A Small Fry's Jianghu

"Why did you come so early today?" Huang Zixian asked, somewhat puzzled. "It's only 3 p. m., and all the matches are in the bantamweight and featherweight divisions."

Qing Chen walked into the boxing gym, while Huang Zixian sat back in his wheelchair and had his assistant push him beside the boy.

In the corridor, Qing Chen pulled his baseball cap down low and said, "I'm just looking around."

At this point, Huang Zixian said, "Actually, you wanted to learn the technique by observing, right?"

"Why do you say that?" Qing Chen asked calmly.

"I can feel it," Huang Zixian said, sitting in his wheelchair. "Even though you beat me up so badly, your skills are far inferior to mine, and I can feel that."

After saying that, he looked up at Qing Chen's face and, seeing that the young man was not unhappy, continued, "I've always been known for my technical skills in the boxing ring, so I can sense an opponent's technique with just one punch. For example, the moment I throw a punch, your evasive trajectory and defensive posture rely on subconscious reactions. When you fight, it's your subconscious that controls your body, not you yourself."

Qing Chen was very interested in this statement, and he said seriously, "Go on."

"Actually, if I hadn't cried for no reason yesterday, you wouldn't have been able to beat me," Huang Zixian said sincerely. "I don't think you're a regular at Begonia Boxing Gym, and you don't seem to have specifically studied me, so you probably don't know that my specialty is chokes. When you counterattacked yesterday, I seemed to be pushed back, but I was actually waiting for an opportunity. If I had just given you another ten seconds or so, I might have been able to find your weakness and lock you to the ground."

Qing Chen knew that the other party was telling the truth. It was precisely because he sensed a crisis at that time that he began to ponder what other trump cards he had.

Even after Huang Zixian shed tears, he didn't dare to approach him rashly.

That was his intuition warning him.

That's why he came back here to seriously learn fighting techniques. He wants to solidify his foundation until one day he can defeat a master like Huang Zixian without any tricks.

Now, Huang Zixian can see his weaknesses at a glance, which shows that he still has a long way to go.

Huang Zixian looked at Qing Chen: "You have great talent because your instincts are strong enough, but without skills, you won't go far."

"Yes, I came here so early because I wanted to learn the technology," Qing Chen no longer needed to hide it.

However, Huang Zixian was taken aback. "Learning techniques requires hiring a professional coach. Begonia Boxing Gym won't provide you with a coach; they don't offer that service."

"I don't want to hire a coach," Qing Chen shook his head, because teaching one lesson at a time was too slow.

What he had to do was observe others fighting, then memorize all the details and slowly review them, eventually making them his own.

However, he couldn't explain his talent to Huang Zixian.

Just then, a staff member from the boxing gym appeared in their path. He was wearing a black suit and said in a low, polite voice, "Mr. Qing, the boss asked me to ask you if you have a match today. If so, we can arrange an opponent for you on the spot. If you have any opponents you'd like to fight, please let me know."

Qing Chen was taken aback for a moment. "I'm not playing today, I'll just watch."

"Then I'll take you to the private room," the staff member said, leading the way.

He led Qing Chen to the door of a VIP room, where the words VIP001 were prominently displayed. Huang Zixian's expression turned strange.

Huang Zixian hesitated for a moment before looking at the staff member. "Can I go in?"

Qing Chen felt a little strange. Why would he ask if he could go in? It's just a private room, isn't it?

However, the staff member did not answer directly, but instead looked at Qing Chen: "Are you inviting Mr. Huang?"

"Invitation," Qing Chen, still having something to ask Huang Zixian, this Jianghu.

After receiving Qing Chen's reply, the staff member looked at Huang Zixian: "Mr. Huang, you may go in and accompany Mr. Qing."

After asking them what drinks and food they wanted, the staff quietly left the private room.

Qing Chen smelled the faint fragrance in the private room, as if an orchid was quietly blooming in the dark night, fragrant but not cloying.

He looked at Huang Zixian: "Could you explain what just happened?"

"This is the private room that Boss Jiang usually watches matches by herself. It's not open to the public," Huang Zixian said. "The entire Begonia Boxing Gym knows about this. She usually stays alone in this private room and doesn't let anyone near it."

Qing Chen thought to himself, no wonder the fragrance here is so rich, it turns out it's for that lady's exclusive use.

Unbeknownst to him, Huang Zixian's feelings were already complicated, as the Tigerweight Boxing Champion was unsure of the relationship between the young man in front of him and the long-established Boss Haitang.

In Huang Zixian's mind, Jiang Xiaotang was never a kind-hearted person.

In fact, how could a woman who could calmly stab Zhou Mo's intestines twice be an ordinary woman?

This is the most notorious viper in Fourth District. Beneath her beautiful appearance and alluring figure lies a chilling coldness and ruthlessness.

