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墨書 Inktalez
Zhang Yang arrived at a small street near his home.
This street, named Fire Dragon Danfeng Street, sounded impressive but was actually quite chaotic, filled with various small restaurants and inns. At night, there were often a few streetwalkers loitering around, and it was common for them to scam and extort unsuspecting customers.
Zhang Yang quickly walked towards a familiar small restaurant.
"Hey handsome, looking for a place to stay?" A woman dressed in a low-cut sweater and a leather skirt approached him, swaying her hair and flaunting her ample bosom, which was heavily coated in cheap perfume.
"No, I'm not staying," Zhang Yang waved his hand and continued walking briskly.
"Well, you can at least rest at the inn!" The woman stepped forward and linked her arm with Zhang Yang's.
"Get away!" Zhang Yang said impatiently, using a bit of force to shake her off. The woman was surprisingly thrown back several steps and fell onto the ground.
"Help! Sexual harassment! He's hitting me!" The woman suddenly shouted from the ground.
Then, four burly men appeared out of nowhere, blocking Zhang Yang's path.
"Kid, you're pretty cocky," said the leader, a bald bully who was quite muscular, with arms as thick as Zhang Yang's calves.
"What do you want?" Zhang Yang asked calmly without showing any signs of panic.
"What do we want? You took advantage of that girl and even hit her. You think you can just walk away?" Although the bald man said this, he felt something was off; this young man seemed too calm.
"What do you suggest?" Zhang Yang adjusted his clothes, feeling a bit anxious because he was indeed very hungry.
"How about this: you let that girl service you at the inn. The total for the stay and service is 1000 yuan, and we'll let this go. Her skills are quite good," the bald man said as he and his companions laughed.
Zhang Yang frowned deeply, staring intently at the bald man in front of him.
"Hey, hey! Are you dumb? What are you staring at? Hurry up and pay!" The bald man shouted as he noticed Zhang Yang's strange behavior.
"You’re extorting me," Zhang Yang said, feeling the blade on his forehead heat up with anger.
A bald man placed a hand on Zhang Yang's shoulder and asked, "Just started working? Still in school? Do you know what I do?"
"Get lost!" Zhang Yang's expression suddenly turned cold as he pushed the bald man's arm away and forcefully shoved him aside, moving forward.
The bald man didn't expect that seemingly casual shove to cause him to stumble. "Get him!" Before he could finish his sentence, he threw a punch at the back of Zhang Yang's head, while the three others beside him kicked at different parts of Zhang Yang's body.
The four were very close to Zhang Yang, but the bald man's punch missed entirely. He only felt a flash of movement before a slap hit his face, and he vaguely sensed that more than one tooth had fallen out. At the same time, he heard the cries of pain as his three subordinates fell to the ground.
"Can I leave now?" Zhang Yang asked, staring at the bald man's mouth.
In a place like this, the bald man wasn't foolish. Covering his swollen purple cheek, he said, "Brother, we were just joking."
"I'm hungry; otherwise, it wouldn't be just losing teeth!" The red color on Zhang Yang's Blade faded as he spoke and walked away.
"Boss, this kid looks like a student; how is he so tough..." One subordinate stood up with support from his leg and said to the bald man while watching Zhang Yang's retreating figure.
"Damn it, if he didn't look like a student, would I have been so careless? Let's call it a day; this is strange. I don't want to get involved," the bald man said, trying to save face. The people who hung around this small street were just ordinary thugs and couldn't compare to larger forces.
The small test of strength made Zhang Yang more confident in his current abilities. Just then, his phone rang. It was his best friend, Fatty Pan.
Fatty Pan's real name was Pan Minglei; he had been classmates with Zhang Yang since elementary school through high school. His father was a contractor and their family was wealthy. Fatty Pan was generous but overweight, often ridiculed for it, and always envied Zhang Yang's lean physique.
"Damn it, where have you been? I haven't seen you for days and you don't answer your calls. The Underworld Sorceress asked about you; I impulsively told her that a relative in the provincial capital passed away and you couldn't take leave. You'll explain when you get back," Fatty Pan said over the phone. The Underworld Sorceress was their homeroom teacher, a middle-aged woman with a dark complexion who liked to style her hair on top of her head, earning her that nickname.
"Passed away... Damn it, can't you say something nice? I'm hungry; treat me to a meal," Zhang Yang replied.
"Perfect timing! I have something to tell you too; come out to our usual spot. I'm feeling impulsive and want to drink with you," Fatty Pan said. "Feeling impulsive" was his catchphrase.
Zhang Yang left the small street and arrived at a restaurant near Wuzhong. "Boss, beef stew with potatoes, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, two cold dishes—bring me six bottles of beer first," Fatty Pan shouted after sitting down. They were regulars at this small restaurant and ordered using shorthand. Beef stew referred to potatoes stewed with beef; scrambled eggs with tomatoes was just that; the two cold dishes were fried peanuts and shredded meat mixed with cucumber.
Zhang Yang fabricated a story about feeling troubled and going to his grandmother's hometown in Linan Province, where he learned some skills from a relative. "Troubled? Is it because of Li Yifeng? Your business has spread all over school!" Fatty Pan exclaimed as he raised a glass of beer and downed it in one go.
"Isn't it just getting beaten up?" Zhang Yang seemed unfazed, his chopsticks still busy.
"Stop pretending. I heard you got beaten so badly that you were begging for forgiveness, covered in blood, and even drank your own blood. Li Yifeng has been spreading the word at school that anyone who sticks close to Ding Weiwei will be finished," Fatty Pan said, staring at Zhang Yang's face and even brushing aside his bangs.
"They hit me a few times on the forehead, and yes, I did drink some blood. The scar isn't too noticeable, right?" Zhang Yang asked.
"Not noticeable, just a strange color, a bit red. So, are you just going to let this go?" Fatty Pan continued.
"Let it go? If I hadn't gone back to my grandmother's hometown this time, I might have just let it slide. But it's not a big deal," Zhang Yang said, feeling very hungry. He picked up a large piece of egg and stuffed it into his mouth. After chewing for a moment, he suddenly remembered and mumbled, "By the way, don't you have something going on?"
"We're really in the same boat here; my issue is also related to Li Yifeng. It's my fault for running my mouth. A couple of days ago, I was hiding in that restroom on the playground smoking when he walked in. He glanced at me, and I said, 'Brother Feng, want one?' He took it and even asked for my name and which class I'm in."
Fatty Pan picked up a piece of beef and continued, "Then yesterday, he came to find me during class break and said he's short on cash lately. He heard I have money and asked me to lend him 200 yuan urgently. 200 yuan isn't much, but I'm worried this guy will keep coming back for more. I gave it to him yesterday, but today he came back asking again. I told him I really didn't have any left. Then some guy named Dayong next to him actually pinched my face and said not to be ungrateful, claiming he would come back tomorrow."
"Haha, so you've been extorted too? Since you're treating me to this meal, I'll help you sort it out tomorrow," Zhang Yang said as he took a sip of his drink. "Do you have any good cigarettes?"
"You? Aren't you also someone who just got beaten up? With your small frame, Li Yifeng could take on three of you by himself. You don't think learning a couple of moves in Linan Province means you can take down Li Yifeng, do you?" Fatty Pan pulled out an unopened pack of Soft Zhonghua cigarettes. "I know you like these; I swiped them from an old man."
"Hehe, I told you not to worry about it," Zhang Yang said as he lit the cigarette, squinting as if pondering over something delicious, figuring out how to tackle it.
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