"Hiss!"
Upon hearing Xiao Bao's words, the elder's face instantly changed, becoming extremely unsightly.
As his gaze turned fierce and he gritted his teeth, Xiao Bao's father suddenly pulled Xiao Bao over and slapped him across the face.
"Xiao Bao, how many times have I told you? If you can't speak, don't speak! Sooner or later, you'll be the ruin of this family!"
"If you act like this again, I won't bring you to watch this challenge! I'm also punishing you with a month of confinement, no leaving the house!"
Xiao Bao cupped his cheek, his eyes filled with defiance.
However, in the end, he said nothing more and lowered his head.
The moment Xiao Bao lowered his head, he happened to make eye contact with Liao Yifan on the ground.
Liao Yifan forced a smile and said, "Xiao Bao, you're right. He's not a good person."
"But I'm not a good person either. Or rather, there are no good people on Nine Dragon Mountain."
"So you must not learn from us. You must maintain your original intention and strive to be a good person your entire life."
Xiao Bao was about to reply when his father pulled him away.
At the same time, Xiao Bao's father glared fiercely at Liao Yifan: "I will educate my child, I don't need you to educate him for me! Your own father didn't even educate you properly, so what right do you have to educate others?"
Liao Yifan was stunned for a moment, then revealed a self-deprecating smile.
Indeed, if his own father couldn't educate him properly, how could he have the right to educate others?
But what he had just said wasn't education at all, it was clearly the mournful cry of "before the wicked die, their words are good"!
All along, he had felt that the circle he lived in was not problematic; it was the upper class, the pride of heaven.
Only at this moment did he suddenly realize how filthy and unbearable this circle actually was.
Xiao Bao was like a mirror, instantly reflecting the baseness of everyone present.
"Get up. Let's try not to speak until Mr. Ying arrives. Who told us we don't have a backer?"
Hu Sansheng helped Liao Yifan up and said.
As Liao Yifan wiped the shoe print from his face, it seemed that after this ordeal, he had grown considerably.
He grinned and said, "Who says we don't have a backer? It's just that our backer is a bit late."
These words immediately drew a chorus of jeers from others.
The appointed time for the challenge was fast approaching, and Hidden Dragon Daoist, Li Fengcheng, and others had already been waiting for a full hour.
Yet Ying Chen had not shown his face.
Where did Liao Yifan get the nerve to say "a bit late"?
It was probably not a bit late, but he was afraid to come!
Tick, tock...
Soon, more than ten minutes passed.
With less than a minute left until the scheduled challenge time, someone finally couldn't hold back and jumped out to mock them: "I say, you two, isn't your backer not coming?"
"Just say it if he's not coming, so we don't have to wait here any longer."
"Exactly! If I had known, I'd rather have slept in at home! Thought he was a hero, but turned out to be a coward who fled the battlefield!"
"Tsk tsk, he was quite impressive at the auction. Why has he suddenly become timid now? Could it be that he was so scared after hearing the great name of the Immortal Hidden Dragon that he fled back inland overnight?"
"I think it's very possible. After all, our great master Hu Sansheng is very capable and well-connected in both Hong Kong and the mainland. Helping someone escape back to the mainland without anyone noticing should be quite easy, right?"
"Fled the battlefield, cowed before the fight. For this kind of person to warrant such a grand mobilization, it's shameful, so shameful!"
The crowd was filled with mockery and discussion.
Hu Sansheng and Liao Yifan were speechless and unable to retort.
They wanted to argue, but the facts seemed to be moving step by step in the direction of the other party's ridicule.
As the time drew near, Ying Chen had still not appeared.
They had already suspected whether Ying Chen would escape, and now their suspicions had grown even stronger.
If Ying Chen really used this opportunity to escape and leave them both to face the mockery of the crowd, then Ying Chen was truly ungentlemanly!
Most importantly, they had risked their lives and futures to support Ying Chen, only for him to abandon them.
Ying Chen's actions truly chilled them!
While Hu Sansheng and Liao Yifan's confidence in Ying Chen wavered, there was one person present who inexplicably had full confidence in Ying Chen.
That person was none other than Xiao Bao!
Xiao Bao had been quiet for only a few minutes, but upon hearing everyone's discussion, he couldn't hold back and spoke, "He'll definitely come!"
"Grandpa said that martial artists have a spirit in their hearts. Without this spirit, they cannot become masters. And he was able to defeat Grandpa, which proves that his spirit is even higher than Grandpa's!"
"This means he will definitely not break his promise! He will definitely come!"
Hearing Xiao Bao's words, the scene instantly fell silent.
Xiao Bao's father wore an expression of "we're doomed," wishing he could immediately drag Xiao Bao down the mountain and away from everyone's strange and mocking gazes.
"Heh heh, I didn't expect that fellow named Ying to have a little fan."
"As a fan, I suppose it's only reasonable for you to endure some setbacks to protect your idol's dignity, right?"
