Chapter 25: Chapter 19: Unable to Withstand a Single Blow
Yan Fei looked over and saw that among the crowd behind Han Junxi, someone was holding a video camera pointing in their direction, and an anchor with a microphone was standing in front of the camera, softly introducing something, evidently recording a video. And next to them were several people with mobile phones on selfie sticks, also speaking softly, it appeared they were internet live-streaming.
The other South Koreans also seemed to be in high spirits, with no signs of nervousness; it seemed they were not worried about losing in the martial arts challenge. They were more interested in making a statement, proving that Taekwondo could defeat Chinese Kung Fu.
Wang Yong was not one to smile or speak much on regular days. Now, despite people coming to his door to challenge him, he remained calm and said, “Chinese Kung Fu is broad and profound. What I’ve learned is merely superficial, far from the threshold of mastery, I cannot represent Chinese Kung Fu. So if you want to challenge Chinese Kung Fu, you should find someone more skilled.”
Han Junxi sneered arrogantly, “Our South Korean Taekwondo is the best in the world, no matter who the opponent, we will defeat them. So it doesn’t matter whether we come to you or any other Kung Fu experts, you all will end up begging for mercy on your knees. We’ve chosen you because this is Shanghai, the most economically advanced place in China, making it the first stop for our Taekwondo to conquer Chinese Kung Fu. After defeating you, we will naturally go and challenge other experts. Besides, you’ve admitted yourself that your skills are subpar. Teaching others Kung Fu in that condition could mislead the younger generation.”
The activity at the Kung Fu training ground quickly drew the attention of the Karate coaches and students nearby, so they stopped their training and all gathered around, curiously watching this rare martial arts challenge unfold.
Previously, the Taekwondo coach stepped forward again and said, “Coach Wang, our Taekwondo Alliance’s goal is not to compete for victory or defeat but to demonstrate that our Taekwondo is not only powerful but also has more advanced teaching methods than Chinese Kung Fu. Look at our Taekwondo students behind us. They have not been practicing Taekwondo for very long, about the same amount of time your students have been practicing Kung Fu. Let’s have a few matches between them to see who is better.”
Yan Fei felt disdainful, these South Koreans clearly had ill intentions. The Taekwondo students might truly not have trained for long, but if they were chosen to come forward, they must have learned some effective fighting techniques, and undoubtedly have considerable combat strength.
On the other hand, looking at Wang Yong’s students, each of them had only practiced basic Kung Fu forms, rarely sparred, and some of them only practiced fancy but impractical moves. Plus, with Wang Yong’s lax teaching style and his lack of strict demands on them, their mental state was also poor, scarcely stronger than the average person, completely lacking combat power.
Comparing the two, the Taekwondo students easily outshone the Kung Fu students. The South Koreans had also noticed this, which is why they came so boldly to challenge and broadcast it live, with the intention of showing off Taekwondo’s prowess while suppressing Chinese Kung Fu.
Wang Yong shook his head and said, “I’m sorry, we practice Chinese Kung Fu for the sake of improving physical health, not for bravado and violence. Therefore, I refuse to let my students compete with you.”
Then Han Junxi mocked, “So it turns out that those who practice Chinese Kung Fu are cowards, without even the courage to accept a challenge.”
He then leaned into the camera lens and said in Korean, “Dear South Korean friends, do you see this? Those Chinese people praise their Kung Fu to the sky, as if it’s the best in the world, but they’re just a bunch of cowards. We Taekwondo folks, even just a beginner who has practiced for a few days, will step forward when challenged. This shows that Chinese Kung Fu is utterly useless; it’s all talk. Taekwondo is clearly the best!”
After Han Junxi ridiculed Chinese Kung Fu in front of the camera, he turned back to Wang Yong and said, “Coach Wang, look at the logo on this video camera; it belongs to our domestic WSSB TV Station, and they are live broadcasting this Taekwondo challenge against Kung Fu. And those internet live-streamers, they are well-known in both South Korea and China, with high popularity in both countries. They are live-streaming as well. This means that a large number of people are currently watching this challenge match. If you dare not accept the challenge, the reputation of Chinese Kung Fu will be tarnished, with no chance of revival.”
Wang Yong finally changed his expression, not expecting to be broadcasted live by the opposing side. He wanted to stop it but didn’t know how to act. He also didn’t dare to take the responsibility of bringing shame to Chinese Kung Fu; otherwise, he would be a sinner in China for all eternity. He turned his head to look at his students, only to see that they were all cowering, their eyes unnaturally shifting away, not looking at him, showing no confidence for battle. The only one who seemed normal, Yan Fei, had practiced Kung Fu for less than ten days.
According to Yan Fei’s principle, knowing that there was a challenge, he should step forward no matter what. But he had recently gotten into big trouble and had incurred a powerful enemy. He wanted to keep a low profile and avoid attracting attention. So, he did not want to take on the task of defending Kung Fu’s honor; let someone else do it! Although Wang Yong’s gaze fell on Yan Fei, he pretended not to see it.
