Martial Arts Livestreaming
Chapter 81 - 79 Just One Step

Chapter 81: Chapter 79 Just One Step

December 31, 2019, the last day of the year.

Chuhua City, QingShi District police station.

At 9:30 AM, Wu Wenhua and Chen Ling entered the police station.

"Officer, hello, we’re here to see Wu Li."

Wu Wenhua, wearing glasses and looking very scholarly, politely said to the officer at the front desk.

The front desk officer looked at them, "And you are?"

"We are Wu Li’s parents!" Chen Ling quickly interjected.

The officer nodded, "Alright, I need your ID cards to make a registration."

After completing the registration, the officer escorted them into the police station and informed Hong Wenbo about their arrival.

Hong Wenbo personally took Wu Li’s parents to the room where Wu Li was being held, a private room without bars, quite similar to a hotel room.

Seeing that Wu Li was not in the kind of prison cell they had imagined, Wu Wenhua and Chen Ling looked visibly relieved.

"Wu Li." Hong Wenbo knocked on the door.

The door quickly opened.

Wu Li opened the door, and upon seeing his parents outside, he was stunned.

"Alright, you all talk. There’s no time limit, take it easy," Hong Wenbo said with a smile before turning to leave.

"Thank you, officer!" Wu Wenhua and Chen Ling quickly expressed their gratitude, then turned to look at Wu Li, examining their son closely.

"Dad, mom," Wu Li greeted with a smile, "stop looking, come in and sit."

Chen Ling’s eyes reddened, and she raised her hand as if to slap Wu Li, but she stopped herself at the last moment, "Where are you hurt? Show me."

Wu Li pulled Chen Ling inside, "Oh, let’s talk inside, come in."

The three of them entered the room, which was small with just a bed and a separate bathroom.

Wu Li asked his parents to sit on the bed while he took a stool and sat beside them.

"Show me where you are hurt," Chen Ling still insisted as she stood up to check Wu Li’s injuries.

Wu Li quickly stopped her, "Mom, it’s really alright, it’s just a superficial injury. It’s already been dressed, you can’t really see anything."

Chen Ling wiped her tears away and gave Wu Li a stern look, "I still need to know where you are hurt."

"It’s here, and also on my back. It really is just superficial. Look, I’m jumping around just fine," Wu Li said, about to get up and dance to show he was fine.

"Sit still!" Chen Ling slapped the top of Wu Li’s head and scolded him.

Wu Li reluctantly sat down, touched his head, and let Chen Ling inspect his injuries.

After a careful inspection, confirming that there were no other injuries, Chen Ling finally sat back down on the bed.

"I’ve seen the news and researched a lot of information and cases about this incident. It should be considered self-defense by right. What did the police say?" Wu Wenhua, who had been quiet until then, finally spoke.

Wu Li looked at the bloodshot eyes and the tired expression on Wu Wenhua’s face, feeling very guilty. His parents must have rushed here overnight from Shudu as soon as they heard about his situation. Even though he had already told them over the phone that he was fine and it was self-defense, they probably hadn’t slept all night, staying up to check the news, look up information, and review cases.

"Don’t worry, the police said it was self-defense. Once all the necessary procedures are completed, I will be able to leave immediately," Wu Li confidently said.

"Did the police really say that?" Chen Ling asked.

Wu Li replied, "Yes, the officer who brought you in, the captain here, he told me personally."

Chen Ling nodded, finally completely relieved. Even though she had already known the answer, she needed to see her son safe and hear it from him before she could truly be at ease.

"When will I possibly be able to get out?" Wu Wenhua asked.

Wu Li thought for a moment and said, "If it’s quick, it could be a week."

"Still that long? Didn’t you say your case counts as self-defense, which isn’t illegal? Why do you need a week? What do you eat here every day?" Chen Ling immediately became anxious.

Wu Li: "Mom, some necessary procedures still need to be followed, like questioning other parties involved. Those people in the hospital still need to give their statements. Especially since one of them hasn’t woken up yet, we might need to wait a few more days to see if he wakes up... I’m sleeping and eating well here; consider it a vacation."

Chen Ling pointed at Wu Li’s nose: "Now that you mention it, it makes me angry! Are you proud of putting someone in a vegetative state?"

Wu Li: "I didn’t..."

