novelraw Chapter 42: Four-Game Winning Streak
Chapter 42: Four-Game Winning Streak
Sun Changlin stopped, panting heavily, and with great effort shook He Yunhu's foot out of his clothes—clearly, he had really given it his all.
If it weren't for the incident where He Yunhu's foot accidentally got stuck in a hole in Sun Changlin's clothes, Sun Changlin probably wouldn't have had much hope of winning this match, or rather, he wouldn't have been able to win at all; at best, he would have just managed a draw with He Yunhu.
Having just been "liberated," He Yunhu was unwilling to let the matter rest. Pointing at Sun Changlin, he shouted, "This was an accident! You didn't win with your real skill! I'm not convinced! I want to have another match with you! You have to defeat me with your true ability before I'll accept it!"
Ignoring the scratches on his body from being dragged, He Yunhu lunged forward, still wanting to fight Sun Changlin.
Sun Changlin was not to be outdone, and assumed a horse-riding stance to prepare for the attack.
Several senior referees quickly stepped forward to block the middle and said, "According to the prior agreement, this sparring match is over. Whoever makes another move will be judged the other as the winner. He Yunhu, whether it was an accident or real skill, a loss is a loss, and you have to accept it. So many people are watching, cheating won't give you a good reputation."
Seeing this, He Yunlong quickly sent two of his underlings over and forcibly pulled He Yunhu back. Even after being pulled back to the group, He Yunhu kept shouting "I'm not convinced!"
He Yunlong patted his shoulder and reassured him in a low voice, "It's okay, second brother, watch me, your big brother will get revenge for you."
After saying that, he stepped into the arena, his gaze sweeping over the people opposite him before finally settling on Hong Liguo. He shouted loudly, "Hong Liguo, it's your turn to come out and face the challenge!"
Seeing Sun Changlin win, Hong Liguo breathed a sigh of relief, feeling more confident of victory himself. He immediately instructed those around him not to act rashly and to follow his orders. They absolutely could not repeat the mistakes Liu Lianbo made. He then straightened his clothes and slowly walked into the arena.
He Yunlong spoke first, his tone tinged with disdain: "You won that match just now, but it was just an accident."
Hong Liguo smiled and asked in return, "If you're on the battlefield and your gun jams, and you tell the enemy 'it was an accident,' will they stop firing and wait for you to fix it before continuing? An accident is also because you didn't think things through. If you lose, you lose."
"I've already declared you won!" He Yunlong frowned, his face arrogant, as if he had shown special favor and given the other party a benefit.
"What do you mean by 'considering' our win? We won, that's all. Adding the word 'considering' doesn't mean we stole it, does it?" Hong Liguo wasn't buying it and showed no appreciation whatsoever.
He Yunlong waved his hand impatiently: "Fine, I won't argue with you about this nonsense. You guys won. But this time, you won't be so lucky."
Hong Liguo continued smiling, his tone relaxed: "I know you're holding back, wanting to avenge your brother and beat me up, right?"
"Good to know!" He Yunlong clenched his fist. "Come on, make your move! Let me show you what I'm capable of!"
Hong Liguo suddenly threw his head back and burst into laughter, his laughter full of mockery: "I'm not stupid. Knowing you're determined to get back at me, why would I let you have your way?"
"What do you mean by that?" He Yunlong's heart sank, and he vaguely sensed that something was wrong.
The next second, Hong Liguo lay down on the ground, spread his hands and said, "I can't beat you, I admit defeat."
"You! You're going to be the death of me!" He Yunlong exploded instantly. "You're cheating! Get up! You think it's over without a fight? Not so easy!"
Hong Liguo sat on the ground and said slowly, "I can't beat you, so why should I stand up and be your punching bag or sparring partner, letting you play around with me? I admit defeat this time."
Since Sun Changlin defeated He Yunhu, the competition could continue. He knew he was no match for He Yunlong, and whether he made a move or not, he would lose anyway, so why bother competing with him?
He Yunlong clenched his fists so tightly they cracked, and gritted his teeth, saying, "Have you no shame? Aren't you embarrassed by your shameless act of cheating?"
"I don't care about saving face. It's you who's shameful to beat me up! I'm not cheating, this is a tactic."
He Yunlong angrily said, "Even if you don't get up, I can still beat you up." As he spoke, he actually made a move to attack.
Hong Liguo warned him, "Don't forget our gentleman's agreement—if one side concedes and the other continues to attack, you lose the whole game. So many people are watching. If you're not afraid of being ridiculed, go ahead. I promise I won't fight back." Hong Liguo's tone was calm, but it was full of confidence.
He Yunlong was speechless, his face turning pale and then red.
"You, you, aren't you ashamed?"
Hong Liguo, with a shameless expression, said, "I don't care about losing face, I only care about whether I can win."
At this moment, the senior student in charge of judging walked over, squatted down, and asked Hong Liguo, "Are you sure you want to admit defeat?"
Hong Liguo nodded without hesitation: "Of course I'm sure. It would be foolish to stubbornly resist when you can't win."
The senior student paused for a moment, then gave him a thumbs up, said "Good," and stood up to announce, "He Yunlong wins this match."
He Yunlong stood there, so angry that he stamped his feet and pounded his chest, almost fainting. He had wanted to teach Hong Liguo a lesson and avenge his brother, but he never expected the other party to pull such a stunt, leaving him speechless and helpless.
Hong Liguo didn't care how angry he was. He slowly stood up from the ground, dusted himself off, and thought to himself: You want me to suffer? Not so easy.
Hong Liguo originally wanted to stall He Yunlong for a few more moves, but seeing the other's arrogant and haughty demeanor, he knew that he couldn't teach this guy a lesson with martial arts alone. So, he deliberately provoked He Yunlong with his words—he had long understood the He brothers' temperaments; both of them were quick to anger and easily lost their composure when provoked. This way, he could gain some advantage in the later confrontation.
As expected, He Yunlong was so enraged that he turned red on the spot, losing all composure. He yelled at his men to hurry up and enter the arena, shouting, "Show me your true skills, give them a good beating, we have to win!"
Seeing He Yunlong's furious and crazed appearance, Hong Liguo couldn't suppress the smile hidden in his heart, thinking to himself that this first step was the right one.
He Yunlong's decision not to adjust his strategy suited Hong Liguo's wishes perfectly. He methodically arranged his troops according to the order in which the opponents appeared: first, he sent Yi Jianping to face Long Hu... Lao Jiu, and Yi Jianping steadily won; then he sent Jun Ge to face Long Hu... Lao Shi, and Jun Ge did not disappoint, also winning a round; next, he sent Fa Zi to face Long Hu... Lao Shiyi, and Fa Zi fought with all his might and still won; then he sent Yan Bin to face Long Hu... Lao Shier, this character was very weak, and Yan Bin also successfully defeated him.
Although they won all four rounds, each match was hard-fought, almost always a narrow victory, with the slightest mistake potentially leading to a comeback. Keep in mind that Hong Liguo fielded the team's elite players, yet even so, the wins were incredibly difficult, demonstrating the formidable strength of the Longhu Brothers.
After four rounds of sparring, there were no other options left for the final round, so Hongbo had to take the field against Longhu... Old Thirteen.