Chapter 119
Opposite Xi Feng, the white-clothed warrior who was fighting was agile, like a praying mantis ready to strike. His mantis fist was fast and flexible, using short to defeat long. The white-clothed warrior's body moved left and right, and the route of each punch was unpredictable. Each blow was aimed directly at the vital point, and it was as fast as lightning.
The two men exchanged several rounds of blows, their fists clashing with each other, and "bang, bang, bang," it seemed as if the only sound left in the entire martial arts arena was the strong wind caused by the two men fighting.
Xi Feng used the four basic Tai Chi techniques of "stroking, squeezing, pressing, and gathering" to neutralize the mantis fist attack of the white-clothed warrior, and at the same time took advantage of the white-clothed warrior's strength to neutralize the attack.
Xi Feng's movements seemed gentle, but they were actually powerful. Seeing his attack broken, the warrior in white didn't panic. Instead, he laughed heartily, "Master Xi, see how this one works! It's like a mantis shoveling grass."
The warrior in white moved his left hand forward, intending to grab Xi Feng's left wrist, and his right foot was not idle either, hooking towards Xi Feng's left leg. If he succeeded, Xi Feng would be instantly pulled by the subsequent "hook" and lose his balance.
Xi Feng certainly wouldn't let the opponent succeed easily. He held the warrior's left shoulder and used the momentum to retreat backwards, not giving the opponent any chance to hook his legs or feet.
The moves were once again neutralized. The white-clothed warrior used the strategy of "using the short to defeat the long, and the fast to defeat the slow" and changed his movements more frequently, "hooking, hanging, picking, and grabbing", approaching Xi Feng from all directions, trying to find Xi Feng's flaws.
The two men fought back and forth. Xi Feng's Tai Chi was as continuous as flowing water, while the mantis boxing of the warrior in white was like a violent storm, unstoppable.
The audience watched intently, as if they were back to the moment when they were first attacked by Man Jiang Hong, their heartbeats rising and falling with the fight between the two warriors.
Director Huan is a real guy. He knew we were hungry, so he served the main course straight away. Okay, okay.
【This is the charm of traditional martial arts! 】
【My blood is boiling, so cool! 】
Facing the attack from the white-robed warrior, Xi Feng also spoke up to remind him: "Master Fang, be careful."
As soon as he finished speaking, Xi Feng used a unique Tai Chi move - Cloud Hands.
His hands were tumbling like clouds and mist, neutralizing Master Fang's attack again. At the same time, he used the soft power of his cloud hands to guide Master Fang's strength to one side. When Master Fang showed a flaw, he flashed and approached Master Fang like a tiger leap, and aimed a "White Crane Spreads Wings" directly at Master Fang's neck.
Master Fang was slightly startled, but he was no pushover after all. He reacted very quickly, raised his arms, and blocked the attack.
However, although Xi Feng's White Crane Spreads Wings was blocked, the remaining force was still there, and Master Fang couldn't help but tremble.
Xi Feng seized the opportunity and moved closer again, and struck out with a "side punch" like lightning, hitting Master Fang in the face. Master Fang's face changed and he couldn't retreat in time. However, just when the fist was about to fall, Xi Feng's fist stopped steadily, and the wind brought by the fist made Master Fang's hair stand up and fall down.
Just enough.
Xi Feng and Master Fang each took a step back.
"Huh!" Master Fang looked up at Xi Feng, clasping his hands together, with a mixture of reluctance and admiration: "As expected of you, you are the Xi Feng of Gongzhou. I, Fang, am humbled by your skill."
"Master Fang, you're too kind," Xi Feng said modestly. "Master Fang's mantis fist has so many variations, it's really eye-opening for me."
"I still need to practice. I'm not as good as Master Xi."
[Masters, is this the legendary business flattery? ]
[A fight without risking life, and a gentlemanly demeanor of stopping just in time is also quite good.]
Xi Feng personally escorted Master Fang out of the martial arts hall. The door closed again, and a group of apprentices gathered around him, asking, "Master, Master, who's the winner?"
"Needless to say, Master must have won again. Our Master is unbeatable in all of Gongzhou."
"With Master Fang's personality, if he had defeated Master, he would have been showing off before he even left the house. It's only because our Master is low-key and has a good temper that these gym owners come to spar with him every now and then. Humph, it's too early to think of becoming famous in Gongzhou by defeating Master."
Xi Feng raised his hand and pressed it down slightly. Seeing their master's action, the apprentices fell silent. Xi Feng then spoke: "Those who practice martial arts should focus on self-cultivation and cultivate their character, and not be too concerned about winning or losing."
