Chapter 16

Inside the pharmacy, all seventeen of the little hooligans were lying down. Even those who still had the strength to stand could only lie on the ground moaning or pretending to be dead.

This was because Qin Lang's "Mantis Fist" was simply too powerful!

From the moment he officially started his attack, it took less than two minutes for all seventeen hooligans to be knocked down.

The injuries ranged from dislocated joints to shattered bones!

However, what puzzled these people was that Qin Lang was now standing in the middle of the room, motionless, eyes slightly closed, not saying a word. No one knew what he was doing.

Man Niu was also completely stunned. He had been mixing in Xiyang City for so many years, and he had never heard of such a powerful figure who was also proficient in Mantis Fist!

Man Niu had already stood up, but he really didn't have the courage to attack Qin Lang. He could only drop his knife and walk up to Qin Lang, speaking humbly, "Brother Qin, you—"

Before Man Niu could finish his sentence, Qin Lang kicked him away again. This time, Man Niu's body crashed into the metal roller shutter and fainted immediately.

"Damn! Can't you see I'm thinking?" Qin Lang grumbled.

Actually, Qin Lang wasn't thinking; he was savoring and comprehending the subtleties of the "Mantis Fist."

This incident happened so suddenly that even Qin Lang himself was caught off guard. He didn't understand why he could so quickly grasp the essence of the Mantis Fist from the scene of the blood mantis feeding. Could it be that—

"Am I really one in ten thousand, a martial arts prodigy?"

Qin Lang thought that being a martial arts prodigy was something that only happened in TV shows and movies. If he were a natural prodigy, he wouldn't have been forced to practice horse stance and piling for several years by Old Poison.

But why did the "Mantis Fist" he suddenly comprehended feel so natural?

Could this third level of "techniques" be so easy to learn?

After kicking Man Niu away again, Qin Lang gave up on his deep thoughts, picked some detoxifying herbs from the pharmacy, and then left with Wu and the other three hooligans.

Han Sanqiang finally breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Qin Lang and the others arrive at the Blue Diamond Bar.

On the way, one of the hooligans had already reported the situation to Han Sanqiang, exaggerating Qin Lang's heroic performance.

Han Sanqiang had long known that Qin Lang was a formidable figure, but he never expected him to be so powerful, taking down eighteen people, including Man Niu, with his bare hands. His martial prowess was truly formidable!

Wu's face was ashen; he could foresee his own fate.

But Han Sanqiang was eager to detoxify and naturally had no time to deal with Wu.

Qin Lang handed the herbs he had picked to Han Sanqiang: "Boil one pack and take it orally three times; use the other pack to soak in a bath, also three times, once every hour. This will remove all the toxins from your body."

Han Sanqiang believed Qin Lang without hesitation and immediately asked the woman in the cheongsam to prepare everything.

"Brother San, the problem is solved. I'll go back now," Qin Lang said to Han Sanqiang. "I believe you can handle the other matters."

"Brother Qin, thank you!" Han Sanqiang's gratitude was sincere.

Qin Lang was eager to return to school to figure out the "Mantis Fist" issue, as it was crucial for improving his martial prowess. He wanted to understand it clearly.

On the way, Qin Lang couldn't help but call Old Poison, telling him about his comprehension of the "Mantis Fist," but he didn't mention the blood mantis, only saying that he had suddenly comprehended it.

Old Poison was silent for a moment before saying in a dismissive tone, "The third level of 'techniques' isn't that simple. Don't use the word 'learned' so easily. You've only learned the surface!"

After saying that, Old Poison hung up.

Qin Lang felt disheartened. Although Old Poison was dismissive of his progress, Qin Lang sensed that Old Poison still acknowledged his improvement to some extent. Old Poison also hinted that what Qin Lang had learned was just the surface.

Although Qin Lang was in class, he couldn't focus on the lessons. His mind was full of images of mantises feeding. Old Poison said he had only learned the surface, and Qin Lang, being a competitive person, decided to master the "Mantis Fist."

Qin Lang had a rich knowledge of biology and had watched many documentaries about animals and plants, including high-definition footage of mantises feeding. In Qin Lang's view, mantises were absolute hunting experts in the insect world. Their feeding movements contained some mysteries, and the "Mantis Fist" was initially developed by a martial arts master from the movements of mantises feeding.

To truly master the "Mantis Fist," Qin Lang needed to take the mantis as his "teacher," converting the mantis's feeding movements and techniques into martial arts, especially the blood mantis, which was undoubtedly a super-strong mantis.

※※※

After school, Qin Lang went to the Blue Diamond Bar again.

