Heaven rewards diligence; he fought his way through chaos to become a saint.

Ye Ci sized up the person in front of him. He was about 1.7 meters tall and looked thin, but his arms were muscular.

"You've been squatting here for a long time. Although you change people frequently, could you please change your props next time?"

Ye Ci spoke slowly and deliberately.

The man didn't understand the meaning of "props," but his eyes turned fierce.

"Get lost."

Ye Ci turned his head, estimated the direction, and then said amicably:

"From your vantage point, you have a perfect view of both the main entrance and the side entrance of Rock Martial Arts School. What exactly are you watching?"

"Which of your damn eyes saw me staring at Rock Martial Arts Gym?"

"Calm down, don't be impatient."

Ye Ci shook his head and made a downward pressing motion with both hands: "I mean no harm, I'm just asking... but if you don't speak properly, I also know a little bit of martial arts."

"You're kidding me!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the man attacked Ye Ci with his five fingers forming claws.

"I didn't mean to lecture you, but I just can't stand the way you talk."

This claw attack was swift and fierce, with a piercing sound as it cut through the air; it was clearly at the Ming Jin level.

Five fingers thrust straight at Ye Ci's throat.

Ye Ci's lips curled slightly, his body remained motionless, his left hand suddenly grabbed the other's wrist and pulled, while his right hand slammed a palm down on the Jianjing acupoint.

A snap.

A sharp pain shot through the man's arm, and half of his body went numb. He let out a miserable groan as Ye Ci kicked him in the abdomen.

"If you can't stand it, you can just bear with it."

Before he could finish speaking, another punch landed on the back of the man's head. The man collapsed to the ground with a thud, his eyes rolling back in his head.

Ye Ci stepped forward, twisted his right foot, and dragged him like a dead dog to a secluded spot.

"I know you're awake. If you pretend to be dead, you'll really die."

"You're not Xiao Hua, how come you're so amazing..."

Snapped!

Before he could finish speaking, Ye Ci slapped him across the face, making a crisp sound.

Outrageous.

The man tried to resist, but before he could get up, Ye Ci kicked him back to the ground and ground his hand with one foot.

"You'd better tell me something useful all at once. I know over two hundred interrogation techniques, the toughest of which can last up to fifteen. You also have the skill of Ming Jin, so hopefully you can double that."

Ye Ci remained expressionless, and with another "smack," kicked him again, then crushed his hand.

"Sir...I was wrong!"

"nonsense."

Ye Ci increased the pressure with his feet, putting the sense of oppression into the situation so that the other party could explain clearly.

"I'm from the Black Tiger Gang..."

At this point, the man paused for a moment, and Ye Ci raised his foot, swayed in place, and then kicked him hard.

The man thought he had been let off the hook and even tried to get up to speak, but the kick landed squarely on his face, sending him flying backward with a bloody line drawn from his front teeth in the air.

The man trembled as he watched Ye Ci walk over in silence.

The boy in front of me was clearly an eighteen-year-old, yet he gave off the feeling of a ferocious beast baring its fangs.

Ye Ci remained silent.

He wondered if the other party had come to avenge Li Dabiao.

The man quickly replied, "I'm keeping an eye on Xiao Hua, trying to find an opportunity for him to go out alone, but he rarely goes out."

"Snapped!"

Ye Ci didn't say anything, but with a flick of her hand, she knocked out a few more of his molars.

"You're making a move on my junior brother?"

"I……"

"It's okay, tell me why."

"I received orders from above that most of the Black Tiger Gang members came from the Fierce Tiger Martial Arts School, and our gang leader doesn't want the Rock Martial Arts School to grow too big... After all, if all the apprentices join the Fierce Tiger Martial Arts School, there will be more people joining our Black Tiger Gang in the future. The gang leader heard that Xiao Hua is a person with exceptional talent and comprehension, and it's rare to find someone like that in the county for twenty years. So, he plans to cripple that kid."

