Niu Chuang suddenly found it very funny because Ye Xiao appeared extremely slight of build. He thought Ye Xiao's gesture was akin to someone showing off their sword skills in front of Lord Guan himself.

However, three seconds later, Niu Chuang immediately realized something was wrong. He suddenly felt as if his hand was clamped by a pair of iron tongs, which were quickly tightening. At first, Niu Chuang was able to bear it, but, in the blink of an eye, he felt his hand bones about to break. In just over ten seconds, beads of sweat appeared on Niu Chuang's forehead, and his brows furrowed deeply.

Then Ye Xiao suddenly exerted force again, and Niu Chuang immediately felt as if his hand bones were about to snap, causing him so much pain that he had the urge to scream out loud. However, at that moment, Ye Xiao suddenly let go.

After all, Ye Xiao was there to rent a house and had already used force to teach Niu Chuang a lesson, so naturally, he couldn't go too far.

"Brother Niu, you're really strong and very enthusiastic," Ye Xiao said deliberately after letting go, shaking his hand as if it hurt.

The taxi driver immediately laughed out loud, looked at Ye Xiao, and said, "That's him showing mercy. Otherwise, your hand would have been ruined. Brother Niu, I know you love to compare strength with others, but look at this young fellow, so skinny. How could he withstand your power?"

Niu Chuang glanced at Ye Xiao, smiled awkwardly, and endured the agonizing pain in his hand. Niu Chuang was actually a simple person by nature. Because he was naturally stronger than others, he always liked to test his strength against others, often squeezing their hands until they cried out in pain before he would let go.

"Shall we go check out the house?" Ye Xiao asked with a smile, looking at Niu Chuang, "Brother Niu, are you okay?"

Niu Chuang quickly chuckled and said, "I'm fine, I'm fine."

The taxi driver also laughed and said, "I won't go. It's a good time to get fares now."

Niu Chuang said, "Then you go. I'll treat you to a meal some other day."

"Alright!" The taxi driver then drove off.

Seeing the taxi driver leave, Niu Chuang couldn't help but look at Ye Xiao with a bit of fear.

Ye Xiao looked at Niu Chuang, smiled faintly, and said, "I've spared you some face, but don't make me dislike you. Otherwise, never mind, let's just check out the house."

Though Ye Xiao spoke casually, Niu Chuang was utterly shocked hearing it. For some reason, he felt that this person in front of him was extraordinary, possibly capable of ruining him in a snap.

It was a strange feeling which puzzled Niu Chuang. Why would he feel this way? Clearly, it was not normal.

Ye Xiao and Niu Chuang went together to a dilapidated building with quite a few residents.

"Landlord Niu, it's not even the end of the month yet. Why are you here already?" a middle-aged woman said irritably upon seeing Niu Chuang.

Niu Chuang immediately said, "It's not the end of the month, and I'm not asking you for money."

"Damn it, you think I'd give it to you!" the middle-aged woman cursed without any concern for her image.

Niu Chuang was helpless. Even though he was usually fierce, facing women – and older ones at that – what could he do?

"Are you the landlord here?" Ye Xiao looked at Niu Chuang!

Standing next to Ye Xiao looking subservient, Niu Chuang nodded and said, "Yes!"

"Then why the agency fee?" Ye Xiao immediately raised an eyebrow.

"Agency fee? Oh, no need, no need. Just the rent will do," Niu Chuang said.

Clearly, Niu Chuang had intended to deceive Ye Xiao, but now someone had exposed his true identity, so he couldn't continue the deceit. If it were an ordinary person, Niu Chuang might still pretend to be fierce to intimidate them, but now he knew Ye Xiao was no ordinary person, not to mention his terrifying strength, which was incomparable.

Afterward, Ye Xiao and Niu Chuang went up to a vacant two-bedroom flat on the third floor.

The place had old sofas and beds and was obviously ready to be moved into immediately. Clearly, renting out houses was Niu Chuang's main source of income.

"Here's my rent for three months!" Ye Xiao said with a smile, "Do we need to sign a contract?"

"Let's do it tomorrow. You don't have to give me the money now; tomorrow would be fine too," Niu Chuang said.

Ye Xiao said, "I'll give it to you in advance. I'm very satisfied with the place. Oh, by the way, Brother Niu, is there a place to eat around here? I haven't finished my dinner; I'm a bit hungry."

Niu Chuang said, "Turn left outside, there are lots of street food stalls, you can go eat there!"

"Oh, have you eaten, Brother Niu?" Ye Xiao asked.

Niu Chuang, unsure what Ye Xiao was up to, shook his head.

Ye Xiao laughed heartily and said, "I'll be living here for a while, so I'll need Brother Niu's help a lot. Let me treat you to dinner tonight. I can't afford anything fancy, but something modest should be doable."

