Chapter 9 of 10
Chapter 9
9 min read2,277 wordsMature
In the United States, the protection of minors is relatively strict.
At 18, the age specified by the U.S. Constitution for voting rights, is also the legal age of adulthood, the minimum age for military service, and employment. However, 21 is the true age of adulthood in the U.S., as there are many laws that restrict those under 21.
For example, in the U.S., tobacco and alcohol cannot be sold to anyone under 21, and those under 21 are not allowed to drink in public places, sit at gambling tables, or participate in gambling.
In the U.S., many adult venues and clubs require patrons to be 21 or older to enter. Therefore, turning 21 is the most celebrated birthday for young people, as from then on, smoking, drinking, and gambling are no longer legally restricted.
Because of this, when Jin Jingcheng heard the little girl say she was going to a bar to drink, he found it strange. When he followed the little girl and the young girl to the bar, he understood immediately.
The bar is called Fairy, which can be translated as "Fairy Bar."
Laws are often rigid and inflexible, but humans, the most cunning creatures in the world, are adept at adapting and finding loopholes, which also confirms the saying that nothing is absolute.
Although the U.S. has strict laws restricting minors, many young boys and girls still drink, smoke, and even gamble.
It's inevitable that some unlicensed bars dare to secretly allow minors to enter.
Fairy Bar is one such place. It's a small bar located in a secluded alley in the bustling Manhattan district of New York. The regular patrons of this bar are mostly local small-time hooligans and some high school girls, many of whom have been involved in prostitution from a young age.
In other words, the frequenters of Fairy Bar are not fairies but young troublemakers.
This time, the sisters specifically chose this small bar because it did not restrict minors. As they looked like Asian foreigners, the bar did not restrict them, as they had expected.
Before they went in, they had thought they might encounter hooligans in such a place, but they believed that even if they did, the hooligans wouldn't dare to openly harass them. They just needed to ignore them. However, they ended up encountering two arrogant hooligans.
Two real fairies were thus entangled by two young troublemakers in a place frequented by such troublemakers.
The main reason was that they were inexperienced and didn't know how chaotic and terrible such a place could be.
Jin Jingcheng, however, knew.
Once, under Tony's persistent urging, "that Jin Jingcheng" and Jose followed Tony to Fairy Bar. Tony's reason was to experience the life of contemporary American hooligans and high school girls. That day, "that Jin Jingcheng" and Jose couldn't bear the terrible atmosphere and left after less than half an hour.
Therefore, when Jin Jingcheng was brought to Fairy Bar by the sisters, he understood the reason.
The three of them didn't go inside but stood in a secluded corner outside the bar.
Jin Jingcheng pointed to the bar's entrance and asked the little girl and the young girl, "Is this the bar you came to before?"
The little girl and the young girl nodded in unison.
Jin Jingcheng smiled faintly, grateful that he wasn't too familiar with them yet. If he were, he would have warned them. However, he believed that this incident would naturally teach the two young girls a lesson.
At that moment, a burst of laughter came from the bar's entrance.
With the laughter, two men and two women walked out, all of them young. The two men were only 18 and were small-time hooligans. The two women were only 16 or 17 and were high school girls.
The little girl glanced over and quickly pointed at the two hooligans, saying to Jin Jingcheng, "It's them, it's them. Look, the backpack in their hands is mine."
The older sister also chimed in, "Yes, it's them."
Jin Jingcheng looked over and saw the two hooligans and two high school girls. Each hooligan was holding a high school girl, walking towards two motorcycles parked at the bar's entrance. Jin Jingcheng could guess that they were probably going to a hotel to rent a room. Having lived two lives, Jin Jingcheng was no longer surprised by such scenes.
Jin Jingcheng also noticed that one of the hooligans was holding a pink backpack.
Without hesitation, Jin Jingcheng was about to rush over but was held back by the little girl.
