Chapter 20: Temper

Chen Zheng originally had no intention of getting involved. He had always preferred studying ancient history over modern history, partly because modern history was filled with so many taboos, and partly because this era felt constraining. He also didn't have a good attitude toward foreigners. Even though he saw three foreigners being bullied, he didn't feel the urge to intervene. After all, these three might be innocent, but how many innocent Chinese had died at the hands of foreigners?

However, this time, Chen Zheng had no choice but to act. He heard the distinct sound of something slicing through the air—a flying dart. The sound was faint, but with the moonlight and the flickering torchlight, he could tell that it was a throwing dart, also known as a *tuo shou biao* (flying dart). 

Two darts flew at him at a tricky angle. Chen Zheng realized that his only chance to avoid them was to drop down from the tree. He wasn't yet skilled enough to catch a flying dart midair and didn't dare to take that risk.

Before he had even fully processed the situation, his body had already reacted. In one fluid motion, he flipped and dropped from the tree.

*Whoosh… Whoosh… Whoosh…* 

The sound of more darts cutting through the air followed, but this time there were three darts shot simultaneously, in a triangular pattern. The attacker had cleverly timed his shots to match Chen Zheng's fall. 

Realizing that he was going to be hit if he continued to fall in the same manner, Chen Zheng quickly devised a plan. In midair, he couldn't rely on shifting his weight, so he acted quickly: His right hand turned into a claw and latched onto the tree trunk behind him. Using that leverage, he kicked his right foot down against the trunk, using the force to cancel his downward momentum. With his right hand holding onto the tree, he swung his body around it like a monkey and landed on the opposite side of the tree trunk, narrowly avoiding the three darts. 

Now safe, he took a moment to look below. At first, he thought that all the darts had been thrown by the same person, but upon closer inspection, he realized that wasn't the case. The first person who forced him out of the tree had thrown a dart with a rope attached to it, which he was now pulling back in. The second set of darts had been thrown by someone else. Additionally, the sound of the darts hitting the wood suggested that they were *jinqian biao* (money darts), which are much heavier and more deadly.

"Excellent skill!" Chen Zheng thought, impressed. The men below had also noticed him now. The two who had thrown the darts were standing at the sides, while the man in the middle, a square-faced figure, hadn't yet acted.

"Everyone, this might be a misunderstanding!" Chen Zheng called down, hoping to de-escalate the situation.

"Hmph, whether it's a misunderstanding will be clear after we spar!" The square-faced man suddenly spoke up and, with a swift motion, kicked a wooden stick toward Chen Zheng.

Chen Zheng now understood why he had been exposed. It wasn't just a random coincidence. Even though he had doused the campfire, the warmth had lingered. A skilled martial artist could still feel it. Also, when he had climbed the tree earlier, he had left behind a clear footprint in the dirt. 

Even though the attack came from a wooden stick, which wasn't as dangerous as the earlier darts, it was still more threatening in its own way. Chen Zheng didn't want to risk it, so he pushed off the tree with his hands and quickly jumped to another nearby tree.

Standing on the ground no longer felt safe.

*Boom!* The wooden stick struck the tree with a loud bang, shaking the tree violently. It was clear that the square-faced man had incredible strength behind his kicks.

Chen Zheng realized that the square-faced man had already moved to a position directly below him. "He's fast!" Chen Zheng thought.

Before he could process that thought, the square-faced man made another move. His body shifted with incredible speed. One moment, he was standing on the ground, and the next moment, his left foot was planted on the ground, and his right foot pushed off from the tree behind him. Using the force from his feet, he launched himself into the air, spinning like a wheel.

In midair, he suddenly rotated, and his left leg came down with full force, aiming directly at Chen Zheng. The sound of the kick cutting through the air was like that of a heavy blade slicing through the wind.

Chen Zheng hadn't expected such an acrobatic attack. The square-faced man had used the tree to spring into the air and rotate. The timing was perfect, and Chen Zheng had no way to dodge it. The attack came down too quickly for him to counter. 

With no time to think, Chen Zheng had no choice but to defend himself. He braced himself with his arms crossed in front of him, preparing to take the hit head-on. As he adjusted his body in midair, he spread his legs into a stance resembling the *ma bu* (horse stance) to absorb the blow.

*Bang!*

Chen Zheng's legs exploded with pain as the full force of the kick hit him, knocking him to the ground. His legs buckled under the pressure, but he managed to stay upright for a moment. The man's kick had landed first on his legs, causing them to buckle, but it wasn't over yet.

Before he could recover, the man's right foot, like a spear, shot toward Chen Zheng's throat. If the kick landed, Chen Zheng would surely be finished.

Without hesitation, Chen Zheng slammed his hands together, using a move he had seen in the anime *Dragon Ball*—the *volley ball fist*. His fist collided directly with the man's foot.

Even though the square-faced man had practiced leg techniques, the foot was still one of the weakest parts of the human body. The impact of Chen Zheng's punch was so strong that the man cried out in pain. He had likely fractured his toes.

Chen Zheng's strike wasn't just for defense—it was born of anger. Normally, he was easygoing, but this man had tried to take his life. Chen Zheng had already been irritated by the earlier attacks, but now, with this man's clear intent to kill, he couldn't hold back.

"That's some impressive skill!" The square-faced man, now visibly in pain, spoke through gritted teeth as he clasped his hands together in a traditional martial arts gesture. "We mistook you for a foreign lackey, it seems. This was all a misunderstanding!"