"Especially for those of us who practice Tai Chi, the harmony of yin and yang and the doctrine of the mean."
“If you are too obsessed with winning or losing itself, you are already attached to appearances.”
The disciples looked at each other, put away the jokes on their faces, clasped their fists and said solemnly, "Yes, Master, I will teach you."
Seeing that his disciples had listened, Xi Feng's expression also relaxed. He was also at the same age as his disciples, so he naturally understood the minds of young people. If a person is not frivolous, he will be in vain when he is young. He did not insist on forcibly changing his disciples' ideas. He smiled and said:
"Of course, our disciples don't take the initiative to make enemies with others, but if someone comes to bully us, there is no need to give in. Those who bully the weak will be expelled from the sect. However, if we encounter injustice, we will also help them."
After a pause, Xi Feng smiled and said, "Stand up well in the afternoon, and Uncle Fu will make his specialty bone soup in the evening."
When they heard that there was bone soup to drink, the disciples' eyes lit up green and they swallowed unconsciously with "slurp, slurp".
Only then did the plot officially begin.
Gongzhou has simple folk customs. As the hometown of martial arts in the south, it has produced more than one martial arts master. The martial arts culture is flourishing, and there are many martial arts halls of various sizes, which accommodate the strengths of various schools and are open to all.
Such as the Mantis Boxing taught in the martial arts school opened by Master Fang, and the Hung Gar Boxing and Liu Jia Boxing taught in other martial arts schools.
The Jingwu School where Xi Feng is located is one of them.
Although compared with several other martial arts schools, the scale of Jingwu School is not large, most of the disciples in the school are abandoned babies adopted by the old school master, and the school master Xi is very young. Xi Feng also acts low-key on weekdays, but he is the most famous in Gongzhou.
There is no other reason. If you want to know which master in Gongzhou has the best kung fu, just ask any common people.
An old man selling candy figurines on the street turned and gave a thumbs-up in the direction of the Jingwu Gym. "People from both local and foreign areas often come to challenge us, but I've never heard of anyone being able to get away with it from Master Xi. Moreover, not only is the master skilled in martial arts, but everyone in his gym is also very kind and righteous."
On the long street next door, an old lady was pushing a cart with winter supplies piled on it. The neighbors nearby all knew that the old lady was alone and had no children. Even in her age, she still had to do some work by herself. The old lady stood on the side of the road, patting her back to rest her feet, and occasionally gave an apologetic smile to passers-by.
At this time, a group of young people in Jingwu martial arts uniforms came out from the corner. The teenager frowned when he saw the old lady and walked forward.
They looked at the newcomer with a menacing look, and when they got close to the old lady, they bent down and picked up the cart, saying helplessly, "Grandma Liang, didn't we tell you before that when you buy groceries, you should go to the martial arts hall and tell us in advance so that we can help you bring them back? But now you sneak out again."
"What if the old man hurts his waist?"
Grandma Liang smiled sheepishly and said, "I just saw that you were very tired from practicing martial arts. I still have some strength left and didn't want to cause you any trouble."
"That's nothing, it's not even a warm-up. Come on, I'll take you home."
In recent years, driven by the Jingwu School, the atmosphere in Gongzhou has become better and better. Even among martial arts schools, young people rarely act domineeringly like in some places.
However, although the small Gongzhou is stable, the desire for martial arts is still strong. Outside Gongzhou, with the opening of the country's doors and the influx of foreign cultures, traditional martial arts have suffered a considerable impact.
Under the leadership of some respected seniors, a martial arts association was established to meet new challenges. In order to promote traditional martial arts, a booklet was published that ranked martial arts schools in various places to attract more apprentices to join in the study.
It’s a pity that although the association’s original intention was good, there were still some things that were not well considered, and the rankings of some martial arts schools and factions in the booklet did not satisfy everyone.
This kind of dissatisfaction is easy to deal with, but it is also difficult to deal with.
For warriors, fists are often the only way to win.
If you feel that your ranking is low, then go and challenge. If you win, your ranking will naturally rise. With a higher ranking, you can also seize more resources when the situation is unstable, at least allowing your faction to survive better.
Whether it is for the sake of money or face, you still need to fight for the ranking.
Another day, the owner of the Hung Gar school next door, Wu, brought some apprentices to have a friendly sparring match with Xi Feng's apprentices. After warming up, the owner also exchanged a few moves with Xi Feng. As expected, he was defeated by Xi Feng again. The owner was obviously accustomed to this result.
After the fight, Master Wu watched his apprentices compete while whispering to Xi Feng about the news he had heard from his friends in other martial arts schools.
