"Mom, what are we eating today?" Tang Qing had just come back from shopping. As soon as she entered the house, she rubbed her hands and walked into the kitchen. The kitchen was filled with a rich smell, which made her hungry stomach a little eager to try.
"It's your favorite roast beef." Zheng Shuangjiang said with a smile. Her daughter has been much more well-behaved recently. Not only does she no longer quarrel with her family, she also studies much harder and often helps her with housework. This makes Zheng Shuangjiang, as a mother, very happy.
Tang Qing's transformation was naturally all thanks to Zheng Yubai, but those stories were secrets between the two cousins, and of course they didn't dare tell Zheng Shuangjiang.
The beef was cooked quickly. Zheng Yubai's uncle Tang Yunsheng, who had been working in the study, came out and said with a smile, "It smells so good, Tang Qing, don't you think your mother's cooking skills are getting better and better?"
Tang Qing helped Zheng Shuangjiang put the dishes on the table and said with a smile, "Dad is so charming, otherwise why would mom wash her hands and cook soup?"
Zheng Shuangjiang couldn't help but smile when she heard the father and daughter teasing her. Twenty years ago, she couldn't imagine that she would become what she is today. Zheng Shuangjiang, who was quite famous in Jinghai at that time, was a rising star in the martial arts world, and was known as the three heroes and one show together with the masters of Baguazhang Luo Hengyang, Xingyiquan Sun Yunqing, and Taijiquan Yang Tianrui.
Later, Yang Tianrui died in a car accident, and Zheng Shuangjiang met Tang Yunsheng, so she put aside everything in the martial arts world and became a virtuous wife. Over the years, although she still occasionally practiced a few sets of boxing and kicking, she focused more on work and taking care of her family. At this moment, watching Tang Yunsheng and Tang Qing holding back their saliva in front of the delicious roast beef, Zheng Shuangjiang felt that her decision back then was not wrong.
All the prosperity in this world is not as important as family. Zheng Shuangjiang thought to himself as he served the stewed soup on the table.
Tang Qing divided the soup, and Tang Yunsheng turned on the TV and said, "The news program will start soon."
"Oh, Dad, let's watch the live broadcast of the martial arts conference." Tang Qing suddenly remembered that when she was shopping today, her classmate mentioned the recently popular martial arts conference to her, and strongly recommended the handsome and powerful Feng Bahan to Tang Qing, praising him to the point that he was unrivaled in the world.
"Martial Arts Conference?" Tang Yunsheng heard several students talking about this competition. Seeing that his daughter was interested, he turned to the sports channel and happened to see the end of the opening ceremony song and dance.
Zheng Shuangjiang served the father and daughter food and said as she served them, "What martial arts conference? I think it's just a mediocre sideshow. How can young people nowadays practice martial arts like their predecessors, who complain after standing on the pole for an hour or two every day? When I was a child, I practiced from sunrise to sunset every day..." She kept chattering to herself, but she didn't notice that the father and daughter who were watching TV over there had changed their expressions. They stared at the TV screen with their mouths wide open in surprise without realizing it.
"What's wrong with you?" Zheng Shuangjiang served the meal and handed it to Tang Yunsheng. Seeing his strange look, she couldn't help but turn her eyes to the TV.
On TV, a close-up shot happened to be given to Zheng Yubai, who was the first to play in the game. He waved his arms in a naive manner to greet the audience, which in turn received sparse applause.
"Yubai!" Zheng Shuangjiang stood up suddenly, staring at Zheng Yubai on the TV screen with wide eyes, "Why would he go to participate in this kind of competition?"
Tang Qing didn't know that Zheng Yubai had participated in the martial arts conference. Although she had never practiced martial arts, she knew that the Xingyiquan of the Zheng family had strict rules and many rigid and inflexible rules. This time, Zheng Yubai secretly went to participate in the martial arts conference, and he was afraid that he would be in trouble.
As expected, Zheng Shuangjiang didn't care about eating and immediately went to Jinghai Gymnasium to teach Zheng Yubai, the evil disciple who didn't abide by the rules, a lesson. Tang Qing hurriedly pulled her back and said, "Mom, don't be impulsive. My cousin may have some difficulties."
