Little did they know, the essence of the Shadow Fist Luo Yang had learned was in drawing out the enemy's moves and then controlling them afterward. When the enemy attacked, his body would automatically drift, without needing to consider dodging.
"You, a wet behind the ears whelp, dare to challenge me! I'll have you lying in a hospital for a week!"
Before he had even finished speaking, the Bearded Man had already calculated the distance and kicked towards Luo Yang's abdomen. His kick was exceedingly fast, and in a flash, his right foot shot out.
An ordinary youth would have no chance of escaping.
With this kick, the Bearded Man was fully capable of sending Luo Yang tumbling, then swiftly following up with a few more kicks, wrapping it up quickly. After that, he would indulge in some trash talk, finding it extremely effortless.
However, after the kick was launched, just as it seemed it would hit, he suddenly saw a blur before his eyes and felt he kicked at nothing. By the time he saw clearly, Luo Yang had already drifted to his right side, startling him greatly.
Without using his hands, when the opponent pressed forward, his upper body was full of openings.
The Bearded Man reacted swiftly. After missing his kick, his left foot bent, pushing back in an attempt to retreat several steps, stabilizing his footing before planning his next move. His retreat was extremely rapid, but Luo Yang's attack was even quicker.
Luo Yang let out a low shout and his right fist, like a bolt of lightning, thundered into the Bearded Man's chest. With a loud thud, the Bearded Man's body was slammed to the ground, creating a booming noise, and he lay writhing in pain, unable to get up for a long while.
After a while, the Bearded Man sprang up like a carp leaping out of water, his face flushed red as he said slowly and deliberately, "I was careless and let you get the upper hand!"
Luo Yang said seriously, "You've lost, now you should call me grandpa."
Incensed by such a demand, the Bearded Man's face reddened past his ears, and he said fiercely, "Watch how I cripple you!"
Turning his hands into claws, he attacked. It turned out he used the Claw Technique.
Luo Yang fought steadily. Whenever he spotted an opening, he would attack like a storm. When there was no opportunity, he would use stillness to control the action. Within minutes, he had beaten the Bearded Man black and blue.
All the spectators were astonished. Zhang Xingkai knew things were taking a bad turn. Quietly, he slipped to the yard's entrance and escaped with a flash.
Luo Yang had to teach the Bearded Man a lesson, he had no time to deal with Zhang Xingkai. He let him go, knowing his home was nearby, and finding him again would be quite easy.
The more they fought, the more the Bearded Man realized Luo Yang was a master. Losing face, he wanted to regain his honor but was helpless in the moment, feeling increasingly anxious, which led to even more mistakes.
He aimed for Luo Yang's eyes, attacking them with every move. But when Luo Yang saw an opportunity, he sidestepped the swipe and thrust his right hand's two fingers rapidly at the man's eyes. The Bearded Man was shocked and swiped with his left claw, hoping to grab Luo Yang's fingers.
But that was a feint; Luo Yang aimed for the Bearded Man's midsection, drawing his left hand to guard his face. As his right hand failed to retract in time, Luo Yang suddenly pulled back his right hand, clenched his fist, and delivered a heavy blow to the Bearded Man's chest.
With a grunt, the Bearded Man spit out blood, staggered a few steps, and eventually fell to the ground, his face deathly pale.
"Teach me a lesson?" Luo Yang said as he kicked the Bearded Man down.
At that moment, Hong Jiaxin moved to hit the Bearded Man, but Uncle Hong quickly grabbed his daughter, stopping her from joining in.
With one punch, the Bearded Man was already injured and overwhelmed with fury. Suddenly, he vomited a mouthful of fresh blood again, significantly weakened, losing his previous arrogant demeanor.
"Uncle Hong, how do you want to deal with him?" Luo Yang asked.
"Let him go," Uncle Hong said.
Upon hearing this, both Luo Yang and Hong Jiaxin were surprised, feeling that Uncle Hong was afraid of the Bearded Man. Moreover, it was highly likely that Uncle Hong knew of the Bearded Man's background.
