I chose one of four options at the start, and I chose the number one clan in Lingnan.

Two iron-hulled boats, fully loaded with river sand, did not slow down. Their diesel engines roared deafeningly as their bows crashed directly into the wooden boardwalk of Wangjiacun Wharf.

Several loud "crack" sounds were heard.

The sturdy wooden stakes were broken, and planks flew through the air. Water splashed more than two meters high, wetting the muddy bank.

The sand-carrying vessel came to a stop.

Lin Fei was shirtless, with a steel pipe slung over his right shoulder.

He grabbed Wang Hai's hair with his left hand and jumped off the two-meter-high deck, landing firmly on the muddy ground.

He threw Wang Hai forward. Wang Hai rolled twice in the mud and water, then lay on the ground unable to get up.

Immediately afterwards, fifty loyal men jumped off the boat one after another.

They were in pairs, each dragging a thug from Wangjia Village along.

Those arrogant water ghosts on the river have now all had their limbs broken, and they don't even have the strength to scream anymore.

Zhongtang's men threw these dozens of people onto the open ground of the dock like they were tattered sacks.

People piled on top of each other, forming a small mountain.

Blood mingled with the river water, staining the entire dock area red. The commotion alarmed the entire Wangjia Village.

A dense crowd of people emerged from the dirt road in the village. Men, women, and children all came out, numbering two or three hundred.

They were carrying hoes, shovels, butcher knives, and some even had sharpened bamboo poles.

"Who dares to cause trouble in Wangjia Village!"

"Kill them!"

The crowd rushed to the dock, cursing and swearing.

Leading the group were a few hot-blooded young men. They had just rushed out of the crowd when they abruptly stopped.

They saw the group of people on the ground.

The hundred-odd most formidable water ghosts of Wangjia Village were all lying prone in the mud. Wang Hai, his face covered in blood, knelt at the very front.

Let's look at the other side.

Fifty men from the Lin family stood in two rows, all shirtless, carrying thick steel pipes in their hands.

Each person's muscles bulged like stones, and their bodies were covered in splattered blood.

The people of Wangjia Village panicked. Their hands, holding shovels, trembled, and no one dared to take another step forward.

Lin Ting stepped onto the prepared wooden planks and slowly walked off the sand-carrying boat.

There was a half-person-high bluestone pier by the dock. Lin Ting walked over and sat down with an air of authority.

He pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, took one out, and put it in his mouth.

The crew-cut young man stepped forward, used both hands to light the fire, and helped Lin Ting light it.

Lin Ting took a drag, exhaled a puff of smoke, and looked at the two or three hundred villagers from Wangjia Village in front of him.

The people of Wangjia Village parted to form a path.

An elderly man with gray hair walked out, leaning on a cane. This was the village secretary of Wangjia Village, and also the most senior clan elder.

The old man looked at Wang Hai on the ground, his beard trembling with anger.

He pointed his cane at Lin Ting: "Great-grandfather Lin! You've gone too far! You've injured so many of our people, you won't be leaving this village today!"

The old man turned and shouted at the villagers, "Men of Wangjia Village! Grab your weapons and attack! Let's fight them!"

The villagers gripped their farm tools, ready to surge forward.

Lin Fei made a move.

He took three big steps forward, swung the steel pipe in his hand, and exerted force from his waist.

The thickened seamless steel pipe slammed heavily against a mooring stone next to the old man, accompanied by the sound of wind.

"Bang!"

The solid stone tablet was smashed in half, with the upper half flying five or six meters away.

A piece of gravel struck the old man's thigh. He screamed, his legs went weak, and he collapsed onto the muddy ground, dropping his cane.

Lin Fei held the steel pipe in one hand and pointed at the crowd in front of him.

"Anyone who dares to touch this stone will suffer the same fate," Lin Fei said.

The villagers of Wangjia Village were terrified. To smash a stone tablet in half with a stick—was this even human?

The young men in the front row threw down their bamboo poles and frantically backed away. The crowd huddled together, creating chaos.

Lin Ting sat on the blue stone pier and flicked off his cigarette ash.

"Wang Hai led his men to stretch iron chains across the river to block my boat." Lin Ting looked at the old man on the ground. "He demanded 100,000 yuan in toll fees from me and injured more than a dozen young men from my Lin family."

The old man sat in the mud, his lips trembling, unable to utter a single word.

Lin Ting stood up.

He walked up to Wang Hai. Lin Fei kicked Wang Hai in the back, slamming him into the mud.

"I'm here today to do two things," Lin Ting said. "First, collect the debt. Second, establish the rules."

