Chapter One: Perplexity

  After both sides stood still on the small martial arts arena, Xing Captor finally realized that Gao Huaiyuan's subordinates were indeed somewhat different from ordinary people.

  At first, these young men were not very old, but each had a strong spirit, acted in unison, and executed any command from Gao Huaiyuan with precision. Although they looked young, they walked with a somewhat majestic and powerful demeanor. Xing Boutu was also an expert, and finally saw that the behavior of these young men revealed a kind of power, obviously the result of strict training. As a result, he began to believe in Gao Huaiyuan's words.

  But things had come to this point, he still decided to try the skills of these young men, so he turned around and called out to one of his subordinates: "Li Old Six, you come out first and see how good Gao Young Master's men are at boxing!"

  A burly man with a thick beard stepped forward, clasped his fists together in greeting to Gao Huaiyuan, but instead of speaking, he looked at the young men opposite him with a somewhat disdainful gaze, as if provoking them.

  Gao Huaiyuan knew this Li Laoliu, a sturdy man skilled in some long-range punches, and was considered one of the more formidable figures under Xing's command. He turned to face the young men on his side and shouted: "Huang Yan, step forward! Come and learn from Mr. Li's boxing skills. Remember to pay attention to your moves, be careful, Mr. Li's fists are very powerful!"

  Huang Yan couldn't follow Gao Huaiyuan out this time, and was feeling depressed. As soon as he heard that Gao Huaiyuan had let him come out first, he immediately became excited, and with a burst of energy, he jumped into the arena. He bowed politely to Li Laoliu and said: "I'm Huang Yan, here to ask for your guidance on boxing, please spare me, Big Brother Li!"

  Li Laoliu became slightly vigilant as soon as he saw Huang Yan's movements, and he noticed that although Huang was not very old, his lower body was extremely stable after standing still. However, thinking that the opponent was just a fourteen or fifteen-year-old boy, how much skill could he possibly have? So he casually waved his hand and said: "Young brother is being polite, let's just exchange moves! You go first!"

  Huang Yan was a mischievous monkey, and he noticed that Li Laoliu looked down on him a bit. So, in his heart, he secretly laughed. For over a year now, he had been following Gao Huaran and hadn't spared any effort in practicing his skills, especially in fist and foot techniques. Because Gao Huaran told them that at any time, they couldn't neglect the skills of fist and foot, as many times when fighting, you might not have a suitable weapon on hand, so it all came down to using your fists and feet to fight. Therefore, these people, apart from training their strength, had also put in a lot of effort into mastering fist and foot techniques.

  Li Laoliu looked down on himself, so he could take advantage of him. He smiled and said: "That kid should thank Li Dage for the fight!" Before he finished speaking, Huang Yan's body suddenly rose up, and his fist flew towards Li Laoliu's chest.

  Li Lao Liu was startled by Huang Yan's action, he didn't expect this guy to be so ruthless and quick with his fists, the movement was simple but very practical, and judging from his speed, the force of his punches wouldn't be small either, if you got hit, being knocked out would be a lucky escape!

  Li Laoliu was caught off guard and had to hastily retreat to avoid the attack. However, this retreat caused him to lose the initiative, and Huang Yan seized the opportunity to launch a fierce counterattack. With both fists flying, he unleashed a flurry of punches that rained down on Li Laoliu's body like a storm, while his feet also joined in, delivering a series of rapid-fire kicks that targeted Li Laoliu's entire body. This was all thanks to Gao Huairen's teachings, which emphasized the importance of using one's legs to attack. As a result, Huang Yan's sudden and intense onslaught sent Li Laoliu reeling, forcing him to stumble backward in disarray, desperately trying to defend himself. Despite his robust physique, he still managed to get kicked twice, and if it weren't for his sturdy build, he would have been knocked down by Huang Yan on the spot!

  Li Laoliu only then realized that he had underestimated Huang Yan, and this time he was at a great disadvantage. He was tall and strong, but was unexpectedly overpowered by Huang Yan's momentum. After enduring two kicks from Huang Yan, he gritted his teeth, twisted his waist, and swung his fist with all his might towards Huang Yan, trying to knock him down with one punch and regain some dignity.

