"What is going on?" White asked the men without moving. He was by the sidewalk and the bystanders were starting to notice them.
One of the men pulled a knife on him and placed the tip on his back. "Shut up and move or I will push this knife into your back," the man said.
White was appalled. "Why are you doing this?" he asked. He couldn't understand the reason at all. After all, he hadn't offended anyone as far as he remembered.
"Did I do something to make you guys angry? If so, I want to say sorry," White said as he cupped his fists.
"The hell? You looking to fight?" the ruffians asked. They mistook his cupped hands for someone preparing to fight.
"Of course not. I can't hurt anyone," White said. Those were the words Ning had told him. After all, he was to end any conflict without violence.
"Damn right you can't, you coward westerner," they said. "Now walk to the alley or we will stab you right here."
