Chapter 211: Life-and-Death Contract: One Against Two

The pugilistic circle is, in essence, still a traditional apprenticeship industry, no different from other manual trades.

The master holds the techniques, possesses the right to speak within the industry, and monopolizes the sources of profit.

If a Disciple wants to learn true skills, they must humble themselves and willingly endure exploitation.

Once a Disciple defies their master, it is equivalent to treason, inviting a situation of universal condemnation.

A case once occurred in Gongliang City! A certain martial arts master coveted the beauty of his Disciple's wife, taking advantage of a chance to mend clothes to force himself upon her, driving her to hang herself.

The Disciple, devastated by the loss of his beloved wife, could not swallow this grievance; ignoring the advice of others, he rushed to the martial arts hall to confront his master.

The outcome was...

Aside from a damaged reputation, the master suffered absolutely nothing.

In grief and indignation, the Disciple smashed open the martial arts hall's gate, exposed the matter in public, and denounced his master's madness.

The bond between master and Disciple was severed, with no possibility of repair, and he left the martial arts hall after causing a scene.

Before he left, the master patted his shoulder a few times, appearing to offer comfort in his guilt, but actually harboring murderous intent.

After returning home, the Disciple woke up in the middle of the night vomiting blood, only then realizing the master had secretly used Qi and blood to shatter his internal organs.

A few days later, the Disciple's illness became irreversible, and he met his end by sudden death.

"I taught you the skills to settle down and make a living; your life is mine. Thinking of leaving with those skills? Not a chance!"

This is the precedent.

Why would a few Disciples from the martial arts hall at the initial stage of Qi and blood dare to come and ambush Zhou You? They were convinced that Wang Laohu was ruthless and seasoned, even more excessive than the master in the story, and could not possibly tolerate Zhou You leaving unscathed. They had already concluded that while Zhou You appeared intact on the outside, he had long since been battered on the inside.

A middle-stage Qi and blood martial artist suffering from serious injuries—isn't he a ready-made stepping stone?

"Someone, bring the Life-and-Death Contract; today, we settle life and death under our fists."

Xiang Zhigang raised a hand, and two Disciples brought over a long table, on which the four treasures of the study were placed.

The white paper and black ink were bright and clear, bearing the three large characters: "Life-and-Death Contract."

The content was also the fixed format of the pugilistic circle: "Hereby, XX and XXX engage in a martial arts duel, et cetera..."

Zhou You scanned it twice; what Life-and-Death Contract—this was clearly a certificate for legal murder.

With Xiang Zhigang taking the lead, Bao Chang of the Tie Feng Martial Arts Hall also brought out a long table, likewise placing a Life-and-Death Contract upon it.

The pen and ink were right there on the spot; if one was truly too impatient to sign, drawing a circle would also suffice.

Zhou You looked toward Zhang Shiyu and Mao Lang, "Where are yours?" Zhang Shiyu rubbed his hands; he didn't mingle in the pugilistic circle, so he hadn't prepared this equipment!

However, preparing it on the fly was still possible; there was a paper and ink shop on the street, and they could force it open to get the supplies.

"You lot help me put together a set as well."

Mao Lang was somewhat embarrassed; he hadn't prepared either!

The crowd had already concluded that Zhou You was at the end of his rope; it was the perfect moment to beat a dog that had fallen into the water.

If they could beat Zhou You to death in this battle, they would surely gain great fame and become the cream of the crop among Qi and blood martial artists.

Four long tables were lined up in a row; looking at them one by one, the Life-and-Death Contract was in four copies, and except for slight differences in the signatures, the content was identical.

Zhou You pointed directly at the inkstone, his Qi and blood swirling to draw out a large mass of ink.

He didn't even use a brush, instead using his finger as a pen, signing them one after another with a *swish, swish, swish*.

The ink traced characters in mid-air, landing on the paper with a *pat, pat*, staining it with vigorous and powerful signatures.

In the time it took to catch one's breath, all four Life-and-Death Contracts were signed.

Zhou You flicked his fingers, the last bit of ink landing, leaving not a single stain on his fingertips.

He scanned his surroundings, "Who is coming first?"

