Uncle Shazhu, a simple-minded man in a courtyard house, persuades people with reason.

In a secluded corner, the last sentry was taking shelter from the rain and slacking off under the eaves.

His relaxed body suddenly stiffened, and he mechanically turned his head to look at the large hand resting on his right shoulder, and the persistent smell of blood filling his nostrils. He desperately prayed that it was one of the other sentries who had discovered his slacking off and were just playing a prank on him.

"Stop looking, there are six sentries in total, you are the last one!" He Ping'an was still dressed as a beggar, but the wooden stick he was using as a cane had revealed its true form... It was completely black, more than a meter long, and had a sharpened iron spike at one end!

"Tick-tock...tick-tock..." A flash of lightning streaked across the sky, the crimson tip of the iron shovel sending a chill down the sentry's spine. He stammered out instructions on the defenses of the courtyard:

"I...I'll say..."

After listening, He Ping'an asked the questions again, but in a completely different order. Confirming that the sentry hadn't lied to him, he nodded in satisfaction.

"You're very clever, but the fact that Ma Hanshan recruited you as bodyguards means you must be his absolute confidants. Die!" With that, he raised his right hand and thrust forward with the iron shovel.

"puff!"

The spy looked down at the iron spike that had pierced his chest, and as if realizing something, his pupils suddenly contracted. With two gasps, he collapsed to the ground, lifeless.

Walking slowly to the main gate of the house, He Ping'an carried the iron hoe and climbed the steps. Grabbing the copper ring on the door, he knocked on the vermilion gate in front of him, as instructed by the spy.

"What is it?" After a while, the door opened and an impatient voice came from under the raincoat, with a man holding a flashlight beside him. These agents were also vigilant, requiring two people to accompany them even when opening a door.

Before the newcomers could even assess the situation, He Ping'an swiftly launched a two-pronged attack. His right hand thrust forward with an iron shovel, aiming at the agent wielding the flashlight; his left hand shot out, grabbing the agent who had spoken. Both attacks targeted the throat—one a stab, the other a grab!

Feeling the sudden increase in force on his hands, He Ping'an withdrew his hands, and with two loud "thumps," two corpses were left on the spot. He then turned around and closed the door again.

Since it's about revenge, then no one can escape!

He Ping'an, now a ghost, entered the courtyard and, relying on his formidable martial arts skills and the ability to move freely within the space, wiped out the remaining 30 spies. Dragging the little bastard with his jaw dislocated, he strolled leisurely towards Ma Hanshan's bedroom.

Approaching Ma Hanshan's bedroom, He Ping'an vanished again amidst the scornful wretch's shocked gaze. A moment later, a clean-up He Ping'an reappeared. The only difference was... the 17-year-old boy was dressed in an old-fashioned black scholar's robe, looking utterly out of place and awkward.

He Ping'an cherished the robe quite a bit, and to prevent the brat from touching it, he even rolled up the cuffs. Just as he was about to push open the door, he was surprised to find that Ma Hanshan and his wife were still awake so late.

"That bastard, he doesn't even know when to stop acting like this. The big boss just passed away, and there are already rumors that I had someone sabotage it. In this situation, he still dares to be so arrogant. Does he want me to die even sooner?" Judging from the tone of his voice, the speaker must be Ma Hanshan.

"They're just lowly commoners, so what if they die? I know things aren't going well with the Military Intelligence Bureau lately, but we can just give them more money. If that family dares to cause trouble again, just send your men over, but be discreet."

The son hit someone, the father didn't care, and the mother even thought about killing him to cover it up. The whole family is scum.

At the doorway, He Ping'an overheard the conversation inside, feeling both angry and satisfied. This was good; if they didn't treat people like human beings, then he naturally wouldn't treat them like human beings either.

It's always good for a family to be together!

"Clap clap clap..." Light applause rang out, and a cold, mocking voice entered the ears of Ma Hanshan and his wife as the door was pushed open.

"Look, driving in the middle of the city and injuring people is just making a fuss. How about I, Station Master Ma, also make a fuss?"

