Batel patted his chest and said with a smile, "If you're not convinced, let's go again. I haven't had a moment of peace since I got home..."
Peng Fei curled his lip upon hearing this and said, "Isn't it just because you're strong? How about we practice some free fighting? I'll definitely beat you senseless..."
"This is Mongolia, not the army where I call the shots..."
Back in the army, Batel was an instructor in equestrianism and wrestling, but he was also a student in other sports. He was beaten up quite a bit by Peng Fei back then. However, friendships in the army are forged through fighting, and no one holds a grudge.
"A contest of strength?"
Peng Fei suddenly thought of something, glanced at Zhuang Rui, and immediately laughed, "Old Ba, don't be fooled by your strength. Compared to my Brother Zhuang, you're nowhere near as strong..."
"Brother Zhuang? He's strong?"
Upon hearing this, Batel paused for a moment, turned to look Zhuang Rui over, and shook his head, saying, "No, Brother Zhuang doesn't look like he's trained. Look at his physique, he doesn't have any muscles at all..."
It was summer on the grassland. Zhuang Rui had been drinking and had taken off his jacket, so he was only wearing a tight-fitting elastic vest. Although he had some muscles, his skin was almost as delicate as a woman's compared to these Mongolian men.
"Old Ba, you can't judge a book by its cover. You forgot? Our old captain is only a little over 1.6 meters tall, skinny and weak, but he could easily take on two of you..."
Peng Fei was referring to the highest-ranking officer in their unit, who, although called the captain, held the rank of major general.
In a unit full of proud and skilled soldiers, you can't get by without some special skills. The old captain that Peng Fei mentioned conquered his soldiers with his fists and feet. If they were not convinced, he would beat them up until they were convinced.
"real?"
Upon hearing Peng Fei bring up this matter, Batel looked at Zhuang Rui with suspicion again, as he had been severely reprimanded by the old captain back then.
"Seriously, if it's a contest of strength, Brother Zhuang can take on both of your hands with one hand..."
Peng Fei nodded solemnly. He knew Zhuang Rui's strength well. Just like that golden anchor that weighed several hundred pounds, Zhuang Rui could lift it with one hand, and he could even win the battle of strength with King Kong.
In fact, Peng Fei was also puzzled. He had asked Zhuang Rui several times if he had eaten some kind of magical herb or medicine when he was stranded on the pirate island, otherwise how could he have such great strength?
"Battle, what are you saying? Come on over and have a drink..."
When the onlookers saw Batel and Peng Fei chatting arm in arm in the middle of the field, they called out to them to go back. There were Mongolian girls performing songs and dances down there, and it wouldn't be good for the other girls to perform if these two grown men were standing there.
"My brother said that Brother Zhuang is even better than him. Should we ask Brother Zhuang to come down and have a match with him?"
Batel was a straightforward person, and he immediately said Peng Fei's words in front of everyone. However, as soon as he finished speaking, the room fell silent.
Although Peng Fei wasn't very tall, an expert could tell at a glance that he was a martial arts expert. However, Zhuang Rui was a bit of a mystery. He was taller than Peng Fei, but his muscles were too well-proportioned, making him seem like someone who knew martial arts.
"Damn it, that brat is causing me trouble again..."
Zhuang Rui cursed Peng Fei in his heart, annoyed. Just as he was about to decline, a Mongolian man sitting not far from him stood up and said, "Brother Zhuang, how about... we go down and practice a bit, to liven things up for everyone?"
Upon hearing this, Zhuang Rui looked up at the guy and his heart skipped a beat. This guy looked so much like Battier! Not the Battier on the court, but the guy who used to play for the national team. He was probably almost 2 meters tall! Trying to wrestle with him? That's bullying! "Timur, my brother here isn't good at wrestling, but he's strong. You should try to outmuscle him... no... find someone else..."
Batel walked over and repeated what Peng Fei had just said. However, after looking at Timur, who was clearly a size larger than Zhuang Rui, he shook his head and wanted to find a relatively "slender" opponent for Zhuang Rui.
"A contest of strength?"
Zhuang Rui laughed upon hearing this, "This is my forte!"
He stood up and said, "It's alright, I'll just have a strength contest with Brother Timur..."
"Brother Zhuang, are you sure you can handle it? Timur is a little weaker than me..."
Batel looked at Zhuang Rui's thin arms with some suspicion. They were almost as thin as firewood sticks. He didn't want them to get hurt by Timur later, since the other party was a guest after all.
