"Huh?" Li Ruqi laughed dismissively, "You sure have ideas, how do you know I can help you?"
"Based on your demeanor, I just know you're not an ordinary person," Wu said with a grin.
"Tsk." Li Ruqi spit lightly but did not refuse; she pulled out her phone and made a call in front of Wu.
"Hello, Dad."
"Can't I call you unless there's something wrong?"
"Hmph, did you read the news piece I wrote the day before yesterday?"
"Today Wu went to the Qi City Sports Bureau to apply for an official competition, but the response from the Qi City Martial Arts Association was that it's difficult to organize, do you have any suggestions?"
"Oh, I just want to see them fight, that's what makes for good news."
"Not at all, don't spread rumors!"
"Alright, enough about that, just think of a way, please."
Li Ruqi hung up the phone and glanced at Wu somewhat embarrassedly.
"How did it go?" Wu asked expectantly; he had guessed from the day Zhang Xiaodong came to visit that Li Ruqi was no ordinary person.
Li Ruqi shook her head: "My dad said he isn't acquainted with anyone at the sports bureau and doesn't have friends in that area, but he'll see what he can do."
"Oh." Wu sighed, "Thanks, I appreciate it."
Could he really just find someone not so famous to fight with live to complete this system task? Wu was discontented, his intuition told him the reward for this temporary task would be quite good.
"Ding—"
Just then, the room's phone suddenly rang, Wu was taken aback for a moment and went to answer it.
"Hello?"
"Hello, this is the front desk."
"Hello, what's up?" Wu wondered why the front desk would call. To offer some services? But it's broad daylight.
"Is this Mr. Wu?"
"Yes, that's me."
"There's someone here looking for you, claiming to have the same interests as you."
"Looking for me? Same interests?" Wu was even more puzzled.
"He is currently in the lobby, would you like to meet him?"
"...Okay, ask him to wait a bit." Wu hesitated, then decided to go downstairs and see.
"What's up?" Li Ruqi asked.
"There's someone downstairs looking for me; I'm going to check it out."
When Wu arrived downstairs, a middle-aged man dressed in a black top, white trousers, wearing cloth shoes and with a serious expression proactively stepped toward him.
"Who are you?" Wu observed the man's attire and felt he must be from the martial arts world.
The man stepped up to Wu, bowed with his hands clasped: "Yong Chun, Xue Bai."
Wu was startled; he had learned this form of greeting as a child but had hardly ever used it, and didn't expect someone to greet him this way now.
He reciprocated by clasping his hands: "Xingyi, Wu."
Xue Bai nodded and got straight to the point, "Brother Wu, my master heard about your situation and knows you want to organize an official match with Ren Donglai. He sent me to find you, saying he wants to help."
Wu was surprised to hear this good news, "May I ask who your master is?"
"My master is Yan Baili, he owns a martial arts hall in Qi City," Xue Bai said.
Wu nodded, realizing it must mostly be one of the halls previously challenged by Ren Donglai.
"Great, may I visit your master?"
"Of course."
...
Xue Bai had driven here, and Wu got into his car; Li Ruqi, curious to see what would happen, also got in.
"It feels peculiar seeing him drive," Li Ruqi whispered to Wu.
Wu nodded in agreement; the man's attire, manner of speaking, and general demeanor all seemed quite archaic, making him appear as if he belonged in a historical drama. Yet, here he was, skillfully driving a car, creating quite a contrast.
"Hey." Li Ruqi quietly passed her phone to Wu, gesturing for him to look at the screen.
The screen displayed a news from several months ago: Ren Donglai KO's Yong Chun Expert.
Wu looked closely; this was after Ren Donglai first made a name for himself by issuing public challenges to martial arts halls. The first two halls refused to fight, but the owner of Yan's Yong Chun Martial Arts opted to face Ren Donglai publicly, ultimately getting KO'd; the hall owner's name was Yan Baili.
"Hmm." Wu nodded to show he understood, then glanced at Xue Bai who was driving in front, his expression stern, showing no intention of making conversation.
The ride was silent; twenty minutes later, Xue Bai drove into a somewhat old neighborhood.
Rain was still falling; an old man dressed in a black coat, white pants, and black cloth shoes stood at the entrance of the building watching them.
The three got out of the car and ran toward the building entrance; Xue Bai stepped forward to support the old man, "Master, why have you come down?"
The old man's temples were slightly white and his spirit slightly diminished, but his back was straight as a pen.
"I'll go down and welcome him."
Xue Bai was startled by the statement and turned to look at Wu Li.
Wu Li walked up to the old man, and seeing his appearance seemed to stir some memories, rendering his expression somewhat dazed. Soon after, he turned solemn, clasped his hands together, and respectfully said, "Junior Wu Li, has seen elder Yan before."
