The Post-Apocalyptic Big Farm Owner

Chapter 36: Feng Xiaoyang

Li Ba’s heart skipped a beat. He turned to look: inside a pickup truck behind them, a Changmao-style man dressed like a triad thug was sticking his head out, pointing at the group blocking the road and cursing them out. “Feng Shao！” He could see clearly. Changmao was also a tenant at Zhou Yan’s place. A few nights ago, they’d watched a strip show together. “To dare stand up to this bunch—Changmao is definitely no ordinary guy!” Li Ba made up his mind, waved vigorously toward Changmao, and shouted, “Feng Shao! Feng Shao…” “Hey, buddy, it’s you!” Changmao had a great memory and recognized Li Ba at a glance. He glanced at the tricycle loaded with supplies, then at Zhao Bazhi’s crew, and immediately figured it out. “It’s that bastard Feng Xiaoyang!” Zhao Bazhi angrily flicked his cigarette butt to the ground and gave his men a nod, signaling them to shoo Li Ba away quickly to avoid any complications. “Baldy, get the hell out of here!” The guy who’d fired the shot earlier launched a flying kick at Li Ba. Li Ba sidestepped, and the guy couldn’t stop his momentum, tumbling straight into a small ditch by the roadside. “I’ll kill you!” The guy’s head was split open from the fall; furious and humiliated, he pulled out his gun, ready to take a shot at Li Ba. “You bastard, if you dare pull the trigger, I swear I’ll cut you into eight pieces—not a single one missing!” A gust of wind swept past. Before Li Ba could react, Changmao—who had been inside the car—had already appeared beside him, glaring menacingly at the guy in the ditch. The moment the latter saw him, his defiant expression vanished, replaced by a cowering look as he holstered his gun. “Feng Xiaoyang, are you planning to meddle in this?” Zhao Bazhi spoke slowly. Changmao patted Li Ba on the shoulder and said with a grin, “This guy’s my neighbor and my friend. Anyone who dares to give him trouble better ask me, Feng Xiaoyang, if I’ll let them!” His meaning was clear: he was definitely looking out for Li Ba today. In terms of numbers, Zhao Bazhi had the upper hand; in terms of firepower, his side was also stronger. But he dared not make a move. There was only one reason: the Feng Xiaoyang standing before him was an Evolver just like him—and a powerful Wind-type Evolver at that. This deal was off! After weighing his options, Zhao Bazhi decided to back down. There was no need for him to provoke Feng Xiaoyang and invite trouble. “Let’s go!” He shot Feng Xiaoyang a cold glance and turned on his heel to leave. Soon, Zhao Bazhi’s convoy drove off. Seeing this, Feng Xiaoyang gave a soft snort: “I’ll give you credit for knowing when to back down.” “Feng Shao, about what happened today… thanks to you. Thank you, thank you.” With the crisis averted, Li Ba thanked him while pulling out a stack of grain coupons—probably worth over a thousand jin—and shoved them into Feng Xiaoyang’s hands as a token of gratitude. Feng Xiaoyang glanced at them but didn’t reach out to take them. Smiling, he said, “It’s no big deal… I don’t need the grain coupons. Buddy, if you want to thank me, just treat my crew to a nice meal.” “No problem!” Li Ba wasn’t one to make a big deal out of things. He put the grain coupons away and called out to Feng Xiaoyang and his men, “I’m booking the whole place at the landlady’s restaurant tonight. I’m treating all you brothers to a feast—we won’t call it a night until we’re drunk!” “Thanks, Bald Guy!” “Hmm, if you treat us to another striptease show, that’d be even better!” Feng Xiaoyang had about twenty men under his command, all young guys, and at that moment they were beaming with excitement, cheering loudly. They were no strangers to Li Ba; just a few days earlier, thanks to him, they’d gotten to watch the “Sisters” put on a spectacular striptease performance. Amid the roar of car engines, the convoy slowly set off, heading toward their settlement. Back to the city. At the restaurant intersection, Feng Xiaoyang’s convoy took a side road leading to the Villa. He’d acquired quite a bit of supplies today that needed to be stored in the warehouse, and he planned to pick up a few brothers who’d stayed behind to join him for dinner. Li Ba headed to the restaurant first. As soon as his car pulled up, Zhou Yan, accompanied by Da Fang, Xiao Fang, and the “Sisters” Yan'er, came running over, calling out, “Why did this trip take so long?” They’d been stopped by Zhao Bazhi’s men, which had cost them quite