Li Yundong couldn't help but throw his head back and burst into hearty laughter, and as he laughed, the others from Fox Zen Sect joined in with booming guffaws.

The four thugs were left utterly bewildered by the laughter, exchanging confused glances. One of the thugs standing in the rear murmured, "Boss, these people don't look ordinary. Maybe we should just clear out?"

The figure with yellow hair felt stung by the sound of Li Yundong's laughter. He shot a glare at his companion. "Nonsense! Are we supposed to cough up money we've already swallowed?"

Hearing this, the man retracted his head and fell silent.

Most men who make a living on the streets possess a certain street smarts, especially those who plan to stay in the game long-term. Success isn't about who throws the harder punch, but who has the sharper eyes; otherwise, no matter how skilled they are at fighting, they'll either be locked up or forced to flee within days, ending their street career.

The yellow-haired man was clearly one of these types. Seeing Li Yundong’s distinguished bearing and the bevy of beauties surrounding him, he thought to himself: Damn it, this son of a bitch actually got me to step on a landmine! What the hell!

But he couldn't bear to spit out the money he'd already pocketed. A thought sparked in the yellow-haired man's mind. He glared at one of his underlings and lowered his voice, instructing, "Go on, just go intimidate them a little."

This underling sported a mohawk and had swaggered in initially, but now, seeing that most of Li Yundong's group consisted of stunning beauties who, instead of screaming in terror, were laughing scornfully, he wasn't foolish enough not to realize he’d provoked people beyond his league. His spirit had already wilted. Now, hearing his boss order him to step up, he instantly flinched, his eyes going wide. "M-me? I should go?"

The yellow-haired man glared back. "Am I supposed to go myself?"

Mohawk whined miserably, "Boss, if you're the boss, shouldn't you bear the brunt for us little guys?"

The yellow-haired man glared back furiously. "Screw that! If a boss had to do everything himself, who the hell would want to be the boss? You still want to hang around here or not?"

Mohawk had no choice. He took a deep breath, pulled out a brick from behind his back, and in a voice deliberately fierce but betraying his inner terror, roared, "Damn you! Let me tell you, if you don't pay the protection money on time every month, then..."

Li Yundong wasn't annoyed in the least, smiling faintly as he watched them. "Or what?"

Mohawk swallowed hard and bellowed, "No matter what you plan to do here later, don't expect any peace!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Su Chan and the others burst into giggles again, as if they’d just heard the funniest joke in the world.

Li Yundong chuckled softly. "Who sent you here?"

Mohawk froze, unable to help but glance toward the yellow-haired man. The yellow-haired man kicked him furiously, cursing, "What are you scared of? A bare footer can't scare a man with shoes on!"

Mohawk regained some courage, glared at Li Yundong, and roared, "None of your damn business! Don't pay the protection fee, and I'll smash this shop of yours!"

Li Yundong laughed heartily. "Great! I was just planning on renovations anyway. Hurry up and smash it; it’ll save me labor costs!"

Mohawk was dumbfounded. He had encountered all sorts of people—the unreasonable, the aggressive—but never someone so well-dressed, surrounded by beauties, and yet so utterly nonchalant!

He instinctively looked back toward the yellow-haired man, who felt a prickle of unease under his gaze. He thought to himself: In my experience, rich people are usually afraid of hoodlums, aren't they? Could it be that with all these women around, he feels compelled to stand firm? Yes, that’s likely! It looks like I’ll have to step up myself!

The yellow-haired man shot Mohawk a look of bitter disappointment, followed by a swift flying kick to his rear. Then he stepped forward himself, squinting at Li Yundong, sizing him up from head to toe as if trying to read his very soul.

Li Yundong returned the scrutiny. Seeing the thug’s demeanor closely resembled Huang Bo in Crazy Stone, he found the whole scene increasingly comical. A smile played on his lips; it felt less like facing a group of thugs and more like watching a troupe of comedic actors.

The yellow-haired man studied Li Yundong for a long moment, sensing that Li Yundong wasn't just unafraid but regarded him with a kind of playful mockery, like a cat meeting a mouse. He realized instantly that he had run into someone formidable. However, having experience with hitting a steel plate before, he knew brute force wouldn't work now. He reached behind his back with one hand and sneered, "So you really aren't going to pay?"

