Chapter 46: Do You Dare?

At the stall, Jiang Cheng rubbed his eyes.

Just now, his right eyelid twitched several times for no reason.

"Could something bad be about to happen?"

The phrase "left eye brings wealth, right eye brings disaster" popped into Jiang Cheng's mind.

"No, no, no."

He shook his head.

If it were the left eyelid twitching, it would indeed be a sign of wealth.

If it were the right eye, it would just be feudal superstition.

Yes, that's it.

"Boss, how much longer for the Roasted Sweet Potato?" a customer's voice rang in his ears.

"Sorry, these two ovens just started; it'll take forty to fifty minutes," Jiang Cheng brushed aside the thoughts and answered with a smile.

"I see, then never mind."

The person shook his head, wore a look of regret, and left.

After that, several more people came one after another to ask.

"Jiang Cheng, perhaps you could open another oven," Lu Zicheng said with a smile, "Two ovens still aren't enough."

"It's not as easy as you think."

Jiang Cheng was at a loss, both laughing and crying.

If there were three ovens, the income might indeed be a bit higher, but only marginally—just a few hundred more, nothing spectacular.

But the effort required would be greater; he might become flustered, and the roasted sweet potatoes' texture could fall short of before, damaging his reputation and making it unprofitable.

Time gradually moved into the afternoon.

After three or four o'clock, the street's foot traffic picked up again.

After the last two Roasted Sweet Potatoes were sold, Jiang Cheng began to pack up; before heading home, he habitually bought raw sweet potatoes needed for tomorrow and some charcoal.

He tallied up; he still had just over five hundred on him.

"Not bad. In another five days I can repay the money I owe Chen Sao; if luck's good, four days will suffice."

Jiang Cheng checked again, making sure nothing would fall out due to bumps, then pushed the cart toward home.

The sky darkened, and pedestrians were sparse.

Jiang Cheng kept pushing the cart, moving slowly.

Until a group of people blocked his path.

Jiang Cheng instantly stopped, his complexion changed, and upon seeing one particular silhouette, anger surged within him.

The crowd before him were the same few who, that day, across a few alleys, bullied the Old Man, and the group he most dreaded meeting.

For that, he didn't hesitate to borrow three thousand from Chen Sao to buy a Senior Member at the Martial Arts Hall.

He knew that, given his street performance, they would eventually set their sights on him.

But from the current situation, it seemed someone was secretly meddling, causing the incident to arrive early.

"Kid, you know why we blocked you, don't you?"

Fan Hua glanced sideways at Jiang Cheng, a hand gripping an Iron Staff.

"Hand over the money you earned today, and we'll let you go."

The other few each also held Iron Staffs in their hands.

From the way they gripped the Iron Staffs, they seemed trained, at least not making the mistakes novices make.

Jiang Cheng fell silent.

He calculated internally: if he fought these people, what were his odds? Excluding Liu Yang and his two companions, the opponents numbered five, all wielding Iron Staffs, and they were even more burly.

If it were a test of strength, he would be at a disadvantage against any one of them.

And if he used Double Staffs…

Jiang Cheng felt that with his current Double Staff proficiency, he could handle three opponents, could try against four, but five would be difficult.

Even if he could wound two or three, he would certainly sustain serious injuries, since they wield Iron Staffs.

Don't forget, Liu Yang and his two companions were watching from the side; if they found the right moment to attack, Jiang Cheng didn't even dare imagine.

Undoubtedly, the eight before him had combat power far surpassing the ragtag crowd of twelve or thirteen from yesterday.

If a fight broke out, the one likely to lose would be him.

Seeing Jiang Cheng remain silent for ages, Fan Hua grew impatient.

He lifted his arm, the Iron Staff in his hand pointing at Jiang Cheng's head, and disdainfully said, "Kid, I've heard you wield the Short Staff with two techniques; generally two or three people are no match for you, right? I'm a bit itchy; why don't we spar?"

"Fan Hua, go easy; don't break anyone's bones," someone behind laughed and reminded.

After all, they still expected Jiang Cheng to keep paying them.

If a hand or leg were broken, he couldn't set up his stall later, which would be bad.

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

Fan Hua said without turning his head, then shouted loudly at Jiang Cheng,

"Kid, did you hear? If you heard, speak up quickly!"

Jiang Cheng looked at him, not getting angry, but remaining extremely calm.

If it were one‑on‑one, at most two rounds, he could knock the opponent down.

Striking first to reduce an opponent's effective combat power is a good choice, but now he had a Senior Member card, so it wasn't necessary.

So, the next moment, he raised an eyebrow, a smile appearing on his face, "Oh? You want to spar with me using Short Staffs?"

"Yes, do you dare?"

Fan Hua sneered.

Behind them, Liu Yang and the other two exchanged a glance, showing a knowing smile.

Even if this kid were good at fighting, could he still be Brother Fan's rival? To put it mildly, even if he could beat Brother Fan, what would that change? Could it alter his fate today? Not to mention, Jiang Xiong and his group have the Wild Wolf Gang as backing.

If they cause any trouble, the Wild Wolf Gang won't let this kid go either.

"What's there not to dare? It's just not here."

"Then where is it?"

When Jiang Cheng answered in one breath, Fan Hua's smile faded, and a hint of hostility appeared in his eyes.

He wants to duel Jiang Cheng not because he truly seeks a duel, but to overwhelm him in presence, forcing the latter to admit cowardice outright.

As a result, the latter readily agreed, making it clear he didn't take him seriously.

How could he not be angry?

"Flying Eagle Martial Arts Hall."

Jiang Cheng said it word by word.

When the final word was spoken, the atmosphere instantly fell silent, and the faces of those around changed.

"What does it mean?"

Jiang Xiong, who had been silent, spoke up.

"Are you a member of the Flying Eagle Martial Arts Hall?"

After speaking, he glanced at Liu Yang beside him, a flash of anger in his eyes.

"!!!"

Liu Yang heard that and was stunned.

This, how could this be possible!

If this guy is from the Flying Eagle Martial Arts Hall, why didn't he mention it yesterday? Moreover, over the past two days they specifically investigated his background, and no one said he was from the Flying Eagle Martial Arts Hall.

At most, someone said that recently a member of the Flying Eagle Martial Arts Hall went to his place just to buy Roasted Sweet Potato.

Is this guy borrowing false authority? Yes, yes, it must be like that!

"Fine, I am a Senior Member of the Flying Eagle Martial Arts Hall, borrowing the venue to spar with others; it shouldn't be too difficult. How about it? Want to come with me to the hall for a spar?"

Jiang Cheng smiled and looked at Fan Hua.

If the latter agrees, he will certainly let the other know why the flowers are so red.

(End of chapter)