"I heard that the Bajiquan master in the north and his apprentices have won four consecutive games. It seems that although their Bajiquan has lost a lot of its inheritance due to the previous war, its foundation is still there. Its previous ranking was indeed a bit low."
"It's just that they seem to be challenging other sects everywhere. It's said that the current Baji Sect leader, Dong Hongfei, was born into a hunter family and was a bandit during his most difficult years. He robbed the rich to help the poor, but he was eventually subdued by the former Baji Sect leader and willingly became his disciple. He has a tough and overbearing personality, and his attacks are ruthless and merciless, with every move hitting the opponent's vital points."
"Afterwards, he was always restrained by his master, hiding his strength within himself, tempering his character, and not showing off. As a result, few of us in the industry have ever heard of his name."
“Now that he is free from restraints, he brings a group of Bajimen disciples down the mountain, like a ferocious beast on a killing spree.”
"Dong Hongfei even threatened to challenge all the martial arts schools in the east, south, west and north, and let everyone know that Bajiquan is the first-class inheritance in the martial arts world."
The Hung Gar gym leader turned around and looked at Xi Feng with some concern. Xi Feng and Dong Hongfei were not much different in age, but Xi Feng became famous at a young age, and his current overall ranking even surpassed Bajiquan.
In addition, not long ago, Dong Hongfei led his men to select a martial arts school that also inherited the Tai Chi tradition in the north, and Gongzhou was also on their route.
Anyone with a discerning eye could see that Dong Hongfei's target was most likely Xi Feng, who was known as the number one person in Gongzhou.
The Hung Gar gym leader asked tentatively, "What does Master Xi think about this?"
Xi Feng's gaze fell on the apprentices sweating profusely in the martial arts arena. Hearing this, he softly replied, "Spring is a time when a hundred flowers bloom. It's a blessing that the Bajiquan tradition has been passed down. My Jingwu School opens its doors and welcomes all fellow practitioners to come and exchange friendly lessons."
After a pause, the Hung Gar gym leader looked at his deputy. Even though he had heard that Dong Hongfei had come with ill intentions, his first thought was not to worry about his reputation as the best of the younger generation, but to be happy that the Bajiquan tradition was being passed down. Suddenly, he clasped his fists and said with a look of shame, "Master Xi is very generous. I admire you!"
Just as the Hung Gar gym leader had worried, Dong Hongfei and his group's destination was indeed Gongzhou, the Jingwu gym leader's chairman, Feng.
On this day, the apprentices in the martial arts school practiced against the wooden dummies as usual.
Suddenly, a young apprentice rushed in.
"Big Brother, something bad has happened! A group of outsiders have come to town, and Third Brother and Little Brother are fighting with them."
When everyone heard this, they immediately became anxious and looked at the eldest brother.
The eldest brother patted his chest and said, "Let's go." The third and youngest brothers were bullied, so of course they had to go and save them.
"No need to leave, we've brought the person back."
Before everyone in the Jingwu Hall could set off, a rough voice was heard, and the door of the Jingwu Hall was kicked open violently. The third senior brother and the younger junior brother, with many scars on their faces and bruised noses and swollen faces, were surrounded by a group of warriors wearing foreign martial arts uniforms, and walked into their own martial arts hall with humiliation on their faces.
As a group of foreign warriors took over and lined up in the martial arts hall, a burly man walked in behind them.
"Third Senior Brother/Third Junior Brother!"
"Junior Brother!"
Seeing the injuries on their junior brother and third senior brother, the students of Jingwu School were filled with righteous indignation and were about to step forward to argue. The other side's warriors were equally unyielding. Both sides had their eyes wide open and their necks red, and a fight was about to break out.
Just then, Xi Feng walked in slowly from outside, holding the vegetables he had just bought from the market.
Xi Feng frowned slightly and held down his apprentices.
Seeing that their master had returned and they had a backbone, the apprentices, although still angry, all stood behind Xi Feng obediently. The warriors on the opposite side did not take any action again, but both sides stared at each other with wide eyes as if they were fighting and competing with their eyes.
After taking a look at his two apprentices and making sure that they only had minor injuries and were not in danger of life, Xi Feng looked at the big man with a big horse and a golden sword sitting on the chair.
Seeing Xi Feng, who was dressed in plain clothes and looked quite refined, holding a pile of vegetables instead of a weapon, the burly man frowned and took the initiative to ask, "Who are you?"
"My name is Xi Feng."
