Chapter 1, The Game of Inserting a Knife Between the Fingers

The miner covered his hands and began to wail

By the time everyone came to their senses, the dagger had already been plunged into the center of the table

After two strikes, Chen Jianqiu performed a flourish with his knife, tossing the dagger high into the air. With his right hand, he drew another dagger from the table and continued his performance

Just a few seconds later, Chen Jianqiu suddenly felt something was amiss, and he reached into his bosom.

Hey! Hey! That! Johnny expressed some dissatisfaction, shouting at the young miner

The onlookers behind were so astonished that their eyes widened, and some could not help but swallow. The miners' monthly salary was only 40 dollars.

The white miners watching stared at each other in confusion, with no one showing any intention to participate; instead, a few were whistling and cheering.

The town is not large; over a decade ago, it was merely a small horse-drawn carriage station. However, since the discovery of coal mines, the number of residents has gradually increased. Most of them are miners, along with merchants who provide them with food, clothing, and shelter.

"Skinny breed pig", why not go home and play with your XX, ahahaha!

Johnny was momentarily taken aback, but quickly regained his previous demeanor: "Kid, come and have some fun, it won't take long. If you don't have any money, you can buy on credit, after all, you are used to it, hahahaha!"

A few seconds later, a muffled groan was heard. As expected, the dagger was plunged into Johnny's hand, with blood oozing out from the wound.

"Young man, if you defeat me, this 10 dollars will be yours"

In 1881, Rock Springs, Wyoming

On the table lies a pocket watch, its second hand ticking away rhythmically.

Johnny reached out to grab the dagger on the table, but suddenly felt a tight grip on his wrist. It turned out that his hand had been firmly held by the young man in front of him, rendering him completely unable to move.

The number of Chinese people in this town is even greater than that of the white population, yet they work longer hours in the mines. Moreover, during their brief breaks, they prefer to stay in their residential areas with fellow citizens. Even when they occasionally visit the tavern, the Chinese miners are reluctant to speak loudly; they often sit quietly in the corners, discussing their own topics.

Chen Jianqiu drew out a dagger, and with a swift motion, a piece of cloth appeared in his hand as if by magic. The original owner of the cloth was the white miner who had just approached; at this moment, he looked at his empty sleeve, filled with indignation yet unable to voice his anger

Chen Jianqiu's face seemed to reveal no expression. He stood up, picked up his coin from the table, and took the 10 dollars from Johnny's front, shaking it in front of Johnny before putting it into his pocket. "Thank you, brother"

At this time, the night has already enveloped the town, yet the tavern in the center of the town is brightly lit

Johnny squinted his eyes; he first glanced at the pocket watch on the table, noting that 10 seconds had already passed. He was contemplating how to humiliate the young man before him in a more interesting way.

The young man stood up, grabbed another dagger from the table, and walked up to the white miner who had just been shouting, staring at him: "Just now, it was you who said you wanted to raise the stakes, right? Or was it you who called me 'yellow-skinned mule'?"

"Sir, I need to go back to make pancakes; I do not have time to play this with you." A standard English sentence came through, polite and courteous, which was somewhat inconsistent with his image

"Uncle, please take care of my flour for me," the young man said softly

Everyone was stunned until two daggers were thrust into the ground in front of Johnny with a "thud thud" sound

Hey buddy, do you want to play another round

Chen Jianqiu was momentarily taken aback. He glanced at Johnny and the somewhat unconvinced white miners behind him, then looked at the pocket watch on the table

Let us wager a hand

Little chick, have you never held a knife before

No one pays attention to the time on the pocket watch anymore; instead, Chen Jianqiu removed the cloth from his eyes and made a gesture of "please" towards Johnny

Grass, don't run away

Johnny took out 10 dollars from his pocket and slapped it on the table

Blood dripped from the dagger, and its owner, clutching his fingers, walked out of the inn in a huff. He needed to hurry to the town's grocery store to try his luck; otherwise, losing a few dollars would be the least of his worries, as tetanus and wound infection could soon claim his life

The young man ignored him and continued walking towards the door. A white miner rushed up, attempting to grab the young man.

Chen Jianqiu did not look at them again; he picked up his bag of flour and, amidst the astonishment of the crowd, whistled as he walked out of the tavern's door, and not a single person stopped him

The dagger fell, piercing between the thumb and index finger, and then slowly lifted, moving behind the thumb

The Chinese miners all lowered their heads, except for one person

"Impossible, this kid is cheating!" A white miner leaned forward, resting on the table to observe, but the small knife marks on the table proved that Chen Jianqiu's strikes were not only swift but also precise

The white miner shook his head like a rattle, but suddenly he felt a blur before his eyes, and a large gash had appeared on the back of his hand and on the book.

