bookandnovel Chapter 7 is nothing more than wanting to use your connections?
Chapter 7 is nothing more than wanting to use your connections?
The winter nights in Beiping were as black as an overturned pot.
As soon as you leave the Deyun Tea Garden, the noisy heat is blown away by the north wind.
The streetlights cast a dim yellow glow, lengthening Lu Cheng's shadow.
He carried life-saving pills in his arms and had a heavy wad of silver dollars wrapped around his waist.
This money is too hot to handle.
Lu Cheng tightened his patched cotton-padded coat, but instead of stopping, he deliberately turned into a narrow, secluded alley.
His hearing now is "tiger hearing".
After obtaining the "Tiger and Leopard Thunder Sound", he immediately felt his internal organs connected and his hearing and vision sharpened, and his five senses became clear.
Thirty steps behind, the crunching sound of footsteps on the snow, though faint, was distinct.
It wasn't just one person.
At least three.
These days, there are plenty of desperate wolves in Beiping.
Lu Cheng was showered with money and gold bracelets on stage today, which has already attracted attention.
"Friend, you've been following me all this way, come out and show yourself."
Walking deeper into the alley, it became a dead end; there was no way out.
Lu Cheng stopped walking, but didn't turn around. He simply reached out and patted Luo Manxue's shoulder.
"Hey, this kid's got a good head on his shoulders."
Three men dressed in black coats emerged from the shadows.
The leader had a scar across his face and was toying with a short dagger in his hand, which gleamed coldly in the moonlight.
Lu Cheng recognized this man; he was a notorious thief in the southern part of the city, nicknamed "Scarface Zhao."
He usually just steals chickens and dogs, but it seems he's planning something big today.
"Boss Lu, your performance today was absolutely brilliant."
Scarface Zhao chuckled, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth; the sound of his laughter was chilling in the dead-end alley.
"We're a bit strapped for cash, and we heard that Master Jin rewarded you handsomely. We won't take more than we need. Leave the gold bracelet behind, split the money in half, and you can go your own way."
Two other men, each carrying a club, flanked the other from the left and right, blocking their escape route.
Lu Cheng didn't panic. Instead, he turned around and looked at the group with great interest.
"Scarface Zhao, have you guys lost your minds?"
"This money was a gift from Master Jin. In this tiny corner of Tianqiao, if you mess with someone Master Jin is promoting, aren't you afraid he'll skin you alive and burn you alive?"
Lu Cheng wasn't bluffing. Boss Jin was the local tyrant, and his word carried more weight than that of the police station.
To everyone's surprise, Scarface Zhao, instead of being afraid, spat a mouthful of phlegm on the ground.
"Pah! Mr. Jin?"
Scarface Zhao's eyes revealed the ruthlessness of a desperate criminal.
"In the past, even if you gave me three lives, I wouldn't have dared to do that. But this is over a hundred silver dollars, plus gold!"
"With this money, the brothers will take the train to Shanghai and Tianjin overnight. The emperor is far away; no matter how far his reach is, can it extend beyond Beijing?"
"If we cripple you here today, who will know it was us?"
This is pressure.
In this place, no one answers your cries for help.
These guys are determined to pull off this heist and run away; they're going to make Lu Cheng pay.
If it were the old Lu Cheng, he would have had to kneel down and kowtow, handing over his money, and even have his leg broken.
"Trying to run away?"
Lu Cheng's eyes turned cold.
In the darkness, it faintly glowed with an eerie light, just like the tiger he had just performed on stage.
"The money is in my pocket. If you're so capable, come and take it yourself."
"Damn it, they won't listen to reason, they really think they're something special. They're asking for trouble."
Scarface Zhao's face hardened. "Go! Cripple his eyes, then let's see how he'll glare at people again!"
The man on the left swung his club, and with a whoosh, smashed it down on the back of Lu Cheng's head.
If that blow lands squarely, he'll either die or become an idiot.
At that very moment.
break out!
Lu Cheng made a move.
But he didn't dodge.
Inside his chest cavity, the newly acquired "Tiger and Leopard Thunder Sound" was resonating.
"snort--"
A low, muffled groan escaped from his nasal cavity.
Immediately afterwards, Lu Cheng's body shrank abruptly, and then his spine trembled violently, causing him to advance instead of retreat.
Hupu!
This is not a performance on a stage.
This is a real killing technique!
The stick had only been swung halfway when Lu Cheng's figure pounced into the man's arms like a gust of bloody wind.
Make claws with both hands, one up and one down.
Grab his face from above, and tear out his heart from below!
