Chapter 44

The next noon, all the young men in the cargo yard returned. Initially, everyone was afraid of the trouble and harassment from the five ruffians, but after hearing about what happened at noon the previous day, their worries dissipated.

Moreover, some had heard that the five ruffians were planning to come and kowtow to apologize. Even those who were not interested in the competition wanted to come and watch the commotion.

The swelling on the faces of the five ruffians from the previous day had not yet subsided, and their foreheads were bruised. Today, they would suffer even more injuries, but they had no choice but to grit their teeth and endure it. In the end, they left in embarrassment amidst the laughter of the young men.

Dong Bingfeng arrived not too early, still followed by the two bodyguards. He was still wearing his leather armor, and his equipment was more complete than anyone else's.

Zhao Jin was very interested in this new arrival. In the first two rounds, Dong Bingfeng's physical strength and skills were so overwhelming that he won easily. In the third round, Dong Bingfeng faced Jixiang, who had already learned some basic techniques and fought with a wild and tenacious style.

After watching this match, Zhao Jin was no longer too worried. Although Dong Bingfeng won, his lack of practical combat experience and his reliance on flashy techniques were exposed.

In the quarterfinals, Chen Sheng faced Dong Bingfeng. Seeing that Dong Bingfeng was holding a staff, Chen Sheng suggested they use weapons.

As soon as he saw Dong Bingfeng's stance with the staff, Zhao Jin was completely reassured. Dong Bingfeng was using staff techniques, not spear techniques.

The saying goes, "A month for the staff, a year for the saber, a lifetime for the spear." The staff is the easiest to learn, but its potential is limited. It has inherent weaknesses, especially when facing spear or saber techniques. However, Zhao Jin also explained that these are general statements. With enough effort, talent, and insight, any skill can be mastered.

But geniuses are rare in the world. Dong Bingfeng might be outstanding, but he is not a genius.

Perhaps because of Dong Bingfeng's impressive appearance and strong presence, Chen Sheng did not dare to be careless and used his full strength from the start.

The outcome of the battle was decided from the beginning. Chen Sheng slid forward and swung his saber. Dong Bingfeng had just started his initial movement, reacting hastily, and his staff was knocked out of his hand. With the second strike, Chen Sheng's wooden staff was already resting on Dong Bingfeng's neck.

If it had been a real weapon, Dong Bingfeng would have been beheaded by Chen Sheng.

Dong Bingfeng stood there in shock, as if he couldn't believe he had lost. Tears welled up in his eyes. Zhao Jin smiled, patted him, and said, "It's okay, it's okay. We fight every day here. If you lose once, you can come back tomorrow."

After a while, Dong Bingfeng finally reacted. Tears streamed down his face as he nodded, looking very aggrieved and sad.

Clearly, this was a child who had never experienced setbacks. Zhao Jin made this judgment. Meanwhile, Wang Zhaojing and Shimanqiang had already started their match.

Dong Bingfeng walked toward his mount with his head down. Zhao Jin followed behind. Normally, the winners and losers would go their separate ways, but this was the first time Zhao Jin had seen Dong Bingfeng so aggrieved, so he couldn't help but see him off.

What Zhao Jin didn't expect was that the two bodyguards who had come with Dong Bingfeng were actually smiling, completely ignoring their young master's sadness. They were even laughing and talking, occasionally looking over, clearly gloating over Dong Bingfeng's failure.

Thinking about what his elders had said last night, Zhao Jin couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for Dong Bingfeng. His father's bodyguards didn't take this young master seriously and treated him like a joke.

But it wasn't his business, and Zhao Jin didn't want to meddle. Fortunately, the two bodyguards weren't too reckless. When they saw Dong Bingfeng wiping his tears, they came over to greet him.

After patting Dong Bingfeng's shoulder, Zhao Jin turned to leave. Just as he took a step, he heard one of the bodyguards say, "Young Master, do you believe what I said? What you learned from that so-called master is all for show, good-looking but useless."

