Martial artists can never be ultimately insulted.

Although, according to Ingrid's standards, his life energy would certainly surpass that of Orochi in terms of rank, Yuan Chen was a self-aware person.

Having a high level of life energy does not mean one can control it; in fact, it is quite the opposite. However, the wisps of life energy that Yuan Chen currently possesses have become his greatest trump card and source of confidence.

Upon hearing Yuan Chen's answer, a hint of sadness flashed in Iori Yagami's eyes, but he quickly rallied and said, "So, I can only obtain life energy from you?"

"Mm." Yuan Chen nodded.

"What is the price?" Iori Yagami asked.

"Price?" Upon hearing this, Yuan Chen was slightly taken aback, then nodded knowingly and said, "As for the price... how about coming here as a sparring partner if you have time? Food is provided, but accommodation is not, though I can help treat injuries."

Upon hearing Yuan Chen's request, Iori Yagami was slightly taken aback, then looked at Yuan Chen with some suspicion and said, "This is the price you want? Are you sure?"

Upon hearing what Iori Yagami said, Yuan Chen fell into a brief silence before asking, "...Then what can you give me?"

“That depends on what you want.” Although Iori Yagami dislikes useless communication, this situation is clearly an exception.

It must be said that just the fact that Yuan Chen told him about the reincarnation of the Eight Heroes was enough for him to take it seriously...

Not to mention that his father already knew about it. Although he didn't know why a noodle seller would pay so much attention to family matters, Iori Yagami, having received his father's instructions, devoted some extra energy to it.

The ability that Yuan Chen is currently demonstrating to quell the blood curse... his family has suffered from this for nearly 600 to 700 years. Although Iori Yagami has not yet met anyone he likes, nor has he thought about having children.

But just for the sake of future possibilities, Iori Yagami didn't want his future family members to suffer this kind of pain again.

"I don't lack anything right now."

Yuan Chen said, "I have no shortage of money or things. The only thing I lack is a battle that can motivate me."

Upon hearing this, Iori Yagami's eyes flickered, and he replied, "Alright... but if there's anything else you need my help with, I won't refuse. Also, can I take this life energy with me?"

"No problem, but don't rush, we can pack another one for you when you leave."

Iori Yagami nodded without saying much, but he seemed to be in excellent spirits. He picked up a beer mug and downed it in one gulp, a hint of enjoyment and satisfaction in his eyes.

It is clear that without the endless torment from the Blood Curse, even just sitting quietly eating and drinking makes Iori Yagami feel genuinely happy.

After asking all the questions, everyone chatted briefly about their lives during this period.

After chatting for a while, Yuan Chen seemed to remember something and looked at Iori Yagami standing to the side, asking with curiosity in his eyes:

"Speaking of which, when I saw Yagami again, I felt a strange sense of familiarity, as if I had seen him somewhere before... I just thought back, it seems like it was on a band's flyer? Are you still playing in a rock band?"

In the King of Fighters lore, besides his aversion to meaningless battles and violence, Iori Yagami's greatest passion is rock music.

Upon hearing Yuan Chen's words, the others, including Tokita Ohma, also turned their curious gazes toward Iori Yagami.

Especially Yamashita Kazuo.

The current Yamashita Kazuo is still a simple office worker, not the "Kazoo the Great" who could remain calm even if Mount Tai collapsed in front of him in the second part or the later part of Kengan Ashura 1.

Now that he's off work and doesn't have to deal with business tycoons like Nogi Hideki, Yoshitake Keiro, and Katahara Metsudo, and instead finds himself in a nice little tavern with good food and drinks, he quickly became quite drunk. Slurring his words, he looked at Iori Yagami and squinted, saying:

"A band? Rock? Oh! No wonder! Your outfit is so rock-and-roll! I used to love it when I was young!"

Hearing Yuan Chen's question and Yamashita Kazuo's words, perhaps because he had drunk some alcohol and opened up? Or perhaps because he was no longer tormented by the blood curse? Iori Yagami didn't show any impatience, but seemed to remember something and said somewhat displeased:

"It's alright... I've already left the group because of ideological differences, and I'm planning to find a new group to play with later."