  Everyone saw Li Laoliu doing this, with his two legs kicked by Huang Yan, he stumbled and almost fell over, but then countered with all his might, wanting to punch Huang Yan to the ground. They were all shocked, as Li Laoliu's arm was as thick as an ordinary person's thigh, and he had a pair of powerful arms. This punch was straightforward and without any fancy moves; if he were to land a solid hit, it would be at least several hundred kilograms of force. Considering Huang Yan's build, he would definitely be knocked flying by Li Laoliu's punch. As a result, everyone gasped in unison, worried that if Li Laoliu really injured Huang Yan, they wouldn't know how to explain it to Gao Huairen.

  However, Gao Hua Yuan's expression didn't change at all, and instead, a faint smile appeared on the corner of his mouth. At this moment, the situation in the scene had undergone a huge change. When everyone was worried that Huang Yan would be knocked flying by Li Lao Liu, Huang Yan suddenly dodged to one side, avoiding Li Lao Liu's punch. Li Lao Liu's punch was thrown with anger and used a bit too much force, and he was also worried about accidentally killing Huang Yan, which would be hard to explain. The momentum of the punch was slightly old-fashioned, and Huang Yan took advantage of this opportunity to suddenly close in on Li Lao Liu, grabbing his arm with one hand. This made Li Lao Liu instantly lose color, as he was skilled in long-range punches and couldn't cope when Huang Yan suddenly closed in on him. As a result, Huang Yan twisted his body, putting Li Lao Liu's arm over his shoulder, using the momentum to throw Li Lao Liu's massive body backwards with great force.

  Li Laoliu sprang into the air amidst everyone's and his own cries of surprise, doing a heavy forward somersault before crashing to the ground. Gao Huaiyuan saw that things were taking a turn for the worse and suddenly exerted himself, dashing onto the scene and grabbing Li Laoliu's arm just as he was about to hit the ground, pulling his tumbling body upright and making him land on both feet first. He stumbled forward several steps before finally coming to a stop, with cold sweat beading on his forehead.

  If it weren't for Gao Huaiyuan's timely assistance, he would have fallen to the ground today. If he had really fallen, not only would he have lost face, but he might have also been injured so badly that he wouldn't have been able to recover for several days. Fortunately, Gao Huaiyuan helped him at the last minute, preventing him from getting hurt and losing face. He quickly turned around and thanked Gao Huaiyuan repeatedly, knowing that Gao was giving him a chance to save face, so he was very grateful.

  "Huang Yan, get back in line! How can you treat Li Dage like this? Get down and I'll deal with you again!" Gao Huaiyuan scolded Huang Yan, who was smiling at Lao Liu.

  "Huang Yan hastily came over to apologize to Li Laoliu: 'Oh dear! I'm really sorry! I was too reckless, and almost hurt Brother Li. Please forgive me, Brother Li!'"

  As the saying goes, don't hit a smiling face. The other party has already apologized, what else can Lao Liu say? So he hurriedly said with embarrassment: "Huang Lao Di is really awesome, I underestimated you, and I should be ashamed! Haha! Awesome, really awesome!" He also admitted defeat.

  Huang Yan won the first battle, immediately boosting the morale of the young men on this side, each with a joyful expression, but some people in their hearts were slightly puzzled, yesterday Huang Yan had just been flogged, how did he bounce back to life today? Is this kid a little Qiang?

  He no longer dared to underestimate Huang Yan and his group of young men, and even Xing the captain also felt at ease. Although he saw that Huang Yan was not simple, he didn't expect him to be so formidable, and with a few moves, he easily knocked Li Laoliu down, showing that his kung fu skills were quite solid. From now on, it would be meaningless to test Gao Huaiyuan's group of young men guarding the courtyard. Looking at how powerful Huang Yan already was, it was likely that the others wouldn't be much weaker either.

  Moreover, just now when Gao Huaiyuan lent a hand to help Li Laoliu, Xing Buto also saw at a glance that the kung fu on Gao Huaiyuan's body was much higher than Huang Yan's. Just from his swift movements, he easily and effortlessly caught Li Laoliu's large body with one swing of his arm, which made it clear that this person had formidable strength and speed. Xing Buto asked himself if he could have also caught Li Laoliu like Gao Huaiyuan did if he were in his position earlier, but the result was disappointing because after estimating for a moment, he knew that even if he were in Gao Huaiyuan's position, he would not be able to catch Li Laoliu's body. This made him realize that Gao Huaiyuan was indeed a deeply hidden expert, at least more skilled than himself!