Without waiting for others to speak, Xiang Zhigang rushed forward, "First come, first served; I am the first."

The movement trajectory of his feet was very special; moving rapidly, it was like rolling stones crushing the ground, both fast and dense. The *rumbling* sound of his footsteps brought immense psychological pressure to his enemy first.

Rock Fist is known for its defense, but that does not mean it is completely incapable of offense.

Zhou You had once witnessed a scene where Rock Fist beat someone to death; it was like a turtle biting someone—lightning-fast, tricky, and vicious.

The moment their fists collided, a layer of stone-gray appeared on Xiang Zhigang's skin.

His skin transformed into something resembling stone, raising his defensive power by several levels; ordinary iron weapons could not harm him.

Zhou You took a punch and suddenly burst into loud laughter, "Is that all?"

A roar echoed in mid-air; Zhou You slightly extended his Hu Zhua, and a vast, immense force surged forth like a tidal wave.

The Qi and blood throughout Xiang Zhigang's body were provoked into surging backward, his face turning beet-red as he revealed a state of defeat.

He knew his own suffering; the opponent's strength held an overwhelming advantage.

He heard Zhou You laughing loudly in his ear, "Don't just stand there, come over and play together."

Exclamations arose, "Too arrogant! He actually wants to take on two at once."

It turned out that while one of Zhou You's hands was fighting Xiang Zhigang, the other was slightly extended, actually pulling Bao Chang into the fray as well.

Bao Chang had been standing slightly ahead, still acting as a spectator, when he was suddenly and inadvertently dragged into the mix.

Zhou You assumed the posture of a fierce tiger hunting, pressing down on Xiang Zhigang with one claw while raising the other to strike at his neck.

If this strike landed solidly, it would inevitably result in a broken neck.

Bao Chang's throat made a *gurgling* sound, emitting a heart-wrenching bark, using both hands and feet to tear and bite.

He refused to believe that Zhou You could split his focus and deal with both him and Xiang Zhigang, two Qi and blood martial artists, at the same time.

As the saying goes, "many ants can bite an elephant to death"; among low-level martial artists, quantity can sometimes bridge the gap in strength.

The specialty of Bao Chang's Mastiff Fist was locking and seizing; once he locked onto any part of the opponent's body, it was absolutely impossible to break free unless one cut it off with a blade.

The targets he aimed for were Zhou You's right arm and thigh.

At the same time, Xiang Zhigang also reacted, the stone-gray on his arms growing even richer as he crossed them like a stone statue.

Although his fist technique was not fast, he danced it into an impenetrable wall; his defense was very stable, and no flaws could be found in the heat of the moment.

One used defense to replace offense, the other bit and tore frantically, forming a tacit understanding of a joint encirclement.

Zhang Shiyu shook her head; Zhou You was too arrogant, he would surely be defeated miserably this time.

On the other side, Mao Lang twitched his nose, seemingly sniffing for some scent, and he stared fixedly at Zhou You.

"Haha!"

In the arena, Zhou You suddenly laughed twice, and his back was seen splitting open instantly, like a tree trunk growing two branches.

Starting from the waist, his upper body actually split into two, simultaneously launching fierce attacks toward the left and right.

On the left was Xiang Zhigang, who took a hit of "Taoxin Tuofei," while on the right was Bao Chang, who was treated to "Upside-Down Dry Scallion."

At the same moment, two completely different moves struck the two men.

Xiang Zhigang took this move and felt he could still hold on, but he did not expect the two layers of force that followed to crush down, completely shattering his Rock Fist stance.

Triple-Layer Technique, like a single wave surging three times with accumulated potential energy, continuous and endless! The sound of stone cracking, followed by flesh tearing and bones breaking...

His arms snapped, his chest and abdomen were laid wide open, and he fell backward onto the ground, "heartless and lungless."

On the other side...

Bao Chang was also hit by a Triple-Layer Technique move; Zhou You grabbed his waist directly, thrusting him head-first into the ground at an angle, and no one knew how many of his bones were broken.

Double Body Tiger Form Fist + one Triple-Layer Technique move, KO!

(End of chapter)