Chapter 23: Hot-Blooded Rogue

“Grandpa, Grandpa!”

“You are my Grandpa!!!”

Fei Ge didn't show the same toughness as the blond guy; he immediately chose to beg for mercy in a very unceremonious manner.

Fang Cheng released his grip, his expression calm, letting the man slump down at his feet.

“Brother Cheng...”

Zhou Xiumei hurriedly hid beside Fang Cheng.

Her face was tense, her heart filled with panic and astonishment.

Why had the ever-gentle Fang Cheng suddenly become so strong, capable of easily subduing an arrogant thug with just one hand?

“Fei Ge!”

The other two lackeys snapped out of it and rushed to help their agonizing boss up.

Trembling, Fei Ge scrambled up from the ground. Clutching his right hand, which appeared to be fractured, he looked at Fang Cheng with eyes full of both fear and rage.

“Fine, fine... you've got guts. Just you wait...”

His confidence was somewhat lacking.

After uttering a few tough words, he put a finger to his mouth and let out a sharp whistle.

Following the whistle that pierced the night sky, a sudden crash of overturning tables and chairs erupted from the nearby food stalls.

Immediately after, a group of youths with dyed hair and piercings pushed through the crowd, running over one after another, shouting

“Boss, what happened?” “Fei Ge, who are we teaching a lesson to this time?”

The crowd was large and noisy, looking aggressive, with individuals wielding folding stools and beer bottles as weapons.

Seeing this, the bystanders immediately scrambled to distance themselves, fearing they might get caught up in the trouble.

“Brother Cheng, they’re all gangsters, let's run quickly!”

Zhou Xiumei nervously tugged at Fang Cheng's sleeve, whispering a warning.

“It's fine. Step back a bit further.”

Fang Cheng took off his bag, handed it to Zhou Xiumei, and gave her a smile

“To tell you the truth, I've been training at a boxing gym. Tonight is a perfect chance to test my feel!”

“But...”

Zhou Xiumei's eyes dazed for a moment as she instinctively took the bag.

In the midst of her words, Fang Cheng had already taken large strides, proactively heading toward the converging thugs.

He raised his hands and legs, stretching his muscles. Scanning the crowd, he asked casually

“Is everyone here?”

Standing before him now, in addition to the original three thugs, eight or nine more had joined the fray.

“You little brat, who do you think you are? One against ten?”

“Since you're so brave, don't blame us for using numbers. Everyone, get him!”

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Fei Ge cared about his reputation. He first said a few words for show before waving his hand to command his lackeys to charge.

He himself quickly retreated to a safe position to avoid being caught and beaten again.

Fang Cheng raised both fists, adopting a steady stance.

He showed no intention of "capturing the leader to catch the gang"; instead, he stared intently at a particular thug who was leading the charge and acting the bravest.

With a push of his foot, his body shot forward like an arrow.

*Slap!*

A sprinting step followed by a side-stepping straight punch sliced through the air, striking the opponent's nasal bone with force.

The massive impact jolted the thug's head; he lost consciousness from the pain and fell straight backward.

Having knocked out an enemy so decisively right at the start, Fang Cheng showed no sign of relaxation.

A faint whistling sound cut through the air near his ear. Catching it out of the corner of his eye, he immediately executed a stepping side kick.

*Clang!*

A beer bottle slipped from a hand and shattered, and the attacker doubled over like a shrimp, collapsing onto his buttocks.

Without pausing, Fang Cheng performed a slip to dodge the pincer attack of two other swinging fists.

He then quickly stepped back, creating distance while adjusting his stance, attempting to break free from being surrounded.

However, he realized that after only a few seconds of fighting, all the openings around him had been blocked.

This group of thugs didn't care about "street honor"; they simply took turns lining up to fight him one-on-one.

Their specialty was street brawls where they used sheer numbers to overwhelm an opponent.

Suddenly!

Another whistling sound approached rapidly from behind his head.

Fang Cheng happened to be dodging a kick from another thug at that moment.

He didn't have time to dodge again and could only turn his body slightly, using his arm to block a folding stool swinging toward his head.

*Thwack!*

The stool whistled through the air and struck his arm muscle.

The dull thud made the onlookers' hearts tremble.

They all predicted that this handsome, refined young man was likely in for it!

Standing to the side, Zhou Xiumei's heart tightened instantly, her hands gripping the hem of her clothes tightly.

