Surgery Godfather
Chapter 1364 - 1034: Not Forgetting Martial Arts Even After Retirement

Chapter 1364: Chapter 1034: Not Forgetting Martial Arts Even After Retirement

The Tai Chi Pushing Hands match between the two elderly experts had the organizing committee of doctors and masters hyping it up for three days straight, whipping the entire hospital into a frenzy and whetting everyone’s appetite to witness this battle of the century.

Three days later, the match commenced on time at 7 p.m. The venue was packed with an audience of all ages, and both sides’ coaching teams looked pumped up and ready to go.

The commentators were two graduate students, and they had already started their enthusiastic commentary.

"Let’s introduce the two masters competing today—one is Master Zhang Zongshun from Sanbo Hospital, whose hands are incredibly powerful. Many martial arts experts have fallen to his formidable strength, and once an opponent gets caught in his grip, they are swept away like a hurricane. The other martial arts expert is Master Su Butong from Nandu Medical University Affiliated First Hospital. Master Su has spent years mastering Tai Chi Pushing Hands, and his combat strength is terrifying, particularly the impressive techniques of his legs, often catching his opponents off guard. Both masters are known as the Nandu Double Heroes, reigning over the martial arts world for eighty years without meeting their match—"

Yang Ping and Xiao Su had taken their seats in the front row early to watch the competition, leaving the kids at home for the elderly to take care of. Watching the two spirited graduate students on the commentators’ platform, these two would be wasting their talents in medicine—they could earn more as game streamers.

Gradually, more and more people arrived, including Dean Xia, Director Han, Dean Sun, Director Zhao, and several other hospital leaders, all of whom took their seats in the front row to observe the match.

Medical support teams composed of department directors started to arrive as well, checking in with Chief Medical Officer Yang Ping before finding their seats in the front. Xiong Sihai from the emergency department had a few people and two stretchers on standby, while many graduate students brought in boxes of mineral water, someone in the crowd started handing out popcorn, and security was maintaining order between the rows.

Manstein, supporting Brian, also appeared in the crowd. Yang Ping had a doctor guide them to sit next to him to watch the match.

Regardless of how exciting the match itself was, the atmosphere was certainly built up successfully. Beside Yang Ping, Dean Xia asked Director Han, "Can you use fists in Tai Chi Pushing Hands?"

"I don’t think that’s allowed, is it?" Director Han turned to Dean Sun.

"Is it?" Dean Sun asked Director Zhao.

Director Zhao, clueless, said, "Isn’t it Tai Chi Fist? Surely you can use fists, otherwise why call it Tai Chi Fist."

As the gong sounded, the match began. The referee gestured for the two to bow to each other, then another gesture, and at the sound of the whistle, Zhang Zongshun and Su Butong immediately charged forward.

It was indeed a Tai Chi Pushing Hands match. Initially, both maintained a distance, eyeing each other warily, performing a few graceful Cloud Hands movements, before they moved in to engage each other’s hands. Pushing back and forth, they didn’t give an inch, pushing dozens of times as they each sought to figure out the other’s strength.

"Now, both sides are listening, searching for where the other’s strength is, how much there is, and what direction it’s going, meanwhile gathering their Inner Strength. It’s now a contest of Inner Strength. Although it may look calm on the surface, both sides’ Inner Strength is surging like raging waves, ready to burst forth at any moment. Those too close to the competition area should be cautious to avoid being injured by the Inner Strength, as such internal injuries are difficult to treat."

"However, true masters possess martial virtue and usually do not release their Inner Strength indiscriminately. Everyone tacitly adheres to the rule of not employing high-level techniques unnecessarily."

"Alright, now the contest of Inner Strength continues, with neither side yielding and the strength accumulating to a terrifying level."

"They’re attacking!"

"The other side defended."

Suddenly, Zhang Zongshun pulled hard, expecting to use the momentum to throw Su Butong, but Su Butong, quite experienced, detected the opponent’s intent and immediately stabilized his stance. Withdrawing his arm and then drawing a circle to pull it back, he defused the opponent’s force, revealing a bit of true Tai Chi essence.

The audience erupted into loud applause, and the commentators were once again carried away.

"It’s said that both masters have entered the realm of Sparrow Doesn’t Fly. That move just now, using an opponent’s force against them, could not be executed without eighty years of practice. Any ordinary person would have been thrown ten meters away."

"Do Old Zhang and Professor Su seriously know Tai Chi? Their sparring looks quite professional, almost like what you see on TV," Dean Xia asked Yang Ping, astonished.

