Scar Brother

Lin Feng stepped out of the house and saw two Green Snake Gang members beating up a young man.

The young man had been beaten until his head was split and bloodied, and he was barely hanging on.

The crowd watched from the side, not daring to step forward and intervene.

Because Scar Brother, a Green Snake Gang sub-leader, stood nearby.

This small shantytown where Lin Feng and the others lived was under Scar Brother's control!

A scar ran across Scar Brother's face. Whenever he smiled, it looked like a centipede writhing across his skin—hideous and terrifying.

Normally, he collected protection fees in this area.

Breaking legs and chopping off fingers were commonplace.

Afraid of bringing disaster upon themselves, no one naturally dared to step forward.

Seeing that the man was about to give out,

Scar Brother finally spoke!

"Stop it for now. Why hit him so hard? You'll make the neighbors think Scar Brother is hard to talk to."

"Hehe, how could that be? It's mainly because this brat wouldn't listen. He didn't understand Scar Brother's difficulties. When we said the protection fee had risen to twenty copper coins, he even talked back!

So weren't we just loosening his mouth a little?"

Only then did one of the henchmen stop, grinning as he spoke.

"That's right, Scar Brother. This brat simply doesn't know what's good for him!"

Scar Brother and his two henchmen put on a little performance all by themselves.

"Scar Brother, last month the protection fee was only fifteen copper coins per person. This month, it suddenly rose by so much!

And there are also the head tax, residence tax, city-entry tax, and so on collected by the yamen. Our family of three truly can't hold on any longer!

Please, Scar Brother, show us some leniency just for this month!

Our family will remember your great kindness forever!"

The youth's wife knelt on the ground nearby, holding a crying infant in her arms with one hand and clutching the fallen youth with the other as she tearfully begged Scar Brother for mercy!

"If I show you leniency, who will show me leniency?"

Scar Brother sneered.

In these chaotic times, tears and appeals for sympathy were the most useless defenses available to the people at the bottom.

Yet they were also the only way they had to bow and scrape. Though it rarely worked.

"I'll come again tomorrow. If you haven't scraped it together by then, Spring Red Brothel in the Inner City is still short of people!"

"Enough staring! Have you prepared your protection fees or not? Who else wants to end up like Liu Er's family?"

As he spoke, Scar Brother sneered again and barked at the crowd!

Everyone involuntarily backed away several steps, returning to their homes and hurriedly bringing out this month's protection fees!

No one dared delay in the slightest, terrified of ending up like Liu Er.

Everyone knew that Scar Brother had probably deliberately beaten Liu Er into this state!

Now Liu Er's family did not have a single coin left. They could not even afford to treat his injuries!

The final outcome was easy to imagine!

And if they could not pay the protection fee tomorrow, Liu Er's wife would likely be sold by Scar Brother into Spring Red Brothel in the Inner City to sell her body.

A family of three could be reduced to ashes and smoke at the whim of Scar Brother!

Most pitiful of all was the infant still wrapped in swaddling clothes.

Naturally, Lin Feng understood what awaited Liu Er's family, but could he possibly concern himself with so much?

Right now, he was merely a slightly stronger ant!

Though Scar Brother was only a somewhat stronger Green Snake Gang sub-leader, an insignificant martial artist who had not even reached early Skin Refining.

The only reason he had become a sub-leader was because his Big Brother was a late Skin Refining expert and a big leader within the Green Snake Gang.

But could Lin Feng attack him for Liu Er's family?

Impossible!

Without Scar Brother, there would be another Brother! The suffering of those at the bottom could not be changed.

More importantly, if anyone discovered it, he and his family would be in danger too!

So he could only watch helplessly as Liu Er's family suffered disaster! There was nothing he could do.

Soon, the two henchmen collected the protection fees from more than ten nearby households.

Then the three of them came to Lin Feng's door.

"Brother Lin, it's time to pay this month's protection fee!"

Scar Brother held a string of copper coins and spoke to Lin Feng with a broad grin. The scar on his face only made him look more vicious.

Lin Feng knew that despite his usual smiling face, he never showed mercy when tormenting people.

"Scar Brother, I know the rules. Here is this month's protection fee!"

Lin Feng smiled and handed Scar Brother sixty copper coins.

"Mm, you brat really know how to behave!"

Scar Brother counted the coins and said with a smile.

"Hehe, Scar Brother, if there's nothing else, I'll head back inside first. I still have work to do!"

As Lin Feng spoke, he turned to leave.

He did not want to look at these scum for even one moment longer.

"Wait!"

Scar Brother suddenly called out.

A strange smile appeared on his face.

"Xiao Feng, this month's protection fee has gone up."

"Scar Brother, I know it went up. For a family of three, it rose from fifteen copper coins per person to twenty.

I gave you sixty copper coins. That's correct, isn't it?"

Lin Feng smiled at Scar Brother.

"Hehe! You forgot something. Doesn't your family have four people?"

Scar Brother said.

"Four people?"

Lin Feng was puzzled, and displeasure rose in his heart! He faintly sensed that Scar Brother was looking to pick a fight with him today!

His family had indeed once had four people, but his father had died several months ago.

The other man knew that!

When his father had still been alive, Scar Brother had not dared come collect protection fees from his home.

Ever since his father died, Scar Brother had become bold.

He actually dared come to his home to collect protection fees!

"That's right! For the past few years, we didn't collect protection fees from your family out of consideration for your father!

Starting this month, your household's protection fee will be calculated for four heads!

What? Do you have an objection?"

Without realizing it, Scar Brother's smile had vanished, and his face turned cold.

He put all the copper coins into a cloth pouch.

It was as if, at the slightest disagreement, he and his two henchmen would join hands and teach Lin Feng a lesson!

At Scar Brother's words, Lin Feng's fury shot straight to the top of his head!

His right hand, hidden behind his back, clenched tightly into a fist! His knuckles turned pale and crackled faintly!

These gangland ruffians would scrape two or three taels of flesh even from a polished bone!

They drove people into desperate straits!

"Brat, are you itching for a beating?

Why aren't you moving it!

Looking to get slapped?"

At that moment, the henchman beside him rolled up his sleeves, ready to make a move!

He wore a ferocious, vicious expression.

"Haha, Scar Brother, yes, if you say four heads, then it's four heads!"

"Here are another twenty copper coins. Take them!"

A smile suddenly appeared on Lin Feng's calm face. He took another twenty copper coins from his robes and handed them to Scar Brother.

"Hehe, good! Now that's more like it! Don't worry—if anyone in this area dares bully you in the future, just tell me. I'll stand up for you!"

Scar Brother patted Lin Feng on the shoulder and accepted the coins.

At that moment, Mother Lin and Lin Man happened to return from work.

Mother Lin had always been beautiful. Though her clothes were ragged and she had grown thinner, they could not hide her lovely features.

Otherwise, she could not have given birth to such a handsome son as Lin Feng.

Scar Brother openly looked Mother Lin up and down, lust gleaming in his eyes. Then he burst into laughter and left with his two henchmen!

Terrified, Mother Lin hurriedly shielded Lin Man behind her, then lowered her head and hid behind Lin Feng.

Lin Feng led his mother and Little Sister into the house.

He was already considering how to kill without leaving a trace!