Chapter 506: As Far Apart as Heaven and Earth
Star City, Soaring Dragon Martial School.
The lights brightly illuminated the martial arts training platform in between the two weapon racks. In the field, Jiang Feng wore a calm smile as he looked at the serious looking Chen Zhizhong in front of him. Jiang Feng then spoke in a clear voice, “Brother Chen, though we’re only comparing notes, fists and legs have no eyes, so I hope you can forgive me if I hurt you during the sparring.”
“The same to you, Brother Jiang,” said Chen Zhizhong seriously. “I also hope that you can give your all, because I don’t want to fight a one-sided bout.”
"Hahaha..."
Jiang Feng laughed loudly with a look of contempt in his eyes.
At the side, Jiang Feng’s two disciples shook their heads and couldn’t help chuckling. There was a despising look in their eyes when they looked at Chen Zhizhong. It was because they had seen him in action. Though it was already a matter of several years ago, they felt their level was by no means inferior to Chen Zhizhong at that time.
How many years had it been? Only a few years passed, yet he had the guts to come to Soaring Dragon Martial School to compare notes with a martial arts grandmaster? And even shamelessly talked big, telling their Master to give everything he got.
Was he looking to get badly beaten?
While cupping his fists, Chen Zhizhong said, “Brother Jiang, taking an opponent lightly will result in defeat, especially in a fight between experts; one slight mistake would cost the victory. You’re a martial arts grandmaster, so you should know this truth as well. Hence, I hope you can cast away your contempt and wholeheartedly spar with me.”
Slightly creasing his brows, Jiang Feng carefully observed Chen Zhizhong’s eyes. The smile on his face completely vanished and was replaced by a serious expression. He then seriously nodded, “Since Brother Chen has spoken about that I won’t be able to match you if I don’t give my all, then come! Let me see how many skills and abilities Brother Chen has learned from your Master, Grandmaster Tang Xiu, in the recent years.”
“Please…”
Chen Zhizhong answered with his hands stretched out.
Despite his old age, Jiang Feng still possessed a tough physique. Added with the fact that he had been immersing himself in martial arts for almost the entirety of his life, it could be said that his everything was the manifestation of kung fu itself. With his feet rooted firmly on the ground, he moved forward in an instant, rushing forward with a strange footwork style toward Chen Zhizhong.
“Eight Extremities…”
His feet moved and his palms changed into fists. Jiang Feng had entered the Eight Extremities Boxing Style School a long time ago, and he had practiced the Eight Extremities Fist to almost perfection, hence the images of his fists moving looked incomparably powerful, so much so that its moves created the sound of wind.
Chen Zhizhong looked at Jiang Feng’s movement with a tranquil expression. Just as Jiang Feng’s fists were about to hit him, his feet swayed and twisted in a strange trajectory. His body bent like a bow and easily dodged Jiang Feng’s fists, who thought with 100% surety that his fists would hit him. He then patted Jiang Feng’s left arm.
Skillfully facing hard with soft, even an ounce of strength would be able to match ten.
The seemingly light pat from Chen Zhizhong’s palm actually contained a terrifying force as Jiang Feng staggered for five steps unsteadily to the right after his left hand was hit, disbelief covering his originally confident face.
“You…” Jiang Feng’s lips wriggled, yet the words wouldn’t come out of his throat.
“Brother Jiang, your movements may be very skillful in the eyes of ordinary people, and so fast that they can’t keep up with their eyes, yet you’re too slow in my eyes. There are also too many flaws, while your strength is also rather inadequate. You will undoubtedly lose within three moves if we continue,” said Chen Zhizhong while shaking his head.
Shame and anger flashed in Jiang Feng’s eyes, as he growled, “Brother Chen, I may accept these words if they were coming from your Respected Master, but coming from you, I just don’t buy it. If you really have the ability, then show me. I wanna see how you’ll defeat me within three moves.”
Chen Zhizhong creased his brows, and then his rushed toward Jiang Feng. His speed was extremely fast, as five meters passed almost in a flash. Just as Jiang Feng avoided his fist, he suddenly bent over and patted the ground with his left hand and sent out a kick in a spiral strangler move upward. Dozens of kicks were sent out in a flash, and by the end of it he finally landed with his tiptoes. His movements had yet to stop when his body rotated 180 degrees and instantly appeared at Jiang Feng’s side with his hand pinching the left side of Jiang Feng’s neck.
“You lose.”
The calm voice made Jiang Feng’s heart sank into an ice hole.
Lost? I lost just like that?
Jiang Feng’s strong body froze and turned stiff. He wanted to turn his head to look at Chen Zhizhong, yet the hand pinching his neck made him unable to move.
“How did you do it?”
Loosening his hand, Chen Zhizhong then looked at him and chuckled, “I have told you that my cultivation has been progressing by leaps and bounds ever since I took him as my Master. Let alone a kung fu grandmaster, even experts who have surpassed the level of martial arts grandmaster would find it very difficult to defeat me. As a matter of fact, it’s not impossible for a genuine expert to jump up to the wall and fly to pick up leaves. My Master is someone who can easily do that.”
Jiang Feng’s lips wriggled, and there was a complicated expression on his face that was unable to be explained in words.
He had just convincingly lost!
