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墨書 Inktalez
I put all my strength into this strike, fast and fierce. Qin Sihu seemed to sense the force and speed of my attack, retreating half a step back, his expression one of panic as if he wanted to evade but was too late.
Just as I was about to thrust at his shoulder, Qin Sihu's expression suddenly changed, turning fierce. He shouted, "Got you!" His hands swung in an arc from below, lifting upward; his left hand aimed to smash my Steel Rod aside while his right hand lunged diagonally toward my chest.
A smile crept onto my lips; I had finally waited for him to make his move! I shouted back, "Got you!" and pressed down on the middle of the Steel Rod. The rod silently separated! I held one segment in each hand, my right Short Staff still thrusting toward his left shoulder while my left staff came crashing down hard against Qin Sihu's rising right hand.
The weight of the solid short Steel Rod was not much lighter than his weapon. With my forceful downward strike against his upward thrust, I had the advantage.
With a loud clang, our weapons collided!
However, while my left staff pinned down his right hand, the impact from my right Steel Rod against his left hand caused it to veer slightly off course, grazing past his left shoulder!
But the conical tip still left a bloody scratch on his shoulder.
I hit him!
The whistle blew; I had won!
I looked at Qin Sihu, who stood frozen in place with his Twin Whips raised, disbelief written all over his face. I said, "Admit it, brother. No need to apologize; just don’t trouble my friends anymore."
The exchange was quite smooth; it gave him an easy way out. I chuckled inwardly and took a step back, retracting my Short Staff and letting it hang by my side as I relaxed. Oddly enough, once I relaxed, that heightened sensory experience faded away. Had I not fully grasped it yet? Or had I only tapped into part of my potential? I chuckled foolishly and turned to walk toward the referee to confirm the results before leaving the arena.
"Brother Wang! You were amazing!" came a shout from Jing at the sidelines!
I turned and smiled at her, but just then, everything changed!
"Impossible! I'm not satisfied!" Qin Sihu roared from behind me.
The referee in front of me gasped in shock and shouted "Heart!" as he stumbled backward.
A sudden rush of wind swept past me! My heart sank; could Qin Sihu be planning to continue fighting?! Wasn't it over?
There was no time to turn around; I had no choice but to lunge forward and roll to dodge an attack from behind, using that moment to spring up.
As soon as I turned around, I saw Qin Sihu charging at me with his Twin Whips swirling. I froze for a moment as the wheel-like weapon struck right in front of me.
This is bad. If I had the combined Steel Rod in hand, I wouldn't fear the Wheel Hammer, as its length and weight could withstand it.
But now, with the two Short Staffs separated, the hammer is heavier. As the Wheel Hammer swung into action, its weight combined with speed and momentum caught me off guard. I had no choice but to brace myself and retreat while blocking.
Qin Sihu was relentless! I silently cursed.
Outside the ring, the crowd erupted in chaos, standing up to voice their opinions. The referee blew the whistle repeatedly, trying to signal Qin Sihu to stop attacking.
"Run out!" "Stop hitting him, don't mind that lunatic!"
It was Old Bi and Jing shouting fiercely behind me.
A thought struck me: yes, I could turn and run. Qin Sihu wouldn’t be able to do anything; the organizing committee would punish him.
But then I reconsidered. In front of so many people, I couldn't just flee without a fight.
While thinking this, my feet kept moving as I retreated quickly, looking for an opportunity to combine the two Short Staffs.
Qin Sihu noticed my intention and increased the speed of his hammer swings, like a windmill, relentlessly striking down on me. I had no time to combine the Steel Rods; I could only defend with my Short Staffs.
There's a saying: "A madman can take on a hundred." When Qin Sihu goes wild, he might be even more formidable than a madman!
At that moment, I saw several competitors rushing toward Qin Sihu from behind. They seemed intent on subduing him and were armed as well. Although Qin Sihu's back was wide open, this was still a competition; they couldn't strike him down without hesitation. However, getting too close risked being accidentally hit by his swinging hammer.
Qin Sihu's face was twisted in rage. I feared that if he got even more agitated, he might hurt someone else. I shouted urgently, "Everyone stay back! Don't come closer! I have a plan!"
Gradually, the crowd formed a large circle around us.
I spoke bravely despite my uncertainty about what to do next!
Slowly, I retreated to the edge of the Venue. Suddenly, I heard a voice behind me whispering, "The staff follows the heart's intent; it transforms into formlessness and shape; there is no self and no other."
It was Soaring Dragon! Just then, another hammer swung down from Qin Sihu. At that moment, all I could do was hold my two staffs horizontally to barely block it.
In my mind, the words of Soaring Dragon flashed like lightning. I felt as if I was on the verge of grasping something, yet I couldn't quite identify what it was. This sensation was incredibly strange; to put it in an inappropriate analogy, it was somewhat like a high school English listening class where the teacher rambles on endlessly. It’s nearly impossible to understand every single word and translate them individually, but sometimes you can still grasp the overall meaning.
