Martial artists can never be ultimately insulted

"……Well."

Upon hearing Yuan Chen's question, Chunli and Tong Ang's lips twitched a few times, and then they said somewhat awkwardly:

“Sagat… may have to stay here for a while.”

"Hmm?" Upon hearing this, Yuan Chen's face also showed a hint of surprise.

"Stay here for a while? What do you mean?"

Chunli was at a loss for words and could only look to her father for help.

Feeling his daughter's plea for help and Yuan Chen's curious gaze, Tong Ang's face was filled with helplessness as he said:

"According to information from headquarters, the King of Thailand is hoping to make an exception for Sagate through private channels. As compensation, all economic losses and personnel damages will be handled and compensated by the Thai Royal Family."

Yuan Chen was slightly surprised upon hearing Tong Ang's words.

Although it was anticipated that Sagate might not receive any severe punishment, the King's request for his release was quite unexpected.

Seemingly sensing Yuan Chen's confusion and bewilderment, Tong Ang sighed and explained:

"Regarding Sagat... because things happened so suddenly, we don't have enough concrete evidence."

Although some of the connections between Xia Du'er and the Shadow Organization had been confirmed, by the time we arrived, all the records had been burned, and some key personnel were already brain dead. Tests revealed traces of psychic energy, likely a contingency plan left by Vega.

"And based on the limited evidence we have... not to mention that Shadu has already been silenced, even if he hasn't, it's impossible for such a loose organization to convict a national hero like Sagat."

As he said this, a look of helplessness appeared on Tong Ang's face.

As Yuan Chen's elder, Yuan Chen risked his life to stop Sagat's atrocities, but when it came to his own, he failed miserably. He couldn't even intervene in Sagat's punishment, let alone get him convicted...

Subconsciously, he took out a cigarette to relieve his mental stress, but then he felt his daughter's imposing gaze from the side.

Seeing this, Tong Ang's face showed a hint of embarrassment, and he hurriedly put Hua Zi away.

Yuan Chen wasn't too surprised by Tong Ang's words.

Because when Yuan Chen first met Chun-Li and Colossus, he learned a lot about Sagat of this world.

The main reason is that Muay Thai, as Thailand's national boxing style, appears in a large number of fighting games.

Whether it's Street Fighter, Tekken, King of Fighters, Kengan Ashura, or any other artistic or cinematic works, Muay Thai is a frequent subject of combat sports.

Originating before the 13th century, it reached its peak during the 14th century Ayutthaya Kingdom, becoming the royal martial art. It was a compulsory subject for the army and a must-have for royal celebrations. It was also during this period that ring performances and rituals began to appear.

When Western sports were introduced to Thailand, Muay Thai also adopted modern ring rules, such as using boxing gloves, dividing into rounds, and restricting lethal moves, thus officially going global.

Thailand has two major boxing cities, one in the north and one in the south. Bangkok, the birthplace and core arena of modern professional Muay Thai, is the southern boxing region. According to the information Yuan Chen found, the fighting god Gaolang Winsawad from Kengan Ashura came from the southern boxing region.

Northern Muay Thai, located in Chiang Mai, the ancient capital of northern Thailand and the former capital of the Lanna Kingdom, is more devoted to ancient Muay Thai. Compared to the fast pace, mobile striking, and round-based scoring of Southern Muay Thai, Northern Muay Thai tends to be more stable, close-range, and clinch-based.

Sagate, the Northern Muay Thai champion, was hailed as a national hero and a Muay Thai hero due to his past winning streak.

Although the battle with Long affected Sagate's reputation, his name still carries weight, and Sagate remains a national icon of Thailand.

Unless he has committed an unforgivable crime and there is sufficient evidence, even from Thailand's national perspective, Sagart will not be allowed to be publicly punished.

Especially because of Yuan Chen's intervention, Huo Yinqiang was only seriously injured and did not die in this incident, and many things have not yet reached the point of no return.

Thinking this, Yuan Chen asked, "So how does Interpol plan to deal with Sagat?"

Upon hearing this, Tong Ang also said:

"The King of Thailand has promised that Sagate will gradually fade out of the boxing ring, sever ties with his identities as a Thai hero and Muay Thai emperor, continue to live as an individual fighter, and will no longer participate in any official events or commercial promotions... and will be expelled from the Chiang Mai Boxing School."

Upon hearing that he had been expelled from the Fist Sect, a look of surprise flashed across Yuan Chen's eyes.

