Street Stories: A True Account of a Group of Blind Men in the Underworld

Upon hearing the sound, Qiao Yang abruptly stopped in his tracks.

A faint, alcohol-scented aura of malevolence wafted from the shadows ahead.

Qiao Yang's heart sank.

Are they Mr. Li's people?

He had overruled the objections of the two gentlemen regarding the marriage compatibility assessment a few days ago, and he had anticipated that some people would hold a grudge.

If the other side really sends thugs to seek revenge, there will likely be a lot of trouble tonight.

He remained impassive, his fingers subtly tightening their grip on the horse pole, his entire being instantly tense.

The next second, a figure suddenly darted out of the shadows, bringing with it a fierce gust of wind, and rushed straight towards them!

"You blind fool, you've finally fallen into my hands!"

A vicious curse rang out, coming with overwhelming force.

But as soon as Qiao Yang heard the voice and the tone, he immediately sensed that something was wrong.

This man lacked the ruthlessness of a江湖人 (jianghu person, a person from the martial arts world) and the shrewdness of Mr. Li; he only possessed the roguishness unique to street thugs—arrogant, impulsive, and utterly unruly.

The visitor was none other than a notorious local scoundrel from Tangshan.

This man was idle and did not do any proper work. He had long coveted the beauty of the daughter of the manager of Wanxin Trading Company.

But the girl comes from a respectable family and is quite pretty; she wouldn't even look at someone like him.

Previously, Mr. Xue and Mr. Li from the city had both asserted that the girl and her fiancé were incompatible according to their birth charts and should not get married. Upon learning this, the scoundrel jumped up and down three times in a row.

In his view, once the marriage fell through, he would have a chance to take advantage of the situation and would do anything to get the girl, even if it meant relentlessly pursuing her.

Who could have predicted that Qiao Yang would suddenly appear out of nowhere?

The divination determined that the two were not only not incompatible, but rather a superior match. The man was also blessed with the Wen Chang star, indicating a limitless future!

Upon hearing this, the merchant's family was completely reassured and immediately set a wedding date, extinguishing his last shred of hope.

With nowhere to vent his anger, the thug naturally took out all his resentment on Qiao Yang.

He figured out Qiao Yang's whereabouts and deliberately ambushed him in this secluded alley, determined to give this blind man a good beating and vent his anger!

"I'll beat you to death, you blind bastard who ruined my plans!"

The thug roared and swung his fist, sending a whooshing sound as it smashed hard towards Qiao Yang's face!

But he never dreamed—

Qiao Yang's eyes are blind to what's in front of him, but not to his kung fu skills!

Back in Tianjin, when the Third Young Master of the Huang family provoked him with several thugs, Qiao Yang was able to handle it calmly and take them down one by one. How could he possibly deal with a street thug who only knew how to act tough?

Qiao Yang accurately caught the trajectory of the punch. He positioned himself slightly to the side, effortlessly avoiding the powerful blow.

The thug missed his punch, lost his balance, and staggered forward. Just as he was in shock, Qiao Yang's horse-drawn pole moved.

The pole wasn't long, but he wielded it with the fluidity of flowing water.

With a flick of the pole, it precisely pierced the thug's elbow, striking the tendon between his elbows.

"Ouch!"

The other person felt a numbness in their entire arm, and the force instantly dissipated by more than half.

Before he could react, Qiao Yang took a step, flicked his wrist, and flicked and pressed the pole, then gently hooked it with his foot.

The entire sequence of movements was as fast as a ghost, executed in one smooth motion.

With a "plop" sound!

The thug who had been so menacing just moments before was thrown to the ground, dust flying everywhere.

The thug was both shocked and furious. Just as he was about to struggle to get up, Qiao Yang stepped forward and gently pushed him down with his knee, pinning him to the spot so he couldn't move.

He grimaced and howled in pain, his arrogance completely extinguished, leaving only fear.

Qiao Yang's voice was icy: "Who sent you? Was it Mr. Li?"

Even now, he still believes it was retribution for the marriage arrangement.

The thug was in so much pain that tears were almost streaming down his face. He wailed repeatedly, shaking his head like a rattle drum.

"Mr. Li, Mr. Wang! I don't know them at all! I knew it—you ruined my plans! You destroyed my chance to get married! I hate you!"

Marriage?

Qiao Yang was slightly taken aback.

The next moment, he realized what was happening and couldn't help but chuckle.

The heavy weight that had been hanging over my heart finally lifted.

It wasn't a revenge plot, nor was it a strike from a fellow gangster. It turned out... he was just a small-time hoodlum with unrealistic dreams, whose hopes had been dashed.

It was a false alarm.

Qiao Yang loosened his grip, slowly stood up, tapped the horse pole on the ground, and regained his calm and composed demeanor.

Get up.

The thug rubbed his arm, scrambled to his feet, filled with fear and hatred, but dared not go forward again.

