352: Chapter 352 I Win People Over with My Character 352: Chapter 352 I Win People Over with My Character Three moves—
Fang Zhentian’s face suddenly blazed with heat, no one had ever dared to boldly claim they could defeat him in three moves.
For him, it wasn’t just a provocation; it was an outright insult.
Tangyu’s youthful arrogance took General Zhang and Old Master Fang by surprise, but they quickly came to terms with it.
Being soldiers, they actually favored such youthful exuberance.
What is youthful exuberance?
It’s not about being haughty; true youthful exuberance is when a capable person is willing to reveal their sharpness, transforming themselves into a swift sword.
Fang Yishui blinked, also calculating in her mind the chances of Tangyu defeating her cousin, Fang Zhentian, within three moves.
She certainly knew of Fang Zhentian’s strength.
Among the younger generation in Donglin’s military region, he was quite famous as a formidable figure, currently holding an important position in the military, and having survived several dangerous encounters.
Fang Zhentian was indeed a seasoned expert tempered by various challenges.
Seeing everyone’s expressions, Tangyu could only give a bitter smile inside, not because he was being young and frivolous.
When he chose not to act, he remained passive, but once he acted, he would not hold back.
Moreover, Fang Zhentian looked down upon the Tai Chi Mysteries.
If Tangyu were to hold back, that would only provoke more criticism from Fang Zhentian.
Thus, if he were to make a move, he needed to be swift and decisive, defeating Fang Zhentian in the most straightforward way possible.
Only by doing so could he demonstrate the power of Tai Chi Mysteries and truly overpower others with force.
Conquering with virtue, that’s nonsense.
“Humph, good, very good.
It seems today I have indeed encountered a hermit from beyond the mountains.
Let me see your impressive skills then,” Fang Zhentian sneered, a hint of rage appearing on his face, “We have an open space in the backyard.
Let’s go there.”
Tangyu shook his head, “No need, here is fine.”
Fang Zhentian’s eyes widened, then twisted into a scowl.
Duels between experts were always astonishingly powerful.
This was his family’s living room, which was rather cramped and filled with many valuables.
Suggesting to fight here, what did that imply?
This was a complete disregard, as if he could easily take care of him.
“Right here is really fine; no need for all the trouble—after all, it’s just three moves.
This space is sufficient.” Seeing his words misunderstood again, Tangyu could only try to explain.
But after explaining, he found that Fang Zhentian’s face looked even worse.
Tangyu simply shut up, deciding not to say more.
“Make your move,” Fang Zhentian said, getting into position.
“Right,” Tangyu nodded.
As soon as he nodded, his figure moved, like a leopard pouncing on its prey, his form disappearing from its original spot with a speed invisible to the naked eye, charging towards Fang Zhentian.
The distance between them was only about two meters, so in almost an instant, Tangyu was upon Fang Zhentian.
This speed did make Fang Zhentian instantly become alert, and he was inwardly surprised, his opponent being even faster than himself; no wonder his tone was so bold.
However, speed alone wasn’t a sure win.
Fang Zhentian’s reaction was extremely fast; instead of retreating, he advanced—retreating meant losing the initiative.
Combat always emphasized ‘if the enemy moves, I have already moved first,’ to preempt.
But since he had already reacted later, he still had to dominate by countering immediately to gain the upper hand right from the start.
Fang Zhentian threw a punch, one of his proudest moves that was extremely destructive at close range.
Very hard to dodge and the impact was tremendously powerful.
After years of military training, combat demanded quick, precise, and fierce actions, using the most direct and effective techniques to kill the enemy in the shortest time.
After all, on the battlefield, even a slight delay might cost one’s life.
This punch had no frills, but it was very hard to dodge—the trajectory was too tricky, ever-changing, and could alter in a split second.
“Get lost!” Fang Zhentian felt his punch hit Tangyu.
If it connected, then even the toughest opponent wouldn’t feel good.
But quickly, Fang Zhentian’s expression changed, as he felt his punch hit something like a sponge—soft and impotent, lacking solid impact.
It felt as though he had hit something slippery, his fist sliding away.
It was like stepping on a banana peel; no matter how strong you are, you’re bound to slip.
“Not good, danger,” Before Fang Zhentian could think further, a sense of imminent danger overwhelmed him.
Without daring to hesitate, Fang Zhentian suddenly leaned back, attempting to dodge Tangyu’s strike.
But—
It was too late, Tangyu’s palm had already hit Fang Zhentian’s chest.
The palm, seemingly soft, exploded with tremendous force, reminiscent of the Wing Chun Inch Punch, with each inch bursting with energy.
“Thud, thud, thud!!!”
Fang Zhentian reeled back, an immense pain radiating from his chest as his blood churned, feeling almost like he would spit blood.
This palm had caused his entire half body to go numb momentarily—an extremely terrifying prospect in combat.
Without resistance power even for a short while could be fatal, as in a duel between masters, sometimes a mere 0.1 second was enough to kill.
