Reborn in 72, I hunt to support my family and spoil my younger sister rotten.

These words caused the expressions on the faces of several people to change.

They clearly knew that Li Xiangyang was truly capable of killing.

After giving Dahai a slap, Li Xiangyang continued, "I only want to know one thing today. Who sent you here?"

Da Hai didn't speak, but his body visibly stiffened.

Li Xiangyang noticed that the other people exchanged glances.

Just then, hurried footsteps sounded from not far away, and someone shouted, "Xiangyang!"

It was Li Daqiang's voice.

Li Xiangyang felt a sense of relief, but the force in his hands did not lessen at all.

He knew the standoff was about to end, but the real trouble was just beginning.

"Speak!" he hissed. "Who is it?"

Da Hai gritted his teeth and said fiercely, "You're dreaming!"

Li Xiangyang's grip tightened as he continued, "What time is it? Is it worth it? If we arrest you all, don't you know what we'll do with you?"

Several people's expressions changed slightly, and Li Xiangyang pressed his advantage: "Even if I don't say anything, do you think the law enforcement bureau won't be able to find out who ordered it?"

"Hey guys, you're all still young, probably haven't even found wives yet. If you get three or five years in prison, who'll want to be with you when you come back? Back then..."

"Shut up!" Da Hai suddenly shouted, his voice trembling slightly.

Li Xiangyang knew he had touched a nerve.

In this era, labor reform was no joke.

Not only will you suffer, but your whole family will be implicated.

“Actually, I know who it is,” he continued, “but if you confess willingly…”

“I’ll tell your mother…”

Seeing that the crowd was wavering, Da Hai cursed fiercely and slammed backward.

Li Xiangyang was prepared. With a forceful push of his right hand, he firmly pressed Dahai down, while simultaneously pressing the dagger forward, causing a trickle of blood to flow down the blade.

"Want to die? I can easily grant your wish."

Li Xiangyang sneered and thrust the blade forward again.

This move stunned everyone.

Da Hai gasped in pain and dared not move again.

Everyone else froze in place, their eyes filled with fear.

"Speak! Who ordered it?" Li Xiangyang asked one last time.

At this moment, a tall, thin man, unable to withstand the pressure any longer, finally relented: "Brother Xiangyang, do you know what else we're supposed to say? Besides Sister Yang..."

"Did she send you to teach me a lesson?" Li Xiangyang asked.

“No…not entirely…” the tall, thin Sun Ermazi said in a low voice, “Brother Xiangyang, you really can’t afford to mess with this. You’d better back down. Sister Yang has connections in the county…”

"Shut up!" Da Hai spat fiercely. "Sun Er Mazi, you spineless coward! If we mess things up, we'll only be in jail for three to five years, but if we offend that person, our whole family will suffer!"

"Go on," Li Xiangyang's eyes grew even colder.

"Brother Xiangyang, don't ask who's behind Sister Yang. Just ignore everything I said!"

"Scared already?" Li Xiangyang sneered. "What are you chickening out for? Even if she has connections at the highest levels, if she wants revenge, she'll come after me. Do you think she'd dare challenge you?"

“That makes sense. Do you keep your word?” Sun Ermazi asked cautiously. “You really aren’t going to report it?”

"I, Li Xiangyang, mean what I say." Li Xiangyang's eyes were piercing. "I said I wouldn't report it, and I mean it, but you have to tell the truth."

Sun Ermazi swallowed hard. "Second Sister Yang is... she's Third Master Ma's mistress."

“Ma Laosan?” Li Xiangyang’s eyes narrowed.

"You know Third Master, that's good. Third Master owns several timber processing plants in the Xing'an Mountains. Working deep in the mountains and forests is much more dangerous, so working with Third Master is all about risking your life..."

"Alright," Li Xiangyang interrupted him, "I keep my word, you can all get lost."

With that, he released Dahai and threw the dagger onto the snow.

"Really...really let us go?" Sun Ermazi couldn't believe it.

"What?" Li Xiangyang sneered, "Want to fight again?"

The group breathed a sigh of relief and quickly turned to leave.