"What's his reason? He must want to be in the limelight!" Zheng Shuangjiang said angrily, "I clearly told him that the rule in our family is not to be in the limelight and to be low-key, but he is so good that he is even on TV now. If I don't discipline him, I'm afraid he will go to the moon to perform next time."
Tang Yunsheng saw his wife was furious, but he was still cautious. He said softly: "Yu Bai is not a child who likes to show off. You and I know this very well. I think there may be some misunderstanding in this matter."
"That's right, Mom, don't be impatient. Even if you want to teach my cousin a lesson, you have to wait until he finishes this fight." Tang Qing was leaning towards Zheng Yubai and hurriedly grabbed Zheng Shuangjiang's arm.
Zheng Shuangjiang also knew that rushing over now would be useless, so he could only sit down angrily. What was supposed to be a good dinner became a little weird because of Zheng Yubai's appearance on TV.
"Mom, do you think my cousin can win?" On the TV screen, the first game was about to begin. Zheng Yubai and Chen Chuan were standing on the stage, doing warm-up exercises.
Zheng Shuangjiang said coldly: "Chen Chuan is a famous master of Mantis Fist. When I was still in the martial arts world, he was a well-known newcomer with extraordinary strength. He has been practicing martial arts for so many years, and his kung fu is probably not inferior to Sun Yunqing and Luo Hengyang. I don't think Yu Bai will be optimistic about this match."
"I think my cousin will win." Tang Qing raised her lips and smiled slightly. She could never forget the scene when Zheng Yubai rushed into the abandoned factory to save her. Now she admired Zheng Yubai so much that she would stand on his side.
Although Tang Yunsheng didn't know much about martial arts, he had studied it a little because of his wife. He said, "I've heard of Chen Chuan's name. He's said to be the best Praying Mantis Boxer in the past 20 years. Although Yu Bai is very powerful, he has only been practicing martial arts for a short time. I'm afraid he's not as experienced as Chen Chuan."
Zheng Shuangjiang nodded in agreement with her husband, muttering, "This damn boy didn't follow the rules and went to participate in the competition. It's a good opportunity to make him suffer a little."
Tang Qing listened to her mother's words and suddenly asked curiously, "Mom, if my cousin wins the fight, will you not punish him?"
"Of course there must be punishment." Zheng Shuangjiang had an indifferent expression.
"What if he loses? Please forgive him." Tang Qing begged.
"If he loses, it will bring shame to our Xingyiquan. If he loses, both crimes will be combined into one and the punishment will be doubled." Zheng Shuangjiang said firmly.
Tang Qing was shocked when she heard this. She saw on the screen that Zheng Yubai and Chen Chuan had already exchanged greetings and were about to start the competition. She couldn't help but cheer for Zheng Yubai in her heart: Cousin, you must win.
On the ring, Chen Chuan shook his head violently, barely avoiding Zheng Yubai's fist before it hit him. He nimbly stepped back and got out of Zheng Yubai's arm's reach.
"What kind of move is this?" Chen Chuan had never seen such an attacking technique in Xingyiquan, and he couldn't help but feel puzzled. Although he avoided Zheng Yubai's direct attack, the force of the fist wind scraped on his face, which was a bit painful. This made him feel that Zheng Yubai's strength was really extraordinary.
Thomas in the ring was still muttering to himself: "This Chinese guy is very interesting. He actually combined the footwork and fighting styles of Chinese martial arts with boxing. I admire him very much."
In fact, Thomas's words are only half right and half wrong. Zheng Yubai's footwork is indeed somewhat similar to boxing footwork, but it is a fast offensive footwork that he created by combining Xie Chunlai's light body kung fu and the basic footwork of Xingyiquan. Boxing footwork is the best among all kinds of fighting skills, with agile movements and erratic movements. The butterfly step that boxing champion Ali used in the past is the most powerful. Zheng Yubai's footwork is similar to the butterfly step.
As for the jab, it was indeed learned by Zheng Yubai from boxing. This was the method he had come up with to deal with Chen Chuan. Although the jab was less powerful, it was faster and could deliver continuous strikes, and its pursuit ability was the strongest. In order to restrain Chen Chuan, who also had a powerful boxing technique, Zheng Yubai decided to work on his agility and speed, which led to this change.
