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Chapter 11: Combination Technique
Chapter 11: Combination Technique
"Those three guys have always been at odds with us. If they find out about this, won't they laugh their heads off?"
"You mean, just the two of us?"
The shorty, Zhang Bing, opened his mouth wide.
"Or what?"
Li Wei looked at him.
Zhang Bing's lips moved a few times before he said, "But, if it's just the two of us..."
"What are you afraid of?"
Li Wei cut him off, "I didn't move earlier because I was worried he might have a knife on him besides the stick. Even if we both had knives, we'd definitely get hurt in a real fight."
"Yeah, yeah."
Zhang Bing nodded vigorously.
"I thought the same thing."
"So, why don't we just find two sticks?"
"Find two sticks ourselves?"
Zhang Bing was puzzled, clearly not understanding.
"Exactly, why can't we just have sticks if he has one?"
Li Wei's face broke into a smug smile.
"Given that we both have sticks, and he's alone while we're two, who do you think will win?"
"It has to be us!"
Zhang Bing didn't hesitate, and his eyes began to shine.
"What if that kid has a knife?" Li Wei continued.
"He'd have to get a chance to use it."
Zhang Bing laughed heartily.
"Exactly."
Li Wei's smile grew wider.
By then, we'll just beat him with dozens of strikes. What good is a knife then?
"If we go to those three, not only might they laugh at us, but we'd also have to split the money we take from that kid. Do you think that little bit of money can be divided among five people?"
"Brother Wei is right, I didn't think it through. Hehe."
Zhang Bing quickly lowered his head in acknowledgment.
Indeed, there's not much to be gained, and splitting it five ways? Who would want that! The two of us should be enough to handle one person.
...
As he neared home, Jiang Cheng indeed saw a figure sitting at his doorstep, looking out.
Seeing him, the old woman breathed a sigh of relief.
Jiang Cheng quickened his pace and approached the old woman, "Grandma, I'm back."
"Did you encounter any trouble on the way?" she asked with concern.
"No, just the cart was a bit heavy, and I worked up a sweat."
Jiang Cheng wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"Xiao Cheng."
At that moment, Chen Sao emerged from the neighboring house, glanced around, and whispered, "I heard from your grandma that you were using a short stick as a practice weapon last night and took it with you this morning?"
Her eyes showed deep worry.
Jiang Cheng wasn't surprised and smiled, "Yes, Chen Sao. I took it for self-defense, to scare off any small-time thugs on the way. But don't worry, Chen Sao, I'll just scare them and, if they don't back down, I'll just give them the money."
"It's good that you understand."
Chen Sao sighed, "Your elder brother was stubborn and refused to back down. He was injured by some thugs on his way back, and without enough medicine, he didn't last long..."
Her eyes welled up, and she sniffled, speaking earnestly, "In any case, remember, a wise man doesn't take unnecessary risks. Losing money and face is better than getting hurt or losing your life."
"Sure, I understand."
Jiang Cheng nodded repeatedly.
He felt a bit embarrassed inside.
He had only agreed outwardly.
On the way back, he had gotten into a conflict.
"Since you understand, I'm relieved. Go back, wash the sweet potatoes, and head to the street to sell them this afternoon."
Jiang Cheng agreed and pushed the tricycle into the house.
He took the sweet potatoes from the cart and placed them on the ground.
"Grandma, can you wash these sweet potatoes? I'll rest for a bit."
The old woman nodded and asked with concern, "If you're tired, I can go sell the sweet potatoes this afternoon."
"No, we agreed that I would do it from now on."
Jiang Cheng smiled.
The old woman smiled in understanding.
"Grandma, I'm going out for a bit."
"Be careful."
"I will."
Jiang Cheng stepped out the door, but instead of going elsewhere, he headed behind the mud-brick house.
Although the alleyways were interconnected, even the area behind the house wasn't a hidden spot. Still, there were significantly fewer passersby.
Jiang Cheng reached behind him and drew out the short stick.
It was still two hours until noon, and he couldn't waste this precious time.
He took a deep breath, and with a sudden downward chop, the short stick in his hand slashed.
Quickly following that, he executed an upward sweep with his dominant hand.
Then, he performed a horizontal sweep.
In a very short time, he completed a series of consecutive moves.
【Experience +2】
A line of information appeared on the panel.
"As I thought, my guess was right."
Jiang Cheng was overjoyed.
Compared to practicing basic moves in isolation, linking them together into combinations significantly increased the experience gained.
Moreover, in actual combat, combination techniques were even more powerful.
He checked the proficiency of the short stick.
A total of 300 experience points, he only needed to execute 150 combinations to reach the proficient level.
"Perhaps, in two hours, I can raise the short stick to the proficient level."
Jiang Cheng was brimming with confidence.
He performed the previous set of moves once more.
His experience increased by another two points.
To ensure the accuracy of his movements, he rested for a few seconds after each action.
Then, he repeated the sequence.
As his stamina depleted, the movements inevitably became distorted, and the rate of experience gain slowed.
The two hours passed quickly, and smoke rose from the chimneys of every household.
His own home was no exception.
"Grandma must be making lunch; it's time to go back."
Jiang Cheng glanced at the panel.
【Short Stick: Entry Level (202/300)】
"If I had another hour or two, it would be perfect."
Jiang Cheng felt a bit regretful.
But as the saying goes, sharpening the knife won't delay the cutting of wood.
After having a meal and a short rest, his accuracy would improve.
After lunch, he needed to roast a batch of sweet potatoes and head to the street to do business.
Fortunately, no matter what, before returning today, raising the short stick to the proficient level was a sure thing.
He put away the short stick and headed towards the entrance of his home.
"You're back?"
The elder, hearing the familiar footsteps, smiled at Jiang Cheng. "Lunch is almost ready, let's eat."
"Okay, good."
Jiang Cheng smiled.
The meal was simple—an egg custard and stir-fried vegetables.
These vegetables were grown in front of every household, but due to limited space, not many could be planted. Having enough for the family was already good.
The elder sighed and said, "We're out of eggs, Xiao Cheng. When you return in the evening, buy some from the street, okay?"
"I will, Grandma."
Jiang Cheng replied.
Eggs weren't cheap.
They cost 25 yuan per pound.
A pound of eggs usually had 7 to 10 eggs, so each egg cost 2 to 3 yuan.
This was the most common meat dish for most families in the civilian area.
"Mhm."
The elder nodded, picked up some vegetables with her chopsticks, and put them in her bowl.
"Grandma, you should eat some of this too."
Jiang Cheng scooped a spoonful of egg custard into the elder's bowl.
"I won't eat this, you eat it, you eat."
The elder was startled, then tried to put the egg custard and rice into Jiang Cheng's bowl.
Jiang Cheng was quick, and he held his bowl and moved aside.
The elder looked at Jiang Cheng, then at the bowl of egg custard, and sighed. "Xiao Cheng, I know you mean well, but don't do this again. You're growing, and you need more meat and fish. Grandma doesn't need it, understand?"
Jiang Cheng fell silent.
Feeling a pang of sadness, he secretly vowed to let Grandma live a better life, starting with the freedom to eat eggs.
(End of Chapter)
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