"Ah...who are you? Help...help!" The woman next to Ma Hanshan screamed in fright.

Ma Hanshan himself was much calmer. The fact that he could sneak into his bedroom without any hindrance, carrying his good-for-nothing son, already said a lot, such as... his security.

Of course, he didn't stop his wife from screaming; in fact, he hoped she would scream even louder, just in case someone was still alive. Even at the very end, he clung to a glimmer of hope, however unrealistic.

He Ping'an watched quietly as the woman cried out. All the spies were wiped out, and the servants had been knocked unconscious. In the vast mansion, only the four of them remained conscious and alive.

Since that wicked woman is willing to shout, let her shout for a while longer. He Ping'an transformed the iron cane into a gentleman's walking stick and calmly and unhurriedly sat down in the main seat, as if he were the master of the place.

Seeing the young man in front of him leisurely watching the couple's performance with his legs crossed, Ma Hanshan sighed, stopped the woman's shouting, threw off the covers, got out of bed, and sat down opposite He Ping'an.

"Hoo..." Ma Hanshan exhaled a heavy smoke ring and spoke:

"As the head of the Military Intelligence Bureau's Beiping station, it's hard for me, Ma Hanshan, to miss any news about Beiping. I've never heard of your name before, and I certainly don't believe I've offended you."

Seeing the young man remain unmoved, Ma Hanshan glanced subtly at his only son, a flash of pain crossing his eyes:

"If you've come because of what happened to this wretched creature during the day, I can hand this beast over to you for your disposal! Furthermore, I'm willing to give up all my money; please, sir, spare my life!"

"Heh..." Amidst the astonished gazes of the mother and son, He Ping'an let out a soft chuckle, looking at Ma Hanshan with a half-smile:

"Even tigers don't eat their cubs, yet you old dog are willing to sacrifice even your only little bastard to save your own life!"

Ignoring the flash of anger in Ma Hanshan's eyes, He Ping'an continued:

"After all this talk, I haven't even introduced myself yet, my apologies. My surname is He, my name is He Ping'an, and I live at No. 95, Nanluoguxiang. The person your little brat hit during the day was my sister-in-law who raised me from childhood. An elder sister-in-law is like a mother, this revenge must be taken, am I right?"

Then he pointed to the black coat that seemed completely out of place on him:

"This was made by my sister-in-law after she found out I got into university last year. She stayed up several nights in a row, her eyes were all swollen from staying up so much. Although many classmates laughed at how old-fashioned this outfit is, I like it..."

Remembering the joy in his sister-in-law's eyes when she saw him put on the traditional Chinese gown, He Ping'an nodded vigorously, as if afraid she wouldn't believe him: "I really like it, I really like it, um... my sister-in-law likes it too!"

For a long time afterward, He Ping'an did the talking, talking about how his sister-in-law took care of him, how she argued with others for his sake, and how his tongue-tied sister-in-law could only keep repeating, "My Ping'an isn't stupid, my Ping'an isn't a jinx..."

Looking at the boy who was crying and laughing intermittently, and listening to him calmly recount how his sister-in-law was doing at home, Ma Hanshan's heart sank to the bottom... He was not going to get through this today.

After a long while, He Ping'an regained his composure. His hatred was palpable, and he pointed at Ma Hanshan's son with bloodshot eyes:

"This little bastard killed my sister-in-law... multiple fractures throughout her body, ruptured liver and spleen. I'm going to smash every bone in his body. I'll make your Ma family pay for this blood debt!"

After He Ping'an finished speaking, cries of agony filled the air above the Ma family's residence. Ma Hanshan was a veteran of the Military Intelligence Bureau, and torture was commonplace for him. Yet, seeing the miserable state of his wife and children, he was still willing to hand over all his wealth, begging He Ping'an for a quick death.

"Squeak..."

After an unknown amount of time, He Ping'an opened the Ma family's gate from the inside, which he had closed.

The wind has stopped, the rain has ceased!