Having previously experienced being shot by Zhao Yujian, Li Yundong became inwardly vigilant, fearing the man might pull out a gun. He secretly circulated his true essence, ready to unleash a thunderous preemptive strike if a weapon appeared.

Yet, after a brief pause, Li Yundong saw the yellow-haired man suddenly wrench a dark, bulky object from behind his back. He focused his gaze and burst into laughter.

Su Chan, standing behind him, also giggled. "Don't you people have anything else? Why is it always bricks?"

What the yellow-haired man held was indeed a brick, slightly larger than the one Mohawk had brandished, implying the sentiment of "Since I’m the boss, my brick must be bigger."

Ruan Hongling scoffed. "These bizarre creatures—if they carried regulated weapons, they'd be arrested if caught. Carrying these bricks avoids that; these aren't regulated items. Don't underestimate them; these are seasoned veterans of the street!"

Li Yundong glanced at her and chuckled. "You seem very knowledgeable. Have you been around the block yourself?"

Ruan Hongling rolled her eyes at him. "You're the one who's been around! I can figure out these tricks with just one look. Why would I need to get my hands dirty?"

Seeing Li Yundong and Ruan Hongling chatting and laughing, completely ignoring him, the yellow-haired man grew inwardly furious. He roared, "Hey! Are you treating me like air?"

Li Yundong turned back, feigning sudden realization. "Oh, my apologies. I didn't notice. I completely forgot about you. May I ask what business you have here?"

The yellow-haired man seethed, grinding his teeth in anger. He fixed Li Yundong with a vicious sneer. "You really won't pay?"

Li Yundong smiled. "I don't seem inclined to."

The yellow-haired man pointed at Li Yundong and shouted, "One last time, are you paying or not!"

Li Yundong shook his head definitively. "Not paying."

The yellow-haired man took a deep breath. "Fine then. Don't blame me for being ruthless!"

Li Yundong let out a soft laugh, watching the yellow-haired man as if observing a monkey show, curious what trick he would pull next. He saw the man inhale deeply, his eyes narrowing, sinking his vital energy to his core, and then, with a mighty shout, he swung the brick violently toward... his own face!

With a loud CRACK, the yellow-haired man smashed his own face into a bloody mess.

Li Yundong stared, wide-eyed and dumbfounded. He thought to himself: Holy crap, I’ve seen selfies, but never a self-smashing like this!

The women behind him, including Su Chan, nearly popped their eyeballs out. Su Chan gasped, "Is this guy insane?"

The yellow-haired man, dripping blood but wearing a look of fierce aggression, pointed at Li Yundong. "You, you! Hey, you! Don't you walk away! If you have any guts, don't leave! You’re dead, you hear me!"

Saying this, he threw the brick to the ground, spun around, slammed the door open, and stood outside shouting hysterically in a loud, fake wail, "They're attacking people! Someone's being beaten to death!"

Chinese people love a spectacle. The yellow-haired man’s loud wailing immediately attracted a large crowd, many pointing fingers at him.

Li Yundong exchanged a look with Ziyuan and the others, and they calmly walked outside as well.

Soon, two men in urban management uniforms pushed through the crowd, demanding, "What's going on here?"

The yellow-haired man spotted the city management officers and instantly acted as if meeting long-lost relatives. "Officers, you’re here just in time! These people..." The yellow-haired man turned back, pointed at Li Yundong through gritted teeth, and spat out, "We walked into this shop, and this guy went crazy and started hitting me with a brick!"

Then he turned back, face twisted in sorrow toward the officers. "Officers, you must uphold justice for us!"

Li Yundong watched the speed of the yellow-haired man's transformation and couldn't help but admire it. It was a waste of talent not to act in movies; with him around, Huang Bo wouldn't even get a chance to shine!

The two city management officers didn't waste words after hearing the accusation and barked at Li Yundong, "Hey, you! Come with us!"

As they spoke, one of them actually pulled handcuffs from his waist.

Before Li Yundong could reply, Ruan Hongling burst into loud laughter. Hands on her hips, she pointed at the two officers and shouted, "Hey, you fakes! Can’t you even tell the difference between a city management uniform and a police uniform? City management doesn't carry handcuffs! Those are for police use. Don't you know anything?"

