Chapter 14: One Against Two

There were still over half an hour before the sky went completely dark.

On both sides of the alley, many households had their doors open, and some were gathering to eat dinner.

Jiang Cheng pushed a tricycle and walked briskly past.

His eyes and ears constantly watched the surroundings.

Suddenly, hurried footsteps came from behind, raising an alarm in his mind, and he quickly turned to look.

He saw the two people from the morning rapidly approaching.

Upon being spotted, the two showed no sign of panic; instead, they smiled.

Because Jiang Cheng was still pushing a tricycle.

Unless he abandoned the vehicle, he couldn't escape from their hands.

Could that be possible?

That's the fellow he eats with.

Jiang Cheng stood in place, watching helplessly as the two drew near.

He inhaled deeply, reached his right hand behind him, and drew a Short Staff.

He had anticipated this and even prepared for the worst.

However, judging from the current situation, it was far better than he had expected.

Li Wei and the other person stopped about two meters away from Jiang Cheng; after seeing Jiang Cheng pull a Short Staff from behind, they each reached behind and drew a Short Staff.

Their arms were also long, but slightly thicker.

Actually, the two had wanted to get two Iron Staffs, but they were pricey and didn't seem worth it.

After all, the two already had weapons; could they still lose to a Roasted Sweet Potato vendor? Jiang Cheng narrowed his eyes.

His expression grew solemn.

Sure enough, no one is a fool; the two understood that a longer weapon is stronger, so they deliberately chose two Short Staffs to settle the score with him.

Unfortunately, he was no longer the same as he had been in the morning.

His Short Staff skill had reached Proficient level, equivalent to over a year of practice; dealing with two ordinary people wielding Short Staffs, as long as he stayed calm and didn't panic, was entirely doable.

The people eating at their doorsteps, upon seeing the scene, lifted their small stools, went indoors, and shut the doors, fearing they might be caught up.

"Run? Why aren't you running?"

Cun Tou teased, striking his left palm with the Short Staff in his right hand, producing a crisp clack.

"What do you want to do?"

Jiang Cheng said this while subtly adjusting his stance.

"Do what? What do you think?"

Cun Tou glared, "Of course we're here to settle scores with you. If you had honestly paid a bit this morning, there wouldn't be all this trouble. But you refused and threatened us, so we thought we'd give you a taste of color, to show you how high the sky is and how thick the earth!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, he leapt forward in a single bound, raised his right hand with the Short Staff, and swung it down at Jiang Cheng with full force!

He had waited several hours for this moment.

This time, he would make the guy in front of him kneel and beg for mercy! Jiang Cheng concentrated his spirit intensely; the instant the opponent struck, he stepped back and dodged the staff.

"Hahaha."

Seeing this, Cun Tou laughed loudly, charged forward again, and brandished the Short Staff in his hand.

Li Wei watched the scene from behind, his eyes showing contempt.

Sure enough, dealing with this kid didn't require both of them; one person was enough.

Jiang Cheng retreated again, evading the fierce swing of Cun Tou's Short Staff.

But immediately, he realized something was wrong.

With cold weapons, retreating is rarely used; merely dodging puts one at a disadvantage—only offense can win.

Moreover, his Short Staff skill was already at Proficient level; there was no reason he couldn't defeat someone who wasn't even a beginner.

"Come on! What are you running from!"

Having forced Jiang Cheng back several steps, Cun Tou grew even more reckless, shouting as he swung another staff down.

This time, Jiang Cheng didn't retreat; he made a flash step to Cun Tou's side, evading the attack while sweeping his right-hand Short Staff toward the opponent's right hand.

"Ah!"

A wail was heard.

Cun Tou's right hand was struck, and he instantly let go of the Short Staff. Four of his five fingers turned bright red, as if scalded by hot water.

Cun Tou cried out in pain while using his left hand to feel his right.

"Now!"

Jiang Cheng took a short step and rushed to the front of Cun Tou.

Chop! Lift! Sweep! In less than a second, he executed all three basic moves.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Three heavy thuds.

Cun Tou let out a scream like a slaughtered pig, tears flooding his eyes; his chest took two heavy blows, his waist was also struck hard, and he fell flat on the ground, rolling frantically.

Pain! It's too much pain! He had never experienced anything like this in his whole life.

Jiang Cheng glanced at him, then withdrew his gaze.

Clearly, the guy had lost his fighting ability.

That leaves the other one.

"You!"

Li Wei stared, speechless.

A second ago he had been smug, thinking victory was assured.

But the next second, the companion fell to the ground, screaming more miserably than when slaughtering a pig.

Yet there was no extra time for him to think about that.

Because Jiang Cheng charged straight at him!

"Damn!"

Li Wei's anger rose from his heart.

He didn't know what that Zhang Bing fellow was up to, how he couldn't even beat a Roasted Sweet Potato vendor, and got beaten so badly.

But he wasn't Zhang Bing! With a roar, he also charged forward; as Jiang Cheng entered attack range, his Short Staff Chop down hard! "Thwack!"

A crisp sound rang.

The two Short Staffs collided, and the reaction force from the tips made both men's hands tingle.

"Hmph!"

Li Wei let out a cold Hmph, thinking to himself, Is that all? That Zhang Bing fellow…

At that moment, Jiang Cheng stepped forward a step, and the Short Staff that had been blocked by the opponent suddenly rose, delivering a fierce strike that hit the latter's face!

"Bang!"

Li Wei felt his mind go blank, his head buzzing, and moreover sensed a metallic rust taste in his mouth.

Before he could fully react, the Staff rained down like raindrops onto his arm, chest, waist, abdomen, and thigh.

Then the excruciating pain struck, as if it would tear his whole body apart.

"Huff, huff…"

Jiang Cheng gasped heavily, his heart pounding uncontrollably.

Though the fight had lasted only a brief few seconds, in those seconds he felt his whole body on the verge of collapse.

Watching the two rolling on the ground, hearing the most heartrending wails.

In Jiang Cheng's heart, there was no sentiment.

If he hadn't been a cut above, the one now lying on the ground rolling would have been him.

Seeming to sense something, he glanced toward the distance.

Such a commotion here would naturally alarm many people.

Besides the locals, there might also be others like these two, who come out at night to rob.

It seemed they were all intimidated; noticing Jiang Cheng's gaze Sweep across, they hurriedly hid.

"Fighting these two isn't without benefit; those who dare plot against me later should be fewer."

Jiang Cheng squinted.

These thugs are the kind who bully the weak and fear the strong, just like the martial school disciples on the street in their uniforms; these people keep their distance and dare not provoke.

After beating these two mercilessly, Jiang Cheng had no intention of leaving right away; his original body had been robbed of so much money by those two scoundrels, and he couldn't let them go without taking a bit of interest. (End of chapter)