Tonight in Rongjin City, a drizzle fell from the sky, casting a damp chill over the southwestern region. While not blanketed in heavy snow like the north, the cold and wet climate still pierced to the bone. Coupled with the peak of various natural disasters, the streets were unusually deserted, rendering the entire city eerily desolate.

At this moment, Haoyun was walking along the banks of the city's moat with a gloomy expression, attempting to numb his melancholy mood with the cold winter rain and biting wind. Picking up a small stone, he walked to the edge of the river and flicked it onto the water's surface. Watching the stone create a perfect series of ripples, his troubled mind seemed to ease slightly. So, Haoyun prepared to pick a few more stones from the bushes behind him and cast them into the river to release his pent-up emotions.

But as Haoyun strode into the bushes, he suddenly felt a softness underfoot, as if he had stepped on something. A foul odor wafted up, instantly alerting him to trouble. Hastily bending down to inspect, he found his right foot squarely planted on a steaming pile of excrement. What made matters worse was that judging by the soft sensation underfoot and the fresh smell, Haoyun could ascertain that this was a freshly produced pile!

"Good Lord, this is disgusting!" Haoyun lamented. "Who has no shame? How dare they defecate in public under broad daylight?"

"Hmm, that spicy potato seller must have a problem! It must be his potatoes gone bad! Ah! I shouldn't have indulged in cheap street food out of greed! That damn guy, I hope I never run into him again! Otherwise, I'll kick his ass!" At that moment, a slightly pained voice emanated from a row of small trees not far from the bushes. Following it, a white-haired, slightly hunched elderly man, about five and a half feet tall, emerged rubbing his stomach with discomfort.

"Hey! You disgusting fellow! How could you relieve yourself anywhere like that? I stepped right into it! Look at my shoe, it's brand new!" Haoyun attempted to scrape the excrement off his shoe while cursing at the old man.

Although reprimanded by Haoyun, the old man's face flushed red, he didn't forget to defend himself. "Hey, where did you see me relieve myself? I only did it in the bushes! I'm not without decency! I just didn't expect the urgency of nature's call to be so intense, so I couldn't hold it and had to relieve myself here without anyone around."

With that, the old man raised his chin at Haoyun, as if expecting praise for his explanation.

Haoyun, generally a gentle person, was not inclined to argue with others. However, seeing the elderly man's blatant attitude and refusal to apologize, but instead, retorting vigorously, he felt his anger ignite. "So, you think it's justifiable to relieve yourself wherever you want? Those bushes are still public property, and defecating there is no different from doing it elsewhere!"

"What—What do you want?" The old man asked somewhat nervously. At the same time, he had already fastened his pants and was ready to leave the scene.

"Oh—? Stop right there! Where do you think you're going? You've dirtied my shoe, and it's ruined now! You owe me for my shoe! It was brand new!" Haoyun immediately grabbed the old man, preparing to demand an explanation.

Upon hearing that he would need to compensate, the old man widened his eyes and pointed at a warning sign stuck in the bushes, shouting, "Young man, why are you so hot-tempered? I didn't do it on purpose, did I? I only relieved myself in the bushes because I couldn't hold it anymore! You didn't obey the rules yourself and insisted on coming here. Don't you bear any responsibility?"

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

Haoyun, in his frustration, attempted to hurl a stone at the old man. However, instead of finding a stone, he noticed his shoe, still smeared with excrement. So, gritting his teeth, he directly threw the shoe at the old man. The old man, seeing this, stepped forward and smoothly dodged the foul shoe with a classic "bullet-time" move. Then, taking advantage of the motion, he swiftly lowered his center of gravity, pivoted on his rear foot, and with a powerful kick, he charged towards Haoyun.

Seeing the old man executing a set of fluid movements, Haoyun realized that the old man facing him might be a skilled martial artist. Instinctively, Haoyun crossed his arms in front of his chest and asked with a hint of fear, "What do you want in broad daylight?"

