Chapter 21: Who is the Real Master of Mǎntáng Xībèi?

  As soon as Xia Yu saw the four martial artists' robust and strong bodies, he felt somewhat satisfied. The physical abilities of these four martial artists were undoubtedly top-notch, but the way of fighting was not necessarily determined by height or strength. He had originally been skilled in grappling and striking, and had understood this principle. Since learning traditional combat techniques from Hu Jiuliu, he had a deeper understanding of this principle, so he wanted to see what these four men could do, to gauge their skills.

  Four martial artists had just sat down, and after hearing this, a big man sitting on the left suddenly stood up again, with his hands clasped in a fist: "Young master, I am Yuan Chen, nicknamed Yuan the Big Cannon. My specialty is the Shaolin Cannon Fist. As the saying goes, 'The authentic Shaolin school is the flower of martial arts, and the king of all fists is the cannon fist frame; one move, one style, rushing to the sky, hands and feet stepping on the wind and sand; the fist is like a cannon, the body is like a dragon, avoiding and advancing quickly, making all monsters afraid.' My set of cannon fists is as powerful as a cannon, unmatched in power. I can perform it right now, please young master take a closer look."

  This man had a leopard-shaped head with ringed eyes, his whiskers were like spears, and he still had a tuft of hair on his chest. He looked extremely ferocious, just like Zhang Fei. His temperament was also straightforward, after speaking, he strode to the center of the hall, let out a loud roar, took a big step to the left, clenched his fists, and with a whooshing sound, his body followed, performing a "Golden Rooster Stand", clean and neat, full of vigor.

  He stood still for a moment, then began to practice his moves one by one. He took a bow step and chopped with his elbow, turned around and punched with his fist, took a horse stance and slashed to the right, then to the left, and hugged his head like a tiger... Every time he made a move, he let out a loud shout, his voice was like thunder, his fists were like lightning, all that could be seen were his fists, all that could be heard were his roars. The onlookers' hearts were shaken, their spirits were startled, Xiao Ding unconsciously felt a little scared, and subconsciously hid behind Xia Xiu, quietly grasping the corner of his clothes.

  Cannon Fist belongs to fire, with a fierce nature, one touch and it ignites, one point and it explodes. Every move and every style is absolutely free from any sluggishness or hesitation. As soon as the body is gathered, it solidifies its position; as soon as the body expands, it releases its power. There is almost no gap between each move. After finishing a set of punches, people watching are dazzled and bewildered. After finishing this set of punches, Yuan Da Cannon's face doesn't redden, his breathing isn't labored, he gives Xia Chongyuan a satisfied nod with a closed fist, and then proudly returns to his seat.

  The second man on the left, who looked slightly more refined than Yuan Da Pao, stood up and smiled as he clasped his fists together: "Young master, my name is Leng Wu Qi. My specialty is the Five Elements Fist - also known as the Dragon, Tiger, Leopard, Crane, and Snake Fists. The Dragon Fist trains the spirit, the Tiger Fist trains the bones, the Leopard Fist trains strength, the Crane Fist trains precision, and the Snake Fist trains internal energy. With the Plum Blossom Stepping paired with the Seven Stars, the combination of hard and soft is embodied in form. Please instruct me, young master!

  Leng Wuqi finished speaking, a tiger's roar sounded, his fingers curled like claws. Suddenly, in the great hall, dragons soared and tigers leaped, leopards jumped and cranes flew, spiritual snakes spat out their tongues, and the five elements fist technique was displayed with a combination of hardness and softness. This set of boxing techniques was truly pleasing to the eye, completely different from Yuan Dabao's cannon fist that made people's hearts palpitate. Xiao Guan Shi and Xiaodiao Mei watched with flying colors, while Xia Zhen sat there with a very calm expression on his face, neither showing approval nor disdain.

