CHAPTER 196: CHAPTER 188: MA XIAOMING

"Boss Li, these three kids are my friends. This time, please do me the honor. I, Ma Xiaoming, will definitely repay Boss Li for this favor," Ma Xiaoming said to the tall and burly man opposite him.

"Pfft, how much is Ma Xiaoming’s face worth? Take a good look at yourself—do you think you even matter?" Another man beside Li Heizi scoffed, and the other several young men burst into laughter.

Ma Xiaoming ignored the others and just stared at Li Heizi. Li Heizi’s expression seemed to waver slightly. Ma Xiaoming’s skill with his hands was not bad; there wasn’t a lock he couldn’t open. Li Heizi had been trying to pull Ma Xiaoming into his gang, but Ma Xiaoming always worked alone, never joining forces with anyone.

Owning a favor from Ma Xiaoming could be really beneficial; who knows when it might come in handy. Li Heizi felt somewhat indecisive inside. On one hand, he wanted Ma Xiaoming to owe him a favor, and on the other hand, he coveted the belongings and money of Tian Sisi and her companions.

Li Heizi didn’t speak for a long time, and Liu Sancun grew anxious. He hurriedly whispered in Li Heizi’s ear, "Boss, that kid has quite a lot of money on him, handfuls of it. I saw it clearly just now."

"Really, Boss, I saw it too, at least one hundred yuan," another man chimed in.

The scales in Li Heizi’s mind swiftly tipped. One hundred yuan could last quite some time, not to mention all the other stuff in that basket! Most importantly, he had his eye on Tian Sisi’s neck—the camera she was wearing was high-class, flashy when taken out.

"Brother Xiao Ming, today I’m giving you face. As long as your friends hand over their money and belongings obediently, I’ll let them go and won’t fuss about them injuring my men. How about that?"

Ma Xiaoming frowned, thought for a bit, then turned to Tian Xinhua and said, "Maybe just listen to them. Losing money is better than a disaster. From now on, you kids should not go out without an adult; the city is in chaos!"

At that moment, Tian Xinhua also recognized Ma Xiaoming—the thief they had released when they first arrived in Beijing to stay at the hostel. Unexpectedly, the man was quite loyal, risking offending Li Heizi to come and warn them. Indeed, he was a real man.

"Brother Xiao Ming, don’t worry. My brother’s martial prowess is extremely high," Tian Sisi recognized Ma Xiaoming as well.

Ma Xiaoming sighed. These kids were too arrogant. Li Heizi was a well-known thug in this area, strong as an ox. Three or four men were no match for him, let alone two kids—no matter how highly skilled they were, could they really surpass Li Heizi?

Tian Xinhua casually asked He Chengsi, "You going in, or should I?"

"Of course, it’s my turn!" He Chengsi glared, annoyed. If it weren’t for Ma Xiaoming jabbering so much, he would’ve already wiped out this bunch of blind fools.

"Go Brother He!" Tian Sisi shouted, cheering for He Chengsi.

"Just wait for the show, Sister Sisi," He Chengsi said proudly, tilting his chin up at Tian Xinhua. It was finally his turn to shine.

He Chengsi charged into the fray against Li Heizi and his gang. In truth, Li Heizi was only king of the alley because of his brute strength. When faced with a real martial artist, his power was nothing significant. His ten or so men were practically useless in a fight, and within a few minutes, He Chengsi had knocked each of them to the ground.

"You call yourself Boss with just this little skill? Pah, shameless!"

Still not having had enough fun, He Chengsi, frustrated, gave a few more kicks to Li Heizi on the ground, inciting whimpers from Li Heizi. But he didn’t dare to whimper too loudly, fearing the little devil would kick him even harder.

"I told you my brother is really awesome!" Tian Sisi said with a giggly smile to Ma Xiaoming, who was standing there dumbfounded.

Ma Xiaoming rubbed his eyes, seemingly unable to believe that the arrogant Li Heizi had actually been defeated by a kid. It was only when he clearly saw Li Heizi lying on the ground did he realize how ridiculous his earlier action was. These three kids didn’t need him to send any warnings.

Ma Xiaoming nodded at Tian Sisi and turned to leave when suddenly, "Brother Xiao Ming, wait a moment!" Tian Sisi called out to him and shouted at Li Heizi on the ground:

"Hey, Li Heizi, right? Brother Xiao Ming is under our protection. If we find out you’ve retaliated against him behind our backs, hmm, next time you’ll get a taste of my brother’s Iron Sand Palm."

Tian Xinhua and Tian Sisi were in perfect sync; as soon as Tian Sisi finished speaking, Tian Xinhua struck and snapped the machetes brought by Li Heizi and his crew, sending chills down Li Heizi’s spine. Any thoughts he had of settling scores with Ma Xiaoming faded away.

"I dare not, I dare not, today I, Li Heizi, failed to recognize Mount Tai; truly, I am sorry!" Li Heizi was someone who could bend or stand straight as needed, and he immediately got up, smiling and speaking kindly to make amends.

A single "Scram" from Tian Xinhua was enough to send the dozen or so men running off without a trace in the blink of an eye—it really was a case of they came in a rush and left in a hurry.

"I’ll be going now, thank you!"

Ma Xiaoming was grateful for Tian Sisi’s words. He had hesitated for a long time before coming out to send a warning, and if it were just him, he wasn’t afraid of Li Heizi and his gang. But he had younger brothers and sisters to consider. After much hesitation, he still came - considering it returning the favor for being spared before.

He hadn’t expected this pretty little girl to think so thoughtfully, covering his back like that, and it seemed that Li Heizi probably wouldn’t dare to trouble his family anymore!

"Brother Xiao Ming, thank you so much for today, take these snacks back for your family to enjoy." Tian Sisi handed a bag of red shrimp candy and snacks from Rui Fang House to Ma Xiaoming.

Ma Xiaoming hastily refused; he hadn’t really helped much to deserve such fine gifts. But Tian Sisi didn’t say much more, just smiled, stuffed the treats into his arms, and urged Tian Xinhua to ride off.

Ma Xiaoming held the two bags of snacks, his eyes a bit moist. He sniffled and softly thanked the figures growing distant, then turned to head home.

However, he didn’t realize that his life had taken a turn that day, moving towards a future brighter than he could have ever imagined. In the years to come, Ma Xiaoming would be immensely grateful for the impulse he acted on that day.

"Brother Hua, do you think that Li Heizi will retaliate against Ma Xiaoming?" Tian Sisi was still a bit worried, given Ma Xiaoming’s frail physique, Li Heizi could knock him down with just one finger.

"He probably won’t, and besides, I think Ma Xiaoming has some skills, didn’t you see that Li Heizi gave him some respect?"

Tian Xinhua also found it odd what Li Heizi saw in Ma Xiaoming. Mr. Yun always said that masters can be found in the marketplace, and perhaps any old man performing under an overpass could be a martial arts master. So, one must never underestimate anyone in the streets and alleys.

Having become interested, Tian Xinhua planned to return to this alley after Ah Nan and the others had left, if Ma Xiaoming really had some skills, then he’d like to make his acquaintance. This was also what Mr. Yun had taught: be acquainted with people from all walks of life - the more connections, the better for getting firsthand information.

Tian Sisi thought about it and decided not to ask any further. After all, Ma Xiaoming was just a stranger!