Chapter Nine, Green Camp Elite Guards

Li Shitou laughed from the side, saying: "Brother Cao, don't pay attention to him; he can't even write his own name, he is uneducated"

Over there, Li Shitou finally pulled the stinky shoe out of his mouth, his entire mouth swollen as if it were inflated, and said: "How about we have a competition another day?"

Lu laughed heartily and said, "Leopard, do you think that fighting on the battlefield is like a martial arts competition for courting? Still using tricks and tactics? I believe that the moves just now from Brother Cao were the real killing techniques." He turned to ask, "Brother Cao, do you still have a few moves hidden away, afraid that if you use them, you might directly take down the madman?"

Cao Yue scratched his head and smiled awkwardly, saying: "How could I dare to hide anything? Brother Leopard is too formidable; I wouldn't know how to deal with it even if it happened again"

Cao Yue became even more difficult to deal with after being closely pursued by Hao Baozi. He realized that he had indeed taken advantage of a surprise attack that day, and that Hao Baozi's strength lay not in swords or blades, but in close combat. Cao Yue had unwittingly played into Hao Baozi's hands.

I cannot get close to him," Cao Yue said with a smile

This means that it has been decided

Oh, good, it's settled

Cao Yue smiled and said, "I am at your service anytime"

Bang

"I just fear that you might have diarrhea and not be able to handle it," Lu mocked, helping to tidy up the surroundings. The others, also worried that these two might knock over their equipment, hurriedly cleaned up as well.

Cao Yuexin understood that in order to make everyone submit to him, he first needed to defeat everyone in combat. He then smiled and said, "Sure, from now on, anyone who wants to spar can come at any time, and I will accompany them to the end. Let us befriend through martial arts, let us befriend through martial arts."

Indeed," Li Shitou said

Li Shitou said happily: "Brother, brother, from now on you are my own brother!"

After Du Lide left, Li Shitou leaned over to Cao Yue and said, "Brother Cao, this Du is quite the favored one by the general. You can offend anyone, but you must not offend him"

The two individuals sought the approval of Captain Zhao Sheng, who smiled and nodded as usual, remaining silent.

Hao Baozi was thrown to the ground by Cao Yue. As Hao Baozi got up, Cao Yue approached and wrapped his arm around him, executing another joint lock throw.

After Tongguan Xiaoguan, there is the West City, which is the residence of the officials. Dozens of prominent families have their mansions here, and the county government office is not far from this location

Cao Yue certainly sensed that his opponent lacked strength, and a smile appeared on his face. Suddenly, he unleashed his skills in Sanshou, using long-range kicks and close-range throws, taking advantage of the narrow space to execute Muay Thai and combat techniques. The moves were ones that others had never seen before, and everyone immediately widened their eyes to observe closely.

Then Hao Baozi was also knocked unconscious, foolishly wanting to continue fighting. It was only after Zhao Sheng held him and called out to him a few times that he finally came to. Then with a cry of "Oh dear," he lay on the earthen bed, groaning in pain, and everyone burst into laughter.

Hao Baozi seeks speed, while Cao Yue seeks duration

On that day, Hao Baozi was unwilling to accept his defeat, so he invited Cao Yue for another match, but this time it was a contest of martial arts skills.

Hao Baozi said: "Shut up, you fool, and watch my skills"

Just as Li Shitou was about to shout "Buy it and leave it," Cao Yue picked up a stinky shoe from the ground, which he didn't know belonged to whom, and threw it over. His aim with the flying knife was extremely precise, not to mention the flying shoe, which directly hit Li Shitou in the mouth. Li Shitou opened his mouth wide, clenching the stinky shoe, and after struggling for a long time, he still couldn't pull it out. He was filled with regret, crying bitterly, and this Lord Cao was indeed someone not to be trifled with

Kang Sanshi greatly admired Cao Yue's composure and eloquence, and subsequently instructed Dulide to take him to the Imperial Guard to meet everyone. The captain of the Imperial Guard, named Zhao Sheng, was a taciturn individual. Upon learning that Cao Yue had become a new member of the Imperial Guard, he merely smiled and nodded.

Along the way, Lu called out to the donkey, and hetushucomcom quietly pointed out some rules to Cao Yue. After listening, Cao Yue murmured, "There are quite a few rules for large households."

