Old Black knocked me down time and time again.

And yet, I stood up again and again.

The blood flowing from my nose and mouth had already stained my clothes, bright red, almost blinding.

It was like the bloodstained bandages wrapped around my father’s broken limbs from years ago.

Once again, I was knocked down by Old Black.

This was the ninth time.

Old Black was also gasping for breath, clearly exhausted.

Sometimes, striking someone takes more energy than being struck.

Standing before me, Old Black had lost the arrogance he had earlier.

“Kid, just say you surrender, and I’ll let you go…”

Old Black's tone was now almost pleading.

But I said nothing.

Slowly, I rose to my feet again.

Wiping the blood from the corner of my mouth, I glared at him with bloodshot eyes and retorted,

“I don’t surrender. Do you?”

My words seemed to push Old Black to the edge.

It was me who had been knocked down, but I was questioning him about surrendering.

More and more people gathered around to watch.

When they saw me stand up once more, the crowd began murmuring.

“This kid is really stubborn. Just admit defeat, and it’ll be over…”

“Gotta hand it to him, though. A real man, not giving up no matter how much he’s beaten. He’s got guts!”

“Don’t let it go on too long. If this keeps up, someone might die…”

Seeing Old Black stay silent, I licked the blood from my lips.

The taste was faintly metallic.

“Old Black, you don’t surrender, and I won’t either. Today’s matter is about the gambling match, so let’s settle it with a game. I’ll bet you one round—are you in?”

“What do you want to bet?”

Old Black asked.

“Wait for me!”

I said, before pushing through the crowd and walking towards a nearby hardware store.

The shopkeeper, who had been standing outside watching the commotion, quickly jumped aside when he saw the bloody state I was in.

Inside the shop, I grabbed two sharp knives, each around thirty centimeters long, and walked back out.

The shopkeeper didn’t dare ask for payment, but I still pulled out a hundred yuan and placed it on the tea table outside the store.

I wasn’t a thief, and I wasn’t a robber.

I was a cheater!

A cheater with principles and boundaries!

If I took something from someone, I would pay for it.

Gripping the two knives, I slowly walked back toward Old Black.

Under the streetlights, my lonely shadow stretched long, and the sharp blades of the knives glinted in the light, casting a frightening gleam.

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The crowd instinctively parted to make way for me.

Reaching Old Black, I handed him one of the knives, the hilt facing him.

“Take it!”

Old Black didn’t move. He didn’t understand what I meant.

“I said, take it!”

I shouted.

Old Black’s large frame trembled involuntarily, and he obediently took the knife.

“You asked me what we’re betting. Now I’ll tell you. You and I—let’s bet our lives!”

“What?”

The crowd gasped in shock.

Everyone involuntarily took a few steps back, as if they feared the blood that might soon splatter would get on them.

“How do we bet?”

Old Black frowned and asked.

“You stab me once, then I’ll stab you once. We keep going back and forth. The first one to die loses!”

Old Black’s face changed drastically.

He stared at me for a long time without saying a word.

He had fought on the streets, seen blood, and even gambled with death.

But he had never encountered a gamble like this.

“The betting method was my idea. So I’ll let you strike first. Go ahead!”

I let my arms hang at my sides and looked at Old Black with an emotionless face.

It seemed like I was already prepared to take the knife.

Old Black’s expression became extremely complicated.

Surprise, confusion, and fear all appeared on his face at once.

“Go ahead!”

I shouted again when he still didn’t make a move.

It was as if Old Black had frozen in place, unable to move.

“Fine, if you won’t make the first move, I’ll come at you!”

I gripped the knife tightly and slowly walked toward him.

With every step I took, more fear appeared on his face.

When I reached him, without hesitation, I raised the knife and stabbed it toward his stomach.

“Ah!”

The crowd gasped.

Some of the more fainthearted people even covered their eyes and turned away.

“Stop! I surrender! You win!”

Old Black shouted, his voice filled with panic.

The knife in his hand clattered to the ground as he quickly stepped back.

I missed with my knife.

And Old Black had given in.

I continued staring at him, my expression cold.

“What did you say? I didn’t hear you!”

“I surrender, I surrender to you!”

Old Black repeated immediately, his voice still trembling.

“Surrender to me? Do you know who I am?”

“Chu Liu!”

“You’re wrong. From now on, if you see me, you’ll address me as ‘Master Chu Liu’!”

“Master, Master Chu Liu!”

Old Black was completely subdued, both physically and mentally.

Much later, when talking about that showdown, Old Black would say that he had fought for his life many times, both in the ring and in the streets.

But he had never been afraid.

Until that day when he gambled with me.

The fear he felt was not just in his heart, but deep within his soul.

It was as if I were someone he could only look up to, someone unbeatable.

He said it was a kind of aura.

An imposing aura, like a mountain pressing down, making it impossible to breathe.

Master Liu once said,

“I was born with a death omen hanging over me, my heart filled with an unyielding, dangerous power.”

Even when I was just starting to learn cheating tricks and my skills were still lacking,

The sheer force of my aura and the stability of my mind were already on par with many of the best in the field.

Master Liu believed I was born with this gift.

He never knew that if I hadn’t witnessed my father’s tragic death in front of me, if I hadn’t been tortured like a dog again and again, how could I have developed such a fierce and vengeful spirit?

The people watching hadn’t expected that my duel with Old Black would end with Old Black surrendering to my overwhelming force.

I ignored Old Black and turned my attention to Hou Jun and Chen Xiaoxue, asking coldly,

“Will you apologize and call me ‘Master,’ or will you follow me? Your choice!”

Hou Jun’s lips moved as if he wanted to say something,

But seeing the bloodied state I was in, he chose to remain silent.

Meanwhile, Chen Xiaoxue spoke directly.

“I won’t apologize, but I’ll follow you!”

Without even looking at Hou Jun, she swayed her waist and confidently walked up to me,

Linking her arm through mine.

Her closeness made it seem as though I, not Hou Jun, was the one she considered her man.

Hou Jun was stunned, and I was at a loss.

I had planned to have Chen Xiaoxue apologize as a punishment for her disrespect toward my parents.

As for taking her with me, I had only intended to scare her a bit.

But to my surprise, she willingly followed me, looking completely content.

I could only lead her away.

As we passed by a small courtyard, an old man with silver hair sat by the door, holding a half-moon teapot. He grinned at me and shouted,

“Kid, you don’t know how to fight! If I were fighting that big fool, I’d knock him out with two punches, and he’d be on the floor looking for his teeth! Do you believe me?”

Someone from the crowd laughed and shouted back,

“Old Wu, you’re talking nonsense again! With that weak body of yours, someone could break you with a single finger!”

Old Wu laughed heartily, not bothered at all.

I had seen him many times before.

Every time I passed by his house on the way to the supermarket to play cards, he’d be sitting outside with his teapot, chatting away.

I had thought that Chen Xiaoxue would be nervous and scared as I took her away.

But to my surprise, she wasn’t afraid at all.

In fact, she kept glancing at me with curiosity.