Zheng Yubai entered the lounge and immediately sat down in a corner, carefully removing his beard to avoid surprising others. Fortunately, everyone else was watching the crowd outside with interest, and no one noticed him.
"Tsk tsk, I didn't expect this martial arts conference to have such a great influence. Sun Haitong and Huang Shiyu are now almost as famous as movie stars." Someone saw this and sighed.
"Of course. He comes from a famous family, has good looks, and is skilled in martial arts. We can't catch up with him even if we flatter him." After hearing what he said, someone on the side responded with a sour tone in his voice.
"That's right. Even the resting room for their seeded players is a single room, unlike us." Someone else sighed.
Their words resonated with many people, but the star-chasing crowd outside gave them a lot of motivation. Everyone was trying hard to defeat those seeded players.
"Are you Zheng Yubai?" After talking for a while, everyone dispersed to do warm-up exercises. A middle-aged man came to Zheng Yubai, stretched his legs, glanced at Zheng Yubai and asked.
"It's me." Zheng Yubai nodded.
"Your opponent today, Wang Bao, is not easy to deal with. He is recognized as the best Bajiquan master." The middle-aged man said, "You must be careful."
"Thanks for the reminder." Zheng Yubai was not very familiar with these contestants, and he felt warm in his heart when he heard his concern.
"Your Xingyi boxing is pretty good. If you can beat Wang Bao, we might face off in the next match." The middle-aged man added, "My name is Guo Chuan, and I practice Mantis boxing."
As he spoke, he stretched out his hand, and Zheng Yubai quickly shook hands with him. Both of them used a little strength to test each other, and as soon as they touched, they each withdrew their strength.
Guo Chuan's hands were as hard as steel, and his strength was beyond Zheng Yubai's expectation. He couldn't help but admire and said, "Senior Guo's hand skills are amazing."
Guo Chuan smiled slightly: "That's all I can do. Sorry for making fun of you. My opponent today is also a seeded player. Let's work hard together."
Zheng Yubai smiled and nodded, already thinking about competing with this master again.
The first match of the day was between Zheng Yubai and Wang Bao. When he was done, he heard cheers erupting from the gymnasium. Many players gathered in the passage to watch. Zheng Yubai was curious and walked over as well. When he looked up, he saw countless boys and girls filling the gymnasium. Judging from their cheers, they were all cheering for Sun Haitong and Huang Shiyu.
"It's bad luck for those who are competing against Sun Haitong and Huang Shiyu..." someone muttered. After hearing his words, two contestants immediately turned pale.
Zheng Yubai looked at Sun Haitong waving at the audience on the rostrum and sighed in his heart. Sun Haitong was about the same age as him. When Zheng Yubai was still an ignorant child, he had already won the National Youth Wushu Competition. When he was tortured by his father to practice martial arts, he always heard him yelling: "Get up and practice again. If you don't work ten times harder, how can you catch up with the Sun family kid?"
Although he never knew why his father wanted him to catch up with the Sun family's kid, Zheng Yubai was looking forward to the result of this martial arts conference. If he could make it all the way, would he meet Sun Haitong in the finals? If he defeated him, his father would definitely be very happy.
However, if you want to enter the finals, you have to go through each level one by one. Not to mention Guo Chuan, even this round's opponent Wang Bao is also a well-known master, and his Bajiquan Kung Fu is very domineering. Zheng Yubai thought of the scene when Wang Bao punched Liao Fei away when he watched the game that day, and he couldn't help scratching his head. He didn't have much confidence in this battle.
The world is so big, there are countless talented people. His father always taught Zheng Yubai this way, telling him to be honest and low-key. When he was in his twenties, although he had a lot of skills, Zheng Yubai never knew how powerful he was. Although he was forced to participate in this martial arts conference by Yang Feiyun, it was a good opportunity to test himself. Thinking of this, Zheng Yubai's confidence was strengthened. He heard the host on the rostrum talking about Wang Bao's brilliant achievements. This round of competition is about to begin.
The lights in the gym went out one by one, leaving only the ring brightly lit, and tens of thousands of spectators kept shouting, igniting their emotions. As the host uttered Wang Bao's name, the lights shone on Wang Bao, who was eager to try in the red channel. He was wearing red shorts and a red cape, and under the lights, he performed a few powerful punches and kicks, which immediately won thunderous cheers.
