Romance of Dragons and Snakes

Chapter 74: The battle had only just begun

“Quick, fish him out right now!”

The battle between Zhang Wei and Wang Chao had shocked everywhere out of their breaths. It was only after Zhang Wei had his clavicle broken and jumped into the sea that everyone regained their senses.

At the same time, they knew the result of the battle.

The illustrious Zhang Wei of the Three Tigers of Guangdong had lost to a youth.

Zhao Jun’s face had twisted into a nasty look without any blood to be seen in his pale face. Sitting in his chair, the hand that was gripping his ice cold water had turned white from the pressure of trying to break the cup.

Needless to say, this loss of Zhang Wei had caused him to suffer a tremendous blow.

First of all, 100 million RMB had practically been thrown away into the waters along with his other bets. In total, he had lost 300 million RMB from the entirety of this competition.

Even as a princeling with a huge family and company, this was more than enough for his heart to burst. 300 million RMB was not a small sum.

He had invited so many martial artists here and had the combatants sign an agreement. The check for all the money had been on the table as well, no matter how much Zhao Jun wanted, there was no chance for him to renege on the deal.

The most important fact was that Zhao Jun had plants to make use of Zhang Wei’s name to enter the martial arts world to do business. This way, there would be very little chance of having any clashes with anyone, and if he couldn’t kill them, then he would make use of mercenaries. But such a danger was something to be avoided in the first place.

Disputes in the criminal world would only resort to firearms when the animosity between the two was so bad that one of them had to die no matter what.

After all, guns would kill many people and requires the government’s interference. Then when the time came, both sides would eat up heavy losses. Life insurance needed money, ammunition needed money, everything needed money….

Aside from that, there still needed to be a mediator for most disputes. If things could not be resolved, then experts were called in for a competition. Whichever side lost, then that side must abide by the ancient rules that everyone still followed today.

The Wushu, the Wulin, the underworld and the Jianghu were all connected. No matter which circle, they all intersected.

Zhang Wei’s death would lead to Zhao Jun’s hopes of entering the Southeast Asian martial art world being crushed.

He had lost both power and 300 million RMB.

An expert wasn’t all that easy to find and invite.

Zhang Wei had long since withdrawn from the Jianghu. The only reason he had reappeared was because his business had not been doing well and was on the verge of bankruptcy. Because of this, Zhao Jun had seized an opportunity and quickly paid him money to start up once more and pulled him back into the Jianghu.

A master of martial arts that had already washed his hands free of the martial arts life had been pulled back into the Wulin for the sake of his life. But in the end, he had died on stage.

When in the Jianghu, one cannot move about freely.

This was the sorrow of Chinese Boxing.

This was the sorrow of the entire era.

Wang Chao had understood that idiom well, so when Zhang Wei had leapt into the ocean, he could not feel happy at all.

Zhao Jun’s dreams had been shattered and his mind had whited out. On the side, Wu Yingda had been doing all of the work instead of him. Calling out for people, he ordered them to don on some wetsuits and dive into the ocean to fish out Zhang Wei.

After all, Zhang Wei was still a master of martial arts. If he died by sea and people were to hear about this, who would be brave enough to work with the Ike Corporation in the future?

Wu Yingda may have been a princeling, but he was no idea. He was extraordinarily smart and while he did not have a complete and totalitarian control over Guangdong, even someone like Xu Zhen would have second thoughts on facing him.

“Ai!” Seeing Zhang Wei jump into the ocean, Chen Aiyang and Xue Lianxin both sighed from their seated positions.

They hadn’t moved to stop him since it was Zhang Wei’s own decision.

At the final moment, Wang Chao had broken Zhang Wei’s clavicle. Even if it healed, it would not be the same. Zhang Wei’s prowess at martial arts would be worse than before, and for a martial artist like him, this was not acceptable.

Rather than living in disgrace, he would rather die cleanly.

When Chen Bin looked at Wang Chao, there was a complicated look to her eyes.

Xu Zhen had also realized the outcome of the battle and shared a similar expression to Zhao Jun.

Wang Chao had not only killed his disciple Qin Maojiao, but he had also defeated Zhang Wei and forced him to leap into the ocean. This was a major humiliation for him.

Xu Zhen and Zhang Wei had never any friendship between them, but they were still both the Three Tigers of Guangdong. Now that Wang Chao had beaten Zhang Wei, it was a blow to the Three Tigers of Guangdong in reputation.

It was only if Xu Zhen or Dai Jun beat Wang Chao that they would reclaim their reputation.

To be called one of the Three Tigers of Guangdong was a prestigious name, but at the same time, it was also an easily damaged name.

However, after seeing Wang Chao fight, Xu Zhen found himself thinking there might not be a way to win.

His mind had whirred with thought as he tried to find a way to deal with Wang Chao. After killing his disciple, there could be no vengeance.

