Martial artists can never be ultimately insulted

It just so happens that Chun-Li, you're back... and then the atmosphere completely changed.

"And now it's my fault..." Chun-Li rolled her eyes and shook her head helplessly, saying, "This kind of transformation that stems from a misunderstanding is still a transformation, but it's ultimately a rootless duckweed. Cultivation is ultimately the accumulation of one's own abilities and experience. Forcing growth is not a good thing."

"Perhaps." Yuan Chen nodded, without refuting. Chun Li didn't press the matter further.

Although they slept under the same roof, even Yuan Chen, who often harassed Chun Li, would not interfere too much with matters of cultivation.

The reason is simple: only the intention you put into practice is truly your own.

Excessive instruction can be swaying for those who are easily swayed, and pure nonsense for those with a firm will—but martial arts exchanges between people are a different matter entirely.

After explaining why he wanted to escalate the conflict, Yuan Chen stood up from his chair.

After stretching his body briefly, he knelt down in front of Han Zhuli and reached out to touch the girl's head.

Subconsciously, Han Zhuli was somewhat resistant, but Yuan Chen was being difficult. He directly grabbed Han Zhuli's head with both hands to hold it in place, and then placed a finger directly on the Baihui acupoint on the top of her head.

"Don't resist, let me see if I can treat it," Yuan Chen said.

Upon hearing Yuan Chen's words, Han Zhuli pursed her lips and stopped resisting. She stared blankly at Yuan Chen, who was looking down at her, and after hesitating for a moment, asked, "How do you plan to treat me?"

"You don't need to worry about this. It's the secret of assassination techniques passed down to me by my father. You wouldn't understand even if I explained it to you."

Yuan Chen didn't intend to describe the matter of life energy in too much detail—mainly because even Yuan Chen himself didn't quite understand life energy yet, so he simply attributed it to Lao Yuan.

Despite this evasive explanation, Yuan Chen still provided a brief overview of the life therapy's effects. To make it easier to understand, Yuan Chen simply used the 'blood deficiency treatment' that Baki had come up with at the time to explain it.

Upon hearing about injecting energy during the strike to keep the wound in a wounded state and prevent further deterioration and cell inactivation—Han Zhuli and Yi Zhi Yi Hua were both deeply surprised upon hearing about this technique for the first time.

Thinking this, Han Zhuli also checked her own body. Mainly, she recalled the Type 69 bomb throw she had just performed.

At that moment, Han Zhuli felt something was off—she hadn't been killed by such a heavy blow, and this alone made her feel genuinely confused.

Now it is clear that the reason I was not killed was because Yuan Chen showed me mercy.

Thinking about this, Han Zhuli also remembered that she was stuck on Yuan Chen's body at the time, with her legs being stuck to her hip bones by Yuan Chen's head. Putting that aside for now, now that she thinks back, it seems like there was something stuck to her face at the time.

While pondering, Han Zhuli's expression also fell, but she didn't say anything more.

After all, even if Yuan Chen intended to escalate the conflict through fighting, it was the two of them who ultimately launched the first attack.

After sensing for a moment, Yuan Chen nodded thoughtfully and looked at Han Zhuli, saying:

"Good job, the previous life-giving dish simply revitalized the necrotic nerves in your left eye. Although the subsequent anger greatly aggravated your emotions and state, causing the energy to flow back and causing bleeding in your eyeball, this precisely indicates that the previously necrotic, atrophied, and diseased blood vessels in your left eye have been reopened."

Upon hearing this, Han Zhuli's only remaining eye lit up.

“However, it still needs to be slowly nurtured,” Yuan Chen said. “For the time being, wear the blindfold and see if it helps you recover.”

"……Um."

Having learned that Yuan Chen was not an enemy, Han Zhuli quickly nodded.

Yuan Chen wasn't saying this to keep Han Zhuli hanging, but rather because, given the current extent of damage to Han Zhuli's eyeballs, even Yuan Chen could only maintain the status quo, provide conservative treatment, and see if continued activation could bring any improvement, while preventing further deterioration that could cause the left eye to attack the right.

The main reason is that the regenerative capacity of the eye is very limited, especially since Han Zhuli's eye has been injured for a long time, and some of the tissues can be said to be completely necrotic.