In true master duels, often a single strike could determine the victor.
Receiving this punch was undoubtedly a huge blow to Fang Zhentian.
He finally understood that he had greatly underestimated Tangyu, and had been too complacent.
The opponent’s strength might indeed be superior to his own.
Still, when had Fang Zhentian ever admitted defeat?
Rather than being dampened, his defeat only kindled a higher fighting spirit within him, which was now burning and boiling.
“Hmm,” Fang Zhentian frowned sharply—his body hadn’t yet stabilized when he sensed Tangyu, like a shadow, had once again moved in front of him, giving him no chance to catch his breath.
“Bang!”
This time the blow struck the abdomen, causing Fang Zhentian’s mouth to twitch in pain; his body involuntarily bent over, and the pain was so intense it felt like his intestines were tied in knots.
It was an excruciating pain, as if all his internal organs were shattered.
What frustrated Fang Zhentian the most was that this time he didn’t even have the ability to dodge.
He could only watch helplessly as Tangyu’s fist hit him.
He tried to dodge, but his reaction was too slow, and Tangyu’s punch had already landed.
The speed was terrifying.
And his form left Fang Zhentian dumbfounded, too fast for him to even attempt to evade.
Once he lost the ability to dodge, he was like a sandbag, left to be slaughtered by others.
Elder Fang and General Zhang watched Tangyu’s every move and subtle action, their discerning eyes seeing more than others.
Fang Yishui was utterly captivated.
After learning the basic three forms, she had no further instruction, so seeing Tangyu personally demonstrating the Profound Meaning of Tai Chi in combat was a perfect learning opportunity for her.
She watched his every move with great attention and detail.
“Am I going to lose?
No, impossible, how could I lose to a nobody?”
“Over the years, I’ve mostly won in the military, how could I possibly be defeated in just three moves?”
Fang Zhentian was utterly unwilling in his heart, seething internally, but his defeat was as unstoppable as a collapsing mountain.
Before Fang Zhentian could straighten up, he felt a terrifying force strike his back, as if he were hit by a large stone.
These continuous three strikes, completed in less than two seconds, were as smooth as flowing water, each move terrifyingly powerful.
Fang Zhentian’s body tipped forward, and he fell heavily to the ground, unable to even crawl up due to the pain for a while.
“Awesome, cool, he said three moves and it was exactly three moves.
This is my master,” Fang Yishui said, not at all concerned about her cousin Fang Zhentian’s well-being, but looking at Tangyu with admiration.
Old Master Fang squinted his eyes, a smile that was not quite a smile on his face, somewhat amused.
One was his only grandson, to whom he undoubtedly had high hopes—it’s impossible for a grandfather not to love his grandson, as they say, grandfathers love their grandsons more than their sons.
The other was a prospective grandson-in-law he admired.
He didn’t want to see any conflict between the two, but he also wanted Fang Zhentian to experience a setback to grow faster.
“Not bad, to maximize the power of Tai Chi, winning with no moves against moves, each move both empty and deadly.
I didn’t expect Tai Chi to have such profound principles.
Today certainly broadened my horizons,” General Zhang nodded and smiled.
After quite a while, Fang Zhentian finally managed to get up from the ground, his face stern as he looked at Tangyu.
He had lost, and miserably so, in just three moves.
“If this were a battlefield, you would have been dead by now,” Tangyu said calmly.
Fang Zhentian’s mouth twitched, but he knew these words were not at all false.
If it had been on a battlefield, he indeed would have been dead.
The gap was simply too big.
“You are indeed impressive.
Though I don’t know if this is what you call the Profound Meaning of Tai Chi, it’s different from my understanding.
Losing is losing; Fang Zhentian can afford to lose.
I take back my words from earlier and apologize.
However, I won’t concede to you, nor do I think you’re qualified to be my cousin’s master,” Fang Zhentian said.
Tangyu smiled faintly, “No, I don’t win people over with martial skills or virtue, but with character.
You saying this now, I can completely understand.
If one day you get to know me, you’ll definitely be won over by the charm of my character.”
“So narcissistic,” Fang Yishui muttered.
“Humph, then I am even more convinced that day will never come.
Regardless of whether I get to know you or not, I will never accept you,” Fang Zhentian said.
“You may not believe, but I do,” Tangyu shrugged.
“Haha, young people should indeed have such boldness and confidence.
That is good.
Not bad, not bad, young Tang, you are indeed a talented youngster.
When you have time, come visit my home with Yishui.
Old man, I’ll be heading home today and won’t keep you folks any longer,” General Zhang said.
“General, let me escort you,” Elder Fang quickly said.
General Zhang waved his hand, “No need, Little Fang, I envy you from now on.
My two girls aren’t as lucky as you.”
“Haha, oh General, I believe they will meet even better fortune,” Elder Fang replied with a smile, as if he had found treasure.
Tangyu curled his lip, having not spoken yet, and these two elders had already decided he was Fang Yishui’s man.
Did they consider his feelings at all?