Chapter 2175: 496: The Bond of Blood 4

Capítulo 2175: Chapter 496: The Bond of Blood 4

When it came to hardware and tools, Wang Yue didn’t know the first thing about them, so he could only keep his answer vague.

Yang Cancan, however, knew her inventory inside and out. She immediately started her sales pitch: “If you’re doing renovations, you’ll probably need…”

As Wang Yue listened to her run through the list, his mind was busy constructing several possible backstories:

Maybe the Yang family focused on “tempering the heart in the red dust,” so they sealed her cultivation and sent her into the marketplace for life experience?

Or maybe the branch his second aunt married into lost power during a family struggle and was kicked out?

Or perhaps his second aunt, unwilling to accept her arranged fate, fled the Yang family but refused to return to the Su family that had abandoned her, choosing instead to marry a commoner in Kaifeng?

…

Among all the theories, only the first one was relatively positive; the others were pure “persecution complex” territory.

It was no wonder Wang Yue thought this way. In his mind, his second aunt was the ultimate figure of a persecuted victim. But if any of those latter guesses were true, then who sent the secret force that had been protecting the three families in Jinling?

This made Wang Yue even more curious.

Clang!

A loud crash broke Wang Yue’s train of thought. Yang Cancan had dropped a pile of iron tools in front of him, glaring at him as she snapped, “Do you want these or not?”

Yang Cancan was fuming. This guy looked honest enough, but ever since he stepped into the shop, his eyes had been anything but. He’d been staring at her non-stop—he was probably here just to cause trouble.

“Oh.” Wang Yue realized he’d been rude. He quickly said, “I’ll take them all. How much?”

“All of them?” Yang Cancan was now certain he was a troublemaker. To scare him off, she had intentionally thrown in several oversized pieces of equipment that had absolutely nothing to do with home renovation.

Let’s see how you handle this, she thought with a cold smirk as she quoted him a high price for the pile.

Without even looking, Wang Yue scanned the QR code and transferred the credits. He then tried to make conversation again: “Also, I need a few more things.”

Seeing that he had actually paid, Yang Cancan realized she might have misjudged him. Her tone softened considerably. “What else do you need?”

Instead of answering, Wang Yue asked, “Are you the only one working in this shop?”

“Isn’t that obvious? This tiny shop barely keeps the lights on; you think I can afford to hire people and pay wages?” Yang Cancan said bluntly.

“Even if you don’t hire anyone, don’t your parents or family come by to help out?” Wang Yue prodded.

“I can handle it myself.” Yang Cancan’s tone turned sharp again. “Look, do you actually want something else or what?”

“Yes, of course,” Wang Yue said quickly. “I just meant that if you’re alone, who looks after the shop when you go out for deliveries?”

“You hire a delivery company for that.” Yang Cancan looked at this ordinary-looking man as if he were an alien. It was one thing not to know tools, but not knowing how delivery services worked? Was this guy a time traveler?

Wang Yue let out a dry cough to cover his embarrassment. He looked at the pile of tools on the floor. Unless he stashed them in his spatial ring, there was no way he was carrying them down the street. He needed her to deliver them.

But where would he have them sent? Any address he gave would blow his cover.

Since he was now almost certain she was his cousin, Wang Yue decided to stop beating around the bush. He suddenly asked, “Forgive me for asking, but is your mother’s maiden name Su?”

“How do you know that?” Yang Cancan gasped.

She’d been running this shop for two years and had a decent relationship with the neighbors, but she never spoke about her family. Her neighbors didn’t even know who she lived with. For this stranger to not only know she had a mother, but know her mother’s surname, was terrifying.

Before Wang Yue could explain, four figures swaggered into the shop—four young men dressed like typical street punks.

The leader of the group didn’t even look Yang Cancan in the eye. He just scanned the shop with a sideways glance and sneered, “Yang Cancan, it’s time to pay this month’s protection fee!”

Yang Cancan flew into a rage. “I’ll pay you with your mother’s pussy! Get the hell out of here!”

