Chapter 5: Martial Arts Competition

Cao Yue was arranged to rest in a single room at the military camp in the evening, treated to fine wine and delicacies, with the wine and meat delivered by the personal guards of Kang Sanshi. With nothing to do, he observed the Green Camp's encampment and found it to be tight on the outside but loose on the inside. Although there appeared to be a group of sentries at the entrance, the soldiers inside the Green Camp were not well-trained; they were all indulging in drinking and gambling, having a great time. Cao Yue shook his head, realizing that the Green Camp was indeed vulnerable.

Cao Yuedao: "What era is this? It is not the 17th or 18th century. During the First Sino-Japanese War, the Qing Dynasty was already using fine rifles. Why are you still using red tassel spears and sabers?"

Cao Yue, having nothing to do, decided to relax a bit. The past few months of fighting with the idlers in the village had truly been dull. Ever since he subdued them, not a single one dared to resist. Now, seeing someone willing to spar with him, he felt an irresistible urge. He looked the person up and down and said with a smile, "I am Cao Yue, courtesy name Baichuan, from Taojia Village"

The next morning, the sky cleared up; the northwestern sky was vast and azure. The air was filled with a fragrant purity, devoid of smog and dust, offering only the clean oxygen of nature.

One is a hero who killed four bandits, while the other is a troublemaker in the barracks. It is uncertain who ultimately triumphed over whom. Many people began to place bets, and based on Hao Baozi's reputation, most chose him. Li Shitou was counting money with great joy, while Lü Jiaolu expressed concern, saying: "What if this Cao wins? We would be in deep trouble."

With a crack, the two wooden swords broke apart

Then Lu called out to the donkey, saying: "Call the leopard over? Be careful, don't hurt anyone"

I beg your pardon, let us keep it brief. The leopard cupped his hands in accordance with the rules of the competition and said, "My surname is Hao, my full name is Hao Jinyan, but everyone calls me Leopard."

Cao Yue felt frustrated; Gao Yinglian didn't even want to see him and went directly to report his achievements to the authorities. What would happen to his money? What about his father's illness?

Cao Yue smiled faintly and set Hao Baozi down

Hao Baozi was taken aback, suddenly having his waistband grabbed by someone, and then his collar was seized, lifting him off the ground.

It is impossible to believe in the leopard; that kid has never lost.

Cao Yue smiled and said: "No problem, just give it a try. Let's keep it to a minimum and engage in friendly competition through martial arts"

After thinking for an entire night, I fell into a deep sleep

Cao Yue smiled faintly and said, "Alright."

At that moment, the leading sergeant Wang Dali suggested that they might as well go to the large training ground for a competition. As more and more spectators gathered, Hao Baozi was quite excited and said, "Let's go over there and practice."

Then Wang Dali hurriedly said: "Warrior, do not harm others."

Li Shitou sighed with his arms hanging down and said: "Who says otherwise? What can be done? He is the brother-in-law of the garrison commander, and besides, the Li family is a prominent household in southern Shaanxi, with ancestors who were founding contributors to the Qing Dynasty. By the way, this brave man, I heard that your martial arts are quite good, care to show us a few moves?"

Cao Yue frowned and said: "Hanging out in opium dens... How can such a person be made a general? Truly... Truly... it is an insult to Lord Kang"

The surrounding soldiers were left dumbfounded. Although Cao Yue's techniques were quite simple, his strikes were as swift as lightning, and his movements were agile and fierce. His techniques were characterized by their extreme strength and boldness, leaving no time for anyone to breathe a sigh of relief. They could only feel dazzled, and it was as if they were sweating for Shan Hu.

Others were taken aback, not expecting that this person with the surname Cao would come out with lethal moves right from the start, delivering one strike after another, each aimed at vital points. Occasionally, he would even kick between the legs, making it clear that this was not a fair competition at all

Li Shitou blinked and said, "It's nothing, do they look like people who lack restraint?"

The guard of the personal soldiers initially thought that he looked down on the martial skills of his own troops while reading a book. Only after he clearly heard that it was about equipment did he helplessly say: "Yes, we are all using firearms, but who can blame us for being from the Shaanxi Green Camp? Our camp only has a few quick guns placed at the pass for show, and only the personal soldiers of the garrison general have a bit more."

