Quickly conquer the martial arts world, and let your fists dominate the heavens!

The capital city is never short of people who want to watch a good show, especially a fighting ring set up on the street, openly challenging the Shun Yuan Escort Agency. The crowd of onlookers was packed three or four layers deep, making it impossible to move.

Among the crowd were many martial arts practitioners, easily identifiable by their clothing and posture. These individuals remained silent, observing coldly and waiting to see how Shunyuan Escort Agency would respond.

This is an open conspiracy.

Accepting the offer means losing, refusing it also means losing.

Shunyuan Escort Agency sent men to fight, but the enemy dared to use lethal force while their own side dared not, so suffering a loss was inevitable.

If they don't send anyone to fight, their reputation will get worse every day, and the escort agency's business will go out of business.

Unless you can hit someone without hurting them, and the other person can hit you however they want while you don't dare to put up a fight, how can you win?
The competition lasted for half a day.

By noon, Harald on the ring was tanned and his face was glistening with oil. Sweat dripped down his chin, hitting the wooden planks of the ring with a "pat-pat" sound.

No one has come forward to challenge them.

Inside Shunyuan Escort Agency.

Wang Wu sat in the main room with a pot of cold tea in front of him, but he hadn't drunk a single drop.

Cheng Tinghua sat opposite him, pushing his glasses up again and again, his lips pressed tightly together, without saying a word.

Guo Yunshen stood by the window, his hands behind his back, glancing out of the courtyard every now and then.

In the courtyard, dozens of bodyguards and disciples were restless. Some squatted on the ground, some leaned against the wall, and some paced back and forth, making the blue brick ground seem to have been trodden thin.

A young bodyguard, unable to sit still any longer, strode into the main room, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Chief Bodyguard! Head Bodyguard Chen went out early this morning and hasn't returned yet. It's already noon! That guy surnamed Ha on the stage is still cursing. We can't just wait like this!"

"Let me go!"

"Yes, let me go! Even if I die on the stage, it's better than having our Shun Yuan Escort Agency being pointed at behind our backs!"

Several younger disciples echoed this sentiment, clenching their fists and turning red in the face.

Wang Wu raised his head, his gaze sweeping over their faces one by one, without rushing to answer.

His gaze lingered on a bodyguard named Liu Wenbao.

Liu Wenbao is in his early thirties and already has a wife and children. He has two kids, one is seven years old and the other is only three. His daughter was born last month and is not even a month old yet.

Wang Wu spoke up.

"Liu Wenbao, is your daughter's one-month birthday yet?"

Liu Wenbao was taken aback: "There are still half a month left."

"If you leave, who will celebrate our daughter's one-month birthday?"

Liu Wenbao's face turned even redder, and he opened his mouth twice, but couldn't say a word.

Wang Wu then looked at another bodyguard, Zhao Tiezhu, who was in his forties. He had elderly parents and young children to support, and his mother had been bedridden for six years. The entire family depended on his bodyguard earnings.

"Tiezhu, your mother's medicine will run out at the beginning of next month. If you're gone, who will refill her prescription?"

Zhao Tiezhu lowered his head.

The main room fell silent.

He stood up, walked to the door, and looked at the anxious faces in the yard.

“I know what the brothers are thinking. If Brother Sanshui says he will take action, he will definitely take action.”

Guo Yunshen chimed in, "Brother Sanshui is methodical. Since he left so early this morning, he must have his reasons. Just wait patiently."

When Wang Wu and Guo Yunshen, two grandmasters, spoke together, the restlessness of the escort agency members gradually subsided.

But his brows were still furrowed, and his heart was still pounding with anxiety.

I waited until the afternoon.

The time when the sun is at its strongest.

Harald, who had initially only made occasional sarcastic remarks in the ring, had completely lost his patience and was now resorting to cursing.

"Shunyuan Escort Agency! Wang Wu the Great Swordsman! Wang Zhengyi!"

He shouted at the top of his lungs, his voice loud and clear, carrying far and wide.

"Are you even a man? If you're a man, get out here! What kind of hero hides in their hole?"

"Aren't you the head of the Four Mountains of the Capital? What kind of number one expert in the North? I think you're just a coward! A cowardly bastard!"

"I've been waiting here for three days, and you haven't dared to utter a single word! A security escort agency, a security escort agency, and you won't even accept a challenge? What kind of security escort are you? You might as well go home and take care of your kids!"

He unleashed a torrent of profanities, cursing Wang Wu himself and his ancestors for eighteen generations, and hurling insults at every single镖师 (bodyguard/escort) from the Shunyuan镖局 (escort agency).

The expressions on the faces of the onlookers changed.

At first, everyone thought that Shunyuan Escort Agency had its own difficulties, but now that they heard this big guy cursing so rudely, they felt that it was a bit unreasonable for Shunyuan Escort Agency not to come out and fight.