At this moment, Huang Zixian hesitated for a moment and then said again, "Zhou Mo, the middleweight champion who refused to fight you yesterday, was stabbed twice by Boss Jiang himself. He's still lying in the hospital next door. But that's the rule of the Jianghu, and I think Zhou Mo was prepared for that."

"The rules of the Jianghu?" Qing Chen heard this term again. Huang Zixian had mentioned the rules of the Jianghu when he said he would repay him with his life.

He had always thought it was a vague concept, but now it seems to be some solid, established rules.

Huang Zixian explained, "In the underworld, loyalty, integrity, and keeping promises are paramount. Zhou Mo accepted money from the Begonia Boxing Gym but refused to fight, causing Boss Jiang to lose face. This violates the rules of integrity, hence the need for a double stab. Furthermore, in this underworld, once you've chosen a gang, you can't betray them, or you'll become a stray dog. If anyone harbors a traitor, the entire gang can attack them."

Qing Chen nodded; he understood.

Rules are the favorable conditions that those in power set for themselves. With these rules in place, everyone has to think twice before betraying the organization or breaking their promises.

However, he was somewhat surprised that the underground Jianghu of the Inner World had such rules.

At this moment, Huang Zixian said, "Just like if you spare my life, I have to repay you with my life. This is also a rule of the Jianghu. If you spare my life and give me time to arrange things for my wife and children and take care of my affairs after I'm gone, then even if you ask me to die, I can't refuse. But if I take the blame for you in this critical moment, then if I can survive this ordeal, I'll consider my life earned back, and I won't owe you anything anymore."

Qing Chen sighed: What a ridiculously childish rule.

However, for some reason, he always felt that these people who still respected the rules of the Jianghu Inner World a unique Jianghu touch.

This is something you probably don't see in those big shots.

Qing Chen had initially been somewhat puzzled as to why Lin Xiaoxiao, Ye Wan, and Li Dongze were so loyal to Li Shutong, but at this moment he finally understood.

Jianghu, a term referring to the martial arts world or the martial arts community).

This was something that made Qing Chen feel out of place in the cyberpunk world, but it just existed.

Of course, Qing Chen was also well aware that the Jianghu wasn't so pure, and there weren't many people like Huang Zixian.

At this moment, Huang Zixian thought for a moment and suddenly added, "Of course, the rules of the Jianghu are the rules of the Jianghu. It's a bit excessive for Boss Jiang to force Zhou Mo to go to the hospital alone. Zhou Mo's management company is very powerful, but they don't dare to say anything to Boss Jiang. They can only accept their fate."

Qing Chen understood that Huang Zixian was trying to imply that this Boss Jiang was not someone to be trifled with, but he didn't dare to say it outright.

Huang Zixian probably wasn't quite sure what his relationship with Boss Jiang was, so he didn't want to say anything carelessly.

To be honest, even Qing Chen was a little confused. He had only met Jiang Xiaotang once, yet she had given him so many special treatments.

It's a bit odd.

However, since he was already there, Qing Chen calmly sat down in the private room, his gaze fixed on the two bantamweight fighters in the Octagon Cage.

Tigerweight corresponds to E-Class superhumans, and middleweight corresponds to F-Class superhumans. Therefore, featherweight and bantamweight are still within the scope of ordinary people.

In the past, Huang Zixian would have looked down on boxing matches of this level, but he found that Qing Chen was watching with great interest.

The former Tigerweight champion pondered, "Judging from the power comparison last night, this Qing Xiao Tu must be one of the best in the E-Class. How can he be so impressed by a bantamweight?"

However, he didn't know that Qing Chen was only looking at the technique.

For boxers, the bantamweight division doesn't offer extraordinary power; instead, it requires constant refinement of skills.

These people have experienced dozens or even hundreds of battles in the Octagon Cage, and they also undergo high-intensity training every day. Their skills have been honed through countless trials, and their control over timing and rhythm is superb.

Huang Zixian suddenly tentatively said from the side, "Those two bantamweights in the audience, one is named Li Yuzhe, and the other is named Chang Lele. Both of them have pretty good skills, but they haven't been injected with the gene serum yet. Li Yuzhe can't buy the gene serum, while Chang Lele has already bought it, but he wants to have a child before getting the injection, and as a result, he hasn't been able to find a wife yet..."

While watching the match, Qing Chen asked, "Are bantamweight boxers really that unlucky? They can't even find wives?"

"It's not that he can't find one," Huang Zixian said. "He had a girlfriend a while ago, but he got cheated on by a middleweight boxer. I suspect he might not be able to resist injecting gene serum and going straight for that boxer for revenge."

"Your circle is really messy," Qing Chen sighed.

At this moment, Chang Lele suddenly turned around and used her waist, hips and arms to firmly restrain her opponent, causing her to lose her balance.

Seeing Qing Chen's eyes light up, Huang Zixian explained, "This is a technique from Northern wrestling. The waist and hips are one of the most important axes of the human body, and they can often play a role in using minimal force to overcome great force in close combat and grappling techniques."

