Clash (Part 1)

"Heh heh."

Jia Yanyong chuckled as he looked toward Lin Zheyu, his eyes filled with malice.

Being ambushed by a scholar and nearly blinded had caused him to lose face within the gang.

Over the past two days, those so-called friends of his had been constantly hovering around him, making snide remarks, which left Jia Yanyong feeling extremely bitter.

Although he was fierce and combative, he didn't have as many schemes as his brother, Jia Yanming.

Jia Yanyong was somewhat excessively straightforward; after being ambushed by Lin Zheyu, he had straightforwardly refrained from badmouthing him.

During gang skirmishes, he was always the first to charge forward, straightforwardly.

He believed that in this line of work, loyalty came first, and one should be willing to sacrifice everything for their brothers.

Because of this, he had been slashed in the neck and nearly lost his life, yet Jia Yanyong didn't consider it a big deal.

But failing and being ambushed by a scholar, only to be mocked by his friends for it, was something he found deeply unbearable.

"Fine!"

Lin Zheyu looked at Jia Yanyong, who was eager to jump into action and itching to beat him up right then and there, and spoke.

Since he intended to join the Flying Rainbow Gang, the grudge with Jia Yanyong should be settled; there was no life-or-death enmity between them to begin with.

He was quite willing to resolve their grievances through a sparring match.

"Haha, you've finally fallen into my hands."

"This time, watch me beat you to a pulp and win back the face I lost."

Jia Yanyong grinned, staring at Lin Zheyu.

Anyone with eyes could see the malice in Jia Yanyong's gaze.

He cracked his neck, his fists popping loudly, making even Lin Zheyu feel sorry for his knuckles.

"Since you've agreed, Jia Yanyong, go ahead and trade a few blows with Mr. Lin. Keep it light, and don't go too heavy on him," Xu Jingwu said.

In his view, although Lin Zheyu had practiced martial arts for some time, he would be no match for Jia Yanyong.

Jia Yanyong's strength had reached the early stage of the Bone Forging Realm, and with his sturdy, hulking frame, he was incredibly formidable. He was considered quite a capable fighter within the Flying Rainbow Gang.

"Don't worry, Gang Leader, I know what I'm doing," Jia Yanyong said with a chuckle, looking very pleased.

"The space here is too cramped to move around; let's go to the backyard," Lin Zheyu said.

He led Xu Jingwu and his group to the backyard of Bidan Tea House.

Liang Song glanced at them from afar, then went back to sipping his wine and zoning out.

Arriving in the backyard, Lin Zheyu rolled up his sleeves and looked at Jia Yanyong opposite him.

Jia Yanyong glared at Lin Zheyu, his expression unkind: "No dirty tricks or ambushes this time! Let's see what other skills you have!"

"Damn it, you made me lose face in front of Xie Jiang and Ning Hui. Watch me beat you until you can't get out of bed for days!"

"Hah, take this!"

With that, Jia Yanyong let out a loud shout and charged toward Lin Zheyu, swinging his fist.

He looked tall and imposing, and his aggressive punch made onlookers break into a cold sweat for Lin Zheyu.

"Gang Leader, is this really okay?"

"If Mr. Lin gets seriously hurt, there won't be anyone left to tell such wonderful stories."

A man beside Xu Jingwu spoke up.

Many in their Flying Rainbow Gang were fans of Lin Zheyu's stories and had recently become addicted to them.

"Don't worry, although Jia Yanyong is reckless, he knows his limits. At most, he'll just leave Mr. Lin bedridden for a few days," Xu Jingwu laughed.

He had suggested the spar between Lin Zheyu and Jia Yanyong mainly to let Jia Yanyong vent his frustration.

"Ugh!"

"What the hell!"

"Whoa!"

Hearing the gasps coming from the yard, Xu Jingwu couldn't help but look at the two combatants.

He had been slightly distracted just a moment ago, thinking about other matters.

In Xu Jingwu's view, Lin Zheyu was absolutely no match for Jia Yanyong; whether it was size or combat experience, Lin Zheyu was vastly inferior.

However, when he looked at the two dueling, his eyes couldn't help but freeze for a moment.

Jia Yanyong's punch came with fierce momentum.

In his mind, Lin Zheyu was still that frail, weak-looking scholar.

Even though he had practiced martial arts for a month or so and his body had become much sturdier, Jia Yanyong still didn't take him seriously.

Watching Jia Yanyong's aggressive punch, the corners of Lin Zheyu's mouth curled up slightly.

After a night of sparring with Master Liang and being kicked around by him all night, Lin Zheyu had gained some insights into actual combat.

He utilized the Golden Goose Technique under his feet, nimbly dodging Jia Yanyong's fist.

