Sharpening The Knife Doesn’t Delay The Cutting of Vegetables With The Bow[eSports]: Chapter 71

71. A very minor discussion

The three waited at the entrance for a while. Five minutes later, Yang Yunche and Chen Xingran came side by side, one tall and one short, but whether it was their body proportions or their looks, both were outstanding. When standing together, there was indeed a bit of the rumored “CP feeling” among fans.

Li Haoyuan had booked an extra-large private room, where a long table was filled with delicious food, beverages, and alcohol. Several professional players were nearby, holding microphones for karaoke. Despite the large number of people in the room, it still didn’t seem crowded, creating a lively atmosphere like a party.

Though they had faced each other in training matches before, it was the first time Chen Xingran saw Li Haoyuan and Fei Wei in person.

“Hey, you’re finally here?”

Li Haoyuan warmly greeted the ZMD members as they entered, “You guys are too slow.”

Li Haoyuan looked about the same age as Luo Baibai, and he had a handsome appearance with neatly cut short hair. His slightly tanned skin and sportswear made him look like an athlete. If it weren’t for his identity as an esports player, he would have looked more like a student-athlete.

“Baibai.”

Li Haoyuan looked at Luo Baibai, who was being held back, with a smile that carried some mischief, “According to Xiao Ge, I’m your younger brother. Are you going to take me down?”

Luo Baibai, still supporting his head, provocatively replied, “Hehe, that’s right. You, the Snake King, didn’t dare to go live for so many days. If that’s not a younger brother, what is it?”

“I already told you, the club didn’t let me go.” Li Haoyuan looked helpless, walked up, and put his arm around Luo Baibai’s neck, ruffling his hair into a bird’s nest, “Today, Li Ge gives you a chance. Come on, two drinks for me, one for you. I’ll wait for you to knock me down.”

“Damn, I just styled my hair before coming out!”

Luo Baibai struggled to free himself from Li Haoyuan’s arm, but in front of Li Haoyuan, he was like a little chick and was effortlessly lifted up.

“I’m taking Luo Baibai with me.” Li Haoyuan smiled at Chen Xingran, “Are you Chen Xingran? You did great tonight, showing the style I had back then. Let’s nt talk about anything else, if you have any trouble in the future, Li Ge has got your back.”

Chen Xingran nodded at him, “Thank you.”

Xiao Nan waved to Luo Baibai on the side, “Baibai, take care on the way.”

“Ran Bao, save meeeee—”

Luo Baibai, being held by Li Haoyuan, struggled frantically and extended a begging hand towards Chen Xingran. He was then lifted by Li Haoyuan and brought to a nearby table.

Chen Xingran: “…”

It looked quite miserable.

Yang Yunche said on the side, “Relax, he’s fine.”

The Snake King Quiller had set up a challenge in the domestic server, and all the professional players present had witnessed it. They all had a bit of resentment in their hearts. While they usually faced each other on the battlefield, using various tactics and strategies, when it came to this moment, they still united against a common enemy. Chen Xingran’s decisive victory over the Snake King tonight made them feel particularly satisfied, and they approached Chen Xingran friendly to greet him.

Song Dongyang, Fei Wei, Huai Yuxing, Li Haoyuan, Jiang Yan, Zhuang Jianwen…

These top professional players from the best domestic teams gathered here, and it was apparent that their relationships offstage were quite good. Although the gaming industry was vast, the top-tier professional circle was relatively small. In the domestic premier league matches, the opponents often turned out to be these people. Over time, their relationships became quite familiar.

“If someone comes over and blows up this private room, the domestic professional scene might regress by ten years directly.”

Yang Yunche glanced at the professional players in the private room and secretly whispered to Chen Xingran’s ear.

“…You have a sweet mouth.”

Chen Xingran gave him a wry smile.

“They all want to get to know you.”

Yang Yunche looked at the people coming over to toast Chen Xingran and felt a sense of pride, “Do you know how much face you’ve gained this time?”

As he spoke, he blocked the drinks for Chen Xingran. Chen Xingran’s body was just right, and when Yang Yunche said half a cup, it was indeed just half a cup. He single-handedly intercepted the cups handed over by others.

Seeing Yang Yunche in this state, the others couldn’t let him off easily. Opportunities to make this old fox suffer were rare, so they all pretended to toast Chen Xingran while secretly pouring all the drinks into Yang Yunche’s stomach.

“…Is he really okay like this?”

Chen Xingran, witnessing Yang Yunche accepting drinks from everyone, quietly asked Fu Zhou.

