Martial Arts Livestreaming
Chapter 187 - 169: The Wind Rises

Chapter 187: Chapter 169: The Wind Rises

Seeing the police car approaching, the few people around hesitated for a moment before looking towards Hu Shan.

Hu Shan slightly furrowed his brow and waved his hand at them.

The seven men put away their guns and dispersed in all directions, their figures vanishing as if they were ghosts—in the blink of an eye, they were gone, clearly all skilled in martial arts.

Wu Li watched this scene with a chill in his heart; these men used guns, a far more formidable threat than what Ruan Xing posed back then.

On the other side, Chen Gang led several police officers toward them.

Wu Li had called the police when he went to talk to Hu Shan.

This time, they were abroad on a mission; the Chinese Ministry of Culture had already communicated with the embassy in advance, and they would try their best to assist the "Seeking Martial Arts" crew if any issues arose.

Yesterday, when Wu Li told him that the drug dealer might be related to the Shaquan Dojo, Chen Gang feared an accident and immediately contacted the embassy to explain the situation. The embassy left a number for Chen Gang, instructing him to call the police in case of any incidents.

Now, the police force of Yuhe City had dispatched officers right after receiving Chen Gang’s call.

"Officer, that man there," Chen Gang stood beside a police officer and pointed at Hu Shan, "just had someone point guns at us to threaten us."

The officer understood Chinese and turned to look at Hu Shan, immediately frowning—it was clear he recognized Hu Shan.

Hu Shan stood up with a smile, glanced at Chen Gang, "You shouldn’t speak carelessly. I don’t know those men; I just came here for breakfast."

Chen Gang, after being casually glanced at by Hu Shan, felt as if his skin had been crawled over by a venomous snake, the cold and quivering sensation rushing to his heart, leaving him speechless for a moment.

"The pressure I feel just from his casual glance—how overwhelming must it have been for Wu Li when he confronted him face-to-face?" Chen Gang wondered to himself.

"Officer, I’m just here to have breakfast. That’s not illegal, is it?" Hu Shan turned to the police officer.

The officer’s face grew cold as he said, "It’s not illegal, but I must remind you that our chief has expressly instructed us that these people are important international friends, and we must ensure their safety!"

Hu Shan seemed surprised, his expression darkened, and he narrowed his eyes. He looked at Wu Li again and nodded, "Alright, I’m leaving now."

With that, he walked to a car parked by the roadside and drove away.

...

"Having the backing of our motherland feels great," Chen Gang said to Wu Li.

Wu Li laughed and expressed his agreement.

A single phone call, and the Yuhe City police force promptly arrived. After seeing the conflict with Hu Shan, they also stated they would have plainclothes officers follow them 24 hours a day until their return to their country.

"It seems like the higher-ups really value you and are determined to do cultural promotion right," Chen Gang said to Wu Li.

Wu Li’s mission abroad was to promote Chinese Martial Arts, and naturally, challenging experts was the most effective method. The people of Southeast Asia had a fierce martial disposition, greatly valuing martial arts, so the safety of Wu Li’s group was a matter of concern that the embassy had already addressed without needing Chen Gang to mention it specifically.

From the response of the Yuhe City police, it was evident that they valued the safety of Wu Li and his team highly.

"I just wonder if Hu Shan would agree to an open fight with me," Wu Li said.

His several provocations of Hu Shan had been foiled when the police scared him off, leaving him wondering if Hu Shan might accept his challenge in a fit of anger.

In terms of their public mission, promoting Chinese Martial Arts was their primary goal, and defeating Southeast Asia’s top expert would be the most effective way to achieve that; personally, Wu Li relished the opportunity to exchange blows with a strong opponent, and to publicly defeat a scoundrel like Hu Shan would be satisfying for him.

However, from their brief clash today, Wu Li had ascertained that Hu Shan’s mental and spiritual cultivation had already surpassed his own, as Hu Shan had developed the concept of Fist Intent, while Wu Li was only just approaching the threshold.

Fist Intent, seemingly intangible, can actually have an impact during a fight.

In ancient battles, whichever side had the higher morale often had a greater probability of victory. This morale is actually a combination of the soldiers’ spirit, energy, and overall momentum—similarly, Fist Intent is a manifestation of the fighter’s spirit and momentum.

As the saying goes, "When heart and intent align," a person’s thoughts and feelings can affect their actions. If one hesitates and fears moving forward, even if they know how to execute a technique, their physical movements will slow down, and their techniques will distort. Conversely, if one is fearless and convinced they can defeat the opponent, they will naturally press forward aggressively, likely performing above their usual level and executing exquisite techniques.

During a fight, if one side’s momentum utterly overwhelms the other, the suppressed party’s mind and spirit are affected, growing more fearful as the fight progresses, or becoming hesitant due to various concerns, which prevents alignment of heart and intent, consequently weakening their strength.

In the NBA, for instance, the home team, bolstered by the thunderous cheers and encouragement of the crowd, often rides high, gaining momentum as the game progresses—this is a form of ’Fist Intent.’ Conversely, the visiting team might struggle under the pressure of being behind in score and playing in such an environment, leading to underperformance—a form of ’Fist Intent’ suppression.

