Chapter 24: Introduction to Sanda

【Sanda Lv0 (0/100)】

Seeing the brand-new skill bar unlocked on his panel, Fang Cheng finally confirmed a fact.

He truly had mastered the "Sanda" skill.

Some unexpected surprises were also within his expectations.

He had originally approached it with a trial mindset, practicing various kicking and grappling techniques during combat.

One must know that Sanda consists of four techniques: kicking, striking, wrestling, and grappling (Qin Na).

Fang Cheng's boxing had long since reached an expert level.

After being tested by tonight's real combat, his kicking and wrestling were also sufficient to be called at an introductory level.

Only grappling remained, a technique for which he had never grasped the essence.

Because it was banned in professional competitions, his coaches didn't place much importance on it, only teaching a single brief lesson on self-defense against sexual assault.

Now, Fang Cheng had used practical action to personally prove a principle of the system.

The basic techniques contained within a skill do not necessarily all need to be mastered to unlock the complete skill.

When certain basic techniques reach an exceptionally outstanding level, the entire skill can still be unlocked.

Fang Cheng believed that with his current kicking and wrestling, he could fully contend with professional fighters.

If not for the existence of a technical shortcoming, the "Introductory" rating was actually significantly low.

Thinking of this, he looked at the "experience babies" lying on the ground wailing for their parents, and a thought popped into his mind

"Maybe... I should play with them a little longer?"

"Ah——————"

"Brother Fei, brothers, I'm coming!"

Just then, another thug emerged from the crowd, brandishing a beer bottle.

He stared blankly at the scene, seeing his brothers lying scattered about, and his mouth hung wide open.

With a "clatter," the beer bottle in his hand fell and shattered.

Without hesitation, he turned and ran, not even having the luxury to worry about his own boss's safety.

Brother Fei was sprawled on the ground, his face covered in dirt.

Just now, one of Fang Cheng's spinning side kicks had sent a lackey flying, knocking down several bystanders who were watching and cheering.

He was one of the "unlucky souls" caught in the crossfire.

Under Fang Cheng's unusual gaze, his heart began to pound wildly.

He couldn't help but wonder privately: could this expert who could take on ten men at once have... *that* kind of fetish?

"We... we admit defeat!"

"We're all in the same business, we'll see each other around, there's no need to take things to the extreme..."

He spoke incoherently, but his words carried only one meaning: a plea for peace.

Fang Cheng suddenly stepped forward and raised his palm toward him.

Terrified, Brother Fei shrank his head, trying to scramble up, but his legs were shaking so violently they wouldn't obey him.

Just as his eyes were filled with panic, searching for an escape route...

Fang Cheng simply reached out, pulled him up, patted the dust off his clothes, and asked

"Do you know Ma Donghe?"

Brother Fei froze instantly, then nodded repeatedly

"I know him, I know him! Brother Ma is a big name in our Jiangbei area; who doesn't know him?"

The so-called "big name" meant a local figure with a loud reputation and certain prestige in the underworld.

Fang Cheng smiled slightly and then said

"I've sparred with him a few times. We're considered boxing buddies."

"Huh?"

Brother Fei was shocked, then turned to a state of solemn respect

"Master, so you know Brother Ma! Then... then it really is a case of the floodwaters washing away the Dragon King's Temple..."

Hearing Fang Cheng say this, the underworld boss not only lost all his anger but also began to chat enthusiastically with Fang Cheng.

He incessantly spoke of Ma Donghe's heroic deeds—how he fought in the west and kicked in the east—claiming he was his idol.

It seemed as if the two were truly well-acquainted.

Fang Cheng nodded along as he listened, then pulled a hundred-yuan bill from his pocket and handed it over.

"Sorry about earlier, I was a bit heavy-handed. Take this to help your brothers with their medical bills."

Brother Fei froze again.

"This..."

He stole a glance at Fang Cheng and saw a calm expression that brooked no refusal.

Thus, he hurriedly accepted it with both hands.

"Thank you, thank you, Master! You are truly too kind!"

