The sky collapsed, and in the blink of an eye, I found myself transported to Nanluoguxiang.

Before even reaching the second floor, Li Kaixin heard Zhou Zhiming and Wu Tian arguing.

He hurried up the stairs and saw several people gathered at the door of Du Ziteng's room.

"What's going on?" Li Kaixin pushed through the crowd and walked inside.

Zhou Zhiming, who was confronting Master Ma and his group, immediately felt like he had seen a savior.

"Master, you're finally back!"

Li Kaixin first glanced at Master Ma and the others, then looked at Zhou Zhiming's flushed face.

"Zhiming, what happened?"

Zhou Zhiming immediately pointed at Master Ma and said angrily:

"Master, this old bastard brought his men and forced Brother Teng to give them the mountain goods."

Upon hearing this, Li Kaixin's eyes darkened slightly, and he turned to look at Master Ma.

Master Ma felt uneasy under the stare, but he still forced a smile.

"Master Li, don't listen to your apprentice's nonsense."

"We're not refusing to pay, so this actually lightens the burden on this young Mr. Du, killing two birds with one stone."

As he spoke, he began to think he was right, and his voice became more assertive.

"Exactly! We're buying it with real money, not robbing it!"

A young apprentice behind Master Ma echoed his sentiments.

"Pay up?"

Zhou Zhiming was immediately enraged, and his voice rose considerably:

"Willing to spend two cents a pound? What's the difference between that and robbery?"

Master Ma's smile vanished, and he gritted his teeth, saying:

"Kid, I'm not talking to you, why are you in such a hurry? Young Master Du hasn't even said anything yet."

"Why should I be in a hurry? It's because Brother Ziteng is my brother."

Zhou Zhiming calmed down, stared into Master Ma's eyes, and said, word by word:

"You're just bullying their master because he's young, doesn't have any connections, and seems easy to take advantage of, aren't you?"

These words struck a nerve with Master Ma. His face immediately turned a deep purplish-red, and his lips trembled as he tried to retort, but he couldn't utter a single word for a long time.

The apprentice who had spoken earlier lowered his head and remained silent.

"Oh? Is that so?"

Li Kaixin, who hadn't said much until now, spoke up again.

His face was expressionless, and his gaze swept from Master Ma to the other masters behind him.

"Misunderstanding, misunderstanding!"

Unable to withstand the gaze, Master Hu gave an awkward smile.

"I'm just here to join in the fun, I absolutely didn't mean to force anyone."

"Yeah yeah!"

Another craftsman nearby quickly chimed in, "Since Brother Du is unwilling to sell, I'll take my leave now."

The remaining masters and apprentices exchanged glances. Fearing they might offend Li Kaixin, they all made excuses and slipped away.

Only Master Ma, who was at the head of the group, and his apprentice remained in the corridor.

Master Ma's face alternated between pale and flushed, and he stood there, unsure whether to leave or stay.

"Master Ma, is there anything else?" Li Kaixin asked in a flat tone, revealing no emotion.

"N-nothing's wrong!" Master Ma stammered. "We're leaving now, we're leaving now!"

After saying that, he grabbed his apprentice and turned to leave.

"Wait a minute," Li Kaixin suddenly called out to him.

Master Ma paused, then slowly turned around: "Master Li, is there anything else you need?"

"It's not really about giving orders."

Li Kaixin took a step forward, her voice calm and unhurried, "I just want to clarify a few things with Master Ma."

"Please speak, please speak, I'm listening."

Master Ma smiled apologetically, adopting an extremely humble posture.

Li Kaixin stared at him for two more seconds before speaking, "Master Ma, how many times has this happened?"

"What... what do you mean by this?" Master Ma's eyes darted around.

"Don't understand? Then let me count for you."

As Li Kaixin spoke, he walked step by step closer to Master Ma.

"The first time, you reported me to Director Xie, and I didn't hold it against you. This time, you brought people to block Du Ziteng's door and forced him to sell his mountain products."

He paused, his gaze slowly turning cold, "Do you think I have a good temper?"

"Master Li, you've really wronged me!"

Master Ma wiped the sweat from his brow. "I... I just came to ask. I really didn't mean to pressure Brother Du!"

"Besides, about tattling..."

"Stop making excuses!" Li Kaixin interrupted him, her face darkening.

"You probably inquired about me afterward, right? I hope this is the last time, otherwise..."

The words were not finished, but the meaning was already very clear.

"Understood, understood!" Master Ma nodded repeatedly. "Master Li, what about us?"

Li Kaixin didn't look at him again, and waved casually, signaling the two of them to leave quickly.

Master Ma felt as if he had been granted a pardon. He grabbed his apprentice and rushed downstairs without even looking back.

The corridor fell silent for a moment.

"Thank you, Master Li, Zhiming, and everyone else."

Du Ziteng looked sincere, his eyes slightly red:

"If it weren't for you guys today, I really don't know what I would have done."

"Brother Ziteng, what kind of talk is that?" Zhou Zhiming stepped forward with a smile and put his arm around his shoulder.

"What kind of relationship do we have now? Your business is my business, isn't it?"

That's right!

Wu Tian chimed in, "Besides, that Master Ma is clearly bullying people. How can we just stand by and do nothing?"

Qian Dazhuang didn't say much, but patted Du Ziteng's arm heavily.

Li Kaixin frowned slightly and asked in confusion, "By the way, where are Captain Wang and my master? Why didn't they show up?"

"Master, Captain Wang and the others went out after lunch."

Zhou Zhiming looked around and whispered, "They must have gone to fetch water from outside. None of the experienced workers at the station are here now."

Li Kaixin listened, nodded, and didn't ask any more questions.

It's common for experienced workers in the transport team to take advantage of this time to do some side jobs.

As for why he didn't bring the new trainees, it's probably because Captain Wang was afraid they might gossip and spread rumors.

"Come on, let's not stand in the hallway anymore, let's go back inside and talk."

Li Kaixin waved and turned to enter Du Ziteng's room.

Seeing this, Zhou Zhiming followed him inside and closed the door behind him.

After sitting down inside, Du Ziteng poured water for everyone, still feeling a little guilty.

"Master Li, today's incident has caused you to offend people as well."

"So what if we've offended them? What's there to be afraid of?"

Zhou Zhiming plopped down on the edge of the bed and said casually, "I really wouldn't be interested in someone like Ma."

"Zhiming is right."

Li Kaixin laughed and chimed in, "These kinds of people are bullies who prey on the weak. If you stand up for yourself, you'll be fine."

At this moment, Qian Dazhuang, who was leaning against the table, interjected:

"Kaixin, do you think Master Ma will go and tattle on us again?"

"Let him fight if he wants. Let's see if the station leaders will pay any attention to him." Li Kaixin took a sip of water, looking indifferent.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Zhiming and the others all laughed.

They all knew how important Li Kaixin was at the station; both Director Xie and the station chief had an excellent relationship with him.

Du Ziteng finally breathed a sigh of relief, and the gloom on his face dissipated considerably.

After chatting for a few more minutes, the group went back to their respective rooms.