The first strike missed, and Zheng Yubai was secretly shocked at Chen Chuan's agility. He did not dare to delay, and seized the opportunity, pounced forward, and continued to attack with jabs.
Chen Chuan did not fight back, but just dodged back and forth with his steps. Zheng Yubai's jabs were fast and powerful, and every punch he threw left a "dhuhu" sound in the air. This was a sign that his punches had reached a certain level of strength.
Seeing Zheng Yubai closing in on him, Chen Chuan did not panic. He saw the opportunity when Zheng Yubai's punch was too late and the power had not yet been generated, so he changed his pace, stepped forward, and swung out with his right hand like lightning, with his index and middle fingers together, and flicked towards the numb tendon in Zheng Yubai's elbow.
Zheng Yubai raised his arm and knocked it away, but Chen Chuan did not retreat. He cleverly hooked his fingers and grabbed Zheng Yubai's arm. He immediately rushed up and got close to Zheng Yubai, and punched with his left fist with a short sound of wind.
"What a great mantis hook move! Chen Chuan is indeed worthy of his reputation." Yang Huting couldn't help but exclaim loudly when he saw this wonderful scene. Sun Yunqing and Luo Hengyang on the side also nodded and agreed with Yang Huting's opinion.
The mantis hook is a unique attack method in Mantis Fist, similar to the hook hand in Wing Chun and the picking hand in Tai Chi. Although it is only a means of auxiliary attack, it can play a dual role of luring and injuring the enemy during a duel. Chen Chuan was repeatedly forced back by Zheng Yubai, and in a flash, he grabbed Zheng Yubai's arm with the mantis hook, thus closing the distance between them and Zheng Yubai, exposing Zheng Yubai's body to the power range of Mantis Fist, and successfully turned the situation around. Next, it depends on whose fist is harder.
Seeing Chen Chuan's fist blasting towards him like thunder, Zheng Yubai did not show weakness. Instead of retreating, he advanced with his left fist with explosive impact. Although the two were too close to swing their arms fully, the power of this punch was no joke. The fists of the two collided, and after all, they were both flesh and blood. They felt a sharp pain in their hands at the same time, and they took a small step back together, and then fought again.
The two men were only one step apart, and their hands were attacking each other continuously like lightning. They fought back and forth, you attacked and I defended, and the fight was so dazzling that the spectators forgot to cheer and just stared with wide eyes at the attack, one punch after another.
Mantis boxing has various excellent short-range skills, and is particularly good at "hit wherever you are touched". At this moment, every part of Chen Chuan's body has become a weapon that can hurt people. Every move, bending over and twisting of the hips are attack movements.
Zheng Yubai was certainly not vague. Although Xingyiquan was characterized by large-scale opening and closing movements and did not have an advantage in short-range combat, Zheng Yubai had learned the most delicate and sophisticated gambling and stealing techniques, and the flexibility of his fingers and wrists was no less than that of Du Bisheng and Xu Ruoyu. At this moment, he used his cleverness to display the large and small winding silk grappling hands and acupoint pressing skills in Xingyiquan. Not only did he not lose the upper hand, but he gradually took the initiative and suppressed Chen Chuan's offensive.
"Bang" the two fists collided again. Zheng Yubai's palms, which had been tempered in the iron beans every day for nearly two months, finally showed results. He was just a little slow in movement, and he could launch another attack immediately. Chen Chuan was obviously in some pain. Seeing Zheng Yubai continue to attack, he stepped on the ground, turned around, and dodged out.
This is exactly the Seven Star Step in the Seven Star Mantis Fist. After he escaped from Zheng Yubai, he secretly loosened his fists and felt a pain as if his five fingers were about to break.
"Isn't this kid afraid of pain?" Seeing that Zheng Yubai's face had no expression, Chen Chuan was slightly shocked. The continuous short hits just now had consumed a lot of his strength. After all, Chen Chuan was nearly fifty years old and his physical strength was not as good as Zheng Yubai who was at his peak. He knew that if he dragged on, even if he was not defeated by Zheng Yubai, he would lose because of exhaustion, so he calmly took a decisive battle posture.
Zheng Yubai did not pursue Chen Chuan after he escaped, because the fierce fight had consumed a lot of his energy. Although he was strong, he couldn't help but feel a little out of breath. Seeing Chen Chuan's stance, he knew that the victory or defeat depended on this move, so he also took the stance of breaking the fist.
