(32)
The underground boxing ring was originally a competition arena established by the Wushu Association, which was official and positive. Later, the Wushu Association gradually cancelled these private exchanges and turned all martial arts competitions into public performances. Every competition was broadcast on TV, and there were sponsors and so on. Wushu Association members wanted to enter the public's attention by participating in competitions, while martial arts families did not need to work hard like these grassroots. With the support of financial groups, the children of the families only needed to participate in a few easy and profitable reality shows to become famous.
When private sparring became a formal official program, the boxing ring was bought by the Wushu Association and several major families. It was said to the outside world that it was a place for martial artists to practice and spar, but in fact it was a bloody casino.
Not all martial artists live as glamorously as they do on TV. They have also been poor and need money. Some people take risks and come to underground boxing rings to make a fortune, while others are simply boxers trained by aristocratic families who just want to make money.
Those who come to the underground boxing ring to fight will sign a life and death agreement in advance, and even if something goes wrong, the opponent and the ring will not be responsible. This kind of private casino should not exist in China. The Lincheng Police Department even sealed off this boxing ring, but it was unsealed again and it is still in normal use.
This can only mean that there is one or more powerful people in Congress who support this boxing arena. In China, almost every major city has such a boxing arena for people to watch and bet on.
"I remember that China prohibits drugs." Yan Changge asked after listening to Qu Lian's description of the background of the boxing ring.
"That's right, but martial arts is not about poison, it's about fighting." Qu Lian said.
"What a clever choice of words." Yan Changge said lightly.
"There are all desperate criminals there," Qu Lian said worriedly, "Do you really want to go? In fact, it's just a joking remark, don't take it seriously, why do you have to go there. I think Lin Hengyan is not a good person, he might let you play a few games to observe your skills before fighting you. We used to play well together, but when he came back after disappearing for a few years, I didn't recognize him anymore."
"Don't worry," Yan Changge said confidently, "I don't even need to use my internal energy to deal with them."
Qu Lian was infected by his confidence and thought of what Lin Hengyan said, so he said, "Yes, beat them up and let them look down on you."
After hearing this, Yan Changge felt warm in his heart and said, "Don't worry."
He was the best warrior in the world in the era of cold weapons, and he would never let these ordinary people down.
The underground boxing arena is located in the eastern suburbs of Lincheng, a bit far from Qu Lian's home. It took more than an hour to drive there. It was already past ten o'clock in the evening when they arrived. Most people would be getting ready for bed, but the nightlife of the underground boxing arena had just begun.
This is a crazy world. It is clearly a ground building, but it is named underground. Just like its nature, the boxers here are clearly in the human world, but their hearts have fallen into hell.
Yan Changge couldn't help but frowning when he saw the underground boxing ring from afar. The atmosphere here was very fierce.
Fierceness is different from evil spirit and resentment. Evil spirit and resentment are the negative energy left in the brain waves before a person dies, which are formed by the intense emotions before a person dies. Fierceness, on the other hand, is the aura of a living person. Strictly speaking, not many people die in underground boxing rings. What is more common here is the fierceness of the boxers.
"This is a really evil place," Yan Changge said, "Martial arts should not be reduced to a tool for seeking illegal profits, and martial artists should not become slaves of money, using their lives and dignity to perform for others."
Before entering the boxing ring, Yan Changge suddenly asked, "Qu Lian, what do you think of me? People are so scared of me that they can't walk. The hooligans kneel down when they see me. Shen Yifei always wants to arrest me as a gangster. What about you?"
Qu Lian smiled and said, "Of course I felt a little scared at first, but you have been helping me from the very beginning. I wish you were a bad guy. If you were a bad guy, I would pay you to do bad things. But later I found out that you are just a good guy, so how could I be scared?"
Yan Changge said: "Others think I am scary because they see me with a normal eye and see my true self. But you look at me with tinted glasses, so naturally you think I am perfect."
"Is this what it means when a lover sees beauty in his eyes?" Qu Lian touched Yan Changge's chin teasingly. "Beauty, do you want to perform for me today?"
"Today's performance is not for you, but for others." Yan Changge said meaningfully.
