The boy in red was as delicate and pretty as a doll, but his eyes darted everywhere, and there was a sleazy look in them that made anyone who glanced at him feel sick.
"Dai Xin, we agreed. This is the last time I'm stepping in."
Dai Xin hurriedly nodded. "Yes, yes, yes. Don't worry, young master."
The boy flashed a greasy, wicked grin. "Once this fight's over, besides the reward we agreed on, I want these two maids as well. They can keep me company for a few days."
The two maids shuddered.
"Of course. Whatever you say!"
Dai Xin readily agreed, his face covered in ingratiating smiles.
Securing this grain would be good enough, but if he could please this little tyrant, there'd be even more benefits down the road.
The boy in red grinned with satisfaction. With a hand on each side, he gave the two maids' shapely bottoms a hard pinch, then chuckled and hopped off the chair, sauntering to the middle of the courtyard.
Lu Chen took off his heavy padded coat and walked to the center as well.
"That's him?"
The boy in red looked Lu Chen up and down, then curled his mouth in a smirk, his smile oily and obnoxious. "I'm not in much of a mood today, so I can't be bothered to make a big deal of this. Here's what you'll do: lie down like a good boy and bark a couple of times. Then you can call it a loss. That'll save me the trouble of beating you until your teeth are scattered across the ground, crying for your daddy and mommy and making a fool of yourself."
Lu Chen said nothing, his gaze calm.
He didn't take his opponent lightly just because he was young. If anything, he was even more wary.
Anyone who could defeat several martial artists in a row was no ordinary child.
The boy in red let out a cold laugh and shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow. In the blink of an eye, he was in front of Lu Chen.
He feinted with his right palm while his left fist shot out from beneath his ribs, aiming straight for Lu Chen's abdomen. The punch made no sound, yet it was astonishingly fast. Lu Chen neither retreated nor dodged; he brought his left palm down and intercepted the punch.
The two traded punches and kicks, exchanging more than ten moves in the blink of an eye. The boy's techniques were strange and unpredictable, all aimed at vital points.
Lu Chen countered each move, steady and measured. Gradually, he began to understand the boy's style, and his heart turned grim.
Though still so young, the boy had already come close to the threshold of External Force. His natural aptitude was exceptional.
At the edge of the courtyard, Jin Ming saw Lu Chen gaining the upper hand and excitedly pumped his fist.
"Brother Lu, well done!"
The other merchants in the courtyard had long been fed up with the red-clad boy's vicious, overbearing behavior. They too began cheering Lu Chen on.
As the crowd jeered, the boy's face flushed red. Seeing that he was about to lose, his eyes darted around, and he suddenly shouted, "I surrender!"
At the sound of this, Lu Chen eased his attack slightly.
In that instant, a vicious glint flashed in the boy's eyes. He joined his fingers like a spear and thrust them straight at Lu Chen's eyes! He had faked his surrender to launch a sneak attack.
"Look out!"
"Despicable!"
But Lu Chen had spent his time among the underworld. What dirty tricks had he not seen?
He had noticed the boy's darting eyes just moments ago and knew he was up to something.
Now, as the two fingers came at him, Lu Chen didn't dodge. His right leg shot out like a venomous snake striking from its lair, delivering a vicious kick to the groin that landed squarely on target.
"Uwaah—!"
The boy let out a piercing scream and crumpled to the ground like a shrimp, his face turning blue and purple. His whole body trembled, and he could no longer make a sound.
Lu Chen drew back and stood upright. The winner was clear.
Looking at the boy curled up on the ground, wailing, Lu Chen thought, I really can't seem to stop getting into it with kids today.
Just then, a shout, laden with shock and fury, rang out:
"Ming'er!"
A middle-aged man with fair skin and scholarly features hurried into the courtyard. He bent down, scooped up the boy in red, and demanded, "Who hurt you like this?"
"Master... him!" Jiang Ming'er said, his face deathly pale as he jabbed a finger at Lu Chen. "You have to avenge your disciple!"
