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Standing nearby, Liu Jinshui was the first to notice the arrival of Li Gang. He quickly approached him and whispered something. Xin Yi and Lu Hanmeng also saw this, but neither of them took the initiative to acknowledge the elegant man who had just walked in. They thought, let whoever wants to approach do so; if he’s not the main person, I can’t be bothered. Even if he is the main person, he should come to me first. If I have to go over and start a conversation, then there’s no point in that.
While Liu Jinshui was whispering with Li Gang, several more people entered the doorway of the Martial Arts Hall. Xin Yi noticed that two of them had particularly sharp gazes. If he wasn’t mistaken, these two were definitely external martial artists with formidable skills. One was bald and not very tall; his muscles were not grotesquely bulging but were well-defined, exuding a sense of fluid beauty. It seemed as if his well-proportioned muscles contained incredible explosive power, giving off an impression akin to a nimble leopard. Though not large in size, its ferocity and explosiveness undoubtedly placed it at the top of the food chain. The other was tall and thin, with inverted eyebrows and piercing eyes, his cheeks deeply sunken. At first glance, he resembled a dried corpse that had crawled out from an ancient tomb. His hands were like withered branches with prominent joints, but those in the know would recognize that this was precisely his strength; this person must be exceptionally skilled in claw techniques, as those protruding knuckles symbolized power.
As Xin Yi assessed the two men, they were also sizing him up. From what they had heard from their informant earlier, they knew that this guy had come looking for trouble, but they couldn’t discern what made him special. He had a fair complexion and while his body wasn’t exactly frail, it certainly wasn’t strong either. What puzzled them even more was that there was no sharpness in his eyes typical of someone trained in martial arts. Overall, he gave off the impression of a corporate white-collar worker—one who would scream at the sight of a mouse: “Oh my gosh! You scared me to death!” while clutching his racing heart.
In contrast, they were more inclined to believe that the woman next to him wielding a Greatsword was the one their informant had mentioned. Although she didn’t seem like someone who would dance with a Greatsword, her physique and movements clearly indicated she had a martial arts background. Moreover, her gaze radiated confidence and poise.
Finally, Li Gang approached Xin Yi with interest. Once beside him, he elegantly said, “Excuse me, brother, may I ask what brings you here?”
“Who are you?” Xin Yi guessed that this elegant older man was likely someone important but still asked for clarification.
“I am the Hall Master of the Black Dragon Society Kanglong Hall. My name is Li Gang. Welcome to our Kanglong Hall,” said Li Gang, extending his hand gracefully.
This left Xin Yi somewhat confused; the leader of a gang seemed quite polite and almost gentlemanly. However, there was something strange about his gaze that made Xin Yi uneasy. Nevertheless, being an educated young man himself, he quickly stood up and shook hands with him saying, “You are the Hall Master of the Black Dragon Society? It’s an honor to meet you. I am Xin Shanli, from Longchuan. I came here hoping to join the Black Dragon Society. I wonder if you could arrange for me to become an Incense Master or something similar? Of course, if that’s inconvenient, being appointed as a Hall Master would also be acceptable.”
To his surprise, Li Gang did not react with anger or surprise but instead smiled elegantly and said, “Heheh! It’s our honor that you think highly of our Black Dragon Society. We have always valued talent above all else. As long as you have the ability, it wouldn’t be impossible for you to become a Hall Master, heheh…” Throughout this exchange, Li Gang held onto Xin Yi’s hand without letting go and even seemed to be intentionally squeezing it!
Xin Yi frowned slightly and forcefully pulled his hand back, thinking: Could this guy be hitting on me? Here I am—a perfectly normal man—being hit on by an older guy; just thinking about it makes my stomach churn.
Unconsciously taking a small step back, he asked, “So what does Li Gang consider as having ability?”
Looking gently at Xin Yi, Li Gang pondered for a moment before replying: “The promotion assessment system of the Black Dragon Society is quite strict. Even if you have skills, you can only rise through the ranks step by step from ordinary members. However… since I feel we hit it off right away, I’ll make an exception this time and personally assess you. If you pass my evaluation, I will appoint you as an Incense Master.”
"Oh? Then I must thank Li Gang," Xin Yi said. "I wonder how Li Gang plans to assess me? I will certainly do my best."
"Well, it's actually quite simple," Li Gang replied. "I heard from Liu Xiangzhu that Brother Xin's Kung Fu is quite impressive, so let's test your Kung Fu. As long as you can defeat these two subordinates of mine, I will let you become the Incense Master." Li Gang pointed to Leopard Three and Long Five beside him and said to Xin Yi, "These two have been my brothers for many years. One is called Leopard Three, and the other is called Long Five."
