Chapter 73: Human Heart

"That guy Wu Tian can even lay a hand on his own people, let alone on you."

Bai Wei slipped into the car, buckled her seatbelt, and said, "For the next while they might not do anything to you, but during the two days you have to leave, they're very likely to strike at you. Actually, you'd better stay here and just ride out this period."

"I know."

Jiang Cheng nodded, "Actually I'm not afraid of them; I'm just afraid that they'll hurt my family."

Bai Wei let out a light sigh, "Senior Brother Zeng told me your Short Staff training is good; you can exchange blows with him. But I must warn you, sparring in the Martial Arts Hall is very different from a street deathmatch, especially those from the Wild Wolf Gang—they can truly strike and kill you."

As she spoke, she stared intently at Jiang Cheng.

However, in his pupils there was no hesitation, fear, or retreat—only resolve.

"Don't worry, Senior Sister Bai, I know the situation. If I'm truly unlucky and they corner me, can't I just run if I can't beat them?" Jiang Cheng laughed.

Bai Wei's skill might really be that impressive, that Wu Tian was forced to strike his own face in public.

But evidently, she lacks that ruthless edge.

The Wild Wolf Gang members, however, have it.

But I have even more of it myself! "Alright."

Bai Wei was also helpless and said, "If you ever change your mind, you can come find me anytime."

"Thank you, Senior Sister Bai."

"No need, I'm also responsible for this; it's what I should do, and besides, it's not a big deal."

After speaking, Bai Wei turned the steering wheel and drove outward.

On the way back, the atmosphere was quiet; no one spoke.

After an unknown amount of time, a familiar street came into view.

The sedan slowly entered the Martial Arts Hall's courtyard, and Jiang Cheng left only after thanking repeatedly.

Only he didn't notice that a figure on the third floor stood by a window, taking in the whole scene.

Click click.

The person clenched his fist, producing a series of joint‑cracking sounds.

…

Soon after, Jiang Cheng pushed the cart onto the street.

His arrival caused a stir.

After all, a clash between the Wild Wolf Gang and the Flying Eagle Martial Arts Hall on the street is extremely rare, and what was even more unexpected was the Wild Wolf Gang members turning on each other, brutally beating their own junior.

As the spark of the incident, Jiang Cheng naturally attracted attention.

Everyone thought he would stop his stall and lay low, but after just two or three hours, he was back.

"Boss, I heard about what happened at noon," a regular customer approached, sympathy in his eyes, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, I'm doing just fine."

Jiang Cheng gave a slight smile.

"Good that you're fine, but from what I know about those people, they don't dare to act against you openly, but behind the scenes it's another story; you need to be careful."

"Mm, I will, thanks for the warning." Jiang Cheng expressed sincere gratitude.

"It's nothing, it's nothing."

The man waved his hand, sighed, "I can only give a couple of warnings; I can't help with anything else."

After a few more words, he turned and left.

One after another, some people came to show concern, or just gossip, wanting more details.

Of course, there were also those who took pleasure in the misfortune.

Mostly nearby stallholders, even if they weren't selling today, came from far away to stand at a distance, pointing and commenting.

"Damn! I knew that kid would have a day like this!"

Xu Hai addressed the few around him, "Back then we borrowed money from him as if we were asking for his life! Now look, we've offended the Wild Wolf Gang; let's see what happens to him later!"

"Exactly, making that much money, even buying Senior Member status at the Martial Arts Hall; I heard that Senior Member costs five thousand a month!" a middle‑aged woman held up five fingers and shouted exaggeratedly, "Five thousand!"

"Five thousand a month!"

A gasp of cold air rose from the crowd.

"That kid makes so much money!"

"Obviously, with so many people going every day, he must be making money! Damn, he makes so much and never lends us any."

"Heh, what's the use of earning more? Offending the Wild Wolf Gang, you can guess the outcome; now even if he has money, he can't lend it out."

"Exactly, even if he lent us now, we wouldn't take it!"

A few of them exchanged remarks, feeling extremely satisfied.

Not far away, a few Wild Wolf Gang members also stared here.

"That kid really dares to keep his stall out?" one sneered, "He doesn't think just because the Martial Arts Hall backs him we won't do anything to him, does he?"

"Should we stand beside him to scare those customers so he can't even sell a Roasted Sweet Potato?"

"No."

The leader shook his head, "If we do that, what if he goes back to the Martial Arts Hall? Moreover, haven't you forgotten Brother Tian's orders? Let's see how his business does. So, don't stir the grass, just keep watch. Speaking of which,"

A smug smile appeared on his face, "The more money that kid earns, the more ends up in our hands, right?"

"Exactly, exactly."

The few burst into hearty laughter.

Exactly, that kid works hard, only to end up making a wedding dress for them.

"By the way, that kid is called Jiang Cheng, right?"

"That's right," a young man affirmed, "I saw the Membership Card in his hand; it has that name, the Jiang with the water radical, and the Cheng of city."

Fine, the two of you go find Brother Bao; he's in charge of collecting management fees and has the addresses of everyone in this area. Look up where this kid lives, who is in his household, and when you have it clear, come back and tell me.

Alright.

The two who were summoned immediately set off.

And Jiang Cheng, not far away, also noticed it, but pretended not to see it and kept roasting the sweet potato in front of him.

After the sweet potato was roasted, only one or two people came over to buy.

Seeing that nothing was happening behind, the number of buyers also began to rise.

During that time, Lu Zicheng came by, expressed his concern, and said he couldn't help with any tasks, feeling quite ashamed.

When night fell and the street was already empty, Jiang Cheng finally decided to pack up his stall.

He did the math and saw that he had earned a little over three hundred today; if he counted the two or three hours he hadn't been at the stall, the net profit would likely reach five hundred.

I didn't expect the business to have gotten a little better.

Jiang Cheng thought to himself.

It must be because fewer people set up stalls, reducing competition.

Moreover, the incident at noon boosted his reputation, and many nearby people now knew his story; when they came, they bought a little out of compassion.

Most people are still kind at heart.

He bought raw sweet potatoes at the grain shop and pushed his cart toward home.

Thinking that Grandma and Chen Sao had already moved to the Outer City District, he felt at ease yet somewhat unsettled.

On the way back, nothing unusual occurred; he didn't dare be careless, pricked up his ears to listen for footsteps behind him, and fortunately there were none.

As he neared home, the sky was already pitch black, and faintly he saw a silhouette standing at his doorstep, fiddling with something.

Jiang Cheng instinctively wanted to shout loudly, but to assess the situation he set down his tricycle, stepped lightly toward it, and with his right hand reached to his back, pulling out a Short Staff.

(End of chapter)