Chapter 7: Unlocking a New Skill

If we speak of the most common self‑defense techniques, they are naturally the various fist‑and‑foot arts.

But however good the fists and feet are, a flesh‑and‑blood body cannot compare to weapons, of course, this is assuming we are not discussing Secret Martial Arts.

In general.

Unarmed cannot beat someone with a knife.

Knife‑wielder cannot beat someone with a long spear.

Long spear cannot beat someone with a bow or crossbow.

Bow or crossbow cannot beat someone with a firearm.

And firearms are contraband, so they are not common in the Poor District.

But short weapons like knives and daggers are very common; almost every thug who roams at night carries one.

Every year someone is stabbed at night and dies from excessive bleeding.

Therefore at such times, the priority of fist‑and‑foot arts is not that high; the priority of weapons is the highest.

Besides that, there is another requirement: it must be something easily obtainable right now.

Otherwise, besides firearms, the crossbow is the best—simple to operate and its power is not bad.

But thinking it through, first there is no channel, so it's hard to get; second, even if there were a channel, he probably can't afford that much money right now.

Thus Jiang Cheng's gaze fell on the kitchen knives.

As the saying goes, no matter how good the kung fu, one still fears a kitchen knife.

Mastering a good knife technique against those thugs is like chopping melons and slicing vegetables.

But there are drawbacks: a kitchen knife is a bit short, not even as long as a dagger, which means that while you strike the enemy, there is also a chance the enemy strikes you.

Jiang Cheng shook his head, his eyes flickering.

He wanted to see if there was a longer knife.

The next moment, his eyes lit up.

A rolling pin about forty‑to‑fifty centimeters long caught his attention.

Immediately, two characters floated in his mind.

Short Stick!

"That's it!"

Jiang Cheng almost instantly decided which self‑defense art to learn.

As the saying goes, an inch longer is an inch stronger.

But in alleys, overly long weapons cannot be wielded and are hard to carry.

After all, he goes out to do business, not to fight; if customers saw him carrying a long spear or a sword, would they still dare to buy from him?

But a short stick is different.

Compared with daggers and knives, it is long enough.

Its power is also impressive; before his transmigration he had watched similar videos where a Short Stick Master could break a cow's leg bone with a single strike.

It is also easy to carry; if needed, he can slip it into his back, hide it under clothing, and outsiders won't notice.

Thinking this, Jiang Cheng felt a surge of excitement, stepped forward, and picked up the rolling pin.

Solid, weighing close to one jin.

"Not bad."

Jiang Cheng was quite satisfied.

Next, he would test the idea in his mind.

Since he can roast a sweet potato and unlock a skill, gaining Experience Value.

Then swinging the short stick, without a path to unlock, no skill would be unlocked, such as Basic Staff Method.

Gripping the rolling pin with one hand, Jiang Cheng took a deep breath, raised his hand, and then struck down hard! "Hoo!"

A whooshing sound rang out.

The sudden noise startled the Old Man.

She looked up, gazing at Jiang Chen, her eyes first showing confusion, then turning to fear and deep worry.

"Xiao, Xiao Cheng, what are you doing?"

The Old Man's voice trembled.

She vaguely guessed that Jiang Cheng had taken the rolling pin as a weapon.

What to do with it as a weapon? Of course, to be bold and fierce, to fight the thugs outside.

But everyone knows those thugs are ruthless characters; when provoked, they dare to kill.

The key is, Jiang Cheng is alone; the other side has at least two, often many. If a real fight breaks out, how could Jiang Cheng possibly be unharmed?

A hint of delight flashed in Jiang Cheng's eyes; hearing that, he lifted his head and said with a smile, "Grandma, I'm exercising my body." "Exercising your body?"

The Old Man's disbelief was written on his face.

"Yes."

Jiang Cheng's face didn't flush, his heart didn't race, and he explained: "The reason I had a fever this time is that my body is too weak; even a slight cold can make me feverish for two days, so I want to train my body so I won't get sick easily in the future."

"Really, is it true?"

The Old Man, hearing this, seemed to think Jiang Cheng made sense, slightly relaxed his breath, but remained half‑doubtful.

"But just now you...?"

"Grandma, I sell sweet potatoes during the day and only have time at night, but the night outside is dangerous, so I can't go out; therefore I can only train at home, do some push‑ups, swing the rolling pin, that sort of thing."

Jiang Cheng shrugged.

"Don't worry, I'm not that reckless. Those thugs are numerous and powerful; I'm just one, how could I be their match? If I encounter them, I'd just lose money and avoid disaster, you know."

"Yes."

Old Man sighed, "If they want to snatch the money, just give it to them; if they get injured by accident, that would be terrible."

"Mm, I understand, Grandma, don't worry."

Jiang Cheng smiled.

Old Man hid his worry in his eyes, lowered his head again, and mended his clothes.

Jiang Cheng withdrew his gaze and looked ahead.

On the Panel, several lines of information appeared.

Short Staff Experience Value +1.

Short Staff weapon has been unlocked.

【Short Staff: Not Yet Entered (1/100)】

"Sure enough, a skill was unlocked, but it's not the basic Staff Method; it's the corresponding weapon."

Jiang Cheng thought to himself.

Likewise, if the weapon used is a sword, the corresponding weapon specialization can be unlocked; if it's a Firearm, then it's Firearm specialization.

And if one obtains a Secret Martial Arts…

Jiang Cheng took a deep breath.

The Jiao Tribe issued a Martial Arts Ban; trying to obtain a Secret Martial Arts is extremely dangerous—once discovered, the misfortune falls not only on oneself but also on Grandma and even the neighbor Chen Sao.

One must plan carefully and not be impatient.

"Let's start by practicing the Short Staff first."

Jiang Cheng looked at the Rolling Pin in his hand.

Once the Short Staff reaches master level, there's no need to worry about the thugs in the alleys bothering him.

Each month, he can save several hundred yuan.

And the Stall Fee, as well as the residential management fee, still have to be paid; after all, Wild Wolf Gang has a hundred members, isn't short of cold‑weapon experts, and for such a massive gang, it's hard to believe they have no guns at all.

For now, it's still not worth provoking them.

Gathering his mind, Jiang Cheng swung the Rolling Pin again.

One swing.

One swing.

Another swing.

Each swing was executed with full force.

And on the Panel, the Short Staff Experience Value was incrementally increasing.

After swinging more than twenty times, Jiang Cheng felt his strength waning; his right arm and back were sore all day.

He set the Rolling Pin down and began doing push‑ups on the ground.

What he said to the Old Man before wasn't a lie.

Just training the weapon isn't enough; physical training must keep pace.

And right after he finished a push‑up, the Panel displayed a few more lines of information; the push‑up skill was also unlocked.

The Old Man watched nearby, his brows tightly knit.

Jiang Cheng's physical training is a good thing.

But she truly fears that one day, Jiang Cheng might fight outside, get seriously injured, or even, like his father, die out there.

But she is just an Old Man; besides watching, she can do nothing.

(End of Chapter)