There must be something wrong with me

That night, Er Gui was burned.

After that, nothing happened for five days straight.

Zhang Feng was happy to be free, practicing martial arts all day in the back kitchen of the small restaurant.

Because Ah Hang and the others had taken over his work now.

He had more free time.

On the morning of the sixth day.

"Is the dish ready?" Ah Hang was now in the front hall calling out orders, becoming more and more skilled.

"Sorry for the wait, the food is coming." Two subordinates were acting as waiters.

Another two, one was cooking in the back kitchen, the other assisting.

And Zhang Feng also noticed that the regular trouble-making customers, when they saw Ah Hang in this store, didn’t seem to have any intention of causing trouble.

So, let them stay here.

For peace and convenience.

After all, the small restaurant still needed to make money, and he still needed to get paid.

Now that there was someone to help him work, it was a good thing.

And that evening.

Three men, who seemed to have some martial arts background in their steps, walked into the noodle shop opposite the small restaurant.

The leading man was around twenty-seven or twenty-eight, with short hair and a medium build, and his face was somewhat handsome.

Behind him were two brawny men, one with a face full of flesh, and the other wasn’t much better.

At the noodle shop, they sat by the door.

"Hello, hello!" The noodle shop owner smiled and came over.

"Hello." The handsome leading man looked at the smiling noodle shop owner, "Please, three bowls of dry noodles."

"Alright, Brother Mantis!" The noodle shop owner nodded and bowed.

Because he knew this person was not to be trifled with.

’"Tai Chi Mantis Finch" is the boss of South City...’ The noodle shop owner was both instructing someone to make noodles and wondering, ’But why did he come to eat at my place?

If it weren’t for my having gone to see the underground fight in South City with friends, I wouldn’t have recognized him.’

As the owner was thinking this, he walked away.

Tai Chi Mantis Finch looked over at the two juniors across from him, "I heard from Er Gui’s guys that Er Gui was killed by the chef Zhang at that opposite restaurant.

Killed four people in two or three seconds?

Do you think this chef Zhang is a martial artist?"

"Probably." One junior nodded, "Even if not, he certainly has the skill to kill."

"Yeah." The other junior nodded too, "Brother Mantis, I thought it over carefully, and I think we better not rashly approach this chef Zhang.

Because no one knows where he’s from, let alone what his temperament is like."

"Yes, I know." Tai Chi Mantis Finch clasped his hands together, resting his chin on them, "So just watch from across the street, get some understanding, see if he’s one of us."

They chose not to make direct contact, simply observing Zhang Feng’s work environment quietly.

Meanwhile,

At the small restaurant’s entrance,

As Ah Hang was seeing off customers, he glanced outside and saw Tai Chi Mantis Finch and the other two across the street.

Tai Chi Mantis Finch and his companions didn’t recognize Ah Hang, not even sparing a glance at the ’frail’ Ah Hang.

Ah Hang saw them, and his heart tightened, recognizing them.

’Is that Tai Chi Mantis Finch?’

Ah Hang’s mind started to whirl, then he returned to the small restaurant, heading straight for the back kitchen.

As Zhang Feng was standing in a stance, he saw Ah Hang rushing in and urgently saying, "Boss! Boss! Something’s up! Big news!"

Ah Hang’s voice was a bit hoarse from calling out orders these past few days.

"What?" Zhang Feng slowly withdrew his fists, "Is someone causing trouble?"

"No, no..." He shook his head and then pointed outside,

"I saw Tai Chi Mantis Finch!"

"Tai Chi Mantis Finch?" Zhang Feng frowned, vaguely remembering, but just knowing it was a person, not an insect,

"What does he do?"

"Fighting, boxing!" Ah Hang mimicked some boxing moves, "Tai Chi Mantis Finch has an underground fight club in South City, the biggest around here!"

Ah Hang’s words were passionate, thinking the boss could surely win a lot of prize money with his skills!

"Tai Chi Mantis Finch is just outside, doesn’t the boss want to go say hello?"

Ah Hang looked at Zhang Feng expectantly.

’Underground fight?’ Zhang Feng had never thought about entering the ring, but wanted to watch those fighters and try to gauge what the general level of martial excellence was in this place.

Furthermore, during the fight, if some exceptional skills were displayed.

They could also help him gain some combat experience.

’Back with Master, he often had me watch real combat in old videotapes.’

Zhang Feng recalled the memories from ’Baby Adventure World’,

’Back then, Master told me that watching and practicing were both indispensable.

"Right now, there’s a big boxing match promoter. If I can get to know him, I might be able to secure a good spot to watch the match."

He thought to himself.

Zhang Feng looked at Ah Hang, "Where’s the guy you’re talking about?"

"Outside the shop." Ah Hang pointed to the front hall, "When I was seeing off the guests earlier, I saw him eating noodles at the restaurant across the street."

"Let’s go."

Zhang Feng decided immediately and headed straight for the front hall.

Front hall.