  He no longer dared to underestimate Gao Huaiyuan and his men, and quickly stopped the subordinates who were about to go out and fight. He whispered to them: "Don't show off anymore, Young Master Gao's men are very formidable, there's no need to test their skills! Otherwise, we'll lose face!"

  One of the sharp-looking catchers under him said somewhat disapprovingly, "That's not necessarily true, their kung fu is quite good, who knows how they are with knives and guns? When fighting against bandits, what's needed is real knife and gun fighting, otherwise when the time comes you'll only know how to use your fists and feet, and then who can you go to for help?"

  Gao Huaiyuan took a look at the speaking captain, knowing that this person was named Zhang Liang, skilled in using knives, and also one of Xing's capable subordinates. He smiled and said: "Brother Zhang is absolutely right, it just so happens that I have someone here who is also skilled with knives, why don't you test him out?"

  Zhang Liang heard this and immediately walked into the arena, saying to Gao Huaiyuan with a bow: "Then Zhang will humbly obey! I wonder which young gentleman has come out this time?"

  "Zhou Huan, come out!" Gao Huaiyuan shouted towards the young man on his side.

  Zhou Hao heard and immediately walked into the field with big steps, interjecting: "Zhou Hao is here! Please instruct, young master!"

  "Come and exchange a few moves with Zhang, be careful! Although the sword has no eyes, remember that these are our friends, we must know the measure!" Gao Huaiyuan instructed him. Zhou Hao had personally followed San Shan Sanren to learn knife skills, and he was very diligent. After more than a year of tempering, his knife skills were not inferior to others. Gao Huaiyuan often sparred with him and knew Zhou's abilities, so he wasn't worried that he would lose face.

  Zhou Hao nodded in agreement, he didn't say much to Huang Yan, turned around and bowed to Zhang Liang, then stood with his feet shoulder-width apart, slowly drew out the single-edged sword from his waist, slightly raised it, placed the sword on his chest, puffed out his chest and stared straight at Zhang Liang, waiting for him to draw his sword.

  Zhang Liang watched Zhou Huan's movements and immediately felt a strong killing intent, seeing Zhou Huan standing still like a mountain, his single knife raised, his arm not shaking at all, like a green pine tree, very majestic. Only then did he realize that among the young men under Gao Huaiyuan, there were indeed hidden dragons and crouching tigers, and none of them were weaklings. He didn't dare to be arrogant anymore, so he quickly turned around to face Zhou Huan, drew his waist knife from his waist, raised his wrist, and pointed the blade at Zhou Huan.

  This time, Zhang Liang took the lesson from Lao Liu earlier and didn't wait for Zhou Huan to make the first move. Instead, he nodded at Zhou Huan and immediately launched an attack, swinging his sword towards him, determined not to be suppressed again, but in the end, he was beaten badly.

  This Zhang Liang really has some arrogant skills, after using this knife, it was vigorous and instantly drew out a cluster of knife flowers, rolling towards Zhou Huan. Zhou Huan's eyes were tightly fixed on Zhang Liang's movements, slowly narrowing into slits. When Zhang Liang was about to rush in front of him, he finally made his move, suddenly pouncing forward, raising his hand to block Zhang Liang's one knife.

  After the sound of weapons clashing, the two people were fighting together.

  If it's said that in terms of strength and knife skills, Zhou Huan is definitely not a match for Zhang Liang. However, Zhou Huan excels in agility, far surpassing Zhang Liang, and he has been guided by a superior, so his knife skills are naturally more majestic than Zhang Liang's, and his speed is also slightly faster than Zhang Liang's. This makes up for his shortcomings, and the two are evenly matched as soon as they engage.

  Zhang Liang thought to himself that he was in trouble, because as soon as he clashed with Zhou Huan, he knew that Zhou had been instructed by a superior master. The knife technique he used was extremely formidable, unlike his own ordinary knife technique. Although Zhang's experience and strength were slightly better than his opponent's, he couldn't control the initiative on the field, and his speed couldn't suppress Zhou, which led to him suffering a great loss.