  After the performance of Dai Leng, Master Zhou Pengzhou, who was sitting in the first seat on the right, stood up. This Master Zhou practiced hard qigong, such as Golden Gun Piercing Throat, Neck Bent Iron Rod, Rowing Wood Striking Back, and Palm Breaking Green Brick. A set of hard qigong exercises performed with a thrilling display that left people amazed. Xia Liu nodded slightly at this point, but his face still showed no expression.

  The fourth master was called Yun Wanli, Master Yun practiced the Eagle Claw Skill, with a strong and sturdy posture, sharp eyes, agile movements, and explosive force. He saw him curl his fingers like claws, grabbing and punching, flipping and locking, bursting and intercepting, hanging and kicking, making people's eyes unable to keep up. That one shadow was like a swallow flying freely in the air, and such a spacious hall seemed to be unable to hide his figure. Among the four people, this person's momentum should be the most eye-catching, but what was strange was that Xia Xun shook his head slightly at this time, making it difficult for people to notice, and his originally expectant eyes gradually dimmed.

  Yun Shifu's Eagle Claw Fist had reached its final move, a loud eagle cry, and he leapt up, his right hand grasping the beam with five fingers, his left arm spread out, and in mid-air, he assumed the pose of an eagle swooping down to grab its prey. The crowd erupted into applause. Xiao Guan Shi exclaimed excitedly: "Young Master, look! These four masters' martial arts skills are truly impressive!"

  Xia Jiao pursed her lips, not yet thinking of what to say, when a cold voice came from the doorway: "What a joke! Fancy fists and embroidered legs, are you here to show off in Yang's living room or sell your skills on the streets?"

  The applause stopped abruptly, and the four martial artists suddenly became furious, looking towards the door together. They saw a young servant in a green robe and small hat standing at the door with his head bowed. Master Zhou shouted: "Was it you who spoke?"

  "It's not me, it's not me..." Ding's hands shook in denial, but before he could even explain himself, a large hand stretched out from behind and pushed him aside like a fly. Immediately afterwards, the person took a step forward, rising to a higher level, and a sturdy big man appeared, surprisingly it was Feng Jianxiao.

  Feng Jianxiao was wearing casual clothes, and Xia Liu naturally recognized him. Before Xia Liu could even feel surprised, he saw another person standing next to Feng Jianxiao. This person was a young man with a slender build, his head wrapped in a folded cloth, a black band tied around his forehead, wearing a white embroidered short shirt with a belt tightly tied at the waist, the shirt reaching only to his knees, and white silk pants underneath, the pant legs tucked into his shoes, bound tightly and closely, accentuating his sturdy and powerful thighs.

  Looking at his appearance again, he is even more handsome, with a face like a painting, red lips and white teeth, and a pair of eyes as clear as water. He is truly a beautiful young man, rare in this world. Such a handsome young man is rarely seen in one's lifetime. The beautiful young man quickly scanned the hall with his piercing eyes, then quietly lowered them, his long eyelashes covering his gaze, making it impossible to discern his emotions.

  In his arms, he held a broadsword with a large cat's eye inlaid on the hilt. Whenever his body moved slightly, the cat's eye emitted a bewildering and enchanting glow, as if it were a ghostly eye.

  When Xia Jiang was staring at the beautiful young man, four angry martial artists had already surrounded Feng Jianxiao in a rage. Yuan Dapao thought that Feng Jianxiao was a martial artist from some other school who came to challenge and steal business, so he took a step forward and shouted loudly: "You sir, you have quite an attitude! Then I, Yuan, will come and experience your superior skills, take my punch!"

  Yuan Dapao let out a loud shout, and with one "Black Tiger Pierces the Heart", he directly attacked Feng Jianxiao's central palace. Xia Jun sat in the main seat, barely able to see Feng Jianxiao's movements due to Yuan Dapao's towering figure. Before he could even react, Yuan Dapao let out a loud cry of surprise, and a sturdy body had already fallen backwards, crashing into the pillar with a "thud", before sliding down to the ground, causing dust to fall from the ceiling.

