Dad, Save Me! He Really Dared to Grab Me!

As the atmosphere grew quiet and oppressive, almost frozen in place,

A loud, arrogant shout, the kind only a fool would make, tore through the silence of Hu Mansion from far away and carried straight into the reception hall.

"Who's there? Who's got the gall to cause trouble at my Hu home? Do you really not know where the Hu in Hu Family comes from?"

A figure dressed in brocade and finery, his face pallid and puffy from excessive indulgence, emerged from behind the screen at the back of the hall.

When Young Master Hu heard the servants' panicked report that constables from the Security Bureau had come to the mansion and were shouting for him to come out, he'd found it amusing.

What era was this?

Was there still someone so arrogant and tired of living that he'd dare cause trouble at the Hu home?

He staggered into the hall and cast a haughty glance around, not taking anyone seriously. The only things that caught his eye were his father's grim expression and the constable sizing him up.

Lin Fan?

He'd heard people sing his praises, saying he was incredibly formidable and could really fight.

But so what? When you made your way in the world, what mattered was your status and connections. Being good at fighting was low-class; it was the sort of rough work left to thugs.

As long as Young Master Hu was willing to spend the money, hundreds or even thousands of people would risk their lives for him. Buying that fellow Lin's life wouldn't be a problem either.

His gaze shifted, and he spotted a familiar face.

Well, well.

It was the tavern's shopkeeper, that old coot whose wine recipe he'd taken a fancy to. His son had bitten him, and the bite marks were still on his calf. It seemed the old man had brought the constables here.

But were these constables stupid?

Didn't they know the Hu Family was the one who'd taken a fancy to the wine recipe?

Had all the silver they'd taken before been for nothing?

"Yu'er, you..."

Master Hu had wanted to warn his son not to act rashly, but he'd clearly underestimated his son's arrogance. Young Master Hu didn't even give him the chance to speak, simply waving a hand to say, Father, keep quiet and watch me show the Hu Family's might.

Hu Yu walked up to Shopkeeper Wang and said with a laugh instead of anger, "Old coot, you really are dead set on going against me. I took a fancy to your recipe. I'm not short of money; I just want it. And your son dared to bite me. I'll make sure he spends the rest of his life locked up."

"What, you think bringing a few constables here means you can do anything to me?"

"Do you know where you are?"

"This is the Hu Family. The Hu Family is half the sky in Yong'an."

Hu Yu was so arrogant he had no bounds. He turned his gaze to Lin Fan, looked him up and down, and chuckled. "Constable Lin, Lin Fan. I've heard people bragging about you."

Lin Fan smiled. He was welcome to say more.

He hadn't expected Hu Yu to be this arrogant. Without even being asked, he'd just come right out and said it.

Lin Fan had already thought of a plan.

If the other man claimed the recipe was his, Lin Fan had planned to get Hu Yu to admit he knew how to brew wine, then expose him by having him brew some on the spot. It seemed there was no need for that now.

"Yu'er, shut up! Don't say another word. He really came to arrest you!" Master Hu cried, the veins on his forehead bulging.

"Hahaha..." Hu Yu laughed as if he'd heard the funniest joke in the world. "Father, don't make me laugh. Arrest me? What could he arrest me with? He's just a nobody. In the Security Bureau, he's at the very bottom. Forget Steward Li—even Headman Chen could order him around like a dog."

Everyone in the hall sucked in a breath.

In a world untouched by industrial pollution, the temperature had somehow risen a little.

They rarely had any contact with the sons of wealthy families. In their minds, those young masters had studied since childhood and were sure to be well-read and clever; otherwise, they couldn't possibly have held on to such vast family fortunes.

But now, looking at Hu Yu before them,

They suddenly felt that he was even worse than they were.

Lin Fan wasn't angry. His smile only deepened as he said, unhurriedly, "Young Master Hu, are you saying you admit to forcibly seizing the Wang Family's wine recipe, making false accusations and framing them, and having their son thrown in jail—all of it was your doing?"

"Yes, it was me. What can you do about it?" Hu Yu lifted his chin and blurted it out.

"Don't admit it."

Father and son Hu spoke at the same time, but Young Master Hu was quicker with his words. He'd gotten it out before he could even hesitate.

Lin Fan looked at everyone. "You all heard that, right?"

Qian Tao said, "I heard it with both ears."

