Shuangling: Braving the Rapids

From the moment "Big Wart" threw his final punch to the moment he lay on the ground writhing in pain, only a few seconds passed. It seems that in a battle between masters, victory or defeat can be decided in the blink of an eye!

"Big Wart" had already lost, and everyone else was stunned. But the old prisoner remained calm and composed. It seemed that only this "sweeping monk" who was observing from the sidelines had seen through Cheng Dong's trick of feigning indifference.

That's right. Cheng Dong's feigned pain when he fell to the ground was all an act, designed to make "Big Wart" lower his guard. Only when the other party was off guard could Cheng Dong unleash this move and deliver a decisive blow!

After a moment of shock, Geng Dacheng was the first to react. He sent people to rescue "Big Wart" while organizing a group of people to besiege Cheng Dong.

After all, he was the "top leader," and seeing his protégé, the "second-in-command," being beaten, he naturally wanted to seek justice for him. But no matter how much Geng Dacheng shouted, his underlings only surrounded Cheng Dong, and none of them dared to lay a hand on this ruthless man.

Just as Geng Dacheng and the others were confronting Cheng Dong, "Big Wart," whose face was covered in blood, suddenly stood up from behind the crowd. Defeat was inevitable; anything he did now was to save face, and he chose the most extreme method—to kill Cheng Dong.

He held a sharpened toothbrush in his hand and thrust it toward Cheng Dong's vitals with murderous intent!

Fortunately, Cheng Dong reacted in time and dodged, otherwise this sneak attack would have been enough to give him a hard time. In the blink of an eye, the two rolled to the ground at the same time, but even so, they continued to wrestle and tear at each other. This kind of flesh-and-blood confrontation made everyone's hearts jump again.

"Big Wart" was more seriously injured. Cheng Dong rolled over and pinned him down. Just when it seemed the outcome was clear, Geng Dacheng and the others came over to cause trouble. They pretended to mediate, but secretly attacked Cheng Dong.

Cheng Dong was punched and kicked several times, which gave "Big Wart" an opportunity. "Big Wart" picked up a toothbrush from the ground and suddenly stabbed it at Cheng Dong's head!

Unable to dodge in time, Cheng Dong could only block with his arm, and in an instant, the toothbrush cut a bloody gash in his palm.

"Damn it, you dared to ambush me twice, I'll kill you!" Cheng Dong cursed angrily, snatched the toothbrush from the other man's hand, and then recklessly stabbed it into the "big wart's" eyeball!

Cheng Dong was already desperate, so why would he show mercy to his enemy who was on his last legs? It was no surprise that the other man's eyeballs were about to burst. But at this critical moment, the old prisoner's figure flashed in front of Cheng Dong. In an instant, his right hand gripped the toothbrush in Cheng Dong's hand. With a twist of his thumb and forefinger, the toothbrush fell to the ground with ease.

No one knew what had happened, but "Big Wart" wiped the blood off his face and exhaled a deep breath. This time, his eyeballs were finally saved.

The enemy's friend is your enemy. Cheng Dong stared angrily at the old prisoner, assuming he was Geng Dacheng's accomplice. Without saying a word, he threw a punch at the old man, as if to say, "Anyone who gets in my way will die."

Seeing this, the old prisoner suddenly flicked Cheng Dong's elbow with his middle finger. Cheng Dong's entire arm felt like it had been electrocuted, and he couldn't even clench his fist, let alone attack.

This kind of attack on bones and joints is very similar to the "pressure point technique" in martial arts novels. Unless the opponent is a reclusive master, how could a decrepit old man in prison use such a move that deflects a thousand pounds with four ounces?

Thinking of this, Cheng Dong was horrified. He was about to say something when the old man spoke first, "Young man, this guy is barely hanging on. You should show him mercy."

Upon hearing this, Cheng Dong fell into a brief moment of thought, while Geng Dacheng, who was standing nearby, seized the opportunity and pushed Cheng Dong aside, thus rescuing the terrified "big wart" from the clutches of the "evil star".

Cheng Dong was still holding back his anger, and Geng Dacheng's push made him even angrier. He had no intention of being lenient with this mastermind. Just as Cheng Dong was about to kick him, the old prisoner grabbed him by the waist.

"Young man, listen to my advice, this is not a place for fighting. If the authorities come over later, none of us will be in good shape!" the old man whispered to Cheng Dong, his accent carrying the unique tone of Shuangling Mountain.

"Who said we're from the same hometown! When they were beating me up, why didn't you stop them?" Cheng Dong retorted irritably.

This was not unexpected; the other party's repeated obstruction had truly annoyed him.

The old prisoner stroked his chin, smiled slightly, and replied, "Look at what you're saying, with your skills, you don't need my help! Hehehe..."

The gesture of touching his chin sent a shiver down Cheng Dong's spine, as if he remembered who the old man was—wasn't this the person who had been watching him last night? Back then, when he hid the Marlboro cigarettes, this old prisoner was on night watch!

"Hmph! So it was you, you old codger. I was wondering why you were staring at me all day. Turns out you'd been eyeing me all along. Tell me! Did you give my cigarettes to that guy?" Cheng Dong demanded sharply.

"Hey! You not only don't appreciate my kindness, but you also dare to slander me? I'm so old, do I look like a snitch?"

The old man's words made Cheng Dong ponder for a while. Although he had some doubts, he hadn't personally witnessed the old man informing on "Big Wart". Judging from the old man's skills, he had no reason to do such a thing. After all, he could have kept it all for himself.

"Don't make wild guesses. I can give you justice regarding the stolen cigarettes, but you'd better be prepared to be locked up in solitary confinement. This has caused such a big commotion; even if that guy has a strong constitution, he definitely won't recover without a month or two of rest..."

The old man's real name was Ding Manqing. He had a rudimentary understanding of medicine, especially acupuncture. Two months ago, however, he was imprisoned for causing someone's death while practicing medicine without a license. Because of his excellent massage skills, he was highly regarded by the head of the gang, Geng Dacheng, who directly promoted him to the sixth berth. It is clear that this man is quite skilled!

Unlike the obsequious "small-faced" man, Ding Manqing's methods were more sophisticated. In addition to currying favor with Geng Dacheng, he was also very friendly to other prisoners. When he saw someone with joint pain, he would take the initiative to provide free medical treatment. When he saw someone who looked worried and depressed and contemplating suicide, he would provide psychological counseling and talk about the great principles of "misfortune and fortune are interdependent". These "high-level operations" allowed him to accumulate popularity in a very short time.

The prisoners, seeing that he liked to meditate and often talked about the principles of Yin and Yang, simply gave him a nickname—Master Ding.

With such abilities, Master Ding believed he could "uphold justice" for Cheng Dong. At this moment, he used his status as a fellow villager to persuade and advise Cheng Dong, first gaining his trust, and then taking the opportunity to lead Cheng Dong toward reconciliation.

In fact, as early as last night when Cheng Dong introduced himself, Master Ding had already developed a strong interest in this fellow villager. The reason he did not provoke him was naturally because he did not want to offend Geng Dacheng and his gang.

Later, when Cheng Dong and "Big Wart" got into a fight, he remained inactive. Firstly, he wanted to assess Cheng Dong's strength, and secondly, he wanted to leave himself room to maneuver. If Cheng Dong suffered a complete defeat, he would not allow Cheng Dong to use their shared hometown connection and would definitely stand firmly on Geng Dacheng's side. If the two were evenly matched, they would most likely try to mediate between them. Now that Cheng Dong had won a great victory, he would personally step in to stabilize the situation, so that both sides would be grateful to him.

It must be said that such shrewdness and adaptability are beyond the reach of ordinary people!