Thus, a martial artist who has cultivated Fist Intent, when going all out in a fight, can both enhance their own performance with that indomitable spirit and suppress their opponent, affecting their psyche—a double advantage.

Hu Shan had already developed his Fist Intent, but Wu Li had not; at least in the mental aspect of their confrontation, Wu Li was easily at a disadvantage. This made the prospect of defeating Hu Shan much more difficult.

...

Meanwhile, Hu Shan sat in the car with a sullen face.

He had not expected Wu Li and his team to secure such support from the chief of the Yuhe City police. He had planned to coerce Wu Li to reveal the essence of Xingyi Fist, to advance his own martial arts—now, however...

The taste of being humiliated was an unfamiliar sensation for Hu Shan.

Seething with anger, he took out his phone and called Ruan Changheng; the call connected quickly.

"Master?"

"Tell Ruan Xing that I want all martial arts halls in Martial Arts Street to be closed within three days."

"Yes."

...

July 13, 5:00 pm, at the entrance to a primary school in Yuhe City.

At this time, school had just let out and the entrance was crowded with parents picking up their children, with vehicles and people causing congestion.

A young man dressed in a black short-sleeved shirt was waiting listlessly outside the school gate. He was a disciple of Zhang Shanming, the Master of the Splitting Hanger Fist Club on Martial Arts Street, and was there to pick up his Master’s child after school.

Zhang Shanming was busy teaching martial arts at the club, so every day he would have several disciples take turns picking up his son.

"Brother Ruan."

A little boy ran up to the young man who, with a smile, affectionately tousled his hair.

"Let’s go."

The two set off on foot towards Martial Arts Street. As they were passing through a small alley, a man squatting by the street suddenly sprang up, snatched the little boy, and bolted into the alley.

"What are you doing?!" Brother Ruan exclaimed in shock and quickly gave chase.

He had only pursued for a few steps when someone stepped out from the alley ahead, blocking his path.

"Get out of the way!" Brother Ruan shouted angrily.

The man showed no intention of moving aside. As Brother Ruan got close, he threw a punch at the man’s face.

Having practiced Splitting Hanger with Zhang Shanming for a full five years, Brother Ruan had some skills. His reflexes were sharp, he instinctively dodged to the side, and then delivered a chopping palm strike in return.

The man did not dodge or evade, instead exchanging blows with him, also throwing out a punch.

Smack!

The man’s arm was longer than Ruan’s; both traded rapid blows without dodging. As a result, Brother Ruan was struck first, catching a blow to the face that immediately made him see stars and his nose bleed, and he fell to the ground.

"Long Arm?"

This thought had just crossed his mind when the man stepped forward and kicked him in the chin, knocking him unconscious.

...

Almost simultaneously, on Nha Trang Street in Yuhe City, a bustling commercial district.

Many small vendors with carts lined the street, selling fruits, pastries, and handcrafts.

A middle-aged woman dressed in a red Ao Dai stood before a fruit stall. She greeted passersby, inviting them to buy her fruits.

Just then, a few men with tattooed arms and unfriendly faces approached the fruit stall.

"Hello, would you like to buy some fruits?" the woman asked with a strained smile.

The leader of the men sneered, suddenly kicking the cart over, "Smash it!"

His three companions began to furiously stomp on the fruit that had fallen to the ground, splattering the flesh and spilling juice everywhere.

"What are you doing?!"

The woman cried out in shock and tried to intervene, but the leader kicked her to the ground. She clutched her stomach in agony.

Bystanders scattered at the sight, none daring to step forward.

Having smashed enough, the leader walked up to the woman and looked down at her from above: "Go tell your husband not to bite the hand that feeds him!"

After saying this, he turned and left with his men.

The woman’s husband was the Master of the White Crane Martial Arts Hall on Martial Arts Street.

Similar incidents had occurred many times that evening.

There were fifteen martial arts clubs on Martial Arts Street, and seven of them had already agreed to sell out. Over the last month, they had moved out one by one. The remaining eight, all led by Chinese martial artists with Jiyun Hall at the forefront, refused to compromise.

Now, apart from Zhang Shicai of Jiyun Hall who was alone with his granddaughter and had not been troubled yet, the family members of the other seven Masters had all been subjected to threats and intimidation.

That same evening, Zhang Mingshan, who taught Splitting Hanger Fist, saw his injured disciple and his son with eyes swollen from crying; someone had shaved off half of his son’s hair...

Wang Long, who taught the White Crane Fist, received a phone call from his wife and urgently brought people over, only to find the fruit stand in shambles and his wife with an injured waist...

"Just sell it, it’s not the end of the world – we can start a club somewhere else..."

"What are you still unsure about? The kids are already like this; do you really need to wait until something happens to your son to give up?"

"Honey, we can’t fight them. Let’s just give up..."

...

That night, the doors of seven martial arts clubs were successively knocked on, and envelopes were left outside.

Inside each envelope was a sum of money and a message:

"Tomorrow, the purchase price goes up by twenty percent, just for one day. If you miss it, do not wait."

For many, tonight was destined to be a sleepless night.

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