Seeing that no one among Wang Yong’s disciples ventured forward, a young man by the side of the pretty woman stepped out, pointing at Yan Fei, “Out of this bunch, you look somewhat respectable. So you, you represent Chinese Kung Fu and fight them!”
Yan Fei, standing at 178CM with a well-proportioned build, stood out among the crowd, which was why he caught people’s attention and was now being pushed to accept the challenge. Yan Fei had not volunteered to fight, so others thought he was just a pushover, lacking real strength. They were forcing him to take action, as beating such an opponent was more satisfying.
Yan Fei looked at the young man and said, “From what you’ve said, you should be Chinese, right?”
The young man said discontentedly, “Don’t talk nonsense. Although I am Chinese in body, I am already South Korean in spirit. I came here with Miss Choi Kimyin to witness the historical feat of Taekwondo defeating Chinese Kung Fu.”
Yan Fei now realized that the silent, beautiful young woman was called Choi Kimyin, and he sneered, “A good Chinese refuses to be one, preferring to be someone else’s dog. If you really need a master, please find a more formidable one. Even turning to South Koreans, I fear there might be some issues with your intelligence. Your ancestors are probably struggling to keep still in their coffins, aren’t you afraid they’ll come looking for you at night?”
The young man’s face turned red, and he quickly retorted, “South Korea is free and democratic, and also economically advanced, filled with handsome men and beautiful women. China doesn’t compare at all, what’s wrong with liking South Korea? Besides, as a martial artist, you aren’t even brave enough to accept a challenge, how can you face practicing martial arts? Aren’t you afraid of losing face for your Kung Fu ancestors?”
Yan Fei stepped onto the adjacent platform, stripped off his training clothes, revealing his strong and symmetrical muscles, and said, “Well, I am the worst practitioner of Chinese Kung Fu, let me see just how powerful your South Korean Taekwondo really is!”
Seeing Yan Fei finally stand up, Wang Yong’s eyes showed a relieved expression. Whereas that young woman called Choi Kimyin, upon seeing Yan Fei’s robust body, seemed quite interested.
Upon seeing someone step forward, Han Junxi waved his hand, and from the crowd behind him stepped forward a young man barefooted in a white Taekwondo uniform, with a Black Belt tied around his waist. The man had a burly build, with thick and sturdy legs that clearly involved a lot of hard work. This young man got on the platform and locked eyes with Yan Fei in anger.
Han Junxi approached the video camera and announced loudly, “Hello, dear audience friends, the person behind me is Jin Dongjian from South Korea’s Zhen Dong Taekwondo Hall. His rank is a Black Belt Third Dan in Taekwondo, and he has very powerful strength. He will be fighting against the…”
It was only then that Han Junxi realized he didn’t know Yan Fei’s name. As he was about to turn back to ask Yan Fei for his name, he heard a scream, followed by a collective gasp from the spectators. Turning back, he saw Jin Dongjian already far away on the ground, clutching his abdomen and rolling in pain, moaning miserably.
As it turned out, as soon as Jin Dongjian entered the ring, Yan Fei had given him a fist-holding salute. Jin Dongjian bowed to Yan Fei and then assumed an initial stance, gesturing ‘please’ with his hands. Yan Fei did not hesitate and rushed forward, landing a kick. Jin Dongjian tried to block, but he did not anticipate the immense force of Yan Fei’s kick, and with that strike to the abdomen, Jin Dongjian screamed in pain, flew back, and rolled on the ground.
In a flash of confrontation, the victor was decided. Jin Dongjian, considered by Han Junxi to be of great strength, was sent flying with a single kick by Yan Fei, totally losing his combat power. As for Yan Fei, he claimed an initial victory, displaying the might of Chinese Kung Fu.
Yan Fei had just entered the realm of Kung Fu, and he was no match for Xiao Kong and that brawny fellow, but because those two were genuine experts not only in combat power but also in rich fighting experience, Yan Fei could only be crushed by them.
However, in front of Taekwondo experts who relied solely on speed training for fighting, Yan Fei, who had experienced life-and-death battles, surpassed his opponent not only in strength but also overwhelmed them mentally. With just one kick, he took down a so-called Taekwondo master.
The lightning-quick exchange, and lightning-fast determination of the victor, stunned all the live audience, and even those watching the live broadcast on television and the Internet. Especially the South Korean viewers, who found it impossible to accept this reality. In their minds, shouldn’t Chinese Kung Fu be mere fancy moves, only fit for pretty action sequences in movies? Shouldn’t it be thoroughly dominated by Taekwondo? How could it be so powerful, defeating the fearsome Taekwondo fighter in just one move?
Han Junxi started to sweat profusely. He had thought that Wang Yong and his students lacked skill since Wang Yong was unwilling to fight, and so the Taekwondo master he brought would surely win, promoting Taekwondo while pressing down on Chinese Kung Fu. What he didn’t expect was to hit a snag, with his man knocked down in an instant.
In contrast to Chinese Kung Fu, Taekwondo seemed unable to withstand a single blow.
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Thank you to our book friend, the Commissioner of Police, for their reward!