The little girl asked in surprise, "Are you going over there alone?" She had just realized that although the two hooligans were young, they were well-developed, standing at around 5'7" and not slender.
Jin Jingcheng smiled calmly, "Don't worry, if I dare to go, I have confidence."
Turning to the older sister, Jin Jingcheng said, "Watch over your sister and stay here. I'll be back soon, and it will be resolved in a moment."
The older sister responded with a dazed "Oh" and then grabbed the little girl's hand.
Thus, under the watchful eyes of the sisters, Jin Jingcheng walked out of the secluded corner and quickly approached the two hooligans.
The two hooligans, who were about to get on their motorcycles, initially didn't take notice, but when they sensed the intense aura emanating from Jin Jingcheng, they realized something was wrong.
"Hey, punk, what do you want?" the hooligan holding the pink backpack shouted at Jin Jingcheng.
Jin Jingcheng remained calm, exuding a cold aura, and suddenly lunged at the hooligan, his right fist clenched and swinging towards the hooligan. The hooligan reacted quickly, blocking with his arm, but it was no match.
Jin Jingcheng's powerful punch struck the hooligan's arm, and with a faint crack, the hooligan's arm broke, and he was knocked to the ground by the force.
The other hooligan rushed over and kicked Jin Jingcheng hard. Jin Jingcheng dodged quickly, grabbed the hooligan's leg with his left hand, and punched the hooligan's face three times, causing blood to gush from his nose. Then, he forcefully threw the hooligan to the ground.
The entire process happened in an instant.
In an instant, Jin Jingcheng had taken down both hooligans.
The two hooligans were struggling on the ground, one with a broken arm and the other with a bloody mouth.
This was true skill, Jin Jingcheng's true martial arts. To be precise, it was the Chinese martial arts "that Jin Jingcheng" had learned from Master Tang for a year!
"Jin Jingcheng" had met a tragic end not because he was weak, but because he had faced a dozen well-prepared and well-equipped gang members. Now, Jin Jingcheng was only facing two hooligans. If he couldn't handle this, then the year of Chinese martial arts "that Jin Jingcheng" had learned would have been in vain.
...
In a nearby corner, the little girl and the older sister watched in shock, amazed by Jin Jingcheng's dominance.
"Did you see that, sister?" the little girl asked in amazement.
"I saw it," the older sister replied in amazement.
"This uncle is really strong," the little girl said in amazement.
"Um," the older sister nodded in amazement.
Suddenly, the little girl and the older sister called out in unison, "Be careful!"
...
At the bar's entrance, after quickly taking down the two hooligans, Jin Jingcheng didn't intend to continue the fight. The main reason was that the little girl and the older sister were unharmed. Although the hooligans had been inappropriate with the older sister in the bar, they hadn't gone too far. Otherwise, Jin Jingcheng would have used harsher methods to punish them.
After confirming that the two hooligans wouldn't get up and fight back for a while, Jin Jingcheng bent down to pick up the little girl's pink backpack.
However, just as Jin Jingcheng picked up the pink backpack, a high school girl, whom he had ignored, suddenly pulled out a baseball bat from behind the motorcycle and swung it at his head.
A cold, eerie wind blew past.
Jin Jingcheng's sensitive intuition detected the cold wind behind him. Without turning around, he rolled to the side, landing on the ground and narrowly avoiding the baseball bat.
It was a close call; just a little more, and he would have been hit by the bat!
Jin Jingcheng quickly got up and glared at the high school girl, while the other high school girl, frightened, fled in a hurry.
"Sorry... sorry..." the high school girl who couldn't escape stammered.
Jin Jingcheng paused and said coldly, "You should be grateful that I don't hit women."
Jin Jingcheng had a bit of a macho attitude and didn't like to hit women.
However, he knew that in today's world, some women could be more terrifying and despicable than some men. His so-called "not hitting women" meant he wouldn't personally hit women, but it didn't mean he would tolerate anything they did. In the case of the high school girl's aggressive behavior, he wouldn't have forgiven her, even if he didn't hit her himself, he could find other ways to retaliate.
