Chapter 146 – Matador
TN: Woot! Released it super early. Enjoy the chapter!
My arm that struck Li ErLeng’s shoulder seemed like it was weak. That’s because when gramps faced my attack, the arm he used for Hua Jin also seemed weak.
However I only had the form and not the true essence, so what seemed weak was actually powerless.
From the perspective of the spectators, it seems that after I dodged Li ErLeng’s attack, I humiliated and provoked him.
Originally, this was the best opportunity to counterattack. But firstly, Li ErLeng had too much inertia, secondly, he put all his strength in each of his hits. He still rushed forward even after my hand was placed on his shoulder for more than half a second.
In a penny, in for a pound! Since I can’t use Hua Jin as easy and effortlessly as gramps, I might as well just push him down!
At this time, I didn’t dare act superior anymore. I took my left hand out from behind my back and faced forwards. I followed along Li ErLeng’s momentum and used both my hands to give him a fierce push on his shoulder!
Li ErLeng couldn’t retract his steps in time. He fell into the sandbox with a strange cry while spraying sand everywhere.
It was impossible for a stubborn person like him to admit defeat after only one blow. He climbed out of the sandbox in a loud clamor, then he turned around and rushed towards me again.
It was nothing to write home about, it still lacked methodology, he rushed over and tried to hit me with his shoulders. Although it has been said that when two armies clash, the brave win. But in the case that courage is evenly matched, the victor will be the smart one.
I followed the same pattern as before. I dodged Li ErLeng’s shoulder slam in the final moment, then went around him and used his momentum against him.
The effect this time was better than the last. Under my assistance, Li ErLeng soared as if he was actually practicing triple jumps in the triple jump sandbox. He fell heavily back into sand, and when his fat face was on the ground, Shu Zhe revealed an expression that showed he had successfully vented his anger.
“Was there this big of a difference between Li ErLeng and Ye Lin’s strength?”
The spectators started to whisper.
“They’ve never fought before, I thought it was because they appreciated each other…”
“That’s right, when we read “Shui Hu” in class, many people felt that Ye Lin and Li ErLeng’s relationship was similar to that of Lin Chong and Lu ZhiShen…” (TN: Lin Chong and Lu ZhiShen were sworn brothers, at least according to Wikipedia haha)
Fuck, don’t insult Lu ZhiShen! Lu ZhiShen was just straightforward, he wasn’t retarded! Although I’m a bit happy that people compared me to Lin Chong, isn’t that a bit too inauspicious! I don’t want an (palace) official to fancy my wife, then for me to be wrongly accused and sent away as reserves for the army!
In the past, there might not have been such a huge difference between me and Li ErLeng. The reason why it was like this now was because I learned some tricks from gramps.
No, it’s not the trick for learning Hua Jin. I didn’t have enough martial arts talent that I could grasp the secrets of Hua Jin in only half a day. On the contrary, when I was sparring with gramps, I gained a deeper understanding of the timing for dodging. Li ErLeng’s attack was even easier to predict than mines, so he became a living target.
It was like a bull in front of a matador. It would refuse defeat even when it has more than a dozen fine swords stuck into its body. It would snort white steam from its nostrils, then raise its hooves to prepare for the next attack.
He must be wondering why I, who has been widely known for fighting head-to-head, suddenly changed to a nimble fighting style.
Although Li ErLeng’s body was stronger than mine, the scene in front of me was like an adult toying with a child.
He fell down eleven times and he also climbed back up eleven times. His anger and ferocity has not lessened even a bit, and my wrists were already a little sore.
I used more strength than before when I pushed him down into the sand for the twelfth time. Li ErLeng’s mouth seemed to have been open and he ate a lot of sand, so he started coughing while kneeling in the sandbox.
In the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of a slightly plump female student among the spectators, who was watching the fight while stuffing potato chips in her mouth.
Isn’t that Loud Mouth? When did she come? Did the class leader come with her?
I glanced around and didn’t find any traces of the class leader for the time being.
While Li ErLeng was still coughing, I went beside Loud Mouth and whispered: “Don’t tell the class leader about the fight, okay?”
The people who were originally standing near Loud Mouth spread out, hiding from me as if I was the harbinger of death.
Loud Mouth reached into the bag of chips and said while laughing: “What? Are you still afraid of the class leader when you’re this strong? I couldn’t tell! I could keep quiet, but since there are so many spectators, don’t blame me when the class hears about it from someone else!”
That’s true, I got confused because I was only focused on Hua Jin.
Loud Mouth suddenly pointed behind me: “Hey! The black iron tower stood up! Hurry and continue the fight! I’m still enjoying the show!”
I turned around and Li ErLeng really stood up.
His face, arms, and clothes were all covered with sand, but he didn’t care, and he had no intention of brushing it off.
He looked at me stupefied, I had no idea what he was thinking. As time slowly passed by, I started to get goose bumps.
Finally he said in low and muffled voice: “I… I’m not playing with you anymore.”
Eh? This is how kindergartners talk… Are you trying to act cute even with your appearance? I’ve already given up hope on a world where no one tries to act cute all the time!
“You… you use tricks, I can’t touch you. It’s boring to play with you, I like someone I can touch…”
After he finished speaking, he started to look around. Shu Zhe, who was in his line sight, trembled. He broke free from the support of the two loyal dogs and hid in the crowd.
I cleared my throat and felt that things should come to an end here.
“What? Do you still want fight over the boss seat?”
“No…No, I won’t fight you, I won’t mess with you anymore…”
There was a lot of sand stuffed in Li ErLeng’s nose, so he had heavy nasal sounds when he spoke. Then, he actually just started to pick his nose in front of 30 or so people.
