Troublemaker

After Zhou Chu brought Lu Li into the restaurant, the original Diner gradually left, and no one else came in. Xiao Er nervously ordered the food and then quickly retreated, all his usual talkativeness and wit gone.

Everyone here fears Zhou Chu like a tiger, regarding him as a scourge that could take their lives at any moment. This is also related to Zhou Chu's past behavior. He lost his father at a young age and was raised by his mother, who doted on him. The Zhou Clan was a prominent clan in the area, and no one dared to bully Zhou Chu.

This fostered Zhou Chu's lawless personality. Coupled with the fact that his martial prowess was undoubtedly the best in the surrounding area, he was always the one who beat people, and no one dared to beat him or could beat him. With this arrogant and domineering personality, he did have some cronies in the past, but unfortunately, he was also someone who couldn't tolerate any dissent. If you did something against his will, he would beat you up, sometimes even to death.

As the saying goes, serving a ruler is like serving a tiger. This describes the emperor's unpredictable temper and the danger of being by such a powerful figure's side. Others had the same feeling when facing Zhou Chu. For example, a few years ago, there were still people who followed Zhou Chu around, using clever words to please him. But then, one time, that person used Zhou Chu's name to force others to their deaths, and then Zhou Chu, in a fit of rage, slapped their head off.

From then on, no one dared to approach Zhou Chu. They feared him like a tiger and avoided him at all costs. Zhou Chu also became increasingly strict in choosing his friends. For example, Lu Li was able to communicate with him normally at first, so he communicated with Lu Li normally. When he learned that Lu Li came from the prestigious Lu family, even though Lu Li had made up this identity based on Zhou Chu's words, he still gained a certain amount of respect from Zhou Chu.

Lu Li praised him, which pleased him, and he expressed a certain degree of friendliness. Then Lu Li reminded him that there was something wrong with the water, and only then did he begin to regard Lu Li as a friend. However, the weight of this friendship depended on his abilities.

If Lu Li were merely a eloquent scholar, Zhou Chu might have accepted him as a friend, but they would never have become so close. That's why Zhou Chu spent a long time dealing with the Yellow-Faced Man in the inner room afterward.

He threw so many punches, partly to vent his anger, and partly to test Lu Li's abilities. He knew that if a conflict broke out inside, the ghostly Bone Lady outside would come in, and he could then see Lu Li's strength. If Lu Li was just a weak scholar too scared to move in the face of ghosts, he would immediately throw the Yellow-Faced Man in his hand as a hidden weapon, killing the Bone Lady and saving Lu Li. However, although Zhou Chu would still consider Lu Li a friend afterward, they wouldn't become too close.

When Lu Li demonstrated considerable martial prowess, Zhou Chu immediately took a higher regard for Lu Li, treating him like a close brother, and their conversations became much more intimate. This indicated that Zhou Chu had accepted Lu Li. For Zhou Chu, once he accepts you, he will treat you as a brother. However, if he discovers that you are lying to him or not meeting his expectations, you should be careful, because you might be the next one to have your head smashed off.

The restaurant treated the two men, or rather, Zhou Chu, like royalty, providing them with the best food and drink. After the meal, Zhou Chu reached into his pocket and realized he had no money. So he slammed his hand on the table and said to the restaurant owner, "I didn't bring any money today. Put a little extra on the bill and go to the Zhou Mansion to collect your money."

"Uncle Zhou, how could I dare to ask for money for this meal? This time it's on the house, on the house!" The shopkeeper and the waiter were so frightened by Zhou Chu's slam on the table that they trembled and knelt down on the ground, saying in a trembling voice, afraid that the old man might slap them to death if he was not satisfied at the next moment.

This situation enraged Zhou Chu even more, and he slammed his fist on the table, yelling, "Do you think I, Zhou Chu, am the kind of person who eats for free? You're coming to the Zhou Mansion this afternoon to collect your money, not a penny less. You have to take back exactly what you ate, and you should also include your travel expenses."

"Yes, yes, Uncle Zhou is right. We have acted like scoundrels!" The shopkeeper's crotch got hot, and he started drawing a map. He hurriedly agreed, finally getting Zhou Chu to leave with disgust. Looking at the figures all over the street who were trying to avoid him like the plague, Zhou Chu became even more irritable.

Under normal circumstances, this was a situation he frequently experienced, and although he found it unpleasant, he could tolerate it. However, now that his good brothers and friends were here and seeing this, Zhou Chu felt very embarrassed.

The fearful looks in the eyes of his neighbors and fellow villagers over the years only fueled Zhou Chu's anger, but he couldn't vent it. Although Zhou Chu was domineering, he had certain principles, even if they were rather peculiar. He would not harm innocent people for his own sake.

So, with a sigh, Zhou Chu took Lu Li back to his home, the Zhou Clan, a prominent local family. The gatekeepers, seeing Zhou Chu return, quickly nodded and bowed to greet him.

"I get annoyed just seeing you all. Can you stop shaking your legs!" Zhou Chu said irritably to the gatekeeper. "This is my friend, Lu Li Yingzhi) of the Wu County Lu Clan. Prepare a room for him and arrange for someone to serve him properly. If any problems arise, I'll hold you all responsible!"

Then, suppressing his anger, Zhou Chu said to Lu Li, "Yingzhi, please rest with the servants first. I'll go pay my respects to my mother first, and then Yingzhi have tea and talk later. Yingzhi don't take offense, Yingzhi."

"Ziyin is the host, and I am the guest. I will follow the host's lead." Lu Li and Zhou Chu talked for a while, then Lu Li followed the servants to the guest room. He began to think about the mission of this instance, which required eliminating the three scourges.

During his conversation with Zhou Chu, Lu Li vaguely understood what the three scourges were. On the South Mountain of Yangxian City, there was a large tiger, a white-skinned tiger with piercing eyes and a white forehead. Every once in a while, this tiger would come out of the South Mountain, kill a few people, and bring them back to the mountain. Only one or two people dared not walk on that South Mountain path.

Another scourge is the presence of Flood Dragon in the Yixing River. Every rainy season, this Flood Dragon takes the opportunity to cause great floods, demanding the offering of young boys and girls as sacrifices each year before the floods will recede. Furthermore, this Flood Dragon breeds a large number of offspring, such as the Dragon-Sow, which wantonly prey on the people in the waters.

Although Zhou Chu didn't say much about the third scourge, it was quite clear from Lu Li's observations after entering the instance. This third scourge was none other than Zhou Chu himself. Zhou Chu, feared and revered by everyone, was seen by the local people as a scourge comparable to, or even worse than, giant worms Flood Dragon. After all, giant worms and Flood Dragon only occasionally came out to cause trouble, while Zhou Chu wandered around the city and its outskirts all day long, bringing them great panic.

"So the correct way to complete this mission is to trick Zhou Chu into becoming a henchman, eliminate the giant worm and the Flood Dragon, and then conveniently let Zhou Chu get his comeuppance?" Lu Li thought to himself, this is the most correct way to clear this dungeon.