Chapter 16: Consecutive Strikes

The scene fell quiet once more. Even the children and youths who had kept far away noticed something was off and turned to look.

Calling him by his nickname and teasing that he and Mu Shulan were a little couple — those were just kids' jokes. But what Liu Yong said and did next was already indecent, no different from harassing a girl. Zhao Jin naturally wasn't going to let him push it any further.

Once Liu Yong caught on, he flew into a rage. Being looked down on and cursed at by some kid was way too humiliating. Gritting his teeth, he said, "You little punk, who are you—"

Before he could finish, he saw only the furious little girl standing there. Where had Zhao Jin gone? The thought had barely formed when something slammed hard into his stomach. Caught completely off guard, he couldn't catch his breath, the pain searing through him. He couldn't even cry out before he was knocked flat on his back.

Hitting the ground wasn't the end of it. Zhao Jin was already on top of him, swinging his fists down. Thud, thud — over a dozen punches.

The dozen-plus kids standing around, including the Chen brothers and Mu Shulan, were all stunned. No one had expected a fight to break out, let alone for Zhao Jin to throw the first punch.

Even though he'd only trained for ten days, it still had an effect. Zhao Jin's fists hurt, but by the third punch Liu Yong's nose was already bleeding. After a dozen-odd punches, Liu Yong's face was covered in blood.

Indecent as he was, Liu Yong was still only about twelve. Being beaten this badly, his face a bloody mess, he started wailing by the tenth punch.

"Next time you dare run your mouth, I'll beat you to death!" Zhao Jin threatened fiercely, then got up off Liu Yong.

Liu Yong had been clutching his nose and crying. At Zhao Jin's words, his body, still sprawled on the ground, shuddered, and he nodded frantically.

Only then did the youths who'd come with Liu Yong snap out of it. The short one who'd spoken earlier glanced left and right, then suddenly shouted, "Let's all jump him—"

Again, he only got halfway. Zhao Jin was already charging at him, leaping into a kick. The short kid instinctively tried to dodge aside, but Zhao Jin's foot still caught him square in the chest, sending him sprawling.

The entire goods yard went dead silent. Everyone, whether gathered close or watching from afar, was completely frozen.

Liu Yong on the ground was still clutching his nose. The short kid tried to scramble up, but Zhao Jin stomped him right back down.

Zhao Jin's body was very weak, and less than ten days of training hadn't made him much stronger. But his experience in one-on-one fights and brawls was rich. Zhao Jin knew he was outnumbered. When one person is surrounded, you have to grab one of them and hit them hard. Take one down, and you might scare the rest off. Even if they don't run, you won't have lost anything — it's better than getting ganged up on without being able to hit back.

In this kind of hotheaded bullying, many against one, no one really has the resolve for a bloody fight to the death. As soon as one side shows real viciousness, the other side usually gets scared. And since these youths all followed Liu Yong, once the leader was crushed and the defiant one was put down, the rest naturally shrank back.

In a fair one-on-one, Zhao Jin couldn't beat Liu Yong. He probably couldn't even beat that short kid. But no one expected him to be this ruthless, daring to strike first. In an instant, he'd cowed the entire crowd.

Zhao Jin stood there, sweeping his gaze around. He wasn't tall and still looked very boyish, yet everyone his eyes passed over couldn't help shrinking back.

But Zhao Jin was still just one person. After shrinking back for a moment, the youths behind Liu Yong began stirring restlessly again. Just then, Chen Sheng had snapped out of it. He swung the wooden saber in his hand forward with a sharp whoosh and shouted, "Anyone who lays a hand on Zhao Jin, I'll hit you!"

Everyone in the yard knew well how tough Chen Sheng was. They immediately stopped moving.

Though the scene was quiet for the moment, every eye was fixed on this spot. Seeing all the youths in the yard cowed, Chen Sheng turned to look at Zhao Jin, his eyes burning with intensity. Grinning, he said, "Zhao Jin, you're really something. Let's you and me have a match!"

