Chen Yang smiled faintly and said, "Let's wait and see."
Huo Lei, on the other hand, said coolly, "You better not try any tricks, or the Huo family of Foshan will never let you off the hook!"
Chen Yang was taken aback.
In his understanding, Huo Lei should be grateful to him, right? Why did this guy seem to have a deep grudge against him?
Faced with Huo Lei's provocation, Chen Yang became annoyed. He chuckled and said, "If I'm not mistaken, three days ago, you were being strangled like a dead dog by Luo Ren. If I hadn't stepped in to save you, you would have been playing in the mud long ago. Even if I only saved a dog, it would still wag its tail at me. What kind of thing are you?"
"You..." Huo Lei was furious at being insulted in such a way by Chen Yang.
Chen Yang chuckled and said, "What, you want to fight me?" There was a hint of unfathomable coldness in his smile.
Huo Lei immediately sensed it, and his heart skipped a beat, but he didn't dare to make a move.
"Let me give you a piece of advice: one first humiliates oneself, then others humiliate them," Chen Yang said. "You don't even understand the basic human decency, and you've lived as long as a dog." After saying that, he confidently entered the Jia Yue Fencing Club.
Mu Jing smiled and followed him in.
Su Qing, however, seemed to be getting to know Chen Yang for the first time. She had always thought of Chen Yang as a sunny, big boy. But she never expected him to have such a sharp edge at times.
Lin Qingxue didn't even look at Huo Lei properly and also walked in.
Even Tang Qingqing didn't side with Huo Lei. After all, no matter how you put it, Chen Yang had saved Huo Lei. Huo Lei's behavior was simply despicable.
For a moment, Huo Lei stood alone on the spot, feeling very embarrassed.
Hatred shone in Huo Lei's eyes. He gritted his teeth and also entered the Jia Yue Fencing Club. He wanted to see Chen Yang get beaten like a dog and expose Chen Yang's sinister plot.
The person in charge of the fencing club, a middle-aged man named Li Jie, received Chen Yang and his group. Li Jie was dressed in a suit and had a composed demeanor. When he saw Mu Jing, he was slightly startled but then smiled and said, "I didn't expect Miss Mu to come as well."
Mu Jing smiled faintly and said, "They're all here?"
Li Jie said, "Yes, Master Luo Ren, the King of Security One-Eye, President Qi, as well as Master Xue Lianhut, Master Zhu Hongzhi, and Master Liu Zhengyi have all arrived. They're resting and chatting in the side hall. Miss Mu, would you like to go and meet them?"
"No need," Mu Jing said. "We'll naturally meet them later. Please arrange a resting place for us as well."
"Certainly, Miss Mu," Li Jie said.
Li Jie arranged for them a spacious VIP lounge and then had the service staff bring in tea, water, and snacks.
After making these arrangements, Li Jie finally left.
Chen Yang couldn't help but feel grateful to Mu Jing. If Mu Jing hadn't come today, Li Jie wouldn't have been so polite, and Chen Yang would have felt somewhat awkward.
Although Chen Yang didn't care much about such things, if he was with Su Qing, Lin Qingxue, and the others, he still cared a little about saving face.
After everyone entered, Huo Lei didn't come in and instead found a separate place to rest.
After sitting down, Mu Jing suddenly had her subordinate bring in a set of clothes and said to Chen Yang, "You should change into these clothes."
Chen Yang looked over and saw that it was a set of white training clothes.
He didn't refuse and took the training clothes. Mu Jing had prepared everything meticulously, even providing white cloth shoes for Chen Yang.
Chen Yang took the clothes and went to the changing room.
A moment later, he appeared before everyone.
At that instant, everyone was stunned.
It was because Chen Yang was now wearing a snow-white training outfit. His refined and composed demeanor made him appear like a true master.
At that moment, Chen Yang didn't seem like a vulgar, carefree security guard at all.
Su Qing's beautiful eyes flickered with a strange light.
Tang Qingqing and Lin Qingxue were also stunned.
As for Mu Jing, she simply nodded slightly.
Soon, it was ten o'clock, the appointed time, and everyone got up to gather in the fencing club's main hall.
"Chen Yang!" At this moment, Su Qing suddenly came up to Chen Yang.
In the blink of an eye when Chen Yang was caught off guard, Su Qing tiptoed and lightly kissed Chen Yang's cheek.
After the kiss, Su Qing's face turned beet red.
Chen Yang was overjoyed.
This kiss was something Su Qing had hesitated for a long time before finally mustering up the courage to do. She was afraid that if Chen Yang failed, she would regret it. Originally, she was older than Chen Yang and the other girls, and she had also been divorced before, so she was supposed to be more reserved than anyone else.
But no matter what, she still kissed Chen Yang on an impulse.
Lin Qingxue and Tang Qingqing, who witnessed this, felt even more complicated in their hearts.
This was a pleasant little incident, at least for Chen Yang.
Everyone arrived at the fencing club's main hall on time.
The floor of this hall was covered with a soft golden silk carpet.
The walls around were made of bronze mirrors, making everything look extravagantly luxurious.
After Chen Yang and his group entered, they saw Luo Ren and his group already seated in the VIP seats.
When they saw Chen Yang and the others, they also stood up.