Cao Yue felt that this person was inexplicably enthusiastic, and Lu Jiaolu said: "That day he made a bet on your duel with the leopard, and as a result, you won, causing all the people who bought the leopard to lose money"

Li Shitou mocked, "How can someone with a donkey face like yours find a wife?" The two immediately began to argue, leaving Cao Yue in a state of both laughter and tears.

Seizing this opportunity, everyone also came to recognize the strength of this young man named Cao Yue. Standing over 1.80 meters tall and weighing more than 80 kilograms, he is all muscle. His martial arts skills are exceptionally diverse and outstanding, and it is estimated that the twelve individuals in this room would not be his match in a one-on-one fight

This is easy to handle. Lu said, "The master is just strict about the back courtyard; there aren't so many rules in the front courtyard. If Captain Zhao agrees, I can take you out to buy wine and meat."

In the Imperial Guard, there were three acquaintances: one was Hao Jinyan, also known as Hao the Leopard, who had lost to him in a duel that day; another was Lu Jiaolu; and the third was Li Ning, also known as Li Shitou. Upon seeing Cao Yue's unexpected arrival, the three of them burst into hearty laughter and came forward to greet him

Li Shitou laughed and said, "There is an old acquaintance of the donkey over there."

One could only see Hao Baozi executing one move after another, performing Baji Quan with extraordinary elegance. The techniques included Er Yi Ding Zhou, Shi Zi Zhang Kou, Ba Wang Kai Gong, Dan Feng Chao Yang, Chong Tian Pao, Bi Di Zhou, He Zi Shou, Tiao Shan, Yong Zhou, Zuo You Luo Shou, San Hui Tou, and Dan Yi Ding. Each move was continuous and unending, leaving the onlookers utterly astonished.

"Is it another surprise attack?" Hao Baozi exclaimed, this person truly understands the principle that the first to strike has the advantage in battle; this is not a competition, it is simply warfare.

Everyone is a practitioner, so naturally, we must see just how formidable this newcomer is. On that day, some witnessed Cao Yue defeating Hao Baozi, while others merely heard about it. Therefore, it is essential to closely observe their skills

Lu called the donkey angrily: "Aren't you just able to write a few characters? What can you do? When I marry a female teacher in the future, I will have her write for me on that day!"

However, Cao Yue is the kind of person who never admits defeat. He relies on his experience to repeatedly evade Hao Baozi's attacks. He knows that Hao Baozi is now fully unleashed and that he cannot subdue him at this moment, so he decides to lure Hao Baozi into exhausting his stamina before seizing the opportunity to act.

Bang

Cao Yue shook his head with a smile and asked, "I originally intended to treat everyone to drinks upon my arrival. Is there any way to do that?"

Everyone already knew that Hao Baozi was formidable and recognized him as the best fighter in the Dai Zi Camp, yet they did not expect that this seemingly simple-minded Hao Baozi had several tricks up his sleeve. The crowd exchanged glances, thinking to themselves that if they ever provoked Hao Baozi and he unleashed his skills, they would be left with nothing but broken bones

Hao Baozi was extremely frustrated, realizing that he had fallen into a trap once again; this kid was quite cunning.

On the topic of protracted warfare, engage in a twelve-round boxing championship, exhausting him of all his strength before proceeding

"What you said makes it sound as if you didn't get any money," Li Shitou complained

No wonder he single-handedly captured the son of Matriarch and his subordinates; he truly possesses this capability. The military has always been a place that reveres the strong, and the people began to admire him in their hearts.

"It is settled with a word," said Cao Yue with a smile

"Please." said Hao Baozi.

Dulide introduced that there are twelve members in the imperial guard, all of whom are exceptionally skilled fighters. Captain Zhao, who is a lay disciple of the Shaolin Temple, spoke as he arrived at the barracks of the imperial guard

Indeed, Hao Baozi possesses remarkable skills, truly worthy of being a disciple of the Eight Extremes School. His techniques are clear-cut and his boxing style is robust. Eight Extremes Boxing emphasizes six major openings: top, embrace, single, lift, cross, and entangle. The movements are simple and unadorned, yet elegant. Each strike is executed with intention, and the return strike follows the hexagram formation, with each move being fierce and powerful

The court permitted military generals to bring their personal guards home, thus, including Cao Yue, these personal guards had accommodations not only in the barracks but also at Kang Sanshi's residence. As evening approached, Zhao Sheng informed everyone to ensure Kang Sanshi's safe return home, and everyone calmly tidied up.

