Chapter 36

  Hehe... The mayor suddenly burst out laughing, Shao Hui was startled, thinking he had heard the previous conversation, but then thought that the mayor didn't understand Chinese. He lifted his head to look at where the mayor was sitting. At this time, the mayor was smiling and looking at Old Director, who put down his knife and fork waiting for the mayor to speak.

  Hehe, can you help me with something? The town mayor asked.

  The old director picked up his napkin and wiped his mouth: Please tell me, what can I do for you?

  I was born in Basra, went to Europe for further study and work at the age of 20. My teacher was Taiwanese, it was from him that I developed a strong interest in Chinese culture, all aspects of Chinese culture. I have always wanted to visit China...

  Oh, if you have time, I can arrange for you to go to China, replied the director.

  No, that's not what I mean. The mayor waved his hand, and when I was in Europe, I had a deep understanding of Chinese culture, including Chinese martial arts. I heard that there was a Chinese man named Tang Long who dominated the black boxing market for many years, defeating many top fighters from around the world. So, I went to a Chinese-run martial arts school to learn, and through my studies, I felt that Chinese martial arts were very visually appealing but not very practical. Therefore, I began to doubt the authenticity of the legend of Tang Long...

  Shao Hui's heart skipped a beat as he had heard of Tang Long in the underground boxing world. This person was said to exist, but the name Tang Long was definitely not his real name. Some people claimed it was Lee Small Dragon's alias when he fought underground. Many Chinese martial artists with skills abroad also liked to use this name. According to legend, Tang Long relied on his legs to conquer the world, kicking out four legs in one second, and as long as he kicked his opponents, they would either be crippled or killed. In the end, due to fighting too many matches, he had brain problems and after winning a match, he pointed at all the fighters below the stage and said: "My greatest hobby is to kick your heads off on the boxing ring!" As a result, he provoked public outrage and did not safely exit the bottomless abyss of underground boxing. Of course, the Lee Small Dragon version of the legend had a different ending. Why did the mayor suddenly mention this person today? Shao Hui couldn't figure it out.

  Hehe, I'm ashamed, as a Chinese person I don't even know more than you do. This person I've never even heard of... Hehe... the old director replied.

  It's not what I meant. The town mayor crossed his hands on the table, saying that there are many skilled fighters in the Chinese army, and the three of you who came today must have been carefully selected. Can you ask them to demonstrate their skills and open our eyes?

  Hehe, no problem. Director Lao replied succinctly. He stood up and walked to the front of Shao Hui and the other two, saying in Chinese: "Which one of you has learned the routine? Just practice it a bit, if you decline, it will be very embarrassing."

  Shao Hui solemnly said to Director Lao: I've never practiced it before. Those who practice routines are fools.

  Zuo Ming nodded in understanding and took over: Not a fool can also be practiced into a fool.

  The old director looked at them with a bewildered expression, unable to understand what they meant. Liu Junhao quietly stood up beside him: Director, I'm the fool they're talking about.

  Liu Junhao disarmed and walked to a small open space in front of the town head, saluting with his fists. He then opened up a long fist starting pose under everyone's gaze. The town head immediately stopped him: "No, no, not like this!" Liu Junhao looked at the other party with a puzzled face, retracting his fist. The town head said to the old director: "I've also learned these moves. What I mean is, can we ask him to have a match with my bodyguard?"

  Here is the translation:

  As soon as this was said, Director Lao felt a bit stuck between a rock and a hard place. Refusing would be impolite, but not refusing wouldn't work either. Just as he was weighing his options, Liu Junhao's "baby" spoke up: Sir, we refuse to fight them! Director Lao couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.

  But then the mayor beckoned over an attendant and whispered something in their ear. The attendant nodded and walked out, only to return with a tray a moment later, on which was stacked a pile of cash. The mayor pointed at the money and said: I won't let you compete for nothing. There's $1,500 here. The winner can take home $500. What do you say?

  Baby and his friends exchanged glances before responding: Since that's the case, we're willing to give it a try. They stood up, removed their gear, and handed it over to someone on the side, preparing to head out onto the field.

  But then this person lightly pushed them away with their hand: Captain, he's not in your league. Let me take care of this instead. Baby looked at Liu Junhao for a moment before nodding and sitting back down, saying: Good luck, Bond.

  This man named Bond, a mercenary, was relatively short, only about 1.85 meters tall, which was still half a head taller than Liu Junhao. The two men stood together, and the height difference was immediately apparent. With no turning back, this match had to be played. Director Lao nervously looked at Shao Hui and Liang Ming, wanting to find some confirmation on their faces, but they both had no expression, so Director Lao could only anxiously watch Liu Junhao.