  Feng Xihui coldly snorted, "Your fist looks powerful, but your stance is so big and your strength has been fully exerted, without leaving any room for reserve. Don't you even understand the principle of holding back three tenths of one's power?"

  "I've come to test your skills!"

  Zhou Peng and Yuan Da Pao joined forces, their palms pressing down on the Dan Tian, just as they were about to take a deep breath, Feng Jianxiao's fist arrived. The punches rained down like a storm, striking the throat, forehead, back of the neck, lower abdomen, and Dan Tian... nowhere was spared. Those two massive fists sank into flesh with each blow, their force as heavy as a mountain.

  Zhou Peng let out a loud "Ah", wildly waving his arms and flailing about, but under Feng Jianxiao's fierce attack, he didn't last long before his energy dissipated, and with a thud, he fell to the ground, like a headless rooster, dazedly flapping his arms, momentarily unable to get up due to being dizzy.

  Feng Jianxiao clapped his hands and said, "Your hard qigong is somewhat impressive, but unfortunately, you haven't mastered it. You can't even defend yourself properly, let alone control others. What's the point of having such skills? When an assassin comes, will you use your body to block their knife? Go back and practice with your shifu for another three to five years."

  "Ah!"

  Yun Wanli saw this situation, let out a sharp whistle, and a large roc spread its wings and flew towards Feng Jianxiao, who was in mid-air. The ten fingers of the roc's claws were about to grab his face, but he was too fast, and Feng Xihui was even faster. Just as Yun Wanli's body had just taken off, Feng Jianxiao took a swift step forward, and before Yun Wanli could land, he crashed into his side. With a loud crash, Yun Wanli flew back, riding the wind and clouds.

  Feng Xihui's expression was full of disdain: "What kind of bird spreads its wings, a useless fake move that jumps around when it's time to take action. Once the body is in mid-air, there's no way to retreat or advance, and all the twists and turns are useless. Your master didn't even teach you such an obvious principle?"

  Leng Wuqi, who was practicing the Five Elements Fist, saw that this person's fist and footwork seemed ordinary, but in a flash, he had knocked down three of his own senior brothers. Knowing that he couldn't defeat him with just fists and feet, Leng Wuqi's eyes flickered slightly as he reached for the gun leaning against the table edge, "Pong" - a large flower-shaped pattern appeared on the gun barrel, and he thrust it at Feng Xihui's chest.

  "Hmph~~~~"

  A white shadow flashed by Feng Xihui's side, stirring up a strand of hair on his temple. The cold and sharp whistling sound of the sword being drawn from its scabbard had not yet stopped when a short, abrupt ringing sound was heard, and the sword returned to its scabbard. The gun head in Leng Wuqi's hand fell to the ground with a clang, and the strand of hair on Feng Xihui's temple was still suspended in mid-air, having not yet floated down.

  He stood there, frozen, with half a short stick in his hand, unable to utter a word. He hadn't even seen how the white-shirted warrior had suddenly appeared beside him. The white-shirted warrior dodged past Feng Xihui, drawing and sheathing his sword in an instant, as swift as lightning, and as marvelous as can be. All four martial artists were shocked by this swift and unmatched slash, each staring at the cool and composed young man holding a sword with eyes that dared not believe their own sight.

  Feng Xihui also showed a surprised expression, he glanced at the white-shirted youth, and a smile slowly bloomed on his face: "Young Master Peng, what quick knife skills!"

  "Ah!"

  Leng Wuqi listened to Feng Xihui's words, and his originally surprised and uncertain expression suddenly became clear. He seemed to have recognized the identity of the white-shirted youth, and he exclaimed in surprise, dropping the short stick in his hand, pointing at the white-clothed person, and stuttering: "You... you... you are... you are..."

  "If you haven't mastered kung fu, don't come out and make a fool of yourself. Go back to where you came from!"

  The young man in white seemed like a teenager whose voice had not yet fully changed, speaking in a crisp and tender tone. The four martial artists stared at him in shock for a while, then suddenly fell silent and walked out in large strides. Xia Jiu withdrew the shocked expression from his eyes, let out a soft sigh, and slowly stood up.