Forget about the medical fees being pitifully small; such a gesture of goodwill clearly represented giving Brother Fei "face"!

Seeing that the other party had accepted the money, Fang Cheng pointed to Zhou Xiumei, who was standing not far away.

"This is my sister. Take care of her in the future."

"Haha, no problem! It was all just a misunderstanding before."

Brother Fei seemed to have completely adjusted his mindset, and then laughed heartily

"A brother's sister is my sister! As long as I, Ah Fei, am in the North Angle Night Market, no one will dare bully her."

He looked quite proud, almost completely forgetting the pain of his fractured wrist.

To be acknowledged by an expert of a level similar to Ma Donghe, and to have "made a friend through a fight," gave him no sense of humiliation; instead, he felt it brought him honor.

As they talked, the conversation became so pleasant that he insisted on taking Fang Cheng out for drinks, nearly reaching the point of proposing a blood brotherhood.

Fang Cheng declined with a smile.

After several attempts, Brother Fei finally reluctantly led his group of limping, broken-handed, groaning lackeys to a nearby clinic to treat their injuries.

However, halfway through the walk, he suddenly realized he didn't even know the other man's name...

In the night market, the clamor continued.

The onlookers were still pointing and discussing.

It was rare to see such a spectacular one-against-ten fight; they were all excited, using it as gossip.

The way they looked at Fang Cheng was as if they were seeing a kung fu star from a movie.

If they weren't afraid of getting beaten themselves, a crowd would likely have swarmed him to ask for photos.

"Brother Cheng, are you hurt? Let me check for you, do you need any ointment..."

Seeing that the thugs had finally retreated, the weight in Zhou Xiumei's heart finally lifted.

She immediately ran forward, her hands gently grasping Fang Cheng's right arm—the one he had just used to block the bench—intending to lift his sleeve to check for injuries.

Fang Cheng pulled his arm back and signaled to her with his eyes

"Even if you want to check for injuries, you can't do it in a place like this."

Feeling the many gazes directed at them, Zhou Xiumei's face flushed red, and she hurriedly released her slender fingers.

The two then looked toward the stall.

They found that the handicrafts laid out on the carpet were in a state of complete chaos.

Some had even been stepped on and crushed, turned into a pile of broken parts.

"Oh no, this is terrible!"

Zhou Xiumei cried out in alarm, hurriedly scurrying over and crouching down.

As she picked through the surviving intact items, she was filled with heartache, muttering incessantly

"Help, what am I going to do..."

Her fair, oval face was tightly furrowed, and a faint glisten appeared in her eyes.

Fang Cheng also crouched down beside her to help clean up the mess, asking casually

"Why didn't you state your identity? If you had said you were Inspector Zhou Yongnian's daughter, those thugs wouldn't have dared to provoke you."

Hearing this, Zhou Xiumei's hands paused. She lowered her head in silence for a moment before saying apologetically

"I'm sorry for causing you trouble..."

"It's my fault for causing you trouble."

Seeing this, Fang Cheng changed the subject to comfort her

"Don't worry, those thugs won't come to bother you again."

More than half of the handicrafts were destroyed, and with the surrounding spectators, business clearly could not continue.

Zhou Xiumei decided to close the stall early tonight.

Within a few minutes, all the goods were packed into boxes and placed onto a nearby tricycle.

"Let's go."

Fang Cheng climbed directly into the driver's seat of the tricycle and looked at Zhou Xiumei, gesturing for her to sit in the back.

"Brother Cheng, let me do it myself," Zhou Xiumei said softly, pursing her lips.

Fang Cheng smiled slightly

"I'm exercising every day now. My weight is over 160 pounds. Are you sure you can carry me like you used to?"

Zhou Xiumei looked down at her own slender frame, immediately losing her momentum, and obediently sat in the cargo bed.

With the protagonists gone, the audience lost interest and gradually dispersed to their own business.

Among the crowd, there was a man in his fifties with a slight limp.

He held a bag of skewers in his left hand and a bottle of beer in his right.

His gaze fell upon the retreating back of the cyclist, looking thoughtful.

(End of Chapter)