Misty Rain of the Old Times

Chapter 133 Losing Money
Sitting by the window, Gao Jingming suddenly looked at Chen Xuan and said, "Xuan, haven't you always said that you lack experience in battle? Right now there is an opportunity. Are you interested in practicing?"

He could see that the other person's Qinggong was not very good, so naturally there was nothing to worry about. Moreover, he himself had practiced the advanced Qingyuan Liuyun Gong. Although it had only been a few years, he had also made great progress in internal strength. In addition, there was the superb martial arts taught by Mr. Yushan, and several powerful martial arts obtained for him by the Gao family. Therefore, even though he was only fourteen years old, he was not comparable to some random people in the world.

It is no exaggeration to say that if they really come to a fight, Geng Hong, who has only practiced martial arts for a few years, is probably no match for him. Of course, a life-and-death fight is another matter.

Martial arts are not something you can become powerful by just practicing for a certain number of years. Your own talent and the martial arts you practice are the key to your strength.

Faced with this question, Chen Xuan shook his head and said, "Forget it, the teacher has always taught us to be kind to others. If we can avoid violence, we should try not to. Fighting and killing is not good."

"That's true. Being violent with others is not what a gentleman does," Gao Jingming agreed deeply.

It wasn't that Chen Xuan didn't want to fight someone to gain some experience, but he was confident he could handle the person who came this time with one hand. How could he gain any experience from that? He would only be interested if the opponent was of equal strength.

"Oh, that's not right. When I was with Xiao Gao, Geng Hong and the others handled small matters like this. I won't only play high-level games in the future, right?"

Get rid of this idea quickly. Don’t do that. Although high-end games sound awesome, they are also dangerous.

To be honest, Chen Xuan actually prefers to bully weaklings. How painful would it be if he got hurt?

He's not a masochist.

At this moment, Zhao Erhe came to the side of the boat, crossed his arms and looked at the person walking on the water and said with a smile: "My dear brother, this boat has been booked by my son. There is no extra room. Please go back."

You should use courtesy first and then force. You can't just start fighting with others right away.

The man was having a hard time crossing the water with his Qinggong. Upon hearing this, he actually took a deep breath and said, "It's such a big boat. How much space can I take up by myself? I can just squeeze in. Besides, you are just chartering someone else's boat, not buying it. The boat is not yours yet. At most, I can pay for it."

"What's the difference between what you did and forced buying and selling? You're still forcing your way through despite the kind words of persuasion. This is not the way to behave," Zhao Erhe's tone became colder.

The man quickly approached, only ten feet away, and snorted, "It's none of your business how I behave. There's a saying that when you're out and about, helping others is helping yourself. Don't you understand that?"

As he spoke, he jumped up and down twice, and finally used the force of the water surface to leap towards the boat. The workers on the boat had already hidden away.

"If you want to help someone, you have to be willing to do it. Since you refuse to turn back, I can only ask you to leave," Zhao Erhe said coldly. While the man's strength had not yet taken hold, he stepped forward and punched him. His only purpose was to knock him off the boat and make him suffer a loss and leave tactfully. Although his attack was not fair, it was not aimed at taking his opponent's life.

Zhao Erhe had internal strength, and although he practiced some simple techniques, his internal strength was not as strong as Geng Hong's, but this punch was also powerful and made a buzzing sound that broke through the air, and the rain splashed.

The other person was in the air, his eyes fixed, and with nowhere to gain support, he raised his hand and hit Zhao Erhe's fist with a palm.

Zhao Erhe was suddenly shocked and could not help but take two steps back. The opponent took the opportunity to change his palm into a claw, grabbed Zhao Erhe's fist and used the force to stand on the side of the boat.

Although they separated at the first sign of contact, it was also incredibly fast, so the visitor finally had time to speak: "What should I do? You are no match for me. I am a guest, and I don't want to make things too awkward. Why don't we just let it go? I will borrow your precious place to shelter from the rain. I said I would pay for it."