Zhao Jin shook his head. He'd been delayed outside too long; it was nearly time for afternoon martial practice. He looked over all the youths in the yard and said, "I won't fight you. But tomorrow I'll find lots of people to spar with you. How many pastries can you bring out?"

Chen Sheng paused, glanced at Chen Hong standing beside him, and said, "I can bring out eight. Add Er Hong's, that makes fourteen."

At those words, Chen Hong immediately stared nervously at his older brother, thinking that he still wanted to eat his own share.

Zhao Jin nodded and continued, "No fight today. Tomorrow, prepare thirty-two black wooden tokens and thirty-two white wooden tokens for me. Make the tokens as small as you can. Write the numbers one through thirty-two on them. Also prepare a big clay jar — all these tokens need to fit inside it."

"Wh-what are you going to do?" Chen Sheng stared wide-eyed at Zhao Jin, his face full of confusion. And he wasn't the only one — even Liu Yong, still lying on the ground, was listening while clutching his nose. Everyone's faces were full of curiosity.

Zhao Jin had no time to explain. That feint strike his second uncle Zhao Zhenxing had made this morning had scared him badly. If he got back late, he'd definitely get a scolding.

"Do as I say. If after all that, still no one will spar with you, I'll fight you myself!" With that, Zhao Jin turned and left. Mu Shulan followed close behind.

Chen Sheng had been about to ask more, but the moment he heard that, he broke into a grin and nodded eagerly.

Watching Zhao Jin walk off into the distance, Chen Sheng tugged at Chen Hong beside him and said, "Let's go back and pick up stones."

But no one cared where Chen Sheng was going. The youths in the goods yard were all staring at Zhao Jin's retreating figure, their eyes filled with shock and fear.

Once out of the goods yard, Zhao Jin looked up at the sun and felt he'd wasted too much time. Worried, he couldn't help breaking into a run. This was one downside — telling time only by looking at the sky, with no way to make an accurate estimate.

When two little kids run, the boy is always a bit faster than the girl. Mu Shulan couldn't keep up. After hesitating a moment, she reached out and took Zhao Jin's hand. Zhao Jin didn't think much of it, but he failed to notice that this was the first time the little girl had ever held his hand.

Running hand in hand, their pace slowed. Zhao Jin glanced back. The little girl's cheeks were flushed pink, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. She really is pretty — the thought suddenly surfaced in Zhao Jin's mind.

They ran into Zhao Zhenxing halfway there. His uncle was walking hurriedly, a trace of worry on his face. Only when he saw the two children running toward him hand in hand did he relax, though his expression immediately turned stern.

"Why are you back so late? No slacking off in martial training..." Zhao Zhenxing said a few stern words, then his expression sharpened. He reached out, rubbed a spot on Zhao Jin's clothes between his fingers, brought it to his nose and sniffed, and asked severely, "What's with all this blood?"

Zhao Jin looked down. Quite a few drops of blood had spattered onto his clothes — no doubt from when he'd been fighting Liu Yong and made his nose bleed. Seeing Zhao Zhenxing's stern look, Zhao Jin couldn't help feeling a bit panicked. Over these past few days of training, he'd come to hold his uncle in deep awe.

Seeing Zhao Jin hemming and hawing, Zhao Zhenxing frowned. Just then, Mu Shulan, who'd been at his side, stepped forward and said, "Second Uncle, it was like this..."

Zhao Jin had never imagined Mu Shulan could be so eloquent, her words so well-organized. For a seven- or eight-year-old girl to manage that was rare — especially in this era.

The little girl recounted the whole matter clearly from start to finish. But being so young, she didn't know what should be said and what shouldn't, so she even told him about helping Chen Sheng set up the sparring matches.

Zhao Zhenxing's expression was stern at first, but gradually it softened. The look he gave Zhao Jin was full of surprise. By the end, there was even a hint of a smile and approval on his face.

"... Brother Xiaojin did it to help me. Second Uncle, please don't blame him." The little girl finished her account in her crisp voice.

Zhao Zhenxing smiled and shook his head. He reached out and ruffled Zhao Jin's hair, saying gently, "Silly child. Next time you run into that many people, the most important thing is to run."