Chapter 16: Fists Are More Useful Than Logic
The commotion at the train car connection was quite loud.
A crowd ford a semicircle, and in the open space in the middle, a bald man wearing a leather jacket with a brutish face was gripping the collar of a young girl.
The girl looked barely over twenty, still having the appearance of a student, carrying a canvas bag. At that mont, she was so frightened her face was ashen, tears welling up in her eyes but daring not to fall.
"Didn't you see with your eyes? My bag was placed here to save a seat, and you threw it on the floor?" The bald man spat profusely, holding half a bottle of Erguotou in his other hand. "If the things inside were broken, selling you wouldn't be enough to pay for it!"
Lying on the ground was a dirty woven sack, with a few pieces of old clothing and so local specialties scattered nearby.
Evidently, these were the so-called 'valuables'.
The surrounding passengers pointed and whispered, but no one dared to step forward.
In this day and age, it was better to have fewer troubles than more, especially when facing a drunk ruffian like this.
"I... I didn't throw it," the girl argued with a tearful voice. "I just wanted to go get so water and accidentally bumped it..."
"Bumping it is not an excuse!" Fueled by alcohol, the bald man tightened his grip on the girl's collar, which even started sliding down indecently. "You look quite honest, so why are you so malicious? Pay up! If you don't co up with two thousand yuan today, don't even think about leaving!"
The girl was struggling to breathe from being choked and looked around pleadingly, but everyone whose gaze she t quickly averted their eyes.
The attendant hadn't managed to squeeze through yet, and the situation was on the verge of getting out of control.
Just then, a long, strong hand reached in from the side, gripping the bald man's wrist.
"Let go."
The voice was level, betraying no emotion, yet it carried a cold, hard tallic quality.
The bald man froze, turned his head, and saw a young man standing before him who was half a head taller than him.
The young man wore a simple white T-shirt, with clean features, looking like a college student who hadn't entered society yet.
"Oh ho, where did this ddling pretty boy pop up from?" The bald man didn't let go; instead, he grinned, his mouth full of large yellow teeth looking particularly ferocious. "Trying to play the hero saving the beauty? You should look at your own weight first!"
As he spoke, he twisted his wrist, intending to grab Jiang Chen's collar instead.
Jiang Chen didn't move.
A second before the bald man's dirty hand was about to touch his clothes, the chanical voice in his mind rang out on schedule.
"Ding! Detecting that the Host is executing the 'Witnessing Injustice' mission."
"Temporary Skill 'Basic Combat Proficiency' has been loaded."
"Note: Dealing with a low-class drunk like this only requires the most fundantal muscle mory."
A strange warmth instantly flowed through his entire body.
Jiang Chen felt his senses beco extraordinarily sharp; the bald man's movents seed to slow down in his eyes.
The swinging arm was full of flaws, practically like a slow-motion replay.
Jiang Chen didn't even consider dodging.
He rely shifted his body slightly, avoiding the dirty hand, while simultaneously exerting sudden force with the hand gripping the opponent's wrist.
His thumb accurately pressed down on the pressure point (nerves) of the opponent's wrist and pushed down hard.
"Ah--!"
The bald man let out a pig-slaughtering scream.
Half his body instantly went numb, and the half bottle of Erguotou in his hand crashed onto the tal floor with a 'clank', shattering completely.
Liquor splashed everywhere, and the air was instantly filled with a pungent sll of alcohol.
"It hurts, it hurts! It's broken, it's broken!"
The bald man was forced to bend over along with the force exerted by Jiang Chen. His face, full of coarse flesh, turned the color of liver, cold sweat beading on his forehead.
"Can we talk properly now?" Jiang Chen maintained the posture of restraining the opponent with one hand, his expression as calm as if he were disposing of a trivial piece of trash.
"Let... let go! I'll let go!" The bald man gasped in pain, his other hand having long since released the girl.
The girl, once saved, imdiately stumbled back into the crowd, coughing while clutching her neck, still shaken.
Jiang Chen did not imdiately release the bald man.
He looked at the woven sack on the ground, then looked at the bald man: "This is a public walkway. Your bag was blocking the way. It wasn't intentional that she bumped it. Since nothing was broken, we'll let this go. Any problem with that?"
"N-no problem! Big brother, I was wrong, I just drank too much..." The bald man was a bully who picked on the weak but feared the strong. Feeling the grip on his wrist that seed capable of crushing bone, most of the alcohol haze cleared instantly.
Only then did Jiang Chen release his hand.
The bald man clutched his wrist and retreated a few steps, glaring at Jiang Chen with vicious eyes, seemingly wanting to utter a few harsh words to save face, but upon seeing the completely calm look in Jiang Chen's eyes, the dirty words he was about to say were swallowed back.
He sullenly picked up the woven sack from the ground and scurried away into the crowd.
The surroundings erupted in sparse applause and cheers.
"Good job, young man!"
"He's definitely a martial artist!"
Jiang Chen ignored these cheap praises. He turned to look at the girl who was still huddled in the corner: "Are you alright?"
The girl looked up, her eyes red: "I'm... I'm fine. Thank you."
"Good that you're fine." Jiang Chen nodded, said nothing more, and turned to leave.
This was rely a small interlude.
But the mont he turned, he saw Lin Wan standing not far away.
She hadn't obediently stayed in the private room but had followed him out.
At that mont, she stood at the edge of the crowd a few ters away, those eyes that always held a hint of sorrow now fixed steadily on him.
In that gaze were shock, admiration, and an emotion on the verge of overflowing.
She had seen everything that just happened.
The gentle and humble young man she knew had displayed a composure and strength when facing violence that struck like a heavy hamr, fiercely shattering the last line of defense in her heart.
Jiang Chen walked over.
"Didn't I tell you to stay in the private room?" His tone carried a hint of reprimand, but more so, helplessness.
Lin Wan did not answer.
She looked at Jiang Chen, suddenly took a step forward, and grabbed his hand.
Her hand was very cold and still trembling slightly, but she held on tightly, her fingernails digging into Jiang Chen's flesh.
"Are you hurt?" Lin Wan's voice was slightly shaky as she anxiously scanned his body. "That bottle broke just now, did it scratch you anywhere?"
"No." Jiang Chen grasped her hand back, the warmth from his palm transmitting continuously. "That drunkard didn't even touch the corner of my clothes."
"Really?" Lin Wan was not reassured and pulled up the back of his hand to examine it carefully. Only when she confird there wasn't even a red mark did she let out a long sigh of relief.
As her tension eased, the feeling of lingering fear surged up, her legs weakened, and her body was about to slump.
Jiang Chen reacted quickly, wrapping an arm around her waist.
"It's crowded here, too chaotic." He whispered in her ear, his warm breath spraying against her sensitive earlobe. "Let's go sowhere else."
Lin Wan had completely lost her composure at this point, only retaining the instinct to nod.
She leaned obediently into Jiang Chen's embrace, allowing him to lead her through the still lingering crowd towards the connection point at the other end of the carriage.
It was quieter there.
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