Chapter 7: Unlocking a New Skill
Chapter 7: Unlocking a New Skill
When it comes to self-defense, the most common methods are undoubtedly various martial arts techniques.
However, no matter how skilled one is in hand-to-hand combat, the human body is no match for weapons, especially when not considering secret martial arts.
Under normal circumstances...
Bare hands are no match for a knife.
A knife is no match for a spear.
A spear is no match for a bow and arrow.
And a bow and arrow are no match for firearms.
But firearms are prohibited and rarely seen in the slums.
However, short weapons like small knives and daggers are common. Almost every hooligan roaming the streets at night carries one.
Every year, there are people who get stabbed and die from excessive blood loss in the darkness of night.
Therefore, the priority for martial arts techniques isn't as high as that of weapons, which is the highest.
In addition, there's another requirement, one that is easily achievable right now.
Otherwise, firearms are the best, but they are hard to come by and expensive. Crossbows are the next best option, with their simple operation and considerable power.
But it's obvious that acquiring them is difficult due to a lack of connections, and even if there was a way, it's unlikely he could afford so many at once.
Thus, Jiang Cheng's attention turned to the kitchen knife.
As the saying goes, even the best martial artist fears a kitchen knife.
With skilled knife techniques, dealing with those thugs and hoodlums is like slicing through vegetables.
However, there's a downside. Kitchen knives are shorter than daggers, which means that while attacking the enemy, there's a chance of being attacked as well.
Jiang Cheng shook his head, his eyes shifting.
He wanted to see if there was a longer knife.
The next moment, his eyes lit up.
A rolling pin about 40-50 cm long caught his attention.
Instantly, two words appeared in his mind.
"Short Stick!"
Jiang Cheng almost instantly decided on the self-defense technique he wanted to learn.
As the saying goes, an inch longer, an inch stronger.
But in the alley, a longer weapon would be cumbersome and difficult to carry.
After all, he was going out to do business, not to fight. If customers saw him carrying a long spear or sword, would they still dare to approach and buy things?
But a short stick was different.
Compared to a small knife or dagger, it was longer.
Its power was also considerable. He had watched videos of short stick masters before his transmigration, and with a single strike, they could break a cow's leg bone.
It was also easy to carry; if necessary, he could hide it in his backpack and cover it with clothes, and outsiders wouldn't notice unless they looked closely.
Thinking of this, Jiang Cheng's heart warmed, and he walked forward to pick up the rolling pin.
It was solid and weighed almost a pound.
"Not bad."
Jiang Cheng was very satisfied.
Next was to verify his idea.
Since he could unlock skills and gain experience points by roasting a sweet potato, there was no reason he couldn't do the same by wielding a short stick.
Holding the rolling pin with one hand, Jiang Cheng took a deep breath, raised his hand, and slashed down forcefully!
"Huff!"
A sound tore through the air.
The sudden noise startled everyone.
Jiang Cheng's mother, Jiang La, looked up at him with initial confusion, which quickly turned to fear and deep concern.
"Cheng, what are you doing?"
Her voice trembled.
She vaguely guessed that Jiang Cheng was treating the rolling pin as a weapon.
And if he was treating it as a weapon, it meant he was going to fight the thugs and hoodlums outside.
But everyone knew that those thugs were ruthless; they wouldn't hesitate to kill if provoked.
The key point was that Jiang Cheng had no chance against them. There were at least two of them, and if a real fight broke out, how could Jiang Cheng possibly come out unscathed?
A glimmer of joy flashed across Jiang Cheng's eyes, and upon hearing this, he lifted his head and smiled, saying, "Grandma, I'm exercising."
"Exercising?" The old woman's face clearly showed her disbelief.
"Yes," Jiang Cheng replied, his face unperturbed. "The main reason I caught a fever this time is because my body is too weak. Even a minor cold can make me sick for two days. So, I want to exercise and strengthen my body to prevent future illnesses."
"Really?" The old woman seemed to find his reasoning sensible, and she breathed a slight sigh of relief, but still remained half-believing.
"But what about earlier?"
"Grandma, during the day, I have to sell sweet potatoes, so I only have time at night. But it's dangerous outside at night too, so I can't go out. I can only exercise at home, doing push-ups and practicing with this short stick." Jiang Cheng shrugged.
"Don't worry, I'm not that impulsive. Those thugs are numerous, and I can't possibly be their match. If I encounter them, I'll just lose some money to avoid trouble."
"Yes." The old woman sighed, "If they take the money, let them have it. If I get injured, it'll be a disaster."
"Mhm, I understand, Grandma. Don't worry." Jiang Cheng smiled.
The old woman hid her worries in her eyes and continued to lower her head, mending clothes.
Jiang Cheng withdrew his gaze and looked ahead.
On the panel, several lines of information appeared.
Short Stick Experience +1.
Short Stick Proficiency Unlocked.
[Short Stick: Novice (1/100)]
"As expected, a skill unlocked, but it's not the basic stick technique, it's the corresponding weapon proficiency." Jiang Cheng thought to himself.
Similarly, if he were to use a dagger, he would unlock the corresponding Weapon Mastery, and if it were firearms, he would unlock Firearms Mastery.
And if he were to obtain a Secret Martial Art...
Jiang Cheng took a deep breath.
For the Jue Ren Clan to issue a Martial Ban, obtaining a Secret Martial Art was an extremely dangerous matter. If it were to be discovered, not only would he be in trouble, but even the neighbor, Chen Sao, would be implicated.
He must plan carefully and not rush.
"I'll start by practicing the short stick first."
Jiang Cheng looked at the short stick in his hand.
Once he reached a high level of proficiency with the short stick, he wouldn't have to worry about the thugs in the alley causing trouble for him.
Every month, he could save several hundred yuan.
The stall fee and the residential management fee still had to be paid, after all, the Wild Wolf Gang had over a hundred members, and they had no shortage of cold weapon experts. Moreover, he didn't quite believe that such a large gang wouldn't have a firearm or two.
For now, it was best not to provoke them.
Jiang Cheng composed himself and swung the short stick in his hand again.
Once.
Once more.
And again.
Each swing was with all his might.
On the panel, the experience points for the short stick were also gradually increasing.
After swinging the stick more than twenty times, Jiang Cheng felt a bit exhausted. His right arm and back were starting to feel sore.
He put down the short stick and started doing push-ups on the ground.
What he had told the old woman earlier was not a lie.
Practicing with weapons alone was not enough; physical training was also essential.
Just as he finished a push-up, several lines of information appeared on the panel again, and the Push-Ups Skill was unlocked.
The old woman's brows furrowed with concern.
Jiang Cheng exercising was a good thing.
But she truly feared that one day, Jiang Cheng would get into a fight outside and end up like his father, dead on the streets.
Yet she was just an old woman, and all she could do was watch.
(End of Chapter)
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