One officer’s face changed color. He shot a glare at the one holding the handcuffs. The man with the cuffs turned crimson, sullenly tucking them away. Angrily, he snapped at Ruan Hongling, "You assaulted someone in public! Come with us!"

The four thugs began to clamor, and the blood-soaked yellow-haired man adopted a look of imminent demise, as if he might breathe his last at any second.

Some onlookers, noticing Li Yundong's expensive attire and the line of beautiful women behind him, instinctively pegged him as a second-generation rich kid, fueling their latent resentment against the wealthy. Coupled with the agitation from the thugs and the city management officers, the crowd started to stir in protest.

The scene quickly descended into chaos and turmoil.

Li Yundong remained unruffled. He said to the two city management officers, "Ask them which brick I used to hit him?"

The officer glanced at the yellow-haired man. The man, who had been acting near-death moments before, suddenly snapped to attention. He pointed toward the brick inside the shop and yelled, "He used that brick to hit me! Look, there’s my blood on it! If you don’t believe me, test it!"

The officer commanded, "Quickly, go get that brick! We need to test the blood!"

Ruan Hongling sneered. "You actors are quite convincing! Truly, Eight Hundred City Managers Destroy the Japanese, Three Thousand City Managers Take Taiwan—what imposing figures you are!"

Su Chan also flared up at them. "He clearly hit himself! Why are you blaming us!"

As soon as she spoke, the Fox Zen Sect women erupted in protest. With so many beautiful women shouting together, it sounded like a lively chorus of hens, drawing an even larger crowd, now packed three layers deep—a true sea of people.

Li Yundong raised his hand, quieting Su Chan and the others. He smiled at Su Chan. "Go and pick up that brick."

Though confused, Su Chan obediently complied and went inside to retrieve the brick.

Li Yundong held the brick high above everyone’s heads and announced loudly, "Everyone look closely! This is the murder weapon they claim I used to injure him!"

Ruan Hongling was shocked when Li Yundong seemed to admit responsibility. "Hey, have you lost your mind? He clearly hit himself."

Ziyuan also frowned slightly and whispered, "Li Yundong, we cultivators shouldn't get entangled in this kind of trouble; it's too messy."

Li Yundong smiled faintly at them, signaling he was completely confident. He addressed the yellow-haired man. "Hey, look closely. Is this the weapon I used to injure you?"

The yellow-haired man was overjoyed to hear Li Yundong admit it. "Yes, yes, that's the brick! Everyone look, there's my blood on it..." In his excitement, he almost jumped up, but catching himself, he clutched his wound and began groaning in agony again, maintaining his dying act.

The two city management officers urged, "Since you admit it, and we have witnesses and physical evidence, you need to come with us!"

Ruan Hongling scoffed. "City management has quite the broad jurisdiction, hasn't it? When did they start doing the job of the police?"

One officer glared at her. "Say another word, and we'll take you too!"

Ruan Hongling had the temper of a fiery chili pepper and glared right back. "Fine! Come and arrest me then!"

Li Yundong smiled, signaling Ruan Hongling to restrain herself. He then raised the sturdy blue brick high above the crowd for all to see. "Everyone watch carefully. How could this brick possibly injure someone?"

Saying this, he rubbed the brick between his palms. Without any visible effort, the brick crumbled as if made of flour, dissolving into countless motes of dust.

This display caused an immediate uproar among the onlookers.

Wang Lingfei and Zou Ping, who had been watching from the periphery, sucked in a sharp breath. Zou Ping gasped in horror, "This man’s true essence is truly vast and refined! To crush such a solid blue brick into powder so effortlessly—no wonder he survived his confrontation with our junior brother's bolt of Heavenly Thunder unscathed! What skill! How terrifying!!"

Wang Lingfei was speechless, his face etched with shock, and a hint of dread flickered in his eyes.

Li Yundong lightly flicked the dust from his hands, clapped once, and pointed at the yellow-haired man and his group, shouting, "It's perfectly clear: these people are staging an extortion attempt!"

The eyes of everyone present instantly swiveled toward the yellow-haired man and his crew. Their gazes turned hostile, and many seemed ready to move.