"What do you mean?" Qu Lian vaguely felt that Yan Changge in front of him was a little different from usual, but no matter how he looked at him, he was still so handsome. What was different?
"In fact, if I want, I can still let people see my kind face and good heart," Yan Changge explained, "I have too much negative energy, which will cause people to have negative emotions. You look at me with positive energy, which offsets the negative energy, so the me in your eyes is different from that in others' eyes. Then by the same token, as long as I cover my negative energy with positive energy, I can still pretend to be harmless. It's just that it consumes more energy. It's not easy for me to get energy, so it's better to save some."
"Besides, I am who I am. This is my true self. I live in this world openly and honestly. There is no need to hide anything. People like you will naturally look at me correctly. People like Zhao Yingyu will probably not like me no matter how hard they look at me." Yan Changge said frankly.
"So what are you planning tonight..."
"Tonight I will be a harmless Yan Changge. If I release my aura, I'm afraid all the boxers will kneel down and beg for mercy when they see me. There will be no fight at all. How can I play the pig to eat the tiger and make Lin Hengyan suffer?" Yan Changge smiled. His previous smiles were all kind, gentle, tolerant, forbearing, and happy... Qu Lian had never seen Yan Changge smile like this. His smile was full of evil, as if he was a devil from hell, who could take people's lives with just a wave of his hand.
He liked the gentle and kind Yan Changge. He was a playboy, bad and irresponsible, so it was natural for him to be attracted to the upright hero. He shouldn't like bad guys, especially those who were both good and evil in movies and TV shows. But today, he was attracted by Yan Changge's evil smile and felt a surge of emotions in his heart.
This smile was fleeting, and Yan Changge returned to his usual good-natured appearance. The difference was that he now used his merits to temporarily cover up the evil spirit on his body. In people's eyes, Yan Changge was now just a good-looking handsome man, temporarily suppressing the evil spirit that made people daunt.
There is a private room in the underground boxing ring that is beautifully decorated and has good service. Qu Lian brought Yan Changge to the private room that Lin Hengyan has reserved for many years. Zhao Yingyu and others were already inside. As Zhao Yingyu said, there were several new film and television stars in the private room. Judging from their actions, there should be no money or sex transactions with these stars for the time being. Several stars are just socializing, and they are also hunting for beauties. As for whether there are people who want to cling to their thighs and climb up the Internet, it is unknown.
"Second Master Lian," Lin Hengyan did not stand up after seeing Qu Lian and Yan Changge. Instead, he raised his wine glass and squinted at Yan Changge and said, "Is this the master you mentioned?"
Li Shao frowned and said, "Strange, he wasn't like this the last time I saw him..."
Lin Hengyan didn't pay attention to what Li Shao said. He never looked at Yan Changge directly, but said to Zhao Yingyu: "I've been so tired since I became famous. Every day, people want to challenge me, hoping to become famous. But if I really accept any challenge, I will be exhausted to death, Yingyu, don't you think so?"
Zhao Yingyu glanced at Yan Changge and found that the feeling that frightened him that day was gone, so he said with relief: "Of course."
Qu Lian was extremely angry when he heard Yan Changge being verbally humiliated and wanted to go up and argue with them. It was clearly Lin Hengyan who threatened to fight Yan Changge and forced them to come, so why was he now confusing right and wrong?
Just as he was about to step forward, he was stopped by Yan Changge. This "good guy" who was now "consistent inside and out" said gently: "Then how can Young Master Lin compete with me?"
"Let's have a few fights." Just as Qu Lian expected, Lin Hengyan had the same idea. If Yan Changge was strong, then he would fight a few more times to consume his physical strength; if Yan Changge was weak, then he would just go on the field and beat him to a pulp, so that he would never dare to brag again.
"How many matches do you think are enough, Master Lin?" The "good guy" asked politely, "How many matches are enough to be your opponent, Master Lin?"