a bit of time; it was already nearly eight o’clock. “There was a little trouble on the way, but luckily Feng Shao helped out… By the way, I’m treating them to dinner tonight. Yan Yan, stop unloading the cargo—hurry to the kitchen and prepare plenty of food.” “Okay.” Upon hearing this, Zhou Yan didn’t ask any further questions and led the “Sisters” to the kitchen to get to work. Yan'er went over to help as well. Li Ba, Da Fang, and Xiao Fang unloaded over five thousand jin of grain. Li Ba had been taking the Spatial Spirit Spring for a long time, which had strengthened his constitution and greatly increased his physical strength. Carrying three bags of grain at a time, and with the help of Da Fang and Xiao Fang, they quickly moved all the grain from the truck into the warehouse. Dafang and Xiaofang were panting from exhaustion. Li Ba, however, was full of energy, looking as if he hadn’t lifted a finger. “Li Ge, you’re really something,” Da Fang said with sincere admiration, giving him a thumbs-up. Li Ba laughed heartily and patted the two brothers on the shoulder. “When I get the chance, I’ll take you guys out of town for some training. After a few sessions, you won’t be so frail anymore!” Xiao Fang immediately nodded, “Sure!” Although Dafang was a little scared, he agreed wholeheartedly. Li Ba took note of this and nodded to himself. These two were worth nurturing—especially Xiao Fang, who would definitely become a valuable right-hand man once he grew up. He began to think about finding an opportunity to get a few bottles of Spatial Spirit Spring for the two of them to drink, to boost their physical constitution. One hero needs three allies! Rule Number Six of Post-Apocalyptic Survival: To make a name for yourself in the apocalypse, you must not only be strong yourself but also have a group of powerful allies. After unloading the cargo, Da Fang and Xiao Fang went to the kitchen to help out. Hearing their voices as they teased and played around with the twin sisters, Li Ba shook his head—these two really did seize every opportunity to flirt with girls. Zhou Yan owned twelve villas. She’d sold two, kept one for herself, had two standing empty, and rented out the rest. Of course, that included the one Li Ba was paying for in installments. Of the two villas that were sold, Feng Xiaoyang bought one. He had more than twenty men under his command and had formed a mercenary corps called the Wind God Mercenary Corps. In addition to buying one, he also rented two. Feng Xiaoyang may look like a rough-and-tumble thug, but he seems to be a man of good character. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have risked offending another mercenary group for Li Ba’s sake, stepping in to help when he saw injustice. Soon, Feng Xiaoyang arrived at the restaurant with a large entourage of his men. Li Ba hurriedly stood up to greet them and even took out two packs of “Great China” cigarettes, opening them to hand out a pack to everyone he met. His generous gesture left a very favorable impression on Feng Xiaoyang’s men. Feng Xiaoyang himself was equally impressed. While handing out the cigarettes, Li Ba noticed that Feng Xiaoyang’s group included several wounded men—some with broken legs, others missing arms, and some with fresh injuries. They were being supported by their comrades as they came in to eat. Seeing this, Li Ba nodded to himself. In the post-apocalyptic world, human life was worth the least—let alone that of the disabled. In other mercenary groups, anyone with disabilities would be immediately abandoned; they would never be taken in. A team with such compassion as Feng Xiaoyang’s was a rare sight these days. After sitting down, Feng Xiaoyang noticed Li Ba kept glancing at his injured comrades. He sighed and said, “They’re all my fellow disciples… Even though they’re disabled, no matter what, we have to give them a meal!” Li Ba nodded, a sudden thought crossing his mind. Feng Xiaoyang was a man of good character, so the brothers he’d brought with him couldn’t be all that bad. The Wind God Mercenary Corps itself was no pushover, as recent events had proven. If he could build a good relationship with the Wind God Mercenary Corps, it would be nothing but beneficial for him. With this in mind, Li Ba said to Feng Xiaoyang, “Feng Shao, I’m planning to open a supply store, and it’s set to open in the next few days… If your brothers are willing, they can come work as security guards at my store. The pay will definitely