Cheng Fengshou seized an opportunity to jump away, threw down his stick, and said, "There's nothing to say this time. I accept my defeat wholeheartedly." He then added, "I never imagined anyone could wield a stick like this. I admire you!"
Lin Chong humbly replied, "We each have one win and one loss, so let's call it a draw."
Cheng Fengshou shook his head repeatedly: "Brother, if you keep saying that, you're looking down on me. Let's move on to the second group."
Another member of the Red Sun team stepped forward, and Zhang Qing accepted the challenge. This man's skills were naturally inferior to Cheng Fengshou's, and Zhang Qing wasn't particularly adept at hand-to-hand combat either. The two fighting each other was quite a spectacle, though it was unclear when a result would be reached. At this moment, another member emerged from the Red Sun's five-man lineup. He recognized Yang Zhi as one of our team's competitors and said, "Brother, this isn't a competition yet. We can't continue until we've reached a conclusion. Let them fight their battles, and we'll fight ours." Yang Zhi jumped onto the stage and said, "Very well," and the two began their fight.
The next moment, Hongri's fourth contestant and Shi Qian stepped forward simultaneously. They exchanged a smile and began to fight. When the last person from the opposing team stepped forward, I quickly slipped behind Li Kui. The man looked around blankly, unable to find me, then spotted Dong Ping and clasped his hands in greeting, "Brother, is your individual competition number 002?"
“Yes,” Dong Ping said, puzzled.
The man said, "I am 007. Tomorrow's individual competition is between the two of us. How about we have a match today?"
Dong Ping let out a long laugh: "Just what I wanted!" The two of them instantly rushed onto the field and began to fight quickly.
I was congratulating myself on finding such a large cover as Li Kui when he suddenly sprinted forward a few steps and yelled, "You guys are having fun, what am I supposed to do?" Someone on Hong Ri's side was also itching for a fight and responded, "Big guy, let's have a spar." Li Kui was overjoyed and charged forward like a tiger descending a mountain, throwing a punch as he went.
Now, the other heroes, led by Hu Sanniang, were not having it, and they all shouted, "What about us?" Hongri's side also had a large number of people, and they all rushed forward, grabbing any opponent they could find and joining the melee. In an instant, the stadium was filled with dust as nearly 100 people fought one-on-one. But the heroes outnumbered them, and many who were slower were left without opponents. Hu Sanniang was fast enough, but as soon as her opponents saw she was a woman, they all avoided her like the plague. Hu Sanniang was furious, wanting to fight back but afraid of being seen as someone who had defeated many with few.
I hid at the very back, finished the last bite of my bread, and leisurely watched them spar. Just then, I felt someone pat me on the shoulder. I turned around and saw it was the village farmer who had lost to Zhang Shun in the individual competition. He smiled shyly at me and said, "Team Leader Xiao, I know I'm no match for you, but I still hope you can teach me a few moves." As he spoke, he assumed a fighting stance, as if he was about to punch me.
I jumped back in alarm, waving my hands repeatedly: "No, no, I can't fight you."
A hint of disappointment flashed in his eyes as he clutched the hem of his shirt and said, "Do you look down on me?"
I quickly said, "I didn't mean that. In fact... my internal injury hasn't healed yet." I originally wanted to tell him the actual situation, but I was afraid he would overthink it, so I simply made up a story.
"Internal injuries?" He looked at me blankly, then suddenly realized, "Is it a case of qi deviation?"
"Yes, yes, just like last time."
Although the farmer seemed simple and honest, he was actually quite shrewd. He blurted out, "Then how come you could punch Duan Tianlang like that?"
With a solemn expression, I told him, "This time, my internal energy deviation is extraordinary. My body is not damaged, but I can't control my internal energy. I didn't even intend to beat that kid surnamed Duan like that, but I accidentally went into a qi deviation and almost made a big mistake by using 50% of my internal energy. I still feel guilty now."
The villager sighed, "Team Leader Xiao's internal strength is truly formidable." He immediately realized, "You're not fighting me because you're afraid of accidentally injuring me, aren't you?"
I nodded sheepishly, but seeing his disappointed look, I couldn't bear it. I pulled over Hu Sanniang, who was jumping up and down, and said, "You fight her."
"Her?" The villagers looked at Hu Sanniang suspiciously.
Hu Sanniang was furious. Seeing someone dare to look down on her, she slapped him with her palm. The villager ducked and dodged, exclaiming in surprise, "Wow, this girl has quite the strength." Hu Sanniang didn't waste any words with him, and the two exchanged a few blows, finding themselves evenly matched.
I wiped the cold sweat from my forehead. How difficult it is to be a lamb in wolf's clothing! What's even more difficult is that in the eyes of outsiders, this lamb is not wearing a wolf's skin but a tiger's skin.