"Ah?" Niu Chuang was surprised to hear Ye Xiao's offer to treat him to a meal, which was unusual since most renters here were very frugal. Ye Xiao seemed quite generous, having just shelled out six thousand yuan and still willing to treat him to a meal.

Ye Xiao chuckled and said, "It's clear that Brother Niu is a genuine person. I like making friends with people like Brother Niu!"

Hearing this, Niu Chuang burst into laughter and said, "That's right, but Brother Ye, you're really strong, I must say. Honestly, my hand still hurts a lot!"

Ye Xiao said, "I'm young and didn't know my own strength, I hope you won't hold it against me!"

"How could I!" Niu Chuang immediately laughed and said, "Brother Ye, to tell you the truth, I really admire you. Today, my treat."

"How can I let Brother Niu pay! But let's not refuse each other any longer—let's find a place to fill our stomachs first!" Ye Xiao said with a smile.

Then, Ye Xiao and Niu Chuang left their residence and went to the place Niu Chuang had mentioned. Indeed, there were many food stalls there!

Ye Xiao and Niu Chuang settled down at a spot that wasn't too crowded. Niu Chuang was clearly a regular here, so as soon as they sat down, the stall owner laughed and said to Niu Chuang, "Strongman Niu, you're early today, same as usual?"

"Um, I have a friend with me today, so add something extra," Niu Chuang joked, standing up to start ordering food.

Niu Chuang was a real foodie. Why do I say this? Because in less than half a minute, he had picked four or five dishes, all high-calorie meat dishes, and he also loved to drink, so he ordered a bottle of cheap but potent Red Star Erguotou—it's not always the price that determines the taste of the booze.

After three rounds of drinks and a variety of dishes, Niu Chuang and Ye Xiao became much more comfortable with each other. Alcohol indeed played a vital part in social bonding.

Ye Xiao learned from Niu Chuang that his father had died early, and his mother ran off with someone not long after his father's death, leaving him to be raised by his grandparents. A few years ago, his grandparents passed away one after another, leaving Niu Chuang by himself. Fortunately, his grandparents left him a dilapidated building, though it was unclear when it was built. Now Niu Chuang's livelihood depended on this building, bringing in twenty thousand a month in rent. Niu Chuang, without parents or grandparents and not married, declared he had no intention of ever getting a wife. This attitude probably stemmed from the trauma of losing his mother so soon after his father's death.

"Brother Niu, don't be too pessimistic. I think you'll definitely find a good woman in the future who can spend a lifetime with you," Ye Xiao persuaded.

Niu Chuang scorned the idea and said, "Fuck that, women? They're just tools for release. When I feel like it, I just throw money in those women's faces."

Ye Xiao forced a bitter smile. Due to his family background, Niu Chuang had become quite cynical. After all, Niu Chuang was his landlord now, and Ye Xiao might be able to get a few more meals out of him, so he figured it was worth trying to talk some sense into him.

Just then, about three or four youths Ye Xiao's age were drinking, laughing, and chatting not far away.

"It's incredible. I tell you, the toughest guy around here is Sixth Master Wu. I heard that back in the day, he attacked the Poison Dragon Company alone one night with just a knife."

"The Poison Dragon Company? The company that used to be quite formidable around here a few years ago, but then I heard it got wiped out by Hong Company."

"Let me tell you, it was that Poison Dragon Company. When the Poison Dragon Company was at its peak, no one dared to confront them. It was suicide. But Sixth Master Wu, alone with a knife, killed three bosses of the Poison Dragon Company and even chopped off one arm of 'One-Eyed Dragon,' the boss of Poison Dragon Company. From then on, Sixth Master Wu became famous in the Jinling District. Later, the boss of Hong Company took notice of him, recruited him, and he soon wiped out the Poison Dragon Company. That was truly cool!"

"Sixth Master Wu is indeed badass. It's said he's also very loyal. If you could work under him, you'd die content."

"Haha, look at you, dreaming small. But seriously, if you want to hang around, you gotta go to the places overseen by Sixth Master Wu. Especially around here, no one dares to cause trouble in his territories."

"Absolutely! Absolutely!"

Ye Xiao was listening to these youths' conversation, not particularly concerned about Sixth Master Wu's past reputation, but rather he was intrigued by the name 'Wu Liu.'

Sixth Master Wu! Wu Laoliu!

Could there be a connection between the two?

Ye Xiao's purpose in coming to Bird City was to find Wu Laoliu. Setting aside the clues about his parents for now, Qin Yulu was still waiting in Minghai City for Ye Xiao to bring back a life-saving recipe.

So, hearing the name 'Wu Liu,' Ye Xiao perked up significantly!

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