Chapter 117: A unique competition
Zhang Nianzu led everyone to the back, where Thirteen Spices' men were already guarding. When Master Tang saw his boxers coming, he hurriedly asked someone to arrange for Li Asi to change his clothes.
Tang Ye's eyes were full of eagerness. He pulled Zhang Nianzu aside and asked, "How is your little brother doing today?"
Zhang Nianzu glanced at him and said, "We don't talk about our status when we fight."
"That's good, that's good." Mr. Tang responded with a few words and lowered his voice, "We have all bet a lot of money, you must try your best." Behind Mr. Tang were a dozen elderly gamblers. They were peeking in from the door of the locker room, with curiosity and excitement in their eyes. It was a bit like they were watching their own dog fights and cock fights.
Zhang Nianzu suddenly felt a sense of emptiness and annoyance. If it weren't for Wu Doudou and Lao Jiang, he would never have gotten involved in such a matter. He secretly swore that he would never do such a thing for money again.
Mr. Tang hesitated and said, "Jiang Zhicheng is also your friend. You should be very clear about his strength, right?"
Zhang Nianzu asked, "What do you mean?"
"I just want to know, how sure are you?"
Zhang Nianzu answered the question irrelevantly: "Don't worry, I will return the money to you if I lose."
Mr. Tang said anxiously, "This is not just a matter of 500,000! Not counting the outsiders, the bets in the venue alone tonight have exceeded 100 million!"
Zhang Nianzu said coldly, "Whether it's worth over 100 million or not is none of my business. Anyway, I just took 500,000 from you." Seeing the old man staggering, he patted him on the shoulder and said, "We will try our best." This was not against his heart at all. In order to make Ah Si lose the game, they put in much more effort than to win...
"Okay, if you have any needs, just tell my little brothers. I won't accompany you for a while." Mr. Tang's words were evasive. After all, the opponent was the nominal leader of Shisanxiang, and Lao Jiang was also one of their own, so some words could not be said too bluntly.
At nine o'clock, the host announced through the loudspeaker that the match was about to begin and the boxers from both sides entered the arena.
The stage in the center of Dick's Bar had been transformed into a boxing ring. Lao Jiang appeared in shorts and a cape, surrounded by a group of people. The people following him were all assistants and coaches of Ryuta Izumi Saburo, and they looked very professional. Lao Jiang's fans also began to cheer. Ah Si was accompanied by Zhang Nianzu and others in another corner. He was a complete stranger here and his momentum was much weaker.
Behind Ono Taro was Ryuta Izumi Saburo. He and Mr. Tang sat in the front row. When the two men met, they just bowed to each other. They had invested a lot of money in this game, so they had to be polite, but everyone could see that the tension was getting stronger.
This match was conducted according to the regular competition system, with a referee. It was divided into five rounds. Both boxers wore half-covered gloves. The host briefly introduced the rules like chanting a sutra. Then the referee came on stage. The host's tone suddenly became excited and he shouted, "Now, please invite the boxers from both sides to appear. The first to appear is Jiang Zhicheng——"
Many people were stunned. The real name of the man in the underworld was the least known to people. People of the same generation called him Lao Jiang, and the young people called him Uncle Jiang. Half of the people had heard of the name Jiang Zhicheng for the first time.
Seeing that everyone had fallen into the trap, the host shouted triumphantly, "Don't be confused or curious. You must be familiar with Jiang Zhicheng's other nickname, because he is: the Tiger of Thirteen Spices!"
Cheers, whistles, the overwhelming noise almost lifted the ceiling. Today's Dick Bar is different from the past. Those who have seats must be big shots, needless to say, even those standing in the last row are well-known figures. When Lao Jiang came on stage, more than half of the people followed him to make a noise. The name of the Thirteen Spices Tiger was earned by fighting alone. He single-handedly challenged 19 members of the Black Panther Gang, including 5 leopard-headed stick flowers. Is that a joke? Those who support Lao Jiang may not have a friendship with him, and it doesn't matter who he fights for. They bet on the Thirteen Spices Tiger's reputation to win money!
Lao Jiang waved and smiled around, still looking harmless.
Zhang Nianzu suddenly said, "Oh no, we were so focused on cooperating with Chiang Kai-shek that we forgot to remind him that he also has to cooperate with us."
Ah San asked, "What do you mean?"
Zhang Nianzu said, "Look at Lao Jiang, he looks so smiling, he doesn't look like he's here to fight. Once you're on this stage, you have to show your murderous intent." He hugged Ah Si's head and whispered, "Ah Si, if he continues to be like this, you should take the initiative to provoke him."
"Oh." Ah Si responded.
After a while of excitement, the host interrupted and said, "The next person to appear is Li Ah Si."
The cheers suddenly died down. This name was so unfamiliar that it actually acted like a fire extinguisher. Of course, there were many people betting on Ah Si, and they all pricked up their ears to listen to the host's introduction.
Then the host said: "No one knows where this player comes from, no one knows what kind of training he has received, no one knows his past, and no one knows whether he will achieve great success—"
Everyone was confused. Does that mean you don’t know anything?
This was also a trick played by the host. The name Li Ah Si really didn't have much gimmick, so he directly announced Ah Si's name at the beginning, and then tried his best to create a mysterious atmosphere...
Li Asi got anxious when he heard the host was so ignorant: "He didn't ask me either!"
Li Changgui pushed him on the back and said, "Stop talking nonsense and go."
Ah Si jumped onto the ring, and the referee signaled the two to take off their cloaks. After a few simple words, he rang the bell to start the match.
The two stood together and the audience was stunned again. Jiang had a loose belly, while Si was very skinny. Visually, it was a disappointment to the audience. Fat and bamboo poles, how come it doesn't look like other competitions? I don't ask for trapezius muscles or abdominal muscles, but you have to have some biceps, right? They are different. One is greasy and the other is bland. I feel like if there is a pot now, these two will jump in and cook a dish together, it will definitely look good...
Then the thing Zhang Nianzu was most worried about happened - Chiang Kai-shek stood there hesitantly. He knew that Ah Si would give in to him, so he was embarrassed to attack first. Ah Si came on stage with a mission, waiting to be beaten, and did not dare to attack first. The two men raised their four fists and looked at each other, just standing there.
The referee couldn't stand it anymore and shouted again: "Start!"
Ah Si suddenly remembered what Zhang Nianzu said, frowned, and glared at Lao Jiang with the look of a child whose snacks had been snatched away. Lao Jiang whispered, "Did you have a stomachache?"
Ah Si muttered, "Hit me!"
Lao Jiang said, "There are five rounds in total. I can't beat you right from the start, right? There has to be a back-and-forth, right?"
Ah Si said, "You hit me first. I want to see how heavy your fist is."
Lao Jiang said: "I am the host and you are the guest, so you should hit me first. Don't worry, I can withstand it."
Ah Si said: "Then I will really beat you."
"Go ahead."
…
Although the referee couldn't hear what they were saying, he knew they were chatting and couldn't help but ask angrily: "Are you two going to compete or continue chatting?"
