dare do it again!”

Wang Haikun agreed verbally, but his eyes flashed with violence and brutality.

“If it weren’t for your brother’s face, I would’ve crippled you today. You better watch yourself.”

With a fling of his hand, Qin Niu sent Wang Haikun staggering back several meters, the latter looking at the cold and callous youth ahead of him with horror.

Still wearing the same ragged clothes, still the same person, but in the eyes of Wang Haikun and the other villagers, the image of the youth had grown imposingly tall.

“This Qin Niu is formidable indeed! No wonder he dared to save the calf in the middle of the floodwaters.”

“When did he become so strong? To effortlessly handle Wang Haikun, he must be at least at the peak of the onefold commoner strength, right?”

“This is great news! Our village has another person whom Wang Haikun wouldn’t dare to bully.”

The villagers were abuzz with discussion.

Qin Niu had carefully thought through his decision to reveal a bit of his strength at this moment.

If he wanted to avoid being exploited, he had to turn against Wang Haikun.

The calf was worth a lot, and to him, it held special significance.

It was the one he had risked his life to save, establishing a preliminary trust and affection with the calf. Properly raised, it could become a valuable assistant for Qin Niu in his farming endeavors.

When dealing with someone like Wang Haikun, you either don’t strike at all, or you make sure it’s hard and sure when you do.

His only concern previously was Wang Haikun’s elder brother.

Now that everyone had seen it, it was Wang Haikun who wanted to bully him; a proper counterattack was reasonable and justifiable.

Holding onto justice, even if Wang Haikun’s brother was displeased, he wouldn’t openly trouble Qin Niu.

Furthermore, Qin Niu had a feeling that he had now cultivated a large number of Grade Two Termites, and with one more step, he could produce Grade Three Termites.

This time could be as long as a year or two, or as short as a couple of months.

Therefore, he had chosen to take a stand early, to strike and establish his authority.

It would also cut off any crooked ideas from those with ulterior motives like Liu Shengli.

Additionally, as his trump cards continued to increase, the secrets in his house would grow in number.

By using the village bully to establish his dominance, his home would henceforth be considered off-limits, and anyone wanting to spy or trespass would have to weigh the consequences.

Wang Haikun’s face was as pale as iron, and the pain in his right hand reminded him that he was no longer capable of beating the young man before him.

However, the thought of obediently handing over three or four silver money to Qin Niu

was a dream.

Qin Niu hadn’t expected to make Wang Haikun pay the silver money immediately either.

First, he’d establish his power and strive for a peaceful month or two, so he could focus on attaining the status of Insect Master.

He walked home with Xiao Niu by his side.

In the bucket, he carried half a bucket of freshly caught fish.

All still alive.

They would improve the meals a bit.

Along the way, many villagers saw him returning with a calf and were all impressed.

When they asked where he got it from, he just bowed his head and walked on, without answering.

The villagers had long since grown used to this.

When he got home, Qin Niu settled the calf in the courtyard.

He needed to go up the mountain to chop some trees and build it a little nest.

Qin Niu put the fish he had caught into an empty water jar in the backyard.

After emptying the bucket of fish, he discovered the little turtle.

He had actually forgotten about this little creature.

It was still retracted into its shell.

Qin Niu gave it special care, allocating a broken jar specifically for it.

Having heard that turtles shouldn’t be submerged in water for too long, he deliberately placed stones in the jar for it to climb on to rest.

Food was an easy issue to solve.

Just giving it some bear meat would suffice.

With two new members suddenly added to his family, Qin Niu felt delighted and also a sense of responsibility.

This meant that he would have to feed them every day from now on.

Termite and bee care, on the other hand, were less demanding; he could just leave them in the mountains and not worry about them.

“One day, 1’11 have to go to the city and buy a couple of Low-grade Contract Charms from the mute girl!”

Qin Niu looked at the little turtle and then at the calf in the front yard. Now that he had taken them in, he definitely wouldn’t allow them to be ordinary; he would find a way to make them stronger.

But buying talismans required money, where would he get two silver money from?

Hunting was the quickest way to make money that he could think of.

Selling bugs was another option.

Moreover, the Yan Family had bought a basket of fertilizer from him last time. He guessed it would show results in a month or two. He hoped the results would satisfy Steward Yan Qi; with such a major customer, he could make a decent amount of money just from selling fertilizer.

After making up his mind, Qin Niu prepared to go up the mountain later to earn some silver money.

He took out some bear meat to fill his belly and found there was only enough left for about two more meals.

Lately, his cultivation level had improved, and along with his practice, his appetite had greatly increased.

This was yet another issue that needed to be addressed.

Ultimately, nothing could be separated from money.

He needed to come up with a way to make money.

Working a regular job to earn money was out of the question for him.

After eating the bear meat, he cut a small piece of meat to feed the little turtle.

It was extremely timid, filled with fear of the unfamiliar environment and the unfamiliar human before it. The moment it saw Qin Niu approach, it immediately retracted its head.

Qin Niu didn’t bother with it, just threw the meat on the stone in the jar and walked away.

“Xiao Niu, let’s head up the mountain!”

Armed with his treasured sword and some rope, he led Xiao Niu up the mountain.

The calf was especially intelligent, following closely behind him, looking very attached..