As a master of Bajiquan, Wang Bao naturally put on a grand show. Accompanied by several coaches and assistants, he walked up to the ring with a proud look on his face. He first saluted the audience with his fists clasped together, then kicked and punched twice, shouting loudly, "I am Wang Bao!"
Compared to Wang Bao's majestic appearance, Zheng Yubai looked shabby. Under the lights, he walked out of the passage in blue shorts. Not only was he alone, but he also didn't perform any earth-shattering moves. The audience watched him indifferently and thought he was really boring. Fortunately, Zheng Yubai performed well in the previous game, and some old audiences gave him sporadic applause.
Zheng Yubai stepped onto the stage and saluted the audience. The referee then simply read out the rules as usual, and then announced the start of the match amid deafening cheers.
Sitting on the podium, Ding Beibei looked at Zheng Yubai on the stage, feeling aggrieved but unable to vent. She fiddled with her phone, which had dozens of missed calls from Zheng Yubai and a text message of apology from him. Although she had forgiven Zheng Yubai a little, Ding Beibei still refused to forgive him.
"This bad guy, what does he think of me? He just left without saying anything and made me embarrassed in front of my dad." Ding Beibei, who always gave people the impression of being considerate, gentle and talented in college, now pouted like a willful and capricious little princess. Even she herself couldn't figure out what the mixed feelings towards Zheng Yubai were, and she didn't know that she had changed into a different person for this so-called "bad guy".
Even though she had some "resentment" towards Zheng Yubai, Ding Beibei still hoped that Zheng Yubai could win the game. She knew that Wang Bao was a seeded player, and when she saw the game start, she couldn't help but ask Ding Rulong who was sitting next to her with some concern: "Dad, who do you think will win?"
After the last match, Zheng Yubai left without saying goodbye, which made Ding Rulong lose face. He was already a little dissatisfied with Zheng Yubai because of his daughter, and after this misunderstanding, he disliked him even more. After hearing his daughter's question, he immediately said: "Wang Bao is a top master of Bajiquan, he should win."
"Really?" Ding Beibei was worried as she watched Zheng Yubai and Wang Bao slowly circling around the ring and refusing to attack first.
On the other side, Yang Feiyun said softly: "Don't worry, Miss Ding, Zheng Yubai will definitely win."
"Why?" Ding Beibei's eyes lit up and she asked happily.
"Because he is Zheng Yubai." Yang Feiyun said with a smile.
Because he is Zheng Yubai? Ding Beibei silently pondered Yang Feiyun's words, and felt a hint of sweetness in her heart.
Zheng Yubai had no idea what was happening under the ring. At the moment, all his attention was focused on his opponent Wang Bao. Although the cheers from the audience in the stadium could almost blow the roof off, he turned a deaf ear to them.
When the match started, it didn't start as the audience imagined, the two players moved slowly and drew circles on the ring. If they didn't look very serious and every move was very careful, the audience would have thought they were just taking a walk.
"Fight!" some impatient audience members couldn't help but shout.
"Come on, Wang Bao!" A group of spectators with the words "Bajiquan Association" written on their clothes cheered for Wang Bao in unison.
But no matter how enthusiastic they were, Zheng Yubai and Wang Bao were both very cautious. They moved extremely slowly, their eyes fixed on their opponents' shoulders and knees, not daring to be negligent in the slightest.
Several referees held their breath nervously. As martial artists, they could understand the situation on the field better than the audience.
Wang Bao and Zheng Yubai were good at hard fighting and once they started, victory or defeat was a matter of a split second. The reason they were so cautious was that they knew very well that their opponents were very strong, and a single mistake could lead to the bitter consequences of failure.
Zheng Yubai and Wang Bao were facing each other, his mind was silent, and the noise from the outside world could not reach his ears at all. Since he left the countryside and came to Jinghai, he had never been as excited as he was now. Just from Wang Bao's eyes and movements, he could tell that he was one of the strongest opponents he had ever met. Facing the strong man, Zheng Yubai's mind was condensed into a state of trance, and his spirit and energy surged in his body, causing the pores around his body to open, his mind to be bright, his thinking to be agile, and his four pupils quietly flashed in his eyes, flashing a mighty light.
