Chapter 177: Reason is Weakness, Fists are the Truth

Chen Huajiang knew a thing or two about Zhao Sanhu. After all, to become a village leader, one had to have some connections and a certain reputation.

Hexi Village was located downstream of the Sanchahé River, where river sand was abundant. With the rapid development of the real estate industry in later generations, the demand for river sand surged crazily.

Hexi Village capitalized on its natural surroundings—relying on the mountain when near the mountain, and on the water when near the water. Zhao Sanhu was the very first person in Hexi Village to engage in the sand-mining industry. At his peak, he owned more than a dozen sand-mining boats, making him arguably the most successful man in Hexi Village.

As for the present, Chen Huajiang had no idea what he was doing. After all, most of his memories regarding this man were forged from the days of the latter's future success.

Zhao Sanhu frowned. He had not expected Chen Huajiang to offer to return double the bride price.

This already showed great respect to Hexi Village, but since this matter concerned Zhao Tiehu's family, he still had to consult their wishes.

He walked back, but Zhao Tiehu was naturally unwilling to accept the terms.

"No way! I only want Wu Min, and I don't want the bride price returned!"

"I paid the bride price, and her family accepted it, so the deal is done. Wu Min is my wife now, and there's no way you're getting out of it by returning the bride price."

"You two adulterers! Do you take me, Zhao Tiehu, for a pushover? Don't talk about double the bride price—even if you offered ten times the amount, I wouldn't agree!"

Zhao Tiehu waved his arms with a resentful expression, glaring hatefully at Chen Huajiang as he shouted with a ferocious look on his face.

"Damn it! What kind of nonsense is this? Do they really think our Hedong Village is a soft persimmon? Hexi Village is in the wrong here!"

"Who told you that accepting the bride price makes her your wife? Wu Min never took it; her relative did. Returning double the bride price is already showing you respect. Don't be so shameless!"

"Do you think our Hedong Village is afraid of your Hexi Village? If you refuse to be reasonable, then let's fight! Who's afraid of whom?"

Provoked by Zhao Tiehu's words, the young men of Hedong Village grew furious as well. Brandishing their weapons, they shouted angrily.

The people of Hexi Village were naturally not about to back down either. A shouting match erupted between the two sides, and the hostility at the scene flared up instantly.

"Zhao Sanhu, I, Chen Huajiang, will lay my words out here today as well. The matter is simple: if everyone wants to be reasonable, I, Chen Huajiang, will be reasonable."

"If you refuse to be reasonable, fine, then let's fight it out. It's not a day or two that Hedong Village and Hexi Village have been brawling; who has ever been afraid of the other?"

"Today, let's start with a duel between the leaders. If you yield, the matter is settled; if you refuse to yield, we'll continue tomorrow by gathering all our men for an all-out brawl."

Chen Huajiang looked at Zhao Sanhu and said in a loud, clear voice. This was no longer a time for reason; one side had to overpower the other to resolve the conflict.

Either the east wind prevailed over the west wind, or the west wind prevailed over the east wind. There was no third path.

"Fine! I, Zhao Sanhu, will take you on and see just how damn arrogant you are to pull off stealing another man's wife and still act so brazen!"

Zhao Sanhu shouted, waving his hand to signal the villagers to step back. He strode to the center, slapping the label of immorality onto Chen Huajiang.

"Ha! I never expected someone with such thick eyebrows and big eyes to play such a shameless, black-and-white-reversing trick. I really look down on you now."

"Enough with the nonsense! Take a beating like a man—let's see what you've got with your fists!"

Chen Huajiang let out a laugh, speaking with utter disdain.

At the same time, he took off his cotton-padded jacket, tossed it directly onto the ground, and strode forward.

"Get him! Beat him down!"

"Sanhu, go for it! Beat him to death!"

The people of Hexi Village raised their weapons and shouted at the top of their lungs, cheering for Zhao Sanhu.

"Get him! Beat him down!"

"Huajiang, go for it! Take him down!"

Meanwhile, the people of Hedong Village cheered loudly for Chen Huajiang.

Zhao Sanhu made the first move, lunging forward with a stepping motion and throwing a right hook aimed straight at Chen Huajiang's head.

