Chapter 120: The Decision to Become an Apprentice and Learn the Craft

"Bad news!"

"Something's happened!"

Liu Xiangyang and Ma Liangping cried out in alarm, their voices thick with concern.

Zhang Bao and the others stood there with mouths agape, never expecting Chen Huajiang to fight back with such a shameless, rolling-on-the-ground tactic.

And he had landed it in one blow.

Chen Huajiang did not hesitate. He lunged forward, pinned Gao Yun beneath him, and locked her in a crucifix hold.

You lose.

Chen Huajiang said in a low voice, finally letting out a breath. In terms of martial skill, he was no match for Gao Yun, but he was well versed in a few crude, effective tricks.

In his previous life, Chen Huajiang had also worked out with some old business acquaintances. Among them, he had taken a particular interest in judo.

He had learned a few judo techniques well enough to look the part, at least at the beginner level.

His earlier warm-up had been deliberate, meant to make Gao Yun anxious. When people are anxious, they make mistakes, and that gives others an opening.

Judo, in close-quarters grappling, is precisely the kind of combat art that seizes such openings. That was how he took Gao Yun down in one strike.

"Not yet!"

Gao Yun gritted her teeth and struggled, refusing to admit defeat.

At that moment, fury filled her heart, hate erupting inside her like a volcano.

She had never imagined that, through her own carelessness, she would be restrained by him. She had failed to take revenge, and now, just when humiliation was about to fall on her again, her resentment burned all the hotter.

"You still won't concede? Then don't blame me—I, damn it, did you just bite me?"

Chen Huajiang was about to increase the force, but before he could finish, Gao Yun clamped her teeth hard into his arm, nearly making him release her from the pain.

Fortunately, he reacted swiftly. As he spoke, he suddenly tightened his hold, securing her throat and pinning her down completely.

"Do you admit defeat or not?"

"N-no... I don't."

Chen Huajiang asked, and Gao Yun could not even draw a proper breath; her eyes were rolling upward.

"We concede!"

"We admit defeat!"

Liu Xiangyang and Ma Liangping did not dare delay. They hurried forward, shouting anxiously.

Only then did Chen Huajiang rise from Gao Yun and step aside.

His right arm was still bleeding, and damn it, the teeth marks were clearly visible.

No wonder it hurt so much just now. Was this woman a dog?

Chen Huajiang thought angrily, shooting Gao Yun a resentful glare.

She was still coughing at the moment. Liu Xiangyang was patting her back to help her catch her breath, yet even so, her gaze remained fixed on him as though she wanted to devour him alive.

"Yun'er, you didn't lose unfairly. You were too hasty. From the very beginning, you fell into his trap."

At that moment, Gao Dayuan, who had witnessed everything from start to finish, walked over and said gravely to his daughter.

He then explained his guess to her, including how Chen Huajiang's warm-up at the start had been meant to provoke her on purpose.

Only after hearing her father's words did Gao Yun finally understand. Her face showed anger, frustration, and deep self-reproach.

"Do you dare have another match?" Gao Yun looked at Chen Huajiang and said through clenched teeth.

"One match after another after another. Who knows if the next one will still be the last?"

"We agreed earlier: best two out of three. Win or lose, the matter ends there."

"But..."

Chen Huajiang smiled and then stated his condition.

"Another match is fine, but I want to join your martial arts hall and learn from Master Gao."

From the moment he saw Gao Dayuan, Chen Huajiang had already formed a plan.

In his previous life, after learning of Gao Laogen's legendary life, Chen Huajiang had wanted to seek him out and become his disciple. Unfortunately, when he sent subordinates to make contact, they never received permission.

Later, when Gao Laogen passed away, that idea naturally came to nothing.

But now things were different. Gao Laogen still had more than ten years left. Chen Huajiang decided to realize the wish he had once had in his previous life.

"Don't even think about it!"

"Master stopped taking disciples long ago. Put those thoughts away."

As soon as he finished speaking, Liu Xiangyang and Ma Liangping chimed in.

"Hmph, you want to become my grandfather's disciple? Not a chance."

"I, Gao Yun, am putting this here today: you have no chance either!"

The moment Gao Yun heard it, she said through clenched teeth, even pointing at him with a finger, her expression utterly certain.

That surprised Chen Huajiang. He had not expected this woman to dislike him so much, her hatred so plain.

"Not necessarily. You're not your grandfather."

"So long as the heart is sincere, even stone and metal can be moved."

Chen Huajiang naturally would not give up, and he said with a smile.

"Then we'll see!" Gao Yun said bitterly, then turned and walked toward the alley.

Liu Xiangyang and the others hurried after her. As for Gao Dayuan, before leaving, he gave Chen Huajiang a long, searching look.

The old man's background was extremely well guarded. Even his own son did not know which unit he had served in back then; he could only guess that it had been no ordinary military posting.

But that was all. He also did not know whether Chen Huajiang knew something, or whether he simply wanted to apprentice himself to the old man.

Still, Liu Xiangyang had already decided to investigate Chen Huajiang.

Of course, Chen Huajiang knew nothing of this. At the moment, he was facing questions from Liang Long and the others.

"Brother Chen, you're not serious, are you? You really want to seek them out as your masters? We just fought them!"

Liang Long asked with a face full of astonishment. He truly could not understand what the other man was thinking, how he could act on impulse so readily.

"Is Boss Chen not doing business anymore?"

"Yeah, you're really going to apprentice yourself to them and learn martial arts?"

Zhang Bao and the others also looked at Chen Huajiang with curiosity.

"Learning more never hurts."

"Besides, exercising and business do not conflict. You lot are overthinking it. You really think I'm throwing away commerce to take up martial arts?"

"I'm just learning a bit of fitness training. I never intended to pursue a career in fighting."

Chen Huajiang explained with a smile. In those days, there was no such thing as cross-disciplinary development. Literature was literature, martial arts were martial arts, and business had nothing to do with combat.

Later on, even people in business would go to business school for further study, collecting titles and connections, and that gradually became a trend.

Afterward, Chen Huajiang walked around the alley and asked several households whether they were planning to rent out their homes.

But not a single one was, and the residents looked at him with suspicion and caution.

After all, few people rented houses here, and this was not a core district of Nanning.

Chen Huajiang had no choice but to leave with his brothers. Still, he did not give up. That night he instructed Ermao to get some of the brothers to ask around over there.

If any family had a house to rent, they were to notify him.

Days passed one by one. At last, hard work paid off. Ermao came looking for Chen Huajiang and said there was indeed one place for sale, though his expression was not very good.

"What's wrong?"

Chen Huajiang handed him a cigarette and asked curiously.

"The other side seems to be looking for trouble, but I can't be sure."

"This is something Brother Chen will need to handle yourself. The seller is an old man with a pretty bad temper."

Ermao explained the situation to Chen Huajiang and added what his underlings had reported.

"All right. I'll go take a look tomorrow."

Chen Huajiang nodded, thinking of Gao Yun. Perhaps that woman was stirring things up again this time.