Although they moved quickly, it was still clear that Shi Qian was at a disadvantage. The short, fat man was not at a disadvantage in terms of speed, which stifled Shi Qian's path to victory. Moreover, his attacks were ruthless. Although the two were evenly matched in terms of points, Shi Qian suffered much more severe blows.
After the first round, Shi Qian was beaten so badly his eyes and mouth were crooked, while the short, fat man was only sweating more. At the start of the second round, the two of them became even faster. While Shi Qian moved like the wind, leaving a trail of afterimages behind him, the short, fat man wasn't much slower. A black gust of wind enveloped Shi Qian, and the red-clad man couldn't break free. Then came a series of thuds—Shi Qian had been hit—and occasional faint "snap" sounds—Shi Qian's counterattacks. From the sounds alone, it was clear who was at a disadvantage; Shi Qian had obviously suffered a great loss.
A moment later, as the whirlwind on the arena swirled around me, I suddenly felt a chill on my face. Reaching up, I touched it—a drop of blood. Looking up, I saw another drop on my cheek. Although I couldn't see clearly what was happening on the arena, I guessed the blood was probably from Shi Qian. Before I could say anything, the whirlwind had already moved to the other side. That patch of red was always shrouded in black mist; only occasionally, with a powerful leap, could it be vaguely seen.
They spun around several times, the sound of thuds echoing. When they hit me again, I felt the blood splattering not as drops, but in small spurts onto my face. I couldn't take it anymore and shouted, "Brother Qian, stop!" But the two had already jumped far away.
I suddenly remembered that before each match, Shi Qian would place a white towel under the stage and repeatedly instruct Lin Chong to throw it onto the stage immediately if anything seemed amiss. I looked around and sure enough, there was one. Without hesitation, I went over, picked it up, and was about to throw it onto the stage when Shi Qian suddenly leaped onto the railing in front of me, saying only one sentence: "Don't throw it." Then he fell over and was swept off by the short, fat man, and the two of them continued their fight.
I saw it clearly; the blood was indeed Shi Qian's. His eyes and lips were split open, and the blood stained his face like a melted sugar figurine. As the saying goes, even a cornered dog will jump over a wall; when Shi Qian is desperate, he's really not afraid to play the submissive role.
As soon as the second round ended, Shi Qian jumped off the stage, looking a bit less agile. He held out his hand to me: "Towel."
I exclaimed in astonishment, "You're only thinking of surrendering now?"
Shi Qian glared at me, snatched the towel from my face and wiped the blood off, then plopped down on the stool. I said with a hint of respect, "Still fighting?"
Shi Qian, panting, said, "He's not as fast as me, and I've discovered his weakness." He rinsed the blood from his mouth with saliva, his small eyes glaring intently at his opponent.
The audience then started cheering for Yu Cai again. They had been on tenterhooks watching the previous two sets, almost forgetting to utter a sound. Everyone could see that Shi Qian was constantly on the verge of defeat, and their biggest fear was that a loss from Shi Qian would end the match. I believe that even if the referee were to blow the whistle and declare Shi Qian the winner, none of these tens of thousands of people would report him. Perhaps even the chairman and the others would wait until after my turn to speak.
As soon as the starting whistle blew, Shi Qian stumbled as he stood up. When others tried to help him, he said "It's okay" and jumped onto the stage. Lu Junyi watched him and remarked, "I've never seen him like this before."
Duan Tianlang sat there with his arms crossed, looking blank. When the referee blew the whistle, he gave the short, fat man a light push on the back and gave me a meaningful look.
The two attacked again, and the situation remained the same, with the fat man still dominating Shi Qian. Strangely, however, Shi Qian didn't suffer much this time. Although the black vortex still enveloped him, the previous vortex was like fog, obscuring what was inside. Now, however, it seemed sluggish, like a tattered curtain, through which glimpses of Shi Qian's bright red armor could be seen. After several exchanges, the fat man's strength waned, and he gradually fell behind Shi Qian. Unexpectedly, Shi Qian pressed forward again, using momentum to pull the fat man in front of him and delivering a small punch to his ribs. The fat man cried out in pain and threw a punch. Shi Qian deftly slipped to his other side and delivered the same punch, causing the fat man to roar and unleash a spinning kick. Only then did Shi Qian live up to his name, moving like a elusive flea, repeatedly sticking to the fat man's side, leaving the fat man helpless. The two tried to cling to each other, while the other tried to break free, reversing the balance of power and ending up circling around on the stage.
Seeing that Shi Qian had taken the initiative again, I was about to shout "Good!" when I thought, "What if he wins?" So I grinned.
At this moment, the two people started running on the stage again, but this time the fat man was in front and Shi Qian was behind. In terms of points, the fat man was already far ahead, and now he only needed to drag things out for another half minute to win, so he was putting all his strength into it.
Once these two gave it their all, the arena became chaotic again. I felt like I'd been hit in the face with a brick, and stars were flying everywhere. In the blink of an eye, only Shi Qian was left on the stage.