However, the current situation was special. He and the high school girl were just chance acquaintances, and they might never meet again. There was no need to get entangled with her, especially since the little girl and the older sister were waiting for him, and the scene was at the entrance of Fairy Bar, which was the territory of the high school girl and the two hooligans on the ground.
Jin Jingcheng understood the principle that delay could lead to complications. He didn't want to be surrounded by a group of hooligans and high school girls later. It wouldn't matter if he got hurt, but it would be bad if the little girl and the older sister were involved.
The real significance was that the recent danger had made Jin Jingcheng more vigilant.
"Starting tomorrow, no matter how busy I am, no matter what troubles I have, I must find more time to learn martial arts from Master Tang. The more skilled I become, the less danger I will face in the future."
While making this mental note, Jin Jingcheng reached into his pocket, where a small package, about the size of a glove, was placed.
Master Tang had given him this small package.
Jin Jingcheng felt the small package in his pocket, sensing the cold and sharp object inside.
"Less than a year is left of my study abroad. After returning to Korea, I will be very busy. In this year, I must make significant progress with this object."
With this thought, Jin Jingcheng didn't delay and immediately returned to the corner, quickly leading the older sister and the little girl away.
At a street corner on another street, Jin Jingcheng stopped when he saw the older sister and the little girl were out of breath.
Handing the pink backpack to the little girl, Jin Jingcheng said, "Check if anything is missing."
The little girl quickly checked and said gratefully, "Everything is here, the money is here."
Jin Jingcheng nodded, "It's getting late. I'll take you to a taxi."
The little girl said "Oh," and the older sister followed with an "Oh."
Compared to their previous attitude towards Jin Jingcheng, they now seemed much more obedient.
While waiting for the taxi, the little girl suddenly remembered something and pulled out two hundred dollars from her pocket, offering it to Jin Jingcheng, "We got our money back, here's your money."
Jin Jingcheng smiled, "No need. You two were scared tonight, consider it compensation for your mental distress."
The older sister suddenly said, "I'm not a kid, I'm almost 15."
The little girl looked at her sister in surprise, wondering why she was so concerned about this.
At that moment, a taxi arrived, and Jin Jingcheng stopped it. The older sister followed, and the little girl, after a moment's hesitation, carefully put the two hundred dollars back into the pink backpack.
Jin Jingcheng, with his keen eye for people, carefully observed the taxi driver, ensuring he wouldn't pose a threat to the little girl and the older sister, before signaling them to get in.
This small, considerate gesture was noticed by the two young girls, who were touched.
The little girl finally couldn't help but say, "Uncle, my name is Krystal, and my sister's name is Jessica."
Jin Jingcheng was taken aback, thinking, "So it's them!"
Jessica couldn't help but ask, "Will we see you again?"
Without hesitation, Jin Jingcheng replied, "We will definitely see each other again. Maybe I'll have the chance to accompany you for your first drink." Then he added to Krystal, "And you, little one, don't waste your first drink. Maybe I'll be the one to share it with you!"
Jessica was momentarily stunned.
Krystal felt that Jin Jingcheng's words to her were strange, as if they had another meaning.
The taxi honked, and the driver urged them.
Jin Jingcheng quickly helped Jessica and Krystal into the taxi.
As the taxi drove away, the sisters waved to Jin Jingcheng through the window, and he waved back, though he was certain this was only a temporary farewell.
"Jessica, did that uncle say we'll see him again?" Krystal asked in the taxi.
Jessica nodded dazedly, still a bit confused.
Krystal wondered, "But how will we see him again? After this vacation in New York, Jessica will continue her training in Korea, and I'll go back to San Francisco. Maybe in a couple of years, I'll also go to Korea for training..."
Page break for AD start
Page break for AD end