"Oh, is that so?" Jack Young replied noncommittally.
"Yes, yes, absolutely!" Wang Wei nodded frantically, plastering on a big smile. "I still owe you the principal, don’t I? I just wanted to pay you back as soon as possible, so I brought the boys along!"
"Oh, how thoughtful." Jack Young’s voice showed no sign of softening. "So tell me, exactly how much do you owe me?"
"Uh..." Wang Wei swallowed hard and glanced at the Gang Heir.
That question really hit where it hurt. No matter how Wang Wei answered, he’d be in trouble—say too much or too little, either way, he was doomed. The subtleties here, I’m sure all you readers can relate. Sure enough, the Gang Heir shot him a dark look, making Wang Wei break out in a cold sweat.
Damn it, I never should’ve asked for directions in front of that Zhang! Last time, same thing; every time I ask for directions or try to play smart, that Zhang just turns it around and makes me eat crow! Hell, what’s this got to do with me anyway? Wasn’t me chasing girls in the first place, wasn’t me looking for revenge either!
Serves me right for running my mouth, always sticking my nose in and giving advice—look at me now, totally screwed!
Look at the Gang Heir—those poisonous little eyes practically shooting smoke, like if I say one wrong word he’ll settle the score later. Damn it, chasing girls had nothing to do with me, not even a penny’s worth. Now I’m the one left holding the bag? No way!
Jack Young spoke calmly: "What, you don’t even remember how much you owe me?"
"I remember, I remember!" Wang Wei steeled himself and blurted out, "I was just counting up all the favors you’ve done for me, and wanted to add my gratitude in too—so altogether I owe you three thousand..." He paused, sneaking a look at Jack Young. Jack’s deep eyes gave nothing away, so Wang Wei’s heart skipped a beat and he blurted out, "Thirty thousand taels of silver! I owe you thirty thousand taels, principal and interest, all paid back in full!"
"Thirty thousand taels?" Fiona Fang's eyes went wide.
"Thirty thousand taels?" The crowd gasped.
"Thirty thousand taels?" Even Zhang Wei, the tough girl, was stunned.
What does thirty thousand taels of silver even mean? Sure, ancient times and modern days are different, and this world’s not ours, but you can swap it for the idea of a million bucks. Like, back when inflation hadn’t gone wild and a teacher’s monthly salary was forty-two yuan fifty, a million was just... astronomical for regular folks.
The young master’s face changed instantly. He grabbed Wang Wei by the collar and lifted him clean off the ground, face red and neck bulging as he roared, "What the hell did you say? Thirty thousand taels? Is your brain full of crap? No way, not happening!" Fired up by his stingy soul, he flung Wang Wei aside with a thud and bellowed, "Don’t even talk about me having thirty thousand taels—if I did, I sure as hell wouldn’t give it to you!"
Jack Young just grinned at that. Everyone wondered what he was so happy about, but he simply said in a steady voice, "Look at that, folks—now owing money comes with attitude."
"Pffft!" Fiona Fang was the first to laugh out loud. Déjà vu, anyone? It felt just like a rerun of what happened earlier. The rest couldn’t hold back either—even Zhang Wei and her crew cracked a smile, finally feeling a little lighter.
"Cut the crap! That’s all just hot air!" The young master wasn’t embarrassed in the slightest—his skin was thick enough to be proud of. "Anyway, I don’t have that kind of money, and even if I did…" He sized up the situation, already plotting his escape. Suddenly, inspiration struck: "You’re a senior in the martial world, aren’t you? You wouldn’t bully someone younger, right?"
"Martial world senior?" Fiona Fang looked confused. "Which eye of yours sees him as a senior? He looks younger than you!"
"I heard it myself—how could it be fake?" The young master pointed at Fiona Fang. "You called him Master, so he’s your elder. You and I should be peers, right? So that makes him my senior! A dignified martial world senior bullying a junior like me—doesn’t that make you blush?"
"You—" Fiona Fang was speechless. She hadn’t expected her casual words to be picked up by this rascal. She was about to retort, but Jack Young raised a hand to stop the nonsense. "Alright, enough with the word games." He looked the young master squarely in the eye, "If you think I’m your senior, I’ll play the part. But debts are debts—you can’t just walk away. Here’s the deal: you give it everything you’ve got, and I won’t use more than ten years’ worth of internal energy. If I can’t take you down in one move, you and your whole crew get to leave. Deal?"
"Uh…" The young master hesitated. He was usually pretty slick, but now he didn’t know what trick to pull. The aura Jack Young gave off was like a king’s army—righteous and overwhelming. There was no room for games.
"One move?"
"Just one move."
"Ten years’ worth of power?"
"Not a drop more than ten years."
