Chapter 21

The little girl's judgment of time by the sky was much more accurate than Zhao Jin's. Zhao Jin nodded with a smile, but he noticed that Mu Shulan's face was full of admiration, her eyes fixed on him without blinking.

Zhao Jin shivered at her gaze and quickly turned his head.

The one-on-one battles among the children and teenagers ended quickly in each match. Even when the opponents were evenly matched, they wouldn't hold out for long.

Soon it was the fifth match, and Zhao Jin and the sturdy youth entered the circle. The youth was full of vigilance, his body slightly crouched. Zhao Jin grinned; he had fought many times before and was experienced. Seeing the youth's posture, he knew the youth was not an easy opponent; only those who fought frequently had such instinctive movements.

After entering the circle, Chen Hong, standing on the side, asked, "Are you ready?"

Both Zhao Jin and the sturdy youth nodded. Chen Hong raised his hand and shouted loudly, "Begin!"

Chen Hong was very excited, his voice loud. In the past, he had followed his brother to play here, just as a follower, watching everything from the side. He never thought he would now be able to participate, shouting "Begin," which made him feel very important, both excited and thrilled.

As soon as he shouted "Begin," the sturdy youth pounced on Zhao Jin. In terms of physique, he was much larger than Zhao Jin and could easily knock him down. Once Zhao Jin was on the ground, the youth would win.

Seeing the youth pounce, Zhao Jin's heart raced, but his body didn't move. Instead, he assumed a horse stance.

Zhao Xing and the Chen family servant had moved closer to watch the children's battle. Seeing Zhao Jin assume a horse stance, Zhao Xing frowned and shook his head, saying, "His mind is broken. He actually assumes a horse stance at this moment. He's definitely going to be hit."

The circle wasn't large, and the pounce was just a moment away. As the youth approached, Zhao Jin, in a horse stance, swung his fist, striking the youth's chest just below the throat.

Zhao Xing was stunned by this scene. Zhao Jin's punch was clearly his spear technique, targeting the three vital points of the upper body.

It wasn't rare to be able to throw a punch, but to accurately throw such a punch in the tense moment of the youth's pounce was quite remarkable.

Zhao Jin's punch penetrated the youth's defensive arms and hit his chest just below the throat. The youth's chest ached, and his movements became disordered. Zhao Jin threw another punch, this time a hook, hitting the youth's left cheek and knocking him to the ground. This second punch was a result of Zhao Jin's past fighting experience.

In a fight, staying calm and aiming for the opponent's face at least ensured you wouldn't be at a disadvantage. Zhao Jin had accumulated a lot of experience, not to mention the professional training he had received in this life.

"Master Jin is amazing!" the servant praised, his face full of surprise. Zhao Xing was also shocked, then smiled and said, "I really didn't expect it. He's really a good material for martial arts."

The youth lay on the ground, not moving. It wasn't because he was seriously injured, but because he felt disappointed and disheartened. He muttered a few curses but didn't continue. Losing a fair fight left nothing to complain about.

The surrounding group of teenagers were amazed, thinking Zhao Jin was really strong. Just as they were marveling, they saw Zhao Jin walk over to the youth, which made everyone pause. They thought that falling to the ground meant losing, so was Zhao Jin going to chase and hit him?

Unexpectedly, Zhao Jin walked to the youth's side, extended his hand, and said, "I'm Zhao Jin. What's your name?"

The youth instinctively shrank back, thinking Zhao Jin was going to hit him. But seeing Zhao Jin's friendly smile and gentle tone, he hesitated and mumbled, "I'm Ji, my name is Ji Xiang."

After answering, he reached out and grabbed Zhao Jin's hand, being pulled up.

"Ji Xiang?" Zhao Jin was surprised, thinking the name was quite meaningful. Someone nearby shouted, "The chicken in 'burned chicken,' the 'xiang' in 'delicious.'"

"Ji as in 'auspicious,' and 'xiang' as in 'fragrant,'" Ji Xiang hurriedly explained, turning to glare at the source of the voice.

Everyone outside laughed, but no one could tell who said it. The atmosphere among the teenagers in the cargo yard, which had been tense due to the fighting, relaxed because of Zhao Jin's action.

