After dinner, Yang Jian returned to the cell and found Cheng Pu waiting for him, with the other six young men gathered around him, glaring menacingly.
"Kid, you're pretty arrogant today, treating my words like air, hogging everything for yourself. Where do you get off?"
Before Yang Jian could reach his bunk, Cheng Pu's voice came from behind.
Yang Jian slowly turned to face him. "Are you looking to die?"
Cheng Pu froze for a moment, then burst into laughter. "Oh ho, big talk, huh? Come on, let's see how you kill me?"
The young men beside him also laughed, looking at Yang Jian like he was an idiot. Daring to challenge Cheng Pu in this place was practically asking for death.
Yang Jian scanned everyone's faces, said nothing, and walked directly to his bunk to sit down. He was trying to control his emotions so he wouldn't cripple anyone during the fight, which would only lengthen his sentence. Wasting time on these lowlifes wasn't worth it.
"I thought you were some hotshot, but turns out you're just a coward. Weren't you going to kill me? Why aren't you doing anything?"
Cheng Pu was trying to provoke Yang Jian, while Yang Jian was waiting for him to make the first move, still choosing silence.
"Little Six, go get this new brother a draft beer to calm his nerves. He had a rough night yesterday."
Thinking Yang Jian was scared, Cheng Pu began to lay down the rules for him.
Little Six was the youngest among them, probably only eighteen or nineteen, and quite lean. He heard Cheng Pu's command and scurried into the washroom, fetching a plastic cup used for rinsing his mouth and filling it with urine. He then brought it out.
"Bro, this is our own brewed draft beer, still warm. Have a sip."
Little Six thrust the cup in front of Yang Jian, a pungent odor hitting him.
Yang Jian didn't flinch at the filth. He took the cup with his right hand, and his left hand shot out, grabbing Little Six by the throat. He shoved him forward, pinning him against the wall.
Little Six, caught off guard, tried to resist but found the grip like iron clamps, making it impossible to breathe or break free, let alone attack.
As Little Six's mouth opened, Yang Jian poured the urine from the cup straight into his mouth.
"You bastard, dare to lay a hand on me? Let go quickly."
Before Cheng Pu could say anything, two of Little Six's companions rushed forward.
Yang Jian waved his left hand, and Little Six was lifted and thrown, crashing into one of his companions. Both fell to the ground.
Before the other could reach him, Yang Jian took a step forward, his right leg lashing out like lightning. The young man cried out and was sent flying backward, hitting the cell's iron door before sliding down, motionless on the ground.
The sequence of movements was so fast that Cheng Pu and the other three young men were stunned.
Little Six crouched on the ground, gagging and retching, trying to expel the urine he had swallowed.
His companions retreated fearfully to the corner. The opponent was too fierce, not only strong but also fluid and skilled in his movements. It was clear he was a trained fighter, not someone they could handle.
"Come on, guys, get him."
Realizing he had encountered a tough opponent, Cheng Pu finally reacted. He shouted and stood up from the communal bunk, lunging like a wolf, intending to use the terrain and his height advantage to tackle Yang Jian.
The other three hesitated. They had seen that Yang Jian was trained and was also tall and muscular, making him a difficult opponent. They were observing, waiting to see if Cheng Pu could subdue him. If he succeeded, they would join in the beating, thus not offending Cheng Pu.
If Cheng Pu lost, they would have to acknowledge Yang Jian as the leader, which was an unwritten rule in prison.
Despite the opponent's imposing size and ferocity, Yang Jian showed no panic. Instead of retreating, he advanced. As Cheng Pu embraced him, placing his hands on his shoulders, Yang Jian twisted his body, using his back to push against Cheng Pu's chest. With knees slightly bent, he used Cheng Pu's momentum to his advantage, employing the principle of using minimal force to overcome superior strength.
Cheng Pu's two-hundred-plus-pound body flew over Yang Jian's head, somersaulting in mid-air before crashing heavily onto the ground with a thud.
"Ouch, my back is broken, my legs are broken. Guard, come quickly, someone's killing me!"
Cheng Pu writhed on the ground, finding it difficult to stand. To avoid further blows, he cried for help.
Yang Jian ignored him, his eyes fixed on the other three young men who hadn't moved. "Are you coming or not?"
"No, no, Big Brother, you're too strong. We won't mess with you."
The three young men capitulated in unison. It was a joke; Cheng Pu, so large, had been easily thrown. If they went up, they'd be flattened like pancakes.
Yang Jian knew the guards would arrive soon. "Then do you know what to say when they get here?"
"Yes, yes, they attacked first, and you just dodged a few times without retaliating. They all fell down on their own."
"No, they fought amongst themselves. It has nothing to do with me."
"Right, right, they fought amongst themselves. You didn't do anything, and it has nothing to do with you."
In prison, as long as you weren't caught red-handed by the guards, anything could be twisted with lies, depending on who had the stronger fist.
Yang Jian looked at the three, Little Six and the others. "And you three, do you know what to say?"
Little Six spat out a few times. "Brother, I was wrong. We fought amongst ourselves. It has nothing to do with you."
Cheng Pu saw that everyone had switched sides and knew the power dynamic in the cell had changed. He was no longer the boss, but he was helpless.
Hearing footsteps approaching, Yang Jian quickly sat back down on his bunk.
"Who's yelling? What the hell, why are you all lying on the ground?"
A surprised guard stood at the doorway, then unlocked the door with his key.
"Little Six, what's going on? Did you guys get into a fight? Who started it?"
"We didn't fight. We just slipped. Guard, everything's fine here."
Little Six didn't dare offend Cheng Pu.
"Cheng Pu, you tell me, what happened?"
The guard knew they had been fighting. Cheng Pu used to beat others, but today he was lying on the ground. This was strange.
Cheng Pu struggled to sit up. Just as he was about to speak, he glanced at Yang Jian and saw him staring at him with a chilling gaze. He felt a shiver run down his spine. The look was filled with murderous intent. If he spoke carelessly, he might not even keep his life.
"Reporting, Guard, I don't know who spilled water on the ground. We all slipped. We weren't fighting."
"Really not fighting? You guys tell me, did they fight?"
The guard then turned his gaze to Yang Jian and the other four on the communal bunk.
One young man quickly nodded. "They didn't fight. They really did slip. Look, there's water on the ground."
There was still some of Little Six's unfinished urine on the ground, which did resemble spilled water.
"Alright, since you weren't fighting, get up. Don't cause any trouble, or you'll regret it."
The guard finished speaking and prepared to leave.
Cheng Pu called out, "Guard, please call a doctor. My leg seems to be broken, and I can't stand up."