"Huh?" Lin Hengyan looked at Yan Changge who was aggressive in a gentle tone, and said with a turn of eyes, "I once went out to practice for several years. The first thing I did after I came back was to fight in this underground boxing ring for several months. Not only did I win the championship in one fell swoop, but I also defended the ring for ten consecutive rounds. I have the highest points in this boxing ring, and no one has broken my record so far. I don't ask you to surpass my points all at once, but at least you have to be in the top ten, right? I'm not talking about getting into the top ten cumulatively, but tonight. I'm very busy, and it's not easy to get out of this night."
If you want to get into the top ten of the points list, you must win the top five in the ring in one night, and you can't lose a single game, because losing will also deduct points. Lin Hengyan let Yan Changge beat the five most powerful boxers at once, and then he went on stage himself. No matter how strong Yan Changge is, he will win when he is exhausted.
"I see," Yan Changge said amiably, "Although it was you, Young Master Lin, who proposed the challenge, it was us who first said that we were stronger than you, so it is not wrong for me to follow your arrangements."
Qu Lian glanced at Yan Changge worriedly and whispered, "Although this boxing arena is called boxing, you can request to use weapons. There are no motorcycles among the weapons here. You..."
Yan Changge rubbed his hair and said, "Instead of worrying about me, you should think about how to stay away from Zhao Yingyu and don't let him touch you."
(33)
There is a knockout match in the boxing ring. Logically speaking, Yan Changge, who has no record in the boxing ring, should start from the bottom and fight his way to the top. But time certainly does not allow it, Yan Changge must challenge the top five. In this case, a large amount of money must be paid to participate in the challenge match. The challenged warrior will not come out without enough money as an inducement.
The one who paid for the challenge was naturally Qu Lian, who paid a large sum of money for Yan Changge without blinking an eye. However, Yan Changge was unwilling to let Qu Lian spend money for him, so he asked, "What are my odds now?"
An unknown newcomer, who is as pure and innocent as a lamb, is bound to lose in the eyes of those familiar with the underground boxing ring. Perhaps this newcomer has high martial arts skills, but in the boxing ring, what matters most is not martial arts skills, but the fearless momentum and the ability to kill with one's eyes. Killing with one's eyes is not a joke, but a murderous aura accumulated in actual combat.
Yan Changge does seem to have great martial arts skills now, but his aura gives people the impression that he is an ignorant young man from a noble family who has come to the underground arena to test the waters. No one would think that he would win, and his odds are fifty-fifty.
"You know, bet on me to win." Yan Changge whispered in Qu Lian's ear, "Bet as much as you paid for the challenge. We are not greedy, we just want to make back our original investment."
Qu Lian: “…”
Are you sure that if you lose fifty to one, all you win is your original capital?
Qu Lian had also participated in high-stakes gambling, but any principal multiplied by fifty was a very scary number. He had just paid a challenge fee of one million. If it was really fifty times... it was a very exciting number to think about. So he said, "Is only one million enough? I'll add another two million. Don't let me lose money."
"That's fine," Yan Changge kissed Qu Lian's cheek, "If you win, put all your money into the next game."
From the moment he saw the fierce atmosphere of the underground boxing ring, he secretly made a decision that he was not here just to teach Lin Hengyan a lesson today, he had more important things to do.
Yan Changge did not change into the uniform prepared for him at the competition venue. Instead, he walked onto the stage in a suit and tie, and bowed to his opponent who was currently ranked fifth, saying, "Thank you."
The warrior was not strong, but had a fierce look. He looked up at Yan Changge and said, "You underestimate this place. I won't use heavy hands. Don't come here again. This is not a place for people like you."
"Oh?" Yan Changge raised his eyebrows. Although this man was trapped in hell, he seemed to have retained a trace of conscience. He was a good candidate for development. If he could be rescued from this sea of suffering, such a person could become his team member.
So Yan Changge asked, which was rare: "My name is Yan Changge, what's your name?"
"Lin Chenbing."
This name... Yan Changge frowned slightly. This naming method seems to be very nice, but it always feels like a numbering system. Could this person be the legendary martial arts family's privately raised thug to collect wealth?
The bell for the game rang, and Yan Changge had no time to think about anything else, as Lin Chenbing rushed over.
