Chapter 46

Li Pumin's expression remained unchanged, but he inwardly sighed—this "loophole" was indeed not missed by those with ulterior motives.

That day, not far from the school gate, he had appeared in public, and before that, he had even gone to the cafeteria. To find evidence of the time discrepancy, it wouldn't be difficult for the police or a powerful family like the Zhangs. However, the case was so complex that the government and the police, who were already at their wits' end, could finally breathe a sigh of relief. Therefore, they hadn't delved too deeply into Li Pumin's issues.

—But he couldn't escape the attention of the Qin and Zhang families.

"Because Qin Class President and I have a special connection," Li Pumin said with a grin, looking at the girl beside him and casually fobbed her off.

When it came to himself, Qin Xia'er reflexively said, "Eh... who has a special connection with you!"

Li Pumin winked at her, "If we didn't have a special connection, your cousin would suspect that there's something wrong with me."

"What could be wrong with you?" Qin Xia'er asked in confusion.

"For example, deliberately looking for opportunities to win your favor," the boy shrugged.

"You? Would deliberately win my favor?"

Qin Xia'er widened her eyes and stared at Li Pumin, then sighed softly, "From kindergarten to now, every time we meet, you deliberately infuriate me, and I thank heaven and earth if you don't. What about winning my favor..."

At this point, the girl suddenly paused, recalling that she had once read a child psychology analysis in a magazine. It said that when elementary school boys develop a crush on a girl of the same age, they often bully her.

Could it be that Li Pumin has always been mean to me because he likes me? But, but Chen Xian, who is very close to him, is rarely bullied. Could it be differential treatment? Qin Xia'er was confused, and her heart beat wildly.

If Li Pumin likes me... what should I do? This was the first time she had such thoughts, and she felt it was unreasonable. But in her heart, an unprecedented and wonderful feeling welled up uncontrollably.

Zhang Shi glanced at his dazed cousin, the sharpness in his eyes slightly fading, and said indifferently, "I was just curious, don't take it to heart. I've booked a table, as a small token of appreciation."

"Let's put the meal aside for now," Li Pumin looked around, "I've never been to this club before. I've been wandering around the city looking for some strong opponents, and it turns out they're all here... I watched you two spar just now, and I want to try too."

"Hmm?" Zhang Shi's distinctive eyebrows twitched. He, who was half a head taller than Li Pumin, looked down at the boy with interest, "Do you want to spar with me?"

"Of course, but you just had a match, and I need to warm up to make it fair," Li Pumin said, ostensibly for fairness, but actually because he had fought many times but had almost no experience sparring with true experts. He wanted to warm up first before challenging this "Little Fist Saint."

Zhang Shi, though only eighteen, was clearly stronger than Chi Fei, who was at the peak of his physical condition and had entered the Transformation Stage. Apart from the club owner and the top expert in the Jiang-Zhe region, Feng Kuchan, no one else in the room was a match for this "Little Fist Saint."

It was perfect for practicing and gaining experience.

With that, Li Pumin walked directly to where Chi Fei and Zhang Shi had been sparring. He looked around and said, "Seniors! Is anyone willing to spar with me?"

"Tian Chan Yuan" was a private venue for martial artists in Shanghai. Usually, sparring was only between acquaintances. Li Pumin's loud and brash behavior, as if he were challenging the place, immediately made many people frown.

"Hmph, young man, do you know where you are?" A middle-aged man with a mustache put down his fragrant tea and slammed the table, displeased, "Who brought you in?"

"Her," Li Pumin pointed to Qin Xia'er with confidence.

Swish, almost everyone in the room looked at the unfamiliar girl standing next to Zhang Shi.

"Eh... you idiot!" Qin Xia'er's face turned red, and she quickly hid behind her cousin, glaring fiercely at Li Pumin—she was also visiting "Tian Chan Yuan" for the first time and wasn't familiar with it.

"Cough..." Zhang Shi explained, "I invited him."

Although Zhang Shi was also visiting "Tian Chan Yuan" for the first time, he was the nephew and successor of "Fist Saint" Zhang Xiezong, and even his personal servant was a Great Fist Master of the Hidden Power Stage. Whether in personal strength or background, others had to give him face.

The mustached middle-aged man reluctantly restrained his temper, "So this young man is a friend of the Little Fist Saint?"

Zhang Shi tilted his head, "To call him a friend... not yet."

"Good." The mustached man nodded and instructed a muscular young man standing behind him, "Since this young man wants to spar, Ziji, teach him a lesson."

"Yes, Master." The muscular young man immediately took off his jacket and walked to Li Pumin.

"Chen-style Tai Chi, He Ziji." Surrounded by a group of seasoned martial artists, the muscular young man, though looking down on the high school boy in front of him, still reluctantly bowed and asked, "What school are you from?"

"I don't know what school I'm from," Li Pumin smiled, relaxing his body and slightly turning to the side, "Can we start?"

