Martial artists can never be ultimately insulted.

"……Well."

Upon hearing Yuan Chen's question, Chunli and Tong Ang's lips twitched a few times, 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.

Sensing 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 through private channels to show leniency towards Sagate. As compensation, the Thai royal family will be responsible for handling and compensating for all economic losses and personal injuries."

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

Although Yuan Chen had anticipated that Sagate might not receive a severe punishment, the King of Thailand's request for his release was truly beyond his expectations.

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 Luo organization had been confirmed, by the time we arrived, the records had all been destroyed, 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 already gathered... even if we don't say that Xia Duer has been silenced, it's impossible to convict a national hero like Sagat based on this kind of unaffiliated organization."

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 turn, he failed miserably, unable to even intervene in Sagat's punishment, let alone get him convicted...

Subconsciously, she took out a cigarette to relieve her mental stress, but then she felt the fierce gaze from her daughter beside her.

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 Tong-Ang, 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 considerable number of fighting games.

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

Originating before the 13th century, it reached its peak during the 14th century with the 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 ceremonies began to appear.

When Western sports were introduced to Thailand, Muay Thai also developed corresponding 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, originating in Chiang Mai, the ancient capital of northern Thailand and the former capital of the Lanna Kingdom, emphasizes traditional Muay Thai. Compared to the fast-paced, mobile, and point-scoring style of Southern Muay Thai, Northern Muay Thai tends to focus on stable stances, close-quarters combat, and grappling.

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, it would not allow Sajat 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 also 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 world, sever ties with his identities as a Thai hero and Muay Thai emperor, continue to live as an individual martial artist, and will no longer participate in any official events or commercial promotions... and will be expelled from the Chiang Mai Boxing Association."

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

Chiang Mai Kung Fu emphasizes the master-disciple lineage. The consequences of being removed from the lineage are similar to the "revocation of all written records since birth" in the ancient feudal dynasties of the Tang Dynasty. 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 person, a wandering ghost.

This can essentially be considered a complete negation of his entire life.

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

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

In this situation, being defeated by Ryu, a newcomer, and even having a noticeable and huge scar left on his chest, would be difficult for anyone to handle calmly.

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

In the arcade storyline, Ryu wasn't exactly beaten to a pulp by Sagat, but he was knocked to the ground in the ending scene. Sagat then walked up to him and made sarcastic remarks, which enraged Ryu to the extreme. He then 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 punched Sagat's chest open and then struck his jaw, defeating him.

Although there was an element of luck involved, there is no doubt that victory is victory and defeat is defeat.

With his undefeated streak broken, especially by a 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 Aton 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 as a result.

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

In this situation, being expelled from the Chiang Mai Kung Fu lineage means that everything he pursued has come to naught.

Thinking about this, Yuan Chen felt a little sad, and then thought for a moment and said, "Hmm... if the person involved is understanding, 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 next to her, 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 have 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 he had just gone through a battle, to be honest, Yuan Chen still couldn't bring himself to hate Sagat.

On one hand, in the previous battles, Sagat could have easily killed Yuan Chen, but he never did.

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

Furthermore, there's the storyline of the comic.

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

However, when he touched the Terracotta Warriors, Sagat felt a lot of negative emotions and thought that this power should not be handed over to someone like Vega. So he destroyed them all without hesitation and later reported to 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 upcoming actions and other next steps.

After that, Sagat returned to his hometown and began to seek self-breakthrough instead of pursuing revenge and fame.

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 involved are willing to come forward, then—”

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

"...No need."

Turning around, Sagat bent down his towering 2.26-meter frame and entered through the door, a slightly complicated gloom hanging 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 Ryu was merely because his disciple was running rampant in the village and Ryu intervened to help him out, then it was just a personal grudge between martial artists and fighters.

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 right inside the house. How is Sagat supposed to 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 inquire whether the punishment could be mitigated through "victim's forgiveness," Sagat could no longer contain his emotions and bewilderment, and pushed open the door, bending down to enter.

"No need."

"Ok?"

Upon seeing Sagat enter, Yuan Chen's face showed a hint of confusion, 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 trusted by the international headquarters. Moreover, Sagat was behaving well after being arrested, 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, at some point, Sagat had switched to wearing long pants.

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

Now, Sagat is wearing long pants, with the cuffs even being a bit baggy.

Now that it's mentioned, what catches Yuan Chen's eye 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 Tong Ang's authorization, a single command could paralyze me on the spot or cause me to lose my lower body."

Tong Ang nodded and added, "In addition, my vital signs have also established a remote information connection with headquarters. If no data is uploaded for a certain period of time, these shackles will 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 previous battle where Hibiki forcibly took one of his eyes, Sagat now wears an eyepatch on his face. 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 simply didn't understand.

“I almost killed you… no, I should say I killed you, but your amazing energy brought you back to life, as if you had an automated external defibrillator with you.”

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

Sagat questioned Yuan Chen.

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

Tong Ang was still able to maintain his composure, but Chun-Li wouldn't care about such things.

Or perhaps it is precisely because Chun-Li has truly fought with Sagat and directly confronted 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 holding in your mind? If you can, please tell me slowly.

Seeing Yuan Chen's calm demeanor, Sagat pursed his lips, then looked at Yuan Chen seriously and said, "Why... would 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 cannot be judged solely by its appearance.

Although Sagat seems 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 nearly 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 completely severed. As a practitioner of ancient Muay Thai, Sagat fully understands the serious consequences of this.

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

How could an injury so severe that it would cripple a martial artist or fighter possibly have no impact?

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