Chen Huajiang did not flinch. Instead of retreating, he advanced, guarding his head with both fists and executing a side slide-step to evade the attack while closing the distance.

This had to do with their heights: Chen Huajiang stood at only one meter seventy-five, while Zhao Sanhu was just over two meters tall, and their armspans differed accordingly.

At a disadvantage in height and reach, Chen Huajiang needed to close the distance to offset these disadvantages and mount a better defense.

"Looking for death!"

Zhao Sanhu's hook was merely a feint. Seeing Chen Huajiang rush in to close the distance, he sneered coldly with a look of contempt.

Having a military background, he possessed his own set of techniques for close-quarters combat. He instantly pivoted and drove his elbow horizontally toward Chen Huajiang's head.

It was a sweeping blow with a wide range, virtually impossible for an ordinary person to dodge.

However, Chen Huajiang was no ordinary person. His combat experience, particularly in close-quarters fighting, was extremely rich. On the spot, he ducked low and drove a punch straight into Zhao Sanhu's ribs.

With a dull thud, Zhao Sanhu winced, doubled over, and stumbled back a step. He raised both hands in front of his head in a defensive posture, struggling to breathe and finding it hard to draw a breath due to having the wind knocked out of him.

The expression on Zhao Sanhu's face finally shifted. Gone was his earlier confident smugness, replaced by a grave expression.

Through this brief exchange, he realized that Chen Huajiang was a trained fighter—not the pushover he had previously imagined he could knock down in two or three moves.

Having landed his first blow, Chen Huajiang pressed his advantage relentlessly, launching a frantic onslaught. His fists struck out in a rapid blur, pelting Zhao Sanhu like a rainstorm.

Although Zhao Sanhu's defense was properly positioned, he had lost the rhythm and was beaten back step by step under Chen Huajiang's assault.

"Good! Great hit!"

"Brother Huajiang is awesome!"

"Beat him to death!"

Seeing Chen Huajiang relentlessly press Zhao Sanhu, the people of Hedong Village instantly grew jubilant, their morale soaring sky-high.

"Hang in there, Sanhu! Keep going!"

"Hold your ground, Sanhu! You can do it!"

Though the people of Hexi Village were still cheering for Zhao Sanhu, their morale had already plummeted significantly, and their shouts lacked the booming volume of Hedong Village's cheers.

A prolonged defense inevitably leads to a mistake, especially when facing an expert like Chen Huajiang. It was not long before Zhao Sanhu was defeated.

Seizing the opening as his opponent stumbled backward, Chen Huajiang lunged forward and leaped into the air. In mid-air, he wrapped both arms around Zhao Sanhu's head, locking his hands tightly behind the back of his neck, and drove his right knee upward with tremendous force straight toward his face.

Although Zhao Sanhu had both fists raised to guard his head, how could the strength of his arms withstand a flying knee strike—especially with the added momentum of Chen Huajiang's running jump and acceleration?

In an instant, Zhao Sanhu crashed to the ground, his mind spinning and nosebleeds gushing forth, unable to crawl back up for a long time.

"He won! Huajiang won!"

"Well done! Chen Huajiang won!"

"Brother Huajiang is mighty! That was a gorgeous victory!"

Seeing Chen Huajiang defeat Zhao Sanhu, the young men of Hedong Village grew ecstatic, waving their weapons as their cheers shook the sky.

"Sanhu! Sanhu!"

"Sanhu, are you alright?"

"Damn it! Let's go all out and fight them!"

Chaos broke out among the people of Hexi Village. Rushing forward, some hoisted Zhao Sanhu up while others brandished their weapons, preparing to clash with Hedong Village.

"All of you, shut your damn traps! Do you want me to lose both the fight and our pride?"

Zhao Sanhu roared in a low, furious voice. He took a deep breath, wiped the gushing nosebleed from his face with his right sleeve, and smeared the blood away.

Stopping the young men who were about to charge into battle against Hedong Village, he glared viciously at Chen Huajiang. "Fine, fine, fine. I didn't expect you to be a trained fighter. This time, I, Zhao Sanhu, admit I lost."

"But don't even dream of making me yield! Tomorrow, we'll gather our men and settle this score at the Sanchahé River!"

Gritting his teeth as he spoke, he turned around and stalked off in a rage.