As Qing Chen reviewed Chang Lele's technique using her waist and hips as an axis, he instantly thought of several other fighting styles that also used the waist and hips as an axis.

He suddenly realized that it was nice to have someone analyzing things from the sidelines.

Qing Chen looked at Huang Zixian: "Since you're injured anyway, why don't you come and explain it to me every afternoon?"

Huang Zixian was taken aback. "Using this to repay that favor?"

Qing Chen said seriously, "This is for you to pay some interest first."

Huang Zixian laughed, "Okay."

Actually, Qing Chen had another purpose: he wanted to learn about the Jianghu among the lower classes through Huang Zixian, a seasoned veteran of Inner World Jianghu.

At this moment, in a secluded room, there are sets of women's clothes hanging, and in the inner room there is a huge bathroom and bathtub. This is clearly Jiang Xiaotang's own private space.

Jiang Xiaotang was sitting at a table, her chin resting on her hand. In front of her stood a dynamic holographic projection, showing Qing Chen and Huang Zixian talking.

She muttered to herself with some doubt, "Is it really about watching a match to learn techniques? But what techniques can you learn from watching a bantamweight match?"

As she spoke, she placed her fair legs, which were visible beneath her skirt, on the soft couch in front of her. The embroidered flat shoes on her feet were exceptionally bright, making her insteps appear even whiter, as if even the bone patterns and blue veins on her insteps possessed a unique beauty.

Jiang Xiaotang silently gazed at the boy in the hologram, lost in thought.

After a while, she pressed a button on the table and said, "Change the schedule, let Guo Ruochao and Zhong Mingyuan match, and ask them to supplement their match contracts, with an additional 10% on their appearance fees."

A subordinate's hesitant voice came from the built-in speaker on the table. "Boss, the two people who were originally scheduled to compete are ready to go out."

Jiang Xiaotang didn't speak, but after only three seconds, her subordinate immediately changed his tune, saying, "I'll go arrange it right away."

During a break in the match, Qing Chen asked in the private room, "Are there often life-or-death situations in the Octagon Cage?"

"Often," Huang Zixian said, "Begonia Boxing Gym is a bit better, as Boss Jiang doesn't deliberately pursue bloodshed and excitement. But many small boxing gyms are different. In order to attract some psychologically repressed audiences and gamblers, they will deliberately kill one or two boxers every day."

Qing Chen was confused. "Didn't they say that Begonia Boxing Gym only has new members coming in for ranking every four or five months? With so few new members, won't they all just get killed?!"

Huang Zixian burst out laughing, "It seems you really don't know anything about the boxing gyms in Fourth District. There are over a hundred illegal boxing gyms in the entire City No. 18, and Fourth District has sixteen of the largest ones. If a boxer wants to be ranked, they can only be ranked at one of these sixteen gyms in Fourth District. Generally, people will go to Hongxing Boxing Gym, which has the lowest overall level. The intensity is the lowest, and there are the fewest deaths. They can get more than ten ranked gyms in one night. To be honest, Hongxing Boxing Gym does this kind of business, selling boxers' passes."

Once they have their licenses, boxers can freely choose which gym to compete in.

Larger gyms like Begonia Boxing Gym will employ their own dedicated boxers.

People who are known as "Haitang" in public are generally considered superior to other boxers in the same weight class, which is a natural sense of superiority.

Qing Chen nodded to indicate that he understood. The sixteen boxing gyms in the Fourth District essentially controlled the power to issue boxer licenses, and all the boxing gyms in City No. 18 had to rely on them.

Begonia Boxing Gym has always been among the top-level gyms, so generally, only geniuses dare to come here for a ranking test.

Only true geniuses are brought here by coaches hoping for an instant breakthrough.

While it's certainly dangerous to get a ranking at Begonia Boxing Gym, it's also the place where the ranking is most prestigious and the path you take is the most solid.

It was only then that Qing Chen realized how much of a rip-off his master had been...

Or rather, how problematic are the traditions of the Knight Organization...?

"Hey, the schedule's changed," Huang Zixian said. "Wait, why is Guo Ruochao playing against Zhong Mingyuan?"

"Is there a problem?" Qing Chen asked.

Huang Zixian hesitated for a moment before saying, "These two are the most technically skilled in the featherweight division. Begonia Boxing Gym usually avoids having them fight together because it's not very entertaining to watch two technically skilled fighters clash, and the audience might not understand it. Strange, who arranged this event?"

He glanced at Qing Chen and wondered if this arrangement was specifically for this young man to learn technical skills.

Just as Huang Zixian was pondering, there was a knock on the door of the private room. Jiang Xiaotang asked lazily from outside, "May I come in?"

Huang Zixian silently looked at Qing Chen. He didn't expect that Jiang Xiaotang would ask a question before pushing the door open and entering.