The thug fell on his back while clutching his face.
The fist had connected on his cheeks cleanly and he felt a chilling pain coming from inside his bones.
"Are you crazy?" The other thug shouted while getting to his feet in a hurry.
Sen Lin ignored the one on the ground and approached the other.
Though the one squirming in the ground wasn't incapacitated, he didn't want to bother with him. The one who had stomped on the pigweed was the one by the hearth.
Sen Lin calmly sidestepped the man's charge and kicked him on the side. He then walked closer to the thug but suddenly brought his hands up to shield his eyes.
As expected, a handful of dirt hit against his palms and forearm before falling to the ground.
Good thing I've used this dirt throwing move myself many times before.
Sen Lin thought to himself before mounting the man on the ground.
Every now and then, he'd neutralize the other party's attempt to throw him off and continue raining down blows.
Unlike the matters of the heart, violence was a language he was proficient in.
As someone labeled a problem child back on Earth, he had seen his fair share of fights. He'd even tussled with the gangsters working for loan sharks on several occasions. Those combat experiences had been further enriched after roaming the lawless streets of East Ridge City as a beggar for years.
Watching the thug he pinned down cower under his relentless attacks, he began wondering if he got the answer he came here for.
It would be a lie to say the guilt in his heart hadn't been lightened. Still, peace was still nowhere in sight.
Neither was forgiveness.
Not for himself. And not for the thugs.
Bang
Sen Lin felt an impact on the back of his head.
Looking back, he saw the man he'd punched earlier preparing another attack.
Still straddling the thug under him, he wasn't in a position where he could dodge the attack. Even if he was standing, he wasn't sure if he'd the skill to dodge the hit.
But it didn't matter. He wasn't a martial artist.
As someone who used to clawing his way back to life every day in the streets, he understood what mattered in these brawls wasn't martial skill but momentum.
His opponent was just as unskilled as him.
Sure, he was outnumbered two to one but what decided these fights was desperation and the willingness to inflict pure unadulterated violence.
Being desperate allowed one to lock away their fear and do what was needed.
Just like now.
Sen Lin shifted his body slightly and tanked the blow with his shoulder.
It hurt but he was used to such pain. If anything, the strength behind the thug's strike was lacking.
He'd have been able to shrug it off even without the adrenaline rushing through his bloodstream. He put strength in his legs and stood up as fast as he could.
Without giving the other party any chance to recollect himself, Sen Lin threw a punch towards his head.
Maybe because the memory of the earlier punch was still vivid in his mind, the man raised both his hands to block.
The rest of his body was unguarded.
Sen Lin, who had expected such an outcome canceled his feint and kicked towards the man's groin.
As soon as the hit landed, the thug covered his jewels with both his hands. His face was painted crimson and eyes bulged because of the pain.
Used to such a scene, Sen Lin moved closer and landed another punch squarely in the man's temple.
Thud
The thug's body fell once again, this time clearly unable to get up anytime soon.
Sen Lin stood still with a hand on his knee. Maybe because he hadn't gotten in a physical fight in a long time, he found himself out of breath.
Thankfully, the condition of his opponents was much worse than his.
He dragged his weary body back to the one he had pinned earlier.
Watching him approach menacingly, the youth with bruised forearm backpedaled with all his might.
With his friend incapacitated, he was in an unfavorable position at the moment. But it wasn't that bad. The opponent looked like he'd run out of steam.
He just needed to hold on for a while more. They were near the village center and their confrontation had caused quite a commotion. It wouldn't be long before villagers rushed to the site to break up the fight.
Even at the moment, he could already hear some loud shouts coming from the outside.
He smirked victoriously but he was forced to change his expression when he saw a cloud of dirt flying towards his face.
He hurriedly raised his hands to shield his face and cursed loudly, "Son of a …"
His words were cut short by a kick that landed on his solar plexus.
Instantly, he felt all the wind knocked out of his diaphragm.
A sense of breathlessness hit him, followed by pain so bad he wished he were knocked out. The pain slowly subsided but it was soon replaced by an intense wave of nausea and dizziness.
"What's going on?" A loud voice questioned as the door to the house was flung open. Dozens of villagers were standing outside, curious about the sudden altercation.
*****
Sen Lin crashed into his bed.
The aftermath of his actions was smaller than he'd expected. It was probably because the thugs had caused quite a few troubles in the past.
With no one standing up for them, the matter was glossed over. He only had to spend a few minutes to explain the situation to the village chief.
Sen Lin had expected the old chief to be angry but the latter just pat him approvingly. He even went out of his way to assure him, "Don't worry about those two. I still have some connections in the city. They won't be an issue."
The young farmer massaged his aching knuckles. His head felt a little quieter and his appetite that was previously nowhere to be seen was slowly coming back to him.
He dragged his exhausted body to the food box and emptied its contents. It would have tasted a lot better had he just heated the food but he didn't have the energy or patience to go through the trouble.
It's fine. I don't have to change the way I live. Let's just try not to be an ungrateful asshole that doesn't even pay back the people who have helped him.
Feeling that the answer he was seeking was still far away, he made a small statement to himself and fell asleep.
Inner peace was still far away but it was alright for now. He'd done what he could. He'd handle the rest when the time came.