Even Yuan Chen himself hasn't fully mastered the life energy yet—when Yuan Chen uses it, it's fine; the original soup transforms into the original food, allowing it to exert its full effect.

However, when it comes to other people, depending on each person's physical condition, although it can nourish their bodies in the purest form and revitalize their physical condition, it has not yet reached the point where it can bring the dead back to life and heal bones.

After dealing with Han Zhuli, Yuan Chen then stabilized Yi Zhi Yi Hua's condition.

Because he was directly handling the situation, Yuan Chen discovered how much protective gear Yi Zhi Yi Hua was carrying under her seemingly casual clothes, and immediately a strong look of disgust appeared on his face.

"You're protecting yourself way too much!!"

"You think street people speak like that?!" A rolled his eyes and said, "Armed people are the mainstream on the streets, okay?!"

Somewhat speechless, the two did not dwell on the matter further.

Because she was wearing various protective gear, although Iori Kazuka's strength was not as good as Han Joo-ri's, her injuries were not as serious. The reason she lost her fighting ability was mainly because her brain was repeatedly shaken.

In comparison, the abdomen, which was covered by a silicone pad, suffered some damage, but overall the impact was not significant.

Through the activation of life energy, the brain quickly recovers and the stagnant blood is expelled. In just a short while, both Han Zhuli and Yizhi Yihua have clearly recovered most of their strength.

Seeing that the two were alright, Chun-Li sighed and said, "Since there's nothing wrong, then help me get ready..."

"Hehe, okay." Iori Ichika scratched her head to indicate that there was no problem. Han Zhuli also looked embarrassed and silently tidied up the tables and chairs.

Meanwhile, Chunli turned her gaze to Yuan Chen. In the brief silence, Yuan Chen's face was filled with righteous indignation—no, it should be said that he was righteous even though he was not righteous.

Having already learned about Yuan Chen's warlike nature, Chun Li didn't know what to say. She could only rub her temples, sigh, and say, "You... never mind, why don't you make me something to eat first? You must be hungry after fighting for so long."

As she spoke, Chunli handed the ingredients she had bought to Yuan Chen.

However, Chun-Li then seemed to remember something and paused. She glanced at Han Zhu-Li and Iori Ichika, who were busy tidying up the house, and said in a low voice, "By the way, I just got news that Baroque seems to have escaped."

"They escaped?" Upon hearing this, Yuan Chen's eyes showed a hint of surprise, and he asked with some curiosity, "How did they escape?"

"YakoumoukuaixiexiejueM went to find a traitor who had been brainwashed by the Shadow Luo organization... well, maybe he was a victim."

Chun-Li had initially considered suggesting a spy or something similar, but considering Vega's near-immortality, ability to easily brainwash others, and immense mental power, she sighed.

"After the coordinates were exposed, the remaining members of the December Force intercepted them halfway. Although there were experts escorting them along the way, one of the members of the December Force directly summoned Vega's spiritual body to descend, defeat the enemy, and took him away."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Chen also fell into thought.

Although the information about the December troops is relatively obscure, Yuan Chen still has some recollection of it.

As a group, the December Force has different roles. In addition to dedicated combatants, there are communications officers, information technicians, doctors, and psychic manipulators.

One aspect of the Street Fighter series is its hidden setting regarding mental strength – that is, women have a greater tolerance for mental strength.

This can be seen from the fact that all the members of the December Unit, who served as Vega's backup bodies, were women.

Apart from the December troops, most of Vega's fellow disciple, the prophet Rose, and her disciple Menat, are women.

Although there are men, their numbers are significantly fewer, and they rarely participate in the plot.

If Yuan Chen remembers correctly, April in the December troops is also a practitioner of spiritual power... or rather, soul power. She is Rose's disciple and Menat's senior sister.

After her disappearance, Rose and Menat searched for a long time until they were ambushed by April during an infiltration of the Shadow Organization, and they realized that April had probably also been brainwashed by Vega.

Although April was also a practitioner of mental power—or rather, soul power—as was Vega initially, they innovated upon their existing foundations and thus mastered mental power. As the creator and one of the most powerful manipulators of mental power, Vega could easily brainwash a junior.