be good.” “Really?” Feng Xiaoyang’s face lit up with delight upon hearing this. That way, his injured brothers wouldn’t be left with nothing to do, which had been weighing on his mind. It would also lighten the burden on the team. Li Ba nodded with a smile. “Of course. Compared to the debt of gratitude I owe you for saving my life, this is nothing.” “Great.” Feng Xiaoyang was overjoyed. He tossed his long hair back, held out his hand, and exclaimed, “You’re a true friend. Today, I, Feng Xiaoyang, am making you my friend for life!” Li Ba extended his hand as well. The two clasped hands, both wearing smiles. Soon, the food and drinks were served. With so many people and so little time, Zhou Yan couldn’t keep up. So instead of stir-frying dishes, she simply brought out a hot pot. The broth was simmered from ham bones, seasoned with red chili oil, and topped with slices of ham and a few kinds of vegetables. It was a feast for the eyes, nose, and palate—the aroma alone was enough to make anyone’s mouth water. “The boss’s wife’s cooking is second to none!” Feng Xiaoyang gave a hearty compliment. Zhou Yan replied with a smile, “You know I’m a great cook, but I don’t see you coming by very often.” Feng Xiaoyang was at a loss for words and said somewhat sheepishly, “I’ve been a little short on cash lately, but I’ll definitely come by more often in a few days.” “That’s all that matters! Feng Shao, bring your brothers over and eat your fill today—we’ve got plenty of food and drinks!” Zhou Yan’s social skills were impeccable; with just a few words, she made everyone feel right at home. As she turned to head back to the kitchen, she casually gave Li Ba a subtle nod. Li Ba caught the signal, immediately stood up, and called out, “Beer just isn’t enough! Feng Shao, I’ll go grab a few bottles of baijiu—let’s really let loose tonight!” “That’s exactly what I wanted!” Feng Xiaoyang clapped his hands in approval. Once he went into the kitchen, the two sisters served the dishes, while Da Fang and Xiao Fang went to entertain Feng Xiaoyang’s friends. Only Zhou Yan was left, busy cleaning up the kitchen. Li Ba quietly walked up behind Zhou Yan and wrapped his arms tightly around her waist. “Why’d you call me over here?” he asked, leaning in to plant a kiss on her cheek. Ever since last night, the two had opened up to each other, sharing their secrets, and their bond had grown closer without them even realizing it. Li Ba regarded Zhou Yan as his woman. And Zhou Yan, in turn, had tacitly allowed Li Ba to get close to her. Although, so far, nothing more had happened between them. “You fatso, I’m talking to you about something serious!” Zhou Yan turned her head and shot him a disapproving glance, though her face was radiant with a happy smile. She then said, “Feng Shao is no ordinary guy. He’s an Evolver—and a very powerful one at that.” Li Ba nodded. He knew Feng Xiaoyang was no ordinary person either; otherwise, when it came to the gang that ambushed them today—with their overwhelming numbers and heavy firepower—no one else would have backed down and let such a juicy opportunity slip away. “I get what you’re saying.” Li Ba was a smart man. He knew that Zhou Yan had called him over to say this because she wanted him to win Feng Xiaoyang over. That way, with a powerful Evolver as a backer, it would save them a lot of trouble in the future. “Then there’s Shi Lei. Like Feng Shao, he’s also a psychic evolver. He leads a small group of men and has a strong reputation in the mercenary circles of the settlement.” “Shi Lei?” Li Ba scratched his head. The name didn’t ring a bell. It wasn’t until Zhou Yan reminded him that he realized this was the muscular guy who’d been bantering with Feng Xiaoyang during the show that night. “Both Feng Shao and Shi Lei are decent guys. In this post-apocalyptic world… mercenary teams like theirs are a rare find.” Zhou Yan began laying out a plan for him: befriending these two men would be like forming alliances with two mercenary teams. Though their numbers weren’t large, it would be enough to hold their own in the settlement. “You really are my right-hand woman!” Li Ba grinned as he leaned in, whispering softly into Zhou Yan’s ear, “Let’s find some time to have a ‘deep’ conversation and get to know each other better.” With that lecherous grin on his face, how could Zhou Yan not get the hint? Pretending to be angry, she shot him a withering glance: “Get lost!” Li Ba burst out laughing and left the kitchen.