Chapter 56: When Old Friends Meet Again, Be Prepared for Surprises (Part Two)

“Get him! This brat is asking for it!” Furious at my flirtatious gesture of pinching Su Xin’s beautiful cheek, Xia Jianren raised his hand. Instantly, eight burly gangsters surrounded me.

Su Xin, whom I had pushed aside, nervously clutched the hem of her skirt, the Chanel dress she had just bought still dangling from her hand. She leaned against the wall, tears of grievance glimmering in her eyes.

Glancing at the eight men encircling me, I gave a casual, cold laugh. Stretching out a hand, I grinned with the ease of a martial arts master from ancient times. “Please, gentlemen!”

The thugs, seeing my nonchalant demeanor, immediately wore expressions of anger. In a flash, the one in front lunged at me with a punch. Simultaneously, two behind me launched side kicks at my back. The trio’s combined assault was fierce and intimidating, seemingly unstoppable. Xia Jianren watched with a sinister smile, expecting me to be knocked down in seconds. In his mind, my skills were no match for theirs.

Unfortunately for him, reality didn’t unfold as he’d imagined. After nearly half a month of rigorous training, I was no longer the helpless student I once was. Sensing the cold rush from behind, I sidestepped, raised my left hand, and met the oncoming fist with a powerful slap. Seizing the moment as the thug stumbled forward, I sprang ahead, both hands crashing onto his shoulders in a move reminiscent of the “lion pounces on butterfly,” flipping over him with ease.

The poor thug, struck on the shoulders, staggered two steps forward, only to have his face imprinted with the soles of two feet—the side kicks meant for me by his own teammates. They hadn’t expected their target to become their comrade. In their panic, it was too late to pull back. A scream was heard, and the unfortunate man fell unconscious.

All this happened in mere seconds, Xia Jianren’s sinister smile still frozen on his face. Without pausing, I darted forward, ignoring the other thugs pursuing me, and landed a punch on the nearest one. If you want to catch the thief, first capture the king—I aimed to subdue Xia Jianren, who was hiding behind his men. Though my martial arts had improved, I was still just a novice after half a month of training. I had no illusions about single-handedly defeating eight opponents. I’d prepared beforehand; once Xia Jianren was caught, the battle would be over.

“Bang!” My fist smashed into the cheek of a thug who hadn’t reacted in time. He cried out in pain and dropped to the ground. Using the momentum, I kicked at another thug who lunged at me, but this time, he was ready. As my kick landed, he wrapped his arms tightly around my right leg.

At that moment, the last burly man in front of Xia Jianren shouted and launched a flying kick at me. In a split-second decision, I switched from fist to fingers, recalling the point-strike techniques from Northern Praying Mantis boxing. My fingers jabbed swiftly at several numb points on his arm. As he felt a rush of tingling, I withdrew my right leg, rolled across the ground, and his kick missed, sending him tumbling into the four thugs behind me. Bodies crashed to the ground.

I couldn’t help but laugh as I knocked out the thug clinging to my leg. Looking back, the four who had missed their mark were now piled up, sprawled on the floor. I caught Su Xin’s eye, signaling her, and she immediately ran toward me. I swept my gaze coldly over Xia Jianren, standing not far away; the arrogance and malice had vanished from his eyes, replaced by panic. He shivered at my icy smile.

I wouldn’t let him escape. With a few large strides, I grabbed him by the back of the neck, lifting him like a chick. Two heavy kicks struck his knees, forcing him to kneel, his forehead slamming into the ground.

The thugs who had just gotten up rushed at me again, but as my fist pressed against Xia Jianren’s head, they hesitated, heads drooping like wilted plants. I stared at the trembling Xia Jianren and mocked, “Ah, Xia, if you want someone to teach me a lesson, at least find some decent ones. Each batch is worse than the last. Didn’t you see your own men mess up and knock themselves out? Hmph, such subordinates aren’t worth keeping.”

Xia Jianren glanced at me in terror, unable to understand how I had changed so much in just half a month. Seeing my prowess, he stammered, “Wh-what do you want... I’ll tell you, if you hit me, my family won’t let you off!”

“Oh? Right, right, you’re the mayor’s son, aren’t you? My goodness, I really didn’t recognize greatness when I saw it.” I feigned panic, as if suddenly recalling his powerful background.

“Hmph, as long as you know what’s good for you. Let me go now, or you’ll regret it!” Xia Jianren, hearing me give in, immediately regained his arrogance.

“Slap!” The crisp sound echoed as five red finger marks appeared on his left cheek. He didn’t even have time to react before the fiery pain registered, and he let out a scream like a butchered pig. I sneered and landed a hard kick to his abdomen, followed by a punch to his forehead, sending him reeling to the ground.

“You wretch, you’re just begging for a beating. Am I supposed to be afraid of you? Take a good look at yourself—a pig-faced loser. You think I’d fear you? Damn!” With that, I added another three kicks and two punches. Xia Jianren’s face swelled, blood gushed from his nose, and his eyes rolled back. He was left groaning on the floor.

I felt immensely satisfied. Last time, those thugs he called had beaten me badly, but now I finally had my revenge. I wanted to hit him more, but Su Xin gently pulled my arm, her gaze urging me to stop. Reason returned to me. True, I couldn’t beat him to death—if he died, trouble would follow. I snorted, stepping on him, and said coldly, “Didn’t expect to see this day, did you? Listen well: three days apart, and you must look at a man anew! I, Xiao Qiang, am no longer your punching bag. Today’s lesson is for you. If you ever try to pull another dirty trick on me, don’t blame me for being ruthless! And if you dare tell Su Xin’s father about us, be ready to collect your own corpse!”

I swept my gaze at the gangsters a few steps away and chuckled, “Thugs are thugs, punks are punks. You think you can compete with real martial artists? You’re courting death!”

The eight burly men, still glaring at me, suddenly seemed enlightened by my words. Their anger turned to respect. Seeing their change, I relaxed, dusted off my hands, took Su Xin’s warm hand, and called out, “Thank you, brothers!”

As I swaggered away with Su Xin in tow, Xia Jianren nearly wanted to smash his head against the wall. He shouted at the nearby thugs, “Go after them! Hurry up and knock him down!”

But his words had no effect. The eight gangsters exchanged glances, none daring to pursue us.

Once I led Su Xin out of that alley, I suddenly ran like mad for over a thousand meters, finally collapsing under a large tree in the park to catch my breath.

Su Xin saw my anxious expression and burst into laughter. “You acted so cool just now, but now you’re fleeing like a scared rabbit. If I hadn’t been beside you, I’d have thought you were a different person.”

I grinned sheepishly. “You don’t know the half of it. I purposely claimed to be a martial artist, and those guys got scared and didn’t chase us. If I’d guessed wrong and they came after me, I’d have been beaten to a pulp. You really think your husband’s that tough? If those eight had attacked together without underestimating me, I wouldn’t have known how I died.”

Su Xin finally understood. “Oh, so that’s how it is. I never realized you could think so much while fighting. But Xiao Qiang, do you think Xia Jianren really won’t tell my father about us?”

I nodded and smiled. “With his cowardice, if his men tell him I’m a martial artist with background, and he imagines getting punched and kicked again, no one would dare say a word.”

“Hehe…” Su Xin, seeing my mischievous grin, pinched me playfully and said with a pout, “You’re really something else…”