43 The Legend of the Fat Rabbit
‘He can already sense blood Qi. Is he really that talented in martial arts?’
Mr. Dong stared at Jiang Ming and felt a headache coming on
He did not dare attack Jiang Ming personally. Otherwise, this branch of the Old Snake Gang would be razed to the ground in the blink of an eye by those boorish men from the Tiger Hunting Village.
Jiang Ming slowly drank his wine and smiled, “Mr. Dong, this is just a misunderstanding between us. How about we just let it go?”
‘What f*cking misunderstanding?’ Mr. Dong shot a glance at Wu Yi, whose face was covered in blood and was groaning, and felt his anger rise again.
But now that things had come to this, he could only pinch his nose and admit defeat. He squeezed out a smile on his face. “You’re right. It’s all a misunderstanding.”
“Since that’s the case, I’ll take my leave!” Jiang Ming laughed and strode out of the pub.
Wu Yi clutched his face and walked forward. He endured the pain and said reluctantly, “Mr. Dong, are we just going to let him go?”
As soon as he finished speaking, he was slapped by Mr. Dong and fell to the ground. Teeth and blood spurted out of his mouth.
“You trash! Don’t ever let me see you again!” Mr. Dong’s face was cold as he shouted. In his heart, he hated Jiang Ming.
‘You may have become a martial artist, but you won’t be at the top for long. Let’s wait a little longer. The day my branch of the Old Snake Gang rises to the top, Tiger Hunting Village and the Wang family will all struggle on whilst at death’s door under my feet!’
He stood up and left without looking back.
Wu Yi laid on the ground miserably, his eyes burning with jealousy. ‘Why am I still not as good as that Jiang Ming even though I’ve worked so hard?’
His eyes were filled with resentment as he stumbled to his feet. Like an injured lone wolf, he ran away.
* * *
Three days later, Jiang Ming came back to the small bar.
Jiang Ming went into the mountains to practice his fist techniques for a few days. He wanted to come back for a drink. As soon as he entered the pub, the people around him stood up and greeted Jiang Ming with respect.
“Good morning, Mr. Jiang!”
“Mr. Jiang!”
News of the incident in the bar that day spread like wildfire. The news of Jiang Ming’s meteoric rise and his overpowering of Mr. Dong spread like wildfire throughout Peace Town.
Jiang Ming sat in his seat, drinking wine and sighing to himself, “Ah, so now I’m ‘Mr. Jiang’…”
“Ah Fei, a bowl of wine for each of you. It’s on me. Put the rest on my tab!” Jiang Ming waved his hand and threw over a piece of silver.
With his current status, it was normal for him to have some silver on him, and no one would dare covet it.
“Alright!” Ah Fei took the silver and started to get busy.
Behind the counter, Old Jiang was comfortably lying on the bamboo chair. He had already retired. Usually, the bar was taken care of by Ah Fei and his wife.
“Many thanks, Mr. Jiang.”
“Mr. Jiang, you’re so generous!”
There were compliments all around. Jiang Ming showed a happy expression and asked casually, “Anything interesting these days?”
“Hey, of course, there is!” Ah Fei poured wine and said happily. “You all know about the murder in the chamber pot at the Qinghe Tower, right?”
“I know, I know. The crazy blood-drinking demon. Zhang Shan. He’s my idol now!”
Jiang Ming almost spat out the wine in his mouth. What the hell were these rumors?
The others had already begun to argue, and there were all kinds of versions of the story being said.
“Alright, alright, stop quarreling! I’m going to tell you the news, ” Ah Fei said impatiently.
“Oh? Any new information?” the others quickly asked.
Ah Fei said mysteriously, “I heard this from the Taoists. This hero, Zhang Shan, has done many a deed.”
“What? Quickly tell us.”
Ah Fei didn’t keep them in suspense and continued, “Do you remember last year, on the official road, a few robbers were cut in half and nailed to trees? I heard that the few people who died this time died in the same way.”
