The second target was Zhang Liang, no more than a five-minute drive from Ye Sen's house.
When Yao Ji knocked on Zhang Liang's door, Zhang Liang himself opened it.
"Yao Ji, why are you here so late? Who are these people?"
Zhang Liang was surprised, looking at Liang Liang and the others behind him with confusion.
"Yao Ji, come in and sit. What's the matter this late?"
Zhang Liang's father also appeared at the door, clearly familiar with Yao Ji.
Yao Ji walked with a limp, supported by Liang Liang as he entered the main hall. Afeng and the others stood guard at the entrance.
Zhang Liang was shocked: "Yao Ji, what happened to your leg?"
Yao Ji gave a wry smile: "Little Zhang, we've kicked a steel plate. Hurry up and apologize to these brothers, beg for their forgiveness."
"What do you mean?"
"Are you Zhang Liang?"
Yang Jian walked in from outside, still wearing a mask.
Zhang Liang asked in confusion: "Who are you?"
"Don't worry about who I am for now. I'm asking you, did you hit anyone this afternoon?"
Zhang Liang's expression changed drastically as he looked at Yao Ji: "What's going on? Who are they?"
Yao Ji shook his head at him: "Don't ask. Answer the question honestly, or the consequences will be severe. My fifth brother has already fled, and my Achilles tendon has been severed. I'll have to live with a cane for the rest of my life."
Zhang Liang's father stepped forward: "What do you want? Trespassing is illegal. Believe it or not, I'll call the police right now!"
"Uncle Zhang, stop it. What Zhang Liang did isn't that serious. Say a few nice words for them, and this can be resolved. If you call the police, Zhang Liang won't be able to move freely in the future."
Yao Ji had already witnessed the terror of these people and didn't want Zhang Liang to repeat his mistakes.
"Dad, step aside. I made a mistake today and need to take responsibility."
Zhang Liang was also good at reading the situation, knowing that these people were not to be trifled with. Even Fifth Lai Zi was scared away. If he didn't show the right attitude today, he wouldn't be able to resolve it easily.
Zhang Liang's father took a few steps back, and subtly grabbed a rake from behind the door. If these people were to lay hands on his son, he would retaliate without hesitation.
"Thump."
Zhang Liang knelt before Yang Jian: "Brother, I'm sorry. This afternoon, I followed Fifth Lai Zi in a vandalism incident and smashed an SUV. But I didn't hit anyone, not even once. Yao Ji can testify that neither he nor I laid a hand on anyone. I was wrong, and I'm willing to pay for the car repairs. Please let me off the hook."
His account was consistent with what Yao Ji had said, so he likely wasn't lying.
Yang Jian glanced at his father: "I'll believe you for now, but you'll have to come with us. After we find Gu Ning, we can verify if what you said is true."
"You can't take him."
Zhang Liang's father raised the rake, intending to stop Yang Jian from taking his son away.
Yao Ji quickly shouted: "Uncle, put it down quickly. These brothers are just and fair. Zhang Liang didn't hit anyone, so they won't make things difficult for him."
Zhang Liang also said: "Dad, I'll go with them. Since I did something wrong, I should bear the responsibility. If these brothers let me off today, I'll turn over a new leaf and promise not to associate with the underworld anymore."
Although his father was unwilling, he suppressed his impulse and watched his son being taken away.
Gu Ning's home was far from the town center, more than twenty kilometers away in Gujiawan. Yao Ji guessed that he hadn't gone home and asked Zhang Liang to call him.
"Gu Ning, I heard Yao Ji was taken away at the skating rink. Were you there?"
Zhang Liang dialed Gu Ning's number and asked tentatively.
"I was there. We kicked a steel plate today. Over forty of us were defeated by four masters, and more than twenty were injured. Yao Ji was also taken away. Fortunately, I ran fast and wasn't beaten."
"Do you know who they are?"
"I suspect it's Yang Jian. They offered a reward of twenty thousand yuan to find the whereabouts of Yao Ji and Fifth Lai Zi. It's likely related to us beating Yang Jian's sister this afternoon."
"What should we do? Will they come looking for us? Where are you? I'll meet you to discuss it."
Zhang Liang deliberately made his tone sound a bit panicked.
"I've already taken a taxi back to my hometown. Don't go to the town center for now. Yang Jian's people are too ruthless. I called Fifth Lai Zi, and he even got scared and said he was going to flee the area. "
"Should we also go out and hide for a while?"
"We'll talk about it tomorrow. We still don't know how Yao Ji is doing. We'll meet tomorrow, and if the situation is bad, we'll have to leave Xinhe."
"What about Ye Sen? I called him, but he didn't answer?"
"Ye Sen must be injured. He was very close to Yao Ji at the time and was caught off guard. He's probably in the hospital now."
"Alright then, see you tomorrow."
Zhang Liang hung up the phone and looked at Yang Jian.
"Very good, you performed well. If it's confirmed that you didn't hit anyone, I can let you off the hook. Let's go, to Gujiawan."
The debt is owed by the person who incurred it. Yang Jian didn't intend to bite indiscriminately like a mad dog. Zhang Liang was cooperative, so he could give him a chance.
The two cars drove straight to Gujiawan. Liang Liang also called his brothers in town to search the various hospitals for Ye Sen.
Gujiawan was truly vast. Yang Jian and his group drove into the village from the south and traveled nearly a kilometer before reaching the northern part of the village.
Gu Ning's house was at the northern end of the village, a two-and-a-half-story new building with three rooms. This was not uncommon in Gujiawan, indicating that his family was doing quite well.
Both Zhang Liang and Yao Ji had been here before and knew that Gu Ning's building had a back door. To earn merit, they both suggested that Yang Jian arrange for someone to guard the back door.
The cars drove directly to the main entrance of Gu Ning's house. There was an immediate reaction from inside, and the lights in all the rooms turned on.
Liang Liang took Yao Ji to knock on the door, but no one responded.
Soon, people started running out from various parts of the village. They were all men, ranging from fifteen or sixteen to forty or fifty years old. They were all carrying various farming tools, such as shovels, shoulder poles, pitchforks, and rakes.
It was clear that Gu Ning had tightly shut the main door and used the phone to notify the villagers to come and help.
More and more people arrived, not only blocking Gu Ning's main gate but also surrounding Yang Jian and his group in the courtyard. There were more than a hundred people, and the situation was becoming somewhat tense.
Yao Ji panicked. This situation was very bad and could easily lead to another chaotic fight. He didn't believe these villagers could pose any threat to Yang Jian and his group.
The four of them had beaten the more than forty young men they had gathered into a state of disarray. These hundred-plus people were equally vulnerable.
His leg was injured, and if a fight broke out, he would definitely be in trouble. He had to prevent the situation from escalating.
"Gu Ning, come out quickly. It's Yao Ji. Don't do anything foolish. If you escalate things, you won't be able to handle it. You won't even be able to afford the medical expenses."
Yao Ji shouted at the top of his lungs, hoping Gu Ning would recognize the situation. Since Yang Jian and his group dared to come, they were fully prepared. Moreover, Gu Ning had witnessed their combat effectiveness. Having the villagers fight them would be pure suicide.
The main door of Gu Ning's house opened at this moment, and the streetlights at the entrance also turned on. A burly man in his forties emerged, holding a shovel.
"Yao Ji, you are good brothers with our Gu Ning, yet you bring outsiders to cause trouble at my house. Don't blame me for being merciless. No one who has come here today will leave."