Yan Baili did not speak, and Wu Li maintained his clasped hands without moving.
Rain slanted down, wetting half of Wu Li's body. Li Ruqi didn't understand what was happening, but seeing Wu Li's serious demeanor, she felt it was inappropriate to ask.
"Good, good."
Yan Baili's expression revealed some gratification as he smiled and patted Wu Li's arm, "Come, follow me."
The four of them went up to the third floor and entered the old man's home.
The house was not large, with a cement floor and little decoration. The first thing Wu Li noticed upon entering was the wooden dummy in the living room and various certificates hanging on the wall.
"Sit."
There were no sofas in the living room; Xue Bai found a few stools for everyone to sit on.
Yan Baili also sat on a stool, his back straight, and asked Wu Li, "Young man, who did you learn your boxing from?"
Wu Li said, "I've been learning Xingyi from my grandfather since I was young. Besides him, there was also his fellow disciple; both could be considered my masters."
Yan Baili nodded, "They taught a good disciple."
Wu Li, slightly embarrassed, rubbed his head, not knowing what to say. If it had been any other time, he would have responded without hesitation, but for some reason, facing this old man, he felt like he was in the presence of an elder and didn't dare to be presumptuous.
Li Ruqi curiously looked at Wu Li. This guy dared to challenge a club alone, threaten others surrounded by dozens, and slap Ren Donglai in front of a group of reporters—an utterly fearless character in her eyes. Yet now, he seemed so honest and even a bit restrained?
"Xue Bai showed me a video of you fighting others; he told me that you went to the Eastward Boxing Club and used Xingyi Fist to knock down two people in succession, one of whom was Ren Donglai's disciple, a coach of the boxing club," Yan Baili said slowly.
"Um," Wu Li nodded honestly.
Yan Baili smiled, "Youth is to be feared."
Wu Li smiled too, but Yan Baili quickly became serious again, "You may have heard about my matter; Ren Donglai came to challenge me, and in a public match, he defeated me—disgracing both Yong Chun and Traditional Martial Arts!"
At this, Yan Baili's face was full of shame.
"Master, you are already of such an age; Ren Donglai winning over you is a victory without honor," Xue Bai interjected.
"Shut up!" Yan Baili barked, "A loss is a loss!"
Xue Bai was silent as if chilled, not daring to speak further.
"Elder, what did you want to see me about?" Wu Li asked cautiously.
Yan Baili looked at Wu Li, "I hear you're applying for an official match, to fight Ren Donglai."
Wu Li nodded, "Yes."
Yan Baili said, "I have some old friends in the Qi City Martial Arts Association who could help facilitate this match."
Wu Li, overjoyed, said, "Thank you so much!"
Yan Baili waved his hand, "No need to thank me; I'm just an old man who has disgraced the legacy handed down by our ancestors. I only hope that what I lost can be reclaimed by you."
Wu Li stood up, his hands clasped, his voice deep, "I will not fail you!"
The elderly man's condition was indeed poor; after a short conversation, his face visibly tired, forcing Xue Bai to see the guests out.
Xue Bai escorted Wu Li and Li Ruqi downstairs, offering to drive them back, and Wu Li, unable to refuse, relented.
"Actually, the master was once a coach for the Qi City Martial Arts Association's Sandboxing team and trained many sandboxing champions."
In the car, the usually silent Xue Bai suddenly spoke.
"Um?" Wu Li was taken aback, "Then how come..."
What he meant was, having trained many champion disciples, why did Yan Baili, an aging man, personally step up when Ren Donglai came to challenge?
Xue Bai understood what Wu Li meant and said, "Master always felt that sandboxing wasn't traditional martial arts. If he devoted all his energy to sandboxing, our ancestors' legacy might end up being nothing more than a performance art. That's why he later quit the sandboxing team and started his own martial arts hall to teach Yong Chun, continuously researching how to adapt traditional martial arts to modern combat rules."
Wu Li nodded, his respect for Yan Baili growing.
"Although master worked hard, we disciples were disappointing. When Ren Donglai came to challenge, none of us could stand up to support the scene, eventually forcing the master to step up himself," Xue Bai said with a heavy voice, his face filled with remorse.
"After the master lost, he shut down the martial arts hall and stayed home without venturing outside. Later, a disciple I hadn't seen for many years came back to see him, wanting to challenge Ren Donglai in his place, but the master couldn't stop him. My disciple went and lost as well."
"Was it that Li Mao who fought Ren Donglai a few days ago?" Li Ruqi asked.
Xue Bai nodded, "Yes, after losing, my disciple came back, spoke to the master, and the master fell ill. His condition has been poor since; knowing this stems from Ren Donglai, I rushed to tell the master after hearing about your deeds. The master forcefully got out of bed to meet you today."