Yang Ping wasn’t sure how to explain, as he wasn’t well-acquainted with the two elders, but as for Inner Strength, that probably didn’t exist.

"Watch out!" the commentators shouted, startling several people in the front row into reflexively leaning back, as if some Inner Strength was actually assaulting them. Manstein and Brian followed, backing away as if there was a real force, with Yang Ping worrying about Brian’s back after his recent surgery.

It turned out that Su Butong had made a strong push, nearly causing Zhang Zongshun to fall. Fortunately, he managed to neutralize the opposing force in time, and the two resumed their back-and-forth pushing dozens of times.

Neither of them would give in, and the competition became increasingly fierce. At the beginning, there was a bit of the Tai Chi Pushing Hands essence, with both parties moving in circles, continuously making Cloud Hands motions. Once they made contact, they would push and neutralize each other two or three times, sometimes managing to push dozens of times.

For a long while, neither scored a point, and they both became more ferocious, grappling, wrestling, and disrupting each other’s center of gravity upon contact. The movements grew more aggressive, and the desire to battle intensified. Professor Zhang seized an opportunity to trip Professor Su, who then pulled Professor Zhang down with him, resulting in both of them going down together.

This completely changed the style of combat; the pair got up, and as the referee’s whistle blew, but as the match went on, the Tai Chi moves disappeared, turning entirely into wrestling.

Yang Ping was startled, realizing things were getting serious.

Whenever either side fell, Yang Ping would tense up with worry. Soon, Professor Zhang scored by pulling Professor Su to the ground, and not long after, Professor Su immediately regained ground by tripping Professor Zhang and scoring a point.

Their scoring was straightforward; if your opponent fell and you didn’t, you scored a point, otherwise not.

As the fight intensified, Yang Ping felt increasingly anxious. It was like watching two kids wrestling back and forth.

The commentator, in sync with the actions on stage, let loose, turning the match into a battle straight out of a Jin Yong martial arts novel. The audience, too, was thrilled, as invested as if watching a real combat sport.

The sponsor’s distributed goods continued to be given out, including mineral water, milk tea, fruits, bread, roasted sweet potatoes, and beef offal, all freely accessible, making everyone at the event very happy.

The match became fiercer, and any Tai Chi movements were now missing, leaving only the tactics of child-like wrestling—no more listening, no more pushing hands, just simple motions like pushing, pulling, and tripping to bring the opponent down without regard for Tai Chi movements.

After four rounds, the score was tied. In the last few seconds of the fourth round, both competitors were fiercely determined, and if not for the referee’s whistle signaling the end of time, they would have continued clutching onto each other relentlessly.

"Watch your back!"

"Be careful with your hip joint!"

Coaches from both sides shouted anxiously, fearing serious injuries as the intensity exceeded the referee’s expectations.

"Old Zhang and Old Su have got some moves, huh?" Dean Xia was a bit surprised by their stamina, especially for eighty-year-olds.

The fifth round was the last, and it ended without either scoring a point, still a tie. The referee wanted to declare a draw, but neither agreed, insisting on a decisive outcome. The referee had no choice but to extend the match, and after half an hour of added time, neither had the strength to throw the other down. They could only push hands against each other, their movements no longer standard due to fatigue.

The referee was forced to declare a draw. The match began with pushing hands, turned into fierce primitive wrestling, and ended with pushing hands.

As a doctor, Yang Ping hurried over to check on the two elderly masters.

"If the referee hadn’t called a halt, you would have been down already."

"That’s a joke; I had already caught your leg, and it would definitely have been you falling if the referee hadn’t stopped it."

The head of the cardiology department quickly performed auscultation on the two masters’ hearts; thankfully, there were no problems.

"Come back next year!"

"Next year indeed!"

Neither master would concede to the other, just like two stubborn kids.

The audience was satisfied, thanks to the ample provisions from the sponsors. They made sure everyone was well-fed, especially with the post-match roasted fish, which was available for everyone. The tables weren’t enough, so they added more outside.

"Professor, Chinese people really do value martial arts. Almost everyone practices martial arts, and many don’t stop even after retirement. I’ve seen a lot of elderly people practicing martial arts in the parks, some with boxing, some with swordplay, and others with strange skills I can’t identify. Like some people vigorously slapping themselves, are they training their ability to withstand blows?" Manstein asked Yang Ping.

Yang Ping couldn’t say for sure, as he hadn’t paid attention before. While Tai Chi and sword practice were easy to explain, he truly didn’t know about those slapping themselves.

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