Lin Zheyu seized the opportunity to grab Jia Yanyong's wrist, suddenly adding force to the direction of his forward momentum, causing Jia Yanyong to lose his center of gravity and stumble forward.

Bang—

Lin Zheyu bent his elbow and slammed it hard into Jia Yanyong's back.

A massive force struck him, sending Jia Yanyong sprawling onto the ground, face-planting in a humiliating heap.

The surrounding gang members were shocked.

Steward Wu was also shocked.

Was this really the same boy he knew, the one who used to be nothing but skin and bones, so weak he looked like he would collapse in the wind?

How much time had passed? To think he could now easily defeat someone with a build like Jia Yanyong's—it was simply incredible.

"That doesn't count, I wasn't paying attention."

"Again!"

Jia Yanyong stood up from the ground, his face looking extremely ugly.

Being defeated so easily in front of everyone, and without the opponent resorting to trickery or a sneak attack this time, made him feel like he had lost all face.

"Fine."

Lin Zheyu nodded.

He assumed the stance of the Bull Fist, intending to use his raw strength to conquer Jia Yanyong while simultaneously displaying his power to Xu Jingwu.

"Hmph!"

Jia Yanyong let out a cold snort, enduring the pain in his back, and launched another attack.

He practiced the Black Fiend Fist; when mastered to a high level, his pair of fists would be incredibly fierce—a mere graze would cause injury, and a direct hit would mean death.

Lin Zheyu circulated his Breathing Method, coordinating it with his Bull Fist strikes.

After learning the Breathing Method, the power of his fist techniques had more than doubled.

Once he became more proficient with the Breathing Method and strengthened his internal organs, the power could even increase three or four times over.

Bang.

The two traded a punch, a dull thud echoing out.

Both Lin Zheyu and Jia Yanyong felt their arms go slightly numb and their bones ache.

Their strength was evenly matched, and both were forced back two steps by the impact.

A flash of shock crossed Jia Yanyong's eyes: "Such strong force, has this guy also reached the Bone Forging Realm?"

The Black Fiend Fist was fierce and formidable; very few in the gang could take a punch from him head-on.

Yet this guy, who he had considered frail and weak, had actually withstood it and even forced him back a few steps.

"Again!"

Jia Yanyong shouted, continuing to press forward.

His attacks were wide and reckless, full of brute force, but also riddled with openings.

After Liang Song's guidance, Lin Zheyu easily spotted the flaws in Jia Yanyong's form.

However, he did not use those openings to defeat Jia Yanyong; he intended to rely on raw strength to thoroughly beat this stubborn guy into submission.

After the recent collision, Lin Zheyu realized that Jia Yanyong was not much stronger than him.

Because of his larger build, the other man's strength was a sliver greater than his, but only a sliver.

Actual combat was not just about strength and speed, but about combat awareness and technique.

In this regard, Jia Yanyong was lacking by more than just a little; he possessed great courage and strength but only knew how to suppress others with brute force.

Bang.

Bang, bang, bang.

The sound of fists hitting flesh echoed throughout the courtyard. The Flying Rainbow Gang members, Steward Wu, and the waiter from Bidan Tea House all looked at Lin Zheyu with different eyes.

They had not expected that the refined, scholarly youth who spoke of martial arts passion on the storytelling stage would possess such formidable strength.

"Good, good, good!"

Watching the brutal, fist-to-flesh battle between Jia Yanyong and Lin Zheyu, Xu Jingwu couldn't help but exclaim "good" three times in a row.

Lin Zheyu actually possessed such talent in the martial arts.

From the patterns of his fist techniques, it was clear that this was the widely circulated folk style, Bull Fist.

As far as he knew, Lin Zheyu had been practicing martial arts for less than two months, yet he had already reached the mastery level in Bull Fist; such comprehension was truly astonishing.

If this kid really had no prior contact with martial arts, then this level of talent and comprehension is worth cultivating, Xu Jingwu thought to himself.

Bang—

Lin Zheyu raised his arm to block a punch Jia Yanyong had aimed directly at his face, feeling a slight numbness in his arm.

He stepped forward with his right foot and kicked toward Jia Yanyong's knee.

Caught off guard, Jia Yanyong stumbled, his center of gravity thrown off balance.

Seizing the opportunity, Lin Zheyu quickly closed the distance.

Bull Charge!

With a Bull Charge, he struck out with both fists.

In his panic, Jia Yanyong chose to prioritize blocking the fist aimed at his face.

The corners of Lin Zheyu's mouth curled up, revealing a smile of success.

Bang—

The other fist slammed heavily into Jia Yanyong's abdomen.

"Hiss—"

Jia Yanyong felt a spasm in his gut, his entire body folding like a shrimp as he collapsed to the ground.