Li Shitou hurriedly said to Cao Yue: "Brave man, our brother Leopard is here. You two can spar a bit, but keep it to a minimum."

Someone shouted: "Hao Baozi, don't embarrass our unit!"

Lu called Donkey and Li Stone exchanged knowing smiles, and one said: "It is quite puzzling to gesture here; how about we go to the training ground?" The other ran to the camp and shouted: "Hao Leopard is battling Zhang Erlang, place your bets, place your bets! Betting on Hao Leopard pays one to two, betting on Zhang Erlang pays two to one! Place your bets, place your bets!"

Kang Sanshi deliberately provoked and taunted him, and upon seeing that he was indeed furious, he boldly said: "Bring the reward money here." Behind him, the soldier Du Lide brought two Qing army veterans with long braids, who were carrying a tray. The tray was covered with a large piece of red silk. Kang Sanshi lifted the silk, and instantly, a dazzling pile of silver appeared, shining so brightly that it hurt people's eyes. Those who were serving as soldiers or officials could not help but drool at the sight. The two men carried a tray, covered with a large piece of red silk. Kang Sanshi lifted the silk, and instantly, a dazzling pile of silver appeared, shining so brightly that it hurt people's eyes. Those who were serving as soldiers or officials could not help but drool at the sight.

The crowd could not help but exclaim in approval

"Brave warrior, you possess great martial skills," said Kang Sanshi, walking over with a hearty laugh.

After Cao Yue broke his sword, he immediately discarded it and charged forward. Initially, he intended to deliver a kick aimed at the groin, but considering that this was not a battlefield but a training ground, he changed his approach from a kick to a throw. He then seized the dazed Hao Baozi, lifting him up after a moment of hesitation.

The two individuals moved from the small parade ground to the center of the large parade ground, where over five hundred soldiers from the Green Camp ceased their training and rushed over to gather around and watch the commotion

"What a great move!" praised Hao Baozi.

Unexpectedly, the soldiers of the Green Camp began their drills in the morning, a stark contrast to their performance the previous afternoon. Soon, Cao Yue was awakened by the sounds of shouting and killing from the training ground. He dressed himself, coiling his braid around his neck, and stepped outside. Sitting at the door, he carefully observed the commotion for a while, feeling that these Green Camp soldiers were merely for show, which was quite amusing.

Cao Yuedao: "What? Unconvinced? Want to give it a try?"

"It is easy to say." At that moment, Cao Yue raised his knife with both hands and shouted loudly, delivering a powerful strike aimed at Mount Hua. Hao Baozi, holding his knife with one hand, attempted to deflect the blow by striking the back of his blade upward, preparing to sweep horizontally after the deflection. However, Cao Yue's strike was so fierce that Hao Baozi's deflection only slightly altered the direction of his opponent's blade, while Cao Yue took the opportunity to kick towards Hao Baozi's lower body vital points.

"Please get up," Kang Sanshi said with a smile, then looked at the dazed Cao Yue and said, "Cao, the valiant warrior, the garrison commander took Ma Zifang to Xi'an this morning"

Cao Yue curiously asked: "What is your surname, brother? Is there still a distinction of kinship in this military camp? Aren't you from the personal guard unit?"

I am Li Ning, and my brothers all call me Li Shitou. To be honest with you, brother, our Tongguan Daizi Camp Green Camp is one of the five major Green Camps in Shaanxi. The Daizi Camp is divided into five battalions: front, back, left, right, and center. We are the front battalion, and our commander is the esteemed Lord Kang Sanshi. General Gao Ying serves as the garrison commander of Tongguan and concurrently holds the positions of the Daizi Camp's battalion commander and the center battalion's commander, a legitimate fourth-rank military officer of the court. The center battalion is actually General Gao's personal guard, and they have a fire team of over one hundred men. Our front battalion also has firearms, but together we only have ten, and we usually rely on knives, spears, and clubs. The left and back battalions are even worse off than the front battalion, having not a single gun. Additionally, the commander of the right battalion is General Gao's brother-in-law, Li Cunxiao, who spends his days in opium dens and brothels. They do have a rapid-fire team of over twenty men, but that was funded out of Li Cunxiao's own pocket, and no one can interfere with that.