"You left the team?" Yuan Chen was somewhat surprised upon hearing this.

Yuan Chen asked Iori Yagami about the band because he was curious—in the setting, although Iori Yagami is a member of the band, the other members are not specifically identified, and he plays in the band under an assumed name as an ordinary person.

I was originally going to ask who Iori Yagami was teaming up with in this world, but it seems like that's impossible now.

Thinking about this, Yuan Chen asked with some curiosity, "What kind of philosophy is it because of?"

“Those guys felt they couldn’t keep creating songs in obscurity,” Iori Yagami said, rubbing his temples as if he had just remembered something.

"A while ago, a band suddenly became popular for no reason. A few young girls were there and said they wanted to be in a band for life. They said things like, 'Why do you play this and that? The weak me from the past is dead,' etc..."

It was like a child's game, one person taking turns, completely lacking any rock and roll spirit.

Later, Iori Yagami said with a look of disgust:

"The lead singer of the previous band got envious seeing them making so much money and wanted to find a company to help manage their business. I couldn't stand it, so I quit!"

"Uh... I feel like this kind of thing is actually quite healthy?" Yuan Chen blinked and said, "At least it's better than any rock and roll spirit."

"Huh?" Hearing Yuan Chen's words, Iori Yagami blinked in confusion, then asked, "So what do you think the soul of rock and roll is?"

Upon hearing this, Yuan Chen looked at Chun-Li and the others beside him, then glanced at Iori Yagami and said, "Although it sounds a bit embarrassing, my impression of rock and roll is...doing drugs?"

“Hitting someone,” Chunli added.

“Promiscuity,” the rational person replied.

“Antisocial,” Han Zhuli added.

“Playing the big shot,” Yamashita Kazuo added.

Watching everyone share their opinions on rock music, Iori Yagami couldn't help but purse his lips and sigh regretfully:

"It's music..."

Volume 1: Chapter 160 - A Night Visit to Chun-Li

Upon hearing Iori Yagami's words, everyone burst into joyful laughter, and the shop was filled with a happy atmosphere.

This bothered Iori Yagami somewhat, but considering the impression rock music left on people, he could only sigh deeply and say while helplessly drinking his drink:

"Rock and roll is rebellion, questioning, freedom, self-expression, refusing to be tamed, and giving a voice to the weak. It's not some random nonsense..."

“You’re right.” Hearing Iori Yagami’s words, Yuan Chen nodded in deep agreement, “It’s just a pity that the original group of rock veterans played it in a way that was more fancy than anyone else.”

Upon hearing Yuan Chen's words, Iori Yagami also looked helpless. "Sex, drugs, alcohol, and rock and roll" can be said to be the most common impression people have of rock and roll.

A significant number of so-called rock stars died suddenly due to excessive intake of bai powder—some people like to call this an untimely death, but Yuan Chen, who comes from the Tang Kingdom, prefers to call it a sudden death, or a good death.

Although as society has entered the 21st century, chaotic private lives are no longer as rampant as they were in the 1960s to 1980s, people's impressions have not changed much as a result.

Ultimately, the lingering effects of the past few decades are far more profound than they are now.

"That's not the kind of rock and roll I want." Iori Yagami sighed helplessly, lowered his head, but his eyes were exceptionally clear and bright.

"I will accept the responsibility that is mine, but I will not accept the fate that has been imposed on me."

Hearing Iori Yagami's words, the others were simply curious.

Having learned about Iori Yagami's family situation, Yuan Chen nodded knowingly.

As long as it's not about blowing up the Aragaka Tower...

Thinking about it, Yuan Chen also looked at Iori Yagami and said, "Good luck."

It's somewhat frustrating, really. Although SNK did indeed portray Iori Yagami as someone who hates violence, loves music, and detests meaningless battles, in the story and in the impressions that Iori Yagami gives, his chaotic private life and related violent behavior are quite evident.

