Chapter 588: So He Wasn’t Acting Out of Kindness After All!

Seeing Zhang Xiaohua’s fist flying toward him, Lu Lihong remained completely unruffled. He casually raised his left palm vertically in front of him, blocking the path of Zhang Xiaohua’s punch. Zhang Xiaohua was taken aback and thought, “Didn’t he just say…” Noticing the obvious hesitation in Zhang Xiaohua’s punch and the confusion in his eyes, Lu Lihong gave no quarter. Keeping his left palm in place, he loosely curled the four fingers of his right hand and struck directly toward Zhang Xiaohua’s wrist. At once, Zhang Xiaohua understood. “Aiya, this Senior Brother Lu really is crafty. He made a play on words. He only said that he could attack with one hand and one foot. If the other hand or foot was used to attack, it counted as a loss. He never said the other hand and foot couldn’t be used for defense. Heh, looks like he’s still holding a grudge over the joke I made last night.” But Zhang Xiaohua hardly took it to heart. Instead of exchanging moves with him, he withdrew his fist, shifted slightly to the side, and lashed out with his left leg, targeting Lu Lihong’s right leg. He wanted to see how Lu Lihong would defend against it. Lu Lihong indeed had some skill. The moment he saw the direction of Zhang Xiaohua’s kick, he understood his intention. Pushing off the ground, he leaped into the air and snapped out a spring kick with his left leg, chopping toward Zhang Xiaohua’s knee. Zhang Xiaohua had only been using forty percent of his strength to begin with. Seeing Lu Lihong’s spring kick, he immediately withdrew the leg he had just kicked out with and leaped upward, rising to the same height as Lu Lihong. Stretching out both hands, one blocked Lu Lihong’s leg while the other reached straight for Lu Lihong’s face. Hehe, after all, he was allowed to use both hands. Naturally, Lu Lihong was not about to let Zhang Xiaohua have his way and immediately changed his move. Thus, for the first several dozen exchanges, the two fought with a mixture of feints and real attacks, reality hidden within deception and deception within reality. By the time it took to drink a cup of tea had passed, their fists and feet had yet to collide even once. After several exchanges, Zhang Xiaohua understood that Lu Lihong was probing his techniques. On the other hand, wasn’t Zhang Xiaohua harboring exactly the same intention? Back when he had practiced martial arts at Huanxi Villa, Zhang Xiaohua had studied numerous fist manuals in order to complete the moves of the Big Dipper Divine Fist. He was familiar with most of the common fist techniques found in the jianghu. Yet Lu Lihong’s boxing techniques and footwork were clearly unlike anything Zhang Xiaohua had seen before. His set of martial arts obviously followed a light, agile, and graceful style. Combined with his white robe, it was truly pleasing to watch when performed. Another half the time it took to drink a cup of tea passed, and Zhang Xiaohua’s brow gradually furrowed. To be honest, he still had not figured out Lu Lihong’s true intentions. Was the man genuinely trying to make amends and help him by exchanging the precious Jade Restoration Pill for his herbs? If that were truly the case, Zhang Xiaohua would be willing to regard Lu Lihong as a true senior brother and completely forget about the matter of the Dragon Scale Fruit. After giving it some thought, Zhang Xiaohua suddenly slipped a palm out from beneath his arm as the two crossed paths while changing moves, striking directly toward Lu Lihong’s left shoulder. The timing of the strike was exquisite, aimed precisely at Lu Lihong’s opening. Since Lu Lihong could not attack with either his right hand or his left leg, if he truly intended to exchange the Jade Restoration Pill for the herbs, he would have no choice but to raise his left hand in the posture of an attack. Otherwise, relying on defense alone, he would never make it in time. Or, if he only assumed a defensive stance, then Zhang Xiaohua’s palm would land squarely on him. From the standpoint of their agreed rules, Lu Lihong would already have lost, making it the perfect opportunity for both of them to step down gracefully. Sure enough, surprise flashed across Lu Lihong’s eyes. He seemed unable to believe that Zhang Xiaohua could execute such a marvelous move. Nevertheless, his reaction was