Her screams caused everyone to look over. Everyone clearly heard his name, Xia Tian, while Jianghai's two most famous figures were Huo Lajiao and Xu Shaocong.
However, Xia Tian defeated the Four Guardian Warriors under Xu Shaocong and even proceeded to molest Huo Lajiao.
With that, Xia Tian had now gained a considerable reputation in Jianghai High School, especially with the NCEE approaching.
"Hey, I never touched you. You're the one who won't let go of me. If you want to talk about harassment, you're the one who molested me," Xia Tian helplessly explained to Huo Lajiao. Huo Lajiao was shrewish in nature but he never knew her to be so unreasonable.
"You do have your point," Huo Lajiao mumbled to herself but steered herself back. "No wait, I won't let go of you unless you promise to teach me martial arts."
"Teach you martial arts? Do I look like I know martial arts?" Xia Tian wasn't a martial artist. He just applied the same move Old Fan used on him in the morning.
"Sure you do. You did it just now. They're Xu Shaocong's Four Guardian Warriors but you took them all down in a cinch." Huo Lajiao was enthusiastic upon recalling Xia Tian's performance.
On the other end.
"Old Fan, I've investigated his background."
"Mm, read it out."
"Xia Tian.
"Male, nineteen years old. His mother went missing after his birth.
"His father met with a fatal accident when he was fourteen.
"He's now studying at Jianghai High School with exemplary results. Two weeks ago, he saved Jianghai's Chairwoman Ceng Rou's daughter. She's from one of the Four Big Families. He left the hospital without accepting Ceng Rou's compensation.
"He's currently living at his cousin's place and normally works part-time jobs."
"Mm, any news on his parents?"
"I can't look any further. It's classified information. His father is A classified while his mother is S classified. We don't have clearance."
"Alright, I understand. Any word on Quicksand's recent activities?"
"Quicksand seems to have noticed him but they won't haven't laid a hand on him yet. They seemed to be interested in something but not his life."
"Things are not calm in Jianghai City, I'll be leaving this place. You guys stay back and protect Lil Feng and the rest. Kill anyone who comes in their way."
"You know, young master's a martial arts master, our men were taught a lesson."
"Protect him from a distance. Keep an eye on Quicksand. No one dares harm my son, apart from Quicksand in Jianghai City."
At the same time, in Jianghai City's No. 1 assassination organization, Quicksand.
"Lord Cryptobat, when do we strike?"
"Now is not the time. Watch him and strike when you find the hidden scroll." Cryptobat hid his body under his black robe but the dark aura around him was still leaking through. A curled chilliness spread out within this darkness.
"Yes."
"Right, keep your eyes on that boy. If anyone else notices him, take care of them as well," Cryptobat's icy tone withered the potted plant in front of him.
Xia Tian had no idea that earth-shattering change would be coming about to Jianghai City. He had just straightened things out with Huo Lajiao, and although her arms were no longer wrapped around him, she was still hot on his trail. Fortunately, she chased away her two underlings but she was stuck behind Xia Tian.
"Master, when will you teach me martial arts?" Huo Lajiao hopped behind Xia Tian.
"I've told you, I'm not your master and I only know that two moves which I will pass down to my wife and children in the future," Xia Tian helplessly said. He tried to dismiss her.
"Master, please, just take me in," Huo Lajiao put on a pitiful look.
"I'm not
"Master, why don't you just marry me? You can then pass down your martial arts to me." Huo Lajiao's mind was stuffed with mastering the ultimate martial art and becoming an unrivaled heroine.
Xia Tian gave Huo Lajiao the side glance and curled his lips. "You? You don't have the body nor the looks. I don't want to marry you."
Huo Lajiao stared at her chest before glancing at him.
"Master, you shouldn't set the bar too high. I'm still a woman, you can make do." Huo Lajiao tugged Xia Tian's arm and begged.
"Okay okay, I will teach you the two moves when I find the time." Xia Tian walked towards the commercial hall.
"Master, there's a scratch-off lottery ticket there, let's scratch a few," Huo Lajiao excitingly suggested after she spied a scratch-off lottery ticket sign at the commercial hall's entrance.