"Hehe, don't worry, Brother Batel, I've been strong since I was a child, and I've never met anyone stronger than me in my life..."
Zhuang Rui had just drunk at least a pound of liquor. Although the aged liquor wasn't very intoxicating at the time, it had a strong aftereffect. Zhuang Rui was now slurring his words and had completely forgotten how to write the word "humility."
"Okay, bring a table over here..."
If Batel were to stop the match now, it would be disrespectful to Zhuang Rui. So he immediately ordered someone to move a table to the center of the arena, secretly nudged Timur, and whispered, "Go easy on him later. If you have the courage to compete with us, then you're a real man..."
"Brother Batel, I know. I'll only use a third of my strength, okay?"
Timur looked at his arms, which were almost as thick as Zhuang Rui's thighs, and began to wonder if he would only need to use a quarter of his strength.
Chapter 1129 The Competition (Part 2)
It wasn't that Timur looked down on Zhuang Rui; it was just that the two were too different in size. Standing next to Timur, Zhuang Rui looked like a little child.
Seeing the table being moved over, Zhuang Rui walked to one side of it, crossed his arms and flexed his wrists, saying, "Brother Timur, come on..."
"Timur, be gentle, winning is all that matters..."
Batel was still a little worried, so he pulled Timur aside and whispered a few more words to him. He knew that arm wrestling could hurt people, and if it was serious, it could even lead to disability.
"Brother Batel, I understand, I definitely won't use force..."
Timur didn't feel there was anything wrong with what Batel said. After all, the other party was a guest, and he couldn't afford to lose too badly. He had to give Zhuang Rui some face later. Besides, this young man was quite a tough guy when he was drinking.
"Old Ba, don't underestimate my big brother. What if you guys lose?"
Peng Fei felt indignant after hearing their conversation. If it came down to strength, he was far inferior to Zhuang Rui. Despite Timur's tall stature, he was no match for Zhuang Rui.
"Timur will lose? Impossible, Fei Zi. Don't even mention your older brother, even if you went up and arm-wrestled with Timur, you would only lose..."
Batel was dismissive of Peng Fei's words. Timur spent his days herding and riding horses on the grasslands, and his strength was honed through practice. How could Zhuang Rui, a delicate city dweller, compare?
Peng Fei chuckled and said, "Old Ba, let's not talk about that for now. What if we lose? We should at least have some kind of prize, right?"
"You little punk, do you still think you're in the army?"
Batel laughed when he heard this. Back in the army, those hooligans had given him a lot of trouble. Although he couldn't beat them in wrestling, he could always make up for it in shooting or free fighting. The worst time Batel ever did was wash clothes for an entire squad for a month.
"Alright, if Brother Zhuang wins, I, Batel, will give you a fine horse..."
When Batel spoke, he deliberately raised his voice so that everyone around him could hear him.
"Bater, are you willing to give away your Crimson Blood? If you are, I'll help Brother Zhuang go and compete..."
"Yes, whatever good horse it is, there has to be a reason for it..."
"Don't say that, Batel can't bear to part with Chi Xue, that's his lifeblood..."
Batel's words caused a stir among the people in the room, and the topic of discussion turned out to be a horse named Crimson Blood, which left Peng Fei and Zhuang Rui somewhat puzzled.
"Old Ba, what's this Crimson Blood? I've never heard you mention it before..."
Although Peng Fei and Batel were a few years apart, they were both teacher and friend to each other, and their relationship was exceptionally good. He even knew that Batel had wet the bed at a certain age, but he had no idea that Batel was hiding a fine horse.
"Ahem, I got those from the grasslands when I came back, of course you wouldn't know..."
Batel was somewhat embarrassed by everyone's comments. It was clear that he really liked the Crimson Blood Horse. However, after answering Peng Fei's question, Batel stood in the middle of the arena and said, "If Brother Zhuang wins, I guarantee I'll give him a horse that's just as good as the Crimson Blood Horse. Don't you all believe me?"
"Hehe, old Ba, then you just wait and see how good the horse comes out..."
Peng Fei laughed upon hearing this. Horses are divided into different grades. Ordinary domesticated horses would definitely be afraid of animals like white lions and gorillas, but wild horses on the grasslands dare to fight jackals. Perhaps Zhuang Rui's manor will have another member.