Looking at Haoyun's somewhat intimidated demeanor, the old man smiled mischievously and said, "What do I want? You, young man, threw your feces-covered shoe at me. You're disgusting!"

With another step forward, the old man, seizing Haoyun's arms, began forcefully pushing him towards the riverbank. "You annoying fellow! Did you not find me dirty enough? Then let me send you for a refreshing swim in the river! Young man, don't be so—Oh!" The old man, still in the midst of lecturing Haoyun, suddenly felt the young man's body lose its center and fall backward. As Haoyun unexpectedly lost his balance and fell backward, the old man, due to his proximity, failed to halt the forward momentum in time, resulting in both of them tumbling into the arms of the larger, young man and into the river.

Two dull splashes echoed in the silent night, followed by Haoyun's cries for help: "Help, help! I can't swim!"

The old man, who fell into the water together, stretched his neck above the surface and shouted, "Help, help me!"

The scene was chaotic. Luckily, a passing couple happened to rescue the two from the river just in time. Due to the cold weather, they promptly called for an ambulance, which took Haoyun and the old man to the hospital for examination.

Fortunately, both of them were quickly rescued from the water and suffered no major injuries. However, their clothes were thoroughly soaked. Therefore, the kind nurse provided them with two hospital beds and changed them into hospital gowns, allowing them to rest in the hospital until their clothes were dried and they could leave.

In a public relations ward, the two sat face to face on their beds, wearing expressions of discomfort as if wearing masks of pain. Through Haoyun's efforts to recall, he realized that the culprit causing him to lose his balance and fall into the water was the excrement left by the old man in the bushes.

Due to the scuffle with the old man on the excrement-covered grass after removing his shoes, Haoyun's bare feet were covered in mud mixed with excrement and grass. Additionally, the continuous drizzle made the riverbank's flagstone path unusually slippery. Under these circumstances, when forced to retreat due to external force, Haoyun, lacking traction underfoot, found it difficult to maintain his balance.

As it turned out, possibly due to Haoyun's tall stature and long legs, or perhaps because the construction team responsible for the moat's railing had cut corners, resulting in the railing being only just high enough to reach Haoyun's hips, the railing failed to provide effective protection. When Haoyun was pushed back against the railing, he lost his balance due to the slippery ground, causing both him and the old man to tumble into the river amidst their screams.

The bone-chilling water had thoroughly cooled Haoyun's temper. Wiping his still-damp hair, he sighed helplessly, "Sigh! Others have fortune fall from the sky, but for me, it’s misfortune. What bad luck, such terrible luck recently!"

Hearing the word "luck," the previously dazed old man's eyes suddenly brightened. He jumped onto Haoyun's bed and nudged him with his elbow, asking, "Bad luck? How so? Why don't you tell me? Let me have a laugh too!"

Haoyun looked at the old man with utter disbelief. This guy seemed to have completely forgotten their recent fight by the river and now, shamelessly, wanted to hear about Haoyun's misfortunes. Was this old man out of his mind? Haoyun couldn't help but wonder.

However, considering the old man's previously demonstrated martial skills and unusual strength, Haoyun didn’t dare to provoke him further. Moreover, since the old man wasn’t bringing up their earlier altercation, Haoyun decided not to argue either. After all, their earlier scuffle had surprisingly helped Haoyun release some pent-up frustration, making him feel considerably better.

Maybe this was a blessing in disguise, Haoyun thought, glancing at the old man's somewhat split-personality demeanor. Nonetheless, Haoyun understood that venting to someone when feeling down could be an effective way to relieve stress. Especially since the old man was a stranger he would likely never meet again, there was no pressure or worry.

After all, the old man just wanted a laugh. Even if he gossiped about it later, Haoyun wouldn’t be concerned about these stories reaching his acquaintances' ears. So, Haoyun opened up, recounting the series of unfortunate events he had recently experienced to the old man.