Chapter 46: Dare You?
Chapter 46: Dare You?
Jiang Cheng rubbed his eyes at his stall. Moments ago, his right eyelid had been twitching incessantly for no apparent reason.
"Could something bad be about to happen?"
The phrase 'Left eye twitches for wealth, right eye twitches for disaster' popped into his mind.
"No, no, no."
He shook his head. If it were his left eye twitching, then it would indeed be a sign of impending wealth. But if it were the right eye, it was just an old superstition.
That's how it was.
"Boss, how much longer for the roasted sweet potatoes?" a customer's voice rang out.
"Sorry, I just started this batch. It'll be about forty to fifty minutes," Jiang Cheng replied with a smile, brushing aside his thoughts.
"Oh, in that case, never mind."
The customer shook his head and left with a disappointed look.
After that, several more people came one after the other to ask.
"Jiang Cheng, maybe you should start another boiler," Lu Zicheng suggested with a smile. "Even two boilers aren't enough."
"It's not as easy as you think."
Jiang Cheng couldn't help but feel exasperated.
If he had three boilers, his income might increase slightly, but only by a hundred or so yuan at most.
However, it would require much more effort, and he might end up in a fluster, affecting the quality of the roasted sweet potatoes. This could damage his reputation, and the gains would not make up for the losses.
Time slowly drifted into the afternoon.
After three or four o'clock, the streets became bustling again.
After selling the last two sweet potatoes, Jiang Cheng began to pack up his stall. Before heading home, he bought fresh sweet potatoes for the next day and some wood charcoal.
He calculated; he had just over five hundred yuan on him.
"Not bad. In five days, I can pay back Aunt Chen's money. With good luck, four days might be enough."
Jiang Cheng checked once more to ensure nothing would fall due to the bumps on the way home.
As dusk approached, the streets became quieter.
Jiang Cheng pushed his cart forward slowly.
Until he was stopped in his tracks.
Jiang Cheng halted, his expression changing, especially when he recognized one of the figures before him. Anger welled up within him.
The group before him was the same one that had bullied the elderly lady a few lanes away—the last people he wanted to meet.
Because of this, he had borrowed three thousand yuan from Aunt Chen to purchase a premium membership at the martial arts gym.
He knew that it was only a matter of time before they set their sights on him.
But from the current situation, it seemed someone had pulled strings behind the scenes to hasten this encounter.
"Kid, you know why we're stopping you, right?"
Fan Hua glared at Jiang Cheng, holding an iron stick in one hand.
"Hand over the money you earned today, and we'll let you pass."
The other few men, each holding an iron stick, stood by.
Judging from their grip on the sticks, they had likely practiced before, at least avoiding the mistakes a novice would make.
Jiang Cheng remained silent, calculating his chances in a fight against these men.
Excluding Liu Yang's three men, there were five of them, each holding an iron stick. Not only that, but they were also more robust in build.
If it came to a test of strength, Jiang Cheng would be at a disadvantage against any one of them.
As for using his twin sticks...
Jiang Cheng felt that with his current proficiency, he could handle three of them, maybe even four. Five would be challenging.
Even if he managed to injure two or three, he would undoubtedly sustain some injuries himself, especially with the iron sticks in their hands.
Not to mention Liu Yang's three men watching from the side, ready to strike if they got the chance.
Jiang Cheng dared not let his thoughts run any further.
Without a doubt, the combat prowess of these eight people before him far surpassed that of the disorganized mob of twelve or thirteen from yesterday.
If a fight were to break out, it was highly likely that he would be at a disadvantage.
Seeing Jiang Cheng remain silent for a long time, Fan Hua grew impatient.
He raised his arm, the iron stick in his hand pointing at Jiang Cheng's head, and said with contempt, "Kid, I heard that you're quite skilled with the short stick. Usually, two or three people aren't a match for you, right? I'm feeling a bit itchy to fight. How about we spar a little?"
"Ah Hua, go easy on him. Don't break his bones." Someone behind him reminded with a smile.
After all, they still needed Jiang Cheng to keep paying them.
If his hands or legs were broken, he wouldn't be able to work at the stall anymore, and that would be disastrous.
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."
Fan Hua said without turning back, then shouted at Jiang Cheng,
"Kid, did you hear me? Speak up if you did!"
Jiang Cheng looked at him, not angered but instead, incredibly calm.
In a one-on-one fight, he could take his opponent down within two rounds at most.
Taking the initiative and eliminating one of their effective combatants would be a good choice, but now that he had the premium membership card, there was no need for that.
So, in the next moment, he raised an eyebrow and a smile appeared on his face, "Oh? You want to spar with me using the short stick?"
"Yes, do you dare?"
Fan Hua sneered.
The three behind him, Liu Yang and the others, showed a knowing smile.
Even if this kid was a skilled fighter, could he be a match for Brother Hua?
Even if we take a step back and assume he could beat Brother Hua, what then? Could he change the outcome of today's events?
Not to mention, Brother Xiong and his group had the backing of the Wild Wolf Syndicate.
If they were to cause trouble, the Wild Wolf Syndicate wouldn't let this kid off easily.
"What's there to be afraid of? But not here."
"Then where?"
Hearing Jiang Cheng's immediate agreement, the smile on Fan Hua's face faded, and a hint of anger flashed in his eyes.
He wanted to challenge Jiang Cheng to a duel, not because he truly wanted to fight, but to overpower him with his aura and make him back down.
However, Jiang Cheng readily agreed, clearly not taking him seriously.
How could he not be angry?
"The Falcon Fist Gym."
Jiang Cheng said each word slowly.
As the last word left his mouth, the atmosphere instantly quieted, and the faces of the surrounding crowd changed.
"What do you mean?"
Jiang Xiong, who had been silent all this time, spoke up.
"You're from the Falcon Fist Gym?"
After saying this, he glanced at Liu Yang beside him, and a flash of anger passed through his eyes.
"!!!"
Liu Yang was stunned upon hearing these words.
How could this be possible!
If this guy was from the Falcon Fist Gym, why didn't he mention it yesterday?
Moreover, they had specifically investigated his background these past two days, and no one had said that he was from the Falcon Fist Gym.
At most, some said that recently, people from the Falcon Fist Gym had gone to buy roasted sweet potatoes from him.
Was this guy pretending to be more than he was?
Yes, that must be it!
"That's right, I'm a premium member of the Falcon Fist Gym. Borrowing their venue to spar with others shouldn't be too difficult. How about it? Do you want to go to the gym and spar?"
Jiang Cheng smiled as he looked at Fan Hua.
If the latter agreed, he would definitely let him know why the flowers were so red.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