As soon as the bell rang, Lin Chenbing's aura changed. He was as stagnant as a pool of water just now, but suddenly he burst out with vigorous aura, and murderous aura rushed towards him, as if he wanted to strangle Yan Changge's throat and make him unable to breathe. If an ordinary person has not experienced the battlefield, no matter how high his martial arts skills are, he will be affected by this fierce aura and will always be a little cautious when using his fists and feet. In the fight between masters, a momentary mistake is fatal. After Lin Chenbing suddenly burst out with a momentum, he immediately rushed towards Yan Changge, and his strong fist opened to the right of his heart with a fist wind.
The chest is on the right side... It turns out that he showed mercy.
In this case, Yan Changge also reciprocated. He did not move, but slightly raised his right hand, placed his hand across his chest, and easily grasped Lin Chenbing's fist.
Most people would be stunned for a moment after being hit so easily. However, Lin Chenbing did not do that. He immediately kicked Yan Changge's leg with a sweeping kick, and at the same time, his other hand hit him in the face, so fast that no one could dodge.
But Yan Changge didn't dodge at all, he just made one move -
Before the kick and punch hit Yan Changge, he pushed Lin Chenbing out with his right hand. It was impossible to tell how strong the push was. The cheering spectators only saw Lin Chenbing being pushed out, his back hitting the wire mesh of the ring but he did not stop. Instead, he broke through the wire mesh and flew straight into the crowd of spectators, knocking down a large number of people before slowly stopping.
"This..." The spectators and the referee were stunned. They were speechless as they looked at the damaged wire mesh and Lin Chenbing whose body was covered in blood from being scratched by the wire.
Is this the end? Everyone stared at Yan Changge in a daze.
"Referee," Yan Changge said calmly, "Is it time to check if my opponent can still get up and fight?"
The referee responded quickly and ran towards Lin Chenbing. The man had already fainted. Even slapping his face could not wake him up. It was obvious that he could not continue fighting. Moreover, the wire mesh was broken like this. Lin Chenbing might have suffered serious internal injuries and might not be able to play again.
"Yan, Yan Changge wins!" the referee shouted.
The audience was in an uproar. Losing money was secondary. What they wanted to see was the bloody and exciting scene of fist bumping. This one-sided fight could not arouse people's excitement at all. Those who were hit by Lin Chenbing even stood up and roared, and their words were very disrespectful to Yan Changge, telling him to get out.
On the other side, Qu Lian stared at the 150 million chips in a daze. Although he had money, he had never won so much money at once. Moreover, Yan Changge had just asked him to invest all this money in the next game. This was going to bankrupt the casino! When the waiter changed the chips for him just now, he looked at him with a murderous look.
"This..." The referee and host looked at Yan Changge, not knowing how to get him to stop the competition. This is indeed a newcomer with little experience, but he is a real master. He defeated the opponent with his strength and did not care about the opponent's momentum at all. Such a person could not arouse the audience's desire to watch, and he should not be in this arena.
"Referee, don't worry." Yan Changge comforted the referee gently, "I came back here today mainly because I have an appointment with the same person. He thinks that my strength is not as good as his, and asked me to come here to fight him. And I am an unknown newcomer, and I have no qualifications to challenge him who is currently ranked first in the points list. So he asked me to enter the top ten in points within tonight before I can fight him, so I will not play too many games, only five. Is that right, Master Lin?"
Everyone knew that the person with the highest points was Lin Hengyan, and Yan Changge's words pushed him to the forefront. He had just made things difficult for Yan Changge in front of so many people in the private room, and put forward such harsh conditions. Now Yan Changge said this in front of everyone. If he refused, it would mean that he was stage fright. How could Lin Hengyan tolerate this?
He walked out of the box, looked down at Yan Changge from the second floor, and said proudly: "That depends on whether you can meet my conditions."
Yan Changge turned to the referee and said, "Look, my requirements are not high, right?"
"But..." The referee didn't care about the bet between Lin Hengyan and Yan Changge. He only cared about what the audience thought. "The top four may not agree to your challenge. They are all masters and have the right to refuse the challenge."
