704 Visiting the Doctor (1/2)
Shangguan Ru was more surprised than anyone else. ”Me?” she asked in disbelief.
Shangguan Fei had learned from the past that he couldn't show his loyalty by being indecisive in front of the Dragon King; he firmly nodded and said, ”Yes, sister. The Dragon King is talking about you. You are the only 'instructor' here.”
Gu Shenwei also nodded slightly, explaining more by saying, ”Your lightness skill is not rusty at all, and it is even better than before.”
”Not only that. My sister has learned the Heart Stopping Finger technique from Old Man Mu, so she's very powerful.” Shangguan Fei was really worried that his sister would refuse to fight because she had a readily available excuse that she couldn't and didn't want to kill.
Red Bat despised Shangguan Fei's behavior and snorted lightly. ”Coward, do you think that everyone is as mortally afraid of death as you are?”
The Red Bat's trust in the instructor was justified. Shangguan Ru was surprised but not timid. She was even a bit excited. But she had a word to say before the duel, ”You know that I can't… Not even as an accomplice.”
This meant that she would not use the Seven Circles Seven Apertures Heart Stopping Finger in the duel.
”Can you guarantee that I won't be killed from behind?” This was all that Gu Shenwei needed.
”Yes.” Shangguan Ru was very confident in this. Then she casually drew her wooden saber.
The six of them faced off against each other in pairs, occupying the three corners of an equilateral triangle.
Dog Butcher coughed as if he wanted to say something, but Tu Pianpian was already eager to fight. Fearing that her junior brother would come up with more nonsense, she snapped at him in a low voice, ”Shut up and fight.”
Since it was a duel of life and death, it was superfluous to consider the etiquette between seniors and juniors. Tu Pianpian's first move didn't seem flashy or special, but her stout body abruptly rocketed at Deng Yuanlei and Liu Fangsheng as her cane dragged behind. When she was within five steps of the two, she suddenly drew her cane as fast as lightning to stab at the two.
At almost the exact same moment, Dog Butcher abandoned his crutch and faced the Dragon King with his bare fists. He still remembered their previous agreement to have their competition purely in fist and foot techniques rather than weapon skills.
The two elders of the Kongtong Sect considered themselves highly skilled in martial arts. They had actually each launched a separate speed attack against two different teams.
Gu Shenwei used the Formless Prajna Palm he had just learned to face his enemy.
”Good palm technique,” Dog Butcher praised. Instead of fighting the Dragon King fiercely like his senior sister, his style was more tentative and laced with caution.
The two weren't engaged in a furious fight, so Shangguan Ru had almost nothing to do.
On the other side, Tu Pianpian was making many murderous moves and swinging her crutch like a whirlwind, appearing very aggressive and the nickname Rolling Thunder seemed to fit her more than Deng Yuanlei.
Deng Yuanlei was called 'Flashing Lightning Rolling Thunder,' but what his actual weapon was a soft long sword and he focused more on defense than offense. As he fought, he said to the son of the sect leader, ”Brother Liu, we can't bully seniors, so you should pick another opponent.”
Liu Fangsheng also used a long sword. He replied, ”I dare not challenge the elders,” then leapt at the Dragon King.
Tu Pianpian took it as a mark of shame and turned her crutch to lunge straight at Liu Fangsheng as she shouted, ”You wanna run…”
Before she could finish her words, Liu Fangsheng had really run away, jumping high and vaulting over the thrusting attack. Deng Yuanlei immediately came forward to face Tu Pianpian so the latter had no way to chase him. Grim-faced, Tu Pianpian no longer spoke and concentrated on furiously attacking Deng Yuanlei.
Shangguan Ru's competitive personality hadn't changed much. After seeing the Dragon King fight with Dog Butcher, she was itching to join the fight. Now that Liu Fangsheng had come over, she immediately ran over to meet him with her wooden saber.
Liu Fangsheng seemed unwilling to deal with Shangguan Ru. He twisted and turned, trying to avoid the wooden saber and directing join in on the melee between Dragon King and Dog Butcher. But he was blocked by his opponent every time. Although it was a wooden saber, it made a strong whooshing sound as it cut through the wind.
Liu Fangsheng was finally taking Shangguan Ru seriously, but he still focused more on defending than attacking, slowly moving toward the Dragon King.
Since coming to the Royal Court, Shangguan Fei had met many kung fu practitioners of the Central Plains and even had fought against some of them but he had never seen a 'life-and-death duel' like this. ”Is it me or is the fight not fierce at all. Everyone is hiding their real abilities and is unwilling to show their unique skills.”
Long Fanyun and Red Bat also felt it was a below-par performance, but they were not familiar with the martial arts of the Central Plains and couldn't make any comments. Doctor Sun used to travel around the world and once stayed in the Central Plains for many years, and therefore, took the authoritative lead at this time. He nodded and commented, ”Competitions among masters are always like this. In the beginning, everyone is trying to feel each other out, and no one will not use their unique skill until they see an opening.”
”Oh, really? Does it mean that everybody I've met from the Central Plains up till now wasn't an expert?” Shangguan Fei wasn't fully convinced. But he had fought with Dog Butcher and lost in three moves and from that he qualified Dog Butcher as much more formidable than the five elders of the Jade Pure Sect. ”Dog Butcher wasn't Old Man Mu's match before so he similarly won't be able to beat the Dragon King today.”
Doctor Sun hummed and hawed at this comment, which annoyed Shangguan Fei to no end. ”Don't you believe in the Dragon King? Oh, I suppose that you won't be in danger no matter who you follow. You must have always been ready to switch sides, weren't you?”
”We are all from the Western Regions, so of course I'll support the Dragon King, but…”
”But what?”
”But the Dragon King is using his weak points to attack the other's strong points. His sabersmanship is advanced and his speed attacks are strong, but right now he's fighting a battle of attrition against his opponent. He's… he's being a bit too careless.”
Shangguan Fei actually had the same thoughts, but what he said was, ”What do you know? The Dragon King has his own way of fighting. As for you, an average kung fu practitioner… Humph, just focus on curing patients.”