A flash of surprise crossed the big man's face, and soon a hint of sarcasm appeared on his face. He spoke in a sarcastic tone, "So it's Master Xi. I've heard a lot about you. I'm Dong Hongfei from Baji Sect. Before I came here, I was thinking you were some kind of hero, Xi Feng. I'm so disappointed!"
Seeing this person insulting their master, the eldest disciple suddenly jumped up and was about to teach the other person a lesson. Dong Hongfei narrowed his eyes and the teacup in his hand fell out of his hand in an instant.
However, the next moment, Xi Feng's figure quickly disappeared from his original position and appeared in front of the eldest disciple. He first blocked the eldest disciple's fist with his palm, and then with his other hand, he reached behind his back and steadily caught the teacup thrown by Dong Hongfei.
It seemed like a simple matter, but as the teacup turned into powder under the internal force of the two people and fell, it was enough to show the skills of both parties.
Seeing Xi Feng take action, Dong Hongfei straightened his body slightly.
The eldest disciple: "Master..."
Xi Feng: "Remember what I said? Understand the truth before taking action. Force is not used to cause misfortune, but to redress injustice."
The eldest disciple was stunned for a moment, then slowly retracted his fist: "I will follow Master's instructions."
Turning his head again, Xi Feng looked at Dong Hongfei and asked calmly, "I wonder why my disciple was treated like this?"
Obviously, Xi Feng's future attitude will also depend on Dong Hongfei's answer.
If the fault really lies with his apprentice, he will not cover it up, but if his apprentice is bullied for no reason, he, as a master, will also seek justice for his apprentice.
Unexpectedly, Dong Hongfei revealed a cold smile and waved behind him: "Xiao Shiyi, you go ahead."
A young man dressed in purple, about the same age as the youngest disciple from Jingwu Academy, stepped out. He also had a bruised face and nose. He raised his finger and pointed at the third and youngest disciples. His vague tone couldn't hide his anger: "These two guys bullied an old man, so I fought them. He couldn't beat him, so I fought two against one. That's why the brothers took action."
Everyone in the Jingwu Hall was stunned. Family members know their own business. They knew the personalities of their senior and junior brothers very well, and they also knew that they were not the kind of people the young man described.
So there are only two possibilities: either the other party is lying and deliberately looking for trouble, or there is some misunderstanding.
After hearing what the pig-headed boy in purple said, the faces of the younger junior brother and the third senior brother, whose mouths were blocked, turned the color of liver, and it was obvious that they had something to say.
The cloth strips on his mouth were removed, and the pig-headed junior brother yelled at the pig-headed purple-clothed youth who was still pointing his finger at them: "You're confusing right and wrong! It was clearly you who blackmailed Grandpa Jiang first. I saw it with my own eyes!"
"Master, this group of outsiders bullied Grandpa Jiang with bad intentions. My third brother and I stepped forward to stop them, and a conflict broke out. I'm sorry, we brought shame to Master!"
"Master, Grandpa Jiang and other neighbors can testify!"
The third senior brother also said indignantly. When the two of them finished speaking, the young people on the purple-clothed warrior's side were also stunned.
At this moment, an old man, panting, finally ran to the Jingwu Hall. He rushed between the two groups of people, anxiously babbling and signing. Obviously, he was a deaf-mute. If he had not been unable to speak at the first time, there would have been no misunderstanding.
Seeing that the old man was getting more anxious and his gestures were becoming more unclear, Xi Feng quickly soothed him in a gentle voice: "Don't worry, old man. If you have something to say, take your time."
Dong Hongfei looked anxious, but after hearing what Xi Feng said, he opened his mouth and actually endured it. However, his pair of thick legs like iron towers shook irritably, and even the chair under him creaked.
Fortunately, with Xi Feng's patient comfort and guidance, Grandpa Jiang took a breath and gestured out what had happened. It was really a misunderstanding.
The Bajimen group traveled all day and arrived in Gongzhou early in the morning. As soon as they got off the dock, everyone felt a little hungry. The young man in purple found Grandpa Jiang's noodle stall.
When paying, the purple-clothed boy didn't know sign language and it was his first time tasting the local delicacies of Gongzhou, so he misunderstood the price and paid too much. Grandpa Jiang grabbed the purple-clothed boy's hand and wanted to return the money. The purple-clothed boy didn't understand why and didn't want to take the money.
Just at this moment, the third senior brother and the younger junior brother on the pedestrian street saw it. From their perspective, it looked like the young man in purple was robbing Grandpa Jiang's money, so they immediately rushed forward. However, their fierce look and imposing aura aroused the young man in purple's vigilance.
I thought it was a street bully here who was going to bully the old man selling noodles. Both sides thought the other was a bad guy and started fighting directly.
