Chapter 70: What is Professionalism, What is Level
The police car stopped by the roadside, and several officers got out.
They looked at Lin Pengfei, who was lying on the ground groaning nonstop, then at Zhang Beixing and the others squatting nearby.
The group of officers was momentarily stunned and somewhat baffled.
But they quickly recovered.
They stepped forward: some to make arrests, some to check injuries, and some to ask questions.
Among those involved, the middle-aged chubby man was the most cooperative. He had already confessed everything without much prompting, and his confession process was quite standard.
Everything was in perfect order.
Except for... a certain motor-mouthed officer whom Zhang Beixing had once described as autistic.
Wu Qing hadn't expected that, on a rare police call, he would run into Zhang Beixing again—that memorable student from Shi University.
Finding an old acquaintance at the crime scene, Officer Wu Qing's mouth twitched.
He walked over to Zhang Beixing, looked at his seemingly honest face, lowered his voice, and said with a speechless expression, "You kid, why are you always involved in fights? Spill it, what was it this time?"
"Ah, this... Mr. Officer, if I said I was innocent again, would you believe me?" Zhang Beixing blinked, looking at Wu Qing.
Wu Qing chuckled knowingly. "What do you think? Alright, save your story for the station. We didn't finish our chat last time, so let's catch up. I was telling you about that..."
Zhang Beixing cut him off, frustrated. "Damn! Are you planning to interrogate me yourself again?"
Wu Qing retorted, "Cut it out! I'm just chatting with you. What interrogation? Behave yourself and get in the car!"
Zhang Beixing cried, "Alright, alright!"
「An hour later.」
Outside the police station, Zhang Beixing, Lin Siqi, and Liu Yi walked out.
Behind them followed a scowling Lin Pengfei and a visibly shaken Ma Feitian.
After some negotiation, the two groups chose to settle privately.
The method of settlement was simple: monetary compensation.
With great reluctance, Lin Pengfei transferred one thousand yuan to Zhang Beixing, Lin Siqi, and Liu Yi each.
Seeing the three of them leave cheerfully, Lin Pengfei felt his heart bleeding.
He had truly lost out on all fronts. Such damn bad luck!
More than half a month ago, Lin Pengfei had a drinking session with his father, Lin Gang, and successfully got the old man drunk.
From Lin Gang's drunken words, he unexpectedly learned that before marrying his mother, his father had an illegitimate daughter.
Later, they broke up for unknown reasons, and then his father met his mother.
All these years, although his father knew about the illegitimate daughter, he had never disturbed her and had no plans to. They had lived in peace for so many years. If it hadn't been for that drinking session, his father would have taken this secret to his grave.
Lin Pengfei was first shocked, then somewhat angry.
His standing in the family hierarchy was already not high. If that illegitimate daughter were to show up one day and acknowledge their kinship, he feared he might end up eating with the dogs.
Therefore, to secure his current standing, Lin Pengfei secretly sent someone to investigate. Soon, they zeroed in on Lin Siqi.
After learning she was also in Shishi and a top student at Shi University, Lin Pengfei found a few people to ask Lin Siqi to meet him, wanting to discuss acknowledging their kinship.
His intention was genuinely to discuss kinship, not to pick a fight.
The result... well, the result was that Dong Shengjie and the others got into a conflict with Zhang Beixing at the school and ended up in jail.
And he, for allegedly inciting others to commit a crime, was found by the police.
Fortunately, the investigation revealed that he had merely sent Dong Shengjie and the others to the school to find someone, without any malicious intent. As a result, he was only detained for about ten days.
Otherwise, his sentence would likely have been heavier than that of Dong Shengjie and the others.
Thinking about how he had almost spent his youth in prison, Lin Pengfei was both scared and furious.
So, he had someone investigate Zhang Beixing, which led to today's events.
Initially, everything had been going according to his plan.
Zhang Beixing indeed confronted Ma Feitian.
But who could have expected that portly middle-aged man to show up out of nowhere and swiftly take down Ma Feitian, the guy he'd paid good money for?
"Seriously? You couldn't beat him, yet you had the nerve to ask me for the money upfront? Give it back!"
Turning around, Lin Pengfei glared at Ma Feitian, fuming.
To this, Ma Feitian just scratched his head, casually pocketing the white cloth he'd used for surrendering and wiping sweat. "I never said I could definitely beat him. Why should I return the money?"
"Damn it, you're getting cocky, aren't you!"
Hearing Ma Feitian's defiant, though unconvincing, reply, Lin Pengfei grew even angrier, instinctively wanting to kick him.
"Hm?"
But then he saw Ma Feitian starting to stretch, cracking sounds emanating from his body. After comparing their heights and physiques, Lin Pengfei realized that even if Ma Feitian was retired due to injury, he was still no match for him. Rationality regained control, and he silently withdrew his foot.
Ma Feitian then looked at him and asked, "Sorry, I didn't quite catch that. What did you say?"
"I didn't say anything. You heard wrong!" Lin Pengfei meekly replied.