"What does 'a word is a promise' mean?" Lu asked, scratching his head like a donkey.

Lu called out to the donkey: "Brother Cao, from now on we will share the same pot, so please take care of me more."

After walking a few steps, I arrived at the home of Kang Sanshi. His residence in Tongguan could be considered a large estate, with twelve members of the personal guard and the household guards of the Kang family arranged to stay in the front courtyard. The personal soldiers generally remained indoors and were not allowed to disturb the people of the Kang family. Kang Sanshi's family lived in the back courtyard, while the central hall served as a reception area. Additionally, there were more than a dozen servants and bodyguards employed by the Kang family, who typically protected the entire estate.

Yet, despite Hao Baozi's extraordinary bravery, that young man with the surname Cao remained completely unscathed, truly a sight to behold. The crowd could not help but take a closer look at what kind of person this young man with the surname Cao was.

Hao Baozi clapped the earthen bed and said: "Right! To make friends through martial arts! My master used to say this all the time, but I never understood it until today. Brother Cao, from now on you are my own brother. Once I recover from my injuries, we will practice together again."

After twenty minutes of relentless assault, Hao Baozi gradually began to ease his offensive; he was also fatigued. Last time, he suffered a significant loss due to Cao Yue's sudden attack, which left him bewildered. This time, despite his continuous onslaught, he too needed to take a breather.

Cao Yue smiled faintly, nodded, and lunged forward with a black tiger's heart-piercing punch.

In Cao Yue's ten techniques, only one or two are offensive, while the rest focus on defense, utilizing footwork for defense, defending in narrow spaces, employing both fists and feet for defense, and making full use of the knees and elbows of Muay Thai to strike hard against the opponent

Cao Yue laughed nonchalantly, while Hao Baozi realized for the first time that he had been made a wager, which infuriated him to the point of wrestling with Lu Jiaolu and Li Shitou. Taking advantage of this moment, Du Lide brought a set of light blue Green Camp military uniform and handed it to Cao Yue. This Green Camp uniform was quite unattractive, featuring a large character "Yong" (勇) on the front and a large character "Zhong" (忠) on the back, with baggy trousers, accompanied by a waist knife and a conical hat.

Cao Yue was also encountering a genuine practitioner of Chinese martial arts for the first time. In his previous life as a mercenary, he had fought with other mercenaries on numerous occasions and had also sparred with so-called Chinese martial artists. However, the techniques of those individuals lacked the righteousness found in Hao Baozi's style. Hao Baozi's martial arts were upright and aboveboard, with each punch and kick demonstrating strength and energy. It could be said that one would willingly concede defeat under such powerful strikes, earning the respect of all.

Cao Yuelian quickly apologized to the leopard, who grinned and said: "Brother Cao, what kind of move are you using? You're completely going off-script."

Private duels within the military are strictly prohibited and can result in severe punishment. The reason the public duel could take place that day was that Cao Yue was not yet a soldier, thus it did not count as a private duel within the military. Therefore, the two could only spar with their fists and feet inside the room, and the other personal guards, upon seeing this, made way for them.

Hao Baozi fought vigorously to defend himself, and then engaged in a battle with Cao Yue.

"You brat have arrived; I will no longer worry about lacking opponents in the future," Hao Baozi said, patting Kang Sanshi on the shoulder

Cao Yueshuang readily stated that he would practice right now, right here. Hao Baozi replied, "Am I afraid of you? That day, I was careless and allowed you to launch a series of surprise attacks that flustered me. This time, I will definitely not be defeated."

"Brother, last month a bodyguard named Chen Menghua was beaten to death by the captain just for teasing a maid in the backyard." Lu said quietly, "The captain's backyard is off-limits; if you're feeling stifled, I can take you to Cui Xiang Lou."

Lü Jiao Lu said: "Leopard, do not bring shame to your master’s sect, the Eight Extremes Gate"