Ordinary people were unaware of the power struggles in the imperial court; they only knew that this big man had been provoking them for three days, and that Shunyuan Escort Agency had never dared to accept the challenge.

"That's not right."

Someone in the crowd muttered, "I've long heard that Chief Escort Wang of Shun Yuan Escort Agency is the foremost of the Four Great Mountains in the capital, a master fighter who has fought his way through the land, and there are even rumors that he's the number one expert in the North. How could he possibly be afraid to accept the challenge?"

"Heh, who knows? Maybe the rumors are exaggerated?"

"No, no, such a big business, such a large escort agency, how could it have survived for so many years without real skills?"

The speaker was a young man in his early twenties, dressed in a short blue shirt. He stood in the middle of the crowd, looking quite young and still carrying a hint of childishness on his face.

With high cheekbones, a pointed chin, and a small mole at the corner of his left eye, he looks like a young man from out of town who has just come to Beijing to make a living.

Chen Zhan changed his face again, and it was different from the face he used at Shunyuan Escort Agency, and also different from the face he used when he disguised himself as a middle-aged man.

He went out early in the morning and wandered around the capital, checking out the situation at the arena, the manpower arrangements at Prince Yi's mansion, and the composition of the onlookers.

Then he changed into this outfit and blended into the crowd.

Chen Zhan's voice wasn't loud, but it was just loud enough for those around him to hear amidst the chatter of the onlookers.

As soon as he said that, most people echoed his sentiments.

Shunyuan Escort Agency has been in business for quite some time, and over the years it has earned a very good reputation. The local people all know that Wang Wu is a righteous man, and his escorts are also well-behaved and never bully or monopolize the market. Whenever someone in the neighborhood has a problem, the escort agency will help them out from time to time.

"Yes, Chief Escort Wang isn't usually like this. He hates evil and is definitely not someone who wouldn't dare to take action."

"This person is being aggressive; I suspect he has some other motive."

An older woman carrying a shopping basket chimed in, "That's right, that's right! I know that guy, Master Wang. His wife often buys groceries from me; he's such a friendly man."

Chen Zhan seized the opportunity to add fuel to the fire, raising his voice slightly: "Hey, big guy, what personal grudge do you have with Shunyuan Escort Agency?"

Harald on the ring was taken aback, not expecting anyone in the audience to dare to speak to him directly.

Chen Zhan continued, "We can see that you're deliberately trying to embarrass Master Wang. If you really have a grudge, just come to his door. Why set up a challenge in front of everyone? Isn't that intentional?"

"Yes, it's a personal grudge. A one-on-one fight would have sufficed. Setting up a ring for the public to laugh at—what kind of nonsense is that?"

"Exactly!"

Once public opinion took hold, the tide quickly turned.

Several onlookers began to question Harald, and some even started booing.

Among the crowd were naturally people planted by Prince Yi's mansion, who immediately began to chime in when they saw the tide turning against them.

"What do you know? Shun Yuan Escort Agency has been defunct for a long time. Several of their escort missions last year ended in disaster; they lost the goods and refused to acknowledge their responsibility!"

"That's right, I have a relative in Baoding Prefecture who was swindled by the Shunyuan Escort Agency. They took the payment, but the goods weren't delivered!"

"Wang Wu used to be someone important, but these days he only has eyes for the powerful and wealthy, frequently visiting the palace, and even looks down on ordinary people!"

Several people were scattered in different locations, chatting amongst themselves and fabricating various "misdeeds" of Shunyuan Escort Agency.

But the eyes of the people are discerning.

The people on the street have seen what Shunyuan Escort Agency has done all these years, so how could they allow these few people from Prince Yi's Mansion to make up stories?
"Nonsense!"

The middle-aged woman carrying a shopping basket was the first to object. "Shunyuan Escort Agency helped my family find our lost son last year, without charging a penny! What kind of rumors are you spreading?" "Exactly! Where are you from? Everyone in the neighborhood knows about Shunyuan Escort Agency!"

The few who had spoken up for him were immediately silenced, their faces flushed, and they mingled in the crowd, not daring to utter another word.

Chen Zhan watched this scene with a slight smile on his lips.

He raised his voice again and continued to taunt Harald in the ring.

He spoke with a regional accent, deliberately dragging out his words, sounding like a clueless, naive young man who had just arrived in Beijing.

"This big guy ranted for ages, but didn't say a single reasonable thing. That's probably all he's capable of."

Harald on the ring was completely enraged.

His physique is the result of hard work; it's as hard as iron, not just fat.

"Kid!"

Harald's voice boomed like thunder, "Where did you come from? Judging by your martial attire, if you're not happy, come at me and talk. All you do is talk!"

Chen Zhan grinned: "I'm from out of town. I've come to Beijing to see which martial arts school or security escort agency can accommodate a big shot like me."

"A giant Buddha?"

Harald's face twitched, and he sneered, "Look at your body, you couldn't even take a slap from me. Come on, you come up here!"

