Chapter 7: One by the Roadside
Chapter 7: Chapter 7: One by the Roadside
Patriarch Li Hongxuan’s gaze slowly swept across the entire courtyard, finally landing on the two facing off in the center.
"Since you both agree, we will do this according to the rules," he said, his voice steady. "In a spar between clan members, you must know when to stop. Intentional maiming or killing is forbidden. Whoever falls and cannot get up, or willingly concedes, will be the loser."
"Yes, Grandpa," Fang Chen replied calmly, his eyes locked onto Li Shanqiang.
Li Shanqiang spat on the ground and glared back, growling in a gruff voice, "Fang Chen, today I’ll let you know that playing smart won’t save you!"
The two stood firmly in the open space at the center of the courtyard. The surrounding clan members voluntarily formed a ring, and the atmosphere instantly grew tense.
Standing face-to-face, they followed the rules and bumped their left and right fists together three times, signaling the official start of the match.
"YAAAH!"
Li Shanqiang attacked first. Circulating the True Qi throughout his entire body, he charged forward with tyrannical momentum, his Fist Winds producing a SWISHING sound. His intent was obvious: to use his robust frame to compress the space and deny Fang Chen any room to dodge.
"If he dares to reach out, I’ll grapple him! If he dares to kick, I’ll grab his leg! Let’s see how he dodges then!" Li Shanqiang thought.
Fang Chen saw through his plan at a glance.
"Trying to suppress me with your physique? Too bad you’re full of openings," he mused.
To him, aside from that tyrannical True Qi, Li Shanqiang’s fighting style was fundamentally no different from a street thug’s.
Fang Chen had taught many bullies a lesson back at school, and there were plenty of people who disliked him. He had experienced no fewer than a hundred official arena matches alone, let alone private brawls. His combat experience far exceeded Li Shanqiang’s.
In an instant, several countermeasures flashed through his mind. He could dodge and follow up with a leg sweep for a takedown, or use a precise strike on the joints to disarm his opponent’s force before launching a combo...
But he immediately discarded these ideas.
"I don’t have time to play with you. I’ll finish this in one move," he decided.
Seeing that Li Shanqiang had rushed to within two steps, Fang Chen suddenly turned his back.
To Li Shanqiang, it was obvious that Fang Chen was turning to flee!
"Trying to run?" he scoffed inwardly. He let out a cold snort and immediately accelerated his lunge.
However, in the next second, although he clearly remembered Fang Chen’s right leg still stepping back to run, it instantly appeared next to his right cheek. He only felt his jaw take a brutal hit!
THUD!
A muffled sound echoed. Li Shanqiang didn’t even understand what had happened. He just felt the world spin wildly for a moment before his body fell backward uncontrollably. He completely lost consciousness.
A spinning back kick!
The move Fang Chen executed wasn’t any Martial Skill of this world, but a technique he had learned from watching mixed martial arts on Earth in his past life. He believed that although Earth was far inferior to the Jiuzhou Continent in the Martial Dao due to a lack of cultivation resources, those combat philosophies and practical techniques were still effective here.
Faster, stronger, and striking the most vulnerable spots!
Do not adhere rigidly to fixed stances; as long as you land an effective blow before the enemy hits you, it is a good move!
Into this kick, he integrated the Luck Technique from the Gale Step Technique to increase his speed. This made the kick faster than Li Shanqiang could react to. Supplemented by the True Qi enhancement of the Mid-Stage True Martial Realm, the sheer force behind the blow was unparalleled!
With just one move, the victor was decisively determined. Fang Chen retracted his leg and stood firm, casting a cold glance at Li Shanqiang, who was slumped on the ground and foaming at the mouth.
"Trash. Just another mutt by the roadside," he thought.
He then turned to Patriarch Li Hongxuan at the edge of the courtyard and asked calmly, "Grandpa, do you need to count down?"
At this point, the dumbfounded onlookers finally snapped back to reality.