The staff moved with my heart, transforming into a fluid motion, formless and shapeless, devoid of self and other. I silently recited this in my mind several times, and suddenly, it felt as if I had found the right feeling. Everything around me slowed down dramatically. I could see Qin Sihu's distorted face and his right hand raised above my head, ready to strike down with his weapon, while his left hand remained behind him. Everything seemed frozen in time; I even had the leisure to glance at the anxious and fearful expressions of the spectators nearby.
This is where it ends! With a swift motion, I raised the Short Staff in my left hand to meet his right weapon while my right Short Staff came crashing down onto Qin Sihu's left thigh!
There was a loud clang followed by a cry of pain. My left staff blocked Qin Sihu's right weapon while my right struck solidly against his left thigh.
Qin Sihu let out a terrible scream and leaned to the left. Seizing the opportunity, I kicked him hard, sending him sprawling to the ground!
The crowd surged forward, pinning Qin Sihu down firmly!
Now on the ground, Qin Sihu was completely drained of strength, sitting there helplessly with disbelief written all over his face as he muttered, "How could it be over so quickly!? How was my defense broken again!?"
Indeed, martial arts are invincible when executed swiftly. That line from Stephen Chow's Kung Fu is truly spot on! Thank you, Brother Xing! I silently expressed my gratitude in my heart.
And thank you too, Soaring Dragon. When I turned to look back, I found that Soaring Dragon had disappeared into the crowd.
People gathered around me—Luo Luo and Old Bi among them—wearing expressions of admiration and disbelief.
"That was so fast! You just dashed right into Qin Sihu's Twin Whips! How did you do that?" Luo Luo asked excitedly.
Old Bi pondered for a moment before saying, "Soaring Dragon used a lightweight staff technique. You dared to break through with that heavy Short Steel Rod? Weren't you afraid of getting hit on your arm?"
I smiled and glanced at Jing, who still seemed stunned. "Now you don’t have to worry about going out to eat with anyone else!"
At that moment, Jing suddenly burst into tears and hugged me tightly. "Waaah! You scared me to death just now! I thought he would hurt you."
Feeling a bit embarrassed under the gazes of those around us, I cleared my throat. "Ahem, but I'm fine now! Alright, alright, let’s not draw attention."
Shen Han squeezed through the crowd with a rather complex expression on his face and hesitantly asked, "Old Wang, did you really give it your all that night?"
I chuckled and patted his shoulder. "I always give it my all; it’s just that luck was on my side this time. Now come on, let’s go have dinner together!"
Regardless of the curious gazes directed at me, I pulled everyone outside.
After taking a few steps, I turned back to glance at Qin Sihu on the ground, suddenly feeling a bit sorry for him. In truth, Qin Sihu was quite strong; it was just that the Brothers had grown accustomed to smooth sailing and had been undefeated in martial arts. However, after losing to Soaring Dragon in the morning and then to me in the afternoon, coupled with his pride, he probably couldn't swallow this defeat and lost his composure, attacking me recklessly.
But pity aside, he was a man, a soldier at that; no matter what, he couldn't afford to lose face. Moreover, Qin Sihu's blatant disregard for the competition rules would earn him disdain anywhere. In the past, this would be seen as lacking martial ethics; in the present, it was called playing by one's own rules. Besides, during the competition, Qin Sihu had already interfered with the arrangements; it was just that no one wanted to offend him since it didn't affect their interests. Now, in a public setting, he had committed a serious offense, and no one could protect him anymore.
At that moment, Old Ma approached to announce the committee's unanimous decision: due to his disregard for the competition rules and interference with the event, Qin Sihu was disqualified from the competition, all his results were invalidated. Given his atrocious behavior, he was ordered to return to his original unit immediately, and a notice would be sent to inform his unit of the situation along with a warning.
After the afternoon competition concluded, Old Ma excitedly found us at the exit. "Brothers! Great job! We're going to the finals—at least second place! Haha, I knew I wasn't wrong about you. You know what? The first time I saw you, I knew you were talented! Hahaha, just as I expected!"
Old Bi chimed in playfully, "Old Ma, this achievement is half yours too; at least you should get a recommendation award. Aren't you going to say something?"
"Sure! Let's clean up quickly and head to the restaurant; it's on me!" Old Ma said generously before adding with a grin, "And let's call Shen Han too! If we can get him drunk tonight, you'll be number one for sure! Hahaha!"
That evening, once everyone gathered at the restaurant, it naturally became lively again. Everyone knew that after tomorrow they would each go their separate ways. Although our time together had been short-lived, we were all kindred spirits who appreciated each other. In the military, gatherings are always brief; having met during this occasion meant we would soon be back on our own paths in life. Who knows when we would meet again? Thus, we cherished this last night together even more.
(To be continued; the next part will be even more exciting!)
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