"You're asking to die!" the tall, thin man cursed, throwing the first punch. It was a wild, undisciplined swing powered by brute force.
Yang Jing stood his ground, neither dodging nor evading. He raised his left arm to block and clenched his right into a fist—the opening stance of the Mountain-Shattering Fist.
His fist grazed past the thin man's arm and landed heavily on his ribs.
"AARGH!"
The tall, thin man doubled over as if struck by a sledgehammer, the dagger in his hand falling to the ground with a CLANG.
The short-haired man was startled. Seeing his companion on the ground, he gritted his teeth, his eyes turning vicious. He lunged, stabbing his dagger straight at Yang Jing's abdomen in a swift, deadly motion.
Yang Jing's expression hardened slightly, but he remained calm and unhurried.
He was now a Mingjin expert, a true Entry-level Martial Artist. Having trained and sparred extensively with Liu Maolin, and having killed and drawn blood before, he was completely composed in a real fight.
With a slight shift of his feet, Yang Jing's body moved like a phantom, sidestepping by half a foot. At the same time, his left hand shot out like lightning, precisely gripping the short-haired man's wrist. He formed a fist with his right, and his Mingjin energy erupted—
"BANG!"
His fist smashed right into the crook of the short-haired man's elbow.
A faint CRACK was heard. The short-haired man screamed and let go of his dagger, which clattered to the ground. His entire arm was now bent at a grotesque angle.
Yang Jing didn't stop there. He pushed forward, and the short-haired man stumbled back a few steps before collapsing to the ground with a thud, writhing in pain.
In no more than three breaths, the two knife-wielding gang members had been completely neutralized.
"Get lost. Next time you try something so reckless, it'll be your legs I break."
Without a second glance at the two men wailing on the ground, Yang Jing bent down, picked up the two daggers, and tossed them into a patch of weeds by the courtyard wall before pushing open the gate and entering.
There were other tenants in the courtyard.
Hearing the commotion, they had run to the gate to look. They were all shocked and mentally labeled Yang Jing as a "ruthless man" who was "not to be provoked."
Yang Jing didn't know what the other tenants were thinking, nor did he care.
After dealing with the two gang members, he went straight back to his room and started stewing some meat.
He had already finished this month's ration of ten pounds of bear meat, so now he was back to eating horse meat.
He used to think horse meat tasted pretty good, but after eating bear meat, the horse meat—simply boiled in water with a few chunks of salt—now seemed utterly tasteless.
The whimpering outside the gate soon faded. Apparently, the two gang members had gritted their teeth against the pain and dragged themselves away.
Yang Jing paid them no mind. They were just two ordinary men who hadn't even had systematic martial arts training. To him, they were beneath notice.
He was now a true Entry-level Martial Artist, and the gap between him and an ordinary person who hadn't developed internal energy was immense.
Besides, Yang Jing had undergone professional martial arts training at the Sun's Martial Arts Hall, with systematic instruction from a high-level master and diligent sparring sessions with his fellow disciples.
The difference between Yang Jing and an ordinary person, both in strength and skill, was now enormous.
For Yang Jing, defeating those two gang members—or even killing them—wouldn't have been difficult. It would have been quite simple. Such was the gap between an Entry-level Martial Artist and a normal person.
It was precisely because of this vast difference that Master Ning of Wazi Town had immediately sent his household steward to offer apologies and goodwill upon learning that Yang Jing had broken through to the Mingjin level.
If Yang Jing had truly wanted to kill Ning Xuezhi, Ning Xuezhi might have escaped once, but he wouldn't have escaped a second time.
As the meat stewed, Yang Jing's mind raced.
'Fourth Senior Brother's family is in the medicinal herb business. They're quite well-known throughout Yuhe County, so he probably knows a lot about these gangs. I can ask him for details about the Great Fortune Gang tomorrow,' Yang Jing thought to himself.
'Since the pretense with the Great Fortune Gang is over, it's better to learn more about them.'
'Judging by how those two gang members acted today, they must not know I've reached the Entry-level yet.'
'If they knew I was a Mingjin Martial Artist, they wouldn't have dared to attack me so brazenly even if they had three times the courage.'
'But that's to be expected.'
'To the Great Fortune Gang, my predecessor was probably just another ordinary person who took out a high-interest loan. There was no need to pay him any special attention. They just had to come collect the debt when it was due.'
'But after this incident, the Great Fortune Gang will definitely investigate me thoroughly.'
Yang Jing's eyes narrowed slightly.
He didn't know the Great Fortune Gang's background or how strong they were.
'Once the Great Fortune Gang finds out I've successfully reached the Entry-level, will they just drop the matter?'
Yang Jing frowned in thought.
Under normal circumstances, it was very likely.
After all, he had only borrowed a principal of eight taels of silver from the Great Fortune Gang.
A mere eight taels of silver should be nothing to the Great Fortune Gang, for whom loan-sharking was one of their main businesses.
Would it not be incredibly unwise to make an enemy of a Mingjin expert over a mere eight taels of silver?
'No, that's wrong. These gangs are all bad news, especially the Great Fortune Gang, which has committed countless heinous acts. I can't judge them by normal standards.'
Yang Jing's brow furrowed deeper.
In anyone else's eyes, it might just be eight taels of silver.
But in the eyes of those animals from the Great Fortune Gang, this was sixteen taels of silver.
'Besides, these gang members are unscrupulous. They're skilled at using all sorts of sinister tricks and might not be intimidated by my Mingjin status.'
'No, I have to be more careful from now on. I should try to drag out the conflict with the Great Fortune Gang for as long as possible. If I can break through to the stage of hidden power, these gangs won't be a problem.'
Yang Jing's thoughts raced, and he decided to act cautiously for the foreseeable future.
He wasn't afraid if the Great Fortune Gang came at him head-on, but he was worried they would resort to underhanded tactics like poison, ambushes, or sneak attacks.
'I'll see how things go. If it gets too bad, I'll ask Master to clear out a woodshed for me so I can live at the Martial Arts Hall!'
...
「Guang'an Square, in the courtyard of the Great Fortune Gang's headquarters.」
Dust filled the air. A few shirtless men were gathered around a stone table, gambling. The sharp clatter of dice in a bowl mingled with a constant stream of curses.
"Dammit, it hurts like hell..."
The short-haired man stumbled in, half-supported and half-dragged by the tall, thin youth. His arm was still bent at a grotesque angle, his face covered in a cold sweat. He cursed in pain the moment he entered the courtyard.
The gambling gang members looked up at the sound. Seeing the duo's miserable state, they threw down their dice and crowded around.
"Brother Shun, what happened? Did someone beat you up?" a man with a crew cut asked boisterously, his eyes scanning them up and down. "Who did this? They were vicious!"
The tall, thin youth clutched his ribs, grimacing in pain. "Who else? It was that Yang Jing! Damn it, that punk was hiding his skills. He's a trained fighter! Took us both down in a couple of moves."
"I think... he might have reached the Entry-level," the short-haired man said, his voice trembling.