Zhao Erhe's face darkened and he felt a little embarrassed. So many people were watching, it would be too embarrassing to retreat in such a disgrace. Besides, the young master hadn't spoken yet, so he had to at least tell Xuan Ge'er, otherwise he would not be qualified to represent his side in making peace.

After exchanging blows, he certainly felt that the other party was stronger than him and was holding back, but he didn't think he would be that vulnerable, so he said in a deep voice: "It's not reasonable for an evil guest to come to your house and still make excuses. Since you refuse to leave, don't blame me for being rude. Please leave. Watch out!"

The underworld is full of human relationships and worldly wisdom. There is usually no need to form life-and-death feuds. Just drive this person away. There is no need to hold a grudge. Therefore, Zhao Erhe specifically reminded him when he took action.

As he spoke, he mobilized all his internal energy, stepped forward and punched out. His skin turned iron-gray, and the punch made a crisp sound like a firecracker exploding.

After all, he did have internal energy, but the skills he practiced were superficial, and his internal energy could not produce light and shadow 'special effects'. However, using internal energy to enhance martial arts skills could also make him appear extraordinary, just like his fist at this moment seemed to have become cast in iron.

"The Eighteen Styles of Iron Fist are quite something, but not much. Sorry for the inconvenience," the man said very quickly, and then rushed forward, raised his hand to block Zhao Erhe's punch. Before Zhao Erhe could change his moves or launch a follow-up attack, he flipped his wrist and grabbed Zhao Erhe's arm, pulling it and slamming his shoulder into Zhao Erhe's middle door. With a dull bang, Zhao Erhe flew backwards from the ground and was helped to stand by others. He subconsciously rubbed his aching chest.

At this moment, he no longer had the intention to fight. He was really no match for the other party. He also knew in his heart that if the other party had not restrained his strength, the collision would not have been just a slight pain, but would at least result in a broken sternum and vomiting blood.

Chen Xuan and the others on the second floor were just watching for fun. Strictly speaking, this was the first real fight scene he had seen in many years. Although it was short, every punch hit real hard. Especially the two times they exchanged blows, the invisible internal force was so strong that it actually shook the rain into mist.

You know what, it’s really worth watching.

However, the person who came simply crushed Zhao Erhe and did not use any martial arts at all, while the Eighteen Styles of Iron Fist that Zhao Erhe displayed sounded like a very common one.

But he is just a guard who earns three taels of silver a month. If he has superb martial arts skills, where can he not find a job?
The job of a guard also depends on personal ability. The stronger the ability, the higher the salary. Not everyone can get a generous salary of fifteen taels per month like Leng Bing.

By the way, Chen Xuan's salary has also increased now. After studying for a few years, he has grown up, practiced martial arts, and even obtained the title of Tongsheng. His salary has directly increased to twenty taels, which is ten times more than before after rounding off. Even in the Gao family, it is considered a high salary, more than what a guard like Leng Bing earns.

As a young master's secretary, this salary is normal. As he gets older, his salary will continue to rise. I heard that Butler He earns 100 taels of silver per month, not counting other income. 20 taels is really not a small amount. Well, let's take the waiter at Deweilou as an example. Chen Xuan's monthly income is almost what others can earn in ten years. The gap is so huge. Looking at the entire Jing Kingdom, they are all high-income groups.

In the words of his hometown, it is equivalent to the white-collar level.

So Gao Jingming really wasn't lying back then. Following him really meant you could have a good life without having to spend your own money...

At this time, Zhao Erhe rubbed his chest and said to Geng Hong with a blushing face: "Boss, this idea is difficult to use. I am embarrassed."

"It's okay, this guy's kung fu is pretty good, Xiao Zhao, you've done very well," Geng Hong patted his shoulder and said with a smile.

Then he stepped forward, bowed slightly to the visitor, and said, "My friend, let's stop here. This boat has been chartered by our young master, so it's not convenient for us to receive outsiders. So how about you please leave?"

There is a reason for this sentence. He did not address the young master as the master in order to avoid being overheard by someone with ulterior motives when he is out, and thus being kidnapped and extorted. He then simply said that it was inconvenient, but did not mention that there were female relatives on board. This can sometimes also avoid trouble.