Meanwhile, Zhang Qing's group also finished their match, much like Lin Chong's group had initially: if it were a routine, neither would hold back, but if Zhang Qing hadn't held back, the rural contestant would have been dead several times over. The Red Sun people, raised by their old instructors, were steeped in traditional thinking; they didn't understand sportsmanship and relied on practicality, so Zhang Qing's opponent readily conceded defeat. Not yet satisfied, the two, like Cheng Fengshou and Lin Chong, added a weapons competition. Zhang Qing, on horseback, also used a spear, grabbing a rusty iron spear and engaging his opponent in a single-edged sword duel. In the midst of the exchange, taking advantage of a moment of dislocation, Zhang Qing pulled out something and hurled it, striking his opponent squarely in the face, laughing heartily, "This is my trump card!" The opponent, dazed and confused, looked closely and realized it was nothing more than a crumpled piece of paper, utterly horrified.
The others on the field, finding it amusing, picked up their preferred weapons and resumed the fight, instantly creating chaos. Some, while fetching weapons, found their original opponents had vanished. So they randomly chose someone to fight, who might be unarmed, leading to a contest of disarming skills. Others, skilled with knives, couldn't find one and picked up a halberd, while their opponent, perhaps preferring long weapons, was carrying a sword; after a while, they switched weapons and continued fighting. Still others had just thrown their opponents to the ground when someone handed them an axe, so they casually grabbed it and fought with a single axe against two hooks.
In the end, everyone was in a state of frenzy, and they didn't care who it was; as long as they saw each other, they would start fighting. The concept of teamwork vanished. The two people fighting might be from the same camp, or they might be heroes "killing each other." At this point, there was no longer any question of victory or defeat. It was like being drunk and partying under laser lights. The person dancing with you might be a friend, or a complete stranger. You didn't care about their dancing skills; it was all about having fun.
This frenzied scene lasted for more than 40 minutes before the Red Sun's men and heroes stopped laughing and shouting, "That was exhilarating! That was exhilarating!"
I was certain they weren't going to fight anymore, so I crept over from the other end of the playground. Cheng Fengshou held Lin Chong's hand and laughed for a while, then said very seriously, "I'm convinced, truly convinced. It's an honor to witness today's scene, but our Red Sun team couldn't afford to lose this match any longer."
Lin Chong waved his hand and said, "Our two families hit it off immediately, so why bother talking about winning or losing?"
Cheng Fengshou said, "But the final match the day after tomorrow still has to be played, doesn't it?"
Lin Chong said, "Once we get onto that platform, the outcome is uncertain."
Cheng Fengshou didn't mince words. He nodded and said, "It seems that we have the advantage now that we're on the ring. But we both know in our hearts that when it comes to kung fu, our Hongri team can't even come close."
Lin Chong smiled and said, "That's not quite right."
Cheng Fengshou suddenly said seriously, "Brother, let me make this clear: we may be friends, but when we get on that stage the day after tomorrow, we won't hold back."
“That’s exactly right,” Lin Chong said.
When they brought up the topic, their respective teammates became quite embarrassed, and an awkward silence fell over the room. Zhang Shun emerged from the crowd and shouted, "We'll talk about the future later; going for a drink is the important thing right now!" Everyone burst into laughter. Zhu Gui glanced at his watch and said to me, "At this hour, even Reverse Time might not be able to accommodate all these people." After all, he was the manager there and knew that this was peak time for bars, especially Reverse Time. I said, "Call Sun Sixin now and have her clear the place."
When the people at Hongri learned that I had lost tens of thousands of yuan in one night just to entertain them, they all applauded. I asked Zhu Gui to take them to a bar, and Zhu Gui asked, "Aren't you going?" I said, "I have to go back and check on Baozi."
Zhang Shun sidled up and said slyly, "Is Doctor An's secret formula really that effective?"
I kicked him: "Old Zhang just had surgery!"
This time, no one joked with me anymore. Old Zhang didn't have much contact with the heroes, but his story still moved these bandits.
Cheng Fengshou interrupted, asking, "Who is Lao Zhang?" Lin Chong replied, "I'll tell you in a moment."
It's fair to say this chaotic battle was inconclusive. According to the rules of the arena, Lin Chong had already conceded defeat, as had Zhang Qing. Yang Zhi, on the other hand, managed to gain some advantage over his opponents. Shi Qian's group only fought for a few rounds before they each switched opponents.
However, a common phenomenon during their encounters was that once the heroes unleashed their full power, the Red Sun's men were unable to withstand them, especially when using weapons. Another characteristic was that while the heroes varied in strength, each possessed unique skills, making their overall strength far superior to the uniformity of the Red Sun's group. Cheng Fengshou and his companions didn't shy away from this point, their words already positioning them as seekers of instruction.
When I got to the hotel entrance, I saw Baozi eating rice noodles at a stall across the street. I went over and sat down next to her. I ordered a beer, poured Baozi a glass first, and asked her, "Was Lao Zhang awake when you left?"
Baozi had calmed down a lot. She downed half a glass of beer in one gulp and said, "I'm still a little dazed."
"What was his first sentence?"
Baozi thought for a while and said, "It seems to be 'I'm so uncomfortable'."
I breathed a sigh of relief; it would be too fake for him to ask the children first thing. Baozi added, "His first words after regaining his senses were asking if Yucai had won."
I asked in astonishment, "What did you tell him?"
"A doctor told him he won, and that the last round was especially exciting." Baozi glanced at me and suddenly asked, "How did you guys win?"