...
Meanwhile, on the other side, after leaving the police station, Zhang Beixing looked at Liu Yi and asked the question that had been bothering him for the entire hour.
"Teacher Liu, that final move, 'Yue Shatters the Armies'—I've never seen it before. Is it your own creation?"
As someone who had elevated his Yue Family Fist to the "Fully Integrated" level, Zhang Beixing was thoroughly familiar with all one hundred and eighty techniques.
But the move Teacher Liu had just executed didn't belong to any of those one hundred and eighty techniques.
However, all its components bore the shadow of Yue Family Fist.
It was clearly a new technique developed in recent years.
This made Zhang Beixing quite incredulous. Yue Family Fist, created during the Song Dynasty, had evolved over hundreds of years from its original nine techniques to the current one hundred and eighty! Each of these one hundred and eighty techniques was designed with extreme ingenuity. To build upon this foundation and create powerful new techniques wasn't just difficult—it was incredibly, supremely, monumentally so!
"Teacher Liu, you..." Zhang Beixing began.
But before he could finish, Liu Yi interrupted him, "You could say that. I drew inspiration from the martial arts insights passed down by my Liu Family ancestors. It's still a work in progress. What do you think? How did it look?"
Clearly, Teacher Liu was being modest. His move had obviously reached Great Accomplishment and was definitely a killer move within Yue Family Fist!
"Awesome!" Zhang Beixing said succinctly. "It truly was awesome!"
To add a new technique to the existing one hundred and eighty of Yue Family Fist was akin to adding several more lines to Yue Fei's "Little Heavy Mountain."
Even if it drew upon the experience of predecessors, it was far beyond what an ordinary person could achieve!
Bagua Palm was so popular, with countless practitioners, yet no one had managed to add even a couple more techniques to it.
Hearing his praise, Liu Yi smiled. "Want to learn?"
"Yes!" Zhang Beixing nodded eagerly.
"Alright. You only have two classes this Monday, right? After your classes, come find me in my office. I'll teach you how to practice this technique and then take you out somewhere."
"Now that you're a martial arts practitioner, you need to start meeting other people, paying respects to seniors, and so on. Otherwise, if you run into other martial artists someday and they strike up a conversation, you don't want to be clueless. If that happens, don't you dare say you practice Yue Family Fist; we can't afford that embarrassment!" Liu Yi explained.
Zhang Beixing was stunned, then overjoyed.
He understood that Liu Yi was hinting at mentoring him. He looked at Liu Yi and said, "So... by your meaning, Teacher Liu, you want to take me as your disciple?"
"This... This is a bit too sudden, isn't it? I haven't prepared anything. Should I offer you a cigarette?"
Saying this, Zhang Beixing fumbled in his pocket, pulled out a cigarette, and offered it to Liu Yi.
Seeing this, Liu Yi was both amused and exasperated. "Cut it out, kid! Since when does one offer a cigarette to become a disciple?"
"Besides, even if you were to use a cigarette, you'd at least have to get something decent, right? You think you can bribe me with just any cheap cigarette? Dream on!"
Though he said this, his body quite honestly accepted the cigarette. He placed it between his lips and gestured to Zhang Beixing, "Got a light?"
"Ah, yes, Master! The light's right here!" Zhang Beixing quickly handed over a lighter.
With a soft CLICK, Liu Yi took a deep drag. He savored the familiar, pungent smoke traveling down his throat and into his lungs, then slowly exhaled.
The way he expertly handled the smoke showed he was a seasoned smoker.
Liu Yi flicked the ash from his cigarette and looked at Zhang Beixing. "Don't call me Master. I only accepted the cigarette out of politeness. We can just interact as we normally do; no need for so many formalities. Besides, you're a student at Shi University, so I'm already your teacher."
Saying this, Liu Yi felt a pang of discomfort.
As the thirteenth-generation disciple of Yanjing Yue Family Fist and the younger brother of the head of the Yanjing Yue Family Fist Martial Arts Hall, how could Liu Yi not want to take a promising student like Zhang Beixing as his disciple?
But he wasn't worthy!
Liu Yi had neglected his Martial Arts for a long time.
If not for a coincidence half a month ago, when he gave the Yue Family Fist Secret Manual to Zhang Beixing and was subsequently pestered by him, Liu Yi would likely have given up on Martial Arts completely by now.
How could someone who was on the verge of abandoning Martial Arts possibly teach others? Wouldn't that be leading disciples astray?!
Ah, well, perhaps this is fate. To encounter such a talented individual in my lifetime is a great fortune in itself. Watching him grow, step by step—that too could be a wonderful thing!
Exhaling, Liu Yi cleared his mind of these distracting thoughts.
He chatted with Zhang Beixing for a while longer, reminded him once more to find him after class the next day, and then left, carrying his various bags.
"Oh, right, send me your Douyin account when you get back. You haven't learned much martial arts, but your swagger has certainly grown. I'll watch your Martial Arts Training videos and give you some feedback on your shortcomings to help you see yourself more clearly."