Chapter Forty-Two: The Reason for Striking

“Oh, Dazhuang, your business isn’t doing well. Even if you change the sign, it’ll be the same. Why waste the money? That signboard can’t have been cheap. What if you can’t even earn back what you spent on it? Wouldn’t that be a huge loss?”

One of the shopkeepers, a man with a small mustache, spoke up. He looked to be in his forties, with a slick, streetwise air about him. He must have been a bit of a thug in his younger days; now that he was older, he’d settled down to run a small business.

“If you ask me, I agree. You keep changing things—doesn’t it tire you out? If it were me, I’d just take the sign down and close shop for good. Wouldn’t that be easier, Dazhuang?”

The man speaking now was burly, and about the same age as the mustached one—both in their forties. His entire back was covered in tattoos, and at first glance he looked rather intimidating. But Fang Yuan, standing to one side, noticed something else. Upon closer inspection, it was obvious this man was illiterate. Who knows which blind tattooist had inked those words on him—clearly someone with no conscience.

It turned out that several of the tattoos on his back were in Latin. If they’d been some cool, impressive phrase, that would have been one thing, but Fang Yuan recognized the Latin words: they meant, “I am a fool!” Fang Yuan wondered if the man had any idea what his tattoo actually said.

Fang Yuan happened to know a little Latin from previous studies, though he’d forgotten most of it—except for some useless phrases. In particular, the ones tattooed on this guy’s back had left a deep impression.

When someone started laughing, the big man turned around. Only then did he notice there was someone standing behind him.

“Dazhuang, is this your friend? Why haven’t we seen him before?”

“My name is Fang Yuan. I’m going to be a partner in this shop from now on. I hope you both will take care of me.”

Before Li Dazhuang could say anything, Fang Yuan introduced himself.

“So, you’re a partner now? Pleased to meet you, pleased to meet you. Looks like we’ll have one more competitor from now on, right Dazhuang?” The big man clearly didn’t take Fang Yuan seriously, his tone full of mockery.

Li Dazhuang worried they were going too far and might anger Fang Yuan, so he hurriedly tried to send them on their way. Changing the sign should have been a celebratory occasion—he didn’t want the two troublemakers ruining it. And since they obviously intended to do just that, Li Dazhuang wasn’t about to give them the chance.

But their goal not yet achieved, how could they leave? With a new competitor in the mix, they were itching to size him up.

The big man and the mustached one exchanged glances, then both chuckled.

“So, Mr. Fang, where are you from? What did you do before this?”

Here it was—the challenge.

“I’m a lone wanderer. Wherever I go, that’s home. As for my previous work, well, you could say I worked with the human body.”

Fang Yuan spoke placidly, his gaze never leaving the workers.

Hearing Fang Yuan was all alone, the two men’s expressions shifted—like predators who’d just spotted their prey.

“Is that so? Sounds a bit lonely. But you’re not really alone—you’ve got us, haven’t you? From now on, treat us like brothers. Come, why don’t you sit in my shop for a while? Let me make you something to eat.”

The mustached man spoke as he pulled Fang Yuan toward his shop. Fang Yuan wanted to refuse, but the big man joined in, and before he could say another word, they’d dragged him away.

Watching Fang Yuan get taken, Li Dazhuang grew anxious. But Fang Yuan had already told him beforehand: when dealing with these two, Li Dazhuang was to keep quiet and do nothing—Fang Yuan would handle it.

Pushed and pulled, Fang Yuan was hustled into the mustached man’s shop. It wasn’t mealtime yet, so the place was empty.

The mustached man shut the door, then he and the big man both grinned.

“So, what are you two up to?” Fang Yuan laughed—not out of nervousness, but from genuine amusement.

“This is what we’re up to.”

With that, the big man hurled a punch at Fang Yuan, only for Fang Yuan to dodge it deftly.

“Not bad, kid—you’re a lot quicker than Dazhuang,” the mustached man noted. Clearly, he’d been around the block and could spot real skill.

“Looks like you two have bullied Dazhuang quite a bit,” Fang Yuan said, grinning even wider. Now he had every reason to give them a beating. After all, there was no justification for senseless violence; one needed a proper reason. Otherwise, Fang Yuan would have felt guilty.

But now, they’d handed him the perfect excuse. If not now, when?

“Is this guy an idiot?” the big man muttered to himself when he saw Fang Yuan laughing so happily. Anyone who’d partner up with Dazhuang must not be right in the head.

Just as the two prepared to attack, Fang Yuan suddenly leapt into the air. The move startled them.

Without a running start, Fang Yuan soared up, raised his leg, and—wham, wham! When he landed, both men had a shoe print on their faces: a left footprint on one, a right on the other.

The mustached man wasn’t about to take that lying down. With a curse, he lunged at Fang Yuan. The big man, seeing his friend attack, charged in as well, determined at the very least to flatten Fang Yuan with his bulk.

With both men rushing him, Fang Yuan glanced around—no room to dodge. So, he sprang up again, vaulting cleanly over their heads. As he passed above, he delivered two swift kicks.

With a heavy “thud, thud,” both men crashed to the floor. The big man landed squarely atop the mustached one.

“Damn it, get off me! My back’s about to break!” the mustached man cursed and yelled. With nearly two hundred pounds crashing down, it was more than he could bear.

The big man scrambled to his feet, only to see the mustached man sprawled on the floor, nearly in tears. His back felt as though it had snapped.

Finally managing to stand, the mustached man had to brace his back with his hands, afraid he’d collapse otherwise.

“Not bad, kid. Turns out you’re trained. In that case, let me be blunt. Dazhuang’s restaurant is barely hanging on—the business is all but dead. I doubt it’ll be long before he has to close up for good.”