Chapter 307 Care to Stroll?

Chapter 307: Take a Stroll?

The crowd looked at the slender figure on the stage, then turned in unison to look at Cui Ji, who sat calmly on the earthen platform, completely baffled.

What the hell kind of move was this?

Throwing the match? Even if he was throwing it, this was way too obvious.

Sending up a General's Wife who looked like a gust of wind could knock her over—this was going easy in the most blatant way possible!

Or... was the General testing their mettle?

Real men never laid a hand on women and kids—was he trying to force them to forfeit out of honor?

So what the hell were they supposed to do? Fight or not?

Fight and win ugly, and risk pissing off the General? Or not fight and watch all that silver slip away?

While the crowd below was exchanging glances and locked in an internal tug-of-war, Cheng Ge on the stage didn't give them much time to mull it over.

Through the sheer veil of his hat, he glanced at Shi Suo, who stood across from him, burly and utterly bewildered, and casually clasped his fists in a salute.

The instant the salute ended, before Shi Suo could even blink, Cheng Ge moved!

It was a strike with zero telegraphing—no warning at all!

All the crowd saw was a flash before their eyes, and that moonlit figure had already closed in on Shi Suo like a ghost.

A sharp low kick lashed out like a whip, aimed right at the back of Shi Suo's supporting knee!

Though Shi Suo had hesitated because of the other's identity, his combat instincts remained intact.

His heart jolted in alarm; he hastily raised his arm to block while dropping his center of gravity and scrambling back, barely dodging the sudden strike.

The kick's wind grazed his calf, stinging with pain, and instantly wiped away any trace of contempt.

This speed, this force—this was no ordinary opponent!

However, Cheng Ge's missed strike did not halt his momentum. Like a stubborn rash, he stuck to Shi Suo like glue.

He never met Shi Suo's strength head-on. His footwork was erratic, darting left and right, his form so elusive he was hard to pin down.

Shi Suo possessed immense strength; every punch and kick carried enough force to shatter stone, yet each one hit nothing but air or was deflected at a clever angle.

Cheng Ge was like a matador toying with a furious bull, always striking in that split second when Shi Suo's old strength was spent and the new hadn't kicked in yet—his fingers or toes darting out like a snake.

Sometimes he jabbed at joints and pressure points, sometimes he kicked at the vulnerable spots of the supporting leg—every attack landed in the most aggravating spot possible.

He wasn't going for a one-hit knockout—he was just bleeding Shi Suo's stamina and patience dry.

Shi Suo had nothing but brute strength, and this slippery fighting style had him red-faced and roaring in frustration. His footwork grew sloppy, his breathing ragged.

Every ferocious lunge hit nothing, and Cheng Ge kept subtly steering him in circles around the stage.

Cheng Ge had just gotten over a serious illness, so his stamina wasn't fully back yet. And since the men below were all Cui Ji's soldiers—his own people—

He only meant to go through the motions, not to hurt anyone, so he used this hit-and-run style to wear the guy down.

Seeing Shi Suo's footing was shot and he was huffing like a winded ox,

Cheng Ge spotted an opening, dropped low, and swept a leg out—*thud!*

Shi Suo's bulky frame couldn't hold its balance anymore, and he hit the ground flat on his back, sending up a puff of dust.

He lay there, chest heaving hard, gasping for air.

He stared blankly at the blue sky, feeling like a stubborn layer of gray had settled over it.

He kind of wanted to cry—this was too damn humiliating.

Getting led around the stage like a dog by a frail-looking General's Wife, then knocked flat on his back...

But if he actually cried, that'd be even more pathetic.

Though lying there gasping like that wasn't exactly a proud look either.

Cheng Ge walked over to him, glanced at him through the veiled hat, and extended a hand: "You alright? Your breathing's just off—give it a minute and you'll be fine."

Shi Suo stared at the outstretched hand, his face burning with shame.

He pushed himself up off the ground in disgrace, head down, and scurried off the stage, wishing the ground would swallow him whole.

