Chapter 76

As the two small figures left the billiard hall, everyone immediately gathered around Uncle Long and Li Yutang, looking at the golden, shiny badges in their hands with great curiosity. It was no wonder, as the trade of gold was still strictly regulated in those days, and ordinary people rarely saw such things. Even if they had the money, they could only afford a few rings or necklaces. A badge of this size was indeed a rare item for these young people who mostly worked for a living.

"Uncle Long, do you think this is real gold?"

"Yeah, Uncle Long, those two kids said a bunch of nice things, but in the end, they tried to fool us with fake stuff."

Uncle Long picked up the badge, examined it carefully in the light, and weighed it. He then said, "It should be real, and it's even high-purity gold. Look at the craftsmanship of this badge; such intricate work is quite rare. The luster of the gold is also very pure."

"Uncle Long, is this a badge? I've never seen the patterns on it. Where is this badge from, and what is it used for?" The crowd passed the gold badge around, looking at the patterns with puzzled expressions. The badge had strange patterns and symbols that looked like text, but they had never seen them before. Could this be from a foreign country? Why would that kid, who called himself He Ping, have such a thing?

Of course, Uncle Long had no idea what the patterns and symbols were. Not even experts in appraisal, linguistics, archaeology, or art from around the world could identify what this was. If anyone could, they would definitely be a fraud. The badge was something He Ping had obtained from the Lance family's treasure vault, engraved with the Lance family's coat of arms. For the Lance family, this was like an ID card for direct descendants.

Leaving aside the people of the Golden Dragon Society who were trying to digest today's strange events, He Ping and Dong Dapeng left the place and prepared to go home while shopping. Today's goals had been fully achieved, and He Ping was in a very good mood. Not only had he found an agent beyond his expectations, but Dong Dapeng's performance was also commendable. He didn't show any fear in front of many adults and already had the雏形 of a negotiation expert from his previous life.

"Bro..." After coming out, Dong Dapeng, who had been very calm earlier, suddenly became bashful: "That... that..."

"Say what you want to say. Don't be so bashful like a girl. What can't we talk about as brothers?"

"It's just that..." Dong Dapeng's face turned red, and he finally said, "Can you teach me martial arts?"

"Ha!" He Ping burst out laughing, having forgotten about this. Since the day he beat up Monkey, Frog, and others at the Experimental Primary School gate, the rumor that He Ping knew martial arts had spread throughout the school and was even spreading to other schools. Some teachers had heard about it, but without seeing it with their own eyes, they naturally didn't believe it. So far, he hadn't had any trouble. However, since this matter became known, He Ping had become a star among the boys at the Experimental Primary School.

In recent days, many people had come to He Ping, wanting him to teach them a few moves. This trend reached its peak two days ago when people from other schools came to the Experimental Primary School to cause trouble, extorting money and goods from the elementary school students. This time, they were high school students. They had no grudge against He Ping, but they picked on him and Dong Dapeng. The result was simple: the five high school students all ran away with their left faces swollen. This incident greatly boosted He Ping's reputation, making him a hero.

Dong Dapeng hadn't mentioned this matter for several days, and He Ping thought he didn't care much about it. But it turned out he was waiting for the right moment. However, He Ping was quite helpless about this. Martial arts? If weapon usage techniques counted as martial arts, he did know them, but how could he teach them? Even if he taught them the techniques, they would just be techniques. Without a strong physical foundation, they would be just showy moves with no real combat power. Moreover, looking at Dong Dapeng's build and thinking about what he would look like when he grew up, He Ping didn't have much hope for him learning martial arts.

"Forget about martial arts. Even if I teach you, you won't have much combat power, and it will take a lot of time and be painful." Seeing Dong Dapeng's eyes gradually dim, He Ping continued, "But martial arts aren't very useful. Firearms are much more practical. Once you learn to use a gun, it doesn't matter how good someone's martial arts are; one bullet can take them down. The future is an era dominated by firearms, so it's better to learn how to use a gun. What do you think? Do you want to learn?"

Dong Dapeng's eyes immediately lit up, and his head nodded rapidly like a chick pecking at rice: "I want to learn! I want to learn! When do we start?"

"Not now." He Ping explained, "Your strength is too weak. The recoil of a handgun could break your wrist. You can't learn or use it now. Let's wait until we're in high school. From now on, if you can keep the secret that I have a handgun and not let anyone know, I'll teach you how to use it when we're in high school."

"Okay! No problem!" Dong Dapeng's face was full of excitement, "Then let's make a deal!"

The two of them walked along a small road that connected Dongguan and Nanguan, which was neither remote nor bustling. The foot traffic was decent, and there were many shops on both sides. Like other streets in Dongguan, there were many small alleys on both sides of the road, leading to residential areas with complex road networks.

"Huh!?" Suddenly, He Ping let out a puzzled sound. He turned his head and looked around. The leisurely walking elderly, the hurried young people, the housewives carrying plastic bags, the sanitation workers cleaning, the businesspeople organizing their goods, and the children playing and laughing—all these people seemed to have nothing to do with him. No one was paying attention to him; they were all busy with their own affairs.

"What's wrong, bro?" Dong Dapeng immediately noticed that He Ping seemed to have discovered something.

"Nothing." He Ping shook his head and said, "Maybe it was just my imagination."

Nothing? Of course not. Although the feeling was very slight and fleeting, He Ping still caught it. Someone was following them, but when he looked around, he couldn't pinpoint who it was. He Ping's reaction level was already at five, yet the person could still evade his search.

Who was it? Members of another gang? The reinforcements called by the young man from earlier? The people of the Golden Dragon Society? Or someone completely unrelated? He Ping shook his head; it probably wasn't any of them. Who could hide their presence right under his nose?

At that moment, He Ping suddenly felt a breeze blow past him from behind. He instinctively touched the pocket of his pants and found it empty. The several dozen yuan in cash that should have been there had vanished. He Ping immediately turned his head and saw a small figure dart into a nearby alley and disappear.

[PS: First update of the day!]