Young Man, You're Still Far Too Green!

"What?"

Hearing this, the two burly men were visibly stunned. They were clearly dressed like refugees, yet he had still recognized them?

Could this old man also be a Black Market enforcer?

This was bad.

The two of them had taken on this job privately. If they were discovered, they would be in deep trouble!

Impossible!

This old man had to be putting on an act!

One of them was hot-tempered and bold. He stepped forward on the spot. "Old bastard, quit playing tricks and trying to scare me. Running into us brothers today is your bad luck!"

With that, he moved to attack.

Seeing this, the genuine refugees nearby were terrified and hurriedly scattered away, afraid of being caught in the crossfire.

They might have been hungry, but they feared death even more!

In an unnoticed corner, Ma Shan had somehow already retreated over a hundred meters away. His eyes flickered as he shouted:

"Old Mister Jiang, hold them off! I'll go report this to the authorities right now!"

With that, he turned and ran, as though he had made some firm decision.

"???"

Jiang Yuan turned his head, his face instantly blank with astonishment.

Well, damn. He'd sold this old man out just like that?

Report it to the authorities?

Report my ass. By the time the authorities arrived, this old man's corpse would be cold!

The Black Market and the authorities were mortal enemies.

By shouting that, wasn't he making it even more impossible for them to let him go?

At that moment, Jiang Yuan once again tasted the malice of human hearts and the coldness of the world.

"Phew!"

Jiang Yuan took a deep breath, then turned back to face the two fierce-looking burly men. His expression was calm as still water.

"Young men, you do not know the height of heaven or the depth of earth."

"Come, come. Let this old man see just how capable you are."

The moment those words left his mouth, the two men were intimidated.

No way?

Could this old man truly be an expert?

There were rumors in the martial world that the most ordinary-looking old men were often the ones one absolutely could not provoke.

Could they really have run into one by such rotten luck?

But there was clearly no fluctuation of true qi around this old man?

No!

The two suddenly realized something. Though they were not martial artists, they had heard that highly accomplished martial artists could conceal their true qi, appearing no different from ordinary people in daily life.

Could it be...

Hiss!

Realizing this, the two broke out in cold sweat and involuntarily took half a step back, their voices trembling.

"O-Old Senior, who exactly are you?"

Jiang Yuan said nothing, looking as though he disdained even speaking to them.

This alarmed the two even more. They frantically speculated whether Jiang Yuan was a true expert or merely pretending to be one.

The air froze for several seconds.

The burly man was the first to recover. Cupping his fists, he said, "O-Old Senior, the two of us had no intention of offending you. We only wished to beg for something to eat."

"Since Senior is willing to offer guidance, then we shall presumptuously seek a spar."

He was wary, but he did not fully believe it.

His words were quite clever.

Though polite on the surface, his purpose was still to test Jiang Yuan. If the other party was merely an ordinary old man, he would definitely grind the old bastard's bones to dust to vent the hatred in his heart.

But if he truly was an expert...

Calling it a spar would mean they had not offended him beyond all reconciliation.

I'm simply a genius!

Jiang Yuan frowned slightly. These two really were not easy to fool.

"Make your move."

"If you can defeat this old man, all this porridge will be yours. So what?"

Jiang Yuan's expression remained utterly calm, as though he did not take them seriously at all. He even crooked a finger at them.

"Senior, forgive my offense!"

"Mountain-Pulling Fist!"

The burly man assumed a stance, his gaze sharpening. Then he charged toward Jiang Yuan in quick, short steps, roaring as he hurled a fist at the other man's vital point.

Though his words were courteous, he showed no mercy in his attack.

With his Body Tempering Seventh Layer physique, that punch carried at least several hundred jin of force—far beyond what an ordinary old man could withstand.

Even among ordinary soldiers, he would have been considered elite.

Yet Jiang Yuan neither dodged nor evaded. He stood rooted where he was, then lightly sent out a palm.

Bang!

There were no flashy tricks at all—just one move, an old man pushing a cart!

Crack!

With a dull, thunderous collision, Jiang Yuan's palm met the burly man's fist. The latter felt as though he had punched a city wall, utterly unable to shake it!

For every action, there was an equal and opposite reaction.

Not only had that heavy punch failed to drive Jiang Yuan back, it instead forced the burly man to stagger several steps backward, his face filled with shock.