The elder whom Xiao Bao had accused of "not being a good person" already harbored resentment towards Xiao Bao.
Now, he had finally found an opportunity and stepped forward.
The first time he didn't act was because Xiao Bao's master was Grandpa Hong, and he wanted to give Grandpa Hong face.
The second time he didn't act was because Xiao Bao's father had already intervened and slapped Xiao Bao, so he couldn't pursue it further.
But this third time, there was no reason to hold back!
He wanted to teach Xiao Bao a lesson and let him know that this place was called Hong Kong, and as a Hong Konger, he shouldn't side with outsiders.
The elder's eyes were cold as he slowly approached.
He grabbed Xiao Bao and lifted him up.
"You've spoken out of turn for the third time today, not knowing your place and being overly talkative."
"Since Grandpa Hong is not present, I will educate you on his behalf, so you know that you can eat anything, but you can't say anything."
With that, the elder swung his arm back slightly, like a whip, shaking it rapidly.
Then, he suddenly slapped towards Xiao Bao's cheek!
Facing a child, the elder actually used a technique from Tong Bei Quan!
If this slap landed squarely, Xiao Bao would not only have his cheek swollen, but half of his teeth would likely fall out!
"No!" Xiao Bao's father cried out in distress.
The onlookers' eyes twitched, but then returned to normal. Not a single person spoke up to stop him.
Clearly, everyone approved of the elder's actions.
Hu Sansheng and Liao Yifan watched with pounding hearts, wanting to intervene.
However, they were too far away to reach him!
Just as Xiao Bao was about to take a full slap, a voice leisurely sounded: "A decrepit old waste like you can only take your frustrations out on children."
Then, the elder's arm, raised in mid-air, abruptly stopped.
The next second, the elder let out a heart-wrenching howl!
His arm had been bent in the opposite direction!
Like a monster with reversed joints, the white bone fragments pierced through the muscle, protruding from his elbow, a horrifying and ghastly sight!
Hiss!
Seeing this, everyone present collectively gasped.
Then, they looked towards the speaker.
It was Ying Chen, whom they had mocked for fleeing the battlefield!
"Mr. Ying, you've finally arrived!"
"Wuwuwu, I knew you wouldn't abandon us!"
Hu Sansheng and Liao Yifan rushed forward, their voices filled with surprise and excitement.
Liao Yifan, like a primary school student bullied at school and seeing his parents return, burst into tears.
Ying Chen glanced at Liao Yifan with disdain, then flicked his palm.
Instantly, the elder was thrown to the ground like a lifeless snake.
"Go on!"
"Do to him now what he did to you just now."
Ying Chen said to Liao Yifan.
Liao Yifan was stunned for a moment.
At first, he hesitated.
After all, that person was his elder, and he had always been reprimanded by him since childhood.
But when Liao Yifan recalled the humiliation he had just suffered, a surge of anger welled up in his heart.
Without a word, he lifted his foot and stomped towards the elder's face!
As he stomped, he fiercely ground his foot on the elder's face a few times!
The elder was furious.
His face turned red, and his eyes blazed.
He cursed and threatened Liao Yifan harshly.
However, not only did it not work, it only ignited Liao Yifan's fighting spirit, making Liao Yifan press down harder with his foot on his face!
The onlookers watched this scene with shivers down their spines.
Someone stepped forward, wanting to intervene.
But with a single sentence from Ying Chen, this person retreated.
"Are you looking for death?"
Saved Xiao Bao, his eyes sparkling, looked at Ying Chen: "Are you the master my grandpa mentioned?"
Ying Chen nodded: "I am."
"My grandpa said your boxing has reached the realm of ascending to heaven, is that true?"
Ying Chen did not answer, but instead asked: "Who taught you those words before: the strong should respect the freedom of the weak?"
Xiao Bao replied: "No one taught me, I thought of it myself."
"You thought of it yourself?" Ying Chen raised an eyebrow, then smiled. "Interesting. To have thought of this, your innate martial arts comprehension has already surpassed your master, Grandpa Hong, by a large margin. With just a little effort later in life, you will eventually surpass your master."
Unexpectedly, these words of praise, when heard by Xiao Bao, were met with continuous headshakes: "No, no. I never thought of surpassing Grandpa. Grandpa told me that the fists of true masters land in places higher than heaven. In other words, my goal is not to surpass Grandpa, but to surpass heaven!"
Hearing Xiao Bao's words, Ying Chen suddenly felt as if struck by lightning, freezing in place.
Then his eyes gradually became distant and hazy.
As if recalling something.
"What's wrong?" Xiao Bao tilted his head and asked Ying Chen.
After a long while, Ying Chen emerged from his thoughts and smiled, "Nothing. I just suddenly thought of an old friend."
"He also said something similar to you—shaking the heavens and moving the earth, fists soaring beyond the sky."