Through the connection at the level of mental strength, Vega's mental impact appeared as a special move exclusive to members of the December Force in the game's storyline.

Now it seems that, compared to simply summoning Vega's spirit in the game and having it crash into something, in this world, it's actually possible to bring Vega's consciousness down and have him take action personally...

Seeing Yuan Chen's calm contemplation, Chun Li was somewhat surprised: "You... seem very calm? Aren't you worried?"

"...It's alright, mainly because I had some expectations." Upon hearing Chun-Li's question, Yuan Chen recalled what Baroque had told him when he was taken away before: that they would meet again. So he simply said it directly.

Upon hearing Yuan Chen's words, Chun Li frowned and said, "There's such a thing?... And why didn't you mention it before?"

“Who would believe that?” Yuan Chen shrugged. “I’m not an Interpol agent. Besides, in that situation, most people would just see it as Baroque making threats before his arrest. Without any real evidence, no one would take it seriously even if he said it.”

Upon hearing this, Chun-Li pondered for a moment before letting out a deep sigh: "Okay... you might be right."

But then Chun-Li continued, "What about Baroque coming back to find you..."

“It doesn’t matter.” Yuan Chen shook his head: “He has already lost to me once, and he will never be able to beat me again.”

Hearing Yuan Chen's calm words, Chun Li might have questioned anyone else, but considering Yuan Chen's rapid progress over this period, she nodded in agreement.

Indeed, once Yuan Chen overtook you, it's very difficult to overtake him again.

Without further conversation, and after confirming that there was nothing else, Chun-Li turned around with a bitter face and joined Han Zhu-Li and the others in tidying up the shop.

"It took me five hours to pack it all up..."

Listening to Chun-Li's pitiful ramblings, Han Joo-ri also showed an embarrassed expression. Iori Kazuka, on the other hand, looked completely indifferent.

"Hey, we've become friends through a fight! Speaking of which, I've admired Interpol since I was a kid. Officer Chun-Li, look at my complaint about that..."

"Let's get started." Chunli sighed, then added, "Also, regarding Yuan Chen's identity, you'll need to sign a confidentiality agreement later."

“No problem~!” Iori Kazuka made a zipper-like motion with her mouth.

By the time she finished cleaning up, it was already 2 a.m. Even though she had eaten the spicy stewed beef and seafood set meal at around 9 p.m., Han Zhuli felt like she was starving and exhausted again.

Volume 1: Chapter 93 - Kim Ga-bum and Han Joo-ri

"I just ate... but why do I feel so hungry?"

Slumped over the bar, Han Zhuli's face was filled with confusion, and her whole body exuded a listless and weak appearance.

Han Zhuli's doubts didn't even need Yuan Chen's answer; Chunli, standing nearby, casually remarked:

"It must be because of Ah-Chen's life therapy, right? When activating the body, life therapy also drives the nutrients stored in your body to repair quickly. And when converting the nutrients into energy for treatment, some loss will also occur. However, compared to the rapid recovery without side effects, it's just a matter of eating a few more bites."

“I see…” Han Zhuli nodded thoughtfully.

Meanwhile, Iori Kazuka, standing to the side, said with great interest, "Hey, doesn't that mean we can eat whatever we want without any problems? That sounds great!"

"That's certainly a valid way to understand it."

Chun-Li nodded: "But that only applies to ordinary people."

The idea of ​​being able to eat whatever you want without gaining weight is certainly tempting for ordinary people, but it's not very useful for martial artists or martial arts practitioners.

Let alone martial artists, even ordinary sumo wrestlers and wrestlers consume more than 20,000 calories a day when preparing for a match.

Having a relatively more proportionate physique, and in order to maintain powerful explosive force at all times, a martial artist's energy consumption and dietary needs are never trivial matters.

Putting everything else aside, Chun-Li, when she fights at full power, the amount of heat she consumes from a single Hundred-Crack Kick might equal the total heat consumption of an ordinary person in a day.

In this situation, most martial artists ensure they have enough nutrition every day. After their bodies absorb these nutrients, they transform them into Qi and store it in their Dantian and Qi Sea. Then, they strengthen themselves during battle and unleash their Qi.