I exclaimed in alarm, "Holy crap, that's too fast! I can't see Fatty anymore!" I never imagined that a person could move so fast that it was invisible to the naked eye—Fatty had indeed vanished into thin air.
Lin Chong patted me on the shoulder and pointed, saying, "There it is."
I looked down and saw that the fat guy had fallen off the stage...
It turned out that at the last moment, Shi Qian was one step ahead, waiting for the fat man before him. With the same push, and combined with the enormous inertia, the fat man flew out of the ring at a speed almost imperceptible to the naked eye—
At that moment, the final whistle blew.
The score was set at 11 to 15, with Shi Qian trailing by 4 points. According to the rules, knocking an opponent out of the ring earns 3 points, and Shi Qian ultimately lost the match.
I was the first to cheer; this was exactly the result I wanted. I got the advantage, but lost the game. Now I'm going back to the hotel to wash my face and get a long sleep. I look terrible right now; I saw quite a few people clapping and cheering when I got out of the police car.
Zhang Qing grabbed me by the collar and flipped me over. Then I saw the referee squatting in front of the short, fat man and shouting, "Four, three, two, one... This contestant is out of the competition. Yucai Martial Arts School wins!"
The fat man fainted; he fainted at this crucial moment, which was neither too early nor too late!
Everyone was stunned. A hint of joy slowly crept onto their faces, which were initially filled with disappointment, creating a striking contrast with my utter astonishment. Then, one of the unfortunate kids who knew my name shouted, "Xiao Qiang, give us one!"
This shout was unexpected and powerful. When people learned my name was Xiaoqiang, they shouted with unrestrained enthusiasm, their faces contorted with rage, their blood boiling, accompanied by stomping their feet and pounding their chests. The voice was incredibly rousing: "Xiaoqiang, stomp your feet, give us one! Xiaoqiang, pound your chest, give us one!" Even the judges on the stage embraced and wept, repeatedly saying, "That's wonderful!"
This was the first time I experienced the wickedness of human nature...
Xiao Rang put his arm around my shoulder, gently pushed the audience seats with his hand, and said slowly in a deep and persuasive voice, "Look, they are all cheering for you, they are passionate for you, they would practically die for you now. And you, are you willing to fight for them?"
I said, "I don't want to—"
Zhang Shun kicked Xiao Rang away, grabbed my neck and said, "Fine, you can go now. Let's see if these tens of thousands of people can eat you up!"
I jumped up and down, yelling, "Fine, fine, let me die then, okay? I'll go!"
All the heroes laughed: "Zhang Shun really understands Xiao Qiang."
They hurriedly helped me put on my protective suit, and the audience cheered. I glanced casually across the street and saw Duan Tianlang also methodically putting on his protective gear. Suppressing my immense fear, I gently patted Lin Chong and cautiously asked, "Brother, look what Duan Tianlang is doing?"
"Preparing for the competition," Lin Chong replied naturally.
Tears welled up in my eyes: "Wasn't he fighting with you?"
Lin Chong said, "Of course not. I'm also surprised that he was ranked last, as if he knew this match would go to five rounds."
As I wiped away my tears, I sadly murmured to myself, "ADE, Mom and Dad... ADE, Baozi..."
Tong Yuan was kind-hearted after all, and she said with concern, "If it really doesn't work, then don't fight anymore." Before I could even be moved, she added, "No matter where Duan Tianlang kicked you, my Baozi sister will still be living a life of widowhood."
Just then, Xiang Yu appeared out of nowhere. He pushed through the crowd and said to me with a resolute expression, "Xiao Qiang, do you remember what I told you during Ni Siyu's competition...?"
Before he could finish speaking, I jumped up and down, roaring, "Don't give me your bullshit theory! I just can't win, I just can't win!"
Xiang Yu was stunned for a moment, then laughed: "Yes, yes, yes, that's the kind of momentum we need before going into battle."
When I finally stood face to face with Duan Tianlang, I realized that a master is a master. His eyes were so calm that they seemed to ripple with water—mine had already rippled.
His hands were steady, and his steps were neither too many nor too few, as if he was afraid of wasting his energy by taking an extra step—I kept jumping.
The referee was also honored and excited to officiate this match. After checking the names with a trembling voice, he glanced at us again, his gaze towards Duan Tianlang filled with awe, while his eyes were full of inscrutable admiration as he looked at me. I smiled ingratiatingly at him, hoping that he would diligently fulfill his duties and stop the match as soon as possible the moment I fell.
When the referee raised his hand high, I steeled myself and clenched my fist tightly. Today is today. Tens of thousands of people are watching me. I can't afford to lose face. Even if you manage to kill me in the end, I'll at least give you a good beating.
The referee's arm swung down right in front of us.
Without thinking, I threw a punch at Duan Tianlang. To my surprise, he didn't even bother to block it, letting my fist hit his chest without flinching. It seems I'm far inferior to him than I imagined.
Just as I was about to turn and run away in a panic, something unexpected happened: