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

The young man who had just lost face and whose life's fortune had been ruined by Qiao Yang finally snapped out of his daze and fear.

Shame, indignation, humiliation, and rage!

All sorts of emotions burned wildly in his chest like wildfire.

He originally wanted to show off his power in front of his fellow villagers, suppress the arrogance of this blind fortune teller from out of town, and make everyone look at him with more respect.

But who would have thought that Qiao Yang, just by listening to his voice, could expose all his embarrassing, poor, and pathetic deeds from childhood to adulthood, revealing them all in public without missing a single detail, and even predicting that he would be lonely in the future and would not even be able to find a wife.

At this moment, the gazes directed at him were filled with mockery, disdain, and sympathy, but not a trace of awe.

The young man felt a burning pain on his face, as if he had been slapped a dozen times in public.

Enraged, he completely lost his temper.

"You blind bastard! How dare you curse me in public!"

He roared suddenly, disregarding all reason and logic, and charged straight at Qiao Yang, his eyes bloodshot, looking like a madman.

"I'm going to tear your mouth apart today! Let's see how you tell fortunes then?!"

The crowd gasped in surprise and quickly backed away to make way.

No one expected that this young man would be so arrogant, resorting to violence without warning.

The old man and the dark-faced man who had just praised Qiao Yang for his accurate fortune-telling quickly tried to dissuade him:

"Young man, don't be impulsive! How can someone with eyes bully someone without eyes?"

Qiao Yang heard the other person's footsteps approaching, their rapid breathing, and even the soft cracking of their knuckles as they clenched their fists.

His expression remained calm, but a hint of coldness appeared in his blind eyes.

He was newly married a few days ago and was in a gentle mood, unwilling to cause any trouble.

However, this person has repeatedly provoked Qiao Yang, first by blocking the road and robbing money, then by causing trouble in public, and now by attempting to injure people, which has crossed Qiao Yang's bottom line.

"I kindly offered to predict your fate and guide you through your confusion, and not only did you not appreciate it, you dared to commit murder in public?"

Qiao Yang's voice wasn't loud, but it carried an air of authority that came from someone who had long held a high position:

"Today, I will discipline you properly on behalf of your parents!"

Before he finished speaking, the young man had already rushed forward.

His face was contorted with rage as he clenched his fist and slammed it hard into Qiao Yang's face!

In his view, even if a blind man had the fastest reflexes, he would never be able to dodge his punch.

The surrounding villagers were so frightened that they closed their eyes, unable to bear watching what was about to happen.

If Su Yue were here, she would surely be terrified.

But Qiao Yang just smiled faintly.

Dealing with such a reckless and impulsive young man is a piece of cake.

Qiao Yang stood firmly on his feet. Just as the young man's fist was about to land on his face, Qiao Yang tilted his head slightly.

Easily avoid it!

The young man missed his punch, having used too much force, and instantly lost his balance, staggering and nearly falling to the ground.

"How is that possible?"

He was both shocked and furious, unable to believe that his punch had been dodged by a blind man.

Before the young man could regain his footing, Qiao Yang subtly moved the seemingly ordinary horse pole in his hand!

"Whoosh!"

The pole moved like a nimble snake, swift as lightning, striking precisely on the inside of the young man's knee.

It wasn't very powerful, but it was extremely tricky.

"Ouch!"

The young man cried out in pain, his legs went weak, and with a "thud," he knelt down in front of Qiao Yang in front of all the villagers.

This kneeling is an utter disgrace!

His face flushed red, and he tried to struggle to get up, but Qiao Yang pressed down on him with the horse pole, holding him down firmly. He was too weak to get up again.

"You...you dare make me kneel before you?"

The young man, both ashamed and furious, roared, "I'll fight you to the death!"

Qiao Yang's tone was icy, devoid of any emotion:

"Compete? You think you're worthy?"

I neither cursed nor hit you; I was simply using my skills to tell fortunes and explaining policies to you logically. You blocked my business, stole my money, and now you want to physically harm me. Do you really think I'm a blind man, easy to bully?

He gently increased the pressure on the horse-drawn pole again.

"Ouch—! It hurts! I was wrong! I'll never do it again!"

