When Li Yan opened his eyes, what greeted him was a row of white fluorescent tubes; the chaotic shouting and the pungent smell of cigarette smoke around him gave him a headache.
He sat up, feeling the concrete floor beneath him, and looked around.
Li Yan was sitting against the wall, facing a boxing ring that measured five meters on each side. To his left, the seats rose and fell in tiers, crowded with hundreds of spectators. They were shouting themselves hoarse at the boxing ring, fervently waving white tickets in their hands, their eyes bloodshot.
"Is this an underground black boxing ring? Where’s that fat guy?"
Li Yan murmured to himself.
Amidst the overwhelming noise, a raspy and deep voice clearly reached Li Yan’s ears.
"Walking Master, welcome to Yan Fu. We have prepared a new identity for you that will arouse no suspicion. Please, cause a stir to your heart's content."
Following that, Li Yan clearly saw a message written in black soot on the wall:
Time: AD 1986
Location: Mong Kok, 22.35 degrees north latitude, 113.5 degrees east longitude.
North of Hong Kong's New Territories, in the nine dragons of Kowloon Walled City—cramped, dirty, chaotic, and sunless. Drug trafficking, smuggling, murder, and robbery were rampant. Casinos, brothels, opium dens, heroin halls, and dog meat restaurants were everywhere. Law and order were in disarray, dark malevolent forces ran wild.
This place was a City of Sin, a City of Garbage. It was a City of Violence, and also a City of Profits...
The requirements for the Yanfu Incident are as follows:
1. Fight to the seventh round in the Nine Dragons Boxing Ring.
2. Obtain any fragment of the Ancient Novel Sinker Records.
3. Awaken the Guhuo Bird within the Ancient Novel Sinker.
(The Yanfu Incident officially begins upon completion of any one condition.)
You may stay for a maximum of one month. (Please note, should you lose the boxing match, the current progress of the Yanfu Incident will be disregarded, and you will return immediately.)
Tapir's Gift: You have been granted additional Purchase Authority (1/1)
Your personal information is as follows:
Name: Li Yan
Status: Feverish, inflamed, bleeding.
Expertise: Ancient Martial Arts 81%/100%
Li Yan stood up, staring at the line about his expertise for a while. He felt there was something more to it, something he hadn't yet grasped.
As Li Yan pondered these things, a hand reeking of sweat and cheap cigarettes swung towards his head.
"Smack."
Li Yan caught the wrist of the person, just about to exert force, when a burst of curses, like the popping of fried beans, reached his ears.
"Playing the zombie standing here? Whole Family Be Bulldozed! Get up on stage and box."
He glanced at the newcomer, who appeared to be in his forties, dressed in an ill-fitting suit. His face was broad and meaty, with eyes the size of beans that were wide open, looking a bit fierce, yet somewhat comical.
Li Yan quickly lowered his head, releasing the man's wrist, and with a peripheral glance at the wall, he confirmed his suspicion: nothing but a messy patch of nicotine stains remained, with no discernible characters.
Initially startled by Li Yan's gaze, the man regained his swagger as Li Yan looked away. Straightening his suit, he spat on the ground and muttered, "Such a simpleton."
"If he could really bring me to Hong Kong of 1986, there's no reason why my illness couldn't be cured."
Li Yan walked silently toward the boxing ring, a slight tremor in his heart.
"Next, please welcome tonight's highest-betting contestant. He's formidable, claiming he will breeze through the challenge tonight, defeating all six boxers below."
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The slick-haired, powdered-faced host exaggeratedly shouted into the microphone, trying to stir up the atmosphere.
Li Yan felt no discomfort in such an environment. The monster from the audio store had awakened a long-dormant ferocity within him. Approaching the edge of the boxing ring, he was about to climb up when he was stopped by a security guard wearing dark sunglasses.
"Over there."
The guard pointed to a few boxers standing below the ring.
Suddenly, a thunderous cheer erupted from the crowd. Li Yan looked up to see a dark-skinned, muscular man with crossed arms step onto the platform.
"Cha Chai! Cha Chai! Cha Chai!"
Li Yan watched the man known as Cha Chai with a smile that was not quite a smile. The man was dressed in a tight tank top, his body a mass of knotted muscles, with thick calluses on his knees and elbows.
Feeling Li Yan's gaze, Cha Chai turned his head and locked eyes with Li Yan below.
Li Yan and Cha Chai's eyes met for a moment before Li Yan walked toward the five boxers waiting below to be chosen by Cha Chai, feeling a sense of astonishment.
He saw a faint red glow emanating from this man, unnoticed by others. What intrigued him more was that he saw the same red light coming from the other boxers, though it was dimmer compared to Cha Chai's.
The host on stage shrugged his shoulders and said in a feigned casual tone:
"There's no need to elaborate on how fierce Cha Chai is. Those who bet on him winning are in for a profit today. Next, please let Cha Chai pick his first opponent for the bout."
