https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-12-Is-This-Something-People-Eat-/12971010/
Chapter 13: Short Stick Proficiency
Chapter 13: Short Stick Proficiency
The few individuals before him were all skilled martial artists.
In a one-on-one situation, his chances of winning were slim, especially against the leader of the group, not to mention that there were several of them.
At this moment, if he dared to show the slightest dissatisfaction, it would give them an opportunity to take advantage.
Time passed slowly.
Finally, the leader of the group spoke, breaking the oppressive atmosphere.
"Turns out he's a coward, what a bore. Let's go."
After saying this, he turned and left.
"Kid, remember to keep your eyes open in the future, got it?"
"Asking us for money? Who do you think you are?"
"Third Senior Brother is right, he's just a coward, a timid fellow."
The voices gradually faded into the distance.
Everyone present breathed a sigh of relief. They looked at the roasted sweet potatoes crushed on the ground and then at Jiang Cheng, who stood there silently with his head lowered. Some felt sympathy, while others thought he deserved it.
On this street, everyone knew that the martial arts academy members were not to be trifled with. Even the Wild Wolf Gang treated them with respect.
Vendors avoided trouble. Whenever they saw members of the martial arts academy, they would give things away for free.
But this young man dared to ask for money, making them look foolish.
Even if they hadn't crushed his roasted sweet potatoes, but instead smashed his entire tricycle, it wouldn't be unjust.
In those few seconds, Jiang Cheng felt like he had aged several years.
To be honest, if it were his original form, he would never have made such a rookie mistake. After hearing their request for roasted sweet potatoes, he would have gladly offered them with a smile.
Instead of mentioning money, he wouldn't have been stingy.
Just like this morning, when he was stopped by those two thugs, his original form wouldn't have resisted. He would have obediently handed over dozens of pounds of sweet potatoes.
Instead of choosing to take out his weapon and fight to the death.
One couldn't say which approach was superior or inferior, just as nothing in this world was perfect. Every choice had its pros and cons.
Making a choice and being prepared to accept the consequences was enough.
"I am Jiang Cheng, not the Jiang Cheng from before. Moreover, I didn't do anything wrong, they did!"
Jiang Cheng took a deep breath, hiding his hatred deep within.
He lifted his head, looking at the crushed roasted sweet potatoes on the ground, his face filled with pain.
"Jiang Cheng, are you okay?"
Lu Zicheng spoke softly.
He had been scared too, afraid to even breathe, fearing a fight would break out.
With Jiang Cheng's small stature, he might be torn apart.
"I'm fine."
Jiang Cheng shook his head at Lu Zicheng, smiling bitterly, "It's a pity about those sweet potatoes, though."
"What are you talking about now? Don't you know you almost got beaten to death?"
Lu Zicheng realized something and quickly covered his mouth. He looked around and, seeing no one paying attention, heaved a sigh of relief:
"Anyway, if you encounter these people again, just give them what they want, don't mention money. Also, put away your stick, it was you playing with it that attracted their attention."
Jiang Cheng nodded, not saying more.
He walked forward, picked up the crushed roasted sweet potatoes from the ground, they couldn't be eaten anymore, but leaving them there would look bad and affect future business.
This incident came and went suddenly.
Soon, no one paid much attention, as if nothing had happened. After all, such incidents were too common, even among a series of robberies, this was considered minor.
Before long, Jiang Cheng started moving again.
He accepted half of Lu Zicheng's advice.
If people of similar status came again, he wouldn't say anything. If they wanted roasted sweet potatoes, he'd give them some, considering it as feeding dogs.
But he would remember these people, to repay them in the future, including the appearances of those few men, which he had already etched deeply into his mind.
Wait and see.
At the side, Lu Zicheng, seeing Jiang Cheng switch to the short stick again, subconsciously moved the cart a little further away from him.
This guy, if he wants to court death, don't drag me into it.
Two hours passed.
On the panel, the experience points for the short stick suddenly jumped to 300 points.
At this moment, Jiang Cheng felt as if he was frozen in place, his entire body rigid.
A flood of information appeared in his mind.
When he regained consciousness, Jiang Cheng looked at the short stick in his hand, feeling as if he had been practicing with it for over a year.
Not only did he become more familiar with the three basic techniques of chopping, sweeping, and sweeping up, able to execute them in any order, but he also gained a new advanced technique and footwork!
The additional advanced technique was the thrust.
As the name suggests, it involves using the ends of the stick to deliver rapid and powerful strikes, with the tail end being especially devastating.
However, using this technique means sacrificing the advantage of reach, so when executed, it must be a killing blow, a one-hit kill.
The other information that appeared was about footwork, which Jiang Cheng had been eagerly anticipating.
In actual combat, the opponent is not a wooden dummy. They will close in, and to most people, the long reach of the stick is not intimidating. As long as they endure the first few strikes and close the distance, the stick wielder is at a disadvantage.
Whether this is true or not, remains to be seen.
The importance of maintaining distance for the stick wielder is self-evident.
The footwork for the short stick is not extensive or complicated; there are only four basic steps.
Inch Step: Based on the stance of observing the enemy, the front foot pushes off the back foot, moving half a step forward, and the back foot follows with a half-step.
Padding Step: Based on the stance of observing the enemy, the back foot steps forward, landing in the front foot's position, and the front foot then steps forward.
Flash Step: The front foot moves diagonally half a step forward, and the back foot follows with a half-step, or the back foot moves diagonally half a step to the side, and the front foot follows.
Fragmented Step: The padding step is performed rapidly and in small increments, continuously moving in any direction as desired.
Of the four basic footwork techniques, the first three are offensive, focusing on advancing, while the fourth involves retreating, but only briefly mentioned. This is because the fragmented step involves continuous movement in various directions, and even when retreating to the left or right, it is still just a part of the overall movement.
"Cold weapon combat emphasizes one-hit kills, where battles are often decided within a few exchanges, unlike fist and foot techniques, which can drag on for a long time."
These words appeared in Jiang Cheng's mind, and he muttered them to himself.
"I think I understand, but maybe I don't. If an enemy were to appear before me and charge at me, my first reaction might not be to rush forward and attack, but to maintain a safe distance and wait for an opportunity to strike."
But regardless, he had already mastered the three basic techniques and had a preliminary grasp of the thrust and footwork.
By raising his proficiency to the next level, the master level, he might be able to deeply understand the essence of short stick footwork and gain new knowledge.
"It's getting late, and I should head back. If there are no surprises, those two from this morning are probably hiding somewhere, watching me. Maybe there are more than just the two of them."
Jiang Cheng took a deep breath.
At this point, fear and regret were useless; he could only give it his all in the upcoming battle.
He raised his head and looked around, noticing that Lu Zicheng had left at some point.
"He didn't greet me like he usually does?"
Jiang Cheng shook his head with a bitter smile.
It seemed that Lu Zicheng considered him a nuisance and chose to distance himself.
Not wanting to dwell on these thoughts, he pushed the cart and headed down a different alley from the previous days.
After all, it would be better not to run into them tonight.
What Jiang Cheng didn't see was that Li Wei and the other man were hiding in the corner, watching him as he entered the alley.
(End of Chapter)
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