Chapter 35

Straight and direct.

As the large, oil-stained hand approached, it seemed like the palm that Buddha used to press down on Sun Wukong, coming straight without giving any room for evasion. The feeling of an unstoppable force was directed entirely at Yue Yuan.

Uh!

A moment of hesitation, and surprise.

Yue Yuan had not expected that after Hong Qigong said those words, he would immediately take action. However, in the face of the attack, although there was no trace of killing intent, Yue Yuan had no choice but to dodge.

His body slightly shifted to the side, and the chopsticks in his right hand spun to block Hong Qigong's large hand. The hand was just a few inches away from Yue Yuan's clothes.

"Hey, Master Qigong, are you trying to smear the oil on my clothes?"

Looking at the greasy stains on the other's hand, Yue Yuan's eyebrows twitched. If Hong Qigong were to smear the oil all over his body, where would he find the detergent, where would he find the laundry powder? After all, in this world he had traveled to, he had not prepared any laundry powder at all!

"Not bad!"

Hong Qigong's eyes lit up. Yue Yuan's performance made the old beggar quite satisfied. However, Hong Qigong still had some complaints. "Too many flashy moves!" he said, then his right hand flipped and struck directly at the chopsticks blocking his palm.

Snap!

A crisp sound echoed as the bamboo chopsticks were crushed by Hong Qigong's right palm, breaking into four pieces. Two pieces flew out, leaving Yue Yuan with two half-length chopsticks. Despite this, Yue Yuan's expression did not change. Instead, he used his two fingers to point the remaining half-length chopsticks at Hong Qigong's palm again.

Bang!

The chopsticks pointed at the palm again but were instantly shattered by a powerful force, breaking into pieces.

Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms?!

Yue Yuan's eyebrows raised in surprise. The force from the other's palm was incredibly fierce, making Yue Yuan quite astonished. This made him think of one of Hong Qigong's signature martial arts—the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms.

Faced with the complete shattering of the remaining half-length chopsticks, Yue Yuan was not surprised. Both he and Hong Qigong remained seated, with no other movements, and the exchange was limited to their upper bodies. When the chopsticks broke, Yue Yuan looked at the greasy palm and did not want to use his right hand to resist, as that would mean he had lost.

Thinking of this, just as Hong Qigong's palm was about to touch his clothes, Yue Yuan's upper body trembled and then bent backward in an extremely strange posture, as flexible as if he had practiced yoga.

Yue Yuan's sudden movement made Hong Qigong's hand miss its target. This method of evasion truly opened Hong Qigong's eyes. However, with Hong Qigong's discerning eye, he knew that such evasion required a certain physical condition. If he were to do it, he would definitely have strained his old back.

This Taoist, his skills are indeed impressive!

Hong Qigong praised Yue Yuan's skills in his heart but did not stop his attack. Instead, his right hand flipped and continued to reach toward Yue Yuan.

"Hmm!!"

Feeling the right hand coming at him again, Yue Yuan's bent body sprang back to its original position. His right hand swept over the chopsticks, and four bamboo chopsticks appeared in his hand. Then, Yue Yuan used the four chopsticks to push against Hong Qigong's right hand.

"Oh?!"

Hong Qigong was surprised and smiled faintly. He used the essence of the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms, which was to press down regardless of how the opponent resisted, and directly pressed toward the chopsticks Yue Yuan was pointing at his palm.

A muffled sound echoed from the collision between the two.

It was like the sound of bubbles bursting in water that was about to boil. If one's hearing was not good, they would not hear it. However, both Yue Yuan and Hong Qigong naturally heard the sound. This was the first clash of their internal energies.

A creaking sound was heard as the chair Yue Yuan was sitting on moved to the side, avoiding some of the impact.

"Ah!"

"Senior, your martial arts are superb, I have lost!"

Casually placing the four chopsticks on the table, Yue Yuan saw that the surface of the bamboo chopsticks had split, clearly destroyed. At this moment, Yue Yuan did not pay any attention to the broken chopsticks but looked at his right wrist with a mix of helplessness and amusement. There was a greasy handprint on his sleeve, which, although not very noticeable under the golden color, was still there.

Moreover, the most important thing was that Yue Yuan had moved his chair.

As for Senior Hong Qigong, he remained seated in his position without any movement.

"Haha..."

Hong Qigong laughed heartily, drank all the wine in the bottle, and then smiled. "Little Taoist, you look much more likable now! However, your martial arts are quite good, you can be considered the best among the young generation... Hmm, at least among the young people I, the old beggar, have seen, your martial arts are the best! And in our exchange just now, you have already told me that your specialty is not this, but lightness kung fu!"

Indeed, Hong Qigong, as a senior in the martial world, had exceptional experience and discernment. In just a short exchange, he could see through Yue Yuan's true abilities.

For this, Yue Yuan could only express admiration.

After all, in many situations, the old are indeed wiser, especially in the martial world.

However, even so, the old man had not completely seen through his true foundation, which was the most satisfying point for Yue Yuan.

"However..."

"You, a grown man, wearing such luxurious Taoist robes is one thing, but why do you scent yourself with flowers? You should be more natural like me, the old beggar!"

Finally, Hong Qigong revealed the reason for his earlier action.

"Uh..."

Yue Yuan's lips parted, and his eyes stared blankly at Hong Qigong's messy, patched clothes, which were black and dirty, as if covered in something. Then, Yue Yuan saw Hong Qigong casually wipe the oil on his hand on his clothes, truly carefree.

What the heck, is this a piece of cloth or a rag?

Thus, Yue Yuan was completely stunned.

"Speaking of which, little Taoist!"

"The old beggar has a great interest in your golden Taoist robes. You know, how many poor people could be helped with these robes!"

In the end, Hong Qigong's gaze still fell on Yue Yuan's luxurious golden Taoist robes. The old beggar's eyes were wide open, making Yue Yuan feel very uneasy.

After a long pause.

Yue Yuan pondered for a moment and then said, "Senior, I cannot give you these clothes to help the poor for now, because I need them to save someone else!"

"How so?"

Yue Yuan's words surprised Hong Qigong. The old beggar was taken aback by this response.

"I need to save a woman!"

Lifting his wine cup, Yue Yuan drank the wine in one gulp and then smiled, explaining his thoughts. If things developed as he had guessed, the pressure on Yue Yuan would be immense. But if he could gain the approval of one of the Five Greats, it would be much easier.

A woman?

Clothes?

What is the connection between these two?

Hong Qigong blinked, looked at Yue Yuan's golden Taoist robes, and thought about the woman, feeling confused.

"Because saving her is equivalent to saving many people!"

Yue Yuan's second sentence made Hong Qigong's expression turn serious.