A Foodie Transmigrated into the Palace

Chapter 159: Chapter 158: Never Lost

Hidden Guards of the Royal Family were all around, so Qingqing’s safety was not a concern.

Right now, he had more important matters to attend to.

At this very moment, several thugs stood in the middle of the crowd, brutally beating a dark and skinny old man. Beside the old man, a skinny girl was kneeling. The girl looked to be about fifteen or sixteen years old. She wore yellowed, tattered clothes, and her hair was disheveled. However, her features revealed she was quite pretty and had fair skin. Cleaned up, she would undoubtedly be a sprightly young beauty. The pair seemed to be father and daughter.

This gang of rogues dared to bully people in the street!

Zhao Junyao was very angry and kicked one of those thugs fiercely.

The thug who was beating the man didn’t have time to dodge and took the kick squarely. He cried out in agony, then spat out blood, fell to the ground, and couldn’t stand up again.

The surrounding crowd suddenly erupted. But strangely, they didn’t seem to want to cheer. People were whispering and discussing fervently, but it was unclear what exactly they were saying.

Zhao Junyao paid no attention to them.

At that moment, another thug turned his head and shouted, ”Second Liu!!”

With that, he charged over. He glanced at his companion lying on the ground, spitting blood, and then at the man in white standing before him. A surge of anger instantly rose in his heart.

”It’s you! Are you with them?” After speaking, he pointed towards the dark, skinny old man who now lay on the ground, spitting blood.

Zhao Junyao sneered. ”Whether I’m with them or not, it’s wrong for you to beat someone in the street!”

The rogue immediately got agitated, gave a howl, and pulled a cloth belt from his waist. He held it in his hand like a whip. He too let out a sneer. ”No matter if you’re with them or not, you hurt my brother, which is wrong. Take this!”

With that, he lunged forward to attack.

Zhao Junyao glanced with disdain at the ’weapon’ in the thug’s hand, chuckled softly, and also assumed a fighting stance.

Bring it on!

Dispelling violence and maintaining peace was what he enjoyed most. Most importantly, Qingqing was watching not far away! He wanted to be her hero, wanted to see the sparkling light in her eyes. He had never placed any woman in his heart like this before! She was the only one!

That cloth whip, like a rattlesnake hissing, flew towards him like lightning. Zhao Junyao tapped the ground with the tip of his foot and instantly dodged. Then he landed on one foot, and his other leg, carrying a fierce wind, swung at his opponent!

Unfortunately, the thug bent over and stepped aside, also dodging. Although Zhao Junyao’s kick missed, he remained balanced and landed steadily on both feet.

One round, neither win nor lose.

Good kid, you’ve got some skills! He suddenly saw this thug in a new light.

The thug wore an old, gray, beltless robe. His hair was slightly messy, and his complexion was sallow and sickly. He stared intently at Zhao Junyao with sharp eyes, lips pressed tightly together, uttering not a word!

Before Zhao Junyao could relax his guard, the second round began. This time, it seemed to be even quicker than before. The cloth belt was like a green snake gliding through the water, unpredictable, moving left and right.

Zhao Junyao remained perfectly composed. His steps were steady, his body moved like a roaming dragon, weaving through the dense flurry of whip strikes. His movements were fluid and natural. His white figure moved like flowing clouds and water, exceptionally graceful and striking. Both of their moves were exceptional, so fast that the locals watching by the roadside were dazzled.

Only the last crimson streaks of twilight remained in the sky.

Dozens of rounds later, they were still equally matched, difficult to separate. Zhao Junyao still appeared unruffled, his movements effortless. The young thug, however, was sweating profusely and gradually showing signs of being unable to hold his ground. However, whenever he was pushed to the brink, Zhao Junyao would spare him three moves, allowing him to escape from the dangerous situation.

The young thug felt as if he were being toyed with, like a monkey! He grew even more infuriated! Despite barely being able to hold on, he still charged forward recklessly, time after time.

Zhao Junyao no longer needed to expend much effort to beat him. So, he kept letting him off.

Seeing Zhao Junyao’s leniency, the anger in the young thug’s eyes burned fiercely, so much so that his eyes seemed to turn crimson.

”Ah...”

Zhao Junyao was somewhat puzzled. As he parried, he sharply exclaimed, ”Kid, do you have a death wish!”

It was rare to find someone who could fight him for so long, even if... he was a street thug. Still, he was reluctant to kill him.

Perhaps... he should just teach him a harsh lesson!

With that thought, Zhao Junyao retreated a step, waiting for the thug to charge at him! Tapping the ground with his toe, he flipped and leaped lightly, landing a kick on the thug’s shoulder. Using that force, he landed steadily behind him. At the same time, he lifted a leg and kicked solidly against his back.

The young thug, caught off guard by the two kicks, pitched forward. With a THUD, he fell to his knees, unable to rise again.

”Boss Ting!”

”How dare you touch our Boss Ting!”

”That’s right! He dared to touch our boss! Don’t let this kid get away!”

With that, the group of young thugs swarmed forward.

Zhao Junyao paid them no mind, merely scoffing coldly. ”I never imagined a small county town like this would have such ruffians! You bully people in broad daylight on the streets; does The Government Office not care?”

The moment The Government Office was mentioned, the gang of thugs burst into laughter.

”The Government Office? What a joke! There’s no Government Office in this territory!”

Then, another ruffian corrected him, ”What do you mean, no Government Office? We *are* The Government Office! We run this county town!”

”Yeah! Aren’t we the ones running things?”

”You must be an outsider. I’m warning you, don’t stick your nose where it doesn’t belong. Mind your own business!”

”Exactly...”

Zhao Junyao appeared calm on the surface, but thought to himself...

It seems this is another case of incompetent, negligent officials! Heh, looks like I’ll have to clean house again.

Zhao Junyao couldn’t be bothered to waste more words on the ruffians. He was about to order his men to tie up these thugs.

Unexpectedly, the thug he had kicked down earlier managed to stagger to his feet, trembling. His face was even more sallow, his hair disheveled. A patch of blood stained his chest, and his thin frame clearly showed signs of malnutrition. Despite that, he still managed to stand up shakily.

Zhao Junyao was truly astonished. He had thought his kick might have been fatal, but unexpectedly...

Good lad, you really are tough as nails!

He began to feel a sense of admiration.

It was the kind of mutual respect that arises between experts. He hadn’t fought in a long time, and it was rare to meet a worthy opponent. What a pity this one was a ruffian, he lamented inwardly.

”Come... come on, I... I absolutely... won’t lose...!”

In this small county town, he had never lost a fight since childhood!