The middle-aged man rose, his sleeves sweeping out. A cold glint filled his eyes as he fixed them on Lu Chen.
Lu Chen met his gaze without flinching. "I did. We fought on the platform, and the outcome was fair. What did I do wrong?"
"A fair fight?"
The middle-aged man's face darkened. With righteous indignation, he said, "If this was a martial contest, then you should have tested your skills with proper martial techniques. What kind of despicable, underhanded moves were those? Where did you learn them? Which school do you belong to? Did your elders never teach you the rules of the martial world, or that a martial artist should have some sense of shame?"
Lu Chen was speechless. "Your disciple faked a surrender and tried to poke my eyes out, and now you're lecturing me about shame?"
"Absurd!" the middle-aged man retorted firmly. "My disciples would never do anything so vile. You're clearly making things up."
Lu Chen said no more. He simply replied, "Everyone here can vouch for me."
"I can!"
The owner of Taifeng Firm in Blackwater County was a dark-faced man. He was the first to step forward.
He had been holding back his anger for a while, and now his voice boomed across the courtyard:
"Your precious disciple clearly shouted that he was surrendering. As soon as Brother Lu stopped, the boy immediately tried to gouge out his eyes! Everyone saw it! Your disciple did something so despicable, and instead of disciplining him, you blame someone else? What kind of logic is that?"
"Exactly!"
A martial artist hired by Yongchang Firm in Yongping County chimed in:
"That brat fights dirty and viciously, always attacking below the belt. When he couldn't win, he resorted to a fake surrender and a sneak attack! Brother Lu only gave him a taste of his own medicine. What's wrong with that? If anyone broke the rules and showed no shame, it was your disciple!"
"Right! We all saw it!"
"Your disciple was the one who played dirty first!"
"Like master, like disciple!"
As the crowd testified against him, the middle-aged man's face turned from green to white.
He looked at the disciple in his arms and asked hoarsely, "Is what they say true?"
Jiang Ming'er no longer dared to deny it. He burst into tears. "Master... I—I was wrong..."
"Alas!"
The middle-aged man shut his eyes and let out a long sigh. When he opened them again, the harshness had faded from his gaze, leaving only weariness and shame.
He gently set his disciple down, straightened his robe, and then clasped his fists toward Lu Chen, bowing deeply. "Young brother, I failed to teach Jiang properly and neglected to discipline him, allowing this wretch to behave so shamefully... I apologize to you on Jiang's behalf."
Seeing how sincere he was, Lu Chen returned the salute. "You're too kind. It was a misunderstanding. Now that we've cleared things up, that's all that matters."
The middle-aged man said no more. He picked up the sobbing Jiang Ming'er and turned to leave. In the evening light, his back looked somewhat forlorn.
"Master, it hurts," Jiang Ming'er's tearful voice drifted back faintly.
"You brought it on yourself. I'll settle accounts with you when we get back," the middle-aged man said sternly.
The master and disciple disappeared into the distance. The managers of the several grain shops exchanged wry smiles, then stepped forward to congratulate Jin Ming. The rules had been set, and there was nothing more to say.
Jin Ming was overjoyed, his delight plainly written across his face.
He cupped his fists toward the manager of Jiaoguo Grain Company and said with a smile, "Shall we weigh the goods and settle the transaction, then? We'll use the price we agreed on. My Daxing Rice Shop won't be short a single coin."
With the deal settled, the courtyard immediately sprang into action.
The workers began counting the sacks of grain while the accountant worked his abacus. Jin Ming moved among them, giving orders with calm assurance. His earlier anxiety and agitation had vanished, and he already carried himself like a young master capable of managing things on his own.
Seeing that there was nothing left for him to do, Lu Chen returned to the inn to rest.
Near noon the next day, the grain-laden convoy set off on the return journey.
They followed the same route back and stopped for the night at the mountain waystation where they had stayed before.
The night passed without incident.
They set off early the next morning. After traveling for about an hour, a band of bandits burst out of the woods beside the road and blocked their way.
In the chaos, nearly half the grain was stolen.
Before you continue