Thus, replenishing their energy after a major battle became a daily routine for martial artists.

In daily life, it is sufficient to maintain a normal diet and replenish the trace amounts of energy lost in a timely manner.

Even so, martial artists carry energy supplements with them at all times, and some wealthy families even arrange for a personal nutritionist to customize supplements to ensure that they can replenish their energy anytime, anywhere after a battle.

However, compared to Qi, which can only be used to enhance combat... well, some powerful martial artists can also use the manipulation of Qi for healing and bodily regulation.

However, the effects of this treatment and channeling are clearly insignificant compared to the life energy of Yuan Chen...

Putting everything else aside, even if Lao Yuan's understanding of Qi and traditional Chinese medicine is limited, in terms of treatment alone, he is not as good as Yuan Chen.

Thinking this, Chun-Li sighed helplessly.

It's certainly a good thing that Yuan Chen has such strong healing abilities. But sometimes, Chun Li can't help but wonder, if Yuan Chen didn't have such strong healing abilities, would he be a little more restrained in battle due to accumulated injuries and other factors?

But after thinking about Yuan Chen's personality more carefully...

Well, even without the powerful healing abilities of life energy, Yuan Chen would probably still be the same as he is now. Or perhaps, this unique and magical energy, life energy, was originally shaped by Yuan Chen's desire for battle?

After all, some powerful wills can even change the form of the physical body and even the soul. Yuan Chen's will is so intense that it seems not impossible for him to create new energy...

While Chunli was still lost in thought, Yuan Chen placed a soup pot on the bar counter.

"Dinner's ready! It's the middle of the night, so let's keep it simple and have some oden."

"Oh, oh." Hearing this, Iori Kazuka nodded with considerable satisfaction: "Oden is indeed very good for a late-night snack—come on, let me, a local, taste how you made it~!"

As she said this, Iori Kazuka eagerly leaned her head over.

What comes into view is a series of stainless steel compartments where hot soup is bubbling and boiling. Separated in the middle, one side has a clear, rich broth, while the other side is bright red and tempting with chili peppers.

As she inhaled the ocean scent mingled with the fragrance of radish and kelp, Iori Kazuka's eyes lit up.

As the head of the juvenile division's inspection team, Iori Kazuka is a regular at convenience stores and is naturally familiar with convenient late-night snacks like oden.

Now, with just one glance, Iori Kazuka can tell that this dish is completely different from the semi-finished product from the convenience store.

The radish was cooked perfectly; although it had only been simmering for a little over an hour, it felt like it had been floating in the soup for several hours.

From pure white to a translucent jade color, each fiber is visibly saturated with the broth.

Next to the radish was fried tofu, its golden skin wrinkled from soaking in the broth. Fish balls and takoyaki were squeezed together, snow-white and bouncy. The fish tofu was cut into thick slices, its surface pan-fried with tiger-skin-like char, and after being thoroughly cooked, it was fluffy and soft. The beef brisket, trimmed of excess fat, was stewed until tender, and skewered with bamboo skewers along with the tendons…

"Hehehe, let me try a piece first~" Having been around the streets for a long time, Iori Kazuka didn't bother with formalities and just picked up a piece of radish with her chopsticks.

For stewed dishes, the flavor of the broth is the most important element, guaranteeing the minimum quality of the entire dish. And compared to other ingredients, radish is the most simple and unpretentious.

Although it doesn't seem to have much seasoning, you can still directly feel the flavor of the soup base and the way the ingredients are prepared.

She picked up the radish from the plate in front of her and with a little force, easily sliced ​​it in half, releasing a rich broth from the cut surface. As she put a small piece into her mouth, Iori Kazuka's eyes lit up.

The radish was prepared very meticulously, with the thick skin and outer fibers carefully removed. Beneath its seemingly ordinary appearance, Yuan Chen made several horizontal cuts on the side, allowing the broth to seep in along the cuts, while also adding a small spoonful of pomelo pepper.

It wasn't immediately noticeable upon first taste, but as you chewed, the first sensation was the sweetness of the broth, followed by the spiciness of pepper, and finally, the flavor of yuzu was absorbed by the piping hot soup. After swallowing it, a few beads of sweat appeared on Iori Kazuka's forehead.