"Leopard Three? Long Five? Are you running a zoo or something?" Before Xin Yi could respond, Lu Hanmeng, who was wielding a Greatsword nearby, walked over and bluntly said, "Xin Shanli, are we going to fight or what? You better leave some for me this time; I didn't get enough earlier."
Goodness, you're quite impressive, aren't you? I've never seen a girl like this; most would scream at the sight of a fight, but you seem to want more. You're a typical hyperactive and aggressive girl! But right now, we're discussing terms here, and all you can think about is fighting—big-chested but brainless! So Xin Yi replied, "Lin Xi, Li Gang is discussing the conditions for us to join the Black Dragon Society. What are you making a fuss about?"
"Oh, is that so?" Lu Hanmeng said regretfully. "I thought he wanted those two to beat you up. Don't worry; with me around, no one will bully you!"
"Alright," Xin Yi said. "Li Gang wants those two to spar with me. He said if we can defeat them, we can join the Black Dragon Society, and he even wants me to be the Incense Master. How about I leave these two to you?"
"Are we really going to fight?" Lu Hanmeng's interest was piqued as she glanced at Leopard Three and Long Five. She responded, "Are they any good? Don't bring in people who can't fight; that's no fun at all—just like that Incense Master who got kicked down with one kick..."
Lu Hanmeng's voice was loud enough for Leopard Three, Long Five, and Liu Jinshui to hear clearly. Both Leopard Three and Long Five snorted coldly; being looked down upon by a young girl made them very unhappy. However, they couldn't explode in anger on the spot and could only turn away in frustration, ignoring this ignorant little girl. Liu Jinshui felt quite embarrassed; although Lu Hanmeng was speaking the truth, in front of so many people—especially in front of Liu Xiangzhu's superior—couldn't she show some respect? Being exposed in front of their leader would make it difficult for them to gain favor later on. Liu Jinshui's political life was effectively ruined by Lu Hanmeng's remark.
Li Gang was indeed quite adept at handling people; seeing Lu Hanmeng show such strong interest in fighting, he decided to do her a favor and said, "Since this young lady is so interested, I'll let my subordinates spar with you. However, it's just practice; the outcome has nothing to do with what I discussed with Brother Xin." He then turned to Long Five and said, "Long Five, accompany this young lady for some practice. Be careful not to hurt her."
"Yes, Hall Master!" Long Five replied respectfully. He had just been looked down upon by this girl and was holding back his anger; point of control? Why can't I accidentally go all out? Today I must show this arrogant little girl what I'm capable of!
Who would have thought that Lu Hanmeng would still be dissatisfied after hearing Li Gang's words? She frowned and said, "What do you mean 'be careful not to hurt'? Who knows who will get hurt! You there—the skinny guy! Use whatever skills you've got; don't hold back! Just make sure I don't kick you over!"
Even someone well-trained in martial arts might be provoked into violence by Lu Hanmeng's words; let alone someone like Long Five who had no such restraint. Long Five sneered and stepped into the center of the arena, saying, "Little girl, don't talk big; let's see if you're a donkey or a horse when we bring you out for a walk! Come on!"
"He's a horse, and a skinny one at that," Lu Hanmeng said. "Isn't there an ancient poem that goes, 'On the ancient road, the west wind blows, a skinny horse'? I see your skinny horse will soon roll to the ends of the earth with a broken heart!" This girl certainly had a sharp tongue; how could Long Five, an uncultured rogue, possibly compete with her?
Thus, Long Five struck a pose and said, "Stop talking nonsense! If you have real skills, win with your fists and feet! What kind of hero just relies on clever words?"
She's not a hero, okay? She's a girl. If you're uncultured, don't try to speak in a refined manner! Rogues usually speak plainly and crudely. Even being a rogue, you lack professionalism; I really don't know what to say about you.
Although Lu Hanmeng had never fought against true martial arts masters, she wasn't so arrogant as to underestimate her opponent. From Long Five's demeanor, she could roughly judge that he was a formidable character. In truth, she didn't have absolute confidence in winning; she was merely trying to provoke him. Although Taekwondo is different from traditional martial arts, anger and impatience are both major taboos in combat. Lu Hanmeng aimed to make her opponent angry so that he would reveal flaws during their upcoming match.
"Watch his hands; his Kung Fu should be something like Eagle Claw Technique. His lower body is his weak point; attack his lower body," Xin Yi whispered in Lu Hanmeng's ear. While he wanted this reckless Violent Girl to learn a lesson, he didn't want her to suffer too badly. It was enough for her to understand that there are always greater talents out there. As long as she didn't constantly think about picking fights, his goal would be achieved.
"Hey! Skinny bamboo pole! He said your Kung Fu should be something like Eagle Claw Technique and that your lower body is your weak point. Is he right?" Lu Hanmeng suddenly shouted loudly at Long Five for confirmation.
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