"Cao Zhuangshi, let me first inform you that I am a disciple of the old master of Shanbei Baji Quan, so as to avoid causing you any harm," said the robust man with a voice like a lion.

Before long, a tall and strong soldier from the Green Camp strode over. Li Ning guided him from the side and whispered, "This guy captured Ma Zifang and killed four Red-headed bandits. The brothers don't quite believe this matter; you should test his mettle. Leopard, don't beat him to a pulp; give him some face, understand"

Due to his capture of Ma Zifang, two guards were specifically assigned to stand watch over him tonight. However, these two guards were inattentive and returned to sleep in the middle of the night. Years of being a mercenary had made it easy for Cao Yue to fall asleep and just as easy to wake up. He speculated about what rewards he might receive and pondered what path he should choose in the future, while also secretly criticizing the Qing soldiers for being utterly incompetent.

The sergeants immediately knelt and said: "Your Excellency."

Cao Yue laughed heartily and said, "Let me tell you, all the skills I possess—every move I make—were taught to me by Erlang Shen, and they are all lethal techniques. You want me to admit defeat? I can afford to lose, but my master, Erlang Shen, cannot afford to lose"

Fortunately, Hao Baozi was highly skilled in martial arts and quickly dodged the lethal kick aimed at him. Just as he was about to counterattack, he saw a flash of blades before him, one ring after another, one wave following the next. Caught off guard by the low kicks and the continuous feints, he found himself thrown into disarray, disrupting his own techniques.

Hao Baozi, still shaken, stood to the side like a defeated tiger, dejected. Cao Yue patted him on the shoulder and said, "Well, you managed to exchange twenty moves with me." Hao Baozi forced a smile and replied, "My master always said, 'There are mountains beyond mountains, and there are people beyond people.' Today, I have finally witnessed that truth"

I possess only mediocre martial skills; let me find someone for you to practice with said Li Shitou with a smile

Hao Baozi paid no attention to these people from hetushu.com, directly grabbing a wooden sword and pointing it at Cao Yuelang, saying: "Cao Erlang, if you want to live, just admit defeat"

A sentry, feeling indignant, said: "What’s the matter? Do you look down on the skills of my brothers?"

Hao Baozi laughed heartily and said: "You've been boasting to the heavens; let me test your abilities. I simply don't believe that you, a kid who hasn't even grown all your hair, have any real skills. Your bragging is quite loud, but unfortunately, boasting won't put food on the table. So how did you manage to catch Ma Zifang? Let's have a match, and we'll see whether you're a donkey or a horse."

"Bah! Shameless! Who always attacks others below the belt during a fight?" Hao Baozi exclaimed urgently

"Nonsense," said the one called Leopard, casting a glance at this scheming fellow.

The Green Camp is merely the Green Camp, lacking any significant influence

Cao Yuedao: "Go ahead, call me whatever you like"

"Oh, quite a tone you have there," Li Shitou said to another bodyguard. "Call Donkey, you keep an eye here while I go get Leopard."

Only hearing Cao Yue let out another loud roar, he swung his blade down. This time, Hao Baozi did not dare to underestimate his opponent, raising his knife with both hands to strike upward

Kang Sanshi said: "Here are five hundred taels of silver. Three hundred taels are the reward from the garrison commander, and two hundred taels are given by the county magistrate. Mat Tai's head is worth two thousand taels of silver, and this Ma Zifang is his only son. Although the court has not stated his price, this five hundred taels of silver is certainly worth it. Brave warrior, please accept it first. As the saying goes, wealth should not be flaunted, so the brave warrior must keep it safe."

Upon hearing about the wager, the soldiers of the Green Camp immediately became interested. Hao Jinyan, also known as Hao the Leopard, is quite famous; he is a disciple of a master of Baji Quan and fights recklessly. He is the strongest fighter in Kang Sanshi's personal guard. To befriend him, one must first engage him in a fight—only those who survive have the right to be considered.

Hao Baozi had no choice but to respond with all his strength, unknowingly receiving several kicks to his thigh, which caused him considerable pain

Cao Yuedao: "All's fair in war; if you have the guts, don't block me!"