The two young men felt their hands slip – their grappling technique was the most refined routine in the Xiao family's martial arts. With the two best of the younger generation working together, they were naturally confident in taking down a seemingly weak and delicate boy – each of these two young men, individually, was only slightly less skilled than Xiao Qing.
Suddenly, Chen Xiao's body slipped, and his arms seemed to be oiled, springing away from the two men's iron-like fingers. It was as if the muscles in Chen Xiao's arms twitched, generating a springy force that gently neutralized the force of their grip.
While the two young men from the Xiao family were still wondering what was going on, Chen Xiao's body instantly changed from leaning forward to shrinking back. With a whoosh, he slid backward between the two like a fish, followed by two thuds of punches...
Two muffled groans were heard as the two young men from the Xiao family were punched at the same time. Chen Xiao's two punches were very skillful; although the force was not too great, they hit the joints of the two men's arms perfectly!
After the two young men from the Xiao family were hit, their arms suddenly felt numb and tingly. In shock, they instinctively retreated.
Chen Xiao had practiced martial arts with Xiao Qing before. Given Xiao Qing's deep affection for Chen Xiao, she naturally taught him all the essentials of the Xiao family boxing style she knew during their training. This delicate grappling technique was something the two practiced the most when they were sparring. When Chen Xiao was attacked, he immediately and instinctively used a move to deflect the attack.
As soon as the two young men stepped back, they exclaimed in surprise, recognizing that this was the standard counter-attack routine in the Xiao Family Fist style.
Grandpa Xiao did not stop him. Upon seeing Chen Xiao's actions, he immediately narrowed his eyes and scoffed, "Girls are so outgoing! Well done, Xiao Qing, you've really passed on all your skills to outsiders."
After saying that, he waved his hand to stop the two young men from rushing forward, but took a step forward himself, raised his right hand, his fingers like hooks, like an eagle's beak, and swiftly pecked down at Chen Xiao's left arm.
Chen Xiao immediately focused his mind, turned his body to the side to avoid the left hand, and then raised his right palm to push towards the old man's elbow joint. This was a standard sparring move in Xiao Family Fist.
When the old man saw Chen Xiao's movements, the smile in his eyes deepened. He deliberately slowed down his attack, let out a soft "heh," and delivered a straight punch with his left fist.
Chen Xiao blocked with his palm, took two steps back, then slid around and sprang forward with his right arm outstretched.
The two started fighting, and the sounds of banging echoed continuously. In a short while, they exchanged seven or eight moves, all using some grappling techniques from the Xiao Family Fist style.
Old Master Xiao is the patriarch of the Xiao family. He is a master of martial arts, and in terms of pure martial arts, he has reached the pinnacle. In Chen Xiao's current state, how could he be a match for him? However, the old man clearly wanted to test Chen Xiao's strength. He did not use his full strength, but slowed down to deliberately lure Chen Xiao into making a move.
Sure enough, after the two exchanged seven or eight moves in a row, it became clear that Chen Xiao knew Xiao Family Fist. Although he wasn't very familiar with the routine and some of his movements and stances were incorrect, he was generally quite proficient.
Neither of them spoke. The old man was deliberately silent, but Chen Xiao reacted instinctively, making the most familiar movement from his subconscious. This feeling of his body moving faster than his brain suddenly stimulated Chen Xiao's consciousness. Instinctively, he felt that this movement seemed to have unlocked a certain memory in his heart. This exhilarating feeling actually made Chen Xiao not stop, but continue to make moves.
After another dozen or so moves, Zhang Xiaotao finally screamed, "What are you doing?! You're bullying me! How can you just hit people like that?!"
She bared her teeth and claws, about to rush forward, but the two young men from the Xiao family, seeing their ancestor take action, couldn't let such a little girl get in their way. They immediately blocked Zhang Xiaotao's path.
Mr. Zhu was completely dumbfounded; this kind of scene was something you could only see in martial arts movies.
Chen Xiao only knew a dozen or so moves of the Xiao Family Fist routine, and that was it. After all, he and Xiao Qing hadn't practiced martial arts for very long, and learning martial arts was no easy feat. It was already quite impressive that he had learned a dozen or so moves in such a short time.
Old Master Xiao had gauged Chen Xiao's skill level. Seeing that Chen Xiao only knew a dozen or so half-baked moves of the Xiao Family Fist, a smile appeared on his face. He casually demonstrated a few moves, using his strength to pull Chen Xiao off balance. Chen Xiao missed his target four or five times in a row, and was even used by the old man to counter his own force. His steps became disordered, and he staggered to one side.
The old man stopped with his hands behind his back, stroked his chin with one hand, and laughed, "He's got potential, but it's a pity he hasn't trained enough. He truly deserves to be someone with the blood of the Xiao family flowing through his veins."
Chen Xiao was left in a sorry state, his body rushing forward before he finally stopped after several steps, a surge of anger rising within him.
He had lost all his other memories, but he remembered clearly how he had displayed his prowess in Japan, single-handedly chasing down an entire enemy fleet! Like a tiger trapped in the plains, he was unable to unleash his extraordinary abilities, yet he was being mocked by this smiling old man. His pride instantly transformed into a burning anger of resentment.
As I turned around, I felt a surge of heat rush to my forehead, and my body suddenly made a strange twisting motion instinctively!
With that twist, he took several quick steps, one to the left and one to the right. Once his steps were spread out, he seemed to fly up, like a ghostly shadow!
