The three girls left the mall dejectedly and headed for the parking lot. I stuffed all the shopping bags into the trunk, keeping only the handbag with the necklace. There wasn't enough space, and I was afraid it would get crushed. The box was exquisite, looking even better than the necklace itself. I planned to use it for something else later.
Just as I was about to put the handbag into the car, a figure suddenly darted from the side and snatched the handbag from my hand before running off!
"Hey! Dare to rob us! How bold!" Chu Qi, who was on the other side of the car, was amused by this foolish thief.
"Master, you don't need to make a move. I'll handle it," I said confidently. I was just looking for an opponent to test my martial arts, and this guy had come right to my doorstep.
I unhurriedly tossed the car keys to Chu Qi, took off my jacket, tightened my belt, and even bent down to retie my shoelaces.
"Oh, stop pretending! He'll be long gone by the time you're done!" Zheng Bingbing urged.
"Alright!" I started running. With the boost from the demon core, my stamina was greatly enhanced. And thanks to Chu Qi's reinforcement of my leg muscles, I was running both fast and steady. Within two blocks, I caught up with the petty thief.
Seeing me closing in, the thief turned and entered a narrow alley.
Unfortunately, it was a dead end between two malls. A wall blocked the way ahead, and tall mall buildings flanked both sides. One of the malls had a small door on this side, which the thief tried to open, but it was locked.
"Let's see where you can run now," I stopped and took a deep breath. I intended to catch my breath, but I found that I didn't need to pant heavily; breathing wasn't difficult at all.
The thief, however, was panting heavily, sweat pouring out, and steam rising from his disheveled hair. He slowly placed the handbag on the ground and cautiously asked, "Big brother, you're amazing. I admit defeat. Please let me go!"
"I'm not involved in this. You can talk to the police officers," I said, pulling out my phone, ready to call.
"Hey! Big brother!" the thief shouted, startling me. "Don't push me into a corner! I'll have you know I'm also a person of standing. I advise you to be content with what you have, lest someone comes looking for trouble!"
"Are you threatening me?" I frowned. "I don't respond well to threats. In that case, you should look for trouble then! Come on, let's have a spar. If you win, you can go, and you can keep the stuff. It's just a little money; I really don't care about it."
"And if I lose?" the petty thief asked.
"Then there's nothing I can do. You can still go, but I'll have to take the stuff back."
"You're not going to call the police?" the thief asked warily, as if confirming.
I nodded. "As long as you spar with me properly, win or lose, I won't call. Don't worry!"
To show my sincerity, I slid my phone across the ground towards his feet.
The thief stepped on the phone and kicked it far behind him.
"Relieved? Come on then," I casually struck a stance.
"Heh heh, big brother, you're really something," the thief relaxed, stretching his wrists and ankles, actually laughing. "Damn it, I've been doing this for over ten years, and this is the first time I've met someone as reckless as you. Did you train, or what?"
"I trained for two days," I said truthfully.
The thief nodded. "To be honest, big brother, I've also trained, for five years. I'm from a martial arts school. If I hadn't been uneducated, I wouldn't have ended up on this path. Since big brother is in the mood, I'll spar with you. Come, Wing Chun, Li Biao!"
He even learned Wing Chun, impressive. Looking at his stance, it was indeed a Wing Chun opening. It's not that I understand Wing Chun, but I've seen the Ip Man movies.
I copied his pose and adopted a Wing Chun stance. The thief frowned. "Your footwork is wrong, that's not how you stand!"
"Then don't worry about it. Come on!" I beckoned him.
Li Biao advanced with small, quick steps, his left hand feinting towards my face, his real attack aimed at my right leg. I was using my qi-sensing technique, so I could see the changes in the qi flow in his limbs, which is how I discerned the feint from the real attack. But I didn't give him a chance to combine them. I didn't even dodge his left hand's feint. I directly raised my leg and kicked towards his knee!
*Crack!*
I was hit on the shoulder by his left palm, but since it was a feint, he didn't put much force into it, and I didn't feel much pain. However, my sidekick was aimed squarely at his right knee. I never expected it to have such power. I watched his leg bend backward at an exaggerated angle.
Immediately, a scream followed.
How inconvenient. I just wanted to have a spar, but now I have to take him to the hospital...