Chapter 82 - Fame Forged in a Single Battle (Part Two)

Bang! With a single hand, I effortlessly caught De Guangqing’s fist and, with a fluid motion, flung his body—still airborne—straight to the ground beside me. Before he could even react, and under the eyes of all his subordinates, his body met the earth in a spectacular, undignified tumble.

“Bravo!” Chu Qitong couldn’t help but cheer for me; the anxiety and panic in her eyes had vanished, replaced by excitement and admiration.

When true masters exchange blows, the outcome is clear at the first touch. I deliberately made De Guangqing lose face in front of his men, refusing to show any mercy—the difference in skill was plain for all to see.

De Guangqing, his expression alternating between pale and flushed, scrambled to his feet, humiliated and furious, and charged at me in a frenzy. He knew he had suffered a crushing embarrassment, and my move had ignited his rage. Without considering my strength or his own chances, he launched a second attack.

This time, De Guangqing used the eighteenth technique of the Lion Fist, known as the Lion’s Tail. It was a fierce leg maneuver, reminiscent of a whirlwind kick, rare in southern martial arts for its aggressive power. He had no idea that I was intimately familiar with every technique from his school; to think he could surprise me with this was pure fantasy.

He stretched his muscular arms toward me, feigning a double fist attack to distract my eyes and make me believe he intended to strike with his fists. I shook my head lightly and sighed, “Such petty tricks dare to show off before me?”

Easily parrying his double fist strike, my eyes were already fixed on his raised left leg. Using the momentum I gave him, he sprang into the air, spinning his body and swinging his left leg in a graceful arc, aiming sharply at my right waist. Against such sneak attacks, speed was the answer.

Bang! Another light sound rang out. Before De Guangqing could even turn his face toward me, his leg still suspended in mid-air, my right leg shot out like lightning, landing a fierce kick on his spinning waist—instantly sending him flying. He cried out, pain intense from the blow to his weakest spot, the waist. Like a broken kite, he tumbled heavily to the ground, again face-first in the dirt. Throughout, I had not moved from my spot, standing firm as a spectator at ease.

“Boss… Boss!!” De Guangqing’s men stared in disbelief for a full three seconds before realizing their boss could not get up. They rushed forward, panic-stricken, to help their leader, whose face was now ashen with pain, and hastily retreated to the crowd.

“De Guangqing, tell Xia Fugui this: a tiger that does not show its claws is not a sick cat. Today is just a warning. For everything he does against me in the future, I will repay him a hundredfold!” I dusted off my hands and delivered my cold declaration. In truth, I owed De Guangqing thanks—without him, I would never have realized my strength had reached such heights. Until now, my sparring with Li Dabiao had always been restrained, neither of us showing full force. But today, with the Ziyang Divine Skill fully mastered and the spring water’s miraculous effects, I was truly a martial arts master.

Beep! Beep! Just as the gangsters heard my bold words and were about to rush me with their numbers, several business vehicles suddenly sped in from a side street. Out poured more than a dozen burly men—Li Dabiao’s crew, of course. I couldn’t help but smile wryly, “Li, when will you ever arrive a bit earlier?”

Li Dabiao strode quickly to my side, grinning. “Boss, with your skills, who could even touch you? If they want a fight, they must be asking for a beating. Besides, the southern part of town is far—my brothers and I were training new recruits at the security company in the east, but when we got your call, we rushed right over.” He glanced at the thugs before us and asked with a cold chuckle, “Are these gangsters?”

“Yeah, their boss De Guangqing won’t be getting up anytime soon, probably needs a month or so in the hospital. I’ll wait in the car—I have no interest in dealing with these small fry.” I shrugged helplessly, took Chu Qitong by the hand, and headed toward the business vehicle.

“Hey Li, when did the boss start bringing around such beautiful women? Wow, it’s only been a few days and I’ve seen three already,” one of Li Dabiao’s men murmured, watching me lead Chu Qitong, his tone full of envy.

“Bah! You talk too much—our boss isn’t that kind of person,” Li Dabiao retorted, flicking his brother’s head. Then, unable to hide his own envy, he said, “What can we do? Our boss is so dashing, beautiful women just flock to him. He’s got to pick a few, doesn’t he?”

“Oh…” Suddenly, everyone nodded in understanding. Chu Qitong, hearing Li Dabiao’s words, flushed deeply, her cheeks red all the way down her snow-white neck, and shot me a fierce glare. I turned, exasperated, and scolded Li Dabiao with a smile, “Li Dabiao, I called you to help clean up, not to spread rumors. Hurry up and finish things so we can get moving!” With that, I pulled Chu Qitong into the car, sank into the seat, and closed my eyes.

“Did you hear the boss? Time to clean up… Not just clean up, but really finish things off! Brothers, your hands must be itching—let’s get started!” Li Dabiao cracked his knuckles, the sound echoing as he was the first to charge at the stunned gangsters.

Immediately, Li Dabiao’s dozen brothers followed, and the air was filled with screams, bodies hitting the ground, and pained groans. In the car, I shook my head, smiling bitterly. “Li Dabiao seems to have gotten a lot more humorous since coming back—looks like this is his true self. The old Li Dabiao was just weighed down by his mother’s illness. It’s good; people should be optimistic.”

Chu Qitong, beside me, clearly didn’t understand what I was saying, but when I glanced at her, I found the girl gazing at me with eyes full of worship and affection, which made me snap my eyes shut again.

Damn, I forgot—being too impressive attracts admiration, especially from dreamy young girls. What I didn’t expect was that this display would make Li Dabiao and his crew famous overnight in the underworld, indirectly helping their rapid rise.