After the fight just now, the audience was completely impressed by the two men's exquisite kung fu. They forgot about the idols they supported and instead applauded enthusiastically for the wonderful match on the stage.
In front of the TV, Zheng Shuangjiang nodded and shook his head, and then nodded slightly at the end. It was unclear whether he was satisfied with Zheng Yubai's performance. However, the two laymen, Tang Yunsheng and Tang Qing, felt that Zheng Yubai fought well, especially the storm-like attack at the beginning, which was like mercury pouring down the ground, which looked thrilling and very entertaining. Although he lost the advantage when Chen Chuan grabbed his arm later, he was able to regain the advantage quickly. The fierce fight of just about a minute was full of twists and turns and fascinating, and they were very satisfied.
"Mom, do you think my cousin can win?" Tang Qing secretly glanced at Zheng Shuangjiang and saw that her expression was much more relaxed than when she first discovered that Zheng Yubai was participating in the martial arts conference, so she asked bravely.
"Humph, he wasted at least five chances to win in one fell swoop, and he's still a fool." Zheng Shuangjiang seemed quite dissatisfied with Zheng Yubai, but after a pause, she added, "... Being able to fight Chen Chuan to this extent and still having a chance to win is not bad, and he didn't bring shame to the Zheng family."
Tang Qing couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief when she heard the understanding in her mother's tone. On the TV screen, Chen Chuan and Zheng Yubai started the final fight. Tang Qing couldn't help but clench her fists, silently cheering for Zheng Yubai in her heart.
"Dah!" The fist blew fiercely, exploding beside Chen Chuan's ears. Although he avoided Zheng Yubai's thunderous punch, his left ear was caught by the fist force, and it immediately buzzed, and his mind was in a mess, which showed how powerful the fist force was.
Although he was dizzy from the power of Zheng Yubai's punch, Chen Chuan's punch was no pushover. He changed his fist into a palm and cut through the tiny gap in the defense between Zheng Yubai's hands. With his body almost losing balance, he slapped Zheng Yubai's left forearm with one palm.
The two exchanged moves, and Chen Chuan stumbled three or four steps before he could barely stand. Zheng Yubai's forearm was hit by a palm, and his arm bone was in great pain, and he couldn't lift it for a while. It seemed that Chen Chuan had the upper hand. He took advantage of the opportunity that Zheng Yubai's arm could not move freely, and turned his feet with the Seven Star Step. His figure was like the wind, and he dodged a few times and attacked again, attacking the empty space on Zheng Yubai's left side.
After Zheng Yubai dodged three or five heavy blows in a row, Chen Chuan's attack slowed down a little. Although ordinary spectators could not see the difference, Zheng Yubai immediately noticed that Chen Chuan's physical strength had not only declined, but also his body was slightly unbalanced. His right side was not coordinated with the left side, and was always a little slower.
"Let's take a gamble." An idea flashed through Zheng Yubai's mind. He first dodged another attack from Chen Chuan by leaning sideways. Then he turned his body 180 degrees to the right side of Chen Chuan's body. He chopped down with his right fist, and hit Chen Chuan on the head with a powerful chopping punch.
When Zheng Yubai turned around, Chen Chuan was aware of his action, but when he wanted to move his feet to defend, the right side of his body slowed down involuntarily. This delay of less than one hundredth of a second allowed Zheng Yubai's chopping fist to be successfully launched. Chen Chuan felt a buzzing in his head, and his feet seemed to be nailed to the ring, unable to move.
Zheng Yubai pinned Chen Chuan down and without hesitation threw a horizontal punch which hit Chen Chuan's forehead. Chen Chuan seemed to be struck by lightning and fell to the ground with a thump. He wanted to move his body, but it was impossible.
"... Nine... Ten!" When the referee counted to ten, Chen Chuan still couldn't struggle to get up. The referee immediately announced that Zheng Yubai had won. He pulled Zheng Yubai's hand and raised it high, and cheers immediately resounded in the gymnasium.
"Cousin is awesome!" Tang Qing jumped up in excitement in front of the TV, cheering loudly. Tang Yunsheng couldn't help but applaud. This was the first time that a scholar who hated fighting was attracted to a fighting match. He suddenly woke up from a dream and praised, "Yu Bai is really good."
