Urban Martial Saint

Du Yongwu shook his head and said, ”That’s not it. But us men from the Northern Xingyi School are rough and poor; such fine dining is beyond us. Nephew Tie, you go ahead and eat. Once you’ve finished, let’s proceed with the martial arts competition!”

Tie Weihua glanced at Du Yongwu’s disciples who, at first sight, appeared rather well-dressed. However, it was obvious that their clothes were counterfeit goods bought from street stalls, and underneath their coats, their shirts were tattered and worn, revealing the level of poverty they lived in. The dry food they brought with them was simple fare like coarse grain pancakes, and they were devouring it with great appetite. Clearly, these people lived a tough life indeed!

Tie Weihua sighed. He knew that their refusal to come and eat was a matter of clinging to the last shred of their dignity. He could no longer insist on inviting them in, as doing so would trample on that dignity.

Inside the house, members of the Southern Xingyi School were already seated at the table, inviting Ye Qing and his companions to join them. But Ye Qing did not go over to sit down, as he too could see the predicament of the Northern Xingyi School outside. Instead of calling them in, he took a bowl of rice, walked up to the entrance, and squatted down to eat with the men of the Northern Xingyi School.

”Brother Ye, what are you doing?” someone from the Southern Xingyi School tried to intervene, and at that moment, Du Tianyi also came out with a bowl in hand. Following that, several of Ye Qing’s brothers also came out one after another.

Half a year ago, Ye Qing, Black Bear, and the others were also poor, with neither the status nor the wealth they had today. Therefore, they had not forgotten their roots. Although the men of the Northern Xingyi School had their faults, Ye Qing held no air of superiority over them. Sitting and eating together with them, he actually felt more at ease.

Seeing everyone doing so, the members of the Southern Xingyi School could not just sit by either. They joined Ye Qing and the others at the entrance, simply eating their meal there. The spread of dishes on the table inside remained untouched. The Northern Xingyi School ate their coarse grain cakes while the Southern Xingyi School ate their plain rice, and there was little difference between their meals.

Looking at the situation, Du Yongwu’s eyes reddened slightly. He knew that these actions were out of respect for him, and he felt deeply grateful.

After lunch, everyone returned to the hall to continue the competition from earlier. However, the Northern Xingyi School members no longer bore as much hostility when looking at their Southern counterparts. Instead, there was gratitude on their faces, and the Southern Xingyi School members now showed more respect. Despite their poverty, the determination of the Northern Xingyi School commanded admiration!

”Uncle Du, since things have reached this point, how about we skip the remaining fights?” Tie Weihua cupped his hands towards Du Yongwu and said, ”Perhaps we could call it a draw. What do you think?”

At this stage, the Southern Xingyi School was already on an unbeaten track, and with Du Tianyi’s outstanding strength, his victory was all but secured. Tie Weihua’s suggestion to call it a draw was actually an attempt to give the Northern Xingyi School a way out without wounding their pride.

Du Yongwu sighed, bent slightly, and cupped his hands towards the members of the Southern Xingyi School and Ye Qing, saying, ”I deeply appreciate the kindness of you all. Although the Northern Xingyi School is less skilled and can afford to lose, for this next battle, I would like to fight personally to experience this nephew’s boxing technique. After this battle, regardless of the outcome, there shall be no need to continue. My Northern Xingyi School will accept defeat!”

As soon as Du Yongwu said this, discord arose among the Northern Xingyi School. His words effectively amounted to a complete surrender. The consequences of such a surrender meant that the Northern Xingyi School would be abolished forever and absorbed under the Southern Xingyi School, and the disciples were struggling to accept this outcome.

Du Tianyi quickly said, ”Uncle Du, if you wish to instruct your junior, I am always ready to learn. But talking about defeat is premature. The strengths of the South and North Xingyi Schools are closely matched; the fight isn’t over, and the winner has yet to be decided. Why be so disheartened, Uncle Du?”

”Do not try to persuade me, my mind is made up!” Du Yongwu shook his head and slowly stepped into the ring, looking at Du Tianyi and said, ”No offense!”

With Du Yongwu having made himself clear, if Du Tianyi refused to fight, it would be an insult. Left with no choice, Du Tianyi also entered the ring, bowed to Du Yongwu, and said, ”Please teach me, Uncle!”

Du Yongwu returned the salute to Du Tianyi without delay, let out a light shout, and immediately threw a punch aiming directly at Du Tianyi.

There’s a saying that when an expert makes a move, you’ll know immediately if they have real skill. The members of the Northern Xingyi School had already demonstrated the fierce and domineering nature of the Northern Xingyi Fist. But only when Du Yongwu personally stepped in did everyone truly understand the overbearing power of the Northern Xingyi Fist. As Du Yongwu surged forward, the force from his right foot stomping on the ground produced a thunder-like boom, echoing in everyone’s ears. His punch was just as ferocious and overbearing, like a sledgehammer aiming heavily at Du Tianyi.

