Young Man, You Were Trying to Kill Me

"Director Huang, I want to join Tianli Fighting Gym and compete."

Huang Tianli froze. So this young man wasn't someone sent by the government after all. He wanted to compete in fighting matches? Looking at his slight build, he didn't seem like the type who could compete at all.

"Which club were you with before? What events have you competed in?"

Zhang Shuai shook his head calmly. "I've never competed for a club."

Huang Tianli was starting to get annoyed. This rookie with no experience wanted to fight in matches? He really didn't take his own life seriously.

"Have you studied fighting?"

"No."

"Have you trained in martial arts, then? Like Bajiquan, Xingyiquan, taekwondo, jeet kune do, karate, or anything like that?"

"I've trained in Big Dipper Long Fist. Does that count?"

Huang Tianli was getting irritated. Big Dipper Long Fist? Wasn't that just like the exercises they did on the radio? What good was that supposed to be? Was this kid messing with him?

"Young man, fighting isn't as simple as you imagine. Without experience, you can't compete. I'd advise you to study hard for a few months first. If you really want to make a living at this, you can sign up at my Tianli Fighting Gym. If you have talent and do well, you might actually get a chance to compete one day."

The director was a businessman through and through. Even as he turned Zhang Shuai down, he hadn't forgotten to drum up business for his gym. But how could Zhang Shuai sign up to learn fighting? He was a man destined to cultivate immortality! Even if he hadn't started cultivating yet, he was already stronger than ordinary people. Could any world-class champion withstand one of his punches?

Zhang Shuai glanced around the office, his gaze eventually settling on an ashtray on the desk. It was a round copper ashtray.

He said nothing, just picked it up and waved it in front of Huang Tianli.

"Director Huang, how much does this ashtray cost?"

Huang Tianli looked a little taken aback. He had no idea why Zhang Shuai was asking, but he answered offhandedly.

"It's not worth much, maybe ten yuan or so... Hey, what are you doing?"

Zhang Shuai held the ashtray in one hand and squeezed hard. In an instant, it was crushed into a ball.

"Well, Director Huang? With strength like this, I should qualify to compete, right?"

Huang Tianli was startled. How much strength did it take to do that? The ashtray was hollow brass, sure, but crushing it into a ball was still ridiculous.

Taking the ashtray, now a copper ball, from Zhang Shuai, Huang Tianli could hardly believe his eyes. If the ashtray hadn't come from his own office, he would have suspected Zhang Shuai had brought some kind of prop. This kid really was a talent!

"Come with me to the fighting arena on the third floor. I'll test your reaction speed. You may be strong, but fighting isn't just about strength. You also need top-notch fighting instincts and reaction speed!"

Zhang Shuai followed Huang Tianli to the third floor of the gym. There was a proper competition ring, with protective mats on the floor and a fixed safety net around it.

Huang Tianli took off his shoes and stepped into the center of the ring. "Young man, take off your shoes and come in. I'll teach you a few fighting techniques. If you really have talent, I'll sign you right away."

"Director Huang, you're going to fight me yourself? What if I hurt you? For your own safety, you should get one of the gym's coaches instead."

Huang Tianli was so amused he nearly laughed. This kid had some nerve. Hurt him? The audacity!

"If you can hurt me, you'll be a real expert in this sport. I may be getting on in years, but I won two Gold Belts at the World Fighting Championship when I was young. I'm not as weak as you think. Still, hold back. You're strong, and we're only sparring to work on technique, so don't use all your strength."

Zhang Shuai was surprised. He hadn't expected Huang Tianli to have won a Gold Belt at the World Fighting Championship. You really couldn't judge a book by its cover.

They took their places in the center of the ring and put on their gloves. Huang Tianli began warming up, bouncing on his feet twice, throwing a couple of punches, then kicking a few times. Just from the way he warmed up, it was clear he was a professional.

"Come on. Let's begin!"

As he spoke, Huang Tianli darted forward with two quick steps and threw a vicious left hook at Zhang Shuai's head. His movements were swift and fierce.