She couldn't help but take a few steps forward, her mind blank of everything except the urge to help Fang Cheng.

However, as soon as she moved, her eyes suddenly lit up with surprise and joy.

She saw Fang Cheng suddenly duck low, using his back to absorb the punches and kicks of others while tightly clinching the thug wielding the stool.

With a waist-level takedown, he actually lifted his opponent clean off the ground, performed a 360-degree spin, and hurled him violently away.

The surrounding thugs were forced to retreat and scatter.

The unlucky soul was thrown over three meters away, crashing directly into a barbecue stall.

The hot charcoal ignited his clothes and stung his skin, causing him to roll on the ground, crying out for help.

Several nearby pedestrians were caught in the crossfire as well.

“*Whew—*”

Fang Cheng breathed slightly heavily, calming the intense heartbeat caused by his sudden burst of energy.

The pain radiating from his arm and back did not make him want to retreat.

Instead, it sent his blood pumping, making him increasingly excited.

He rolled his neck and began to take small, rhythmic steps, adjusting his state.

Clearly, he was not quite satisfied with his previous combat performance.

“This kid knows martial arts! Don't give him a chance to breathe, get him again, quickly!”

Having lost three main fighters in the blink of an eye, Fei Ge's expression shifted slightly. He shouted from within the crowd, directing the battle.

Facing the regrouping thugs, Fang Cheng's eyes burned with intensity as he whispered to himself

“Focus Skill, activate!”

In an instant, his gaze became calm, and his breathing grew much more steady.

The clamor of the onlookers and Zhou Xiumei's cries drifted past his ears, rapidly fading into the distance.

All that remained before his eyes were a group of snarling figures, looking like rabid dogs.

Realizing their numerical advantage, two thugs exchanged glances and were the first to shout, charging in from the left and right to flank him.

They attempted to replicate Fang Cheng's previous clinching technique to restrict his movement, allowing their brothers to strike.

But Fang Cheng gave them no such chance.

He immediately drove his hips forward with a rear-leaning push kick, sending one of them tumbling.

Immediately after, he turned to deal with the other, whose palm was already resting on his shoulder.

He grabbed the wrist, turned his back, twisted his waist, and executed a one-armed over-the-shoulder throw.

The man flew over his head, landing in a daze.

Having dealt with two people instantly, Fang Cheng was quick-handed, catching another leg that was flying toward him.

Using the momentum, he pulled, effortlessly forcing the thug into a massive split on the ground, clutching his groin and wailing in pain.

Through multiple real combat encounters, Fang Cheng's fighting experience had clearly grown.

At this moment, he changed his strategy, no longer pursuing a one-hit kill.

Instead, he used his hands to protect his vital points, utilizing the evasive footwork of boxing to move flexibly, striking while retreating.

His primary methods of counterattack were the various Sanda (kickboxing) techniques he had just learned.

Push kicks, side kicks, high head kicks, mid-level roundhouse kicks, low leg sweeps...

If someone managed to close the distance, he would immediately use wrist grabs, shoulder throws, or leg trips to break away, never lingering in a fight.

The thugs who were thrown into the crowd caused waves of chaos.

Fang Cheng didn't care about collateral damage; his eyes were terrifyingly calm.

With the Focus Skill active, his mind held nothing but combat.

His various techniques became smoother and more fluid with every move.

He even subconsciously lightened the force of his strikes, wanting to fight the enemies for a little longer.

He didn't look like he was in a street brawl; he looked like he was in a boxing gym, performing offensive and defensive drills with a sparring partner.

Or perhaps he was constantly reviewing his kicking techniques against a heavy bag.

But the "heavy bags" before him were ultimately not durable enough; one by one, they fell.

*Bang!*

Fang Cheng turned and unleashed a whip kick, striking the last remaining resilient opponent.

The tall, burly thug swayed like a pendulum for a few moments before crashing heavily to the ground.

At that moment, a notification appeared before his eyes as expected.

【You have defeated a group of street thugs. Boxing Experience +45】

Fang Cheng took a deep breath, his eyes bright and lively again.

Looking at the results of this battle, his expression held both relief and a hint of disappointment.

Before he could think further.

The panel flashed, and another, slightly delayed message appeared.

【Congratulations! Through diligent practice, you have reached an impressive level and have successfully mastered a combat-type skill.】

(End of Chapter)