For example, in The King of Fighters '96, Iori Yagami teamed up with Mature and Vice, but the two were attracted to Iori Yagami and even betrayed Orochi's plan. However, after being defeated, the enraged Iori Yagami killed the two directly.

This seems to explain Iori Yagami's chaotic private life and his violent personality, which leads him to resort to violence at the slightest disagreement.

But that's not actually the case. A deeper look reveals that Mature and Vice's interest in Iori Yagami stems more from their perception of the mad blood within him. The so-called special emotion is similar to the special interest that the Eight Orochi members have in their own kind.

However, a significant portion of fan works like to transform this shared interest into romance.

The reason why Iori Yagami killed Mature and Vice was that Goenitz of the Storm was defeated in '96, which triggered the mad blood in Iori's body, causing him to unconsciously kill the two in a berserk state.

While it may be unsettling to some, in terms of 'tyranny,' 'violence,' and 'indiscriminate killing,' Iori Yagami is indeed a victim...

Upon hearing Yuan Chen's words, Iori Yagami simply nodded without saying anything more.

Meanwhile, Yamashita Kazuo, clearly quite drunk, was completely oblivious to the scene unfolding before him. His face flushed with intoxication, he looked at Iori Yagami with a curious, slurred speech and said:

"Someone as passionate about rock and roll as Yagami would rather sell cold noodles than leave that band. That band must be having a real headache finding a new member now!"

"...I'm alright." Upon hearing Yamashita Kazuo's question, Iori Yagami's eyes revealed a hint of embarrassment.

"Huh? Really?" Yamashita Kazuo looked somewhat surprised and asked Iori Yagami, "What did you do in the band before, Yagami-kun?"

"Bassist..."

"..." After a brief silence, Yamashita Kazuo nodded and said, "Then Yagami-kun's cold face must be quite good."

Iori Yagami: "..."

Seeing that the situation was starting to turn into a bass joke again, Iori Yagami could only sigh and drink his wine in silence.

But the Tokita Ohma and the others on the side didn't care at all. They just chatted and laughed about everyday things, discussed their personal opinions on martial arts, and even attacked each other.

"Taekwondo is so lame~" Tokita Ohma said nonchalantly, "It's useless once it deviates from the original rules. It sounds too strange that you can only attack with your feet."

"Damn it! I practice real combat Taekwondo!" Han Zhuli immediately raised a middle finger: "That's still better than your kind of style where you end up half-crippling your own heart while fighting."

"Bullshit! Erhu Style is the strongest! If I'm not good enough, don't blame Lu Buping!"

"They're pretty much the same. Judging from your appearance, Erhuliu's future is already sealed."

"The Two Tigers Style will definitely crush Taekwondo!"

"In real combat, Taekwondo will definitely defeat the Erhu style!"

……

Although it was a bit noisy, this was indeed the first time Iori Yagami had seen another side of martial arts... a side completely unrelated to fate, hatred, torment, and curses.

Somewhat surprised and astonished, Iori Yagami couldn't help but look at Yuan Chen beside him and ask, "Are all the martial artists here like this?"

"It's alright." Yuan Chen shrugged. "Martial arts are about mutual exchange... Speaking of which, I have a nice junior brother. I'll introduce him to you sometime."

Baki hasn't been here for a while. I heard from Professor Albert that a new round of matches is starting at the Tokyo Dome? Judging by the timing, I should be able to catch up after the Kengan Zemei tournament. I'll go check it out then.

Hearing Yuan Chen's words, Iori Yagami nodded thoughtfully, then looked at Yuan Chen and said, "Speaking of which, are you very interested in competitions and the like?"

“…It’s alright.” Yuan Chen nodded: “The main thing is that we can fight frequently, instead of having to search for them one by one.”

"How about learning about KOF?" Iori Yagami gestured with his chin toward Yuan Chen: "It seems like it's going to start again in the second half of this year."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Chen thought for a moment, then nodded thoughtfully.

Based on previous information, KOF has been held twice, namely '94 and '95.