Fu Zhou waved his hand, “He’s good at handling alcohol. Back in school, he could drink several people under the table.”

Chen Xingran nodded, but still felt a bit concerned, watching Yang Yunche on the side.

Suddenly, there was a gust of wind behind Yang Yunche. Chen Xingran sensed it keenly and instinctively reached out, grabbing the arm that pounced from behind Yang Yunche like lightning. He wanted to exert force, but immediately realized and withdrew the strength.

“Hiss…”

Song Dongyang from the AUG team winced a bit, licking his lips.

“Hmm?”

Yang Yunche came to his senses, saw Song Dongyang, and raised an eyebrow, “You again, little thief? Trying to ambush me?”

“Damn, you’ve become smarter now, bringing a bodyguard when you go out!”

Song Dongyang rubbed his arm.

Chen Xingran’s face showed some apology, “Sorry…”

Fortunately, he reacted in time and didn’t use much force; otherwise, Song Dongyang’s joint might have dislocated…

“It’s okay, it’s okay.”

Song Dongyang shook his arm, not too bothered. He looked Chen Xingran up and down, “I thought the ZMD assault expert, with such fierce knife skills and such proficiency, should at least be around the same age as Yang Yunche. I didn’t expect you to look so young, like a little kid.”

Chen Xingran wasn’t very comfortable in such social situations. He smiled and was about to say something when he heard a clear female voice next to Song Dongyang.

“Explore Cloud Hand?”

Chen Xingran was taken aback, turning around to look.

Next to Song Dongyang stood a tall, long-haired girl who appeared young but had a graceful demeanor with light makeup on her face, giving her a refined look.

“Oh, let me introduce you. This is our AUG support player, Fei Wei, also known as Blade Sister. You should be meeting for the first time.” Song Dongyang introduced, “But you two had a showdown during the training match; you shouldn’t be strangers. When you exploded Fei Wei’s blade back then, we were all amazed; your blade skills were truly impressive.”

Chen Xingran politely nodded at Fei Wei, “Do you know Explore Cloud Hand?”

He had just used Explore Cloud Hand in the move where he grabbed Song Dongyang’s arm. It was a relatively common grappling technique, not some secret martial art. Still, it surprised him that someone in this world could recognize it.

“Of course.”

Fei Wei looked at Chen Xingran with some surprise, “Are you a martial artist?”

“You too?”

Chen Xingran was even more surprised.

“Yeah, I’m from the Fei family in T City.” Fei Wei nodded, “Your Explore Cloud Hand from just now… you’re definitely not a novice. May I ask where you learned it?”

Onlookers enjoy the fun, and experts see the skill. Fei Wei also had a martial arts background. In this era, traditional martial arts had declined, with only a few schools and aristocratic families maintaining the practice. Seeing Chen Xingran’s Explore Cloud Hand, which demonstrated exquisite and flawless technique, she couldn’t help but ask about its origin. If Chen Xingran hadn’t pulled back his strength earlier, Song Dongyang’s arm might have been dislocated.

“Uh…”

Chen Xingran touched his head. He came from Earth, and when he first crossed into this world, he had checked. There were no ancient martial arts families here like those in his previous world. Even if he disclosed his origin, others probably wouldn’t know. So, he gave a vague answer, “Just learned a bit from a martial arts instructor when I was a kid, for fitness.”

Yang Yunche added, “He has a genetic condition. He just had surgery a few days ago. Be gentle with my new teammate and don’t bully him.”

Fei Wei was surprised, “Genetic condition? And now…”

“It’s already cured.” Chen Xingran smiled.

Fei Wei’s eyes lit up, “Then… how about a sparring match?”

In Chen Xingran’s eyes, he saw the same emotion as a martial artist – a mutual understanding. After coming to this world, he met a martial artist for the first time. Upon hearing Fei Wei’s invitation, he couldn’t help but feel a bit intrigued.

However, he didn’t immediately agree but instead glanced at Yang Yunche on the side.

Meeting Chen Xingran’s gaze, Yang Yunche chuckled, “Why are you looking at me… Your illness is cured; take it easy on yourself.”

That being said, Chen Xingran seemed eager to try, but before starting, he still wanted to get Yang Yunche’s opinion. This made Yang Yunche feel a sense of being treated as one of their own, which he found quite gratifying. If it were in the past, Chen Xingran would have already made a move without caring about anything else.

The current appearance of Chen Xingran, looking like a well-behaved young man, really hit Yang Yunche’s soft spot.

Having received Yang Yunche’s approval, Chen Xingran didn’t hold back. He placed the cup in his hand aside and said, “Let’s go.”