After all, going out with two beautiful girls is often equivalent to bringing two sources of trouble.

This is not a society ruled by law, there is not so much surveillance, if you are noticed by a pervert, it will really cause trouble.

Facing Geng Hong, the man's eyes became more serious, but he still said stubbornly: "I'm already here, if you dare, you can kick me out, it's raining and it's really annoying. I've said it several times, the worst that can happen is that I just pay, I hope you can do me a favor."

"If you don't listen to my kind advice, then I will definitely offend you," Geng Hong said with a frown.

As soon as he finished speaking, he moved instantly, like a tiger coming down the mountain. His body, like an iron tower, was extremely oppressive, yet as flexible as a civet cat. He raised his hand and slapped out with a palm. The air exploded, and his hand turned dark red. Heat waves rolled, and the raindrops falling on it quickly vaporized, making a hissing sound.

His strength is much higher than Zhao Erhe's, his internal force is more powerful, and his martial arts are more powerful, so that even though his skills are simple, he can display unparalleled fiery characteristics of martial arts. However, the skills are too simple, and his internal force is not condensed and pure enough to present the true light and shadow characteristics.

"Red Fire Palm! Well, come on, let me fight you." The man looked surprised, but not stage-frightened. He threw a punch with the same fierceness, confronting Geng Hong directly.

His punch turned blue-green in color, with a strong aftereffect, like a rushing river.

Bang~!

The two sides clashed with their full palms. The violent sound of the collision made the ordinary boatmen not far away cover their ears. Where the fight took place, the invisible air exploded, and the flying rain formed a small vacuum zone for a short time.

Tapping.

The man took three steps back unsteadily, leaving footprints on the wooden deck with each step. In contrast, Geng Hong slowly withdrew his hand and did not move an inch.

"Thank you, please go back," Geng Hong said politely with a slight nod, looking calm and composed, except that his physique lacked the demeanor of a master.

The other party looked at Geng Hong's uncertain expression, then turned around and said with gritted teeth: "It is my fault, Meng Lang. I hope you can forgive me for any offense. I will leave now. The mountains and rivers remain unchanged. We will meet again later."

As he spoke, he was about to use his Qing Gong to leave. He knew how to advance and retreat. He hadn't left a name behind. If he lost, he lost. Could he leave a name behind and say a few big words? That would be even more embarrassing.

From the beginning to the end, it never came to the point of resorting to weapons. As I said, the martial arts world is not about fighting and killing, and there is no conflict of interest. No one will easily make enemies unless they have no choice. Knowing when to stop is the norm in the martial arts world.

Just as he was about to leave, a voice rang out, saying, "Uncle, you stepped on someone's deck and haven't paid for it yet. It's not good to leave like this, is it?"

This sentence was not said by Chen Xuan, but by Gao Jingming. He pointed to the clear footprints on the nail plate. The nail plate was cracked by being stepped on, and it would cost money to repair it.

Upon hearing this, the Jianghu man, who had already suffered a loss, turned pale and almost fell down in depression.

So, not only did I not get a boat to avoid the rain, I even had to pay for it. What a bad idea! Who the hell said that being in the underworld was easy? This is only if I meet someone who is easy to talk to. If I meet someone with a bad temper, they might just swarm and beat me to death.

"I'll accompany you. How much?" The Jianghu guest took a deep breath and turned to look in the direction of Gao Jingming with a smile that was uglier than crying. He had already been defeated. If he was still unreasonable, he would lose everything.

Gao Jingming was surprised and said, "I just said it casually, and you really want to accompany me?"

"A man should take responsibility for his actions. Since I've damaged someone's boat, it's only natural for me to pay compensation. I'm not a bad person, so I'll be reasonable," the other person said, patting his chest. He felt that he was upright and was quite proud of it.

He didn't feel that he was being made fun of. He was very straightforward. To use the words of Chen Xuan's hometown, he was clearly a fool.

……

(End of this chapter)