The four thugs were stunned. They collected protection fees on this street and had never been talked to like that. Even with Yang Cancan, though they never actually got money from her, she usually played along with their charade for appearances. It was a silent understanding between them.

They never expected her to stop cooperating and start hurling insults.

Those insults had definitely reached the ears of the neighbors. Thugs like them lived and died by their “reputation.” Big bosses might give up face for profit, but bottom-tier punks would give up everything for face. If they let Yang Cancan kick them out publicly, they’d never be able to collect from the other shops again.

“Oh, giving us attitude, are you?” the leader roared, his face turning red. “Boys, wreck this piece of shit shop!”

The thugs moved instantly. One grabbed a wooden mop from the doorway, flipping it around to use as a club.

Yang Cancan let out a war cry, snatched up an oversized wrench, and charged them.

Wang Yue’s first instinct was to step in, but he stopped himself, watching with interest. He realized that while Yang Cancan wasn’t a formal martial artist, her strength and speed were at the absolute peak of what a normal human could achieve. She was one step away from entering the ranks of true martial artists.

That kind of strength wouldn’t work against a pro, but against these punks? Forty of them wouldn’t be able to touch her.

Just as he predicted, Yang Cancan made quick work of them. Within seconds, the four thugs were bloodied and scrambling out the door.

She didn’t chase them. She just stood at the entrance and screamed after them, “You sons of bitches! Trying to bully me? Get back to your mothers’ pussies and don’t come back out, or I’ll beat you every time I see your faces!”

Wang Yue felt a cold sweat. He hadn’t expected the girl who was likely his cousin to be this fierce and foul-mouthed.

After chasing them off, Yang Cancan turned back to Wang Yue, her eyes still murderous. She gritted her teeth and asked, “Alright, spill it. What else have you dug up? Fine, I’ll pay your damn protection fee, but if you dare harass my mom, I’ll hunt you down until one of us is dead!”

Wang Yue was stunned. She thought he was with the thugs, and that his mention of her mother’s name was a veiled threat. Those guys really had terrible timing.

“Don’t get it twisted,” Wang Yue explained quickly. “I’m not with them, and I’m not threatening you.”

Yang Cancan didn’t say a word. She just kept glaring at him.

Seeing she didn’t believe him, Wang Yue had to tell the truth. “If I’m right, your mother is my aunt.”

“Huh?” Yang Cancan gasped. She had expected him to make up some excuse, but she never expected him to try and claim they were related.

“My mom doesn’t have any sisters,” Yang Cancan said coldly after a moment. She wasn’t falling for such a ridiculous lie. As far as she knew, her mother had no siblings and no family of her own.

“Then take me to see her. We can clear this up once she sees me,” Wang Yue said.

Yang Cancan’s guard went right back up. She sneered, “You just want to find out where I live. You think I’m stupid enough to fall for that?”

Wang Yue sighed. “I told you, I’m not with those guys. Do I really look like a debt collector to you?”

“You don’t just look like one, you are one!” she snapped. “Now get lost before I get nasty!”

Wang Yue sighed and suddenly reached out toward her shoulder.

Yang Cancan’s brows knitted as she tried to dodge, but before she could even move, his hand was firmly on her left shoulder. The moment he touched her, her entire body stiffened. She found herself unable to even move a finger.

“Do you really think a man with my skills needs to play games with you?” Wang Yue asked, letting her go.

“You’re a martial artist?” Yang Cancan asked, her face pale with disbelief.

“I am,” Wang Yue nodded. “So, do you believe me now?”

Yang Cancan went silent. Thinking about it, she really didn’t have anything a martial artist would want. She had no money, and as for her looks, she walked around looking like a grubby tomboy—no one would ever mistake her for a “beauty.”

Still, his story was bizarre. A relative she never knew existed?

“You don’t need to doubt me,” Wang Yue continued. “Look at it this way: if I had bad intentions, I could just tail you home in secret. With my strength, you’d never notice. Unless you plan on never going home again.”

Yang Cancan nodded reluctantly. He had a point. But she still gave him a fierce look. “Fine. I’ll take you to see her. But if you try anything, I don’t care how strong you are—I will fight you to the death.”