Chapter 32

After Wang Zhaojing won, he politely clasped his hands and bowed to everyone. According to the situation, Chen Sheng should have been excited and happy to face such an opponent, but there was no joy on his face. He only said, "I heard from my grandfather that wealthy families who practice martial arts not only invite masters to teach them but also hire people to spar with them. This way, they can improve. It seems he must be one of those."

Zhao Jin turned his head and glanced at Chen Sheng, noticing that he was a bit nervous.

Not only Chen Sheng, but the few young men who had a chance to enter the top eight also became more cautious. In previous matches, the lively ones enjoyed teasing their opponents, but today, all of them quickly ended their battles to conserve their strength for the possible match against Wang Zhaojing.

Only Zhao Jin was indifferent. However, Wang Zhaojing's appearance today intrigued him, and he wanted to watch more, so he only fought for two rounds and then focused on observing the matches.

The randomness of drawing lots from a jar meant that the same few young men often faced each other in the top eight. Coincidentally, Chen Sheng and Wang Zhaojing met.

After so many days of matches, some were barely noticed, but the match between Chen Sheng and Wang Zhaojing naturally drew a large crowd.

As soon as the two young men stood in position, Wang Zhaojing smiled and suggested, "I heard that Brother Chen used to practice knife techniques with a short stick but switched to hand-to-hand combat due to the rules. Coincidentally, I also practice with a short stick. Why don't we use weapons to spar?"

Chen Sheng practiced single knife techniques and was accustomed to using a short stick as a wooden knife, which was his advantage. Hearing this, he became interested. However, over the past month, Chen Sheng had developed a habit of letting Zhao Jin make decisions in the arena, a habit he hadn't even noticed.

"What do you think?" Zhao Jin asked Chen Sheng. After getting a positive response, Zhao Jin smiled and nodded. "Since neither of you objects, it's fine. But when using wooden sticks, treat them as if they were sharp blades. Stop at a touch and don't cause serious injury."

Hearing this, Chen Sheng nodded, and Chen Hong eagerly brought him the short sticks. Wang Zhaojing, however, gave Zhao Jin a surprised look. Among all the young men, the calm and steady Zhao Jin didn't stand out much, but he could make such a clear and organized arrangement, something even some adults couldn't do.

"Brother Jin, can he beat Chen Sheng?" the little girl Mu Shulan asked, appearing beside Zhao Jin. Chen Hong, hearing this, quickly answered, "My brother will definitely win!"

"Who knows," Zhao Jin said, unable to make a judgment.

When the match started, Chen Sheng held the short stick with both hands, as if it were a knife handle, raised it to shoulder level, and took a step forward. Wang Zhaojing smiled and said, "So it's a single knife."

After that, Wang Zhaojing held the short stick with one hand, raised it to chest level, and crouched slightly. Both young men had serious and stern expressions, staring at each other in silence.

Previously, the young men watching the matches would cheer and jeer, but seeing this scene, everyone fell silent and became tense.

After a brief silence, Chen Sheng leaned forward, took a large step, and swung the short stick down. Almost simultaneously, Wang Zhaojing slid forward, twisted his body, and thrust his short stick out with his left hand pushing his right fist.

Both young men's movements suddenly stopped, and many of the onlookers didn't understand what had happened. When they saw clearly, a chorus of gasps erupted.

Wang Zhaojing's short stick was less than two inches from Chen Sheng's throat, while Chen Sheng's short stick had not yet swung down.

From Zhao Jin's words, everyone could understand that if they had been using real blades, Chen Sheng would have been dead. However, only Zhao Jin realized what Wang Zhaojing was using—sword techniques. Clearly, the son of a wealthy family had learned advanced skills.

Chen Sheng's face turned grim. Just as he was about to give up, he heard Zhao Jin shout, "Again!"

This match had too much randomness, and the rules didn't specify the conditions for winning or losing.

