Chapter 66: Variable

A few Senior Members stared at each other.

They weren't as skilled as that newcomer; wielding Double Staff, they could spar with Senior Brother Zeng and exchange blows.

Note, this is a real fight, not a feeding move.

When Jiang Cheng's gaze fell here, one of them gritted his teeth, stepped forward, and said, "Senior Brother Zeng, I'll put on the protective gear."

"Alright."

Zeng Zhiten nodded.

In a moment, the person had donned the gear and was also holding a Wooden Sword.

Obviously, he was studying the sword technique.

Seeing this, Zeng Zhiten tossed aside a Short Staff, holding only one in his right hand.

The Senior Member wielding the sword saw this, a hint of shame flashing across his face, thinking, "Does Senior Brother Zeng fight with just one hand?" He said, "Old rule: the one who gets hit first counts as a loss."

"Yes, Senior Brother Zeng!"

"Come on."

The person hesitated for a moment, looked at Zeng Zhiten several meters away, shouted, and charged forward.

As soon as he reached striking distance, he swung a Chop down.

Zeng Zhiten simply flashed aside, dodged, and then thrust a staff into the other's chest.

Deng—deng—deng—.

The latter staggered back a few steps, looking ashamed.

How tragic.

As the saying goes, it's not fearing the unrecognized, but fearing a comparison of goods.

That newcomer could spar with Senior Brother Zeng for several rounds, and even luckily won a few times.

But he couldn't even last a single round before getting hit.

"Again."

Zeng Zhiten's voice rang out, neither sad nor joyful.

The remaining Senior Members felt a sense of sorrow like a fox mourning a dead rabbit.

Unsurprisingly, next it would be their turn to go up and get hammered.

But they also knew that this method of improvement was the fastest.

Jiang Cheng watched for a while, then withdrew his gaze, drinking water while looking at the Proficiency Panel.

In just a little over ten minutes, the Experience Value he gained was comparable to him practicing alone against empty air for an hour, a sixfold efficiency boost! In other words, he would have needed about twenty hours of Double Staff practice to reach Mastery Level.

Just sparring with Senior Brother Zeng for a little over three hours yields the same effect.

"Unfortunately, my stamina is still a bit lacking."

Jiang Cheng looked at Zeng Zhiten, who was sparring with the members.

He showed no sign of fatigue at all.

"Could it be the effect of pillar skill and Fist Technique? Or perhaps Secret Martial Arts?"

Jiang Cheng fell into thought.

After another ten minutes, the remaining Senior Members were each hammered once.

"Senior Brother Zeng, you're too amazing; we are no match at all."

A Senior Member slumped on the ground, a wry smile on his face.

Zeng Zhiten gave no reply, but looked at Jiang Cheng and asked, "Have you rested enough?"

"Hmm."

Jiang Cheng, having waited for the moment, immediately put on his Helmet, gripped his Short Staff with both hands, and walked up.

He sparred two more times; Jiang Cheng was drenched in sweat, and it was getting late. Though he wanted to spar with Senior Brother Zeng for another afternoon, he had to earn a living.

"Senior Brother Zeng, let's stop here for today; I have to go back."

Jiang Cheng removed his protective gear and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"Do you have plans this afternoon?"

Zeng Zhiten asked curiously.

"Hmm, I have to sell Roasted Sweet Potato on the street; there are more people in the afternoon, so business is better," Jiang Cheng said with a smile, not feeling embarrassed at all, since earning one's own living is nothing shameful.

"Oh."

Zeng Zhiten seemed to understand, his gaze at Jiang Cheng shifting slightly, "Alright, go ahead. Tomorrow I won't be instructing you, but if you want to spar with me, you can have someone send a message; I'll come down when I'm free."

"I won't trouble Senior Brother Zeng. Later I can spar with Senior Brother Zhao and his group; when it's Senior Brother Zeng's turn, I'll spar properly with him. Maybe by then my Staff Method will have improved," Jiang Cheng declined politely. He still was a person with a sense of boundaries, and moreover, if others were present, going to find Senior Brother Zeng, what would they think.

"Are you looking down on me?" "Alright, I'm looking forward to it."

Zeng Zhiten smiled and nodded.

Returning the protective gear, Jiang Cheng took his Double Staff and went down the stairs alone.

He was completely oblivious to Sun Xiaoli and the others behind him, their complex expressions.

On the way home, Jiang Cheng felt extremely exhilarated.

Sparring with Senior Brother Zeng for half an hour in the morning saved him three hours of Short Staff practice.

He didn't know who it would be tomorrow.

As long as it wasn't Senior Brother Xiao, he could spar with anyone.

After all, future opponents would wield all sorts of weapons, so gaining experience beforehand is beneficial.

When he returned home and saw the drenched Jiang Cheng, the Old Man was also quite surprised.

Those who knew thought Jiang Cheng had gone to the martial arts hall; those who didn't thought he had gone to take a bath.

But compared to that, she was more concerned about what Jiang Cheng would do next—setting up a stall on the street.

"Xiao Cheng, when you go to the street later, do you really not have to pay the stall fee anymore? Just in case, why not bring the money from home?"

"No, Grandma, I told you—I'm a senior member of the martial arts hall, so I don't have to pay anymore; otherwise, what's the point of getting a membership there?"

"You really don't have to pay anymore?"

"Really, you don't."

Jiang Cheng laughed and cried at the same time.

These past few days, he's been answering that question a lot.

But he also understood; after all, they'd been paying the stall fee for years, so it's normal to feel uneasy about suddenly not paying.

Just then, footsteps sounded outside, and Chen Sao came over.

Knowing today was the day to pay the stall fee, she felt a bit nervous, after all, rumors are just rumors—you only know the truth after experiencing it.

"Xiao Cheng, why not bring some money with you, just in case…"

She wanted to say more but stopped herself.

"Don't worry, Chen Sao. If they really give me trouble, the Flying Eagle Martial Arts Hall is also on the street—I'll have their people talk to them. And the Wild Wolf Gang will be gone in over ten days; giving them money is like feeding a dog with a steamed bun—nothing comes back."

"That's true, look at my memory."

Chen Sao gave a bitter smile.

"Alright then, Grandma, Chen Sao, I'm heading out."

Jiang Cheng put down his bowl and chopsticks, wiped his mouth with a face towel.

"Be careful."

"Remember to speak nicely to them."

From behind came words of advice.

"Got it."

Jiang Cheng replied while pushing his tricycle, without looking back.

He certainly knew that, especially now, he must avoid conflict with the Wild Wolf Gang—after all, they're a bunch of desperate dogs who'll do anything when cornered.

Passing through the uneven alley, under all kinds of gazes, Jiang Cheng left the side path and reached the main street.

As noon approached, foot traffic increased a bit, with some vendors, but at a glance only about a third more than usual were present.

The shops on either side seemed unaffected, all staying open.

"There are far fewer street vendors; maybe business will improve soon?"

After walking just a few steps, he saw Wild Wolf Gang members loitering not far away, glancing at him and whispering to each other.

By the time he reached his stall, two or three Wild Wolf Gang members immediately walked over.

Jiang Cheng had expected this, but he still felt a bit nervous inside.

After all, this was the first time in half a month since his transmigration that he'd come face‑to‑face with the Wild Wolf Gang.

He didn't know whether they'd just leave after seeing his senior member card, or give him a hard time.

(End of chapter)