  To know the true martial arts, it's absolutely not like the later generations' martial arts performances that are so flashy. With a flicker of movement, they would fight for half a day, looking very good but if placed in this era, the technique of combat emphasizes speed. As soon as both sides engage, two or three moves will determine the outcome. How could there be dozens or hundreds of rounds before seeing who wins?

  So after the two people had exchanged a few blows, Zhou Huan and Zhang Liang simultaneously separated, jumping to both sides, and sheathing their knives. If it were someone who didn't know martial arts watching, they probably wouldn't be able to tell who won or lost, but for people like Gao Huaiyuan and Xing the captain, they were all discerning individuals, and at a glance, they saw through the subtleties of the situation.

  This time, Zhou Huan won again. Just now, when he was fighting Zhang Liang, he used a sticky character trick to hold back Zhang Liang's knife, making it impossible for him to withdraw his knife. Then, taking advantage of his own speed, he tapped Zhang Liang's forearm and jumped aside quickly without hurting Zhang Liang.

  Zhang Liang knew that if the two of them really fought on the sandy field, his arm would be done for. He suddenly felt ashamed and had no place to hide, so he quickly put away his sword and bowed his head to Zhou Huan, saying: "Zhang is grateful for this young man's mercy, Zhou's knife skills are indeed formidable! I don't know who Zhou learned from, but they're incredibly sharp! Zhang admires you!"

  Zhou Hao immediately returned the courtesy, saying: "Brother Zhang is too polite, I just took a clever move, where is Brother Zhang's severity? As for my master, because Master has never agreed to accept me as his apprentice, so I dare not say that I am his disciple. Please forgive me, Brother Zhang!"

  When Zhang Liang heard Zhou Heng say this, he couldn't help but feel a chill in his heart. Zhou Heng was so formidable, yet his master still refused to accept him as an apprentice, which meant that his master must be no ordinary person. So he didn't ask any further questions and hastily made a polite remark before retreating behind Xing Bao's back, never daring to be presumptuous again!

  After Xing Boutu lost two battles in a row, there was no need to continue the assessment. The people on Xing Boutu's side now knew the strength of Gao Huaiyuan and his young disciples who protected the temple, and they didn't dare underestimate them again. They were curious about where Gao Huaiyuan had found these young men, but thinking that Gao Huaiyuan himself also had skills, they didn't investigate further.

  However, since Gao Hua had already shown his hand, he no longer hid from Xing the captain. To put them at ease, he let these young men demonstrate their combat skills in front of Xing the captain. The knife shield hands, long gun hands, and bow and arrow hands worked together to showcase their skills in the small courtyard, once again opening the eyes of Xing the captain. These people were also martial artists, but compared to soldiers, they valued individual ability more. They all had some kung fu on their bodies, but when it came to coordination, they were not skilled.

  But after watching the training of these young guards led by Gao Huaiyuan, they realized that these youngsters were quite tacitly coordinated with each other. The archers attacked from a distance, the long spear holders blocked the enemy at medium range, and the sword and shield holders defended and covered each other while engaging in close combat. They advanced and retreated in an orderly manner, cooperating seamlessly under Gao Huaiyuan's command, as if they were performing a well-rehearsed dance. The captors couldn't help but sigh in admiration. Even someone like Xing, who was familiar with such tactics, could tell that these youngsters must have practiced this battle formation technique frequently, otherwise they wouldn't be able to coordinate so perfectly.

  Moreover, he also knew that although the group of people he brought with him seemed very powerful in Daye County on a daily basis, if they were to face off against the Huaixiang Far Young Guard team with the same number of people, he would probably be defeated and run away quickly to save his life. If he ran slowly, he would probably be finished. This time, bringing these young men to capture those violent criminals, with their addition, his side's strength will increase greatly, and it is possible that they will have to rely on these young men as the main force.

  It seems that everything that should be seen by Captain Xing has been seen, and Gao Huaiyuan asked Captain Xing: "I wonder if Captain Xing is still satisfied with these guards of mine?"

  "Satisfied, satisfied! Too satisfied! I didn't expect it! Young Master Gao is indeed a master of training soldiers. At such a young age, he's already so formidable. It's hard to imagine what great achievements Young Master Gao will have in the future. If Young Master Gao were to join the army, in my opinion, he would definitely become a renowned general with unmatched martial arts skills!" Captain Xing couldn't help but exclaim.