An expert!

This old man was definitely an expert.

Without any flourish, without even any discernible technique, he had blocked his attack with a light palm.

In terms of physical strength alone, he was at least at the Body Tempering Ninth Layer.

An old man at the Body Tempering Ninth Layer?

No, this man had to be a martial artist with extraordinary cultivation!

Thinking this, cold sweat streamed down the burly man's back. He hurriedly bowed and yielded. "Thank you, Senior, for showing mercy. We failed to recognize Mount Tai before us and offended you. We beg your forgiveness!"

As his words fell,

the entire Refugee Alley plunged into deathly silence. One could have heard a needle drop.

The refugees, who had been panicking just moments ago, now stood with their eyes wide and their faces full of disbelief.

This frail old man had actually defeated an eight-foot-tall brute?

The sight was simply too shocking.

"S-So strong."

"This old gentleman is incredible!"

"Immovable as a mountain—this is truly the bearing of a martial grandmaster!"

Someone in the crowd exclaimed in awe.

Jiang Yuan slowly withdrew his palm. Feeling the still-surging vitality and blood within his body, he was slightly startled as well.

Fuck, my hand hurts!

It was not that he had shown mercy. He simply had not seen through the other man's fist technique at all and had instinctively raised his hand to block it.

The difference between someone who had trained in martial arts and someone who had not was like heaven and earth.

Though Jiang Yuan's body was somewhat stronger than the burly man's, he did not know any martial arts whatsoever.

If they continued fighting, he would undoubtedly lose!

What grandmaster bearing, my ass!

Of course, no one could imagine that an old man with such a powerful body might know no martial arts.

Seeing that Jiang Yuan remained silent, the burly man raised his head to glance at him, gritted his teeth, and quietly said to his companion:

"Take everything out and offer it to Senior!"

"O-Okay!"

The other man snapped back to his senses. With a pained expression, he took out a money pouch and respectfully presented it before Jiang Yuan, his face full of fawning smiles.

"Senior, we left in a hurry and only brought this little. Please accept it as some money for wine."

"Another day... another day, if you would honor us with your presence, please come visit our White Tiger Hall. This junior will certainly serve you well."

Though he said that, there were at least fifty or sixty taels in the pouch.

There were also several low-grade spirit stones.

Spirit stones were the common currency of martial artists and necessities for their cultivation. They were indispensable for condensing true qi.

A single low-grade spirit stone was nearly worth fifty or sixty taels of silver, making them quite valuable.

Jiang Yuan casually accepted the pouch. His face was like an ancient pool that had not rippled for a hundred years, completely devoid of emotion. He nodded.

"Mm. This old man knew you were not honest."

"Fortunately, this old man came to distribute porridge today and is compassionate and kind-hearted. Otherwise, none of you would have escaped death!"

"If this old man were another one or two hundred years younger, I would surely storm White Tiger Hall and demand an explanation!"

Hiss!!

This old man had actually lived for several hundred years?

He really was a terrifying old monster!!

The most terrifying things in this world were old men. The Hall Master had indeed not deceived them!

The burly man still felt lingering fear. He viciously slapped himself, then bowed and scraped. "Senior is right to reprimand us. This junior was blind and ignorant. This junior deserves death!"

"Mm."

Jiang Yuan gave a slight nod and said heavily, "Scram!"

"Many thanks, Senior!"

The two felt as though they had been granted a pardon. Overjoyed, they hurriedly cupped their fists and left.

Yet in their hearts, they cursed Ma Shan's ancestors for eighteen generations ten thousand times over.

Fuck you, Ma Shan! You actually dared to set us up!

That old man was clearly an expert, yet you tricked us brothers into causing him trouble. We nearly left our lives here.

This deal was an absolute loss!

A gentleman takes revenge; ten years is not too late!

With that thought, the burly man suddenly turned back and said quietly to Jiang Yuan:

"Old Senior, though this matter was a misunderstanding, you must beware of petty people around you plotting against you."

With that, he cupped his fists once more and departed.

Thus, the farce came to an end.

Jiang Yuan finally relaxed. Looking at the heavy money pouch in his hand, the corner of his mouth lifted slightly.

"Jiang, after all, is spicier when he's old!"