"Firstly, the gang leader wants to repay the Tiger Martial Arts School for their teaching; secondly, he doesn't like geniuses who are too young; and thirdly, our gang leader values ​​his comprehension and wants to recruit him into the gang after crippling his aptitude."

Ye Ci crouched down and calmly asked, "Why haven't you made a move?"

"He almost never goes out, and when he does, Master Yang is always there. Originally, the gang leader wanted to cripple Xiao Hua before he reached the Ming Jin level, but he entered the Ming Jin level too quickly, so he sent us to keep an eye on this area and find an opportunity for the gang leader to take action personally."

"Have you ever heard of the martial arts school's disciple who developed Ming Jin in just one month?"

"Never heard of it."

Why didn't you ask around?

"who is he?"

"You're asking me about this?"

Snapped!

This time, with a flick of Ye Ci's wrist, the man's remaining molars flew off as well.

"I've told you everything I need to tell you! Why are you still hitting me?!"

Ye Ci looked at him calmly: "It's one thing that you didn't invite me to dinner, but you didn't even try to plot against me. Anyone would feel a little uncomfortable in that situation."

"Have a meal?!"

The man looked puzzled, then realized what was going on: "Is it the captain hosting a banquet tonight...?"

"Snapped!"

The man's face, already swollen like a bun, lifted up again.

There were no teeth, only a line of blood that drew a beautiful arc in the moonlight.

"See through it but don't say it."

Ye Cidao.

The man was so badly slapped that he saw stars, his mouth and nose were filled with blood, and his arm was broken. He was in excruciating pain.

"You're deliberately picking a fight! Go ahead and hit me, kill me or nothing..."

"good!"

Ye Ci unleashed another barrage of slaps on the head.

Just when the man thought he was about to be beaten to death and was about to lose his mind, Ye Ci stopped and said gently:

"Next, let's continue talking about Silver."

"I was wrong……"

The man truly felt he was about to die, and his survival instinct made him manage to speak with difficulty: "Sir, I'll go back and report to the gang leader... Now that you've exposed this, we won't dare to try anything like this again. But... this kind of thing isn't unprecedented in the county, why ruin things? Can't we discuss things..."

"Do you know what my relationship with Adam Silver is?"

"Your junior brother."

"If you keep watch at this gate every day, it'll be easy for someone to see through you."

"Yes! We will never dare to do it again! We will never try to harm your junior brother again."

"You misunderstood me. I meant that anyone with a modicum of sense would have noticed your low-level surveillance. So, three hundred taels, from now on, when Xiao Hua leaves the martial arts school alone, I'll inform you, and you won't need to keep watch here anymore."

"Huh? Three hundred taels?"

The man thought he had misheard: "You...you have a grudge against him?"

"no."

"Then why?"

"Because I'm doing this for his own good. A genius like Xiao Hua should experience some setbacks so he can mature. After all, he's Master Yang's last disciple, and I'm just repaying my teacher's kindness."

Upon hearing this, the man's eyes lit up, and he instantly felt full of energy.

He felt his life was saved.

"Sir, you are right! As the saying goes, the fragrance of plum blossoms comes from the bitter cold, and the sharpness of a sword comes from tempering. No matter how talented a person is, if they have a smooth life and have never suffered or stumbled, they are prone to becoming arrogant and haughty, taking temporary success for granted and others' concessions for granted."

Those who truly achieve great things never rely solely on talent and a smooth journey, but rather on remaining humble in favorable circumstances and undaunted in adversity, calming their minds in setbacks and maintaining composure during low points. Setbacks are not meant to suppress or harass, but rather to serve as a touchstone...

"You want to be the top scholar in the civil service exam?"

Ye Ci waved his hand to interrupt his nonsense, thinking that gangsters were indeed quick-witted, and asked directly:

"Would three hundred taels be enough?"

"able!"

The man struggled to sit up: "Our gang isn't short of money right now, and with your skills, as long as you're willing to cooperate with our Black Tiger Gang, your future is limitless."

"cooperate?"

Ye Ci looked into his eyes and said in a serious tone, "I'm willing to join you. Tell me about the good ways you make money on a regular basis."