Wang Hai raised his head and spat out a mouthful of blood. He gritted his teeth and stared intently at Lin Ting.

"Lin Ting, if you have the guts, kill me today! If you don't kill me, the people of Wangjia Village will haunt your Lin family even in death!" Wang Hai shouted at the top of his lungs.

Lin Ting raised his right foot.

The sole of Lin Ting's leather shoe stomped on Wang Hai's right cheek. He then pressed down hard, crushing Wang Hai's face into the mud.

"To become a ghost?" Lin Ting looked down at him. "I'm not afraid of you when you're alive, so what's the point of you being dead?"

Lin Ting increased the pressure on his feet. Wang Hai's cheekbone cracked, and he thrashed his hands in pain.

"From today onwards, this stretch of the Tazhai River belongs to the Lin family." Lin Ting's voice echoed across the dock.

"No one from Wangjia Village is allowed to go into the water. Anyone who dares to go into the water will have their boat smashed. The rules on this river are set by the Lin family."

Lin Ting moved his foot away.

Wang Hai was panting heavily, his face covered in mud.

"Kneel down. Admit your mistake," Lin Ting ordered.

Wang Hai stubbornly refused to lower his head, his hands braced on the ground.

Lin Fei walked over and planted the end of the steel pipe directly on the back of Wang Hai's left hand. Lin Fei gripped the steel pipe with both hands and pressed down hard.

Wang Hai's hand was pressed hard against the gravel, causing his skin to break open.

"Ah!" Wang Hai let out a bloodcurdling scream, like a pig being slaughtered. His last shred of dignity was utterly crushed.

"I'll kowtow! I admit my mistake!"

Wang Hai lay prone on the ground, his forehead slamming heavily into the muddy water. He kowtowed three times.

"Grandpa, I was wrong. This river will belong to the Lin family from now on, and Wangjia Village will never go into the water again," Wang Hai shouted as he kowtowed.

The two or three hundred villagers of Wangjia Village all lowered their heads as they watched this scene. No one dared to refute it, no one dared to utter a sound.

The people of Wangjia Village were completely subdued by the Lin family.

Lin Daqiang lay down next to a broken wooden boat.

He watched Wang Hai kowtow, and was so frightened that his crotch became soaked with a large patch of yellow liquid that flowed onto the muddy ground and smelled of urine.

Lin Ting turned his head to look at him.

Lin Daqiang scrambled over and grabbed Lin Ting's legs tightly with both hands.

"Grandpa! Grandpa, I was wrong! I was confused for a moment!" Lin Daqiang's face was covered in snot and tears.

"I am a member of the Lin family! Lin blood flows in my veins! For the sake of our shared clan, spare my dog's life!"

Lin Ting finished his last puff of cigarette.

He flicked his cigarette butt onto Lin Daqiang's forehead. The sparks burned a blister.

"You colluded with people from other villages to cut off the Lin family's livelihood." Lin Ting looked at him. "The Lin family has 100,000 mouths to feed, and you've ruined the entire clan's source of income."

Lin Daqiang kowtowed desperately, causing his forehead to bleed profusely.

"According to the Lin family rules, anyone who betrays their own family will have one hand crippled," Lin Ting said.

Lin Ting kicked Lin Daqiang's hand away and turned to walk towards the sand-carrying ship.

Lin Fei stepped forward and stepped on Lin Daqiang's right wrist.

Lin Daqiang struggled frantically, trying to push Lin Fei's leg with his left hand. Two men from Zhongtang walked over and held his shoulders down tightly.

Lin Fei raised the thickened steel pipe and aimed it at Lin Daqiang's right hand fingers.

It slammed down hard.

A dull thud echoed as bones shattered. Lin Daqiang's right hand was smashed into a mangled mess.

He screamed in agony, his eyes rolled back, and he fainted instantly.

"Back to the village." Lin Ting walked onto the deck.

Fifty loyal men turned and boarded the ship.

The sand-carrying ship sounded its horn. Its bow parted the waves, and it swaggered away from Wangjiacun Wharf.

The villagers of Wangjia Village on the shore watched the departing boat and collapsed to the ground.

The next two weeks.

The Tazhai River was calm. All the boats from Wangjia Village had been towed ashore, and no one dared to set up roadblocks on the river to collect money anymore.

The Lin family's three sand quarries operate day and night.

Large light bulbs hung throughout the factory area, illuminating the riverbank. Excavator buckets swung up and down, and conveyor belts spun continuously.

One after another, sand-carrying ships loaded with Heihe River sand sailed downstream, transporting goods smoothly to construction sites in the county town.

Tazhai Town began to make a lot of money.