Jiang Xun was just about to explain the reason when a notification sound suddenly echoed in his mind.
[Ding!]
[Scenario Triggered: Debt Collection]
[Option 1: Kneel and kowtow, weeping and wailing as you beg Brother Hu for a half-month extension.]
[Option 2: Straighten your back and grin: "Your Grandpa Jiang just doesn't have the money. What are you going to do about it?"]
[Option 3: Expressionless, calmly inquire about the price: "How much is my sister, Jiang Wanxing, worth? If the price is right, you can take her now."]
[Time: 30... 29... 28...]
Jiang Xun's eyelid couldn't help but twitch.
It seemed the more critical the situation, the less time he was given.
Is this damn System... specifically here to sabotage me?!
His original plan was very clear.
That was to buy time. In Jiang Xun's memory, before the Original Owner's father entered the mountains, he had told him about a growth spot for a Spirit Medicine, but it was extremely dangerous.
Previously, he hadn't considered it because he valued his life, but now that he owed such a massive debt, he knew he was at a dead end, so he wanted to take one last gamble.
If they wouldn't agree, he would fight to the death.
Jiang Xun wanted to use this to tell Brother Hu that he still had value.
With this series of moves, although he couldn't completely solve the problem, he had at least a seventy percent chance of securing a half-month buffer period.
But now, these three options were like three crooked blades, forcing him down completely different paths.
Kneel and beg for mercy? That was something the Original Owner might have done, but definitely not the current Jiang Xun.
Sell his sister and ask for a price? Even more impossible; that crossed his basic bottom line.
That only left Option 2... arrogant provocation, flipping the table directly.
This ran completely counter to his original intention of "stable negotiation."
Brother Hu's patience had clearly run out.
Seeing Jiang Xun's silence, the gloom on his Face deepened, and his fan-like hand grabbed toward Jiang Xun's collar with a gust of wind:
"Are you mute? I'm asking you a question..."
Now!
In a flash, Jiang Xun made his decision.
The System wants to disrupt my rhythm? Then I'll just change the rhythm!
Since the path of gentle negotiation was blocked by the options, he would use the most direct method to seize back the right to speak!
This was the intuition of a gacha game expert.
With a thought, he locked onto Option 2.
Almost the instant he made the choice, his body, which had been slightly hunched to deal with the grab, suddenly straightened.
The forced calm on his Face faded, and the corner of his mouth curled into a nearly rogue-like smirk.
Instead of retreating, he took a half-step forward, shook his shoulder to skillfully dodge the large hand, and simultaneously twisted his right fist from his hip, exerting force without any flourish.
Like a taut bowstring suddenly released, carrying the wind whipped up by the First Level of Qi Refining, it smashed solidly into Brother Hu's fleshy Face!
As the other man recoiled, Jiang Xun took another step forward and slammed a punch into Brother Hu's chest.
All of this happened in a mere heartbeat.
Before anyone could see clearly, Brother Hu went flying backward.
Jiang Xun naturally wouldn't fight an unprepared battle; before coming, he had put all his skill points into Military Boxing.
Every move and every stance was powerful and heavy.
"What of it?" Jiang Xun's voice exploded simultaneously with the dull thud of his fist hitting the nasal bone, not loud, but resolute.
"Your Grandpa Jiang just doesn't have the money!"
Bang!
A tooth-aching sound of impact.
Brother Hu hadn't expected this habitually weak gambler to dare to strike, nor had he expected this punch to be so fast and so heavy.
His vision went black, a crushing pain radiated from his nose, and warm liquid gushed out. He was knocked stumbling backward, overturning the table behind him, as dice and wine bowls shattered all over the floor.
[Ding! Option completed. Reward: proficiency +150, Body Tempering Liquid (Basic) x1.]
The rewards have become more generous?
Jiang Xun felt a surge of joy in his heart.
"Fuck! You dare to hit me!"
"This is rebellion! Kill him!"
Brother Hu's lackeys froze for a moment, then roared as they lunged forward.
They were all town thugs with some brute strength, but they had no technique.
Jiang Xun shifted his footing, sidestepping the first wooden club swung at him. He clamped his left hand like an iron vise onto the opponent's wrist and twisted it back, seizing the club amidst screams. He then swept it horizontally, knocking down another guy lunging from the side.
His movements were concise and efficient, carrying the essence of force generation granted by his Chop skill. Every strike landed on the most painful or critical points of the human body to break balance.
He didn't linger. After repelling the first wave of attacks, he took two steps toward Brother Hu, who was sprawled in the wood splinters clutching his Face and howling, and knelt down.
Seeing Brother Hu subdued, the thugs stopped one after another, not daring to step forward.
The other gamblers in the gambling den had long since shrunk into the corners, not daring to breathe loudly.