"Right, Uncle Li, I'll have my father dismiss him when I get home."

The other bodyguard added, "Young Master, if you really want to learn martial arts, you should learn the techniques used on the battlefield. Among those your age here, at least three are following this path, and a few others are moving in this direction even if they haven't learned it yet."

"Right, I understand. I will study hard."

Hearing this, Zhao Jin stopped and turned back, surprised. The situation was completely different from what he had imagined. These two bodyguards were genuinely concerned for their young master, letting him learn a lesson here and then teaching him real skills.

A smile appeared on Zhao Jin's face. What he had seen and heard was heartwarming. With Dong Bingfeng's foundation and conditions, plus the instruction from the two bodyguards, his improvement would definitely be fast. However, compared to the young men in the cargo yard, Dong Bingfeng had started late.

Today's competition was particularly rare, not only because of the addition of Dong Bingfeng, a martial arts youth, but also because the final match was between Zhao Jin and Chen Sheng, their first time facing each other in the finals.

Chen Sheng defeated the seemingly strong Dong Bingfeng, while Zhao Jin defeated Wang Zhaojing in the semifinals.

In their first battle, Zhao Jin had the advantage of surprise. The second time was not so easy. Wang Zhaojing fought cautiously, but Zhao Jin had one strength that surpassed his peers: his ability to endure pain.

When Wang Zhaojing exposed a gap, Zhao Jin knew it was a gap but still charged in with a do-or-die momentum. He took a hit on his thigh but struck Wang Zhaojing's chest hard, knocking him down and clearly deciding the winner.

After the match, Zhao Jin limped, and Wang Zhaojing clutched his chest, unable to get up for a long time. If any other young man had been hit by Wang Zhaojing, they would have fallen to their knees, but Zhao Jin could grit his teeth and endure.

Because of the pain, Zhao Jin didn't hold back his strength. When he pulled Wang Zhaojing up, he could see that Wang Zhaojing's face was pale with pain, drenched in cold sweat, and he was gasping for breath. Although Zhao Jin was also in pain, his condition was much better than Wang Zhaojing's.

The rules were set by Zhao Jin, so he couldn't break them. Without resting or easing his pain, he immediately faced Chen Sheng.

The young men surrounded the arena in layers, and those at the back tried to push forward. Those inside couldn't stop moving forward, and the fighting circle became smaller and smaller. Shimanqiang, Jixiang, and Liu Yong couldn't take it anymore and shouted, "Don't push! If anyone pushes, I'll take action!"

In the cargo yard, the strong ruled. When these few who could fight shouted, the order was finally maintained. They didn't realize that they had started to think of themselves as a group with the responsibility to maintain order.

Unable to push in, the young men found other ways. Many climbed to high places around the arena to get a better view of the strongest two competing.

The battle ended quickly, leaving many disappointed. Zhao Jin used a trick, attacking with Dong Bingfeng's initial stance. When Chen Sheng reacted, Zhao Jin dropped his weapon and pounced, winning with a headbutt just like his first victory.

He wanted to win fairly, but the pain in his leg persisted, so he had to use a trick.

Another pile of snacks was placed next to Zhao Jin, the prize for first place. The young men who had just arrived in the cargo yard looked at them with envy.

"You guys take what you need to eat, and Stone, pack some to take home. The rest I'll distribute today," Zhao Jin said with a smile.

After everyone had taken their share, Zhao Jin said loudly, "Come on, everyone, come and take some. If there's not enough, break it and share."

Hearing this, the young men crowded forward again. Zhao Jin raised his voice in the crowd, "When we fight and play here, you don't have to worry about being bullied. As long as you're willing to make friends and put in the effort to fight, you'll have friends and good food. Tell your friends to come here and play. Everything is fair here, and no one dares to come and cause trouble. You can be at ease."

Few responded, but they were all eating what they had taken. Zhao Jin's words, however, were heard.

To Zhao Jin, the cargo yard looked very simple, just a relatively clean and spacious open area. But to the young men of Xuzhou, it was a paradise.