  All right, all right, excellent! The town mayor was in high spirits, clapping his hands and shouting loudly: Clear the outside, I invite everyone to watch a thrilling duel!

  The town chief was indeed a generous person, and the dinner of mutton skewers was made so grand. He wanted to watch a fight, from the proposal to the two opponents standing in the courtyard, it took less than five minutes. The barbecue table and chairs outside were quickly moved away, leaving a large empty space in the middle. Others came to sit down outside, Liu Junhao and Bangerd stood in the middle facing each other, Bangerd looked at the town chief as if asking if he could start, the town chief asked from his seat: "Do you need boxing gloves?" Bangerd and Liu Junhao shook their heads simultaneously to indicate that they didn't need them. Start! The town chief gave the order, Shao Hui beside him looked worriedly at the scene, he knew too well the risks of an unregulated fight.

  Liu Junhao practiced Northern-style kung fu, taking a bold and powerful approach. After completing the traditional greeting of bowing with fists, he stood in a wide horse stance, revealing his majestic Hong Quan posture. Bunde didn't dare to be careless, slightly lifting his foot to begin searching for an opening in Liu's defense.

  The grand Hong Quan posture seemed to have many weaknesses in Bunde's eyes. He carefully approached Liu Junhao, feinting before quickly kicking towards Liu's front leg with a horizontal kick. Liu retreated a step to avoid the attack, and immediately Bunde's rear fist came flying over like a bullet, followed by another horizontal kick aimed at Liu's ribcage.

  Bunde had an advantage in terms of limb length compared to Liu Junhao, which was particularly beneficial in this combat situation. At that moment, Liu was within Bunde's attack range, but he couldn't land a hit on his opponent. Faced with this punch and kick, Liu could only use his arms to forcefully block the attacks.

  Seizing the opportunity when Bunde's body was unstable after launching an attack, Liu quickly took a step forward, closing the distance between them, and threw a punch at Bunde's face. Bunde slightly tilted his head back to avoid the attack, but Liu didn't give him any room to counterattack. With a swift kick, he targeted Bunde's abdomen, then leaned forward, using his elbow to strike Bunde's chin.

  Bunde was indeed an expert in combat, and with one hand, he deflected Liu's leg, while the other hand protected his cheek. In an instant, he neutralized Liu's offense, making it seem effortless, but in reality, it was a precarious situation. Bunde quickly retreated to a safe distance, shaking off the numbness in his arm.

  The two exchanged blows for one round, their movements lightning-fast and their techniques ruthless, leaving the town mayor watching from afar with a stunned expression.

  The original function of Chinese martial arts was for combat, but as time went on, the martial arts gradually left the battlefield and became a folk art. Later, some acrobatic moves were added to it, forming the routines that are passed down today, which are very visually appealing, but still lack a bit in terms of actual combat effectiveness.

  At this moment, Liu Junhao felt a great deal of pressure in his heart. Although he had studied Sanda for some time at home, the main thing was still these routines. Later, when he arrived at the troops and began to receive formal combat training, but like Bond, who was tall and powerful, he had never met before, and now Bond was on high alert, defending himself. The enemy-controlling techniques learned in the troops were of no use. Liu Junhao furrowed his brow and stood not far from Bond, thinking about how to subdue him. But the opponent didn't give him enough time to think, Bond took a few sliding steps forward and threw out several combination punches like a poisonous snake spitting venom. After dodging a few punches, Liu Junhao really couldn't dodge the last two punches, so he had to curve his arm to protect his entire face. The opponent's force was extremely fierce, and Liu Junhao's head inside the elbow shield still received an impact, and his brain was slightly dizzy. He suddenly felt that something was wrong, and immediately lowered his body to hug Bond's legs, using all his strength to try to throw him to the ground. Suddenly, there were two dull thuds, two forces, like a thousand-pound wooden stake piercing the ground, hitting Liu Junhao's back. He only felt that his internal organs had changed shape and position in an instant, and his back was sore and his breathing was numb. Now he thought that the possibility of retreating safely was zero. Liu Junhao made one last effort, prying Bond's leg off the ground with one hand, and grabbing his throat with the other, using the momentum to lift up his chin. This move could have subdued the opponent on the ground or even temporarily lost consciousness if used correctly. But he never thought that Bond would be so powerful, being grabbed by the throat and still enduring the pain, keeping a low center of gravity, and throwing a heavy left and right straight punch with a whistling sound at Liu Junhao's unguarded face. Liu Junhao instantly fell forward with a thud, using his inertia.