"It's not like you don't have money, why do you want to scratch it for?" Xia Tian frowned. He was in the dark about Huo Lajiao's true identity but he had heard a few rumors about Huo Lajiao.
It was said that Huo Lajiao came from a rich family and had ties to the underworld. She was extravagant with money and did not seem like someone who needed the cash.
"I like the thrill and excitement of it." Huo Lajiao pulled Xia Tian into the scratch-off lottery ticket site.
'Oh, right, I can attempt to see if my Insight can penetrate the scratch-off.' An idea popped into Xia Tian's head. So far, he had only used his Insight on peeping and fights. He had not given it a shot on other items.
"Boss, hand me a few tickets." Bubbling with excitement, Huo Lajiao started scratching off a few tickets but did not strike anything.
"Just my luck," Huo Lajiao grumbled. It was then Xia Tian asked for three tickets.
"Master, I thought you weren't going to play?" Baffled, Huo Lajiao stared at Xia Tian.
Xia Tian did not respond but instead scratched the first ticket. It was a miss. He then scratched another piece, still a miss.
"Scratch-off lottery ticket isn't played like this. You two are just scratching at random, of course you won't win anything," A person standing beside Xia Tian scoffed. That same person was also scratching but he chose a match-and-win type of lottery.
"You're only a young child yet you're already looking to hit the jackpot. You're spending your money in vain," The person taunted.
"How dare you speak to me that way." Huo Lajiao was about to erupt when she saw the prize on Xia Tian's third ticket.
He won eight hundred yuan.
"You won a prize, Master, you really won a prize," Huo Lajiao shouted with joy.
"Humph, dumb luck." The person was green with envy at the sight of Xia Tian winning. He wanted to show that he was an old hand at the game when he saw these two wimpy kids playing but who would have thought that they would win a prize.
"Help me convert this to seven hundred in cash and I want another ten tickets." Xia Tian pointed at the tickets he wanted to scratch. "These few, please."
"Master, I heard that your luck will be used up after you win so we can't continue playing anymore." Huo Lajiao brought out her god of gamblers' attitude in her and advised Xia Tian.
Xia Tian only responded with a smile. He had experimented earlier. His Insight could see through the lottery tickets. He bought three tickets because he noticed one of them had an eight hundred bucks prize. If he were to buy only one ticket, surely it would attract attention, but by buying all three together, they could gasp at his luck.
After winning the prize, he launched his Insight again and saw two tickets worth two thousand and another worth a thousand. They were all closely arranged together so he asked for ten.
"Lottery sellers love customers like you who gives back the money that you'd just won." The person did not win anything from scratching all his tickets. Growing envious of Xia Tian's luck, he too bought ten tickets of the same lottery that Xia Tian had purchased.
Xia Tian scratched seven tickets in one go and none of them were hits. Huo Lajiao reacted by shaking her head. Meanwhile, the person scratched and won fifty bucks.
It was then Xia Tian scratched the eighth ticket. He won a thousand, and before Huo Lajiao could express her surprise, he scratched his ninth ticket, winning two thousand. This time, even the lottery seller was stunned. The person who bought his tickets together with Xia Tian stared blankly at Xia Tian's tickets with his mouth wide open, neglecting to scratch his own.
The tenth ticket was scratched. He won another prize of two thousand yuan.
He won a total of five thousand on three consecutive scratches. This was such a rare occasion that left even the loquacious Huo Lajiao, who was standing beside Xia Tian, speechless.
Huo Lajiao was still in shock even after Xia Tian had converted his tickets to cash.
The person who bought lottery tickets together took his fifty yuan and snuck away in embarrassment. Xia Tian took his
Upon noticing that the two who walked in were kids with unbranded clothes and not to mention, Huo Lajiao, who was dressed up in a highly distasteful manner, the businesses in the commercial hall did not give a hoot about them.
"Sigh, such a young student and he's already with a girlfriend. Look at what she's wearing, how unconventional."
"Yeah, people would do just about anything these days."
"I think they can only afford a few hundred on phones. I don't care for such sales."
The sales personnel in the shop was unwilling to acknowledge Xia Tian. This was a large-scale commercial hall that sold various different branded phones, each model was at least a thousand yuan.
