Chapter 397: Night Hanging of the No-Fighting Sign

"Du Pili, you've come to watch the fun too, aren't you looking for an expert to guide you?"

Qin Lie turned his head to look; it was an acquaintance, Yang Kuoqiong, who was also a martial artist from out of town.

Like him, Yang Kuoqiong was a martial artist who had cleared seven barriers, but he had the qualifications yet could find no way to open a martial arts school.

There were too many bottlenecks; venue, capital, and source of students—every one of them was a threshold.

Those local martial arts schools had been operating for a long time, some for decades, others for hundreds of years, and were already deeply rooted; the common folk all revered their styles and did not recognize outside methods.

Even if they were capable fighters, once they stepped off the ring, if they couldn't open up a market with their bare hands, they could only spread their hands in helplessness!

Qin Lie said irritably, "Aren't you here too?"

"I have to say, this Zhou You is doing something satisfying; I wish I had gone to kick down their doors like him earlier, instead of being treated like a monkey!"

Qin Lie said fiercely, "What kind of bullshit expert, he was just a white glove, deliberately tricking me into doing the hard work for others and plotting to seize my business."

Thinking of this, he was furious and wished he could hammer that posturing swindler to death.

Yang Kuoqiong shook his head and sighed, "After today, I also plan to go kick down some doors."

"Oh, aren't you afraid of the sects behind them?"

Hearing Qin Lie's question, Yang Kuoqiong said proudly, "What of sects? What is powerful is the strong martial arts, not these mediocre people who hide behind the names of sects."

"Going back many generations, our ancestors were also strong martial artists."

This was not false; the martial arts that had been passed down from ancient times to the present all had, more or less, powerful founders, and some might even have been strong martial artists, grandmasters, or even Martial Saints.

"Haha, that suits me perfectly. Yang Kuoqiong, let's agree now: we'll kick down doors separately so we don't overlap."

Just as Qin Lie and Yang Kuoqiong were discussing this, a few voices reached their ears, "That's fine, we'll join in the fun too."

Turning to look, they were all martial artists from out of town in Fucheng.

Zhou You did not yet know that he was about to become a trendsetting pioneer.

He looked at the camp of the Xiaolin Martial Arts School; the only thing he cared about was who his next opponent would be.

The surroundings became increasingly lively; Zhou You had won two consecutive matches, and the probability of a successful door-kicking was high, so many onlookers thought they were about to witness a long-established martial arts school change its owner.

The Xiaolin Martial Arts School was an old-fashioned brand; ever since Bo Xiaolin came down from Dayin Mountain eighty years ago to open a martial arts school in Fucheng, it had stood until today, cultivating dozens of martial artists.

"It's getting late, come back tomorrow!"

No one expected this response to come from the direction of the Xiaolin Martial Arts School.

For a moment, boos erupted everywhere; to hang up a 'no-fighting' sign after losing two matches was too much of a loss of face.

Why didn't Bo Xiaolin come out to fight? Was he unable to afford losing?

If you can't afford to lose, don't play! "My master said, his eyes are sharp and his energy is high; he can fight by lamplight through the night, he isn't afraid of the dark."

Qi Qingdi's voice, with a slight childish tone, rang out, undoubtedly adding fuel to the already boiling crowd.

That's right, when others come to challenge, they don't mind the dark, yet you, sitting on the home-field advantage, are the first to shrink back? Can't stand it? Bo Xiaolin panted heavily, "You all move aside, my face is being thrown on the ground and trampled; look at those people around, they treat my Xiaolin Martial Arts School like a turtle shell."

"Don't be impulsive, use your brain."

The Wise Tiger Tian Boduan advised, "What does it matter to wait one night?"

The Violent Tiger Feng Bugui slapped his chest with a thud, "Old Bo, we share honor and disgrace; if others don't care about this matter, I will!"

"Good, good, I will wait for this night."

Bo Xiaolin roared, "Move my weapon rack to the door, I will use it later."