“What? That matter was also done by the hero, Zhang Shan? He’s my idol indeed.”
“Really? It can’t be, right?” Some people found it hard to believe.
“Heh, that’s pretty much the case!” Ah Fei chuckled. “That night, my friend was waiting outside the Qinghe Tower. He personally heard that the hero, Zhang Shan, shouted that he was going to kill anyone who oppressed the common people such as the Shi family and the Old Snake Gang!”
“Pfft, the Shi family bastards, huh? They’re not as tough as those thieves.”
“Wow!”
“That’s awesome!”
In the bar, there was a wave of applause. Now, a new restaurant had been built in Peace Town, with exquisite food and a variety of fine wines. Those who continued to patronize Old Jiang’s bar were those who had a hard life in the past. Now that they were drunk, they naturally cheered when they heard the news.
“By the way, you mentioned the Old Snake Gang. Did that hero attack the Old Snake Gang?” someone suddenly asked.
“You didn’t hear? Have you forgotten where the fire broke out at the end of last year?” Ah Fei asked with a strange look.
Everyone was stunned and then shocked, “Did that hero come to Peace Town?”
“It turns out that Uncle Ba was also killed by this hero. Good!”
“If there’s injustice in my heart, I’ll draw my sword too. I’ve been inspired. Zhang Shan is really a hero among people!” Jiang Ming also joined in on the flattery.
“That’s right!” everyone agreed.
“Mr. Jiang, you’re amazing as well!”
Old Jiang was lying behind the counter, but his face showed a trace of confusion. He had always thought that Uncle Ba was killed by Jiang Ming. Was he wrong?
Because no matter how powerful Jiang Ming was, he couldn’t be a third-class martial artist.
“I’m really old and muddled.” Old Jiang shook his head and sighed.
“By the way, Ah Fei. Where did you get such a knowledgeable friend from?” At the table, someone suddenly asked this question.
Ah Fei, who was talking with confidence, suddenly stammered.
“You didn’t make it up, did you?” The man was suspicious.
“Don’t you accuse me of something I didn’t do!” Ah Fei’s face turned red, and the veins on his forehead bulged. In the end, he said like a deflated ball, “I used to wander around the city and made some friends. That night, someone happened to be rummaging through the trash can behind Qinghe Tower.”
The bar suddenly burst into laughter, and the air inside and outside the shop was filled with joy.
Jiang Ming also smiled. Since Ah Fei could hear the news. The story of the hero, Zhang Shan, should have spread throughout Great Cloud City.
“If I do anything in the future, I don’t need to use the identity of Jiang Ming anymore,” he whispered in his heart. After all, Jiang Ming’s identity had a root and could last for many years. If it was not necessary, he did not want to be too conspicuous.
A moment later, an old herb gatherer carrying a basket on his back said, “Speaking of the news, a group of wild beasts appeared in the mountains this year, and they are fighting herb gatherers everywhere. Have you ever seen them?”
“A bunch of wild beasts? What do you mean by that?”
Another person took over the conversation and quickly said, “I’ve seen them before. Are you talking about a few mountain deer, a tiger, and a few mountain boars? And a big white rabbit that’s so fat that it can’t be considered healthy, sitting on the tiger’s head every day?”
“Yes! I’ve seen that rabbit before. I’ve been looking for golden ginseng for a long time, but it gobbled it up in a few bites!”
“It’s ridiculous. A rabbit riding a tiger in the forest? What’s next?”
At the mention of the fat rabbit, the bar instantly became lively. Many people swore that they had seen a scene of a rabbit riding a tiger.
However, most of the people who had never seen it before were in disbelief. This was even more ridiculous than the legends of mountain gods and monsters. How was this possible?
“This…” Jiang Ming’s expression was strange, and he muttered in his heart, “That’s my fourth rabbit. What is it up to?”