When the other disciples of Baji Sect noticed the commotion and came over to see, they said: Great, they are actually bullying our junior brother. Come on!
After hearing both sides' explanations, Xi Feng's eldest disciple wiped a cold sweat from his forehead. Fortunately, their master returned in time, otherwise, if they continued to fight in the martial arts hall, wouldn't it be a waste of time? It would be completely meaningless.
The eldest brother finally understood the master's good intentions at this moment. Indeed, if one only relies on force to rush forward, but ignores the truth of the matter, it is easy to do bad things with good intentions like this!
After seeing Grandpa Jiang off, the people from both martial arts schools looked at each other with some embarrassment.
Dong Hongfei also felt a little uncomfortable. He patted his apprentice and urged him, "What are you doing? Why don't you apologize?"
Seeing that the other side had apologized proactively, everyone at the Jingwu Gym realized that they were also at fault, so without waiting for Xi Feng to urge them, they all clasped their fists with the other side. The two pig-headed boys looked at each other.
"Well, I misunderstood you. I'm sorry."
"I acted without knowing the truth, please forgive me."
The junior brother from Jingwu School touched his nose, and the junior brother from Bajiquan School touched his face. As a result, they accidentally hissed in pain on both sides. They looked at each other again and suddenly laughed.
It can be considered as turning hostility into friendship.
Even Dong Hongfei stood up, but unlike before, he solemnly clasped his fists towards Xi Feng and said, "Dong Hongfei of Baji Sect, I apologize for the offense I just caused. I wrongly accused Master Xi. I apologize."
Seeing this, Xi Feng also clasped his fists and saluted in return.
The misunderstanding was resolved, but Dong Hongfei did not forget the purpose of his visit to Gongzhou and invited Xi Feng to a duel.
In the martial arts hall, Dong Hongfei recited aloud the domineering opening words he had prepared earlier:
"Tai Chi in literature brings peace to the world, while Baji in martial arts brings order to the universe."
"Dong Hongfei of Bajiquan has come to me for instruction. The centuries-old dispute between Tai Chi and Bajiquan has brought us together, and today we'll have a showdown to see who's the better of us!"
Xi Feng remained silent and did not immediately agree. Dong Hongfei frowned and asked impatiently, "Why? Does Master Xi look down on me?"
There was another moment of silence, and Xi Feng shook his head: "That's not the case."
Dong Hongfei lifted his robe and made the starting hand gesture of Bajiquan. His eyes lit with the desire to win, and he introduced himself again in a loud voice: "Bajiquan master Dong Hongfei has come to seek instruction. Master Xi, please teach me!"
However, what Dong Hongfei waited for was still not Xi Feng's Tai Chi move. Before he could get angry again, he heard Xi Feng explain in a somewhat helpless tone:
"Master Dong, the saying, 'Tai Chi brings peace to the world, while Bajiquan brings order to the universe,' doesn't actually apply to this."
Dong Hongfei:?
Xi Feng: "This line of poetry isn't really about martial arts, but rather about the art of stabilizing a nation and securing its people. The 'wen' and 'wu' in the poem refer to the ancient King Wen and King Wu of Zhou. The words 'tai chi' and 'baji' are derived from ancient culture. The 'an' and 'ding' in the poem refer to the different methods King Wen and King Wu used to govern their countries, respectively. The 'tianxia' and 'qiankun' in the poem describe vast areas."
Dong Hongfei: ???
Xi Feng: "Do you understand what I'm saying?"
Master Dong resisted the urge to shake his head and said uncertainly, "Got it, got it?"
I can understand individual words, but when they are put together, I don’t quite understand them.
Xi Feng seemed to notice Master Dong's lack of confidence and sighed softly, "It's good for martial artists to read some books in their spare time. It helps them cultivate their character and spirit, so that they can better understand the essence of martial arts. Now that the competition is over, how about I recommend a few ancient books to Master Dong?"
Dong Hongfei: ...
He was really regretting coming to spar. Was it really necessary to be so vicious just to spar? She actually asked him to read a book after the fight.
He, Dong Hongfei, the successor of Bajiquan, has had two "mosts" since he was young.
My favorite thing is practicing boxing, and my most hated thing is reading.
Practicing boxing can make him full of energy, and sticking to books can make him want to fall asleep.
hatred!
Dong Hongfei: Why don’t he just give up this fight? What’s the point of being first or second? No wonder the seniors couldn’t decide who was better. Otherwise, he should just leave it to his disciples.
Just when Dong Hongfei was thinking this, Xi Feng on the opposite side finally made a gesture to introduce himself.
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