exactly as Zhang Xiaohua had expected. He forced his body slightly to the right while raising his left hand, likewise trying to barely intercept Zhang Xiaohua’s palm. But by then, Zhang Xiaohua’s palm had already arrived… Seeing that his palm was about to strike, a smile appeared at the corner of Zhang Xiaohua’s mouth. “Sure enough, Senior Brother Lu really is a good person. However, I still can’t let him take those herbs…” Just as Zhang Xiaohua was about to withdraw his palm to meet Lu Lihong’s upward-moving hand, Lu Lihong’s body, which had been shifting to the right, suddenly came to a stop and abruptly lunged forward at astonishing speed, deliberately colliding with Zhang Xiaohua’s incoming palm. Zhang Xiaohua was startled. If the strike connected, wouldn’t that mean he had won? That would not do. He was just about to pull back his palm even faster and think of another approach when he suddenly noticed a hint of mockery in Lu Lihong’s eyes. That was hardly the look of someone doing a good deed without seeking recognition. “Could it be… I’ve been mistaken?” With that thought, Zhang Xiaohua no longer changed his move. His outstretched palm continued toward Lu Lihong’s shoulder as it came crashing into it. However, the instant his palm touched Lu Lihong’s shoulder, he felt an immense force surge toward him. Lu Lihong had actually concentrated his inner energy into his shoulder, using it to force Zhang Xiaohua back onto the defensive. Zhang Xiaohua’s heart turned cold. Then a faint sneer appeared on his lips. “So this Senior Brother Lu really didn’t come out of kindness. Though I don’t know what he’s really after, offering pills in exchange for my herbs is nothing but a deception.” Having reached that conclusion, he abandoned any further thought of probing Lu Lihong. Letting out a cry of alarm, he allowed his body to stagger backward. Seeing this, Lu Lihong did not pursue. He withdrew his stance and stood there with a smile, watching Zhang Xiaohua. In the mountain breeze, his white robes fluttered gracefully. He truly possessed a handsome appearance and an elegant bearing. Looking at Zhang Xiaohua again, he flew back several feet before falling to the ground. With a carp leap, he sprang back to his feet, grasped one wrist with the other hand, and said dejectedly, “Senior Brother Lu truly is formidable. Your inner energy is far beyond mine, and your control over it is exceptionally refined. To think you could even channel it through your shoulder. I simply didn’t have time to circulate my inner energy into my palm. This round goes to Senior Brother Lu.” “No, no.” Lu Lihong wore a warm smile as he said gently, “Junior Brother Ren, there’s no need to be so modest. Your moves are remarkably ingenious. You were actually able to spot the flaw in my stance. That palm strike left me with no choice but to meet it using my inner energy. If this had been an ordinary spar, I would have been the one to lose. However, I wanted to leave Junior Brother with a deeper impression of the profound martial arts of our Incense-Spreading Sect, so I’d say this round should be considered a draw. How about we start over?” Zhang Xiaohua smiled bitterly to himself. “What’s so fun about this? Who knows what he’s really thinking? Perhaps he just wants the disciples of Tuodan Hall to admire his bearing and martial arts even more? It seems he’s already achieved that goal. In this match, he wants to win, and I want to lose. The outcome was decided from the very beginning, so why keep fighting?” Nevertheless, he put on a solemn expression and said, “Thank you for yielding, Senior Brother Lu. This time, please make the first move.” Lu Lihong nodded. “Very well, then I’ll attack first. This punch contains half of my inner energy, so be careful.” With that, he threw a punch. Earlier that morning, while refining pills, Zhang Xiaohua had exhausted nearly half of the True Qi within his body, and he had rushed down the mountain without having time to recover it. Hearing Lu Lihong’s warning, he dared not be careless. He immediately circulated forty percent of his remaining True Qi, imitating inner energy as he met the punch head-on. The instant their fists collided, Zhang Xiaohua inwardly cried out that things were bad. He hurriedly withdrew some of his strength, leaving only an amount comparable to nearly thirty percent of his inner