After 10 minutes, a group of divers had finally pulled Zhang Wei from the oceans. At this moment, Zhang Wei could not be seen breathing. Just like this, a master art master of Wingchun had left the world of the living.

After having Wang Chao strike at him with the tiger stance, his clavicle had been broken. After stepping onto the nail, his foot had been pierced through. Both injuries had lead him to be very injured, and after falling several meters down into the ocean and staying there for 10 minutes, death was a sure thing.

After Zhang Wei was placed back on the center of the deck, several of the masters gathered nearby. When they saw his bruising, they all sighed while at the same time reevaluating Wang Chao.

After all, a person who was able to defeat Zhang Wei of the Three Tigers would most definitely become a famous martial artist.

Wang Chao’s name would echo throughout the Wulin!

Killing Qin Maojiao had given him some reputation, but defeating Zhang Wei in a competition would send his name soaring through the air.

Wang Chao remained by Zhang Wei side and looked at the master who had threw himself into the ocean after his loss in silence. Taking off his outer shirt, he covered Zhang Wei’s face.

The chest area of his clothes had already been ripped apart by Zhang Wei’s Hidden Jin attack. So when he tore it off to cover Zhang Wei’s face, all of the bystanders could see that Wang Chao had respected and felt sorry for Zhang Wei.

Zhang Wei’s Wingchun was truly at a realm of perfection, a realm that very few people could step into. That sudden but fierce One Inch Finger had been extremely deadly. If it were not for Wang Chao’s quick thinking and made use of the “Snake Transforming into Dragon” move of the Assault of Dragon and Snake to cave in his chest, he would not have been able to survive.

When a snake inhaled, it raised its head in preparation to strike. Its own neck would strike out, leaving its most vital part exposed. This move of Wang Chao was the most dangerous out of the snake stance.

This victory of Wang Chao had been halfway reliant on luck. If it were not for the blood he spat it hitting Zhang Wei’s eyes to blur his vision, then Wang Chao wouldn’t have been able to capitalize on the opportunity.

Even then, when Wang Chao was trying his best to attack, Zhang Wei had been surprisingly nimble as he blocked and dodged him.

If time went on for that battle, then Wang Chao’s tiger stance would be noticeably weaker. Zhang Wei would have capitalized on this opportunity to wipe away the blood and recover his strength by then.

By that point, the outcome of the battle would be up in the air once more.

But because of an act of God, Zhang Wei’s eyes had been affected and he inadvertently stepped onto a nail.

That had been Zhang Wei’s death sentence. Even an extremely strong expert wouldn’t be able to keep his composure after such an injury. So how would an expert in such a battle between equally strong fighters be affected?

After covering Zhang Wei’s face, Wang Chao had discovered that the needle that had secured his victory was still stuck in Zhang Wei’s foot. Grabbing onto it, Wang Chao pulled it out from his foot.

The nail had been longer than his middle finger and the point had shined brightly under the light.

By now, Chen Aiyang and Xue Lianxin saw the needle and shook their heads before standing up.

“Wang Chao is the victor of this competition!” After everyone had recollected themselves, everyone had conceded to this fact. Zhang Wei had died, and so the announcer who killed the chicken at the start of the math called out the match’s verdict.

Wang Chao changed into a new pair of clothings and looked to the stunned Yao Xiaoxue and Zhao Xinglong. It was only until the announcer had called out the result that they had regained their wits. Yao Xiaoxue had numbly walked up to the stage and started to manage the financial side of the bet with the official.

In such a big competition, there was undoubtedly many fair and just martial art masters. So those that had put in money to make their bets would definitely not try to default on their dues.

Zhao Jun had also used a cash check that was within a suitcase. After inspecting it, Yao Xiaoxue had no problems with it.

100 million RMB was not a small amount of money at all. So even after 2 years of dabbling in the business world, she had never seen so much money in her hands before. To her, this feeling was especially good.

The previous 100 million RMB that they had borrowed from the bank would sooner or later have interest owed to it. Such a feeling like that was not good. It was like having a mountain press down on her and suffocate her.

After all, 100 million RMB would have a monthly interest that would amount to a decent sum of money.

But having this extra 100 million RMb was a completely different feeling that caused her to feel extremely happier.

By the time Wang Chao had changed his clothes and returned, his face was quite pale. Even his steps had a wobbly feel to it as an indicator to his state of health.

After his fight with Zhang Wei, Wang Chao may not have been physically hurt by Zhang Wei’s blows, but because of that sharp inhale and exhale, he had injured his lungs. This internal injury had not been so bad during the battle due to adrenaline, but afterwards where his fight or flight response had dimmed, Wang Chao suddenly felt it harder to breathe. Both his chest and lungs were hurting, but his throat felt as if there was someone burning wood within it.

“This is bad, an internal wound isn’t like an external wound. An external wound can heal with time, but an internal wound can last for an entire lifetime.” Wang Chao’s hands pressed against his chest and began to regulate his breath in an attempt to get a feel for his condition.

