Haruhi Hideaki

Zhang Shuai saw how badly Joseph was hurting and realized he'd hit too hard with that last punch. He'd have to hold back more.

After exchanging that punch, the two remained locked in a standoff. Joseph didn't dare attack either; his right hand was still weak and aching with sharp pain. He could only keep circling Zhang Shuai and wait for it to recover.

They stayed at a standoff for a while longer. The audience below was starting to lose patience, and they all began shouting. They'd been watching for over two minutes, and aside from that one exchange of punches, the two hadn't fought at all. They just kept circling each other. How could the crowd be satisfied with that?

Seeing that Joseph wasn't making a move, Zhang Shuai knew he was scared. There was no helping it. To make sure the audience got their money's worth, Zhang Shuai had no choice but to get Joseph to cooperate and put on a show.

Zhang Shuai suddenly rushed toward Joseph. Joseph instinctively retreated, backing all the way to the chain-link fence.

Zhang Shuai moved right up to him and leaned in, lowering his voice. "Work with me. Let's make this fight exciting and give the audience a good show. Don't worry, I won't hit you too hard!"

Joseph immediately understood what Zhang Shuai meant and gave an almost imperceptible nod.

But Joseph's right hand was completely useless, so he could only throw a left hook at Zhang Shuai's face. Zhang Shuai ducked beneath it, then swept a leg toward Joseph's feet. Joseph reacted quickly and leaped to the left, evading the sweep.

Before Joseph could regain his footing, Zhang Shuai planted one hand on the ground and kicked him in the chest. Joseph slammed hard into the chain-link fence.

But Joseph realized he wasn't hurt. Clearly, Zhang Shuai's kick had only looked powerful; in reality, he hadn't put much force behind it.

That put Joseph at ease. The two began their exhibition match, trading punches and kicks as they went back and forth, putting on quite a show.

The audience below grew excited. Seeing the two fight so fiercely, they erupted in waves of cheers.

After a few more minutes, Zhang Shuai decided they'd gone on long enough. Joseph was panting and running out of stamina, so Zhang Shuai seized an opening and kicked him to the ground. Then he rushed forward and pinned him down with a knee. The pressure left Joseph unable to breathe, as if a small mountain were weighing him down, and he couldn't move at all.

Joseph was completely baffled. Hadn't they agreed this was an exhibition match? Why was this Dragon Kingdom guy suddenly getting serious? Were people from the Dragon Kingdom all this devious?

Soon, Zhang Shuai's fists rained down on Joseph's head and face. His punches were as fast as lightning, and the audience below screamed with excitement. The blows fell like raindrops, so densely that the crowd couldn't make out the speed of Zhang Shuai's punches; all they could see was a blur of afterimages.

Joseph quickly realized something was off. He knew how heavy Zhang Shuai's punches were, but although they looked fast and fierce, they were actually light and completely lacking in force. They only stung a little when they landed on his face and head. However, Zhang Shuai deliberately made his nose bleed, so from the audience's perspective, Joseph looked badly beaten.

After hitting him for a while, Zhang Shuai noticed that Joseph, pinned beneath him, was grinning at him. His dark face showed a row of white teeth. Zhang Shuai was speechless. Black people really are a little slow on the uptake. He can't even act along with me. I've been beating him for ages, and he's still grinning. Is he kidding?

So Zhang Shuai couldn't help muttering, "Idiot, you're supposed to play dead!"

Taking the hint, Joseph suddenly understood that the exhibition match was supposed to be over.

He rolled his eyes back and lay motionless on the ground.

Zhang Shuai lifted his knee off Joseph and stood up.

The audience below screamed and cheered with excitement. The host waited about half a minute, then saw that Joseph was lying there like a dead pig, unconscious and unmoving. He immediately announced the victory of Zhang Shuai, from the Eastern Dragon Kingdom.

Medical staff soon carried Joseph away on a stretcher. As Zhang Shuai left the bar, the women, still wild with excitement, surrounded him once again. After finally pushing through the crowd, Zhang Shuai hurried out of the bar under the protection of Situ Changtian and Huang Tianli.

After they returned to the hotel, Situ Changtian went to collect the prize money, while Huang Tianli dragged Zhang Shuai off to eat. Zhang Shuai had no choice but to go along.

If Zhang Shuai went too long without eating while he was with Huang Tianli, it would seem strange.

Huang Tianli took Zhang Shuai to a Dragon Kingdom restaurant near the hotel. They ate a quick meal and returned to the hotel.

Not long after, Situ Changtian came by and told Zhang Shuai that he'd collected the prize money for the match. As before, it would stay with him for now. There was another match at eight-thirty that evening, against Haruhi Hideaki, who came from the island nation.

Situ Changtian didn't say much about Haruhi Hideaki, because there was no need.

Situ Changtian no longer had the slightest doubt about Zhang Shuai's ability. Whoever his opponent was, Zhang Shuai was sure to win.

While waiting for the match at the hotel, Zhang Shuai patiently studied ancient script. Ancient philology was quite dull, and without his intense determination to cultivate immortality, he would have struggled to stick with it.

As the evening match drew near, Situ Changtian came by and took Zhang Shuai to the underground fight club.

They went down to the basement level. After security searched them, Zhang Shuai and the others entered the bar.

Not long afterward, the match began.

There were even more spectators than in the afternoon. Having won two matches in a row, and coming from the mysterious Eastern Dragon Kingdom, Zhang Shuai had gained plenty of supporters at the underground fight club.

Zhang Shuai's opponent in this match was Haruhi Hideaki, from the island nation. As they entered the ring, the crowd's cheers made it clear that Zhang Shuai was much more popular than Haruhi Hideaki.

Standing in the ring, Haruhi Hideaki sized up Zhang Shuai, while Zhang Shuai sized him up in return.

Zhang Shuai had no fondness for the island nation. It wasn't only because the bloody history of resistance against its invasion had left its mark on him; more likely, it was because of the influence his grandfather had on him as a child.

Zhang Shuai's grandfather hated the island nation's people most of all. His mother—Zhang Shuai's great-grandmother—had died at their hands. Zhang Shuai's grandfather had been only eight years old that year. He carried that hatred for the rest of his life, and it had shaped Zhang Shuai's own feelings as well.

Haruhi Hideaki was about the same age and height as Zhang Shuai, though he was slightly bigger. His appearance was ordinary; he was the sort of person who would go unnoticed in a crowd.