dognovel Chapter 114 Master Lei Accepts the Challenge
Chapter 114 Master Lei Accepts the Challenge
"What to do... what to do..."
Lei Lei paced anxiously back and forth in the living room, his silk pajamas soaked with sweat.
His so-called "disciples" were also in an uproar in the WeChat group.
"Teacher, what should we do? That Ma Cong is going too far!"
"Yes, he's driving you to your doom!"
"Teacher, should we call the police? We can tell him he's threatening us!"
Seeing all this nonsense in the group chat, Lei Lei was furious. What he needed now was a solution to the problem, not some useless words of comfort.
Just as he was feeling agitated, his phone rang.
It was an unfamiliar Beijing number.
"Hey? Who is this?" Lei Lei answered the phone impatiently.
"Is this Master Lei?" A steady male voice came from the other end of the phone. "I am Zhao Lixin from the Chinese Martial Arts Association."
Lei Lei was stunned for a moment. The vice president of the Martial Arts Association? What does he want with me?
"Chairman Zhao...Hello, hello." Lei Lei's attitude immediately became respectful.
"Master Lei, our martial arts association is aware of Ma Cong's challenge to you." Zhao Lixin's voice sounded very "official." "We firmly oppose any form of private fighting and violence. Your personal safety is our responsibility to ensure."
Upon hearing this, Lei Lei's eyes lit up immediately, as if he had grasped a lifeline.
"President Zhao, you must do me justice! That Ma Cong, he's a madman! He's trying to kill me!"
"Master Lei, please don't get agitated," Zhao Lixin reassured him. "Our martial arts association's stance is that you are welcome to accept the challenge."
"Huh?" Lei Lei was dumbfounded. "Accept the challenge? Isn't that sending me to my death?"
"Of course, I'm not suggesting you go and fight him." Zhao Lixin's voice carried a hint of guidance. "You can suggest a 'civilized' exchange with him. For example, 'pushing hands'."
"Pushing hands?"
"That's right," Zhao Lixin explained. "The essence of Tai Chi lies in 'using four ounces to deflect a thousand pounds,' in 'using the opponent's force against them,' rather than brute force. You can announce to the outside world that you are willing to accept the challenge, but the competition will be Tai Chi push hands. This will demonstrate your professionalism while avoiding direct physical conflict."
Lei Lei's mind raced.
Yes! Let's have a push-hands competition!
Pushing hands is a very mysterious thing; there's no clear standard for victory or defeat. When the time comes, as long as you don't fall, you can say that the opponent's brute force is ineffective against you, and that your internal energy has neutralized it.
Even if he pushed me out of the circle, I could say it was "stopping at the right point," and that I voluntarily "gave way" to him.
Anyway, as long as I don't get hit by his deadly punches, everything will be fine!
"President Zhao, your idea is brilliant!" Lei Lei said excitedly.
"Hmm," Zhao Lixin said calmly, "You just need to post your thoughts on Weibo. The Martial Arts Association will handle the rest of the public opinion guidance."
"Thank you, Chairman Zhao! Thank you so much!" Lei Lei was moved to tears.
After hanging up the phone, Zhao Lixin gave a cold smile.
He certainly didn't really want to help Lei Lei.
He just wanted to cause Ma Cong some trouble.
Don't you want to expose fraud? Don't you want to settle the score in the most direct way?
I'll make sure you don't get your way.
I'll have Lei Lei compete with you in "pushing hands" to muddy the waters.
If you agree, the duel will turn into a farcical argument, and the "decisive and ruthless" image you've built up will be greatly diminished.
If you don't agree, our martial arts association can say that you "only know brute force and don't understand martial arts", and that you are "insecure" and dare not accept real technical exchanges.
In short, the goal is to annoy you and make it impossible for you to play comfortably.
Soon after, under the "instruction" of the Wushu Association, Lei Lei posted a new Weibo post.
"I accept the challenge!"
"But I, Lei Lei, practice Tai Chi, a style passed down for centuries, not the kind used in street brawls. Tai Chi emphasizes 'sticking, adhering, connecting, and following, without losing contact or resisting.' If Mr. Ma Cong truly wishes to experience the mysteries of Tai Chi, I am willing to discuss the art of 'pushing hands' with you in the ring three days from now, stopping short of a full exchange."
"If Mr. Ma insists on fighting, then I'm afraid I cannot accompany you. Because I'm afraid I won't be able to control my inner strength and 'accidentally' hurt you, a hero who has won glory for the country."
This Weibo post immediately caused a huge uproar.
"Holy crap! Master Lei actually accepted the challenge?"
"A push-hands competition? What the hell is this? Didn't we agree to sign a waiver of liability?"
"That old bastard's really cunning! He knows he can't win, so he's trying a different approach!"
"Don't talk nonsense, upstairs. The Martial Arts Association has already spoken out, supporting Master Lei's decision and saying that this is what 'civilized martial arts exchange' should be!"
Sure enough, under the guidance of the major media outlets and online trolls under the Wushu Association, public opinion began to show a subtle shift.
Some people began to feel that Ma Cong's method was indeed too violent, and Lei Lei's "pushing hands" seemed to fit the public's imagination of a "master of Chinese martial arts".
……
In a budget hotel room.
Wang Benlei, the madman, was furious as he looked at the news on his phone.
"Damn it! That Lei Lei, and that Zhao guy, they're both scoundrels! One's shameless, and the other's wicked!" He slammed his hand on the table. "Kid, ignore them! Three days from now, go up on stage. If he tries to push you, just slap him away! Let's see what he has to say then!"
Sun Changqing frowned and said, "Old Wang is right. You can't reason with this kind of person. The more you try to argue with him, the more you fall into his trap. Just use the most direct force to crush all his schemes and tricks."
Ma Cong looked at the online trolls on his phone stirring up trouble, but a smile appeared on his face.
"Brother Sun, Brother Wang, don't be angry," he said calmly. "If they want to play, then I'll play with them."
"Play with them?" Wang Benlei looked at him, puzzled. "How do you play?"
Instead of answering directly, Ma Cong picked up his phone and posted another Weibo message.
The content consists of only one sentence.
"Okay, let's have a push-hands competition."
Wang Benlei and Sun Changqing were stunned when they saw this Weibo post.
"Kid, are you crazy?!" Wang Benlei jumped up and down in frustration. "You agreed to have a push-hands match with him, and you've fallen into his trap! It's a close call; he can easily find some excuse to say he didn't lose!"
Ma Cong smiled and gestured for them to calm down.
Then, he posted a second Weibo post.
"However, I have one condition."
"Since it's a push-hands game, let's draw a circle with a diameter of one meter in the center of the ring. The two of us will push inside that circle."
Whoever's foot goes out of bounds first loses.
"The loser doesn't need to admit they're a liar."
"All you need to do is kneel down and kowtow three times to the other person."
"Master Lei, do you dare?"