Using the seized wooden club, Jiang Xun lightly poked Brother Hu's ribs, which resulted in an unnatural indentation and an even more painful groan.
"Listen," Jiang Xun's voice returned to a steady, even leisurely pace, but it was exceptionally clear in the dead silence of the room and Brother Hu's suppressed groans of pain.
"Before my father left, he did tell me about a place. It's not some patch of chixin grass, but a true Spirit Medicine. He lost his life in the mountains just to pick that thing."
He paused, looking into Brother Hu's eyes, which peeked through his fingers—eyes filled with a mix of pain, shock, and malice.
"That place is very dangerous. I valued my life before and didn't dare go. Now that I owe you money and have no other way, I can't bring myself to do something as beastly as selling my sister to survive."
Jiang Xun's tone was flat, as if he were talking about someone else's business. "All I have left is this worthless life, which isn't worth much anyway. I'll go try. If I succeed and bring back the Spirit Medicine, never mind ten taels, it'll be worth a hundred taels.
The money will naturally be paid back to you."
"If I don't succeed," he leaned in slightly, his voice dropping lower, making Brother Hu's whole body go cold, "don't I still have a sister at home? She's young and hasn't fully grown yet, but the foundation is there. You're not the only one in town with sharp eyes.If I don't come back, she'll be an orphan... at that time, how much you can grab depends on your own ability. But if you touch her now, you'll be forcing me into a desperate struggle where we both lose, and you'll get nothing."
Carrot and stick, the pros and cons were laid out clearly.
Brother Hu made a wheezing sound in his throat. The pain from his broken ribs made his vision dim, but what shocked him even more was the ruthlessness and composure Jiang Xun was displaying now.
Is this fucking Jiang Xun, the one who would kneel and cry for mercy after losing everything?!
Could it be he was hiding his strength before? And now that he's been pushed to the brink, he's just letting loose?
"You..." He wanted to curse, but the movement agitated his injuries, causing cold sweat to pour down from the pain.
He gritted his teeth and issued a warning, "Do you know that practicing martial arts is a great taboo in Yunshan Town?"
"Wasn't this forced by you lot?"
Jiang Xun naturally knew that practicing martial arts was a major crime in Yunshan Town, so he only relied on his fists and physical strength. If questioned later, he could just say he was naturally strong.
"It's fine if you don't agree." Jiang Xun stood up, clutching the wooden club. His gaze swept over the lackeys who didn't dare step forward again, before finally landing back on Brother Hu's Face.
"Kill me here right now? See if the Immortals at the Deacons Office care.
Or, I could go to the Town Head, or bang a gong outside the courtyard where the Immortals live, and have a good talk about how many people you, Brother Hu, have accidentally crippled or hounded to death over the years to collect debts.
What was the very first rule set by the Immortals?"
Brother Hu's pupils shrank violently.
To prevent anyone truly desperate from filing a complaint, he had arranged many people near the Immortals' Deacons Office. If any debtor approached, they would be knocked unconscious and taken away immediately.
But that was for dealing with ordinary peasants! The Jiang Xun before him had suddenly become so troublesome. If he really went all out to make a scene... and the matter blew up, exposing his own unsavory deeds, Zhao Peng would definitely be the first to throw him out as a scapegoat to clear his own name!
His life was quite comfortable; he didn't want to die early.
He thought about it. Anyway, the money Jiang Xun owed was all from a setup, so there was no real cost involved.
"...Fine." Brother Hu squeezed the word through his teeth, each syllable accompanied by bloody froth. "Half a month, just half a month! Jiang Xun, remember your words today! If I don't see the money by then, I'll..."
Brother Hu was also feeling ruthless. Having lost Face in front of so many people, he had to get it back. He still had to say some harsh words.
The money itself didn't matter, but he wanted to be in the right. Owing money and then hitting the collector—is that something a human does?
"Rest assured." Jiang Xun interrupted his threats and casually tossed the wooden club onto the ground with a clatter. "I want to come back alive even more than you want me to."
With that, he stopped looking at the mess in the room and Brother Hu's venomous eyes. He turned, parted the silent crowd, lifted the door curtain, and stepped out into the cold night air.
Jiang Xun slowly exhaled the pent-up frustration he had been holding, feeling the slight stinging pain from his knuckles. He had used his full strength in that punch just now.
It's settled, for now.
But it left behind even more hidden dangers.
Just as he reached the mouth of the alley, a figure stepped slowly out from the deeper shadows nearby, blocking his path.
The person was not tall and wore a grey cloak.
The glow from a distant lantern at the alley entrance barely outlined the figure's silhouette. Their Face was unclear, but Jiang Xun felt a calm, scrutinizing gaze fall upon him.
The newcomer spoke. The voice was neither high nor low, but from its sweet tone, it was a young girl.
The person asked:
"Hey! That Spirit Medicine you mentioned, where is it?"