Chapter 93: The Steadfast Li Tiedan

The man is rather interesting—using such a method to raise money for his little sister. Suimeng. Niu Wuji said with some curiosity upon hearing the rough voice of a burly man.

This is also a way of supporting himself; it is far more dignified than simply begging. Wu Tian, too, said with interest.

If that is the case, then if a bunch of highly skilled fighters go up there, won’t this big fellow be ruined? Xiao Hui blinked, looking worried.

Highly skilled people probably would not bother earning money this way. This fellow is rather interesting; let us watch a little longer. Wu Tian shook his head and smiled.

A great many people had gathered around Li Tiedan’s makeshift ring, including ordinary townsfolk and adventurous martial artists.

Behind Li Tiedan at that moment lay a girl of twelve or thirteen. Her face was ashen, and she looked to be on the verge of death, now already unconscious.

“Oh my, this little girl is truly pitiful. She is already beyond recovery; she looks ready to die!”

“No wonder her brother is using such a painful method to raise money for her treatment. It seems he has been driven to the end of the road!”

“Let us donate a little, then. Consider it an act of kindness!”

“…”

Some kindhearted townsfolk nearby took the initiative to give a little money, but it was, after all, a drop in the ocean.

“Everyone, is there any brave soul willing to come up and try? I guarantee my word: if you can knock me down with one punch, I will offer one thousand taels!” Li Tiedan cupped his hands toward the crowd below.

“I’ll try!” At that moment, a young man walked forward and cupped his hands in return. “I am a student of the Seven Stars Academy, a fourth-rank martial master. Brave sir, are you ready?”

“I am ready. Come!” The tall Li Tiedan removed his outer shirt, revealing a sturdy, well-built upper body.

“Sir Li, I will attack now! Ha!” The young man clenched his fist and charged at Li Tiedan at full speed, his heavy punch slamming hard into Li Tiedan’s chest.

Boom! A loud impact rang out. Li Tiedan’s body trembled slightly, then he drew in a deep breath and cupped his hands toward the young man. “Brother, I concede your superiority.”

“Well done, impressive. I am humbled! These one thousand taels are yours, brave sir.” The young man took out his purse and placed it in Li Tiedan’s palm.

“Many thanks, brother. I shall never forget your kindness.”

“It is what you earned; there is no need to thank me.”

With the first person done, more and more people followed. After taking more than a dozen punches in succession, red marks were clearly visible on Li Tiedan’s chest. From the way he was breathing, he must already have been injured, but the consolation was that the silver he had received was steadily increasing.

“This big fellow has amazing endurance. That was already the eighteenth punch, all of them solid attacks, yet he actually endured them all. I rather like this man!” Niu Wuji looked at Li Tiedan on the ring with admiration.

“He is only a seventh-rank martial master, yet he has managed to withstand so many attacks. Though he is already at the end of his strength, this resolve is far from ordinary.” Wu Tian nodded in deep agreement.

“Young Master, why don’t we donate some money to them? They are so pitiful.” Xiao Hui had a kind heart and could no longer bear to watch.

“That is only natural. Since this fellow suits my taste, I shall help that little girl.” With that, Wu Tian was about to go up onto the ring and help the girl directly. Nothing else mattered; it was simply that the burly man’s character appealed to him.

Just then, the crowd outside erupted into disorder.

“The Young City Lord has arrived! Anyone in the way, get the hell out of here!” a stern shout rang out, and the people at the edge of the crowd instantly parted to make a path.

A lavishly dressed young man, haughty and full of swagger, walked over with a troop of city guards in armor. This was the Young City Lord of New Leaf City—a sharp-faced fellow with a rat-like look, obviously no good person at first glance.

“I heard someone is holding a ring here, where one can earn one thousand taels of silver by knocking him down with a single punch. That sounds like quite an amusing game, and as the Young City Lord, I find it very interesting, so I came to try it myself!” the Young City Lord said with a smile.

A subordinate nearby brought over a stool. The Young City Lord sat down, crossed one leg over the other, and grinned at Li Tiedan.

After the Young City Lord appeared, the surrounding crowd kept its distance, though some people whispered quietly below.

“The infamous Young City Lord has come. Li Tiedan is in for a rough time now!”

“Isn’t that so? Wherever there is excitement, that fellow has to join in. He loves trampling on people, and he relies on his status as Young City Lord to bully the common folk. He is utterly infamous!”

“It seems Li Tiedan will not escape this calamity either. Sigh, what a poor soul!”

“…”

However, Li Tiedan had no idea that he had run into a spoiled young city lord. He cupped his hands respectfully and said, “So it is the Young City Lord of New Leaf City. I am truly honored to meet you.”

“Cut the polite talk. Just tell me this: if I knock you down with one punch, do I get one thousand taels?” The Young City Lord waved his hand impatiently and asked with obvious annoyance.

“That is correct. If you can knock me down with one punch, I will surely present one thousand taels of silver. If you cannot knock me down, I hope you might donate a little silver so that I may treat my younger sister.” Li Tiedan nodded.

“Good. Wang Kun, you go try him!” The Young City Lord beckoned to a guard beside him.

“Yes, Young City Lord!”

Li Tiedan cupped his hands and took up a ready stance.

“One punch for one thousand taels of silver. Interesting.” Wang Kun smiled, then clenched his fist and struck directly.

Boom! A heavy muffled sound rang out, and the ground beneath Li Tiedan’s feet sank slightly, showing just how powerful that punch was. The blow also made Li Tiedan frown; it was clear that enduring it caused him great pain.

“I-I concede...” Li Tiedan endured the pain and cupped his hands toward Wang Kun.

Wang Kun looked at Li Tiedan with some surprise. He had not expected this fellow to withstand his full-force punch.

“Excellent! Impressive! Here, take your one thousand taels!” The Young City Lord clapped his hands and tossed the silver directly to the ground, then beckoned to another guard beside him. “Xiao Ba, you go next!”

Li Tiedan seemed about to say something, but in the end he remained silent and simply bent down to pick up the money.

Then Xiao Ba stepped onto the ring and punched Li Tiedan. With that blow, a trace of blood seeped from the corner of Li Tiedan’s mouth.

“Not bad at all. To think you could take two punches from my guards in a row. Then next, One, Two, Three, and Four—you four will go together!” Seeing Li Tiedan take another punch, the Young City Lord narrowed his eyes and ordered four guards onto the ring at once.

Li Tiedan cupped his hands and said, “Young City Lord, each time I have only taken one person’s punch. Four people at once is a bit...”

“What, are you saying otherwise? You never said at the beginning that it had to be one person. Besides, having four go together is to save you time—this way you can earn more money, can’t you? There! Four thousand taels!” The Young City Lord smiled and tossed four thousand taels to the ground, then sat back to watch the show.

Li Tiedan gritted his teeth. “If that is the case, then I shall take on all four together!”