Rebirth in a Courtyard: I Am a Little Hunter

The farce at the college-wide meeting ended in disarray. Under the dim light bulbs, the shadows stretched long, like deflated balloons.

Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong's old faces were as black as the bottom of a pot, and they barely managed to get back into the house, supporting each other. Jia Zhangshi cursed all the way, her curses sounding particularly jarring in the quiet courtyard. Her plump, white frame was pulled so hard that she staggered, muttering about meat under her breath.

In the east courtyard, Wei Chen closed the moon gate, completely shutting out the chaotic gazes and suppressed whispers. The courtyard was quiet and serene, with only the suppressed sobs of his mother, Wang Xiulan, and his younger sister, Wei Ran, and Xiao Cao nestled beside their mother, their little faces still filled with lingering fear.

"Mom, it's alright now." Wei Chen walked over, his voice soft and reassuring. He gently patted his mother's back, which trembled slightly from sobbing. "It's all over now. We're not afraid of them."

"Chenzi," Wang Xiulan raised her tearful eyes, her face filled with deep worry and grievance, "How could they... how could they do this? Isn't this bullying? Our family finally... finally had a glimmer of hope, and they..." She couldn't finish her sentence, and tears welled up again.

She was a traditional woman, honest and upright all her life, and most afraid of being talked about behind her back. The accusations and invisible pressure at the conference today almost crushed her.

"Brother, that Second Uncle is so fierce, and so is Granny Jia..." Wei Ran's small body was still trembling slightly, her eyes were red, and her eyes were filled with worry for her brother and resentment towards those people.

Wei Chen crouched down, pulled his younger sister into his arms, pressed his forehead against Wei Ran's smooth little head, and ruffled her hair. "Don't be afraid, Ranran. Don't worry. Your brother's here. They're fierce? That's because they're in the wrong! We're in the right, so we'll stand tall! Remember what I said, if anyone dares to bully us again, just tell me, and I'll back you up!" His voice wasn't loud, but it was resolute, carrying an undeniable power that dispelled the chill in his sisters' hearts like a warm current.

He helped his mother into the house, gently comforting her. Under her son's calm reassurance, Wang Xiulan gradually calmed down. After watching his mother and sister eat something and fall asleep, Wei Chen quietly closed the inner room door and went to the outer room.

Moonlight streamed through the window, casting cool, dappled patterns on the floor. The gentle expression on Wei Chen's face vanished instantly, his eyes turning as cold as a deep pool.

He was never one to swallow his pride and be easily bullied. When he first came to the city, he was unfamiliar with the place and hadn't even settled in yet. He saw Yi Zhonghai's moral blackmail tactics and found them both laughable and troublesome, too lazy to bother with them.

In his past life, when he watched TV dramas about courtyard houses, he saw the people from Sha Zhu's perspective and found them repulsive. But living in this real world, he realized that these neighbors in the courtyard house were, in essence, living, breathing people. As human beings, they all have flaws and selfish desires.

Take, for example, Uncle Yan Bugui, the third uncle. He's stingy, calculating, and always trying to take advantage of others, but Wei Chen doesn't find him particularly annoying. This old fellow is shrewd on the surface; if he takes a scallion from you, he'll get up ten times in the middle of the night to open the door for you; if he wants to get some information from you, he'll be willing to offer you a cigarette.

He takes advantage, but he still believes in "equivalent exchange," at least making sure you save face. Yan Bugui is even more concerned with his reputation; his scheming and stinginess actually reveal a touch of the down-to-earth nature of a commoner and a cunning charm. So Wei Chen usually gets along quite well with him, and they can even tease each other occasionally.

Only Yi Zhonghai! This hypocritical old man! He's like a slippery, venomous snake, testing Wei Chen time and time again, trying to tie him to his "retirement empire" chariot, to make him a blood cow for the Jia family! He thought he was hiding it well, using the banner of "neighborly harmony" and "respect for the elderly and care for the young" to cover up his selfish motives, but Wei Chen saw it all clearly!

This hospital-wide meeting completely crossed Wei Chen's bottom line. Yi Zhonghai, in collusion with Liu Haizhong, used the so-called "public opinion" to try and exploit Wei Chen with the big stick of "morality"! Although he was ultimately rebuffed and left unscathed, the feeling of being constantly swarmed by flies trying to get into your bowl was disgusting!

"Do you really think I'm made of clay?" Wei Chen's lips curled into a cold smile, his eyes sharp as knives. "If I don't find you some 'serious business' to do, are you just itching to provoke me?"

With a thought, his consciousness sank deep into his mind.

A semi-transparent light screen, invisible to onlookers, instantly unfolded:

属性面板

Name: Wei Chen (Hunter)

Level: 17 (18/50000)

Cultivation Technique: Nine Heavens Sun-Shooting Technique

True Yuan: 153 years

Skills: Piercing Arrow; Armor-Piercing Arrow

Pet: Dog (Big Yellow) lv17

Life skills: Fishing, Planting

During this time, he leveled up twice more. The experience points required to level up skyrocketed to 50,000, and his progress in the game world was frustratingly slow as he cultivated methodically.

In the real world, one cannot sense spiritual energy, let alone cultivate. Currently, the most effective way to increase true essence is still leveling up. 153 years of true essence cultivation has brought not only an increase in strength, but also an expansion of the range of mental power detection to 153 meters!