I crossed my arms in front of my chest with satisfaction. In order to deal with Li ErLeng, a silver tongue was useless, only fists brought instant results.
“That’s good, listen carefully,” I pointed towards the crowd and unrelated spectators automatically moved away, revealing Shu Zhe, who was holding his lower back while barely able to stand up straight.
“That person is my younger brother. I’ll settle the problem between the two of you, don’t hit him anymore!”
Li ErLeng scratched his head with his hand that was covered with sand. “No… no, forget about it. I won’t touch him anymore. I won’t touch anyone who’s related to you anymore…”
“That’s good,” I answered. “If you don’t bother me, I won’t bother you. But if you want to play with me someday, I’ll be happy to keep you company!”
Li ErLeng waved his hand in a hurry. “No… no, I’m not playing anymore! Only I fall down, it’s boring!”
Then he turned and the crowd separated. He walked away shakily with a bad expression.
I actually like playing with him.
I felt that if I wanted to practice Hua Jin, he was a suitable opponent for a beginner.
But since the problem has been resolved, I had no need to cause more trouble. Anyways, there will be a ton of time in the future, I’ll be able to learn it one day.
Seeing that the outcome has been decided, the crowd gradually dispersed.
“I can’t believe Li ErLeng was actually terrified by Ye Lin!”
They were having a discussion as if they just finished watching a sports match.
“Neither of them drew blood, it was boring!”
This was a person who was afraid that the world wasn’t chaotic enough.
“I thought it was interesting. Didn’t it feel a bit like sumo?”
“Sumo? Li ErLeng’s body is not as fat as Japanese sumo wrestlers though?”
“No, it’s from the Shui Xu TV series, when Lang Zi Yan Qing fought Li Kui… Yan Qing’s kung fu was also called Sumo. I heard it only became what it is today that after being spread to Japan…”
“I’ve never heard that before… Anyway, no one will challenge boss Ye Lin’s position in the near future.”
Loud Mouth threw the last chip into her mouth, then peered into the bag while smacking her lips wishing there was more.
“I’ve finished my chips, you’ve finished your fight. I’m going to take a nap.”
When she passed by Shu Zhe, she raised her chubby hand and patted Shu Zhe’s shoulder.
“Next time, don’t do something that will make your sister worry! Ye Lin won’t always be there to cover for you!”
Shu Zhe struggled a bit and shook off Loud Mouth’s hand.
I knew Loud Mouth’s wrist strength, she didn’t use any strength. Otherwise, there was no way Shu Zhe could shake off her hand with his strength.
Since there was nothing else to see, the crowd soon dispersed. Because Shu Zhe didn’t want to be brought to the infirmary by the two loyal dogs, they left with their tails between their legs.
However, there was a long haired girl in a lower grade wearing a white dress who didn’t leave. After the crowd disappeared, she walked to Shu Zhe without hesitation. She looked at Shu Zhe with more disdain than pity.
“Hey, don’t scream so miserably the next time you get beat. If others find out that my boyfriend is this useless, they would laugh at me!”
Eh? Based on this conversation, she should be Shu Zhe’s girlfriend! It should be the new girlfriend he found after he dumped Xiao Hua… I think her name was Xiao Li? I heard she spent money like water, she only bought branded clothing, she doesn’t enter any restaurants opened by a Chinese person, and she never forgets to express her aristocratic temperament wherever she goes. Truly, a girl who is as vain as Shu Zhe!
Moreover, Shu Zhe was almost choked to death by Li ErLeng, but she didn’t even show any signs of concern and only considered herself. What’s the point of a girlfriend like this? Is it because she dresses fashionably, and you can show her off to others?
That means when Shu Zhe was being beat, she was already nearby! Why didn’t she call anyone for help? Sure enough, did you stand on the side and pretend you didn’t recognize him because he was too embarrassing? If it was Xiao Hua, even if the opponent was Li ErLeng, she would probably sacrifice herself to save you. I saw Xiao Hua’s courage under the bridge that day —— Xiao Hua was the person who cared more about you!
Shu Zhe didn’t care about Xiao Li’s remarks, then he said a few sappy lines and made Xiao Li giggle.
Seeing that the headteacher was not nearby, Xiao Li took up Shu Zhe by his arm and planned to send him to the infirmary. When Shu Zhe was thrown into the sand by Li ErLeng, Shu Zhe scraped his left knee and he may need to get it bandaged.
“Brother Ye Lin, thank you, I’ll say a few good words about you to my sister.”
Shu Zhe thanked me, and his eyes were filled with excitement as if his greatest enemy has received retribution.
“Hehe, I’ve never expected that Li ErLeng bastard would also see this day! Brother Ye Lin, you’re too strong! Cover me next time, too!”
I nodded slightly noncommittally, stuck both my hands in my pockets and parted from Shu Zhe.
When I passed Shu Zhe, I noticed that Xiao Li was stealing glances at me. Her gaze was clearly eyes of an immature girl who admires the strong.
It might be because she realized that I noticed her, she inadvertently combed her long hair behind her ear to make her appear more mature.
Childish! What’s the point of admiring those who are strong at fighting? This is martial arts! Do you know what martial arts is? It is a practice to go beyond your limits! There is a famous saying in “Fist of Legend“: The easiest way to defeat the opponent is with a gun!
The class leader definitely won’t worship me because I defeated the insufferably arrogant, Li ErLeng! She would at most thank me for saving his brother, and then persuade me to stop using violence to solve my problems!
Later, I heard that when Shu Zhe was resting on a bed in the infirmary, he was molested by the school doctor.