The Courtyard House: He Yuzhu Returns with Boundless Hatred for Revenge

Yi Zhonghai had lived for over forty years. He was a respected level-six master craftsman in the factory and was treated like a lord in the courtyard. He had never suffered such humiliation before, especially being slapped in public by a mere young upstart!

An unprecedented sense of humiliation was instantly replaced by rage. His eyes turned bloodshot and he stared intently at his young apprentice, Li Tieniu, with bangs in his hair.

"You little bastard! You've gone too far! How dare you hit me!" Yi Zhonghai lunged at Li Tieniu with swift and powerful movements. As a veteran fitter, his strength, honed by years of heavy physical labor, far surpassed that of ordinary people.

Li Tieniu wasn't intimidated either. Young people are often hot-blooded, and having already exchanged blows, he wasn't about to back down, so he started fighting with Yi Zhonghai.

Yi Zhonghai sneered. He was already seething with anger. His elders were crippled, his backers had fallen, he himself had been arrested, and his future was uncertain. Now, even a lowly apprentice dared to ride roughshod over him! At this moment, he was just looking for a scapegoat to vent his frustration on.

He didn't have much of a fighting style, but the fitter's hands were steady and powerful. Coupled with his cunning nature, he always targeted vital points. He reached out with his left hand, grabbing Li Tieniu's outstretched fist, and with his right fist clenched, his middle finger knuckle bulging, he delivered a powerful punch to Li Tieniu's ribs!

"Ouch!" Caught off guard, Li Tieniu felt a piercing pain in his ribs, and half of his body was powerless. He cried out and staggered backward.

Yi Zhonghai, seizing the opportunity, followed up with a step and kicked him hard in the stomach!

"Bang!"

Li Tieniu was kicked to the ground, clutching his stomach and gasping for breath in pain. He couldn't get up for a while.

All of this happened in the blink of an eye. No one expected that Yi Zhonghai, who usually appeared dignified and believed in winning people over with virtue, would be so ruthless and decisive when he took action.

Liu Haizhong was initially secretly pleased with his apprentice, feeling that slapping Yi Zhonghai in the face had been a way to vent his anger. But in the blink of an eye, his most beloved apprentice was easily defeated by Yi Zhonghai. "Damn it," he thought, "even when beating a dog, you have to consider its owner, let alone this is my apprentice! They're completely disregarding me, Liu Haizhong!"

"Yi Zhonghai! You old bastard, how dare you hit my apprentice!" Liu Haizhong roared, his anger fueled by both old and new grudges, instantly losing his temper. "All of you, get him! Kill this old bastard! I'll take responsibility if anything happens!"

At his shout, several of his apprentices immediately rushed forward. Liu Haizhong held considerable authority among his apprentices; they acted without hesitation, never wavering from their orders.

Yi Zhonghai had just knocked Li Tieniu down and hadn't even caught his breath when three or four figures pounced on him. Startled, but his ferocity had been ignited, and he gritted his teeth and met the attack. However, two fists couldn't fight four hands. No matter how skilled Yi Zhonghai was, he couldn't withstand such a large group attacking him, and these men were all blacksmiths, the most physically demanding trade; Liu Haizhong alone could easily overpower Yi Zhonghai.

He was exhausted in less than half a minute and was kicked to the ground. Before he could recover, a hail of punches and kicks rained down on him.

"You old beast! I'll teach you to be so arrogant!"

"I'll beat you to death, you hypocritical scoundrel!"

"You're just an old, childless man, and you dare to bare your teeth at our master? Today we'll show you just how many eyes the Horse King has!"

Yi Zhonghai could only desperately curl up, using his arms to protect his head and face. He tried to resist, but as soon as he raised his arms, several feet stepped on them.

His eldest apprentice, Wang Dachui, stood watching not far away, ultimately unable to bear it. After all, he had called him master for so many years, and he wanted to go up and help. But the moment he took a step, someone next to him grabbed him tightly. This was also Yi Zhonghai's apprentice, who whispered, "Are you crazy? Going up now? Can't you see that Yi Zhonghai is definitely finished this time? Haven't we been dragged down enough by him? Going up there will just mean we all die!"

Looking at Yi Zhonghai's disheveled appearance, Wang Dachui recalled how Yi Zhonghai had kept his skills hidden from him all these years. The reason he had reached the third-level craftsman level was thanks to his uncle, a fifth-level craftsman, who had privately guided him. Even so, Yi Zhonghai had scolded him several times, saying, "You don't lay a solid foundation. Young people are always aiming too high..." The little bit of master-apprentice affection he felt instantly evaporated.

If the apprentices are like this, imagine how the lackeys in the other courtyards are. It was originally a relationship of mutual exploitation, and now that the big tree has fallen, they'd love to kick it while it's down to completely sever ties.

"That's enough! That's enough! Stop fighting! If you keep going, someone will really die!"

At the crucial moment, Yan Bugui stepped forward. The old man had been hiding in the safest corner, afraid of being caught in the crossfire. Seeing Yi Zhonghai being beaten from screams to groans for help, and fearing that someone might die and everyone would be in deep trouble, he finally mustered up the courage to shout.

"Old Liu! Tell them to stop! If they really kill someone, none of you will escape! You'll all pay with your lives!"

Liu Haizhong was actually exhausted from fighting. Hearing the words "pay with your life," he shuddered and his mind cleared. Looking at Yi Zhonghai, who was almost motionless on the ground, he felt a wave of fear.

"Stop, stop! Everyone stop!" Liu Haizhong shouted, panting heavily.

Upon hearing this, the disciples who had been fighting fiercely gradually stopped, panting heavily as they retreated. They even spat on Yi Zhonghai, who was curled up on the ground, a few times.

Yi Zhonghai lay on the cold ground, his whole body aching, his mouth filled with the taste of blood. He loosened his grip and lay there, gazing up at the ceiling, two streams of tears slowly flowing down his cheeks.

Why?

Why did I end up in this situation?

All his calculations, all his management skills, all his prestige—all of it became a joke at that moment. He was like an old dog stripped of its fur, lying on the ground, letting everyone trample on him.

If, if I had a son...

If he had a son, even if he was a good-for-nothing, wouldn't he rush to protect his old father right now? Would those people still dare to beat him up so recklessly?

They're just taking advantage of the fact that I, Yi Zhonghai, am childless.

No descendants left. No descendants left!

This word was the deepest thorn in his heart, yet at this moment, it became his truest and most powerless reflection. Without offspring, without the support of blood ties, all his authority was built upon a false bond of morality and self-interest. Once the chain of interests broke, and the halo of morality shattered, he was nothing, less than a dog!

How many times has this happened? Being surrounded, beaten, and humiliated like this in the detention cell?

Wait... how many times?

This thought made his already chaotic mind throb even more. It was supposed to be just this once. Why did it feel like it was the first time? It was as if he'd experienced this scene of being abandoned by everyone, being knocked to the ground, countless times already...

Yi Zhonghai couldn't understand it, and he didn't have the strength to think about it anymore. Under the dual torment of physical and mental exhaustion, he finally fainted.

Inside the warehouse, everyone stared at Yi Zhonghai, who lay motionless on the ground, exchanging bewildered glances. No one dared to approach him. Yan Bugui cautiously moved over and reached out to check Yi Zhonghai's breath.

"He's...he's still alive." Yan Bugui breathed a sigh of relief. Everyone else breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.

After catching his breath, Liu Haizhong looked at Yi Zhonghai's miserable state. The initial violence in his heart dissipated, leaving only lingering fear. He kicked one of his apprentices beside him, "Go, pee on him to wake him up. He might really freeze to death lying there."