After everyone gathered, Mu Jing cupped her fists in greeting and said to Luo Ren's group, "Greetings, Masters. I am Mu Jing."
Master Xue Lianhut, Master Zhu Hongzhi, Master Liu Zhengyi, Luo Ren, and the others looked at Mu Jing. They were highly skilled and could tell at a glance that Mu Jing was no ordinary person. Now that Mu Jing was greeting them with the proper etiquette of the martial arts world, they also cupped their fists in return and greeted, "Greetings, Master Mu."
"Is this Master Chen Yang?" Master Xue Lianhut smiled slightly at Chen Yang and said.
Although Xue Lianhut, Zhu Hongzhi, Liu Zhengyi, and the others were friends of Luo Ren, they were all accomplished figures themselves. Regardless of what they were thinking, they had to maintain proper etiquette on the surface.
Chen Yang then performed a standard cupped-fist greeting and said, "I am Chen Yang. How should I address you, Masters?"
Xue Lianhut smiled slightly and said, "My surname is Xue, Xue Lianhut."
Chen Yang then said, "Greetings, Master Xue."
Afterward, Xue Lianhut introduced the other masters, and Chen Yang greeted each of them.
In fact, these masters like Xue Lianhut had renowned reputations in the domestic martial arts world. However, Chen Yang, who had been abroad for a long time, didn't know anything about the domestic martial arts scene, so he didn't recognize them.
Nevertheless, during this interaction, Chen Yang learned about the backgrounds of these masters. For instance, Xue Lianhut practiced the Ba Ji Quan, also known as the Bazi Fist. Ba Ji Quan was powerful and vigorous, with wide, sweeping movements and a robust style.
The ancient general Da reached unparalleled heights with the Ba Ji Spear in hand, charging fearlessly into battles and emerging victorious.
Ba Ji Quan evolved from the Ba Ji Spear.
As for Master Zhu Hongzhi, he was an inheritor of the Chen-style Taijiquan from Chenjiagou, exuding an aura of smoothness and roundness that could only come from having cultivated the art to the marrow of his bones.
And Liu Zhengyi practiced the Ba Gua Zhang (Eight Trigram Palms).
Then there was Luo Ren, who cultivated Shaolin Kung Fu. His powerful Jingang Fist, Shaolin Qin Na (grappling) techniques, Xiao Qin Na (minor seizure techniques), and the Yi Zhi Chan (One Finger Zen) were all honed to perfection.
Chen Yang saw through the backgrounds of all these people with his understanding of various martial arts styles that he had gained growing up with his master, as well as from incorporating elements of various fighting systems he had encountered abroad.
He knew that while many styles appeared distinct, they all shared common principles, such as the ferocious fist styles like Ba Ji Quan, Ba Gua Zhang, and Xing Yi Quan.
The saying "All methods return to one, all methods share the same source" embodied this truth.
Chen Yang clearly grasped the foundations of everyone present, but no one could discern his own. If Chen Yang was just walking down the street, people would assume he didn't know any martial arts at all. But today, he had come to face off against Luo Ren, so no one would make that assumption.
It wasn't that Chen Yang's skills were incredibly formidable, but rather that each master, through their long-term cultivation of their respective styles, had left a distinct spiritual imprint. Just as people from the 1960s carried imprints unique to that era, and those born in the 90s had imprints of their generation.
The ever-flowing river of history left special imprints on each generation.
But Chen Yang was different – he seemed to bear no such imprints at all.
"This is a death pact. If both parties have no issues, please sign it," Master Zhu Hongzhi said as he placed two copies of the contract on the tea table nearby.
Luo Ren picked up a pen and, without reading carefully, boldly signed his name with a sweeping stroke.
This death pact had no legal validity, but those in the martial arts world placed great importance on it. Signing the pact meant that causing any trouble afterward would be considered highly dishonorable and despicable in the martial world.
Chen Yang skimmed the death pact, which simply stated that this duel was entered into voluntarily, with each party accepting the outcome of life or death.
Chen Yang then also signed his name.
Nearby, Su Qing trembled slightly upon seeing Chen Yang and Luo Ren signing a death pact. She never imagined this duel would be so brutal.
Even Lin Qingxue and Tang Qingqing were shaken at this moment. With a death pact and so many grandmasters present, this was clearly no joking matter.
"Before we start, we need to clarify some things," Luo Ren suddenly spoke up. His usual coldness made this sudden statement immediately draw everyone's attention.
"Please go ahead, Master Luo," Master Xue Lianhut said.
Luo Ren said, "If Chen Yang is defeated today, the Yadi Company will be ours based on an additional wager between us. I ask the masters here to bear witness."
Xue Lianhut, Liu Zhengyi, Zhu Hongzhi, and the others exchanged glances. Finally, Xue Lianhut turned to Chen Yang and said, "Master Chen, what do you say?"
Chen Yang couldn't help but feel vexed. He had oversimplified things, thinking that even if he lost, Lin Qingxue and the others could still refute the claim. But now, with so many grandmasters present, it would be set in stone. He was confident he wouldn't lose, but Lin Qingxue and the others had no such assurance.
So for a moment, Chen Yang didn't respond well.
Instead, it was Mu Jing who spoke up. "I've heard about the Yadi Company issue. Chen Yang has no authority over it. But if Chen Yang loses, I can take responsibility and pay two billion RMB as compensation."