Wei Chen stood at the foot of the west wall of his house, his gaze calmly fixed on the direction of the neighboring courtyard. His invisible spiritual power, like the most sophisticated radar waves, spread out silently, instantly reflecting the entire courtyard and the situation in every household in the courtyard clearly onto his "spiritual world."

Every household, from pots and pans to everyday family matters, even the deepest secrets, were almost completely exposed under his 153-meter mental surveillance. He had long since figured out most of the ins and outs of the courtyard houses.

Yi Zhonghai? This seemingly honest, kind, and highly respected old man is anything but clean behind the scenes!

Wei Chen's mental energy, like invisible fingers, precisely pierced through the walls and floor, probing into the interior of the earthen kang (heated brick bed) in Yi Zhonghai's house. Deep within the kang's opening, a wooden box, tightly wrapped in oiled paper, lay quietly. His mental energy easily penetrated the wooden box and the oiled paper—

Inside lay a dozen or so heavy, golden bars! Each one radiated an alluring yet dangerous light! Besides the gold bars, there was also a thick stack of ten-yuan notes! Wei Chen scanned it with his mind; exactly five thousand three hundred yuan! There was also a deposit slip in the box, showing a deposit of one thousand yuan.

Would Yi Zhonghai dare to hand over those gold bars of dubious origin to the state? As for the more than five thousand yuan in cash, he, a seventh-grade worker, could certainly save it up.

Wei Chen sneered inwardly. This old bastard, he's really good at hiding his true intentions! These days, ordinary people generally lack trust in banks, always feeling more secure when they have their own money in their own hands. This is because they were terrified by those shady money shops in the old society.

The thousand yuan that Yi Zhonghai deposited was only because Director Wang from the neighborhood office personally came to the compound to promote the national savings policy. As an elderly man, he reluctantly deposited it to show his support and set an example. All his other hard-earned money was stuffed into the "safe" in the kang (heated brick bed)!

"Ha, old man, you're quite the 'moral exemplar,' truly 'consistent inside and out.'" Wei Chen's eyes were icy, and he no longer hesitated. His mind, like the most skillful hand, gently "grabbed" him.

Without a sound, the wooden box hidden deep inside the kang (heated brick bed) in Yi Zhonghai's house, along with the dozen or so heavy gold bars and 5,300 yuan in cash inside, vanished instantly! As if it had never existed. Only the 1,000 yuan deposit slip remained, lying forlornly in its place—since no one had proof of ownership or Yi Zhonghai himself, no one could retrieve it.

As for the box containing a little over a hundred yuan and various receipts that Yi Zhonghai openly entrusted to his wife for safekeeping? Wei Chen didn't even glance at it. That was his living expenses; touching it would only alert him.

"I wonder when you, this 'highly respected' old man, will realize that your 'secrets' have been emptied out?" Wei Chen's cold smile widened, and a sense of relief and clarity welled up within him. The resentment that had been repeatedly stirred in his chest instantly dissipated by more than half.

He hummed a tuneless little melody softly and walked briskly back to the inner room. Tonight, he was destined to get a good night's sleep.

However, while he had vented his anger, the score on the surface hadn't been settled yet! Wei Chen wasn't some saint who would stand up for himself. Today's whole-college assembly meant Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong had to pay the price! Otherwise, those opportunists in the compound wouldn't really think Wei Chen was easy to bully, and who knows what other scoundrels would jump out and cause trouble for him in the future!

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking.

After settling his mother and sister in, Wei Chen noticed the lingering shadows of the previous night on their faces, and his anger flared up again. He pushed his bicycle out the door, his destination clear—the neighborhood committee office!

Just after eight o'clock, there was a knock on the door of Wang Guifen's office. Wang Guifen was in her forties, with short, neat hair, and her face always carried a serious expression of concern for the people. She had just sat down to process some documents when she heard the knock.

"Please come in." She didn't even look up.

The door opened, and Wei Chen walked in, his face showing a deliberately suppressed grievance and exhaustion, his eyes even slightly red. "Director Wang..."

Director Wang looked up and saw Wei Chen. Her face immediately lit up with a smile: "Oh, Wei Chen? So early? Come in and sit down! Did you bring fish to the shelter again? I thank you on behalf of those elderly people living alone!" She had a very good impression of Wei Chen. This young man was down-to-earth and hardworking, capable and generous. He often brought fish to the shelter of the street office, which was a great help.

Wei Chen didn't sit down, but stood in front of the desk, his voice choked with emotion: "Director Wang... I... I came here today to... to report a situation to you, and also... to beg you to uphold justice for my mother and my family..." He lowered his head, his shoulders seemed to slump, looking as if he had suffered a great injustice.

The smile on Director Wang's face vanished instantly, and her brows furrowed tightly: "What happened? Wei Chen, don't rush, tell me slowly. In our neighborhood, if you've been wronged, the organization will definitely stand up for you!" She stood up and poured Wei Chen a cup of hot water.

Just then, the office door was pushed open again, and a tall, stern-faced middle-aged man in a steel mill security uniform walked in. He was Jin Aiguo, Wei Chen's direct superior and the deputy head of the security department. He had come to the street office to coordinate the joint security work of several nearby compounds.