Translator: Larbre Studio
Editor: Larbre Studio
“Baigan?”
“Shaochun.”
“There aren’t too many women that enjoy Baijiu.”
“It started as a bad habit and now I can’t change.”
Li Yan didn’t speak, just observed her further.
A young lady in a ponytail and sporty outfit holding a bottle of Baijiu was really a sight to see.
She was watching Han Baiyu’s fight calmly when she suddenly raised her brow.
At first, Li Yan thought that he had annoyed her with his staring, but he later realized it was Zhou, in the ring, who had caused her reaction.
Dujia Fist didn’t sound like a prominent line of martial arts, but it happened to be one of the top four lineages in Shandong. It was even graced with the name Wensheng Fist, which meant calmness and intellect.
The Vietnamese man was nimble yet savage with his movement. He handled his dagger swiftly yet lethally. The way it just missed Zhou’s vitals sent chills down the audiences’ back.
Zhou avoided the dagger swiftly, then swung his body towards the left. His legs were bent, breaking his steady form, and suddenly, his fingers were right at the Vietnamese man’s neck.
It was then when the lady raised her brow.
The Vietnamese retracted his right arm and aimed for Zhou’s wrist. He didn’t think that when his dagger hit Zhou’s finger, he could twist to block the attack and the dagger wouldn’t pierce his skin.
The Vietnamese was shocked. Before he could realize what was happening, Zhou’s finger was already on his eyelids.
“The strength in his arm is that of Wensheng Fist, while the method of attack is Taichi Plum Blossom Mantis Fist’s Dragon Eye Trap. To combine the stability and strength of Wensheng Fist with the agility of Mantis Fist means that he is a genius of some sort. The man who was with Red Ghost, who used the Eight Trigram Palm, is fierce and more experienced, but he’s a little weak and thin. If he can capture his weakness, he can definitely put up a good fight,” murmured the lady with the long ponytail. Li Yan was stirred by the things she said.
She finished up her Baijiu, smacked her lips, and got ready to leave.
Li Yan suddenly called out to her, “Miss, you like to watch fights, huh?”
…
“You lost. Get off the stage on your own.”
His fingers had only scratched the eyelids of the Vietnamese, but the blood flooded his vision. He swallowed some saliva, going slightly pale, then finally put down his dagger, raised his arms in defeat, and left the stage without paying attention to the jeering audience.
The manager, Ruan Hongzhi nodded. With this match, Zhou had now won ten fights in a row. He was gaining a reputation for himself, but since he was so controlled in the ring, many gamblers found him boring to watch.
The rules of the ring required that fights ended when one of the fighters was unconscious or when one of them exited the ring. Otherwise, the match was considered incomplete. But Zhou was very controlled with his attacks. In ten of the matches he won, the opponent only sustained superficial injuries, besides the Malaysian who had been blinded in one eye when he tried to sneak up on Zhou.
As Zhou climbed down from the ring, he asked nonchalantly, “Mr Ruan, when can I fight against Li Yan?”
Ruan Hongzhi smiled as he replied, “There haven’t been too many great fighters in the rings these past few days. The only two people who have had ten continuous wins are you and Li Yan. Since Red Ghost ended his career, no one has qualified for the sixth round, and the seventh round also hasn’t been opened for a long time. According to the rules, you must have twelve continuous wins to qualify for the seventh round. So you’ll probably meet Li Yan in one of the next couple rounds.”
Zhou’s expression visibly relaxed as he replied, “That’s good.”
The lady turned around and glanced at Li Yan, her breath smelling of alcohol, “Are you hitting on me?” she asked.
Li Yan rubbed his nose as he replied, “Just a casual conversation.”
The lady smiled slightly, “Don’t be nervous. I’m just happy that a handsome guy like you hit on me.”
She then observed Li Yan for a while, “Hey, you look familiar. Do you come here often?”
“Kinda,” replied Li Yan as he nodded and asked, “Miss, you seem to have researched traditional martial arts?”
That question seemed to catch her attention. The corners of her lips curled up as she said, “I learned from the famed Eight Trigram Palm Master, Zhang Chenjin when I was younger. I could be considered a successor of the Ying style Eight Trigram Palm.”
Li Yan smiled as he replied, “No wonder you could tell it was Taichi Plum Blossom Mantis Fist and even named the Dragon Eye Trap. I wouldn’t have believed it if you said you were unfamiliar with the northern martial art styles.”
“I’m from Tianjin. Most of my knowledge was acquired from my family,” she explained vaguely.
Although Cangzhou was where the northern martial arts styles originated, they were the most popular in Tianjin. If the lady’s ancestors had ties in the Tianjin martial arts scene, it was expected that she would recognize both styles of martial art. She was probably a socialite of some large martial arts studio in Hong Kong. She spoke like a martial arts practitioner.
Li Yan probed slightly, “You talked about a person who used the Eight Trigram Palm earlier. Have you seen him fight?”
“The one named Li Yan? I’ve watched him from the side twice. He’s really popular these days, with a beautiful sponsor supporting him.”
“The side? Where would that be,” asked Li Yan, purposefully.
“He didn’t fight today, but I couldn’t recognize him even if you wanted me to. I never really took notice of his appearance. I only remembered that he didn’t use the authentic Eight Trigram Palm. He was probably taught by some smaller lineages.”
Since this lady was a successor of the Ying’s Eight Trigram Palm, it was no surprise that she claimed his style was not authentic. Li Yan remained calm as he nodded, then said, “From the looks of it, you must not be very impressed by him. Maybe you could tell me more. I actually wanted to bet on him earlier.”
“It’s hard to explain. I’m not exactly unimpressed.” The lady paused before continuing, “The essence of Chinese martial arts is the battle of weapons. If no weapons are used, there isn’t much of a comparison. However, that man also seemed pretty ill… I’d suggest you be careful betting on him.”
“I thought he was pretty savage. Zhou has nothing on him,” Li Yan answered seriously.
The lady laughed, then said, “Doesn’t matter if they win or lose.”
She observed Li Yan for a moment and asked, “We’ve had quite a conversation, but I haven’t gotten your name. How do I address you, brother?”
“Umm…”
Li Yan groaned internally thinking of how Judy would react if she saw them chatting happily. He returned the question, “What about you Miss, what is your great name?”
The lady tilted her head and replied with a bright smile, “My last name is Yu. I’m Yu Shu. You can call me the Grand Duke.”