Chapter 38: Pedaling the Wind Wheel

“Heh, you little squint, your bullying and tyranny have reached their limit. So I advise you to lay down your blade and become a Buddha right here and now.” Wu Ya’s face was full of disdain. He paid no mind to the ferocious expression of the squint-eyed thug; instead, he gave him a heartfelt lecture. This only fanned the flames of the squint-eyed thug’s fury.

Outrageous! He had come to beat someone up, yet this kid, about to be beaten, not only showed no fear but even dared to lecture him! So calm? If that wasn’t arrogance, then his brain must be full of water! But clearly, he wasn’t a fool. So it must be contempt!

“You bastard, how dare you talk to Brother Eyes like that? Looks to me like you’re asking for a beating!” One of his underlings couldn’t wait for the squint-eyed thug to speak and lunged forward. He couldn’t hold back anymore! Their boss had been reprimanded by an even bigger boss today. That was not only a loss of face for their boss, but a humiliation for all of them. That lost dignity had to be reclaimed! So he was determined to win this first strike.

He quickly charged up to Wu Ya. Without a word, he swung a dark, rough hand toward Wu Ya’s face, intent on delivering a vicious slap. In his mind, a young brat like Wu Ya wouldn’t even dare to dodge, let alone fight back! After all, this was a street brawl, not a marketplace squabble. They held all the advantage and intimidation.

So, without any guard, he boldly aimed a slap.

But—

“Heh, you think you can do it?” Wu Ya’s body, perched on the bike’s crossbar, suddenly sprang into action! One foot hooked the triangle frame, and with a forceful lift, the other foot twisted hard against the ground, spinning his body in place.

“Whoosh—”

The big, old bicycle was spun up from the ground. It rose less than a foot, but the force was impressive!

In the blink of an eye—

“Bang!”

The pumped-up rear tire shot up and crashed hard into the underling’s nose!

“Ahh!” A piercing wail echoed across the lot. The underling tumbled headlong to the ground.

His hands clutched his face tightly, blood streaming through his fingers!

The spinning bicycle stunt, popular in those days, was a favorite trick among young people showing off, and Wu Ya’s specialty.

“You little bastard, you dare fight back! Brothers, get him! If you don’t beat him so his own mother can’t recognize him, you can all get lost!” The squint-eyed thug, seeing this, was even more furious. That little brat dared to defy him again and again. Did he really think his men were like those school kids? He needed to be taught what it meant to be a real thug!

“Go!” The underlings rushed toward Wu Ya, eager to prove themselves.

“Come down here, kid! I promise not to kill you today!”

“Brat, you dare act tough in front of our boss? If you don’t surrender, we’ll quit the underworld for good!”

“You little punk, kneel and beg for mercy now, and maybe our boss will spare you. Otherwise, broken bones and torn tendons will be your fate!”

Threats and scornful shouts followed, full of intimidation. In their minds, just like the one lying on the ground, Wu Ya was only eighteen—a hot-blooded kid, but ultimately a child. Before these seasoned street thugs, he would soon be trembling with fear.

But who could have guessed—

“Haha, a bunch of social scum, nothing but dogs for others. If you’ve got guts, come and chase me!” Wu Ya laughed loudly, then stamped his feet.

“Whoosh—”

The bicycle shot forward like an arrow.

He was gone!

“Chase him! When you catch him, beat him to death! Beat! Beat him dead!” The squint-eyed thug went mad. Social scum, dogs for others. When had he ever been so humiliated by a high school kid? In school, anyone who mentioned the squint-eyed thug did so with respect. Everyone wanted to be his underling, bask in his notoriety, swagger around the school.

But today, he’d been thwarted again and again.

Utter humiliation! If word got out, he’d never be able to show his face again.

So he raged. He had to catch Wu Ya, and would stop at nothing to cripple him.

“Come on, catch up! Are you all so useless you can’t even run fast?” Wu Ya pedaled furiously, speeding ahead. Behind him, eight thugs chased relentlessly. One fleeing, eight pursuing. Wu Ya’s taunts spurred them to give chase as if their lives depended on it.

Gradually, the eight grew tired. The gap between them widened.

“Screech—” Wu Ya suddenly squeezed the brakes and stopped.

“What’s wrong, too tired to run? With stamina like yours, you call yourselves thugs? You’re not even as good as my family’s dog! Squint-eyed, if I were you, I’d find a block of tofu and smash my head on it! What are you, anyway? You’re nothing!”

He showered the panting crowd with insults, especially targeting the squint-eyed thug by name.

“Huff—huff—brat, if you’ve got guts… get off that bike and see if I don’t beat you to death!” The squint-eyed thug was gasping for breath. If looks could kill, Wu Ya would have been torn to pieces by now! But infuriatingly, he couldn’t catch him!

Just then—

“Brat, I know where you live! Just wait, tonight your whole family won’t have a good time!” One of the squint-eyed thug’s underlings jumped out, pointing at Wu Ya with a smug look that said, let’s see where you run now.

Wu Ya’s face instantly darkened.

His parents were his sacred boundary—his untouchable reverse scale! That little thug dared to threaten him with his family? Before dealing with them, he’d have to make him suffer a bit!

“What’s your name?”

“I’m called ‘Mothball’! You should’ve heard of me, right?”

A student? Mothball’s reputation among students was even louder than the squint-eyed thug’s! So finding Wu Ya’s home address? That wouldn’t be hard at all!

“Oh… Mothball? You’re the one who robs students’ pocket money outside the school gates, right?”

Wu Ya remembered now. In his previous life, this guy had robbed him too! He didn’t just take money; he always took liberties. Whenever he saw pretty girls, he’d grope them. He never went too far, but still scared the girls badly. Liu Qian had been harassed by him before.

Running into him now was just right.

“Haha, humph! Now that you know how tough I am, why aren’t you kneeling yet? Want me to do it myself?”

Mothball saw Wu Ya hesitating and thought he was scared. This slippery kid had eluded a group of them, but now, just a few words seemed to have stopped him from running. What a triumph!

But before his smugness could fully bloom—