Xingyiquan emphasizes the ability to strike as fast as lightning and to attack without restraint. When facing an enemy with superior martial arts, one must not be afraid. Therefore, after the two of them had turned ten circles, Zheng Yubai felt that his body had been adjusted to the best state, so he pushed his feet and took the initiative.
A punch was like a cannon, exploding suddenly. Zheng Yubai placed his right hand across his forehead, and his left fist, slightly bent, blasted out fiercely. It was a cannon punch.
As Zheng Yubai moved, Wang Bao also moved. He did not dodge or evade, but rushed forward and also used a hard fighting style. His hands were as fast as lightning, and his punches flew out.
Bajiquan must be supplemented with Pi Gua Zhang to achieve a combination of hardness and softness, and to reach all directions. Therefore, there is a saying that "Bajiquan plus Pi Gua, even gods and ghosts are afraid." Facing Zheng Yubai's fierce and unparalleled Cannon Fist, Wang Bao, although powerful, has the soft moves of Pi Gua Fist hidden in it. When the two fists met, there was a crackling sound, and each took a step back.
Zheng Yubai missed the first blow, so he supported his body with his left foot, kicked hard with his right foot, and threw a punch with the force of cracking the earth and collapsing the sky. Wang Bao shouted loudly, led his qi with his mind, and used his qi to destroy his strength, exerting his strength on his heels, moving it through his waist, and penetrating his strength into his fist. When the fist came out, it made a whistling sound, and the explosive power was amazing.
In the past, Li Shuwen, a master of Bajiquan, struck the air with his palms in the room, five feet away from the window, and the window paper vibrated with a sound. People today have never seen such a magical skill, and always think it is a strange story that people in the martial arts world brag about to each other. Now that Wang Bao's Bajiquan has such a reputation, it can be seen that the past is not groundless.
The two men's fists collided hard, and both felt that the other's fists were as hard as steel. The force of the fists collided between the bones and muscles, bringing a pain that almost tore the body apart.
Zheng Yubai took three steps back and shook his fist slightly, only to feel his wrist, elbow and shoulder all numb. Wang Bao also took three steps back, hid his fist behind his back, and slightly opened his five fingers, feeling the excruciating pain.
Although his fist hurt, Wang Bao only took a second to catch his breath before rushing forward again. Bajiquan is known as "shaking the arms to knock down the sky, stomping the feet to shake the nine states", and it emphasizes power. If he doesn't knock Zheng Yubai down in one go, he will probably lose.
Zheng Yubai was not to be outdone, and Wang Bao completely inspired him to fight. At this moment, Zheng Yubai was no longer the simple country youth who wanted to live a low-key and forbearing life. He was full of vigor and enthusiasm, and his energy and spirit burst out in every move, giving people a refreshing feeling. The audience close to the ring clearly felt that he had a courageous aura, and the audience far away also found that the Zheng Yubai on the big screen seemed a little different from when he first started the game.
Zheng Yubai rushed forward and punched Wang Bao in the chest. Wang Bao's attack became more fierce, with Pi Gua and Ba Ji, and his punch hit Zheng Yubai's elbow like a meteor.
If he was hit by Wang Bao, Zheng Yubai's arm would be broken. He did not dare to neglect it. He changed his tactics midway, turned his fist in a different direction, and flicked between Wang Bao's fists, deflecting his attack. While defending, he stepped forward, rushed forward, and used his shoulder to hit Wang Bao.
Wang Bao was caught off guard. Although he reacted quickly and slightly moved to avoid the vital parts, he was still hit by Zheng Yubai. Fortunately, he had a solid foundation and used his feet to push back two steps, which offset most of the force. But even so, he still felt the swelling and pain in his armpit.
"What a nice snake shape!" A referee in the stands cheered loudly.
Zheng Yubai used the snake-shaped shoulder strike from the twelve forms of Xingyi. He succeeded in his first strike and showed no mercy. He immediately rushed forward and punched Wang Bao in the face.
Wang Bao crouched down, and his figure flashed, and he came close to Zheng Yubai like a loach, and shouted: "Let me show you the shoulder strike of Bajiquan." As he spoke, Wang Bao stretched out his shoulder and hit Zheng Yubai's fist, making him grit his teeth in pain.
