"You must have a death wish!" the tall, thin man cursed, throwing the first punch. His fist carried brute force, but there was no technique behind it.
Yang Jing planted his feet firmly, neither dodging nor retreating. He blocked with his left arm and clenched his right hand into a fist-the opening stance of the Mountain Collapse Fist.
His fist skimmed past the thin man's arm and slammed into his ribs.
"Aagh!"
The tall, thin man doubled over in pain as though struck by a heavy hammer, and the dagger in his hand clattered to the ground.
The short-haired man jumped in fright. Seeing his companion fall, he gritted his teeth, a vicious look flashing in his eyes, and stabbed his dagger straight at Yang Jing's lower abdomen. The thrust was fast and ruthless.
Yang Jing's expression tightened slightly, but he remained composed.
He was now an expert in bright strength, having truly entered the realm of strength. He had trained and sparred with Liu Maolin for a long time, and had killed with his own hands and seen blood. In a real fight, he did not falter in the slightest.
Yang Jing shifted his feet, his body slipping half a foot aside like a phantom. At the same time, his left hand shot out like lightning and clamped precisely around the short-haired man's wrist. His right hand formed a fist, and his bright strength erupted-
Bang!
His fist struck the crook of the short-haired man's elbow squarely.
With a faint crack, the short-haired man screamed and released his grip. The dagger fell to the ground, and his entire arm bent at an unnatural angle.
Yang Jing did not stop. Following through with a forward shove, he sent the short-haired man staggering backward several steps before falling to the ground with a thud and rolling about in pain.
In barely three breaths, the two dagger-wielding gang thugs had completely lost the ability to fight back.
"Get lost. Act this recklessly again, and it'll be your legs I break."
Without so much as glancing at the two men howling on the ground, Yang Jing bent down, picked up both daggers, and casually tossed them into the weeds at the base of the courtyard wall. Then he pushed open the gate and went inside.
There were several other tenants in the courtyard.
Hearing the commotion, they ran over to the gate to take a look and were all startled. Inwardly, they labeled Yang Jing a "ruthless man" and "someone not to be provoked."
Yang Jing had no idea what the other tenants were thinking, nor did he care.
After dealing with the two gang thugs, he went straight back to his room and began stewing meat.
He had already finished this month's ten-jin allotment of bear meat, so he had gone back to eating horse meat.
He had once thought horse meat tasted quite good. But after eating bear meat, going back to horse meat boiled in plain water with a few chunks of salt really felt like chewing wax.
The groans outside the courtyard gate soon faded. Clearly, the two gang thugs had endured the pain and forced themselves to leave.
Yang Jing gave the two gang thugs no further thought. They were merely ordinary men who had never even undergone systematic training in hand-to-hand combat, utterly insignificant to him.
He was now a true martial artist who had entered the realm of strength, and an enormous gulf separated him from ordinary people who had not developed inner force.
Moreover, Yang Jing had received professional martial arts training at the Sun Clan Martial Arts School, with systematic instruction from an expert in transforming strength, as well as diligent practice and sparring with his senior brothers.
Whether in strength or technique, the gap between Yang Jing and ordinary people was now immense.
For Yang Jing, neither defeating those two gang thugs nor killing them would have been difficult. In fact, it would have been rather easy. That was the difference between a martial artist who had entered the realm of strength and an ordinary person.
It was precisely because of this enormous gap that, upon learning Yang Jing had broken through to bright strength, Master Ning of Wazi Township had immediately sent his household steward to apologize and offer goodwill.
If Yang Jing truly wanted to kill Ning Xuezhi, Ning Xuezhi might evade him on the first day of the month, but he might not make it past the fifteenth.
As he stewed the meat, thoughts raced through Yang Jing's mind.
Fourth Senior Brother's family runs a medical hall and medicinal herb business, and they're fairly well known throughout Yuhe County. They probably know quite a bit about these gangs. Tomorrow, I can ask Fourth Senior Brother about the Great Fortune Gang.
Yang Jing considered this inwardly.
Since he had already torn away all pretense of civility with the Great Fortune Gang, it would be better to learn more about them.
Judging by how those two gang thugs acted today, they probably don't know I've entered the realm of strength.
If they'd known I was a bright strength martial artist, they wouldn't have dared attack me so brazenly even with three times the courage.
Still, that's only natural.
To the Great Fortune Gang, the original owner of this body was probably just another ordinary person who borrowed money from them at usurious rates. There was no reason to pay him much attention. They only needed to collect when the loan came due.
But after this fight, the Great Fortune Gang will probably investigate me properly.
Yang Jing narrowed his eyes.
He did not know the Great Fortune Gang's background or how powerful they were.
Once the Great Fortune Gang learns I've successfully entered the realm of strength, will they let this matter go?
Yang Jing frowned in thought.
Under normal circumstances, that was quite possible.
After all, the principal he had originally borrowed from the Great Fortune Gang was only eight taels of silver.
A mere eight taels should have amounted to little for the Great Fortune Gang, whose main businesses included usury.
Wouldn't it be far too foolish to make an enemy of a bright strength expert over eight taels of silver?
No, no. These gangs are rotten to the core, and this Great Fortune Gang in particular has committed all sorts of atrocities utterly devoid of conscience. I absolutely can't judge them by ordinary reason.
Yang Jing's brow gradually furrowed.
To other people, it might only be eight taels of silver.
But to those beasts in the Great Fortune Gang, it was sixteen taels.
Besides, these gang members stopped at nothing and excelled at all manner of insidious tricks. They might not be deterred by his bright strength.
No, I'll have to be more cautious from now on and drag out the conflict with the Great Fortune Gang as long as possible. Once I break through to hidden strength, these gangs won't amount to much.
Thoughts whirled through Yang Jing's mind, and he decided to tread carefully for a while.
If the Great Fortune Gang confronted him openly, he would not be afraid. What worried him was whether they would resort to poisoning, covert attacks, or ambushes to deal with him.
I'll see how things go. If there's no other choice, I'll ask Master to clear out a woodshed for me and live at the Martial Arts Hall!
In Guang'an Ward, inside the courtyard of the Great Fortune Gang Headquarters.
Dust swirled as several bare-chested men gambled around a stone table. The sharp clatter of dice landing in a bowl mingled with an endless stream of curses.
"Fuck, it hurts like hell."
The short-haired man staggered inside, half-supported by the tall, thin young man. His arm still bent at an unnatural angle, and his face was drenched in cold sweat. The moment he entered the courtyard, the pain made him curse aloud.
The gang members gambling at the table looked up at the sound. Seeing the pair's wretched condition, they dropped their dice and crowded around.
"Brother Shun, what happened? Someone beat you up?" a man with a buzz cut asked noisily, his eyes sweeping over the two of them. "Who'd you fight? Who was that ruthless?"
The tall, thin young man clutched his ribs, grimacing in pain. "Who else? That Yang Jing! Fuck, that brat hid it well. He's actually trained in martial arts. He dropped us both in just a few moves."
"I suspect he might have entered the realm of strength," the short-haired man said in a trembling voice.
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