The Qingmai Quan sect emphasizes the lineage of master and disciple. The consequences of being removed from the official lineage are similar to the "revocation of all written records since birth" in the ancient feudal dynasty of Tang. It can be roughly understood as the destruction of all files, certificates, and records from birth, removing one from the official lineage and turning one into a wild man or a wandering ghost.

This can essentially be considered a complete denial of his life.

While it's often said that self-cultivation is important, it's also true that martial artists seek fame. This is especially true for Sagat.

As the Muay Thai emperor, Sajat's strength is beyond doubt. He holds a near-supreme position in Thailand and is respected and admired by the entire country.

Under such circumstances, being defeated by Ryu, a newcomer, and even having a noticeable and huge scar left on his chest, would probably be difficult for anyone to accept calmly.

Especially in battle, Sagat is the one who has the upper hand.

In the arcade storyline, Ryu was not exactly beaten up by Sagat, but in the ending scene he was knocked to the ground. Sagat then walked up to him and made sarcastic remarks, so Ryu, enraged to the extreme, turned around and delivered a finishing move, a rising dragon punch.

Unaware that Ryu had such a deadly move hidden, at extremely close range, Ryu slashed through Sagat's chest with his Shoryuken, then struck him squarely in the jaw, defeating him.

Although there were some unexpected events during this process, it was a process of gradual progress and transformation.

With his undefeated streak shattered, especially by being defeated by an unknown nobody, Sagat began to encounter many things he had never experienced before...

For example, after discovering that his teacher was not as powerful as he thought, disciple Aten believed that Sagate had brought shame to Muay Thai and therefore stopped acknowledging Sagate as his master, and so on.

As for the situation between Sagat and Ryu... Ryu defeated Sagat, and Sagat became obsessed with revenge.

It can be said that everything Sagat did in the beginning was driven by his pursuit of fame and status.

Under such circumstances, being expelled from the Qingmai Quan sect means that all his pursuits have come to naught.

Thinking about this, Yuan Chen sighed a little, and then thought for a moment and said, "Hmm... if the person involved understands, could his punishment be lighter?"

"……what?"

Upon hearing this, both Tong Ang and Chun Li were slightly taken aback.

Then Chun-Li, who was standing nearby, couldn't help but say:

"What nonsense are you talking about? Ah Chen, if it weren't for your amazing talent of life energy, you might never be able to cultivate martial arts again."

“It is precisely because I possess this talent that I am willing to forgive him,” Yuan Chen shook his head.

“I can sense that Sagat’s aura is pure and fierce; he is by no means a purely evil person, but rather… someone who has gone astray.”

Although they had just gone through a battle, to be honest, Yuan Chen still couldn't bring himself to dislike Sagat.

On the one hand, in the previous battles, Sagat could have completely killed Yuan Chen, but he never made a move.

Especially when Yuan Chen was reawakened through life energy at the last moment, it would not have been difficult for Sagat to kill him along the way, given his abilities and perception.

Furthermore, there's the comic book storyline.

At the end of "The Legend of Chun-Li", Sagat finally succeeded in stealing six terracotta warriors.

However, upon touching the Terracotta Warriors, Sagat felt a great deal of negative emotion and believed that such power should not be handed over to someone like Vega. So he destroyed them all without hesitation and later told Vega that it was Interpol who did it.

Later in the manga storyline, Sagat even went so far as to visit Ryu in person to tell him about the Shadow Organization's impending actions and other next steps.

After that, Sagat returned to his hometown and stopped pursuing revenge and fame, instead seeking a breakthrough for himself.

When he described the past to the villagers, he described Long as a long-lost old friend.

“A momentary mistake cannot negate Sagat's entire character... If possible, I can visit the head of the Hibiki Dojo. If both of us are willing to come forward, then—”

Before Yuan Chen could finish speaking, a deep voice came from outside the door.

"...No need."

Turning around, I saw Sagat lower his towering 2.26-meter frame and enter through the door, a slightly complicated gloomy look between his brows.

Volume 1: Chapter 21 - Sagat's Confusion

Sagat had been standing outside the door for a while.

Sagat never knew how to face Yuan Chen, or even whether he should hate him.

The reason is simple: this is not the first time.

If the last battle between him and Long was merely because his disciple was running rampant in the village and Long intervened to help, then it was just a personal grudge between martial artists and fighters.

So this time, not only was he defeated, but he was also arrested by Interpol...

If not for the King's grace...

And now, the person who defeated him is inside the house. How should Sagat face this? Revenge? But wasn't it precisely for revenge that he embarked on this path?