"How about this?" Yan Changge suggested, "Fighting five games in a row is a waste of time. I will pay 10 million challenge fees and fight four of them at the same time. And they can use any weapon, but I... only have this one."
He said this while holding the referee's microphone. These arrogant words aroused the interest of the audience. After the fight with Lin Chenbing just now, everyone knew that Yan Changge was an unfathomable person. It was estimated that no boxing player in the entire boxing ring could defeat him. But what if it was one against four? Moreover, the four were fully armed, but he had no weapons. Such a fight was still worth watching.
The entire stadium cheered. The referee was also a man who changed his attitude according to the situation. He said, "For us, such a generous condition, of course we will agree. But we need to check your clothes, Mr. Yan, to see if there are any hidden weapons."
"Okay." Yan Changge nodded, went back to the inner room, took off his clothes, and handed them to someone for inspection.
After confirming that he was wearing just a high-end suit, the clothes were returned, and the other four opponents were ready, and the gambling started again.
Look at the preparations of those four opponents. They are almost equipped like top mercenaries. From clothes to shoes, they are all weapons. They have long swords in their hands, hidden weapons on their waists, daggers tied on their arms and legs, and even their shoes are specially made, so that knives will appear when they kick out.
These are just the weapons that can be seen with the naked eye. It is impossible to imagine how many other weapons are hidden in that suit. And although hot weapons are not used in boxing, cold weapons can be poisoned. The rules of the competition are to apply anesthetics, but some people will also apply other poisons. In this case, I am afraid that everyone's weapons are covered with countless kinds of poisons.
In such a tough fight, no one thought Yan Changge could win, even though he was a skilled fighter. Even Lin Hengyan smiled. The odds on Yan Changge winning this time were still scary, 20 to 1.
Qu Lian expressionlessly bet the 150 million yuan on Yan Changge, feeling extremely nervous.
If they win, they will get 3 billion... The people behind this underground boxing ring must be very rich or noble. He and Yan Changge won so much money today. I wonder if they can walk out of this room with 3 billion...
Even if they walk out today, the retaliation they will face later will be terrible.
Qu Lian suddenly understood the reason why Yan Changge suddenly concealed his aura tonight. He did not do this because he was provoked by Lin Hengyan, but because he wanted to win so much money.
Yan Changge wants to... destroy this underground boxing ring!
Qu Lian was startled, and cold sweat broke out on his palms. He clenched his fists tightly. No matter what Yan Changge did, no matter how dangerous it was, he would support him!
Yan Changge looked at his opponent's weapons and suddenly said, "Everyone brought so many weapons. I don't seem to be at a disadvantage if I don't use any."
The referee said, "Mr. Yan, you proposed this condition yourself before. You don't want to overturn what you said, do you?"
Yan Changge shook his head and said, "Of course not, I just think that I should use a weapon as well."
Then he took off his tie and said to the referee, "I just said that they can use any weapon, but I only have this one. This tie should not be considered a violation, right?"
The author has something to say: Qu Lian: Tie, why is it a tie?
Yan Changge: Ties have many uses. You can see in the movie we watched together some time ago that ties can strangle people to death. They are more powerful than nunchakus and iron chains.
Qu Lian: …
Yan Changge: Besides, ties have many uses, such as making sword tassels. Don’t you think it would look great hanging around my neck?
Qu Lian: …
Yan Changge: Some people say that the folding stool is the best hidden weapon in the world, as it can be used for resting and is easy to carry. I would say that the tie is the most versatile hidden weapon in the world, as it can be worn blatantly without anyone noticing, can kill people without leaving any evidence, is beautiful and pretty, and...it has the most important use.
Qu Lian: What’s the use?
Yan Changge: This is my favorite use. It can also be tied to the scabbard of a sword. Didn’t you use it last time?
Qu Lian: …
Please read this drama on your own. I know you all know that ties have many uses.
PS: This chapter was inspired by the film "Part 2: The Grudge", where Zhang Jin beat the two protagonists alone, his hair was neat and his suit was not wrinkled, and he died in the end because of Louis Koo's mysterious tie curse...grudge...