The young man was in so much pain that tears were almost streaming down his face. He had completely lost his previous arrogance and was now only begging for mercy.

The surrounding villagers were initially surprised, but then they clapped and cheered.

"Well done, sir!"

"Good job! That kid's bad temper really needed to be dealt with!"

"They must be blind to dare provoke this mortal god!"

Qiao Yang listened to the sounds around him, his expression remaining unchanged.

He spoke slowly, his voice carrying throughout the entire ferry crossing:

"I'll let you off this time. But remember this: a person can be poor, but not arrogant; a person can lack ability, but not be unreasonable."

If you ever dare to bully others or cause trouble again, it won't be as simple as just kneeling!

After saying that, Qiao Yang loosened his wrist and retracted the horse pole.

The young man, feeling as if he had been granted a pardon, scrambled to his feet and dared not linger any longer. Clutching his knees, he sheepishly squeezed out of the crowd and ran away without looking back. His pathetic appearance drew laughter from the crowd.

The storm subsided in an instant.

The boat captain then came to his senses, quickly cupping his hands in respect to Qiao Yang, his face full of admiration.

"Sir, you are truly skilled! Absolutely skilled! Blind in appearance but not in spirit, and your movements are so impressive. This old man has truly broadened his horizons!"

Qiao Yang smiled slightly, his tone returning to calm:

"Please, boatman, set sail. I need to get to Zunhua County."

"well!"

The boatman quickly replied, "Sir, please board the boat first, I'll row right away!"

With his horse-drawn pole as a support, Qiao Yang steadily stepped onto the ferry amidst the admiring gazes of the crowd.

Several villagers who wanted to have their fortunes told tried to catch up, but the boatman stopped them.

"Fellow villagers, the gentleman is on urgent business, so please don't disturb him any longer. Let's talk another time when we have the chance!"

The ferry slowly sailed away from the shore.

After crossing the river, Qiao Yang walked all the way and spent the night in Shimen Town, Zunhua County. The next afternoon, he entered Zunhua County.

Before he even reached the entrance of the South Gate Inn, he heard a piercing commotion.

Qiao Yang listened intently and immediately recognized one of them as Lin Hai from Beijing.

This man, in his fifties, was a top student at Yenching University in his early years. After losing his sight, he devoted himself to studying the art of fortune telling and divination, eventually becoming a renowned fortune teller in North China.

Two years ago, he met Qiao Yang by chance at an inn in Zunhua County. The two had a very pleasant conversation and chatted for two days and one night. Lin Hai also taught Qiao Yang his best skill, voice, which greatly improved Qiao Yang's ability to speak.

The other person had a loud, booming voice; he sounded like Xue Si from Baodi County.

He runs a fortune-telling stall and also treats patients and sells medicine. He is four years younger than Qiao Yang. In order to maintain appearances and find a wife, he always keeps his hair parted in a long style, wears leather shoes, and is always dressed smartly and fashionably.

Lin Hai and Xue Si were both burly and strong, with fiery tempers and a strong sense of江湖 (jianghu, the martial arts world).

Lin Hai's voice was cold as ice, his tone filled with barely suppressed contempt and anger:

"You call this fortune telling? It's nothing but a bunch of stale platitudes used to swindle and deceive the ignorant masses. You're a disgrace to our profession!"

Xue Si was hit where it hurt and immediately exploded, his loud voice reverberating around him.

"I earn my living through my own abilities, what's it to you? I'll do my fortune telling, you go your own way, let's keep to ourselves. Who are you to meddle and interfere?"

"ability?"

Lin Hai sneered, his words sharp as knives, "What you're doing is called ripping people off, not skill! You've cut off our entire livelihood, and today I can't stand idly by!"

"A way out?"

Xue Si, enraged, laughed and pressed closer.

"I think you're blind and stupid. You're barely scraping by yourself, yet you dare to lecture others? If you dare say another word, don't blame me for being impolite!"

The two argued more and more fiercely, their words becoming increasingly heated, and it looked like they were about to come to blows.

Qiao Yang's heart tightened, and he quickly stepped forward. This kind of clueless person already has a hard time getting by; why bother arguing in public and inviting unnecessary trouble?