Chapter 96: May I Ask, Do You Know Liu Chong?

“Hey guys, has the spiritual leader shown up yet? I’m late because I just had a fight with my girlfriend about her going out to drink with some guy in the middle of the night.”

“It’s over already—the opponent was a total amateur, got completely destroyed. Oh, and my girlfriend also often goes out for drinks with other men late at night. I wanted to do something about it, but then I thought, her husband doesn’t even care, so maybe it’s not my place.”

“Legendary comment right there!”

“No seasoned drivers tonight? Feels strangely lonely.”

“For everyone feeling lonely, there’s a trick—you know those loyalty test services on Taobao? The ones where a ‘green tea girl’ flirts with your boyfriend? Just buy one for yourself. It’ll open the door to a whole new world.”

“Awesome, I’m taking notes!”

The chat was exploding with lively banter.

After a short rest, Bai Qingming was ready for the next match. When he stepped onto the stage, he found someone already standing there.

It was Baoguo, the Taiji Grandmaster.

He had an unremarkable face—one you’d lose in a crowd—but wore a loose white robe, hands behind his back, striking a pose that gave off the air of a true martial arts master.

The moment he appeared, someone in the chat recognized him.

“I know this streamer—he’s a Taiji Grandmaster.”

“Yeah, you can tell he’s got something just from his clothes. He’s definitely stronger than the last guy.”

“Taiji Grandmaster? This match should be exciting. Can’t wait to see it.”

“The spiritual leader might have finally met his match!”

“Hurry up and start! I’m dying to see who’s stronger.”

Everyone was buzzing with excitement; the revelation that he was a Taiji Grandmaster immediately raised the stakes.

Looking at Baoguo across from him, Bai Qingming’s eyes lit up. That outfit alone made it clear he wasn’t just some average guy.

Excellent—he’d been worried about facing another pushover like Liu Chong.

But Baoguo clearly wasn’t like that. At last, Bai Qingming could really let loose.

On the other side, Baoguo stood with his hands behind his back, arrogance plain on his face. He’d watched the previous match and found it laughable.

Yes, laughable.

He’d caught that guy posturing before and thought he might have some skill. Baoguo had actually worried Bai Qingming might be too weak and lose before Baoguo even got to the stage.

But now, it seemed fate had handed him this chance. The opportunity to make his name by defeating the so-called “Single Life Guru” was destined to be his.

Thinking this, Baoguo couldn’t help but smile, brimming with joy.

Yet when Bai Qingming saw that smile, a strange sense of familiarity crept over him.

On reflection, that guy Liu Chong had given him the same vibe as Baoguo—same smile, same inexplicable confidence.

Noticing this, Bai Qingming couldn’t help but ask, “Hey, do you know Liu Chong? The last guy I fought.”

He was asking just in case Baoguo and Liu Chong were in cahoots, faking everything to scam him. Better to check upfront.

“Liu Chong? Never heard of him,” Baoguo replied, momentarily confused by the question. He did know of Liu Chong, but not well—not enough to say they were acquainted.

Satisfied with the answer, Bai Qingming relaxed. As long as they weren’t friends.

Then—

Clang!

The bell rang.

Single Life Guru vs. Taiji Grandmaster—the match began!

Baoguo immediately slipped into a Taiji stance.

“Wing Chun, Ye—no, wait, Taiji, Baoguo!” he announced himself grandly.

Bai Qingming didn’t move. Instead, he asked again, very seriously, “Just to confirm, you really don’t know Liu Chong, right? Maybe think again—could he be a friend of yours?”

Once bitten, twice shy.

The more Bai Qingming looked, the more he felt these two were alike. Better to double-check, just to be sure he wasn’t getting conned again.

“What’s wrong with you? I said I don’t know him. Why do you talk so much?” Baoguo snapped, clearly annoyed. He was about to say more when, all of a sudden—

“Hey! That was a cheap shot!” he shouted.

In the blink of an eye, Bai Qingming had dashed over and punched him.

“But you moved first. Pulling this kind of stunt, I suggest you behave yourself,” Bai Qingming replied.

Baoguo was furious—he’d let his guard down and got sucker punched. He decided to go all out and unleash his secret technique.

“Lightning Five-Whip Attack!”

The words had barely left his mouth when he began convulsing on the spot.

Startled, Bai Qingming froze.

He’d seen this before! Back in his old, rundown neighborhood, there was an old man downstairs with cerebral thrombosis who would seize up just like this.

So Bai Qingming immediately understood—Baoguo’s attack was actually a symptom of a stroke!

Despite all his precautions, Bai Qingming had stumbled into a mess. He’d only thrown a light punch, but look at the result.

Who would believe it wasn’t intentional?

Damn it, didn’t he just say he didn’t know Liu Chong? Liar!

No integrity at all.

Bai Qingming was furious.

Fine, so you want to scam me? Let’s see how well you can take a beating!

Since Baoguo was clearly faking it, Bai Qingming didn’t hold back. He charged in and pummeled Baoguo’s face with punch after punch, not the slightest bit gentle—fists flying until smoke nearly rose from his blows.

As the saying goes, “Wild punches kill even masters.” Baoguo couldn’t defend himself at all. No technique worked. Knocked backward again and again, the “stroke” seemed cured by sheer force.

“I surrender! Referee, I give up!” Baoguo wailed, his face swollen and bruised, tears streaming down as he howled like a pig being slaughtered.

Everyone was stunned, once again.

Just how brutal could this get?

What kind of grudge did they have? He was even more merciless than with the last guy.

The chat exploded.

“This guy’s really a Taiji Grandmaster? Who said that?”

“I thought we’d get a great match, but this? Really?”

“In hindsight, that Liu Chong guy at least had some backbone—at least he didn’t surrender and even demanded a rematch.”

“If losers are all like this, I could get up there myself.”

“After seeing this beating, you sure you want to go up?”

…

In the infirmary, Liu Chong had just woken up.

His first instinct was to log onto Tiger Bud to watch the Kung Fu Carnival live stream.

When he saw Baoguo getting beaten even worse than himself, suddenly his head stopped spinning, his body no longer ached, and he felt much better.

Especially when he saw people in the chat praising his backbone, Liu Chong felt an unspeakable joy.

Meanwhile—

After the match, Baoguo, as the loser, was being interviewed by Zhang Daxian.

“Is there anything you’d like to say?”

Baoguo fell silent for a moment, then, with a straight face, insisted, “I didn’t lose. According to traditional martial arts rules, I actually won.

“You see, when I spar, we always stop short of causing real harm. Otherwise, if I really hit him, he might die.

“You get what I mean, right?”