When someone shouted "burned chicken," Zhao Jin remembered. Walking south from his home, not far from Pengcheng Academy, there was a restaurant that sold cooked meat. The owner was surnamed Ji, and his parents always referred to him as "Old Burned Chicken." This Ji Xiang must be his child.

"Black Five won!" Chen Hong shouted, and Mu Shulan clapped excitedly.

The two of them threw the tokens back into the jar, and the next match began.

The following matches were uninteresting, mostly the stronger and larger ones winning, or those with fighting experience. The teenagers spent their days in the cargo yard and had little martial arts experience, so the fights were simple. Zhao Jin and Chen Sheng found them boring, but the other teenagers were very excited. Boys naturally liked fighting, and this kind of tournament with many prizes to win had high participation.

When Sun Fat and Liu Yong started, Zhao Jin and Chen Sheng became interested.

Sun Fat had left a deep impression on Zhao Jin, and Liu Yong was the one he had fought the day before, so he naturally paid attention.

As soon as Chen Hong shouted "Begin," Liu Yong rushed over, aiming a kick at Sun Fat's groin. In street fights, this was the go-to move, but he quickly retracted his foot, remembering the rules.

Even with the last-minute change, Liu Yong was still faster than Sun Fat. He kicked Sun Fat's thigh, causing him to cry out in pain and stagger. Liu Yong's fist was already swinging, striking Sun Fat's chest heavily.

Liu Yong's group of little brothers cheered loudly outside, but Zhao Jin and Chen Sheng shook their heads. Although Sun Fat was much larger than Liu Yong, his movements were slow, and he would definitely be at a disadvantage if the fight continued.

However, it wasn't easy for Liu Yong to knock Sun Fat down. Lying down or admitting defeat was considered losing, so the fight had to continue. Liu Yong, eager to show off in front of his friends, let out a strange cry and rushed forward to continue the fight. In his excitement, his movements became larger. Sun Fat seized this opportunity and threw a punch, hitting Liu Yong's chest.

There was a dull thud, and the two separated. Liu Yong's movements stopped, and he clutched the place where he was hit, his face contorted. The cheers around them also stopped.

Zhao Jin and Chen Sheng immediately became excited, thinking the fight would become more interesting. However, Liu Yong's expression grew increasingly grim. After a few deep breaths, he waved his hand and said, "I won't fight anymore. I lost."

Sun Fat rubbed the place where he was hit and excitedly waved his fist.

"Sun Dali is tough. His punches are heavy. He can take a few hits, but others can't take one from him," Chen Sheng analyzed solemnly.

Zhao Jin then remembered that the fat boy was named Sun Dali.

"Brother Jin, if you don't go back to practice, it will be too late," Mu Shulan whispered, reminding him. Zhao Jin was startled, knowing that being hit by a藤条 (vine) would be very painful.

Zhao Jin patted his head and said to Chen Sheng, "I need to go back to practice. After the thirty-two matches are over, put sixteen black tokens and sixteen white tokens in the jar, and let the winners draw again to pair up for the next round. Keep doing this until the last two."

Chen Sheng nodded blankly, but Zhao Jin, feeling uneasy, became stern and stared at Chen Sheng, saying, "You must follow what I said. If anyone breaks the rules during the match, they lose, including you. You must give the snacks to the winners, don't withhold them. Do you understand? If you don't follow, no one will fight with you."

"Do you hear me?" Zhao Jin raised his voice, sternly asking again. Chen Sheng was startled; he was already a bit afraid of Zhao Jin and quickly said, "I remember, I remember!"

Zhao Jin turned to leave, but Chen Sheng suddenly remembered something and shouted after him, "Zhao Jin, you won. What about your next opponent?"

"The last match counts as my loss. Let Ji Xiang go up!" Zhao Jin shouted, pulling Mu Shulan and running away quickly.

Ji Xiang, who had been standing in the crowd, looking dejected, immediately perked up, looking at Zhao Jin's back with gratitude.

Mu Shulan, on the other hand, wanted to continue watching and kept looking back at the next match as they ran.

Just as they ran out of the cargo yard and reached the intersection, they saw Uncle Zhao Xing smiling and waiting there. Zhao Jin immediately stopped, thinking he was late and would be scolded, possibly even whipped.

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End of the chapter.