Han Sanqiang's arsenic poisoning had been cured, but his mood didn't lighten. Qin Lang's guess was correct; someone was indeed trying to get rid of him. From Wu, Han Sanqiang had obtained some clues.

"Brother San, the poison in your body has been completely removed. You can rest easy now," Qin Lang said as he entered the bar.

"Brother Qin, you are truly my savior!" Han Sanqiang said solemnly. "In the future, call me by my name or my nickname 'Qiang.' Otherwise, I won't feel at ease."

Han Sanqiang spoke from the heart. Although he wasn't a good person, he was a man of honor. Qin Lang had saved his life, and Han Sanqiang was grateful. Moreover, Qin Lang's martial prowess and intelligence impressed him.

"You are older than me—"

"In the underworld, age doesn't matter; it's all about ability. Brother Qin, if you don't agree, it means you look down on me," Han Sanqiang insisted.

"Alright," Qin Lang didn't want to argue over this issue and got to the point. "Do you have any leads on who's trying to get rid of you?"

"I have some leads," Han Sanqiang nodded. "Wu is a fool and doesn't know much. However, Man Niu is from the East City Gang, so this matter is likely related to their boss. I'll find out more! Thank you, Brother Qin!"

"Skip the thanks," Qin Lang said. "By the way, have you heard of a man named Andesheng?"

"I know him," Han Sanqiang nodded. "Andesheng is a figure in the underworld, but he has connections in both the black and white worlds. However, he is very secretive and rarely appears in public. I've only met him once."

"What kind of person is he?" Qin Lang was pleased; it seemed he had found the right person.

"A middle-aged man in his forties, he looks more like a businessman than a gangster. He mainly deals with entertainment and adult services, but his most famous business is the 'Chunmei Bay Club,' which is the best in Xiyang City and even well-known in Pingchuan Province. Why are you asking, Brother Qin?"

After saying that, Han Sanqiang realized he shouldn't have asked and quickly explained, "Brother Qin, forget the last part."

"It's fine. I'm not interested in him; my master is. Thanks. If possible, gather more information about him for me."

"Brother Qin, you can count on me," Han Sanqiang quickly agreed.

Then, Han Sanqiang handed Qin Lang a business card, telling him to call if he needed anything.

Qin Lang took the card, reminded Han Sanqiang to be careful, and then left for school.

Just as he reached the school gate, someone called out, "Brother Qin."

The person who called out was Zhao Guang, whose face was swollen like a pig's head. Ma Wei had already spread the word that if Zhao Guang dared to step out of the school gate, his people wouldn't be lenient!

But Zhao Guang couldn't stay in the school forever. As soon as he went out, he was beaten up by Ma Wei's people.

After much thought, Zhao Guang decided to apologize to Qin Lang, hoping that Ma Wei's people would then leave him alone.

Although Zhao Guang was still arrogant in school, outside the school, he was nothing to Ma Wei and Han Sanqiang. Hearing that both Ma Wei and Han Sanqiang called Qin Lang "Brother Qin," Zhao Guang lost the courage to seek revenge and now hoped Qin Lang would let him off.

Compared to revenge, Zhao Guang was more worried that Qin Lang would continue to cause him trouble.

Qin Lang originally didn't plan to hold a grudge against Zhao Guang. When Zhao Guang called him, he said indifferently, "Zhao Guang, I almost didn't recognize you. What do you want?"

"Nothing... nothing," Zhao Guang said. "Brother Qin, I was blind and disrespectful to you. I hope you won't hold it against me in the future. I'll stay away from you when I see you."

"Is that it?"

Qin Lang suddenly paused, not responding, but staring directly at Zhao Guang. Qin Lang's gaze made Zhao Guang feel uneasy. After a moment, Qin Lang continued, "I almost forgot, Zhao Guang. Was it your idea to have Ma Wei attack me, or someone else's?"

"It was... my idea!" Zhao Guang said, somewhat inconsistently.

"Really your idea?" Qin Lang sneered. "Alright, you're quite loyal—I'll have Ma Wei's people keep an eye on you!"

"No—Brother Qin, I was wrong!" Zhao Guang saw that Qin Lang was about to leave and quickly softened. "Brother Qin, I was wrong, I really was... it was Cai Shao who incited me, I deserve to die!"

"That's better," Qin Lang smiled and patted Zhao Guang's shoulder. "You're so loyal, but why did no one help you when you were beaten? Alright, I'll talk to Ma Wei."

"Thank you, Brother Qin... thank you..." Zhao Guang thanked Qin Lang, regretting his decision to provoke such a person.