Fei Wei nodded and assumed a simple stance right there, saying, “Please.”

Following the standard etiquette for sparring, Fei Wei immediately made a move. Stepping forward, she turned her waist and horse stance, then advanced with a hooked hand—a probing Cloud Hand attack.

Chen Xingran’s eyes lit up, showing a somewhat appreciative expression. Fei Wei’s foundation was extremely solid. The Cloud Hand move she just executed was both powerful and well-structured, indicating a comprehensive understanding of body mechanics and power generation. Those who practiced ancient martial arts at this level were like skilled craftsmen, able to sense the opponent’s strength and intention without relying on their eyes.

Observing Fei Wei’s body mechanics, Chen Xingran silently praised her. He then took a step forward, meeting her hand with the wrong hand. When his palm touched Fei Wei’s, it felt as if his arm had turned into quicksand, causing Fei Wei’s Cloud Hand to lose its force upon contact.

Before she could be surprised, she noticed Chen Xingran’s lapel flutter slightly. A buzzing sound, like a swarm of bees gathering, emanated from his body. Suddenly, his muscles tensed, as if a spring was hidden within his body. From soft strength to explosive force, this transformation was completed in an instant. Subsequently, a tremendous force emanated from Chen Xingran’s hand, akin to the sudden roar of thunder. Fei Wei, trying to intercept, was pushed back two steps by the abruptly rising force.

Exploding Fist!

Fei Wei halted her movement, and her voice couldn’t conceal her astonishment, “Hidden Force?!”

Exerting force from the lower abdomen, power from the waist, containing breath without exhaling, wrapping strength without revealing it… Clearly, Chen Xingran had reached the level of Hidden Force!

A practitioner of Hidden Force possessed a soft and flexible strength in their fists. The force they used seemed to exist yet not, real yet virtual, just like an experienced old boxer who had practiced martial arts for half a lifetime. How could he appear as a young man of seventeen or eighteen?

In the lively and noisy private room, the two had only exchanged a few moves, but Fei Wei already knew she had been defeated. She had practiced martial arts for many years, but she had not yet reached the level of Hidden Force. Chen Xingran’s use of strength was incredibly well-rounded, and his Hidden Force was both concealed and powerful. Once it erupted, the internal energy was more abundant than in the Visible Force stage, indicating that he had just stepped into this stage.

Their brief exchange happened in the blink of an eye. In the eyes of Yang Yunche and Song Dongyang, the movements of the two were as fast as lightning, resembling the skilled martial artists in movies. Pushing, grappling, twisting, and sweeping – a few short and crisp sounds of wind could be heard in the air. The speed was so fast that people couldn’t react. When they snapped back to reality, they saw Fei Wei retreating two steps, wearing an expression of surprise and awe.

They were not from the ancient martial arts circle, so naturally, they didn’t know what the brief confrontation just now represented. In fact, even an ordinary practitioner on the side would find it challenging to comprehend the deep meaning behind it.

Fei Wei exclaimed, “Impressive.”

Chen Xingran fist-bumped and said, “Thank you for your generosity.”

“Awesome!”

Song Dongyang marveled, “I know how skilled Fei Wei is. Ordinary thugs can’t get close to her. Even if the other three of us from AUG join forces, we might be knocked down by her. Yet, you can actually engage in a back-and-forth with her? Impressive!”

Yang Yunche sneered, “What’s the big deal? Previously, when there were five or six knife-wielding thugs around, Xingran kicked one away with a single kick, resolved the situation in three or two moves. And that was when he was still recovering from his illness.”

Song Dongyang unwillingly retorted, “Heh, Fei Wei has participated in martial arts competitions and even won championships. Do you understand anything?”

Yang Yunche chuckled, “Heh, that’s because Xingran didn’t participate. We have a broad-minded perspective and don’t care about such empty titles.”

Song Dongyang said, “Fei Wei can send you flying five meters with one slap.”

Yang Yunche replied, “Xingran can turn you into a paper man with one punch. In the next fifty years, you’ll have to live with an air pump.”

Song Dongyang countered, “Fei Wei is the reincarnation of a female war god. When she goes all out, it’s like the sky is collapsing and the earth is shattering. Can you match that?”

Yang Yunche retorted, “Do you know about World War II? Xingran went up with a knife and created an era of peace with one slash. You can sit here and enjoy your drinks all thanks to him. Why don’t you come over and toast to him?”

Song Dongyang sighed, “…Can’t you fucking blow some more logical nonsense?”

Chen Xingran and Fei Wei exchanged glances and helplessly dragged their team captain away.

How childish you guys are.

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