  He had actually seen the problem earlier, so he didn't follow the outsiders who could only watch the excitement - Xiao Guan and his father and daughter called out in unison. His grappling skills were among the best in the police academy. In Xiaoye Village this year, he also learned a set of real killing skills from Hu Da Shu, taking his skills to a higher level, and he understood what true combat skills are.

  The acrobatic and elegant martial arts performances we see today are not traditional martial arts, but rather a form of juggling. The proverb says: "A master's move reveals whether he has it or not." The true essence of kung fu lies in the simplicity of a single punch or kick. The famous fight between the White Crane Fist and Tai Chi Fist disciples that shook Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan for several years was over in just a dozen or so moves, because in real combat, one move can decide victory or defeat. Those who practice forms are at best doing high-difficulty calisthenics.

  So just now, after watching the performances of the four men, Xia Xun was greatly disappointed, but Feng Xi Hui's skill surprised him. At the time when they were at Shi Zhan Stockade, he had seen Zhang Shan San practicing martial arts, and at that time, Xia Xun was still a "martial arts outsider", so towards Zhang Shan San, he could only flatter excessively, Zhang Shan San although being an extremely proud person, also couldn't help but blush a little from his over-the-top flattery, and had said to him before that his own martial arts skills were not bad, but compared to Feng Zong Ting's, they were still somewhat inferior.

  He took the opportunity to talk about Feng Zongtai's martial arts skills, saying that Feng Zongtai was most skilled in double-handed knife techniques. This kind of fierce and sharp knife technique had almost been lost since the Song Dynasty's Cliff Mountain War, but it was now flourishing in Japan. Among those who practiced martial arts in China, there were hardly any people who could master a high-level double-handed knife technique, and Feng Zongtai was one of them.

  Xia Xun thought at the time that his martial arts were actually higher than Zhang's, and when he heard his tone, he thought that Feng Zongqi's martial arts were only slightly better than his own. If he were to make a surprise attack, it would still be easy to succeed. But now that he had seen Feng Zongqi's skills, he realized that the Brocade Guards indeed hid dragons and tigers, and Feng Xihui's martial arts were far superior to his own.

  But... what's the difference? With a way and no skill, skills can still be sought. With skill but no way, it stops at skill. Power is not attainable, but there is wisdom; in the contest between wisdom and power, wisdom usually prevails. As long as the goal is achieved, the means are unimportant.

  Xia Liu smiled and walked forward: "Wen Xuan has met Lord Feng, this young master is..."

  Feng Xihui said: "Young Master Yang, this is a personal bodyguard specially invited by the Pushan official for you. You've already seen his skills just now. Come on, let me introduce you to each other. This is Peng Ziqi, Young Master Peng. Young Master Peng, this is Young Master Yang whom you are asked to protect. Young Master Yang, I'm sure you've also heard of the reputation of the Peng family. This time, for your safety, we specially invited the Peng family and sent their direct descendant. The Peng family's Five Tigers' Gate-Splitting Knife is very famous, and Ziqi has mastered the true transmission of the Peng family's knife technique. With him around, your safety can be guaranteed."

  "Five Tigers Broken Gate Knife?"

  Xia Jie's eyebrows jumped to the ground, this knife method he had heard of, of course, he had heard of it, Wu Hu Duan Men Dao was too famous! Who hasn't heard of Wu Hu Duan Men Dao? This martial art is still quite powerful, but in new-school wuxia and later on TV screens filled with wuxia movies and TV series, almost every hero's growth path would brutally torture the successor of Wu Hu Duan Men to death, the successor of Wu Hu Duan Men Knife? That was a super big extra who was dedicated and uncomplaining...

  Xia Jiang hastily expressed his sincere respect to this super big dragon suit who had made great contributions to Chinese martial arts and martial arts films: "It's the original Peng family disciple of Wuhu Duanmen Dao, I've long admired you, I've long admired your great name!"