I run a casino in the immortal realm.

The three young men, all around seventeen or eighteen years old, were dressed in coarse cloth short-sleeved khakis, similar to those worn by residents of the shantytown. They were clearly petty thugs from the bottom rungs of the market.

The leader had a shaved head, a beast tooth hanging around his neck, and a face full of fierce features.

"Kid, take out the spirit coins you have."

The bald man stretched out a hand, speaking casually as if he was used to doing this kind of thing.

Zheng Yifei looked back and saw that the rat was gone, but a tall, thin man was standing at the alley entrance, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, looking in this direction.

It was arranged by the rat.

No wonder.

This weasel-faced fellow, ostensibly a henchman at a gambling den, secretly also robbed people of their money.

They were so enthusiastic towards me before, but they were just treating me like a fat sheep that they could repeatedly fleece.

"Did Brother Mouse send you?"

Zheng Yifei asked calmly.

The bald man grinned: "Enough nonsense, hand over the spirit coins. I'm in a good mood today, I won't hit you."

Two other thugs had already closed in from the left and right, forming a three-way pincer movement.

Zheng Yifei sensed the fluctuations in the auras of the three people.

They are all at the second level of Qi Refining.

He was a minor realm higher than him, and his spiritual power was more abundant. In the common knowledge of cultivators, a second-level Qi Refining cultivator beating a first-level Qi Refining cultivator was like an adult beating a child, with no suspense whatsoever.

Zheng Yifei didn't move; he was thinking quickly.

This alley is very remote; even if you shout yourself hoarse, the patrol team might not be able to get here.

Moreover, the market patrol teams only take care of the order on the main streets; they simply don't bother with disputes in the alleys.

Give them the money?

impossible.

These five hundred spirit coins were his life-saving money to buy medicine for his father and talismans for himself.

More importantly, if he gives in today, the rats will become even more aggressive and try to ambush him every day, making it impossible for him to stay in the market any longer.

"I advise you to move aside. If I shout, the patrol team will arrive immediately."

Zheng Yifei took a gamble and ran out. At worst, he'd get hit a few times; these people wouldn't dare kill him anyway.

The bald man paused for a moment, then burst into laughter, and the other two joined in.

"Haha, go ahead and shout, let's see if anyone comes over. This piece of trash at the first level of Qi Refining dares to threaten us. Brothers, let's teach him a lesson."

The bald man made the first move, throwing a punch with a thin layer of spiritual light covering his fist. This was the most basic attack method for Qi Refining cultivators—spiritual power possession.

The speed wasn't fast.

At least in Zheng Yifei's eyes, the trajectory of this punch was as clear as a slow-motion replay.

In his previous life on Earth, he was a gambling king who spent years in the underworld and casinos, dealing with all sorts of thugs and bodyguards. Grappling and fighting were essential skills for him.

For his own safety, he once studied under a retired special forces soldier, systematically learning close combat and knife fighting techniques for three years.

Those techniques are memories of the soul.

Zheng Yifei dodged to the side, his right hand darting out like a snake, his five fingers gripping the bald man's wrist and twisting it outwards. At the same time, he took a half step forward with his left foot, wedging it against the inside of the bald man's front foot.

"Snap!"

With a sharp crack, the bald man's wrist was twisted nearly ninety degrees in the opposite direction.

"ah--!"

The bald man screamed as Zheng Yifei used his strength to pull him down, causing him to lose his balance and be pushed to the ground, where he slammed face down into the dirt.

From the moment the attack was made to the moment the enemy was defeated, it took less than two seconds.

The other two thugs were stunned.

They never expected that a mere Qi Refining Level 1 trash could take down their leader in an instant.

Moreover, the opponent wasn't using magic or spiritual power; it was a form of hand-to-hand combat they had never seen before.

"You son of a bitch—"

The thug on the left reacted, roared and rushed forward, delivering a punch imbued with spiritual power.

Zheng Yifei did not loosen his foot from the bald man's back. He leaned back to dodge the punch, grabbed the man's forearm with his right hand, and pulled him down sharply.

The thug was pulled forward by the immense force, and Zheng Yifei raised his knee, precisely striking his abdomen.

"hiss--"

The thug's eyes bulged, saliva flew out, he hunched over and took two steps back, squatting on the ground vomiting uncontrollably.

The third thug was so frightened that he took three steps back, his face pale: "Y-how could you...?"

Zheng Yifei flicked his wrist and frowned slightly.

It wasn't because it was difficult, but because it was too easy.

These three cultivators at the second level of Qi Refining were indeed stronger than him in spiritual power. If they used spells, such as releasing a fireball or a wind blade, he definitely wouldn't be able to dodge it.

But close combat? They're practically untrained.

His punches lacked structure, his footwork was loose, his center of gravity was unstable, and he didn't even have the most basic awareness of blocking.

Zheng Yifei suddenly understood.

The cultivators in this world do not practice martial arts.

Their fighting style relies entirely on spiritual power and magic: they unleash spells from a distance, and in close combat, they use spiritual power to engage in head-on battles.

Nobody studies the basic principles of close combat, such as weight transfer, using someone else's force against them, and joint locking.

In their minds, a high cultivation level equals strong strength; a second-level Qi Refining cultivator could easily defeat a first-level Qi Refining cultivator with sheer spiritual power.

Just like how casino owners on Earth believe that high-definition cameras can catch all cheating methods.

They never believed that some things were beyond conventional understanding.

"roll."

Zheng Yifei stared at the third thug, his tone indifferent.

It wasn't that he didn't want to cripple these thugs, but he was currently too weak and couldn't afford to offend them too much. They frequented the market year-round and must have high-level cultivators backing them up; otherwise, they would have been dealt with by the patrol team long ago.

Without saying a word, the third thug helped up his companion who was still vomiting on the ground and ran away.

Baldy also got up from the ground, clutching his dislocated wrist, staring at Zheng Yifei in disbelief. His lips trembled a few times, but in the end he said nothing and slunk away after him.

The lookout at the alley entrance had long since disappeared.

Zheng Yifei stood still and flexed his fingers.

He didn't chase after them.

Today's events gave him two important pieces of information.

First, the rat has already set its sights on him, so he can no longer go to the Zhao family gambling den, at least not in the short term.

Secondly, the close-combat skills of cultivators are appallingly poor.

This means that as long as he is not killed by ranged spells, he can subdue a Qi Refining Level 2 cultivator at close range.

Of course, this is on the premise that the other party does not use magic.

Therefore, you should buy talismans as soon as possible, as they can be used for self-defense and to make up for the lack of magical attack methods.

Zheng Yifei straightened his clothes, confirmed that the spirit coins were not lost, and turned to walk towards the center of the market.

We still need to visit the Wang Family Gambling House and the Liu Family Gambling House today; we can't skimp on making money.

As for the rat, I'll settle this score with him slowly when my cultivation level is higher.