The boss in both parts is Rugal, except in the second part it's Omega Rugal who has been injected with Orochi's blood.

In other words, the upcoming KOF will be the third one, which is the storyline of King of Fighters '96...

Thinking this, Yuan Chen frowned slightly.

The storyline of King of Fighters '96 is a large-scale fighting tournament funded by a group of conglomerates, led by the Kagura Foundation—far exceeding the scale and influence of previous medium-sized competitive matches funded by Mikael alone.

While pondering, Yuan Chen shook his head, not wanting to delve any deeper into the matter. He figured that once the Kagura Group came looking for him, these problems would naturally be solved, and there was no need to waste time on them.

Despite thinking this way, Yuan Chen still asked about the previous two editions. He didn't know much about the first edition because Iori Yagami himself only officially appeared as a playable character in King of Fighters '95.

He did participate in the second edition, where, in order to qualify, Iori Yagami, Billy Kane, and Eiji Kisaragi temporarily formed the "Rival Team." They won their spot by defeating the previous edition's American team.

Towards the end of the tournament, Rugal appeared as the boss. After Iori Yagami and Kyo Kusanagi joined forces to defeat Omega Rugal, they learned of the existence of dark power and the blood of madness. As Rugal was dying, Iori Yagami did not forget to mock him for not being worthy of having the blood of Orochi.

Perhaps it was because of the first appearance of the Blood of Madness? Or perhaps it was because Rugal's death triggered some kind of reaction?

Or perhaps the character Iori Yagami is portrayed as more of a villainous rival to Kyo Kusanagi, so after failing to kill Kyo in the story, an enraged Iori beat up his two teammates, believing they had held him back. At this point, the three parted ways completely and formed a deep-seated grudge.

"My father only told me about things like the Blood of Madness after he realized he could no longer hide it," Iori Yagami said. "Although I don't have any worries right now, all my destinies will end with me."

"come on."

Yuan Chen nodded encouragingly.

As night deepened, Iori Yagami, Tokita Ohma, and the others left in twos and threes. Mai had also planned to leave, since it was her first time looking for Yuan Chen. Today was just a scouting trip. She planned to ask her grandfather, Hanzo Shiranui, for permission before seeing if she could rent a house nearby.

Unfortunately, it seems that this was Mai Shiranui's first time visiting a place like the old town. Even after trying several different ride-hailing apps, she couldn't get a single ride, and some apps even showed that she was not in their service area.

Looking at the sky, Yuan Chen indicated that there were still empty rooms on the second floor. Upon hearing this, Mai Shiranui simply sighed and said she would tell her grandfather, but considering his old-fashioned and stubborn nature, he would most likely not agree, and in the end, they would still have to leave the old town to hail a taxi.

The result was somewhat unexpected. After hearing Mai Shiranui explain the situation, Hanzo Shiranui thought that his granddaughter would ask him to return to the Shiranui-ryu dojo immediately and not linger outside. However, after hearing that she was temporarily staying at Yuan Chen's house, he immediately agreed and even made a video call.

"I'll leave the dance to you two!"

Seeing the solemn, determined old man bowing deeply in the video, Chunli exclaimed in a flustered voice, "Not at all! Thank you so much for teaching Achen the secrets of the Shiranui-ryu style! This is of great significance to Achen!"

Shiranui Hanzo shook his head repeatedly: "No, no, no, this should be a blessing for the Shiranui School—Mai!"

"Huh? What's wrong with Grandpa?" Still a little absent-minded and feeling awkward about her elders suddenly appearing in front of her friends to thank them in a serious manner, Mai Shiranui suddenly heard her grandfather call her name and she jumped up.

"Don't be silly, don't cause trouble." Shiranui Hanzo admonished, "Achen's help to the Shiranui School is immeasurable, but that's precisely why we must do everything we can to express our gratitude!"

"Okay, okay, I know... I get along very well with Chen, and your nagging is just making me feel awkward." Mai Shiranui pouted. Although she respected her grandfather very much, she had to admit that the elders' nagging from time to time still made her scalp tingle.