Du Tianyi did not dare to take it lightly, being extra vigilant against such an expert. Seeing Du Yongwu’s ferocious attack, he immediately stepped back to dodge the onslaught and then reached out to grab Du Yongwu’s wrist.

This time, he really managed to grab Du Yongwu directly, while also dodging Du Yongwu’s punch. However, as soon as he grabbed Du Yongwu’s arm, he realized something was wrong. The strength of Du Yongwu was beyond his imagination; he couldn’t secure Du Yongwu’s wrist at all and was instead pulled over by Du Yongwu. At the same time, Du Yongwu’s arm shook, and Du Tianyi’s hand was directly bounced off. In that moment, Du Yongwu threw another punch, aiming straight for Du Tianyi’s chest.

All these actions, though seemingly complicated, occurred in the blink of an eye. Among the many spectators present, only Ye Qing could clearly see the details of the exchanges between the two; everyone else was confused and hadn’t yet understood what had happened.

It had to be said that Du Yongwu’s strength was indeed formidable. After all, as the Sect Leader of the Northern Xingyi School, his strength was not much different from that of Tie Yongwen.

If it had been the Du Tianyi of the past, he wouldn’t have been able to withstand even five moves against Du Yongwu. However, the current Du Tianyi was different. With personal guidance from the Southern Fist King Shen Tianjun, his strength had greatly increased, to the extent that he could even exchange moves with a master like Du Yongwu.

Seeing Du Yongwu’s fist approaching, Du Tianyi didn’t dare to reach out to block it, knowing the immense power behind Du Yongwu’s punch. He immediately extended his hand, throwing a punch towards Du Yongwu’s chest as well.

Seeing Du Tianyi’s counterattack, Du Yongwu slightly furrowed his brow. The gap in strength between him and Du Tianyi was significant. Du Tianyi, not dodging his punch and instead choosing a tactic that would harm both parties, was essentially courting death. If the punches were to truly exchange, Du Yongwu reckoned he wouldn’t even get injured, while if his punch landed, it could be the end of Du Tianyi’s life.

Witnessing this, Du Yongwu immediately held back seventy percent of his power. The recent actions of the disciples from the Southern Xingyi School made him feel grateful, so he had no intention of striking Du Tianyi with full force.

However, just as their fists were about to make contact, Du Tianyi’s waist suddenly twisted, miraculously sidestepping Du Yongwu’s punch in the nick of time. His own punch did not change course, still heading straight for Du Yongwu.

Upon seeing this, a sharp glint flashed in Du Yongwu’s eyes, his face a mixture of astonishment and shock. He recognized that Du Tianyi was using a technique from the Northern Xingyi Fist. Yet, this particular move was one he had never seen before, and its intricacy left him in admiration.

Luckily for Du Yongwu, who had just in time retracted seventy percent of his power, he had enough strength to swiftly retreat, narrowly dodging Du Tianyi’s punch without harm.

”What is this move?” Du Yongwu asked loudly.

”Hongmen Bows to the Lord!” replied Du Tianyi.

”Hongmen Bows to the Lord!” Du Yongwu’s eyes lit up, and he exclaimed, ”Such a change in this move, and I was unaware!”

”The key to the ’Hongmen Bows to the Lord’ lies in the word ’bow’,” Du Tianyi explained. ”This move has tremendous power, which is why it is a key technique of the Northern Xingyi Fist. However, the Northern Xingyi Fist, with its straightforward and aggressive attacks, has not grasped the essence of ’bow’. The real killing stroke of this move actually lies in the punch that follows the ’bow’, catching one’s opponent completely off guard!”

”What an excellent ’Hongmen Bows to the Lord’! What an excellent ’Hongmen Bows to the Lord’!” Du Yongwu could not help laughing heartily, appearing greatly excited and thrilled. He had practiced the Northern Xingyi Fist for so many years, yet he had never considered these variations. This sparring session with Du Tianyi had given him a completely new understanding of Xingyi Fist, and he was incredibly excited.

The spectators from both Southern and Northern Xingyi School were equally stunned. They were all familiar with the technique ”Hongmen Bows to the Lord,” yet none had expected these nuances. They, too, learned a lot from Du Tianyi on this occasion, especially the disciples of the Northern Xingyi School, who now revered him as a heavenly deity.

The Southern Xingyi School disciples felt more excitement; after the death of Tie Yongwen, their school lacked someone who could hold their own. Now that Du Tianyi had grown stronger, they were naturally more delighted.

Du Yongwu and Du Tianyi exchanged moves at a breakneck pace, rapidly going through dozens of exchanges. Despite practicing martial arts for a longer period and being much stronger than Du Tianyi, Du Yongwu was shaken and thrilled each time Du Tianyi narrowly averted danger using the techniques taught by Shen Tianjun, inquiring in detail about the secrets behind each move of Du Tianyi’s boxing technique.