Blackie keeps knocking me down, time after time.
But I, once again, rise to my feet.
Blood flowing from the corners of my mouth and nose has stained my clothes, a vivid and glaring red.
Just like my father years ago, with his broken leg and arm.
And the bandages soaked in blood, wrapped around him, equally striking.
Once again, I am struck down by Blackie.
This is already the ninth time.
Blackie is also gasping for breath, exhausted.
Sometimes, exerting force to hit someone takes more physical effort than enduring the blows.
Standing in front of me, Blackie has lost his previous arrogance.
"Kid, if you just say you give up, I'll let you go..." Remember the site: http://m.26ks.org in one second.
Blackie's tone has shifted closer to negotiation.
But I remain silent.
Slowly, I rise again.
Wiping the blood from the corners of my mouth, I glare with bloodshot eyes and counter Blackie's question:
"I don't give up. Do you?"
My words leave Blackie somewhat shaken.
Clearly, I am the one who has been knocked down.
Yet here I am, asking him if he surrenders.
The crowd observing the spectacle grows larger.
Seeing me rise again, the onlookers start whispering among themselves.
"This kid is really stubborn. Just say you give up, and it'll be over..."
"You've got to admit he's got guts. Takes a lot of toughness to keep fighting like this!"
"Please, let's not continue this. If they keep fighting, someone might get killed..."
As Blackie remains silent, I once again lick the blood off the corner of my mouth.
The taste is faintly metallic.
"Blackie, if you won't surrender, neither will I. Today, it's a matter of gambling, so let's settle it with a gamble. I challenge you to a bet. Do you dare to gamble?"
"What are we gambling on?"
Blackie asks me.
"Just wait!"
As soon as I finish speaking, I make my way through the crowd.
Heading towards a nearby hardware store.
The store owner was initially standing at the entrance, watching the commotion. But when he sees me, covered in blood, approaching, he quickly moves aside.
Inside the store, I pick up two knives, each several tens of centimeters long, and then walk out.
The boss didn't dare to come and ask for money.
But I still took out a hundred yuan and placed it on the tea table by the door.
I am not a thief, much less a robber.
I am a swindler!
A swindler with principles and limits!
If you take someone's things, you have to pay.
Holding two sharp knives, I slowly walked towards the black man.
Under the streetlight, my lonely shadow stretched long.
And the sharp blades, reflecting in the light, gleamed with chilling brightness.
The crowd watching couldn't help but make way for me.
Approaching the black man, I pointed the handle of the knife towards him and handed it over.
"Take it!"
The black man didn't move; he didn't understand what I meant.
"I'm telling you to take it!"
I shouted.
The towering figure of the black man trembled involuntarily; he obediently took the knife.
"You asked me what we were gambling on earlier. Now I'll tell you, we're gambling our lives!"
What?
Gambling our lives?
The onlookers let out a cry of astonishment.
Everyone unconsciously stepped back.
It seemed as if they were afraid that the splattering blood would stain their bodies.
"How do we gamble?"
The black man furrowed his brow and asked me.
"You stab me first, and then I'll stab you. We repeat this process, and the first one to die loses!"
The black man's face changed abruptly.
He looked at me, silent for a long time.
He had experienced the ups and downs of the underworld, fought in the boxing ring, seen blood, and risked his life.
But he had never seen this kind of approach before.
"The gambling method was proposed by me, so let you make the first move. Come on!"
My hands hung down, and I looked at the black man expressionlessly.
It seemed like I had already prepared myself to be stabbed.
The black man's expression became extremely complicated.
Surprise, confusion, and panic appeared on his face simultaneously.
"Are you going to take action?"
I spoke in a deep voice as Black, the old man, hesitated to make a move.
But Black stood still as if he were frozen in place.
"Fine, since you're not willing to make the first move, I'll go first!"
With that, I tightly gripped the pointed knife.
I walked slowly towards Black, step by step.
With each step, fear appeared on Black's face.
When I reached him, I didn't hesitate at all.
Holding the knife, I lunged towards his abdomen and stabbed.
"Ah!"
The crowd let out a gasp.
The timid ones covered their eyes and turned away.
"Stop! I give in! You win!"
With a roar from Black.
The knife in his hand clattered to the ground.
And he quickly stepped back, evading.
My knife missed its mark.
And Black, he surrendered.
I continued to stare at Black, with an indifferent expression.
"What did you say? I didn't hear you!"
"I surrender, I surrender to you!"
Black immediately repeated.
His tone still tinged with panic.
"Surrender to me? Who am I?"
"Chuliuliu!"
"Wrong, remember, when you see me in the future, call me 'lord,' Lord Chuliuliu!"
"Lord, Lord Chuliuliu!"
Black completely surrendered, body and soul.
Much later, when discussing this one-on-one fight.
Black once said that whether in the boxing ring or in the underworld.
He had fought for his life before, but he had never been afraid.
But that day, facing the bet of my life, he was afraid.
That fear, it was a deep-rooted terror from within.
It seems that I am a person whom others look up to with awe, someone who appears unconquerable.
He said it's a kind of momentum, a force that feels like Mount Tai pressing down on you, making it hard to breathe.
Sixth Brother also once said,
"My destiny carries a heavenly omen, and my heart hides the power of seven killings.
Even when I had just started learning martial arts, my skills were lacking.
But the fierceness of my momentum and the stability in my heart surpassed many skilled practitioners."
Sixth Brother believed it was innate in me.
Little did he know, if it weren't for witnessing my father's tragic death before my eyes, if it weren't for being tormented repeatedly like a dog, how could I have developed such overwhelming hostility?
Those who were watching never expected that my confrontation with Lao Hei would end with Lao Hei being defeated.
I no longer paid attention to Lao Hei, instead, I looked at Hou Jun and Chen Xiaoxue, and asked coldly,
"Do you apologize to me, or do you come with me? It's your choice!"
Hou Jun's lips moved slightly, wanting to say something.
But when he looked at me covered in blood-red, he chose silence.
It was Chen Xiaoxue beside him who spoke directly,
"I won't apologize, I'll go with you!"
As she spoke, she didn't even look at Hou Jun. She swayed her slender waist and walked to my side in three steps.
Extending her hand, she unexpectedly hooked her arm around mine.
This intimate gesture made it seem as if she belonged to me, not Hou Jun.
Hou Jun was dumbfounded, and I felt helpless.
Originally, my plan was to make Chen Xiaoxue apologize to me as a punishment for her disrespect towards my parents.
As for taking her with me, it was just a scare tactic.
But I didn't expect her to actually come with me.
Moreover, she seemed completely content.
I could only take her away.
As we passed by a small courtyard, there sat an old man with silver hair, holding a half-moon purple clay teapot. He laughed and called out to me,
"You little rascal, you don't know how to fight, huh? If it were me facing that big fool, I'd give him a couple of punches and knock his teeth out. Do you believe it? Hahaha..."
Someone from the still lingering crowd shouted,
"Old Wu, you're bragging again. With your frail body, someone could poke you and you'd scatter like a broken frame!"
Old Wu laughed heartily, paying no mind.
I've seen this old man many times before.
Every time I come to the supermarket to play cards, I have to pass by his house.
I often see him holding the half-moon purple clay teapot, sitting at the small table by the door, drinking tea and chatting.
I thought Chen Xiaoxue would be frightened when I took her away.
But to my surprise, she showed no fear throughout the journey.
Instead, from time to time, she curiously sized me up.
(End of chapter)