The two were only half a step apart, in a close combat, their hands were as fast as lightning, and they countered each other's moves like the wind. Their heads, shoulders, elbows, hands, tails, hips, knees, and feet were all used as weapons to attack each other.
Because the two were very close, many of their movements were subtle and hidden, so even the audience at a close distance could hardly see them clearly. In addition, their speed was so fast, and under continuous attack and defense, many people could not keep up with their movements. They only felt that the fight was dazzling and beautiful, but they did not know who had the upper hand.
Zheng Yubai was like a blue whirlwind and Wang Bao was a red whirlwind. The two whirlwinds merged together at an incredibly fast speed and finally separated with a muffled groan.
Zheng Yubai was slightly out of breath. The series of attacks and defenses just now were the most exhilarating fights he had ever had in his life. It was not in vain that he could meet a master like Wang Bao and attend this martial arts conference.
Wang Bao's face turned pale. Three fingers of his left hand were broken by Zheng Yubai's strange force. Although his tendons and veins were not injured, he obviously could not continue the competition.
"I'm sorry, I hit you too hard." Zheng Yubai scratched his head and said very apologetically.
In the thrilling close combat just now, Zheng Yubai was at a disadvantage. Wang Bao's Bajiquan intercepted and grabbed every inch, his waist was like a snake and his feet were like a drill. His technique was as fast as lightning. He found a flaw in Zheng Yubai and used his left hand as a knife to stab Zheng Yubai in the chest.
Zheng Yu rolled his eyes at the opponent's fierce attack, which was difficult to break. In a critical moment, he suddenly had an idea and used the technique he learned from Xu Ruoyu when he was sorting iron beans. He reached out and grabbed Wang Bao's fingers before he stabbed him with his knife. Unfortunately, it was his first time to use this technique in a fight, and he made a slight mistake in controlling the strength, which hurt Wang Bao.
Wang Bao sighed and said, "I am not as skilled as you, how can I blame you?" Then he said to the referee, "I am injured and cannot fight anymore."
The referee on the field had long been stunned by the fierce fight between the two of them. After hearing what Wang Bao said, he suddenly realized what was going on. He looked at the referee's seat and saw that they all nodded slightly. He then walked to Zheng Yubai's side, grabbed his arm and raised it high, announcing: "The winner of this match is Zheng Yubai!"
The stadium was originally very noisy, but as the game became more and more exciting, the noise gradually became less. When Zheng Yubai and Wang Bao were fighting fiercely, the stadium that accommodated more than 40,000 people was completely silent, and only the sound of muscles hitting each other on the ring could be heard. At this moment, with the referee's announcement, the audience breathed a sigh of relief and burst into thunderous applause. They not only cheered loudly for the winner Zheng Yubai, but also applauded for Wang Bao, who was defeated but still glorious, thanking them for joining hands to present such a classic match.
Zheng Yubai and Wang Bao walked down the ring together. A group of Bajiquan disciples gathered around them and asked Wang Bao about his well-being. Several disciples looked at Zheng Yubai coldly, obviously dissatisfied with his heavy attack.
Wang Bao smiled and said, "Don't make it difficult for him. Fighting in the ring is fast and intense, so there is no time to hold back."
After he said that, the disciples did not dare to embarrass Zheng Yubai. Zheng Yubai made a gesture of thanks to Wang Bao and watched him being carried back to the seeded players' lounge for treatment.
After Zheng Yubai's match, the next match was that of the middle-aged man Guo Chuan. His opponent was the national Sanda champion for two consecutive times, Xiong Dahai, who was known as the "Sanda King".
Xiong Dahai is well-known in the domestic martial arts community. He is known as a master of actual combat and has many followers because of his outstanding record. As soon as he appeared, he won countless cheers. Compared with Xiong Dahai, Guo Chuan looked much shabby. This strong contrast reminded Zheng Yubai of his appearance just now.
The match started soon, Xiong Dahai immediately pounced on him, opened his hands like two big palm leaves, and pounced on Guo Chuan from left to right. He was taller and heavier than Guo Chuan, and this time he pounced like a tiger, with amazing momentum. If he pounced on him, he would lose the match immediately.