Just as Sagat was still thinking, the conversation between Yuan Chen and the others reached his ears.

Upon hearing Yuan Chen's question about whether the punishment could be mitigated through "victim's understanding," Sagat could no longer suppress his emotions and confusion. He pushed open the door, bent down, and entered.

"No need."

"Ok?"

Upon seeing Sagat enter, Yuan Chen's face showed a hint of doubt, and then he looked at Tong Ang with a slightly surprised gaze.

The cheap old man scratched his head and said, "The King of Thailand's envoy will arrive in a while. In the meantime, Sagate will stay here temporarily... Well, mainly because Interpol's Hong Kong headquarters has been infiltrated."

Tong Ang sighed, “The Hong Kong headquarters is currently undergoing a major purge, and I am the only person the international headquarters trusts. Moreover, Sagat was well-behaved after his arrest, so this arrangement was made.”

Seeing Yuan Chen's surprise, Sagat, who was standing to the side, also pulled up his pants after a moment of silence.

It was at this moment that Yuan Chen realized that Sagat had switched to long pants at some point.

Because of his body proportions and height, Sagate wears shorts most of the time. In addition to being more casual and comfortable for his physique, the main reason is that it is more conducive to the performance of Muay Thai.

Now, Sagat is wearing long pants, the cuffs of which are even a bit baggy.

Now that it's mentioned, what comes into Yuan Chen's eyes is an electronic shackle that's at least two centimeters thick.

"Each of the two electronic handcuffs is loaded with 0.3 kilograms of high-energy explosives," Sagat said expressionlessly.

"Combined with high-voltage current, without Copper Ang's authorization, a single command could paralyze me on the spot or cause me to lose my lower body."

Meanwhile, Tong Ang nodded and added, "In addition, my vital signs have also established a remote information connection with headquarters. If data is not uploaded for a certain period of time, this shackle will also explode."

"I see."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Chen didn't seem to care much, but looked at Sagat and said, "So... why did you say it wasn't necessary?"

"Because I don't understand."

Sagat looked at Yuan Chen, arms crossed.

Because of the battle in which Hinata forcibly took one of his eyes, Sagat now has an eyepatch on his face. But even so, his remaining single eye is still filled with a chilling coldness.

Looking at Yuan Chen, Sagat's attitude clearly did not change because of Yuan Chen's forgiveness.

Or, as he said, he doesn't understand.

“I almost killed you… no, I should say I did kill you, but your amazing energy brought you back to life, as if you were carrying an automatic defibrillator.”

"Such hatred... how can you forgive me? I killed you, how can you forgive me?"

Shajiat asked Yuan Chen.

Chun-Li, Tong-Ang, and the others standing nearby looked puzzled.

Tongang was still able to remain calm, but Chun-Li didn't care about that.

Or perhaps it is because Chun-Li and Sagat have truly fought and faced the undisguised killing intent that Chun-Li remains wary of Sagat even now.

Upon seeing Sagat's continuous questioning of Yuan Chen, Chun-Li immediately stood up, her face showing indignation: "What do you mean by this! Yuan Chen clearly—"

"Wait a minute, Chun-Li."

Grabbing Chun-Li's hand, and meeting her questioning gaze, Yuan Chen shook his head, then looked at Sagat and said:

What doubts are you having? If you can, please tell me slowly.

Seeing Yuan Chen's calm demeanor, Sagat pursed his lips, then looked at Yuan Chen earnestly and said, "Why...did you forgive me?"

Sensing the resentment and anger in Sagat's eyes, Yuan Chen fell silent for a moment, then nodded thoughtfully.

Often, a person's frustration about something should not be judged solely by appearances.

Although Sagat appears to be asking Yuan Chen why he forgave him, it is actually directly related to the story between Sagat and Ryu.

When Sagat was defeated by Ryu, he almost lost all his reputation. Even his own disciples looked down on him and betrayed him.

Now, even though Sagat almost killed Yuan Chen, the first thing Yuan Chen did after waking up and learning of what had happened to him was to ask if he could reduce Sagat's punishment through the victim's forgiveness.

Sagat couldn't understand...

This is death! Moreover, Yuan Chen's meridians are now shattered. As a practitioner of ancient Muay Thai, Sagat fully understands the severity of this impact.

Even if Yuan Chen and Yuan were saying things like "it won't be a big deal," Sagat would just see it as trying to make the best of a bad situation...

How could such an injury, enough to cripple a martial artist or fighter, possibly have no impact?

At least, Sagat couldn't understand... completely couldn't understand.