He Ziji was immediately enraged. At twenty-two, he had reached the peak of the Manifested Power Stage and was proud of being the most talented and promising martial artist of his generation in Shanghai. But today, his master brought him to "Tian Chan Yuan," and he saw Chi Fei, who was only a few years older than him, already entering the Transformation Stage, which even his master hadn't achieved. And Zhang Shi, who was not yet twenty, could beat him!

His pride and confidence were shattered. Chi Fei was the disciple of Feng Kuchan, the top expert in the Jiang-Zhe region, and Zhang Shi was even more remarkable, being the nephew of the great Dan Power Martial Saint Zhang Xiezong and a prodigy with three times the innate true strength. No matter how jealous He Ziji was, he knew the gap was insurmountable.

But these two were one thing, and a high school student brought in to play dared to challenge him so arrogantly. Did he think no one in Shanghai could handle him? He Ziji was determined to give this ignorant young man a memorable lesson.

As the saying goes, Tai Chi is cunning, Bagua is slippery, and Xingyi is venomous. He was an expert in practical Tai Chi and didn't need to use any obvious vicious moves. He would use the "Small Chaotic Ring" technique to wear out his opponent until he was exhausted.

"Be careful," He Ziji warned maliciously, assuming the standard "Grasping the Sparrow's Tail" stance and moving forward, waiting for Li Pumin to raise his hand to block, then use the chaotic ring technique to stick to him.

Sure enough, Li Pumin raised his hand to block. He Ziji was delighted, but his movements were steady and unhurried, drawing arcs to apply the Tai Chi sticking technique.

The young man smiled with interest and, instead of using his most proficient shrimp spring power to gain an advantage in speed and explosive force, relaxed his strength and used the Tai Chi sticking technique to counter.

—If the goal was to win, he could have knocked out his opponent with one punch, but it was rare to spar with someone stronger than a thug, so he wanted to enjoy the experience thoroughly!

Both seemed very civilized, moving slowly and not using too much force. Their forearms touched and entangled, performing the eight techniques of Tai Chi: Ward Off, Roll Back, Press, Push, Pluck, Split, Elbow, and Shoulder. He Ziji was surprised by the stability of the young man's stance, but he could clearly feel that the young man's Tai Chi sticking technique was not as proficient as his own.

The Tai Chi sticking technique, though seemingly gentle, was actually the most vicious. Once it stuck, it disrupted the opponent's power rhythm and even controlled their center of gravity, like a spider trapping a moth, exhausting the opponent to death.

To the onlookers, the young man was doing well, but He Ziji's Tai Chi sticking technique was clearly at a higher level, and victory was not hard to predict.

"Are they really just sparring amicably?" Qin Xia'er couldn't tell, only thinking that the two were moving slowly and not using much force, so they weren't fighting fiercely.

"No, the Tai Chi sticking technique is like a hypocrite, appearing gentle but actually the most vicious," Zhang Shi raised an eyebrow, naturally seeing that Li Pumin was slightly inferior in sticking and neutralizing techniques.

However, according to Xia'er's recollection and the information he had gathered, Li Pumin's fighting style was rapid and explosive, completely different from the wearing-down technique of Tai Chi sticking.

—So, he was really just warming up.

"Good, I've tried enough," the young man in the ring suddenly said to He Ziji with a grin, "I'm going to counterattack."

Li Pumin's "Leading to Emptiness" technique was not as pure as He Ziji's, who had studied Tai Chi for over a decade, but he had already achieved the Hidden Power Stage. He had been sparring for a while just to feel the genuine Tai Chi sticking technique.

Unfortunately, He Ziji was only a peak Manifested Power Stage young boxer, and the combat experience he could provide was limited.

In the instant of the counterattack, the balance was completely tilted. The young man's upper body suddenly burst with the short power of the Hidden Power Stage, directly breaking He Ziji's carefully constructed soft fist sticking net.

It couldn't stick! How could it not stick? He Ziji, who had been in the lead a second ago, was horrified. Before he could reorganize his stance, Li Pumin raised his hand, pressed it on He Ziji's chest, twisted his waist, extended his shoulder, and pushed the seventy-kilogram young man into the air. He stumbled and took several steps back before barely regaining his balance.

"Uh... you let me win?" Li Pumin said awkwardly—usually, he would mock after a fight, but this was a sparring match, and he had to maintain the surface etiquette.

"I, I didn't lose!" He Ziji, after a three-second daze, couldn't swallow his pride, clenched his fists, and wanted to rush over to continue.

"Ziji, come back!" A stern voice made him stand still. His teacher, the Great Fist Master of the Hidden Power Stage, Chen Yunfeng, narrowed his eyes and stared at Li Pumin, "I misjudged, it's the Crane Power? Good, good, Crane Power breaking Tai Chi, it's good for my clumsy disciple to learn a lesson. Are you from the Crane Fist School? Who is your teacher? The Yong family in Guangdong or the Fang family in Fujian?"

"I'm not from the Crane Fist School, and I don't know any Yong or Fang families," Li Pumin had only one teacher in his heart, "My teacher's surname is Chen."

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