The crowd below was stunned for a second—wait, that's it? He lost?

They had only seen the lady dodging left and right, seemingly without much effort—how had that dumb ox Shi Suo ended up on the ground?

Immediately, someone shouted teasingly, "Shi Suo! Did you get yourself drained dry in bed last night, you bastard? Can't even beat that?"

Shi Suo, full of pent-up frustration with nowhere to vent, glared fiercely at the man and roared, "Zhao Laoliu! You're full of shit! If you've got the guts, go up there and try it yourself! Easy for you to say—you're not the one up there!"

Zhao Laoliu wasn't the type to back down either. Poked like that, and still doubting the General's Wife's skills,

He squared his jaw without another word and hopped onto the stage: "Fine, I'll give it a shot! I don't buy this bullshit!"

The result was predictable—Zhao Laoliu went down even faster and more embarrassingly than Shi Suo.

He tried to go fast, but Cheng Ge's quicker reflexes and slick footwork shut him down completely.

He'd charged in too recklessly, and Cheng Ge used his own momentum against him, sending him flying into a perfect face-plant.

Then a few more soldiers—either skeptics or guys who thought too highly of their own skills—came up one after another to challenge him.

One, two, three...

Like dumplings dropped into a boiling pot, Cheng Ge sent them tumbling off the stage one by one, each in a different way.

The methods varied, but the outcome was always the same—nobody could even lay a finger on him.

Instead, his uncanny footwork had them spinning in circles, gasping for air, and losing in pure frustration.

By now, even the slowest guy in the crowd had caught on.

The General wasn't going easy—he'd sent up a ringer!

Cheng Ge stood on the stage, tilting his veiled hat slightly as he swept his gaze across the silent crowd.

Wherever his gaze fell—whether it was the banner captains who had been eager to try moments ago or the soldiers who were just there for the entertainment—everyone took a synchronized step back.

No way in hell. Absolutely not. Are you kidding? Who'd be stupid enough to go up there?

Being made a monkey of by that lady, and putting on a flat-ground faceplant for everyone's entertainment? They wanted the silver, sure, but they cared about saving face even more!

Seeing this, Cheng Ge was feeling pretty smug inside, figuring no one dared to challenge him anymore.

With a swaggering, jianghu-style air, he clasped his hands toward the crowd below: "Much obliged, much obliged."

Before the words even faded, the crowd saw another blur before their eyes as Cheng Ge's figure shot over to the table holding the prizes.

He scooped up the pile of banknotes and silver ingots with a jingle, stashing them away real snug into his robes.

The crowd: "............"

Cheng Ge sauntered back to the earthen platform, sidling up to Cui Ji, "You all done with your stuff?"

He gently nudged Cui Ji with his elbow, extending a sincere invitation, "Wanna... go take a walk?"

Cui Ji looked down at him, a barely-there flicker of indulgence in his eyes, and without any hesitation: "Mm."

Gangou Town, a remote border town in the northern frontier, was small but, being a key thoroughfare, was usually pretty lively.

Today happened to be market day, making it even more bustling than usual.

Both sides of the main street were lined with all sorts of stalls, selling furs, herbs, salt, ironware, and plenty of rustic frontier-style eats and knickknacks.

Cheng Ge held up a sizzling, greasy lamb skewer, chewing rapidly, having lifted a corner of the thin veil on his veiled hat to eat more easily.

He turned his head and glanced at Cui Ji beside him.

He saw that the other's large hands were already laden with various oil-paper packages and little treats, having nearly swept through every snack stall they'd passed, looking like a walking shelf.

Cheng Ge had quite a few things in his own hands too, but he ate fast and had a free hand.

He picked up another lamb skewer and, with a natural motion, reached up to gently lift a corner of the cloth covering Cui Ji's face, bringing the skewer directly to his lips.

"Try it," Cheng Ge said, his eyes curving into crescents, "This one's freakin' amazing!"