energy. Yet even that thirty percent was enough to force Lu Lihong back half a step, causing another look of surprise to flash across his eyes. Then Lu Lihong smiled and said, “Junior Brother Ren truly possesses impressive inner energy. As expected of Wild Ox Strength, one of the foremost cultivation methods in the jianghu. Even with fifty percent of my inner energy, I was nearly unable to withstand it.” Panting heavily, Zhang Xiaohua replied, “Senior Brother Lu is too kind. I had to use nearly ninety percent of my inner energy just to barely receive that punch.” “Excellent, Junior Brother Ren. If I continue to hold back, it would be disrespectful to you. Be careful now—I’m going to use eighty percent of my strength.” As soon as he finished speaking, he swept up his left leg in a kick. Seeing Lu Lihong like this, Zhang Xiaohua was already laughing inwardly. “This fellow certainly talks a good game, but his hands are anything but honest. His inner energy may be decent, but it’s still inferior even to that Young Master Long from Soaring Dragon Manor. How could he possibly be my match?” Thinking about it, that was only natural. Young Master Long of Soaring Dragon Manor was no less gifted than Lu Lihong. Moreover, he had received proper inner cultivation training since childhood. Unlike Lu Lihong, who had only come into contact with martial arts after joining the Incense-Spreading Sect. Although Lu Lihong was older, he still fell short of Young Master Long in terms of martial prowess. Now that he had thoroughly gauged Lu Lihong’s true capabilities, Zhang Xiaohua knew exactly where he stood. He merely circulated the appropriate amount of True Qi, imitating an inner energy far weaker than Lu Lihong’s, and continued fighting for roughly the time it took to eat a meal. Gradually, Zhang Xiaohua began to appear increasingly flustered. The same moves started appearing over and over, and Lu Lihong repeatedly found openings in them, forcing Zhang Xiaohua to meet him with inner energy. Since Zhang Xiaohua’s inner energy was “far inferior” to Lu Lihong’s, even after he switched to a hit-and-run strategy and tried to evade with Qinggong, Lu Lihong showed no mercy. His own figure darted all over the field, and his Qinggong was visibly superior to Zhang Xiaohua’s. Finally, Zhang Xiaohua stopped running altogether. He plopped down onto the grass and said with a bitter smile, “Senior Brother Lu, I truly admit defeat. Your fist techniques, inner cultivation, and Qinggong are all superior to mine. As for weapons, there’s no need to mention them—I barely know anything. The only thing I can use is the little hoe for weeding. I appreciate your goodwill in wanting to exchange your pills for my herbs, but I’ve lost this match!” Seeing this, Lu Lihong also came to a stop. His breathing was slightly hurried as well, but he still smiled warmly. “Junior Brother Ren, get up and spar a little longer. I can see you still have strength left. As martial artists, we must rise to meet difficulties. We must never admit defeat so easily. Thinking back to my younger days, if I had lacked even the slightest bit of confidence in the face of hardship, how could I possibly have achieved what I have today?” “No more,” Zhang Xiaohua said between heavy breaths, waving both hands repeatedly. “Let’s stop here, let’s stop here, Senior Brother Lu. Although your success can be replicated, not everyone is you. Anyway, I’m exhausted today. All I want now is to get some proper rest. You see…” “Very well.” Lu Lihong’s voice carried a trace of regret. “Since Junior Brother Ren insists, then this match shall count as my victory. I wanted to help you, but I’m powerless to do so now. Ah, Junior Brother Ren, you must work harder. I hope that ten years from now, you’ll stand before me again with a completely new bearing and even greater martial skill, and bravely challenge me!” Zhang Xiaohua was speechless and could only smile bitterly. “Thank you for your encouragement, Senior Brother Lu. I heard that our Tuodan Hall also has martial arts manuals. I’ll find a few and cultivate them diligently, striving to earn the qualifications to challenge Senior Brother.” “Good, Junior Brother. I believe in you. Where there’s a will, there’s a way.” Lu Lihong placed a warm hand on Zhang Xiaohua’s shoulder, presenting the very image of an exemplary senior brother.