Top-notch Little Horseman

A shirtless, one-eyed burly man with a butcher's knife tucked into his waistband placed a bowl of cold tea in front of Ye Chen.

Ye Chen lowered his eyes slightly and saw the one-eyed man pull his thumb out of the tea and then put it in his mouth and suck on it.

His action drew a few chuckles from the brothers around him.

Ye Chen chuckled softly. Although these guys hadn't poisoned the tea, the grime between their fingers was clearly visible.

Is this an attempt to intimidate me?

"Lord Ye, I'm so sorry to have come all this way to find you." Wang Tianba smiled and tapped the table lightly a few times.

"It's no big deal that the monkey lost some money. We're all just trying to make a living. We're poor today and rich tomorrow. There's no need for anyone to make things difficult for anyone else."

"However, this kid refuses to admit he lost money and even dares to accuse me of cheating. Since he wants to get to the bottom of this, then we'll have to settle things."

Wang Tianba fiddled with the dice in the bowl and dish, talking to himself.

"Where are the monkeys?" Ye Chen asked calmly.

Once we get here, we need to determine whether the monkeys are alive or dead before we can figure out how to rescue the people.

Wang Tianba waved his hand, and the one-eyed giant who had served tea earlier went to the backyard. Not long after, he dragged the monkey back to the main hall and threw the monkey at Ye Chen's feet.

The monkey, bound hand and foot, was beaten black and blue, and its mouth was stuffed with cloth, so it couldn't even vomit blood.

"It's just a debt, but you beat him so badly his own mother wouldn't recognize him. How are you going to settle this score?" Ye Chen frowned as he looked at the barely alive monkey, forcibly suppressing his anger as he asked.

If it's just to lure yourself in, then this is going a bit too far.

"The score is easy to calculate, very easy to calculate. He owes me 50 taels of silver in gambling debts, and he also falsely accused me of cheating and ruining my reputation. Adding another 50 taels of silver isn't unreasonable, is it?"

"For Lord Ye's sake, I won't argue with you about anything else. As long as you come up with 100 taels of silver, you can take the person back, and we'll be even."

A half-smile played on Wang Tianba's lips.

"Money is no problem, but 100 taels of silver doesn't sound good. I'll give you 200 taels of silver," Ye Chen said seriously.

"200 taels of silver? That's great! Lord Ye is so generous!" Wang Tianba said excitedly, raising his eyes.

"Brother Wang, don't get excited. Let me finish what I have to say. 200 taels of silver is nothing, but I want a name from you. Who exactly sent you to mess with me?" Ye Chen asked, his eyes slightly narrowed.

"Huh? What makes you say that, Lord Ye? Isn't it just that Monkey is a gambler and owes some money, which is why he's involved with you? Why all the fuss?" Wang Tianba chuckled, somewhat taken aback.

Wang Tianba loves money but cherishes his life even more. If that name were to be revealed, it would be difficult for him to survive the night.

"Judging from what Boss Wang said, he doesn't intend to be my friend anymore. Fine, I'll leave that matter to him and I don't want him anymore. Do with him as you please."

Ye Chen sighed, stood up, and made to leave.

Just as Ye Chen stood up, the dozen or so henchmen around him nervously reached for the weapon under the table.

"Wait! Why are you getting so worked up, Lord Ye? Come, sit down, let's talk some more." Wang Tianba waved his hand, calming his men down.

He still wanted to gather information; he couldn't let Ye Chen die like this.

He forced a smile and tried to ingratiate himself with Ye Chen, "By the way, Lord Ye, why do you think someone is targeting you? Do you have many enemies, Lord Ye?"

"There are many, but I don't think I've died many." Zhang Xian accepted Chen Tianba's invitation and sat down again.

"To put it bluntly, Lord Ye, you're just a horse breeder, how could you have offended anyone?" Wang Tianba deliberately steered the conversation toward the key point.

"It's hard to say. These days, warhorses are of paramount importance, and the borders are unstable. You might accidentally offend someone." Ye Chen deliberately kept everyone in suspense.

"Let's not beat around the bush. I was indeed asked to teach you a lesson, but after meeting Lord Ye today, I've changed my mind," Wang Tianba said, raising his eyes.

"I genuinely want to be your friend. You just need to tell me why someone wanted to teach you a lesson, and we'll settle our score. You can even take the monkey with you."

"If you encounter any trouble in Beiping City in the future, you can also mention my name, Wang Tianba."

Wang Tianba's seemingly loyal demeanor is truly laughable.

"Your acting is pretty good. If I were a fool, I might actually have believed you. It's a pity I'm not..." Ye Chen chuckled, picked up the teacup on the table, and smashed it at Wang Tianba.

The one-eyed giant standing to the side reacted with extreme agility, reaching out to grab it, only to find it empty.

The teacup that was thrown out smashed straight through the paper window of the post station, shattering into dozens of pieces with a loud crash in the courtyard.

Even if they wanted to pretend, they couldn't keep it up anymore. Wang Tianba's brothers pulled out machetes and axes from under the table, looking like they were going to kill Ye Chen.

"Kid, you really have no sense of propriety. Knowing that someone wants your life, you still dare to barge into the lion's den. Are you just skilled and daring, or are you stupid?" Wang Tianba said regretfully as he got up and took a few steps back, then plopped down on the stairs.

"Never mind, we'll know the result soon."

Ye Chen chuckled lightly, his face full of disdain, and said, "With your lousy little fish and shrimp, you dare to call yourself a dragon's den and a tiger's lair?"

Zhang Xian scanned the entire room, a hint of panic in his eyes. "Are you trying to make me laugh to death?"

"Brothers, don't let Lord Ye look down on you, come out and show yourselves!" Wang Tianba shouted, and the doors of all seven guest rooms on the second floor were kicked open, and dozens of people walked out one after another.

They were all burly men wielding machetes and axes, looking fierce and menacing, each one seemingly wanting to devour Ye Chen.

In this era of cold weapons, even a country bumpkin could pick up a weapon and challenge a soldier.

Not to mention there were nearly a hundred hooligans surrounding the post station, seemingly ready to chop Ye Chen into pieces and feed him to the dogs if they wanted to.

Ye Chen was not one to be easily bullied. He stood up and picked up the stool he was sitting on.

"Attack!" the one-eyed giant shouted, and several of his men immediately brandished their weapons and pounced on Ye Chen.

These guys may look fierce, but they're just street thugs, completely different from someone like Ye Chen who's been through the battlefield.

Ye Chen then threw the stool in his hand at the hooligan rushing ahead.

The man raised his hand to block, but with a cracking sound, he was sent flying.

Those behind him were surprised by Ye Chen's fierceness, and even more surprised that he dared to rush forward. They couldn't help but show signs of tension.