Chapter Fourteen: Striking John Bull

  The English gentleman, robust "John Bull" with eyes like brass bells, marched up to Chen Xiaoqi's front two meters away, then did a set of warm-up exercises almost identical to Chen's, finally striking a similar pose. Suddenly, as if reacting unexpectedly, he said: "Oh? Could it be that you Chinese also secretly learned Western boxing? I didn't expect you yellow-skinned monkeys to learn some civilized techniques, but I don't know if you can actually use them. Oh, you've wrapped your tie around your hand, do you already know the outcome of getting hurt? Don't worry, I absolutely won't break that one arm of yours."

  The Westerners around him burst into a fit of laughter, appreciating the humor in their own alliance.

  Chen Xiaoqi said lightly: "The reason I wrapped up my right hand is because I'm worried that if I use too much force, I might accidentally kill you!"

  "John Bull" finally lost his temper, and with a loud roar, he quickly moved his feet forward, his body lunging forward, his left fist flashing rapidly in front of Chen Xiaoqi's eyes, while his right hand threw a very hidden hook punch straight at Chen Xiaoqi's chin! In the instant he threw the punch, he could already see Chen Xiaoqi's frail body being knocked backward by his hundreds of pounds of force, with teeth and blood flying out several feet high, and it was even possible that his neck would be broken and he would die instantly!

  Chen Xiaoqi couldn't help but do as he pleased, without three points of courage he didn't dare to go up to the Liangshan Mountain. He ignored his opponent's left fist that was waving in a feint and stared intently at his right shoulder. The moment his opponent's right fist was thrown, Chen Xiaoqi suddenly popped up his body, his empty right hand suddenly turned into a palm, accurately supporting his opponent's right forearm from the outside to the top. His left foot exerted force on the ground, his right foot stepped forward and pushed off, his body tilted and dodged the punch, lifted his left knee and found his opponent's thigh root "Boom" was a heavy knee strike!

  "John Bull" unexpectedly missed a punch, suddenly felt like the root of his thigh was swept by an iron rod, and then a severe pain like a broken bone rushed to his head. His unsteady feet left the ground, and he uncontrollably retreated three steps with a "thud thud thud" before finally stopping himself with his body weight.

  Those with good eyesight saw Chen Xiaoqi's leg-kicking action, and their own ally unexpectedly lost a move. Suddenly, they were furious and condemned Chen Xiaoqi in unison: "Ah! This despicable Chinese, he actually kicked people with his legs? Foul play! Serious foul play! Do you understand the rules?"

  "John Bull" was in great pain, his leg hurt so much that he couldn't stand firmly on the ground, how could he throw a punch with an unstable body?

  Chen Xiaoqi ignored the surrounding condemnation, raised his voice and said slowly: "You barbarians really don't understand what martial arts are! This is Chinese Kung Fu. When Chinese people were wielding swords and guns, you unevolved bodies with hair not fully retreated didn't even know where they were! What do you know? Who's more reasonable, let fists speak! Come on!"

  Where did Chen Xiaoqi get such high confidence? Of course, it didn't fall from the sky. From university military training onwards, relying on his solid military quality, he received praise from instructors within a short month. With his speed of disassembling and reassembling guns faster than old soldiers, his tactical movements were so standard, and his overall quality was not inferior to that of the best new recruits. They strongly recommended him to transfer schools to take the military academy exam. Apart from the "military bodybuilding" that everyone learns, Chen Xiaoqi also actively sought out other skills such as "one move to defeat the enemy" and "dagger manipulation" that ordinary students wouldn't learn and teachers wouldn't teach.

  In addition to the qigong he learned from a Taoist in Mount Tai during his university days, which was later found all over the internet as "secretly transmitted qigong", he persisted for several years and achieved completely different results. In several student brawls that were not easily publicized and battles outside of school, his fighting skills were tempered to some extent, especially after learning survival techniques in street fights from a young man from Qingdao.

  If the opponent is a orthodox practitioner or professional boxer today, Chen Xiaoqi will definitely lose, but it's no problem to deal with a "John Bull" who runs to China to fool around in this era. Because since the end of Qing Dynasty, Westerners have liked to create several so-called "strongmen" to tour and perform in the East, borrowing this to promote their martial arts, but each time they ended up fleeing in defeat in China. Just Huo Yuanjia scared away two groups. So real fighters generally don't come to China to mess around, that's asking for trouble, everyone knows that the several decades from the end of Qing Dynasty to the early Republic were the years when China produced the most and strongest boxing masters. Only these self-proclaimed half-baked experts often rely on a few points of brute force to show off, really fighting? That's absolutely no match for Chinese people who know how to fight.

  Chen Xiaoqi's initial use of his knee to strike was not accidental. He was well aware that his own strength was no match for his opponent's sturdy physique, which was similar to that of a cow. Before mastering the art of fist fighting, punching an opponent would only lead to self-injury. Therefore, when facing a robust and powerful opponent like this one, using knee strikes was the most effective approach. This is also why in Muay Thai, a martial art practiced by people from Thailand who are generally shorter in stature, attacks involving knees and elbows are more common. It's not just due to the influence of different fighting styles.

  In contrast, high kicking techniques commonly seen in Taekwondo and Karate were almost non-existent in Chinese martial arts. The principle of "kicking below the knee" was emphasized in Chinese boxing, which is why when Chinese fighters encountered these foreign martial artists, they often ended up dead or severely injured. This was mainly due to the significant gap in theoretical depth and technical skill between their fighting styles.

  However, Chen Xiaoqi's fists are not entirely useless for fighting; it's just that his training method is flawed and his skills are not yet mature. If he wants to land a powerful blow, he needs to spend some time adjusting and building up his energy first.