"Let's go then."

Chen Zhan did not refuse, and using both hands and feet, he jumped onto the arena in a few moments.

The movements looked light and agile, but to those who knew their stuff, these few jumps revealed a solid foundation in agility, something that ordinary martial artists couldn't do.

The eyes of several martial arts practitioners on the edge of the ring sharpened, they exchanged glances, and remained silent.

Chen Zhan stood firmly on the arena, a zhang (approximately 3.3 meters) away from Haral.

"You big oaf, all that muscle you've built up is dead. You can't get away with just brute force."

As he spoke, he gestured with his hands and feet.

"Look at me, I'm well-proportioned, not muscular, but I have much more energy than you."

His hands and feet weren't particularly strong; his arms and legs were well-proportioned, and you couldn't tell he had much strength at all.

Compared to Harald's wall of flesh, it's like a little baby that's just been weaned.

Hahahaha!

A burst of laughter erupted from the audience.

Some people were already worried for Chen Zhan, thinking that this kid was just coming to his death, that all his talk about being energetic was nonsense, and that he could be flattened with a single slap.

Harald, however, did not laugh.

He stared at Chen Zhan, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his small eyes, and sneered.

"You'll soon learn what death truly means."

His tone carried a certain certainty, and this certainty was not feigned.

He had lived for over forty years, seen countless storms, and fought dozens of matches. He could tell at a glance whether his opponent was a real talent or just a show-off.

This kid in front of me is no ordinary person.

But so what if it's not simple?

His external martial arts skills were almost perfected. His body was covered with more than 300 pounds of steel bones. Even if the opponent was a master of internal energy, he would not be afraid in close combat.

Moreover, there are no referees on the stage.

"bring it on."

Haral assumed a stance, with his arms held horizontally in front of his chest, his feet apart in a half-squat, and his center of gravity extremely low—the starting position for Manchuku wrestling.

The fingers on both hands are bent like hooks, like two fleshy pincers, ready to snap shut at any moment.

Chen Zhan nodded, observing his posture.

This is an unauthorized challenge, a life-or-death struggle tacitly approved by the government. If you get killed on the stage, you deserve it.

Harald moved.

Its mountain-like body lunged forward with a speed beyond what one would expect for its size. Its two thick arms spread out like the wings of a roc, directly attacking Chen Zhan's waist.

This is a takedown in Buku wrestling. Once he grabs your waist, his 300-pound body can be crushed with a single press and slam.

Chen Zhan did not take the hit head-on.

In the Xingyi Monkey Form, his body suddenly shrunk down, like a nimble monkey, and he slipped under Harald's two thick arms.

The monkey form emphasizes "agility and elusiveness, climbing and leaping," making it the most flexible of the twelve forms in Xingyi, specifically designed to counter such sweeping and grappling techniques.

Harald missed his target, and almost hugged himself with his arms crossed.

He roared, turned around and swept his right arm like an iron rod across the back of Chen Zhan's head.

Chen Zhan had already slipped to his side, his toes lightly touching the wooden board of the arena, and with a flash, he was behind him again.

Its monkey-like gait, leaping and bounding, is unpredictable.

Harald pounced several more times, but missed every time.

The arena wasn't large, only about two zhang square. Chen Zhan darted around in this tiny space like a mudfish, and Harald couldn't catch him no matter how hard he tried.

Wrestling is best at grappling; once it grabs someone, it throws them to the ground with deadly accuracy.

The problem is that we can't catch them.

If you can't catch the person, all your grappling and wrestling skills are useless.

The audience below the ring was stunned.

"How can this kid move so fast?"

"Look, that big guy can't even touch him!"

"Monkey form? There was a boxer in my village when I was a kid who knew this, but he wasn't this skilled."

The expressions of several knowledgeable martial arts practitioners in the audience changed.

They could tell that Chen Zhan's monkey form had reached its highest level.

On the stage, Chen Zhan toyed with Haral for half an incense stick's time.

Harald lunged at least twenty or thirty times, sweat pouring down his face, his chest heaving like a bellows, his breathing heavy, and the flesh on his face trembling like waves.

He finally flew into a rage.

"Hiding your head and showing your tail! All you do is run away, you son of a bitch!"

Chen Zhan stood in the corner of the arena, his hands behind his back, watching him with a smile.

"Haven't you run enough? Then I'm not running anymore."

He moved.

It stopped jumping and walked straight over.

The pace is not fast, just the walking speed of an ordinary person, step by step, neither hurried nor slow.

Harald's eyes lit up when he saw the other person walk over; this was the opportunity he had been waiting for.

Without further hesitation, he lunged forward and grabbed Chen Zhan's shoulders with both hands.

Once he gets a grip on the shoulder, he has a hundred ways to smash the other person into a pulp.

Two large hands gripped Chen Zhan's shoulders.

But it only lasted for a single breath. (End of Chapter)