"Old Zhang?" The shop owner, who was doing the accounts, saw Zhang Feng coming out from the back kitchen and instinctively asked, "What’s up?"

"I’m going out for a bit." Zhang Feng casually walked to the counter and pointed to the alcohol and cigarette cabinet behind him, "I’d like a pack of cigarettes, I’m about to meet a friend."

"Sure." The owner didn’t ask further, quickly picking out the most expensive and finest pack from the store, "Marlboro, how about it?"

"Perfect." Zhang Feng took the cigarettes and left.

Meanwhile, across the street.

"A master just walked out!" One of the underlings glanced at Zhang Feng, who had just stepped outside.

"His way of walking has hints of Xing Yi’s Dragon Form."

The underling continued, then shook his head, "No, wait, it seems it also has some Ba Gua stepping influences?"

He rubbed his chin, "Such a master? And he’s from the restaurant across the street? Could he be Chef Zhang?"

"Whether he’s Chef Zhang or not, I don’t know." Another underling frowned and instinctively wanted to stand up, "But I know he must be very skilled in fighting!"

"Sit tight." Mantis Finch lightly tapped the table with his palm, "Eyes on your noodles. Eat properly."

Once the boss spoke, the two withdrew their gazes and stopped watching.

However, their postures were tense, ready to spring into action for offense or defense at any moment.

Yet Mantis Finch sat calmly, eating his noodles in big bites.

Slurp slurp~

As Zhang Feng dodged a car and reached the entrance of the noodle shop, Mantis Finch had just finished eating.

Simultaneously, as Mantis Finch saw Zhang Feng step in, he stood up first and looked at Zhang Feng, obviously much older than him, "Friends call me Mantis Finch.

Are you Chef Zhang?"

"Yes." Zhang Feng glanced at his two underlings, then at Mantis Finch,

"Drop-step shoulder punch, sticking chest punch; the three of you practice Tai Chi Mantis Fist?"

Tai Chi Mantis Finch is one of the Mimicry Boxing styles.

It was first named by the revered ancestor, Song Zi De, marking it as a traditional old mantis style.

Zhang Feng also practiced it.

’He could identify my background at a glance?’ Mantis Finch was surprised inside.

Although many knew he practiced mantis boxing, being able to speak of his roots wasn’t surprising.

But directly pointing out their exertion styles at a glance showed deep expertise.

"Impressive, impressive!" Mantis Finch thought to himself but instead smiled and said, "My two brothers here were guessing whether you practice Xing Yi or Ba Gua, yet they didn’t expect you to identify our old mantis style at a glance."

"Just a coincidence." Zhang Feng was not modest with this statement.

Because in every world, even if the boxing names are the same, the practices within might not be equivalent.

Zhang Feng noticed their familiar force exertion, so he pointed out their ’skill’ on a whim and was correct.

Similarly, when two unfamiliar martial artists meet, pointing out skills is equivalent to a courteous ’light tap’.

The implication is ’I can see through your foundation at a glance, there’s no need to exert ourselves, to avoid resulting in real conflict’.

And in this ’literary duel’, Zhang Feng won completely.

Meanwhile.

Mantis Finch seemed to not care about this, instead took out a business card and handed it to Zhang Feng,

"Brother, I’ve opened an underground fighting arena. If you’d like to visit, just call me, and I’ll arrange a good private room for you."

"Thank you, Brother Mantis." Zhang Feng didn’t expect the conversation to go so smoothly, but prepared to open the cigarette pack to offer him some,

"Whatever the charges are, I’ll pay in full, I won’t short you."

"Let’s not talk about that." Mantis Finch suddenly reached for Zhang Feng’s cigarettes.

Zhang Feng instinctively pulled his hand back, then offered them forth, placing them directly in his palm.

Zhang Feng also let go at the same time, the soft cigarette pack without a single crease.

"Total control over power?" Mantis Finch’s eyes lit up, then he glanced at the cigarettes Zhang Feng offered, and happily pocketed them, "Can’t beat you in words, can’t overpower you physically.

This pack of cigarettes is worth a lifetime of private rooms; to be friends and save me face, wouldn’t you say?"

"You’re quick on the uptake." Zhang Feng laughed, "Come by my shop for some noodles when you have time."

Zhang Feng pointed at this shop, "I cook better than Old Forest’s place."

’Taking them away would be wonderful...’ The owner of Old Forest’s place, not far away, sincerely hoped that Chef Zhang across the street could invite this gang boss over.

"Great! But I can’t accept without doing anything." Mantis Finch waved, motioning his two underlings to leave, "When next month’s fight is on, I’ll come for noodles. I’ll invite you over to play, so do come."

With that, he walked away.

It was only then that Ah Hang dared to come closer.

"Big Boss Chef!" he laughingly enquired, "What did you talk about with Big Boss Mantis Finch?"

"We talked about noodles." Zhang Feng replied casually, then looked at Ah Hang’s beaten-down car by the door, "Give your car a paint job. Soon, you’ll need to go out, and it’s not fit for appearances with this kind of look."