Two tigers on one mountain

Seeing that Qi Xia had no follow-up move, he immediately charged forward with a long stride.

Without hesitation, Qi Xia shoved the two chairs beside him forward again, putting them between himself and Zhang Shan.

Tall and heavily built, Zhang Shan was already somewhat slow on his feet. Obstructed by the two chairs, he nearly fell.

"Dragons battle in the wild; their path has reached its end."

Qi Xia took a running start, stepped onto a chair, and leaped. Before Zhang Shan could steady himself, he pounced straight onto him and straddled him.

He knew Zhang Shan was fundamentally different from Little Glasses and Old Lü. Intimidation would never make him give in, so before Zhang Shan could react, Qi Xia sat astride him and rained wild punches at his face.

Zhang Shan immediately bent both arms to shield his chin and the sides of his face. Keeping his eyes on Qi Xia's shoulders, he read the incoming punches and continually blocked his attacks.

Qi Xia's fists pelted Zhang Shan's arms like raindrops. They felt as hard as a wall.

"Kid... you're asking to die!"

While Zhang Shan was speaking, Qi Xia drove a fist down between his arms, aiming straight for his nose.

But Zhang Shan seemed to have anticipated it. He clamped his arms together, stopping Qi Xia's fist dead. Pinning Qi Xia's joint, he grabbed his arm and twisted it sideways. Qi Xia rolled off to one side, and Zhang Shan broke free.

"I really did underestimate you..." Zhang Shan slowly stood and brushed the dust off himself. "Were you an assassin before you came here, kid? Who fights like that?"

Qi Xia also stood, his expression grim, panting heavily.

That attack had already been his all-or-nothing gamble, yet his opponent had come through almost completely unaffected.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Little Glasses ran over, looking frantic. "Why did you two suddenly start fighting...? Just calm down first..."

"I'm past calming down." Zhang Shan gave an angry laugh. "Today, I'm going to beat this kid until he admits defeat."

Before Qi Xia could come up with his next move, Zhang Shan sent all the chairs flying and charged at him. His thick arm swung toward Qi Xia's face like a pillar.

At the last possible moment, Qiao Jiajin reached out and hooked his arm.

"Big guy, you can't hit him."

Finding himself blocked, Zhang Shan put more strength into it, only to discover that the lean man with tattooed arms was remarkably strong. He could not move at all.

"Another hero sticking his neck out." Zhang Shan snorted. "Why can't I hit him?"

"Because he's my 'brain.'" Qiao Jiajin gave an innocent smile. "If you damage his head, we'll both end up stupid."

"He's your 'brain'?" Zhang Shan found the man before him rather interesting. "Then what are you?"

"Me..." Qiao Jiajin released Zhang Shan's hand and took off his jacket, revealing a body covered in tattoos and hardened muscle. "If you have to put a name to it, I'm his 'fist.'"

Zhang Shan raised an eyebrow. "Interesting. Then let's see what this 'fist' can do."

With that, Zhang Shan took a boxing stance, bending one arm to guard his chin while swinging the other straight at Qiao Jiajin with a twist of his hips.

Qiao Jiajin ducked and surged forward, dodging the punch as he closed in, then swung his right fist into an uppercut.

Zhang Shan leaned his head back to evade it, then immediately adjusted his stance, extending his right hand to create distance between himself and Qiao Jiajin.

That brief exchange was enough for both men to recognize that the other had training. Neither could have moved like that otherwise.

After barely half a second's thought, Zhang Shan stepped forward again and threw a heavy left punch.

This time, Qiao Jiajin did not dodge. Instead, he seized Zhang Shan's entire arm, sprang into the air, and spun around. Hooking one foot around Zhang Shan's neck, he used his body weight to drag him to the floor.

He gripped Zhang Shan's arm with both hands and held it between his thighs, pulling it steadily backward. His feet searched for the right positions, one pressing against Zhang Shan's neck while the other moved to pin his chest.

Zhang Shan could hardly believe it, but he had already collected himself. This was an armbar, a common ground technique in mixed martial arts. If Qiao Jiajin locked his arm, defeat was certain.

At that thought, he reached out with his right hand and clasped his left tightly, interlocking his fingers so Qiao Jiajin could not straighten his arm for the moment.

He could not understand how a swaggering street thug could execute such a textbook move. Fortunately, he had studied a little combat technique himself. Though he had not escaped the armbar, he had at least prevented Qiao Jiajin from completing it.

Finding that Zhang Shan's left arm would not budge, Qiao Jiajin planted a foot against his right arm and used the strength of his thigh to force his hands apart.

By now, Zhang Shan was drenched in sweat. His hands were only held together by interlocked fingers, after all, and the grip could not withstand much force.

Soon, Zhang Shan's hands separated, and his left arm was instantly pulled straight. The intense pain made him cry out.

But he had considerable bulk on his side. He quickly twisted his body and drove his right fist toward Qiao Jiajin's abdomen.

Qiao Jiajin drew back the right leg pressing against Zhang Shan's neck and blocked the blow with his knee.

Seemingly spotting a way out, Zhang Shan kept punching at Qiao Jiajin with his right fist, forcing him to block repeatedly with his knee.

An armbar had two crucial requirements: firmly controlling one of the opponent's arms, and using both legs to pin his neck and chest.

To fend off Zhang Shan's attacks, Qiao Jiajin had no choice but to draw his leg back. Without his right leg holding him down, Zhang Shan could get up.

He yanked hard on his left arm and rolled upright, trying to turn the tables and pin Qiao Jiajin instead.

Seeing him break free, Qiao Jiajin immediately extended his right foot to hold him off.

Unable to get close, Zhang Shan kept hammering at Qiao Jiajin with both fists.

Qiao Jiajin tucked his arms in and blocked from side to side, keeping his right leg between them to maintain his distance.

Catching Zhang Shan off guard, Qiao Jiajin suddenly dropped his raised right leg and kicked him hard in the shin.

Zhang Shan lost his balance again and was about to fall. Qiao Jiajin seized the opening to rise and circle behind him, wrapping his right arm around Zhang Shan's neck and locking his left hand onto his right arm for added leverage. He jumped backward, dragging them both to the floor again in a rear naked choke.

Qiao Jiajin was about to tighten his hold around Zhang Shan's neck when he suddenly realized something was wrong.

A closer look revealed that Zhang Shan had slipped one hand in front of his neck, preventing the choke from locking into place.

Though he had stopped Qiao Jiajin's attack, Zhang Shan was hardly comfortable. He had protected his vulnerable neck, but his hand was now trapped as well.

Neither man could break free. They were locked together.

"Hey... big guy..." Qiao Jiajin said through gritted teeth. "Ready to give up? Call me boss, and I'll let go right now..."

"Fuck! Even if you kill me, I'm never giving up..." Zhang Shan kept tensing his muscles, searching for a way out, but Qiao Jiajin's hold was rock solid. For the moment, he could find no opening.