At that moment, a young lady who seemed to be a newbie sales personnel walked up to Xia Tian. She was not beautiful but her smile was exceptionally sweet. "Young man, what sort of phone are you looking to buy?"
Unlike before, Xia Tian took note of all the sneers and jeers owing to his improved keen observation. He knew full well what these people were up to.
He was wearing cheap clothing so these people believed he would not be able to afford a phone here.
"I want to buy a multifunctional phone." With graduation just around the corner, a multifunctional phone would come in handy.
"There's plenty of multifunctional phones, may I know what's your budget? I'll be able to find one to your liking." The sales personnel presented with a pleasant attitude and a sweet smile.
The sales personnel was an intern and it said so on her name tag. She had not made any sales since she had been here because any potential customers that entered the doors were snatched away.
"A phone that's about five thousand seven hundred would do." Xia Tian had won five thousand seven hundred bucks and he did not plan on keeping it so he was going to splurge on a good phone.
"Five thousand seven hundred?" The sales personnel paused. She did not think that Xia Tian was really going to buy a phone. She intended on honing her sales skills but would not occur to her in a million years that Xia Tian wanted to buy a five thousand eight hundred RMB phone.
The other sales personnel bowled over the number mentioned by Xia Tian and soon an elder sales personnel put on a mask of smiles. However, her thick makeup and heavy wrinkles revealed her age.
"Young man, I can introduce you to a line of phones and I guarantee you'll love it." The elder sales personnel wormed herself into Xia Tian's favor with a smile. When she came close, Xia Tian could see the pockmarks on her face.
"Can you please move away? Your face looks like a car accident, you're giving me a fright." Xia Tian hated this kind of people the most, ignoring him because he seemed young and frugally dressed and stepping out once they heard he was going to buy an expensive phone.
"Ho-how dare you speak to me this way, do you know who I am?" The old woman blew her top. She had never been treated this way, much less someone calling her face a car accident.
Those watching by the sidelines were giving Xia Tian their sympathies. This woman was a local bully. It was not to say she was malevolent, but rather her lover was a known figure around these streets. People nicknamed him Brother Biao, and it was said that he was a vicious man.
This old woman was pushing fifty but dressed as though she was thirty, painting her face with thick layers of foundation. No phone vendors in this vicinity dared to offend her. She would snatch their customers under their nose and make a huge profit, yet everyone had to keep mum about it.
However, there was a high schooler here today defying her.
"Boy, just you wait. I will teach you a lesson." The old woman whipped out her phone and dialed a number.
"Master, five thousand seven hundred would get you a P5. Why don't you just take a P5?" Huo Lajiao did not even cast a glance at the old woman. The old woman was not worth her time.
"P5?" Xia Tian had heard of this phone model. Rumor had it that people sold their kidneys for this model and from then on, the phone was coined the Kidney 5. "Alright, I'll have that then. Gorgeous, can you pack one for me? Here's the money, I'm going to head over there to replace my SIM card."
The sales person came to her senses and quickly took the money and went to activate the phone for Xia Tian.
"Mentor, if you really want a good phone, I can always buy you one. Say the word and I'll buy you any phone model. It'll be the fee for my apprenticeship," Huo Lajiao added behind Xia Tian.
"I don't want someone else's money." Xia Tian looked Huo Lajiao in the eye. "I didn't say that I'll accept you, you know."
"Master, what would make you take me as your student?" Huo Lajiao hopped around Xia Tian.
"I'll teach you two moves and we'll talk after you're able to master them. I'll need to observe you longer." Xia Tian had his SIM card replaced; it was a simple process of flashing his identification card. The sales personnel returned with a P5, and Xia Tian placed his SIM card in it and found it to his liking after a quick run.
The P5 was better than his Nokia phone no matter if it were in design or functionality. Apart from calls and messaging, his previous phone was good for taking a pounding.
Xia Tian was about to leave after the purchase when two figures emerged at the door. One of them had his shirt off and a dragon tattoo trailing over his shoulder. Spotting a buzz cut, he had tiny, single-lidded eyes, and a large pregnant-looking tummy to match.
