Immortality begins in Goose City

Chapter 38 Forcing a Fist

Huang Shujian frowned as he looked at the elderly, weak, women and children over there.

His original intention was to acquire the cultivation method through normal channels, either through exchange or trade.

Wu Zhichong's actions... are practically kidnapping by bandits!

Now things are really messed up; forget about exchanging martial arts techniques, we're probably going to become enemies.

Seeing Huang Shujian's expression, Wu Zhichong quickly said, "Young Master, if we have done something wrong or messed things up... we will politely send the person back and apologize!"

Huang Shujian sighed and rubbed his temples.

Send it back?

The person has already been invited; should we send them back?

There is no such thing.

"Never mind," Huang Shujian waved his hand. "Since we're already here, let's leave it at that for now."

He called over a clever servant standing nearby and whispered a few instructions to him.

Then, he straightened his clothes, a gentle smile appeared on his face, and walked over to the family members who had been invited.

When the old woman and the two women saw him approaching, they immediately shielded the child behind them, their eyes wary.

"Please don't panic," Huang Shujian said calmly, stopping a few steps away.

"I invited you all to my residence with no ill intentions, but... I would like to invite your family members over for a chat."

"They will take you back when they arrive."

"You must be hungry after your long journey. Why don't you eat something to tide you over?"

As he spoke, he waved his hand gently.

Several maids who had been waiting nearby immediately stepped forward with trays.

The tray held several pastries carefully prepared by the Huang family kitchen: translucent crystal shrimp dumplings, soft and sweet osmanthus cake, crisp and delicious walnut shortbread, and several bowls of milky white fish porridge. The aroma was irresistible.

The two children's eyes immediately widened as they stared at the snacks, unconsciously swallowing their saliva.

Even the two women were drawn to the exquisite food.

Only the white-haired old woman snorted coldly and slammed her cane heavily on the ground: "This old woman will not eat anything from your Huang family!"

"My son is a true man, he will never bow down to you!"

"I'll wait here for my son to come and pick me up!"

Huang Shujian glanced at her, but wasn't angry. Instead, he smiled and said, "Madam's integrity is commendable. Someone, bring Madam a bowl of warm white porridge."

Immediately, a maid brought over a bowl of congee.

Huang Shujian said no more, nodded to the others, turned and left, returning to the pavilion in the center of the training ground to sit down and wait for the arrival of the main character.

Wu Zhichong followed behind him, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back.

Sure enough, not long after, a series of hurried footsteps and suppressed angry shouts came from the entrance of the training ground.

"Wu Zhichong! You guys come out here!"

The three martial arts school owners arrived together.

Leading the way was a man in his fifties, burly and with a full beard, none other than Guo Zhenyuan, the owner of the Zhenyuan Martial Arts School in the east of the city.

His eyes were wide open, his face was ashen, and his chest heaved with anger.

The one on the left, in his forties, thin, wearing a white training uniform, with a gloomy face, is Ye Heling from the White Crane Gate in the west of the city.

The one on the right is burly with dark skin and large knuckles; he is Liu Tiegu from the Liu Family Boxing Club in the south of the city.

As soon as the three entered, their eyes anxiously swept over the family members being watched by the servants. Seeing that they were safe and sound, they breathed a slight sigh of relief. Then, their raging anger turned towards Huang Shujian and Wu Zhichong in the pavilion.

"Wu Zhichong!" Guo Zhenyuan's voice boomed, filled with barely suppressed anger.

"If you want to kill or torture us, come at us! Feuds shouldn't extend to wives and children! What kind of heroes kidnap our families? Utterly despicable and shameless!"

"Exactly!" Ye Heling's voice was shrill, her eyes icy. "Does the Huang family's power give them the right to bully us commoners like this?"

"If you don't give us an explanation today, we'll risk our lives to get justice!"

Liu Tiegu didn't speak, but clenched his fists, his knuckles making a soft cracking sound, and stared intently at Wu Zhichong.

Wu Zhichong blushed and was about to step forward and take the blame upon himself.

Huang Shujian raised his hand and stopped him.

He slowly stood up, walked out of the pavilion, and stopped a few steps away from the three owners. His gaze calmly swept over their faces, which were flushed with anger.

"Please calm down, three masters," Huang Shujian said, his voice not loud, but clearly reaching everyone's ears.

"Now that things have come to this, no matter what I say, I'm sure you won't believe me and will feel it won't help."

"So, I won't argue, I'll try a different approach."

He pointed to the flat sandy area in the center of the training ground.

"I will fight one match against each of the three of you."

"The rules are simple. If I lose, I will give each family member ten silver dollars as a token of my remorse and send them home safely by carriage. From then on, I will never mention borrowing the martial arts manual again."

Upon hearing this, the three museum owners' expressions softened slightly, but their eyes remained wary.

"If I win..." Huang Shujian continued, "I won't take your lives, nor will I harm your families."

"Just let me see the core techniques of your respective martial arts schools."

"I promise that this will only be used for study and reference, and will never be disclosed to others."

He observed the shifting expressions on the three men's faces and added, "Of course, if any of the masters feels that fighting me would be beneath their dignity, or is unsure of their abilities and unwilling to participate, that's fine too."

He pointed to the exit of the training ground: "The door is over there. You can leave on your own. The Huang family will not stop you."

The three museum owners' faces immediately turned extremely ugly.

Leave on your own?

Their family members are still in the other party's hands!

This isn't a choice; it's clearly forcing them to take action!

"You...you've gone too far!" Ye Heling's fingers trembled with anger.

Guo Zhenyuan stared intently at Huang Shujian, his chest heaving violently.

He glanced at his elderly mother, who was leaning on a cane and holding her head high, then looked at Huang Shujian's young yet composed face, and asked in a deep voice, "Young Master Huang, is this true?"

"If I defeat you, I can take my mother and ten silver dollars and leave safely?"

"A promise is a promise." Huang Shujian nodded.

"Good!" Guo Zhenyuan stomped his foot, causing the fine sand beneath his feet to sink slightly.

Without further ado, he strode to the center of the training ground, took off his outer robe to reveal the sharp short-sleeved shirt underneath, and slowly clenched his iron fists, his knuckles cracking.

He got into position.

It is the signature move of Zhenyuan Martial Arts School – the starting stance of Bajiquan: Liangyi Zhuang!

Sink your waist and sit on your hips, and let your Qi sink to your Dantian.

He was like a volcano about to erupt, calm yet containing explosive power.

A fierce and domineering aura instantly rose from his body, locking onto Huang Shujian opposite him.

"I, Guo, am unworthy, but I have practiced boxing for thirty-eight years! Today, I will use these fists to seek instruction from Young Master Huang!"

A hint of approval flashed in Huang Shujian's eyes.

As expected of someone who can establish a school and make a name for himself in Goose City, his demeanor and aura have already reached a certain level of prowess, far surpassing that of a servant like Zhao Long.

He also walked to the center of the field, stood opposite Guo Zhenyuan, and assumed a fighting stance.

It is not the "Xuanhu Fist", but the most basic starting stance of the "Bengshan Fist".