Wu Yong said, "Every pore on my body heard it loud and clear."

Everyone nodded like mad.

"Then what are you waiting for?" Lin Fan's voice was as cold as ice. "Take him!"

Qian Tao and Wu Yong didn't hesitate. They lunged like tigers bursting out of their cages, each twisting one of Hu Yu's arms behind his back and wrenching them hard. Hu Yu cried out in pain and dropped to his knees.

"Ah! Let go, you dogs! A Meng, A Meng, save me!"

He screamed hoarsely, unaware that outside the courtyard the toughest guard, Brother Meng, was still coughing up blood and twitching, unable to move.

"Wait!" Master Hu stepped forward, his eyes bulging. His voice trembled with rage. "Are you really determined to push this all the way, leaving no room to back down? Have you thought about the consequences?"

Lin Fan smiled. "Master Hu, what do you mean by pushing things too far? As a member of the Security Bureau, I've studied the law thoroughly. Serving the people is my duty. Besides, Master Hu, don't think this is going to end so simply. Your son's crimes are serious."

"The law is clear. He committed three crimes: extortion by threat, making a false accusation, and bribing officials. The constables at the Security Bureau who helped him fabricate the false accusation have broken the law too."

"Don't glare at me; it won't do you any good. What you're doing now is challenging the law's fundamental order. Any one of these crimes could get your family confiscated and sent into exile. Not even ten signboards could save the Hu Family."

At this moment, Lin Fan stood on the highest ground of both law and morality.

The dockworkers listened intently.

This was Brother Lin's lesson on the law.

For them, who knew nothing about the law, it was a tremendous help.

Master Hu's face went from blue to purple, then from purple to gray. His chest heaved violently. He'd never met anyone like Lin Fan in his life; right now, he wanted nothing more than to kill the man.

"Take him away."

Lin Fan waved his hand, drew his iron baton, and headed outside without giving Master Hu another glance.

"Father! Save me, Father! They really dared to arrest me!"

Hu Yu wailed.

He hadn't expected these dogs to be serious—to actually dare arrest him right in the Hu Family's home. The guards outside were sweating, their palms slick. When Lin Fan walked out, they seemed to remember what had happened to Brother Meng and were intimidated, stepping aside to open a path.

Outside Hu Mansion.

By the gate, townspeople who'd heard the news had already gathered, craning their necks in anticipation. A sea of people murmured among themselves.

More and more kept arriving, drawn by the rumors and the chance to see for themselves.

"How's it going? Nothing happening yet?"

"They must've settled it, right? What kind of power does the Hu Family have? Who'd really dare turn the place upside down?"

"Exactly. Old Wang should be glad if he can get his son out..."

Just then, the crowd abruptly fell silent, then erupted into loud gasps and cries of shock!

"Holy crap!"

"They're out! They're coming out!"

"Th-that's Young Master Hu?! They really... really got him?!"

Every eye turned to the gate.

Lin Fan came out first, his expression stern. Behind him, Wu Yong and Qian Tao held Hu Yu firmly between them, one on each side, like they were escorting a serious criminal. They shoved him forward as he howled and struggled.

Wait.

Th-this really was the Hu Family's young master?

They'd actually arrested him?

In an instant, the whole crowd fell silent. Everyone stared wide-eyed, mouths hanging open, hardly able to believe what they were seeing.

Lin Fan saw that quite a few townspeople had gathered. Rather than leave at once, he stood beneath the towering gate and slowly swept his gaze across their astonished faces before giving a slight nod.

The meaning was clear.

You all saw it, right?

The Hu Family's young master had been arrested.

He'd said he'd do it, and he'd done it. No empty boasts.

Wu Yong and Qian Tao stood ramrod straight, chests thrust out with pride. At that moment, they suddenly felt that the previous twenty years of their lives had been wasted.

In the crowd,

"Old Hai, didn't you say that if they really arrested him, you'd eat shit? So, are you going to eat it? I'll go get some right now."

People these days had reached new heights when it came to scrounging for a free meal.

Please support the novel with monthly and recommendation votes. If you have any feedback, let me know; if I can make changes, I will. As for martial arts, I'm not planning on adding palm, fist, or leg techniques. The focus is on weapons and body tempering, improving every aspect. He's going for the human bulldozer route: no technique, just pure emotion.