If it were Tang Zichen by his side, then she would have easily healed his wounds. But Tang Zichen had long since left Wang Chao. So now it was up to Wang Chao to deal with his own injuries.

The Assault of Dragon and Snake style was comprised of the dragon, snake, and horse stances along with the essence of the Smashing, Drilling, and Pounding Fists. Wang Chao had naturally learned each one of these to proficiency at the very least. The other stances had not yet reached such a level.

The Assault of Dragon and Snake style required to have both form and spirit in its stances and then temper the organs, pores, and bones. The inner and outer body must tempered completely so that the inner organs would be tempered, especially the heart, kidney, spleen, liver, lung, intestines, and stomach. Only after this would there be a harmony of form and intent that would lead to the realm of perfection.

Although Wang Chao had been able to temper his body with the Tiger’s Thunder, it had not yet fully strengthened his marrow and his inner organs.

Without a perfected skill at it, trying to forcefully breath like he did in the match would naturally lead to an injury.

Tang Zichen’s martial art had already reached the epitome of perfection. With just a compression of her shoulders, she could push out a bullet that was shot into it. Her skin, muscles, and inner organs had been tempered completely with Clear and Hidden Jin running through every single pore in rapid succession.

Wang Chao was not yet at such a stage.

“Let’s go.”

After seeing Yao Xiaoxue finish up her tasks, he nodded to the others and left the ship. With his current injuries, he wouldn’t be able to fight anyone. It was fortunate that there was no enemies as of right now to fight him, so leaving straight away was the best option.

Zhao Jun had taken up a major loss so there was no way he would let things lie as they were. With Xu Zhen around, there was a chance for him to decide to fight him straight away for the sake of his disciple’s justice.

In Wang Chao’s current strength, the “Little Arm Saint” would easily defeat him in less than 10 moves.

“Don’t leave yet, stand your ground!”

Just as Wang Chao was about to leave, a sudden voice could be heard from the east where Xu Zhen was. However, the voice did not belong to Xu Zhen and instead belonged to the woman standing by his side.

This woman was clearly a disciple of Xu Zhen. She was obviously not an ordinary disciple, otherwise, she would not have been able to watch this competition today.

All of the people seated here were all extraordinary people.

At the very least, any wealthy person had the rights to watch this match.

All those martial artists seated here today were all very high positioned people and reputable figures in the Wulin. The disciples they brought with them were generally the favored disciples that would one day take up the mantle to take on challenges for their masters and protect their name.

Wang Chao and Zhang Wei’s competition had been a superb opportunity to study from. Those martial art masters would naturally want to bring their disciples to learn from this.

Although all of the disciples that were here were all older than Wang Chao, he had already made a name for himself after this battle. His ascent up as a master of martial arts would naturally have many masters not wishing to be an enemy to him, so what disciple would dare try?

But there had been a single disciple that did, forcing Wang Chao to look at the person who called out to him.

“Eh?!” Wang Chao immediately stood still as the woman who called out to him strode over. She was about 25 years old in age and wore a pure white uniform. Her black bangs hung over her forehead and covered a part of her face, revealing only her bright eyes and delicate facial features.

“You killed our elder disciple, do you think you could walk away from this before the debt is settled?” The woman’s eyes had glared straight at Wang Chao.

Wang Chao hadn’t looked at the woman and instead towards Xu Zhen.

With his current reputation, Wang Chao would be treated as a senior of the Wulin instead of being grouped with the younger generation. The rules to this competition today had been made especially clear to all those who participated. Thus, when Xu Zhen’s disciple had strode forward without any warning, it had spoke volumes to everyone on just how lax Xu Zhen’s discipline was towards his disciples.

“Director Xu, your disciple was indeed killed by me, but that was during a competition of life and death. If you wish to take revenge, then I will naturally be open to receiving a challenge from you. However, by calling your disciple after my competition with Zhang Fei, do you think that I will not be able to win against her?”

Wang Chao’s words had been calm and composed.

“Haruko, come back!” Xu Zhen’s eyes closed as he slammed his hand onto the armrest of his chair with a loud smack! Kacha, the armrest had immediately splintered away after his use of the Hidden Jin.

“Master Wang, this is not my disciple, but the daughter of my friend. I will not interfere after your match with master Zhang, but soon enough the debt I have with you will be settled. When that time comes, I will naturally send you a written challenge. But today will not due, otherwise the other seniors here will take me as one who only fights when there is an advantage.”

With that, Xu Zhen stood up and gave Haruko a hard stare, “We’re leaving!”

Seeing Xu Zhen leave the tanker, Chen Bin came walking forward to whisper to Wang Chao, “That girl is the daughter of a Japanese martial artist. If she tries to cause trouble for you again, treat her without mercy. Her challenge right now was just an attempt to take advantage of your injuries to defeat you.”