Zhang Shuai twisted aside and took a step back, dodging the punch. Huang Tianli surged forward again, pressing in and aiming a punch straight at Zhang Shuai's chest.

Huang Tianli's punches were powerful and looked vicious, but to Zhang Shuai, his movements were extremely slow and full of openings. Zhang Shuai dodged them with ease.

"Young man, don't just dodge. Hit back! Let me see how fast you can punch!"

As he spoke, Huang Tianli closed in on Zhang Shuai again, his enormous fist heading straight for Zhang Shuai's face.

But before Huang Tianli's fist could reach him, Zhang Shuai raised his hand. His own punch landed first, slamming into Huang Tianli's chest.

At that moment, Huang Tianli felt as if he'd been struck by a thousand-pound iron hammer. A sharp pain exploded in his chest, and he stumbled backward several steps before crashing into the safety net. Then his whole body went limp, and he slid down onto the floor, sitting hard. His vision swam, his chest tightened until he could barely breathe, and his mind went blank.

Seeing Director Huang collapse in pain, Zhang Shuai was startled. Had he hit too hard? How could a world champion be so fragile? He'd only used a fraction of his strength!

Worried he'd caused trouble, Zhang Shuai hurried over to help Director Huang up. Seeing Huang Tianli's pale face and the fine sweat on his forehead, Zhang Shuai began to panic.

"Director Huang, are you all right?"

It took Huang Tianli a while to come around, but his chest still throbbed with pain. He looked at Zhang Shuai in terror, as if he were some unbelievable monster.

Huang Tianli's shock was no surprise. Zhang Shuai's punch had been far too fast, and far too powerful.

Although Huang Tianli was nearly forty and no longer in his prime, he was still a former Gold Belt winner at the World Fighting Championship. He'd seen all kinds of experts, but he'd never seen anyone with explosive power as terrifying as this young man. That wasn't a fist—it was more frightening than a thousand-pound hammer. An ordinary person would probably be half dead after taking a punch like that.

"Cough, cough... Give me a moment..."

Huang Tianli struggled to his feet, but a piercing pain still shot through his chest. Looking at Zhang Shuai, who was supporting him, he felt both embarrassed and angry. He said,

"Young man, we were sparring. You were trying to kill me! If it weren't for me, someone else might have been killed by that punch."

Zhang Shuai quickly explained, "Director Huang, you've got it wrong. I really wasn't using much strength. I was already doing my best to hold back. I thought you'd won a Gold Belt, so I didn't expect..."

Zhang Shuai suddenly trailed off.

Though Zhang Shuai hadn't finished his sentence, Huang Tianli understood what he meant. He was basically saying that he hadn't expected Huang Tianli to be so fragile, unable to withstand even one punch.

Huang Tianli's face turned green. He opened his mouth to curse.

"Holy crap... You... Cough, cough..."

His anger made him choke, and Huang Tianli couldn't stop coughing.

"Director Huang, are you all right? Should I take you to the hospital?"

Huang Tianli waved him off. After a while, he finally recovered. He gave Zhang Shuai a strange look and asked, "What's your name?"

"Director Huang, my name is Zhang Shuai. Just call me Xiao Zhang."

"Are you sure you've never studied martial arts? How can you have that kind of explosive power?"

Zhang Shuai answered honestly, "I wasn't this strong before. After I started practicing Big Dipper Long Fist, I suddenly felt a lot stronger."

Huang Tianli could hardly believe it. Wasn't Big Dipper Long Fist just a form of exercise? How could it have such a miraculous effect? At that moment, Huang Tianli thought of how much importance the government attached to Big Dipper Long Fist. He remembered yesterday's meeting at the Culture and Sports Bureau and how seriously the officials had taken it. An unbelievable thought came to him.

Could Big Dipper Long Fist really have miraculous effects? Was that why the government was promoting it so relentlessly—even sending staff to work out of his fighting gym?