  "John Bull" was thoroughly enraged by this intentional provocation and disdain, his anger even overcoming the pain in his legs. He let out a loud roar and charged forward, his fists flying left and right with a series of straight punches, jabs, left hooks, and right uppercuts, his fists flashing like lightning, striking with great force and fury, creating quite a commotion.

  Chen Xiaoqi didn't even defend himself, his eyes fixed on the opponent's punching route and body movements, agilely dodging and retreating step by step. He adopted a pace learned from Bruce Lee's movies and books, one front, one back, one false, one real, ensuring that his body could burst out at any moment with a pivot point.

  Those around, thinking that their own alliance's attack had achieved great success, cheered and applauded, stomping their feet and pumping their fists, their eyes wide with excitement, afraid to miss the spectacular scene of Chen Xiaoqi being punched flying out by someone.

  "After all, "John Bull" is not a professional boxer. The fierce and mighty roar of a flurry of wild punches actually has no effect at all, and he quickly consumes the power that he had accumulated with great difficulty. If Chen Xiaoqi wasn't also a skilled boxer, someone who really knew what they were doing would have knocked him out cold with one punch!"

  So, Chen Xiaoqi also retreated more than a dozen steps, dodging and retreating, his body about to lean on the edge of the crowd. "John Bull's" strength was slightly inadequate, and his attacking fists lost their rhythm, pausing for a moment in between, as if to take the opportunity to replenish his over-tightened arm muscles and oxygen-deprived lungs.

  Just then, Chen Xiaoqi's body, which had been constantly retreating, suddenly sprang back like a powerful spring, his right fist wrapped in a tie, accompanied by a loud shout as he exhaled, "Boom" with a frightening gust of wind, drawing an arc to strike the opponent's chest!

  "John Bull" was due to a sudden attack of asthma and cerebral hypoxia, his eyes could not see Chen Xiaoqi's movements at all, only feeling the shrinking figure in front of him suddenly reversing and rushing back, almost subconsciously raising both arms to block his chin and face, making a standard boxing guard pose.

  But unexpectedly, Chen Xiaoqi's fierce and vicious punch was not aimed at his face, but a very authentic "Black Tiger Steals Heart"! The flat fist of the empty heart, like a thousand-dollar heavy battering ram, made a dull thud as it hit the opponent's heart position. People on the scene could hear the sound of bone fractures amidst the loud noise, and John Bull's massive body, which was much larger than Chen Xiaoqi, unexpectedly flew out horizontally with a flip, and after a brief pause in mid-air, slammed heavily onto the hard ground with a "thud".

  "Ah!" The onlookers exclaimed in unison! Another look and the "John Bull" who had fallen to the ground was lying there, his hands and feet twitching slightly but not moving.

  "Ah! You despicable, poisonous Chinese, you actually killed him! You murderer! Butcher! Scoundrel! Rogue......!" In an instant, a torrent of abuse and curses rained down on Chen Xiaoqi's head, as they stood in place, jumping up and down, shouting with abnormal glee. Yet, not one person actually went forward to check if the poor guy was really dead.

  Chen Xiaoqi stood up straight, with a sarcastic expression, and said to the onlookers: "Isn't there a doctor among you? How do you know he's dead? Or are Westerners afraid to admit and face failure?"

  His words were too provocative, and the other party immediately stopped. However, the strongest "John Bull" on the scene was knocked down by a punch, and the foreigners who had heard of the reputation of "Chinese Kung Fu" were momentarily undecided whether to come forward to uphold justice and personally knock down this arrogant guy.

  Fortunately, there was a Western doctor on the scene, who was also one of the restaurant's diners. He had been hiding in the back to watch the commotion during the fight, but when Chen Xiaoqi spoke up, he considered his responsibility as a doctor to "save lives and heal wounds". With great righteousness, he stepped forward, walked a few steps to "John Bull"'s side, bent down to examine him, felt his neck, nose, and chest, thought for a moment, then stood up and said: "Everyone, this brave friend is not dead, he just fainted. Moreover, one of his ribs may have a slight fracture. I think we must send him to my clinic to try to wake him up. I need a few volunteers to help." After finishing speaking, he looked at Chen Xiaoqi with an arrogant gaze, like a hero who had accomplished something great.

  Chen Xiaoqi sneered, saying: "Is this the level of Western doctors? It's really disappointing! You still have the face to come to China and open clinics and hospitals, I'm ashamed for you! Such a simple sudden fainting spell and you don't even know how to give emergency treatment, how can you be a doctor? If it were a heart attack patient, they would probably die in your hands!"

  "YOU!" The Western doctor's face turned red with rage, as if he had suffered the greatest insult - in fact, it was indeed a great insult. With an incredulous expression, he pointed at Chen Xiaoqi and said, "You barbaric and ignorant fool! I am a professional! I have a master's degree from St George's Medical School! How dare you question my authoritative judgment without any reason?!"

  Chen Xiaoqi sneered silently and walked forward, squatting down to hold up "John Bull's" thick neck with his left hand to clear its airway. Then he reached into his back pocket with his right hand, opened a compartment in his wallet with his index finger, and used his fingernail to pull out a needle (it was an old habit of his to carry a needle and a Gillette blade in his wallet).

  His needle glinted with a cold light under the flickering lamp, and his face seemed to have a sinister grin (actually it was just the onlookers' habitual prejudice), this was simply a killer who would take people's lives! A butcher! The Chinese version of "Jack the Ripper"!

  The doctor exclaimed in shock: "Oh! No! You can't hurt him! You despicable little man!"