"Let him go?"
Seeing Uncle Hong still nodding, Luo Yang had intended to interrogate the Bearded Man thoroughly, but now that Uncle Hong suggested releasing him, Luo Yang found it inconvenient to argue further.
"You got lucky! Scram!" Luo Yang said coldly.
The Bearded Man stared coldly at Luo Yang and dropped a line, "I'll come back tomorrow for another lesson," and then led his men away.
An apprentice came up to support Hong Zhong into the room to sit down, Luo Yang took his pulse and said, "Uncle Hong, your internal injury is not severe. I'll prescribe something for you, and you should be better in a few days."
Hong Zhong admired him, "Young fellow, I couldn't tell at such a young age you not only possess great martial arts skills but also understand medicine, are handsome, and have a good heart. Truly, a hero emerges from youth!"
"You flatter me, Uncle Hong."
As they spoke, Luo Yang asked for paper and a pen, wrote a prescription that included Panax Notoginseng, Borneol, Musk, Bletilla striata, Sargentodoxa cuneata, and Dragon's Blood. Having finished, he handed it over to Hong Zhong for approval.
Hong Zhong took it and, seeing Luo Yang's beautiful handwriting, could not resist praising him.
At that moment, Zhu Li arrived with a group of people rushing into the courtyard, relieved to see Luo Yang unharmed.
Hong Zhong asked his daughter how she came to be there and upon learning that she had nearly been kidnapped, his pale complexion turned even graver, and he fell into deep thought.
"Uncle Hong, who were those people?" Luo Yang asked curiously.
Others wanted to know as well.
However, Hong Zhong just gently shook his head, indicating he did not know. He was clearly lying, but his reasons remained a secret.
By then, it was time for dinner, and Hong Zhong said, "Young fellow, I would like to invite you and your friends for a meal to express my thanks. Please do not refuse."
"There's no need. Uncle Hong, you should focus on recovering first."
"It's nothing serious. Young fellow, come, let's go to a restaurant and talk over dinner."
Under such insistent hospitality, Luo Yang had no choice but to agree. He went to a nearby restaurant with Zhu Li and Suyun.
Although Hong Zhong had suffered an internal injury, it was not severe. Luo Yang thought that Bearded Man had shown mercy, probably because he needed to extract some information from Hong Zhong.
Once at the restaurant, Hong Zhong requested the best private room to host Luo Yang for dinner.
As they sat down and Luo Yang had just finished serving tea to everyone present, they heard hurried footsteps coming close, and someone opened the door—it was the restaurant manager.
"Master Hong, I'm sorry, but could you dine in the next private room?" the restaurant manager asked.
"We'll dine right here," Hong Zhong responded.
"This is difficult for me. Someone wants this private room for dinner…" the restaurant manager still pressed.
"Today I'm hosting honored guests for dinner, and we need this private room!" Hong Zhong declared coldly.
Unable to reach an agreement, the restaurant manager left with a long face.
In the private room, there were five people in total: Hong Zhong, Luo Yang, Hong Jiaxin, Suyun, and Zhu Li.
Just as everyone was about to start chatting, a flurry of footsteps outside suggested that quite a few people were approaching. From experience, Luo Yang thought some troublemakers were about to arrive, unsure if they might be associates of the Bearded Man.
As he pondered, he heard the restaurant manager's voice from outside the door, "I'll go in again and talk to them, ask them to vacate this private room."
Before the voice had faded, the restaurant manager opened the door and stepped inside again. Standing in the hallway outside were a group of young men and women, led by none other than Zhang Xingkai.
As enemies meet, their eyes blazed with hostility.
Luo Yang had long wanted to settle accounts with Zhang Xingkai, and meeting him here kindled his anger. Without waiting for the restaurant manager to speak, he stood up and said coldly, "Your timing is perfect!"
Seeing Luo Yang addressing Zhang Xingkai directly, the restaurant manager stood aside to watch.