Zhuang Rui, now quite tipsy, had long forgotten virtues like humility. Upon hearing the bet between Batel and Peng Fei, he exclaimed, "Brother Batel, then I'll thank you in advance..."
Upon hearing this, Batel was both amused and exasperated. How could these two be so alike? They were already convinced they would win before even starting the competition. Confidence is a good thing, but if it goes too far, it becomes arrogance.
"Brother Zhuang, let's have a match first. If you can beat me, I'll give you my family's heirloom sword..."
Timur was also somewhat displeased by Zhuang Rui's words. In this Mongolian settlement within a hundred miles, he was a famous strongman who feared no one except Batel. Now, he was being looked down upon by Zhuang Rui.
"Alright, if Brother Timur wins, this jade is yours..."
Zhuang Rui didn't hesitate either. He took out a piece of ancient jade with five different colors of patina from his waist. It was a Pixiu carving that Zhuang Rui had found in Panjiayuan. It looked pretty good, and he had been carrying it around and polishing it for two years.
Don't underestimate this small item; a piece of antique jade of this quality would cost over a million on the market, so Zhuang Rui's offer was quite generous.
"Timur, keep going..."
"Timur, you can't lose, or your wife won't let you sleep in the bed tonight..."
After Zhuang Rui and Timur stood on either side of the table, they heard cheers from the crowd, but the cheers stopped abruptly once they had both arms on the table.
"Is there even a comparison? They're not even in the same league..."
"Yes, look at Timur's arms, they're twice as thick as that one's..."
"Exactly, you probably couldn't even hold it with both hands..."
After seeing Zhuang Rui and Timur's arms resting on the table, the onlookers began to whisper among themselves, and even Timur felt that he had been bullying them a bit.
Timur's forearm was almost twice as thick as Zhuang Rui's, not to mention that. But when his large, fan-like hands were placed next to Zhuang Rui's, Zhuang Rui's hands looked even more delicate, like a woman's. It would be strange if anyone thought they were good-looking.
"Timur, Brother Zhuang, just say so if you can't take it anymore, don't push yourself..."
As the referee for this competition, Battul knew that there were many techniques involved in arm wrestling. If you knew how to flip your wrist, you could hold on even if you were weak. But if your opponent forcibly flipped your wrist, it would break. That's why Battul gave that instruction.
"knew……"
"Don't worry, Brother Batel..."
The two men at the table were both very confident, their hands clasped together, one big and one small, waiting for Battier to announce the start of the match.
When Batel shouted "Begin!", the muscles in his arms, which had been somewhat relaxed, suddenly tensed up, especially Timur's forearms, where the veins bulged out like thick earthworms.
"Brother Zhuang, just let me know if things get really bad..."
Timur had the strength to speak even when he was exerting himself because he only used a quarter of his strength and was not afraid that speaking would cause his strength to weaken.
No matter what, Zhuang Rui was a guest. Timur wanted to hold out for a while before overpowering Zhuang Rui, so that Zhuang Rui would save face.
"Hehe, Brother Timur, you can use a little more force..."
Although Zhuang Rui felt a tremendous force coming from the other party's hand, it was nothing compared to Vajra. If Zhuang Rui wanted to, he could crush the hand that almost covered him.
"Um?"
Upon hearing Zhuang Rui's words, Timur's expression changed. As Zhuang Rui spoke, he clearly felt that the other party's originally limp hand had become as hard as cast iron, and it even made his fingers ache slightly.
Timur's expression turned serious. He took a deep breath and gradually increased the force in his forearm. However, as he increased his strength, his opponent's hand became harder and harder, and the force he exerted was no less than his own.
"Hi!"
Timur shouted and swung his right hand sharply to his left side, using almost all his strength, and with explosive force. Timur thought he could definitely knock Zhuang Rui down.
No matter how hard Timur tried, Zhuang Rui's right hand remained completely still, and Zhuang Rui, who was directly opposite him, did not seem to be exerting much force, except for his slightly flushed face.
This surprised not only Timur, but also the onlookers. The contest, which was originally so different in strength, had turned into a close match, or rather... it seemed that Zhuang Rui had the upper hand.
"Brother Timur, watch out, I'm about to increase my strength..."
Zhuang Rui's words rang in Timur's ears, but Timur had no time to reply. He knew he couldn't relax his grip on the breath he had just taken, or he would be overwhelmed by Zhuang Rui.