The young master thought it was nuts—ten years and twenty years are worlds apart. Where did this guy get his confidence? Still, he played it cautious and asked, "You mean ten years… Not innate power, right?" If this young-looking guy was secretly a prodigy, that’d be just plain unfair.
Luckily, Jack Young shook his head.
"Well…" The terms were honestly pretty generous. His power was way lower, and it was only one move—no way he’d lose, right? He looked around—the whole crowd was watching, his underlings too. Sink or swim, might as well go for it: "Alright, let’s gamble on one move!"
The hall cleared out in a flash. Injured folks were moved, tables and chairs pushed aside—time for the showdown. The onlookers were buzzing, whispering about the Flying Swallow Gang’s young master: his name, his age, all stuff Jack Young couldn’t care less about. Sometimes, though, someone would mention, "He’s got some real skills," or "Those Swallow Throwing Stars are no joke," or "His lightness skill is rock solid," and then they’d start analyzing tactics. Everyone was dying to see how Jack could win in just one move.
Even Zhang Wei leaned over to Fiona Fang and whispered, "Girl, tell your master not to get cocky. He’s way outpowered and has to win in one move—that’s pretty risky…" For someone who’d jumped in to help, Zhang Wei actually had a soft spot.
Fiona Fang just patted her chest, totally confident: "Don’t worry, don’t worry! My master only said he’d limit his power, not his real strength. He’s super strong—way stronger than you. It’s gonna be fine!"
"Strong?" That word seemed to hit a nerve for Zhang Wei. She exchanged glances with her two friends, all three giving Jack Young a weird look—a mix of curiosity and, oddly enough, anticipation.
Jack Young heard their whispers, of course, but he wasn’t planning to show off brute force. Sure, if he used his seventh-level Dragon Elephant strength, he’d win in a flash. But that wasn’t the point—he wanted to test himself. Every skill has its limits, and missing the big picture for a single leaf is just silly. This time, he’d use only Human Realm strength and, to be precise, eight years’ worth of internal energy to take down the young master of the Flying Swallow Gang.
"Let’s do this." He stepped into the center of the hall, steady as a mountain, his presence putting even more pressure on his opponent.
"Ready—" The head manager acted as referee. "Begin!"
In the blink of an eye, the duel was on.
The young master instantly launched his lightness skill, weaving left and right to flank Jack Young. With a flick of his hand, he sent three Swallow Throwing Stars flying. Fast and accurate, he figured if Jack caught them, he’d claim "That’s one move!" and bolt. But Jack didn’t even blink—his footwork shifted, dodging the stars and slipping right out of the young master’s line of sight.
The young master blinked—Jack was gone. Suddenly, a deep voice sounded right behind him: "That’s not gonna cut it."
"What—?" The young master was so shocked he broke out in a cold sweat, jumping away and spinning around to stare at Jack Young in disbelief. The crowd erupted, the head manager nodded in approval, but the ones most blown away were Rachel Luo and Fiona Fang. They both knew the Bagua Stealth Step—had practiced it a ton. They’d used it in fights, but never saw it pack this kind of punch.
But Jack Young’s Bagua Stealth Step? Just a few moves and he turned something ordinary into pure magic—like thunder and lightning flashing through their minds.
"Damn it!" The young master was furious, ignoring the crowd’s jeers and going all out, guerrilla-style, tossing Swallow Throwing Stars non-stop. With twenty years of power, he was way above normal folks, and his lightness skill let him leap to the second floor like it was nothing. The head manager’s review was fair—his skills were solid. Compared to the underwear guy who attacked Yihua Village, this guy was leagues ahead.
From Jack Young’s perspective, the young master’s internal energy was way more precise than the underwear guy’s. The more precise, refined, and in-sync a martial artist is, the harder they are to read or mess with. But at Jack’s level, anything below innate power was an open book. The young master, pulling out every trick, ended up as a living textbook, showing off every secret of the Swallow Flash Technique.
"Why the hell can’t I shake him off?" No matter how many Swallow Throwing Stars he tossed, no matter how he dodged and darted, the young master felt suffocated. Jack hadn’t even lifted a hand—just walked around. Compared to the young master’s wild acrobatics, Jack’s movements were small, slow, and totally unflashy.
As the young master parkoured all over, Jack barely moved, and yet somehow every step landed in the perfect spot, making the young master feel totally off his game.
His Swallow Flash Technique was like a caged bird—no matter how he tried, he couldn’t break out.
What he didn’t know was, Jack Young was forcing him to show his full potential—putting every secret of the Swallow Flash Technique on display. With super memory and insane insight, Jack’s brain worked like a top-tier decoder, and in no time, he understood the technique better than the young master himself.
It was basically like having a Sharingan in a wuxia world.