556 Admitting Defea (1/2)
People of the North Court loved to duel, and the way they went about it was not entirely similar to other nations.
Gu Shenwei could still recall how the kung fu practitioners of the Central Plain duelled. Theirs was more of a ritual and preparations could take days or even months. Both sides would gather close ones to provide support and at least three respected elders of the martial arts community would be invited to become moderators. The time and place would be fixed beforehand, as would a list of prohibitions during the competition itself.
On the actual day of competition, both contestants would endorse a liability contract which indemnified them from any responsibility. It would be stated clearly that neither party, regardless of the result of the duel or their condition, find fault with their opponent after the duel. They could also choose to announce that theirs would be a friendly duel with neither party intending to harm the other. Under the second type of competition, the contestants would not be gunning for each other's lives but are attempting to subdue each other with moves that did not seem harmful but show the judges clearly which of them was the stronger.
The elders would not only be expected to watch closely, but they also had to spread the achievements and glory of the victor elsewhere.
There were many possible factors that could cause the entire competition to fail midway. Many times, it was these competitions that never happened which became the most famous, as a hero would always be behind the successful diffusion on a duel.
The way people dueled in the Western Region was somewhat similar, but more simplified. The biggest difference would be no one would be willing to act as a 'hero' and try to diffuse the situation; everyone would be expecting a proper duel and be unhappy if there was even a slight delay.
The audience, most of which do not even know kung fu, replaced the usual roles of elders and closed ones in a Central Plain duel and would cheer both parties on. They were also the ones to determine the winner, and would go absolutely wild with betting.
In the Western region, kung fu competitions were business opportunities and everything about them had to do with money. The winner would receive a monetary reward, and everyone treated fame as just a side effect of victory that would be quickly forgotten.
In the North Court, kung fu competitions or duels were a form of communication. When things got complicated and it was hard to come to a conclusion about certain matters, the parties involved would compete in kung fu. Victory not only meant power and glory.
Kung fu competitions of such nature could take place anywhere, without any agreement made beforehand, audience or judge. They were left to be witnessed 'by the gods and the ancestors of the competitors', expressing the idea that even the bloodshed that was about to begin had some divine aspect to it.
Tuo Sai, the son of King Riyao, was about to enter into a North Court-style kung fu competition with the Dragon King. To him, the act was not against the Khan's promise but the best way to settle his problem.
”May the Gods and our ancestors witness this,” Tuo Sai swore to the heavens. ”The blood of a long line of Khans will not be spilled in vain. Let our enemies rot in the grassland and our foes be trampled upon by horses.”
To the people of the North Court, it was an ordinary curse, but it sounded extremely disrespectful to the Dragon King and his party. None of them however, could think of a come back. Old man Mu was from the North Court, but he seldom took part in kung fu competitions and was not familiar with such language as well. At this crucial moment, it was Long Fanyun, who rarely spoke but acted.
He pointed to the heavens as well and spoke in a voice that was firmer and reverberated even more than Tuo Sai's, ”By the Empyrean above, the Dragon King's name shall not be sullied. Let those who take him lightly eat their own words and may those who challenge him be destroyed.”
As such, the battle between the 'Gods and ancestors' and 'the Empyrean' began.
Shangguan Fei looked at the huge and erect frame of Long Fanyun with admiration, so moved by the swordsman's words that he nearly cried.
Each side took 20 steps back to clear out a flat grassy area between them, the competition was about to begin.
The first competitor sent out by theNorthCourtwas the soldier who exchanged blows with Old man Mu earlier on. Even though he wore the standard uniform of a cavalryman, he drew out a long sword, a weapon hardly ever seen in the North Court or the Western region.
”I'm Gu Da, a lowly soldier serving under King Riyao. I humbly invite the masters from the Dragon army to compete with me.”
The way the 'soldier' spoke betrayed his roots. He was obviously from the Central Plain and was using a fake name.
Long Fanyun stepped forward and replied loudly, ”I'm Long Fanyun, a swordsman from the Great Snowmountain and the Dragon King's guard. I shall fight you.”
The two competitors did not waste any more time talking and immediately began.
Long Fanyun's skills had improved by leaps and bounds, he had benefited the most from the Dragon King's instructions among all the swordsmen from the Great Snowmountain, and not only was his machete technique much better, his internal strength had improved greatly after practicing five chapters of Wayless Qigong.
It was hard to determine the kung fu level of Gu Da, the swordsman from the Central Plain who had changed his name. Even Old Man Mu, who exchanged blows with him, could not deduce his background and strength. He could only throw a meaningful glance to the Dragon King, signaling that he felt Long Fanyun would not be a match.
His prediction turned out to be correct, Long Fanyun did not lose because his machete technique was inferior, but because of the huge gap in their Lightness Skills. After giving more than 30 blows, he was struck by his opponent's sword with a backhand move, the sword pierced him on his wrist and his arm was now involuntarily lowered by about 30 centimeters despite still holding on to his saber.
Long Fanyun still had an opportunity to counter, and in fact he was already preparing to, but his opponent had already retreated by a few steps. ”Thanks for allowing me to win,” Gu Da said, expressing that he had already won.
Shangguan Fei was extremely disappointed. He was the reason for the competition and was more afraid of losing than anyone else. He shouted, ”Hey, how could you say that even before the fight is over?”
Swordsmen from the Great Snowmountain were used to putting their lives on the line and their legends were full of precedents where a severely injured swordsman would successfully strike back, but they also did not like to lose face. If Long Fanyun chose to fight on after his opponent had claimed victory, he would be viewed of as shameless. ”You've won,” he replied after a moment's hesitation.
Gu Da nodded and disappeared back into his party and was soon nowhere to be seen.
”We can't let them win like this,” Shangguan Fei commented, scratching himself out of anxiety. Long Fanyun however, apologized to the Dragon King. ”Please forgive me, Dragon King,” he said.
Gu Shenwei nodded, not blaming the captain of his guards and then signaled for Old man Mu to step forward.
Tuo Sai, who was standing at the opposite side, grunted coldly. Old man Mu was one of his chief targets that day, and he had brought along a kung fu master just to handle the old man.
The master was also dressed like a soldier and had been standing in the last row. He spurred his horse through the crowd and leaped onto the ground and after greeting Tuo Sai, he turned to face Old man Mu.
He was also an old man, but his physique was entirely different from that ofOld man Mu. He was huge and looked extremely authoritative, and in his hand was a broad sword which was even longer than his opponent.
”Old devil Mu, we haven't seen each other for a while.”
Old Man Mu wass hocked upon seeing his opponent and took a leap back. ”Aren't you the Giant Machete King, Feng Tianhe? Why are you still alive?” He asked.