When Old Master Xiao saw this, his eyes immediately flashed with seriousness and surprise. As Chen Xiao approached, the old man lowered his body, took a step forward, raised his hand, and pushed a palm towards Chen Xiao's chest. However, this palm actually missed!
With Old Master Xiao's skill, he had already tested Chen Xiao's abilities. Chen Xiao's stamina and reaction were only average, but he had learned a bit of the Xiao family boxing routine. Although the old man did not use his real skills, he was just like a grandfather teasing his grandson. He did not use even half of his full skill. However, when this palm strike was passed by, even a man who had trained for ten or eight years might not be able to dodge it. Yet Chen Xiao dodged it!
Then Chen Xiao twisted his body and slid in almost against the old man's arm. He then raised his hand and pressed down hard on the old man's shoulder!
This entire set of steps was extremely skillful, and also extremely strange! Even Old Master Xiao couldn't see the depth of Chen Xiao's movements, and was actually brought close by Chen Xiao, who even placed his hand on his shoulder!
For a martial artist to reach the level of Old Master Xiao, it would be extremely difficult for others to even get close to him, let alone defeat him.
Chen Xiao used the set of kung fu he was most familiar with, which he had practiced instinctively: the "short-range fighting" set that General Tian had taught him, which was a fusion of the essence of various martial arts styles!
There was a muffled thud, and Old Master Xiao's body remained motionless, while Chen Xiao staggered back a few steps, his handsome face flushed red, as if he were drunk. His left hand was pressed against his right shoulder, and his entire right arm was hanging limply, clearly dislocated.
Old Master Xiao had practiced martial arts all his life. Once his body was touched by an enemy, he would naturally generate a hidden force to counterattack. This was not intentional, but instinctive. Chen Xiao did not know the extent of the attack, and at this moment, he had no superhuman strength left. He was just an ordinary person. Using his "short-range" skills to get close to him, he hastily pressed down with his hand and immediately suffered.
Seeing Chen Xiao's forehead covered in cold sweat from the pain, Zhang Xiaotao felt extremely distressed. She screamed and forcefully pushed away one of the young men from the Xiao family who was blocking her way. Another man tried to stop her, but Zhang Xiaotao was already grimacing. Judging from her expression, if he continued to obstruct her, this girl would bite him on the spot. The young man felt a chill in his heart and quickly stepped aside.
Zhang Xiaotao rushed to Chen Xiao's side, grabbing his clothes: "Are you alright?!" Turning back to Old Master Xiao, she angrily shouted: "You people are thugs! How dare you hit people like that?!" She continued to berate him, then pulled out her phone to call the police.
Seeing that Chen Xiao had been injured, Old Master Xiao felt a little embarrassed and walked over with an awkward smile. When Zhang Xiaotao saw this "despicable" old man coming again, she immediately blocked Chen Xiao's way, like a she-wolf. The old man smiled slightly and gave her a casual push. Zhang Xiaotao was pushed away involuntarily. Just as she was about to scream, the old man had already grabbed Chen Xiao's arm with one hand and pressed down on his shoulder with the other. Without any visible movement, he gently shook him, and with a crack, Chen Xiao's shoulder was put back in place.
"Go back and apply a hot compress. It will be a little sore when you wake up tomorrow, but other than that, it's nothing serious." The old man smiled slightly.
Zhang Xiaotao was furious and shouted, "Pah! You take your own arm off and see if it's hurt! It's easy for you to talk when you're not the one suffering!"
The old man wasn't angry at all. Seeing how worried Zhang Xiaotao was about Chen Xiao, a smile appeared on his face. He looked at Zhang Xiaotao with a half-smile and said, "Little girl, you're quite protective! Who are you to him?"
"Mind your own business!" Zhang Xiaotao was usually polite and well-mannered, and she could also show respect to the elderly, but this old guy inexplicably injured Chen Xiao, so she was no longer in a good mood.
"Hahahaha! You'll regret it if you treat me rudely. I'm waiting for you to serve me tea and apologize." The old man's eyes narrowed into slits when he laughed.
Apologize by serving you tea? Dream on!
Zhang Xiaotao felt inexplicably angry, but little did she know that such a day would indeed come, and she almost wanted to crawl into a hole in embarrassment.
The old man looked at Chen Xiao: "Are you alright?"
"It's nothing." Chen Xiao wasn't angry at all. The fight was so inexplicable, but when the two of them started fighting, his body reacted naturally. That subtle feeling made him feel very comfortable. He had a vague feeling that something was about to be remembered, and he really wished he could fight a little longer.
"Remember, a martial artist's shoulder is not something anyone can touch casually." The old man nodded, looking Chen Xiao up and down, growing more and more fond of him. Although there were some outstanding young talents in the family, none were as handsome as Chen Xiao. Although Chen Xiao's kung fu was a little lacking, he possessed a calm and composed demeanor—though he didn't know, how could he lack such demeanor? Chen Xiao's true strength was almost enough to destroy a country! If Chen Xiao were to recover his strength, he could kill ten old masters of the Xiao family on the spot.
"Those last few steps of yours were quite ingenious. I wonder if there was any special reason behind them?"
Chen Xiao shook his head: "I don't remember. I just used it naturally just now. Now I can't do it again."
"What a pity, what a pity... that was a very powerful kung fu." Old Master Xiao sighed. "It's normal that you don't recognize me. I've only seen you once before... uh, I'm your mother's elder."