"Sizzle—"
A sound of tearing cloth was heard, followed by the man's scream.
The man was sent flying two meters away by Lu Cheng's tackle, crashing heavily into the wall. His thick cotton-padded coat was torn to shreds, and five bloody claw marks were left on his chest.
"ah!!"
The other two were dumbfounded.
Is this supposed to be opera? Everyone says it's acting!
This is clearly a beast in human skin!
Lu Cheng did not stop.
As soon as he landed, he twisted his waist and executed a "tiger tail kick".
The kick was swift and vicious, striking Scarface Zhao squarely in the stomach as he attempted a sneak attack.
"vomit--"
Scarface Zhao couldn't even hold onto his knife anymore. He clutched his stomach, knelt on the ground, and vomited up all the mixed flour and cornbread he had eaten for dinner, his bile reflux flowing freely.
The last man, watching his two companions fall in the blink of an eye, felt his legs cramp and the stick in his hand clatter to the ground.
"Master, Master, spare me! I won't..."
Lu Cheng took a step and stood in front of him.
The lingering murderous aura from the recent killing forced the man to sit down heavily on the snow, instantly filling the air with a foul odor.
I was so scared I peed my pants.
Lu Cheng looked down at him with a cold gaze.
"Go back and tell your friends in the underworld."
"Lu Cheng's money from Qingyun Class is too hot to handle."
"If this happens again, it won't be a broken rib, it will be a broken neck."
After saying that, Lu Cheng didn't even look at the mess on the ground, and turned to walk into the wind and snow.
That figure was broad and imposing, like a mountain or a tiger.
Only three groaning thugs remained in the alley, shivering in the cold wind.
This fight broke through the last barrier in Lu Cheng's heart.
Might makes right.
In this world, there's no logic, only fists!
……
He pushed open his own dilapidated wooden door.
The courtyard was quiet.
Only the west room still had the dim glow of a kerosene lamp.
Lu Cheng heard it clearly. Inside the house, his father, Lu Laogen, was lowering his voice to soothe his mother, who was coughing incessantly.
"My dear wife, be patient, Chengzi will be back soon."
"He's really made a name for himself today, he'll earn a lot of money, let's go to a big hospital tomorrow..."
"Cough cough, old man, don't... don't waste your money."
Wang's voice was as weak as a whisper, "I know my body is a bottomless pit. Chengzi still needs to get married in the future, cough cough cough..."
Every cough felt like a saw, sawing into Lu Cheng's heart.
Lu Cheng took a deep breath and pushed open the door to enter the house.
A mixture of the smell of Chinese medicine, mold, and the decaying odor unique to the elderly wafted over.
"Father, Mother, I'm back."
Lu Cheng smiled as he shut the door, leaving himself covered in snow and wind outside.
"Mako!"
Lu Laogen hurriedly stood up, wiped his hands on the blue cloth gown, and looked at his son with eyes full of expectation yet somewhat timid.
This son of his now has such a strong presence that even he, as the father, feels somewhat unfamiliar with him.
"It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back."
Lu Cheng walked to the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed).
The mother, Wang, had a sallow complexion, was so thin she was skin and bones, and had sunken eyes.
That's a sign of depleted lung energy, like a lamp running out of oil.
Without this system, a funeral would have to be held within three months.
"daughter."
Lu Cheng's eyes reddened, and he took out a small porcelain bottle from his pocket.
"My son has brought you a miraculous medicine today."
"A miracle drug?"
Lu Laogen leaned closer. "What kind of medicine is it? It must be some Western medicine pills from foreigners, right?"
"Better than that."
Lu Cheng didn't explain further.
He poured a bowl of warm water and carefully broke open the wax-sealed Tiger Bone Pill.
As soon as the wax shell broke, a unique fragrance instantly filled the entire room.
It wasn't the pungent smell of medicine, but a warm, dry fragrance. Just one whiff of it made Lu Laogen feel warm all over.
"this……"
Lu Laogen's eyes widened. "This is a good thing! Could it have come from the palace?"
Lu Cheng nodded and dissolved the pill in water, which instantly turned amber.
"Mother, drink it."
Lu Cheng helped his mother up and fed her spoonful by spoonful.
Wang hadn't held out much hope, but after taking the medicine...
boom!
It was like a ball of fire, burning down the throat and into the stomach, then quickly spreading to every part of the body.
My hands and feet, which were originally cold, started to feel warm.
The suffocating chill in my chest, which made me feel like I was going to die, melted away instantly, like snow meeting the sun.
"Cough, wheeze..."
Wang let out a long breath.
The breath he exhaled made the room smell even more fishy.