"Shut up!" Chen Ling scolded. "How many times have I told you not to cause trouble outside, not to stir up trouble? We should never have agreed to let you train in Martial Arts with your grandfather! Now look what’s happened; you’ve caused a major problem!"

Wu Li: "Mom, it wasn’t my fault. I was provoked by others..."

"Bullshit!" Chen Ling swore, her anger erupting. "Do you think I don’t know what you did? If you hadn’t fought those people at the school gate, why would he have bothered you?"

"I was being brave and righteous, and I even received a commendation letter..." Wu Li weakly argued.

"Brave and righteous my ass!" Chen Ling completely lost her temper. "Your father and I have only one son like you. What are we supposed to do if something happens to you while you’re playing hero?"

Wu Li looked up solemnly, his expression intense as he gazed at the sky at a 45-degree angle, and said in a deep voice, "Someone in this world has to bear the burden for the rest to pursue their dreams and distant lands."

Chen Ling slapped him again, "Stop spouting nonsense!"

Wu Li shrank his neck, saying with hurt, "I’m serious. Those who serve as criminal police, stationed at the borders... aren’t they bearing the burden for us?"

Chen Ling: "They are police, soldiers; you’re just a student. It’s not your place to play hero! Don’t confuse things here!"

"Mom, but I’m also a Martial Artist," Wu Li responded seriously.

"What Martial Artist!" Chen Ling yelled angrily. "Tell me what good your Martial Arts training has brought? How much trouble has it caused since you were young? Fighting with classmates in elementary school, fighting outside school in middle school, and in high school, you even put someone in the hospital! Is that what you call a Martial Artist?"

Wu Li: "I fought bullies who harassed classmates and thugs who bullied students outside of school!"

Chen Ling: "So what? Did you receive any awards for that? How many times have the parents been called? How many times have you been criticized? How much did our family pay for medical bills?"

Wu Li: "..."

Chen Ling: "I don’t care; I’ve always been against your training in Martial Arts. This incident proves I was right! You’re not to train anymore. If you want to stay fit, go to the gym!"

"Mom..." Wu Li cried out, frowning.

"Let me finish!" Chen Ling interrupted. "I saw online that you even participated in some competition and won a championship. Are you planning to become a professional athlete in the future? Let me tell you, that’s not going to happen! Also, you’re working as an instructor at some boxing gym, resign immediately! You need to focus on your studies and get a stable job after graduating."

Wu Li: "..."

Silent until now, Wu Wenhua also spoke up: "Wu Li, you know I supported your Martial Arts training, right? I thought, although you are prone to causing trouble, your intentions are good, and you never bully the weak. As long as your character isn’t a problem, and you don’t develop a violent and unruly disposition, then go ahead and train."

Having said that, Wu Wenhua paused, "But, there is a ’but’ here, after this incident, do you know that the video about you online, others might find it thrilling, they talk about how impressive you are, but do you know how terrified and afraid your mom and I felt watching it?"

Wu Li fell silent; he too was somewhat frightened afterward. At the moment, he should have activated all his Master Level Experience Cards immediately, thinking to use the Experience Card as soon as he felt in danger. However, when Ma Qing suddenly attacked with a knife, Wu Li didn’t have time to think and reflexively defended himself; it was also his first time experiencing such a situation, and everything after that was almost purely instinctive until he had knocked down four people before he realized he had been stabbed twice.

Wu Wenhua looked at Wu Li and continued, "So this time, your mother and I share the same view—I hope from now on, you prioritize your studies and avoid putting yourself in these dangerous situations, okay?"

Wu Li lowered his head to think, took a deep breath, and raised his head to look at his parents.

"Dad, Mom, the reason I fought at the school gate was because a boy from our school exchanged a few words with some thugs, and they ended up pinning him to the ground and beating him in front of his girlfriend. He didn’t provoke anyone, right?"

"Mom, honestly, if the one being beaten was your son, what would you think? Wouldn’t you wish he had learned Martial Arts, had the ability to defend himself so he wouldn’t be bullied?"

"My actions were self-defense, a right granted to me by the state. But what good is having that right if few can actually defend themselves? You’ve seen cases where people successfully defended themselves, but do you know how many are unable to fight back and just die on the spot?"

"In a lifetime, who can guarantee they’ll never face danger? I train in Martial Arts only hoping that one day, if I encounter oppression or injustice, within my ability, I can choose not to ignore it, not to just bow down or submit, but to take just one step forward, just one step!"