Li Hongxuan paused for a moment. Just as he prepared to count, he realized Li Shanqiang had completely lost consciousness, so he hurriedly began the countdown.
"Three... Two..."
Before he could finish, Uncle Dayuan rushed into the ring with a cry of alarm and gathered his unconscious son into his arms, muttering continuously about how heavy-handed Fang Chen had been.
Fang Chen didn’t bother arguing with him. He turned to Patriarch Li Hongxuan and declared loudly, "Grandpa, did I win this match?"
The patriarch remained silent for a moment before finally nodding. "Yes, you won."
Fang Chen cupped his hands. "Then this grandson thanks you, Grandpa, and thanks all the uncles for your consideration."
As soon as these words came out, most people in the courtyard fell silent. Only Aunt Dehui repeatedly praised him.
"If... if this money isn’t going to Shanqiang, then I want back the 100,000 yuan our family raised!"
The one speaking was Uncle Dayuan. As soon as he opened his mouth, Uncle Decai quickly echoed, "Yes, we want our family’s 80,000 yuan back too!"
"This money can only be given to the Li family!"
Fang Chen scoffed inwardly. He knew this matter wouldn’t be resolved so easily.
Aunt Dehui exploded with rage once again. "Decai, Dayuan, this was decided by our families a long time ago. How can you just change it on a whim and go back on your word?"
"Hmph!" Li Dayuan completely dropped the act. He glared coldly at Li Dehui. "Of this 500,000 yuan sum, Decai’s family and mine account for 180,000. Fang Lin contributed 50,000, and you put in 60,000.
"He only contributed 50,000 yuan, yet he’s worthy of taking the entire 500,000? I don’t agree! I am definitely taking this money back. Shanqiang is seriously injured, and I need it to treat his wounds."
The group argued for quite a while without reaching any conclusion. Ultimately, everyone turned their gazes toward Patriarch Li Hongxuan, waiting for him to make the final decision.
Li Hongxuan didn’t meet their eyes. He sighed to himself, his voice laced with exhaustion. "You are all my own flesh and blood... Sigh. It breaks my heart to make any of the children give up the martial exam."
He remained silent for a moment; no one dared to interrupt.
"The village’s expenses have been high lately," he continued. "Decai’s eldest son is getting married, and his second son is seventeen this year—there’s a chance he might push for the True Martial Realm next year... If I could, I’d really love for all the younger generation to attend the Martial Arts Academy.
"It’s just... we are truly stretched too thin. So, let it be like this."
He let out a long sigh. Everyone knew the verdict was coming and instinctively sat up straighter. Even the newly awakened Li Shanqiang forced himself to look over.
"According to the vote, it seemed like a two-to-two tie, but the eldest and second households contributed more money, so that was considered a win for Shanqiang.
"According to the spar, Fang Chen won.
"However, Shanqiang possesses the Superpower of Elemental Affinity, giving him higher potential.
"Therefore, I believe this spot should be given to Li Shanqiang."
He paused and looked at Fang Lin and his son. "As for Fang Chen, you and Dehui can take back the portions you crowdfunded. Additionally, this old man will pitch in to round it up—you can take 200,000 yuan in total. How about it?"
The moment those words were spoken, the entire courtyard was shocked, though the gasps carried entirely different meanings.
Upon hearing this, Li Shanqiang fought through the agonizing pain in his jaw and grinned.
Aunt Dehui was indignant, yet powerless to change anything. After all, even if she took back the money from both their families, it would only amount to 110,000 yuan. Now, they were getting an extra 90,000. The result seemed better, but...
It shouldn’t be like this!
Li Dehui looked at Fang Chen. She knew this nephew was at an age where Blood Qi ran hot. What if he acted recklessly, let his emotions dictate his actions, and just turned around and walked away?
Taking the 200,000 yuan would still be good.
Yet, she found that Fang Chen didn’t look the least bit angry. Instead, he wore an expression that screamed, ’I just hit the jackpot.’
"Could it be... he never intended to take that 500,000 yuan from the very beginning?" she wondered.