Looking at the blind man before him, whose eyes were blind yet whose aura was intimidating, he felt a sense of fear rising in his heart.

"What...what do you want to do?"

Qiao Yang glanced at him indifferently, but though there was no eye contact, it made the other person instinctively shrink back.

"You want to marry the girl from Wanxin Trading Company?"

The thug stiffened his neck and retorted defiantly, "Why can't I think about it?"

"With your idleness, lack of ambition, and crooked ways, no girl would ever want to marry you, even if she never did."

Qiao Yang's tone was calm, but every word was piercing: "Instead of lying in ambush and beating people here, you should think about how to live like a human being."

The thug's face turned pale and then red, but he couldn't utter a word in rebuttal.

Qiao Yang suddenly spoke up: "You want to find a partner, right?"

The thug was taken aback: "What...what do you mean?"

"Grandpa is in a good mood today, so I'll do a divination for you to see if your marriage prospects are on the rise."

Qiao Yang said calmly, "Give me your birth date and time."

The scoundrel was skeptical.

Although he was domineering, he also believed in fate. After hesitating for a moment, he finally stammered out his birth date and time in detail.

Qiao Yang closed his eyes and concentrated, rapidly calculating while silently reciting the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches formula. Then he slowly said:

"Your birth chart shows a weak wealth star and a strong presence of the Robbing God and Hurting Officer stars, indicating a restless and impatient nature. Your marriage prospects are currently stagnant; it's simply not the right time for you."

The thug panicked upon hearing this: "Then...when can we move? I can't stay single forever!"

Qiao Yang slowly opened his eyes, his tone becoming serious, carrying both a reprimand and a hint of guidance:

"If you want to get married, learn how to be a good person first."

Now that we're liberated, the world has changed. It's no longer the era where you could make a living by cheating and swindling.

If you have strength, go do manual labor; if you have brains, learn a trade. Be honest and upright, earn money with your own hands, and get rid of your good-for-nothing habits.

Otherwise, what decent family's daughter would marry a good-for-nothing who only knows how to fight, act tough, and loaf around?

His words, though not harsh or abusive, were piercing to the heart.

The thug stood there, speechless, unable to utter a single word in rebuttal.

From childhood to adulthood, everyone either scolded him or avoided him; no one ever reasoned with him or enlightened him like this.

Qiao Yang stopped looking at him, turned around, picked up the horse pole, and walked steadily towards the alley exit step by step.

"Take care of yourself."

A cold voice drifted over, and the thug stood in the dark alley, staring at the blind but upright figure, motionless for a long time.

Qiao Yang returned safely to the inn without mentioning his or her experiences on the way.

The three of them stayed in the Tangshan area for a whole month.

Because of Qiao Yang's divination that helped others achieve their goals, coupled with the three people's excellent skills and upright character, their business became even more booming than at the beginning of the year.

After deducting food, drink, accommodation and transportation, each person can earn a net profit of three to five yuan per day. Their pockets are bulging and their backs are straighter than before.

With the "Three Summers" season fast approaching, the three discussed the matter and decided not to linger any longer. They headed back, hoping to make some money by doing business along the way.

That day, the three arrived at a large town on the border of Yutian and Jixian counties and found a clean inn to stay in.

They went out separately to tell fortunes during the day, and their business was still booming.

Back in their room that evening, the three of them sat together, talking about what they had accomplished that day, their faces beaming with contented smiles.

Li You grinned from ear to ear, a smug look on his face.

"Brother Qiao, Uncle-Master, I really made a name for myself today! An elderly military family member, whose son is fighting on the front lines, was worried sick and couldn't sleep. I interpreted his divination, and he said my predictions were accurate, and all his worries were resolved!"

An Tai smiled and nodded, taking a puff of his pipe.

"My situation isn't bad either; one family even invited me to visit them tomorrow."

Qiao Yang smiled broadly, feeling a sense of peace. He was about to speak, about to say, "Our trip has gone smoothly in every way"—

"Bang—bang!" A violent sound of kicking the door suddenly rang out outside the courtyard!

Immediately following was a barrage of harsh curses that pierced the night and went straight into the room!

The three of them immediately shut up, their smiles freezing on their faces.

The innkeeper's voice, both fearful and ingratiating, trembled as it drifted out:

"Gentlemen... comrades, slow down! What are you looking for in the middle of the night?"

The next moment, a chilling, piercing curse slammed heavily onto the door:

"Stop talking nonsense! Which room do those fortune tellers live in?"

Someone reported that they were spreading rumors and sowing discord in the area!

"boom--"

Inside the room, the air seemed to freeze instantly.

An Tai's smile vanished completely. He slammed his pipe heavily against the sole of his shoe, the sound low and carrying a hint of solemnity and coldness.

"They're here..."

Someone is watching us.

"I'm afraid...they're specifically targeting us."

A danger far greater than the provocations of street thugs has already descended!