Hearing Zhao Jin, Wang Zhaojing gave him a surprised look, while Chen Sheng took a deep breath. These two young men were far above the level of the other boys in the yard, quickly entering the state of the match. They resumed their stance.

Chen Sheng swung his short stick, and Wang Zhaojing thrust forward. This time, Chen Sheng changed his move very quickly, directly deflecting Wang Zhaojing's short stick and advancing to Wang Zhaojing's front. Wang Zhaojing couldn't retract his short stick in time and punched Chen Sheng's stomach with his left hand. Chen Sheng, however, sidestepped and rammed Wang Zhaojing with his shoulder. Chen Sheng had a significant strength advantage, and Wang Zhaojing stumbled back a few steps. Before he could react, Chen Sheng's short stick was already near his neck.

Chen Hong cheered loudly, and the crowd, which had been silent, burst into applause. In the eyes of the boys in the yard, Chen Sheng was one of them, and Wang Zhaojing was an outsider. If Wang Zhaojing won, everyone would lose face.

Everyone understood the situation. If Chen Sheng had a real knife, Wang Zhaojing's head would have been cut off. Wang Zhaojing straightened up, his smile gone, and his expression more serious.

"Again!" Zhao Jin shouted with a smile.

The two young men had four rounds, two wins each. Including the first two, it was a tie. Should they continue?

"Drop the sticks and decide the winner with hand-to-hand combat!" Zhao Jin suggested.

Chen Sheng and Wang Zhaojing looked at each other, dropped their sticks, and shouted "Start!" This time, there was no posturing. They charged at each other directly. Wang Zhaojing was indeed skilled, and Chen Sheng's punches and kicks were mostly blocked, and he quickly counterattacked.

However, while Wang Zhaojing fought well, he lacked a bit of wildness. The boys in the yard didn't lack this. Chen Sheng took several hits, his face contorted in pain, but he still managed to grab Wang Zhaojing. A young man had used the same method before but was countered by Wang Zhaojing. Chen Sheng's move was different. He twisted his wrist, locked Wang Zhaojing in place, and threw him down.

Wang Zhaojing landed heavily on his back and lost.

"Chen Sheng wins!" Zhao Jin shouted, and the boys cheered. Zhao Jin noticed that the strong man who had come with Wang Zhaojing looked tense. He hurriedly stepped forward, but at that moment, Wang Zhaojing stood up, holding his waist with a pained expression. After a few twists, he smiled and said, "That was really interesting and exciting. I want to fight again tomorrow. The snacks are on me!"

He then said to Chen Sheng, "I underestimated you today. I will make it up tomorrow."

Chen Sheng, in pain, sneered, "You'll still get beaten tomorrow."

The strong man's expression relaxed, and he stood there without any other actions. The boys in the yard began to like Wang Zhaojing. They thought that a rich young master would be a sore loser, but he was as tough as they were. Everyone naturally admired him.

This time, Zhao Jin didn't rush to leave. He watched the entire match. Chen Sheng and Wang Zhaojing had fought hard, and when they faced Shi Manqiang in the semi-finals, they couldn't match his strength and speed and were knocked down. In the end, Shi Manqiang won first place.

There were wins and losses, but everyone was happy. Chen Sheng was excited to have a worthy opponent to fight. The other boys, however, looked serious. They had thought their skills were great, but after seeing Wang Zhaojing's techniques, they realized they had much to learn to maintain their rankings.

Zhao Jin had a smile on his face, looking no different from usual, and led Mu Shulan away as usual.

On the way, the little girl wanted to talk to Zhao Jin but noticed his serious expression and stuck out her tongue, remaining silent.

The middle-aged couple who brought Mu Shulan had timed it perfectly or were waiting nearby. They took the reluctant little girl away, and only then did Zhao Jin snap out of his thoughts and wave goodbye to the girl.

"Uncle, if I fight them now, can I guarantee a win?"