Chapter 155: Chapter 108: A Single Punch, Fame on Xingning Street; Ample Spiritual Essence, Refining the Demon Suppression Stele
He leaned closer and lowered his voice. "Young man, you have no idea. Your Seven Stars Gang is probably in for a huge fall this time!"
"Oh? How so?" Chu Fan feigned ignorance.
The Shopkeeper pointed at the outsider. "Anyone with eyes can see that the Iron Armor Sect is looking for trouble, and they’re specifically targeting that newly appointed Small Leader, Chu Fan!"
"I heard that Chu Fan is incredibly talented. He won the duel for the Seven Stars Gang and took over Zhou Ye’s position to manage this street."
"But the strange thing is, ever since this Boss Chu took office, he hasn’t shown his face once!"
"Heh, now look. He’s being forced to come out, but on his very first appearance, he’s probably going to be utterly humiliated!"
"Speaking of which, do you know Chu Fan?"
"Chu Fan? I see him every day." Chu Fan raised an eyebrow. "Shopkeeper, you have so little faith in Chu Fan?"
The Shopkeeper shook his head. "It’s not a matter of having faith or not..."
"I may not cultivate the Martial Dao, but I still know a thing or two. Even if that Chu Fan is incredibly talented, he was at the Blood Refining Realm at best during the duel, right? Even if he broke through to the Bone Marrow Forging Realm after the duel, how many days has it been?"
"A young man who just entered the Bone Marrow Forging Realm, facing an expert who’s about to reach the Bone Tempering Realm. Does he stand a chance?"
"The Iron Armor Sect calculated this precisely. They’re openly bullying him!"
"You’d better not get involved!"
While the two were talking, the situation in the center suddenly changed!
Zhang Meng let out a furious roar and made the first move.
As an expert at the Bone Marrow Forging Realm, his strength was not to be underestimated. He executed the Twelve Forms Fist with the ferocity of a tiger, his Body Technique nimble and his punches fierce, drawing waves of cheers from the surrounding Seven Stars Gang disciples.
But the outsider’s response stunned everyone!
He was built like a bear and should have followed a path of brute force, yet his Step Technique was unexpectedly light and graceful, like willow catkins drifting in the wind.
Again and again, at the last possible second, he would move just slightly to evade Zhang Meng’s heavy fists. With a push or a pull of his hands, he easily neutralized the fierce attacks.
Zhang Meng attacked furiously for a while but couldn’t even touch the corner of his opponent’s clothes. Instead, his own qi and blood were in turmoil.
The outsider spotted an opening, switched from defense to offense, and with a seemingly light palm strike, landed a blow on Zhang Meng’s shoulder...
BANG!
As if struck by lightning, Zhang Meng was sent flying backward. While still in mid-air, he spat out a mouthful of blood!
After landing, he staggered a few steps, his face deathly pale. He was clearly seriously injured.
The outsider knew his limits. Having landed a successful blow, he didn’t pursue. He cupped his fist and said, "I was fortunate to win."
He scanned the surroundings and announced in a loud voice, "I have long heard that Boss Chu Fan, who manages this Xingning Street, is the prodigy of the Seven Stars Gang’s younger generation, a man of exceptional talent!"
"Why has he refused to show himself today? Is it because he looks down on an outsider like me, or... is he scared?"
As soon as he said this, the expressions of the Seven Stars Gang members turned even uglier.
The chatter from the surrounding onlookers grew louder, with many wondering and questioning why Chu Fan hadn’t appeared.
Just then, Zhang Meng, clutching his shoulder, happened to spot Chu Fan in the crowd. He froze for a moment, then a helpless, exasperated expression appeared on his face. ’The man himself has been watching from the sidelines the whole time?!’
Chu Fan knew he couldn’t hide any longer. He stopped concealing himself, pushed through the crowd, and calmly looked at the outsider. "You want to fight me?"
Seeing how young Chu Fan was, the outsider was visibly stunned, as if he couldn’t believe this was the person he was looking for.
Meanwhile, the Shopkeeper from Hundred Herbs Hall, who had been standing next to Chu Fan, now had his eyes wide as saucers and his mouth agape enough to fit an egg!
He pointed at Chu Fan, his finger trembling, unable to form a complete sentence for a long moment. "You... you you... you’re Chu Fan?!"
Chu Fan smiled at him, then turned his gaze back to the outsider. "I am Chu Fan," he said calmly. "Weren’t you looking for me? I’m here."
Up in the Drunken Immortal Tower, when Liang Yuhen saw Chu Fan finally step forward, a gleeful, cold smile spread across his pale face, as if he could already see Chu Fan being brutally defeated.
On the other side, Cao Feng leisurely sipped his tea, his eyes filled with anticipation—he, too, wanted to see how much Chu Fan had improved recently.
The atmosphere in the center instantly grew taut to the extreme.
Chu Fan’s appearance was like a stone tossed into a calm lake, sending ripples through the crowd of onlookers.
"He’s Chu Fan? The Boss Chu who took over managing our Xingning Street from Zhou Ye? He’s way too young!"
"He looks seventeen or eighteen at most. Can he really do it?"
"Sigh, is the Seven Stars Gang out of people? Making a kid take the fall like this. They’re going to lose a lot of face today."
"It’s useless even if they have other people. That outsider came specifically for Chu Fan! Even if someone else beat him, he’d still keep targeting Chu Fan. If Chu Fan doesn’t accept the challenge, he’ll be labeled a coward forever."
"That outsider is built like a bear. Chu Fan’s small frame would probably fall apart after a single punch..."
The discussions swirled, and almost no one was optimistic about Chu Fan’s chances.
After all, the difference in their physique and presence was just too great.
Many kind-hearted neighbors were sweating bullets for Chu Fan, feeling that this young man was about to be ruined by the Iron Armor Sect’s scheme.
Seeing that the man himself had finally appeared, the burly outsider, though surprised by Chu Fan’s age, stuck to his prepared speech.
He said in a booming voice, "You’re Chu Fan? Good! I’ll state the rules again! If I lose, I’ll leave behind all the silver coins I’ve earned today and leave Cyan Yang City immediately, no questions asked! But if you lose..."
"Not enough." Chu Fan shook his head, pointed at the ground, and said, "This is my turf. I set the rules."
His voice was very quiet.
But it was utterly commanding!
Chu Fan continued, "If I lose, I’ll compensate you with six hundred taels of silver. From now on, you can perform anywhere you want on Xingning Street, and I’ll walk the other way when I see you."
"If I win, you leave behind six hundred taels of silver and get the hell out of Cyan Yang City."
Jiang Yuanfan grew excited in the crowd. "Here it comes, here it comes! It’s the same old routine! Back then, I only got taken for three mace of silver, but this guy is about to lose his shirt!"