Cha Chai's wolfish eyes remained fixed on Li Yan until he reached the middle of the boxers' position, then he raised his hand to signal the host and pointed his finger directly at Li Yan!
A chorus of boos rose from the crowd as the pale-faced, tall and lanky young man entered their view. He hardly looked like a fighter. Among the Boxing Ring's seasoned gamblers, the consensus was firm: this newcomer, whose face they had never seen before, was either a Little Ruffian with more guts than sense, trying to make a quick buck, or a Student overwhelmed by debts and forced into the ring.
The announcer glanced at the slip in his hand and bellowed, "Cha Chai has chosen his fighter—Li Yan, step up to the stage!"
Li Yan loosened his shoulders and neck before vaulting onto the platform.
A cruel smile spread across Cha Chai's face as he gestured a throat-slitting motion at the expressionless Li Yan.
Li Yan, eyes fixed on Cha Chai's swaying frame, leaned back slightly and assumed a stance reminiscent of a hook swing.
Whistles erupted from the audience.
"Kid, you won't win playing Bruce Lee."
"It's just the first match. A quick tussle with a Scrambled Egg, then the real fun starts in the later rounds."
Many spectators had come with the expectation that Cha Chai would sweep six consecutive victories, not to mention the bettors who had wagered on him to clear the Dragon City Arena challenge.
Cha Chai, born in Trang Province in Southern Thailand, had trained for twenty years under a Thai Boxing master known as the Southern Thai Comet—Boxing King Nafo. He had broken countless sour tangerine trees with his kicks. Without sufficient strength and confidence, Cha Chai wouldn't dare boast of conquering the Dragon City Arena.
Suddenly, Cha Chai lunged forward, unleashing a fierce and swift punch aimed at Li Yan's face. His left foot subtly paused, his knee poised to strike—a common Thai Boxing combination, using the punch as a feint to set up a knee strike, followed by a barrage of elbows and knees once the advantage was gained.
Li Yan sidestepped to the left, his left palm slightly curved to catch Cha Chai's wrist, lifting it while his right hand shot straight past Cha Chai's right arm, hooking towards Cha Chai's neck.
Cha Chai was startled by this phantom-like speed; before he could even lift his knee, Li Yan's palm was less than a foot from his throat. Instinctively dodging to the left, Cha Chai lost sight of Li Yan.
Before he could gather his wits, a sharp pain struck the back of his knee as if hammered by a mallet. Cha Chai's legs buckled, and he knelt to the ground, beads of cold sweat trickling down.
Behind him stood Li Yan, his expression icy, having just risen to his feet.
In the front rows of the stands, a man with a gold chain around his neck, dressed in a pristine white suit, cocked his head to the side, murmuring to himself:
"Zi Xu Passing Through the Checkpoint? Bagua Palm?"
The man in the suit saw it clearly: Li Yan had slipped through Cha Chai's armpit, planting a foot firmly in the crook of his right knee.
It was indeed the Zi Xu Passing Through the Checkpoint from Bagua Palm!
A murmur of astonishment rippled through the audience.
What just happened? The Thai Guy was floored in an instant, and by a newcomer no one had seen before.
Many in the crowd, infuriated, threw their betting slips down into the arena, the collective mood reaching fever pitch as they accused Cha Chai of throwing the match.
Cha Chai rose to his feet with a dark scowl, flexing his right leg before raising a fist towards Li Yan.
"My turn."
This time, it was Li Yan who lunged forward with the speed of an arrow, his right straight punch aiming for Cha Chai's cheek.
Cha Chai guarded his face carefully and blocked the punch solidly, not anticipating Li Yan's right leg snapping up in a kick, aimed straight for Cha Chai's groin—the very move Cha Chai had intended earlier!
A vicious light flared in Cha Chai's eyes; Li Yan's fighting style was an immense insult to him. Despite the lingering pain in his knee, Cha Chai didn't think twice before launching a knee strike in retaliation.
What Cha Chai failed to notice was that his leg hadn't lifted high enough, and its force was severely lacking. At that moment, Li Yan, with his leg still airborne, snapped it straight outwards with astonishing speed, delivering a ferocious kick to the side of Cha Chai's knee!
"Crack."
The shouts from the crowd stopped abruptly as they saw, with stark clarity, Cha Chai's knee joint brutally kicked out of alignment by Li Yan—his lower leg now at a grotesque angle. Cha Chai lost his balance and tumbled to the ground.
Li Yan touched his nose, from which two streams of fresh blood flowed.
He glanced at the wide-eyed host and tilted his chin upward, "Announce it."
The host stared blankly at Cha Chai, lying on the ground, swallowed hard, and then stuttered out:
"The, the winner of this boxing match is... Li Yan."
Cha Chai, who had boasted of breezing through the checkpoint, was toppled in his first bout, leaving even the most seasoned bettors with their jaws agape.
Atop the boxing ring, Li Yan, expressionless, raised his hand slightly:
"Wasn't it about fighting through the checkpoint? Cha Chai has lost. Who's next to fight me?"
**********
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