"Brother Biao, you're finally here. Any later and I'll be bullied by this little thing here." The old woman acted spoilt as she dangled Brother Biao's arm.
"Motherf*cker, how dare you touch my woman. You're dead meat." Brother Biao's loud voice attracted his attention.
Xia Tian stopped in his tracks and turned to the old woman.
"Well who's the little thing calling?" Xia Tian despised those who insulted his parents. Although he had never seen his mother before, he knew there had to be a reason behind his mother leaving them.
"This little thing's calling you!" The old woman came to grasp after responding. "Brother Biao, look. This rascal's at it again."
"Who's the rascal talking about?" Xia Tian asked again.
"This rascal's talking about you!" The old woman stomped her foot out of frustration. "Ah, Brother Biao, you have to stand up for me."
With a cold stern look, Brother Biao flexed his muscles before walking towards Xia Tian, "You dare lay a hand on my woman, you're really dead meat."
"Huo Lajiao, I'm going to do it once. Watch and learn." Xia Tian was half the size of Brother Biao but Xia Tian was not fazed. He took a step forward.
It was then Brother Biao flung a kick to Xia Tian. His modus operandi was to use his appearance to scare his opponent and bring fear with his voice before ending it with a surprise kick.
This method never failed him.
Many lowered their heads, unable to watch further as Brother Biao launched his strike on Xia Tian. Xia Tian moved to react, however casting his right arm for support and kicking his right leg above Brother Biao's left foot.
Brother Biao's study body was flung behind Xia Tian, knocking onto the commercial hall's entrance.
"Master, that was awesome." Huo Lajiao felt a rush of blood into her head.
"Brother Biao!" The old woman rushed to his side.
"Motherf*cker, how dare you fight back." Brother Biao struggled to get on his knees. The earlier blow left him with several bruises and cuts but nothing severe. Brother Biao knew he could not back down no matter what. He did not have a job and relied on this old lady. She would not provide him spending money if he threw in the towel.
"
Xia Tian's phone was ringing. This ringtone was downloaded by the sales personnel.
"Hello? Oh, cousin sister!
"I lost my phone a while back. I just bought one and replaced my SIM card.
"Tonight? Do I have to?
"Alright then, just send me the address."
Taking the opportunity while Xia Tian was on call, Brother Biao launched another kick on Xia Tian. Xia Tian grounded both feet and rammed his shoulder on Brother Biao's left shoulder before adding a kick on Brother Biao's left foot. Losing his balance, Brother Biao flew two meters before crashing onto the ground.
"Master, you're so cool." Huo Lajiao was stirred with excitement.
"Oh, it's nothing, I'll see you tonight." Xia Tian hung up and darted a glance at Brother Biao before leaving.
"Master, wait for me, wait for me." Huo Lajiao hopped on over.
"Stop following me. I've shown you the two moves. Now go home and practice. I won't accept you as my student if you keep insisting on following me," Warned Xia Tian. He really did not know any martial arts. The two moves were copied from Old Fan in the morning.
Huo Lajiao had no choice but to be on her way.
Xia Tian took a cab to Antique Enthusiast Street, the most popularized street in Jianghai City. It was one of the more prominent places in town, packed with peculiar antiques and rare finds. It was the place to go for digging treasure. There was once a person who bought a curio for less than a hundred bucks but sold it at a high price of over a million.
This was a common occurrence here that added to the area a veil of mystique, leaving many hoping to hit the jackpot here.
Xia Tian knew that these so-called people who lucked out were mostly sensationalized by the shopkeepers here for consumer influx but he still wanted to take a look around. He wanted to see if he could uncover any treasure with his Insight.
In the name of trying their luck, the street never lacked people who dreamed about getting rich quick.
Xia Tian was here tonight due to his cousin sister's birthday party. He had this event on the back of his mind and paid the price by being reprimanded on the phone by his cousin sister. Hence, he came here to purchase a good gift for her.
More importantly, his cousin wanted him to pretend to be her boyfriend, leaving him in a tight spot.
You may also Like
Paragraph comment
Paragraph comment feature is now on the Web! Move mouse over any paragraph and click the icon to add your comment.
Also, you can always turn it off/on in Settings.
GOT IT