“Wait,” Li Xiangyang suddenly spoke up again, “Go back and tell Ma Laosan that I, Li Xiangyang, am upright and honest. If he wants to stand up for his mistress, then let’s talk openly.”

"If we're going to fight, let's fight in the sunlight. We're all going to hide in the deep mountains and forests anyway. If he manages to get someone to kill me, then I'm out of luck. Hiding behind my back and using underhanded tactics, threatening me with my family—that's not how a man behaves."

Sun Ermazi and the others exchanged glances and quickly left.

Just then, Li Daqiang and his men ran over.

"Xiangyang, you're just going to let them go like that?" Li Daqiang glared at the retreating figures in the distance, his voice trembling. "Damn it, how dare they bully people like this, I'll..."

Li Daqiang panicked and led his men to give chase.

"Wait a minute." Li Xiangyang grabbed his cousin.

"What's wrong?"

“Cousin, I know you mean well and are standing up for me, but what are you planning? To lead a group of people to their deaths? Don’t think that just because you have more people you’re stronger. Did you see them holding knives just now?” Li Xiangyang’s eyes were serious.

Li Daqiang was taken aback for a moment: "Holding a knife is just holding a knife, what's so special about that?"

"With greater knowledge, when you hold a knife, the tip will always be pointing forward. Not only will it be easier to knock it away, but in the dead of winter, the chances of you causing injury are slim."

"But they hold the knife with the tip pointing backward, gripping it in a reversed hand. Holding it that way reduces the chance of knocking it away and allows them to use maximum force."

"They're not from Yangjia Village. These people are just paid to do things; anyone who dares to brandish a knife like that has blood on their hands."

"Who...who could command someone like that?" Li Daqiang's voice trembled.

“Ma Laosan’s men,” Li Xiangyang said in a low voice, “they usually do life-threatening work in the mountains.”

Upon hearing this, Li Daqiang gasped. He knew all too well who Master Ma of Xing'anling was.

“So,” Li Xiangyang patted Li Daqiang on the shoulder, “letting him go is fine. No matter how arrogant Ma Laosan is, he still has to accept this favor. We can talk about it later. Otherwise, what if there's one problem after another? Do you really want me to have a blood feud with them?”

Only then did Li Daqiang notice the injuries on Li Xiangyang's body; blood had stained his cotton-padded coat. "Those bastards..."

"Alright," Li Xiangyang bent down to pick up the fish from the ground, "help me pick up these fish."

"You're in this state and you still care about the fish?"

"Of course, I came here to slack off anyway," Li Xiangyang said softly. "Besides, Xiaoyun wants to show off her cooking skills to my mother."

Li Daqiang wanted to say something, but seeing his cousin's calm profile, he swallowed his words and quickly helped pick up the fish.

As Li Xiangyang picked up the fish, he said to everyone, "Thank you all so much for today. Come to my house later for some fish, and I'll have Xiaoyun show off her cooking skills."

"That's great!" The young men immediately perked up.

"Xiangyang, your injury..." Li Daqiang was still a little worried.

"It's alright, I'm wearing thick winter clothes, the injury isn't serious. It's so cold, let's hurry back."

As he spoke, he reached out to lift the wooden bucket, but Li Daqiang stopped him, saying, "You're injured, let me do it!"

The group chatted and laughed as they walked back, as if the danger they had just faced had already passed.

However, the name Ma Laosan carried a heavy weight in Li Xiangyang's heart.

In this era of scarcity, how much skill would it take to open a timber processing plant?

That's not just a matter of money.

Without connections or resources, even if you were given a mountain of gold, you still wouldn't be able to open it up.

Not to mention that Ma Laosan was in a place like the Xing'an Mountains.

This is deep in the mountains and forests, where there are no roads. The fact that they were able to set up several timber processing plants shows that the transportation aspect alone is something that not just anyone could handle.

Li Xiangyang knew very well that Ma Laosan was already quite formidable, but what was truly terrifying was his future.

Now the choice is in their hands. If they really don't let it go, things might get complicated from here on out.

Of course, this possibility is extremely low.

Because Ma Laosan was no ordinary person, he was more receptive to what I said.