As he recalled his contempting attitude toward Chen Zhizhong, bitterness and shame burned inside him. He never expected to actually lose, and even so miserably quick like that. Chen Zhizhong said just now that he would lose within three moves, and he could tell that he said that just to give him face. Otherwise, let alone three moves, he would probably be able to knock him down with just a move, and that one move would be enough to cause him heavy injuries. The gap between them, either speed, strength, or skill was simply worlds apart.
At the side, Jiang Feng’s disciples were dumbfounded and tongue-tied in disbelief. They never dreamed that Chen Zhizhong, who they thought was not any stronger than they were, would actually defeat their Master, a kung fu grandmaster, even so quickly at that.
“Junior Brother, I… I am not dreaming, am I?”
“No, you’re not dreaming, Senior Brother. We would never have the same vivid dream. Master… … Yeah, he just lost. He really lost to Chen Zhizhong.”
“How is this possible? Master is a grandmaster of Kung Fu, while Chen Zhizhong was originally nothing but a…”
“Chen Zhizhong has become so strong and formidable that it’s making me tremble, Senior Brother. His speed was too fast. I was unable to see his movements at all, and then… Master lost.”
"..."
Chen Zhizhong walked to the side of the weapon rack to pick up his cot. Following that, he looked at Jiang Feng, whose face was dazed and vacant, and smilingly said, “Brother Jiang, we’ve finished with the sparring, so I won’t disturb you any longer. When Brother Jiang comes to my place some other day let us have a drink.”
Finally, Jiang Feng snapped back to his senses. He dashed toward Chen Zhizhong and hurriedly said, “Please stay for a while, Brother Chen. Your… The reason why your strength can increase so much, was it really from Tang… could it be because of what you’ve learned from Grandmaster Tang? You’re not lying to me, right?”
“Do you think I need to lie to you, Brother Jiang?” Asked Chen Zhizhong back.
Jiang Feng was silent for a short while, and then slowly said, “I don’t know if Brother Chen can help recommend me to him. I also want to learn from Tang Xiu and take him as my Master.”
Chen Zhizhong couldn’t help but chuckle, “Brother Chen, to tell you the truth, I do want to have you as my fellow disciple, but it depends on my Master. He will take you as his disciple if he so wishes to, but if he doesn’t, there’s nothing I could do either.”
“Then, I’ll pay a visit to Grandmaster Tang tomorrow,” said Jiang Feng after the few moments of silence.
“I advise you not to,” said Chen Zhizhong while waving his hand. “My Master has been rendering medical services at Star City Chinese Medical Hospital in the last few days, so he doesn’t have free time to meet you. However, you can try visiting his place at South Gate Town the day after tomorrow. But I cannot guarantee that he will take you as his disciple, though.”
“But I still have to try before knowing,” said Jiang Feng with a nod.
***
The next day…
Like the day before, Tang Xiu still went to the Star City Chinese Medical Hospital around 6 AM. What surprised him was that Chu Guoxiong and the old doctor Hu had already arrived. After exchanging greetings with them, the trio then immediately began the consultation, diagnosis, and treatment until noon, as they then took a break for lunch. However, after lunch, Tang Xiu received a text message from Kuwako Yamamoto, saying her estimated time of arrival in Star City and a list that contained more than a dozen names.
At 9 PM, Tang Xiu left Star City Chinese Medical Hospital. Tang Xiu refused Li Hongji’s plea to continue giving his medical services at the hospital for another day. Although there were still many patients who came rushing from every part of the country just like before, he couldn’t continue giving medical services in Star City Chinese Medical Hospital for a long time, so he entrusted the task of receiving the patients and treating them to Chu Guoxiong and Dr. Hu.
2 AM.
Tang Xiu and Tie Zhongkui quietly appeared in the small alley of a residential area in the southern suburb of Star City. Their figures were like ghosts in the darkness, as they silently rushed toward a dilapidated courtyard.
Shortly after, the duo quietly appeared in a dark corner outside the courtyard wall and directly slipped inside. Tang Xiu then took out his mobile and sent a text message. Without much delay, Kuwako Yamamoto quickly appeared.
Tak…
A pebble was shot, flicked by Tang Xiu’s fingers.
Kuwako Yamamoto’s complexion slightly changed. After identifying the direction, she then went toward Tang Xiu.
“Boss!”
While looking at her respectful expression, Tang Xiu lightly smiled and said, “Zhongkui, I don’t need to introduce you two, right? You clashed once, after all.”
Kuwako Yamamoto shot Tie Zhongkui a glance and said, “We did fight once. He’s quite formidable, though there were still some gaps.”
“That was in the past. If we were to spar now, I’m sure I can easily beat you,” replied Tie Zhongkui after giving a cold snort.
Sneering at him in response, Kuwako then spoke to Tang Xiu, “Boss, this the information on them. They are the people my house sent with me. Though they seem to respect me, they are not my people; perhaps they’ll become my contenders in the future. Anyways, their pictures are also included in the file.”
“Now is not the right time to act since you have just arrived in Star City,” said Tang Xiu with a nod. “Tomorrow night someone will come to see you and deal with the things you told me before. You will have to fight against them at that time.”
“It will be done as you will it, Boss,” said Kuwako respectfully. “Anyways, you told me to find a lot of medicinal herbs and minerals. I’ve already found them, and brought them with me. Do you want to take them now? Or would you like to take them after the operation tomorrow?”