Guo Chuan was not panicked when facing Xiong Dahai's attack. He used his head as the leader of the Seven Stars, lowered his shoulders, lowered his elbows, turned his wrists, raised his hips, bent his knees, and shrunk his ankles. His whole body was compressed like a spring, and his limbs were bent like the shape of the Big Dipper. This is exactly the Seven Stars Mantis boxing stance in the hard-style mantis boxing. When Xiong Dahai's hands rushed over, he shook his fist and fiercely blocked it, and the two men's arms collided.
"Ouch..." Xiong Dahai felt as if his arm had hit a steel bar, and it was extremely painful. Guo Chuan blocked Xiong Dahai's arm, took a step forward, and punched him directly, hitting Xiong Dahai's soft spot.
"Plop." Xiong Dahai's legs went soft and he fell to his knees, then slowly fell forward.
The stadium was completely silent, no one could believe what they saw. Even Zheng Yubai was stunned, he did not expect the game to end so quickly.
The referee counted to ten, but Xiong Dahai still did not react. He hurriedly announced that Guo Chuan had won and called for medical staff to come up and treat him.
Guo Chuan walked down the ring with ease. The audience forgot to applaud. They looked at this unremarkable middle-aged man who knocked out the Sanda King with one punch. They wondered who he was.
Sun Haitong, who had been watching the game in the corner, stared at Guo Chuan's back with sharp eyes and couldn't help but sneered: "The next fight between dragons and tigers should be very interesting. Zheng Yubai, I hope you won't let me down."
"Amazing." Zheng Yubai couldn't help but admire Guo Chuan when he saw him coming.
Guo Chuan smiled and said, "That Xiong Dahai is just a show-off, unlike Wang Bao who has real kung fu skills."
Zheng Yubai knew that what he said was right. Although Xiong Dahai was the so-called Sanda King, the TV shows were just competitions, which were far from real fighting. Sanda was a very strong fighting technique. If used properly, it was extremely powerful. But in recent years, it had completely become a show like a martial arts routine performance. Xiong Dahai only won the championship by virtue of his height and physique. His actual fighting ability was no match for a real Kung Fu master like Wang Bao.
But even if Xiong Dahai was just a show-off, it was no small feat for Guo Chuan to knock him out with one punch. Zheng Yubai exchanged a few pleasantries with him, and he was looking forward to the next round of fighting with him.
"Yubai." Zheng Yubai chatted with Guo Chuan for a few words and was about to pack up and leave when Ding Beibei's voice came from behind.
"You're here." Zheng Yubai couldn't help scratching his head when he saw Ding Beibei, wondering if she was here to call him to task.
"You weren't hurt just now, were you?" Ding Beibei's face turned a little red, and she didn't mention what happened last time at all.
"I'm fine." Zheng Yubai smiled innocently and raised his hand to show Ding Beibei.
"That's good." Ding Beibei was originally a very cheerful beauty, but now she seemed a little shy. "Are you okay later?"
"Nothing..." Zheng Yubai said.
"Will you go for a walk with me?" Ding Beibei asked softly.
Zheng Yubai hesitated for a moment, and finally hid the big beard he used for disguise. If he put it on in front of Ding Beibei, it would probably scare her. But for safety reasons, Zheng Yubai still put on a fur hat. Ding Beibei looked at Zheng Yubai's rustic look and couldn't help but giggle.
After packing up, Ding Beibei walked out of the gymnasium from the back door. Other games were still going on, so there were few people around the gymnasium. The two walked in the winter wind of Jinghai for a while, and Ding Beibei's face was red from the cold. Zheng Yubai took off the fur hat on his head and handed it to him, saying, "You wear it."
Ding Beibei widened her eyes and muttered, "It's so ugly."
"Ah..." Zheng Yubai scratched his head, "Is it that ugly?"
"I'll wear it even if it's ugly." Ding Beibei snatched it away, felt Zheng Yubai's body temperature in the hat, and put it on her head.
"It's still so cold." After walking for a while, Ding Beibei complained.
Zheng Yubai thought to himself that it was you who wanted to go out for a walk, and it was you who complained about the cold, so what should I do
Ding Beibei looked around and suddenly pointed to a building in front and said, "Let's go there. I know there is a delicious barbecue restaurant there."
The two walked quickly towards the tall building called "Fuli Building". In the distance behind them, two dark shadows followed quietly in the wind. (To be continued)