By the time Liu Yuanzhou hurried back to Yan Province City, it was already past noon. Thinking about Er Ni's family, he felt terribly troubled. He had no appetite at all, nor did he want to go home.
He wandered aimlessly through the city for over an hour. Only when his stomach lodged a fierce protest did he casually find a noodle shop and spend five copper coins on a bowl of plain noodles.
After leaving the noodle shop, Liu Yuanzhou had already made up his mind. He decided to borrow money from Third Master first. When he did not know whether to go left or right, closing his eyes and picking a side was better than idly fantasizing. His mood finally brightened considerably, and he decided to act at once.
As he turned out of the small alley where the noodle shop stood, he saw five or six people gathered in a circle by a wall not far away.
Liu Yuanzhou vaguely heard words like "Pay up" and "Break his legs," and turned his head toward them.
What a small world. Those five or six people were precisely the thugs claiming to be from the Azure Dragon Gang whom he had taught a lesson that morning. In the middle of their circle stood a man in his fifties who looked like a wealthy merchant.
The wealthy man pleaded, "Please give me a few more days. At most five days—no, seven days. I will definitely repay the money, principal and interest, not a penny short."
The thugs' leader was still that Azure Dragon from the morning. His face was still somewhat swollen, making it look plump and fleshy. He slapped the wealthy man's equally fat face with loud smacks. "Sorry, Shopkeeper Liu. Master Ma told us that today, you either