The Wise Tiger faction sent those with loud voices to engage in a war of words; in short, they had to delay time, and they would absolutely not make a move today.

However, Zhou You and his group had no intention of moving their feet and remained where they were.

"I can afford to wait for one night." Zhou You stood in place with his arms crossed, and Qi Qingdi, Zuo Shier, and the others beside him also stayed without leaving.

A voice came from the crowd, "Master Zhou, don't fall for it, you'd better go back and rest!"

"They close the door, have food and drink, sleep to regain their energy, and wait for you to tire yourself out, while you are eating the cold wind on the street, enduring hunger."

"We martial arts practitioners need to be well-fed and well-rested to maintain our energy."

The one giving the advice was one of the out-of-town martial artists, and his words drew much agreement.

That was true; martial artists consumed a great deal, especially to maintain the circulation of their strength and Qi and blood, and the food they consumed was like a small mountain.

If Zhou You did not go home to eat and sleep, the consumption of the day would be hard to replenish, and he might perform poorly the next day.

Could this be the strategy of the Xiaolin Martial Arts School?

"No need!"

Zhou You shook his head; compared to eating and resting, he valued the momentum accumulated from winning two consecutive matches more.

Kicking down a door and fighting in the ring was not like a TV series that could have intermissions or commercial breaks; one had to be like a bamboo being split, moving forward without stopping.

In one night, enough unexpected changes could happen.

So he did not leave, pinning himself to the door of the Xiaolin Martial Arts School.

He did not leave, and the onlookers did not leave either; time passed, and it gradually reached evening.

Cooking smoke rose one after another in the surroundings, and the smell of oil and fragrance wafted from every household; it was already time for dinner.

"Master, I'll go get you something to eat."

Just as Qi Qingdi turned to leave, several martial artists walked toward them, carrying golden-roasted beef legs, stewed fatty lamb, a basket of steamed chicken and duck, and mountains of fruits, vegetables, and staples.

"Master Zhou, no need to trouble yourself, we'll treat you to a meal today."

Leading them was none other than Qin Lie and the other out-of-town martial artists; they had already decided to kick down doors and no longer wanted to maintain a superficial harmony with the local martial arts schools.

Seeing this, Zuo Shier reminded him in a low voice, "Be careful of a trap?"

He was meticulous and had already imagined countless possibilities, including the opponent taking the opportunity to poison the food.

Before he could politely refuse, Qin Lie and the others reached out to tear the meat apart and chewed and swallowed it themselves to show they were open and aboveboard.

"Many thanks to you masters, may I ask..."

"Du Pili Qin Lie..."

"Exquisite Flying Sparrow Yang Kuoqiong..."

The crowd cupped their hands in greeting one after another, meeting Zhou You and announcing their own names.

These were all outstanding martial arts masters from other regions, stuck at the hurdle of opening a martial arts school, and they felt a sense of shared misfortune with Zhou You.

Gathered here from all corners of the land, they came from Su City, Zunyang City, and other cities that remained intact...

It was not only those fleeing disaster who arrived at Fucheng; many martial arts masters also chose to come to Fucheng to strive and make a name for themselves in order to expand their styles of fist arts.

Although the top tier of second-rate martial arts masters who opened schools had long since been taken in as retainers by noble families, there were still many outstanding elites among the remaining masters.

"Master Zhou, I wish you success in your challenge to the school!"

Qin Lie laughed heartily, "It is a pity we cannot drink during such a delightful occasion, but since you have to challenge the school tomorrow, I fear drinking might hinder your affairs. We shall only treat you to a meal; as for the drinking, we shall wait until you have won a great victory to celebrate."

"Fine, everyone listen well: you all pay for the meal, but I must pay for the drinks; no one is to fight me for it."

For a moment, laughter erupted, filled with heroic spirit.

The expressions of those on the side of the Howling Forest Martial Arts School were all quite unpleasant!

(End of this chapter)