Zheng Shuangjiang herself did not notice that when Zheng Yubai's arm could not move freely, her expression on her face was more nervous than anyone else. It was not until Zheng Yubai caught Chen Chuan's right side slowly and won that she secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Although she did not say anything, she was very satisfied with her nephew's performance.
"Mom, do you still blame my cousin?" Tang Qing keenly noticed the change in Zheng Shuangjiang and asked with a giggle.
Zheng Shuangjiang glared at him and said, "Of course we can't let him go. The rules of Xingyiquan are not just for show. Since this kid has made a mistake, he must not be punished lightly." She spoke sternly and in a very gentle tone. Tang Qing smiled and exchanged glances with Tang Yunsheng, saying everything.
"Are you okay?" After winning, Zheng Yubai didn't bother to celebrate, but walked up to Chen Chuan and extended his hand to him.
Chen Chuan smiled bitterly and said, "My legs are numb and I can't stand up." Then he reached out and grabbed Zheng Yubai, and slowly stood up with his help.
"I'm really sorry, it seems I used too much force." Zheng Yubai scratched his head.
"I have to thank you very much. If you had really used too much force, I would have died standing here." Chen Chuan said.
Everyone was an expert, so they naturally knew what had happened just now. The reason why Chen Chuan's right side was out of coordination was because Zheng Yubai's punch had shaken the vestibule and semicircular canals inside the ear. These two organs are used by the human body to sense the movement and position of the head. If they are shaken, the body will lose balance due to uncoordinated movements at best, or faint immediately at worst.
Zheng Yubai's chopping fist and horizontal punch did not hit Chen Chuan directly, but used the strength of his fist to stimulate Chen Chuan's nervous system. After the nervous system was stimulated, although Chen Chuan's consciousness remained clear, the brain's commands could not be transmitted to other parts of the body through the disordered nervous system, making him unable to stand up.
Xingyiquan is known for its ferocity in history. Even great masters like Guo Yunshen and Shang Yunxiang can often kill people with one punch. Xingyiquan is also easy to learn. There is a saying that "Taiji can keep you away from home for ten years, but Xingyiquan can kill people in one year", so it is very popular. It is possible to control the ferocious power of Xingyiquan to the finest detail, which can temporarily disable the nervous system of people without hurting them. Only masters like Zheng Yubai who have mastered the advanced power-generating methods of Xingyiquan can do it.
Zheng Yubai helped Chen Chuan off the stage, and he didn't hear the host praising his performance at the top of his lungs. I don't know if he really appreciated Zheng Yubai, or if it was for the next round of ratings, but the host was eloquent and upgraded him from "Xingyi boy" to "Xingyi hero". Although the nickname was still ugly, at least it was no longer so idiotic.
After walking slowly for a while, Chen Chuan's ability to move finally recovered. He moved his hands and feet and said with regret: "I admit defeat this time, but if I have another chance, I will definitely defeat you."
Zheng Yubai's left forearm was still aching. He knew that Chen Chuan's skills were amazing. If it weren't for his good luck, it would be hard to say who would win. So after listening to Chen Chuan's words, he said very seriously: "In this case, we must learn from each other again if we have the chance."
As he was speaking, thunderous applause and countless cheers suddenly rang out behind him, mixed with the screams of many young girls.
"Feng Bahan, I love you!"
Chen Chuan smiled bitterly and said, "We'll talk about our business later. You should take a look at your next opponent first."
Zheng Yubai looked back and saw the spotlight shining on the exit of the red team contestant. With the rhythmic music and the host's exciting introduction, the door of the exit slowly opened, and the tall, handsome Feng Bahan walked out with a smile on his face and waved to the excited audience.
When the blue team came out, there was only sporadic applause. Thomas from the United States waved his fists triumphantly and made various attacking moves, but no one bought it. I don't know if it was because he was a foreigner or because he looked too fierce, especially when compared with Feng Bahan, he looked like Pan An and Black Whirlwind Li Kui.
A competition between black and white, beauty and ugliness, is about to begin. Zheng Yubai stands quietly under the ring, watching the next opponent appear. (To be continued)