Chen Jianqiu's neck moved slightly, and he relaxed his shoulders

Suddenly, the muscles in his arm holding the dagger began to twitch, and the dagger moved abruptly. The onlookers did not even have time to see his actions; they only heard the sound of the dagger's tip striking the wooden table with a "thud thud".

Indeed! That 10 dollars has vanished into thin air

What they just engaged in is a game called "Knife Inserted Between Fingers"

Here you can find anything from the late 19th century American Western towns, including general stores, sheriff's offices, taverns, and even the young women who provided "special services" for the miners

Johnny scoffed disdainfully

He fumbled in his pocket for a while, slowly pulling out a 25-cent coin and placing it on the table. With his other hand, he drew out the dagger, its tip hesitating above the gaps between his fingers, seemingly uncertain of where to begin.

Chen Jianqiu did not seem to hear the elder's instructions; he walked straight to the table opposite Johnny and sat down

Johnny's face, whether due to the effects of alcohol or out of anger and embarrassment, turned bright red as he grabbed Chen Jianqiu's wrist firmly

Well then, sir, but I cannot delay for too long, as I need to return by 9 o'clock to prepare breakfast for tomorrow

The laughter of the crowd behind Johnny became even more unrestrained

I apologize, brother, I drank too much and didn't see you in front.

"Jian Qiu, don't go!" The old man with a white beard at the table shook his head at the young man while holding a smoking pipe, and said in Chinese, "This man comes from the south. It is said that he was once a famous cowboy, and now he works as a gunslinger under Sheriff Morris. No one within a few hundred miles can match him in knife play."

Fifteen seconds! And books

He shouldered a cloth bag and turned to walk towards the door

The young man suddenly stopped, his body slightly tilted, and the miner missed his target, hitting his head against the doorpost

They stared blankly in Johnny's direction, their eyes vacant

I also want to increase my bet, hahaha

The burly man with a face full of stubble swiftly drew the sharp dagger that was plunged into the table with one hand, while using the other hand to gather all the money on the table towards himself

The young man covered his eyes with a cloth strip, placed his left hand on the table, and swiftly plunged a dagger into the gap between his fingers with his right hand, demonstrating both speed and precision

Everyone was stunned

Chen Jianqiu's smile became increasingly evident: "How about we make a bet that's even more thrilling?"

Chen Jianqiu, carrying a cloth bag, stood at the entrance of the tavern, deep in thought about how to spend the 10 dollars he had earned, when he was suddenly bumped from behind.

A hazy mist envelops the streets of Shiquan Town, and the air is filled with the scent of dust

"Johnny, your drink." The tavern owner stepped out from behind the bar, handing a glass of whiskey to the burly man, "If you're looking to make some extra money, that's about enough; no one here is your match."

At this moment, the behavior of these Chinese miners clearly aligns with Johnny's consistent understanding

Chen Jianqiu's expression did not change significantly

Johnny only felt a shadow flicker before him, and another dagger was thrust into the table. He instinctively glanced at his waist, where there was only an empty dagger sheath left.

At this moment, Johnny's face had turned a pig-liver color, and he trembled as he reached to pull out the dagger in front of him, picking up a cloth to cover his eyes

Chen Jianqiu smiled slightly, indicating that he did not mind, and the Black man continued to stagger out.

The tavern fell silent in an instant, until someone who was staring at the pocket watch on the table reported the time taken for the previous operation.

A burst of uproarious laughter erupted from the crowd around the table, accompanied by coarse and vulgar language

"20 seconds!" A group of white miners behind the table exclaimed in surprise

Who is next

The bag was placed on the table, and the young man had turned around at this moment, his features sharp and well-defined, his brows like swords, with a torch in his heart and light in his eyes

Johnny's one hand lay open on the table, while the other hand gripped a dagger, poised to strike the surface. The tip of the dagger danced nimbly between his fingers, flitting about like a butterfly among flowers, captivating the onlooker's attention.

The daggers were thrusting faster and faster, and everyone felt that the two daggers on the table had become mere afterimages, flying up and down, a truly captivating sight

The laughter became more unrestrained and piercing. The Chinese miners sitting in the corner lowered their heads even further; having become accustomed to various insults since arriving in the United States, they chose to continue enduring.

A young miner stood up, his upper body almost bare, draped only in a half-black, coal-stained burlap vest. He had a well-proportioned and sturdy physique, glistening with a bronze hue under the tavern's lighting

"Johnny, you wouldn't want to take the money from these 'yellow-skinned mules,' would you?" A white miner behind Johnny laughed boisterously in a dialect.

Suddenly laughed

The dagger came to a halt, forcefully plunging into the table

He suddenly turned his head and saw a Black man in miner's clothing swaying his head drunkenly. Upon noticing Chen Jianqiu turn around, the man awkwardly straightened up, adjusted the slightly crooked vest that had been knocked askew, and then patted him on the shoulder

Johnny took another sip and began to scan the tavern with unrestrained eyes, eventually settling on a few Chinese miners in the corner