486 Competition

Su Chong looked at Chu Jin. He did not refuse and nodded. “Why wouldn’t I dare? How do you want to compete, Young Master Chu?”

Chu Jin laughed heartily and said, “Great, let’s compete in martial arts, horsemanship, archery, strength and such. We’ll learn from each other and not use knives or spears. If there’s a war in the future, we might even fight side by side.”

Su Chong nodded. “Sure.”

Qi Xingfeng frowned. “You—”

Chu Jin didn’t look like he was here to cause trouble.

Chu Jin smiled at Qi Xingfeng. “Don’t worry, I’m not here to pick a fight. Even in the past, I didn’t come here to pick a fight. We’re just competing on friendly terms.”

“By the way, you don’t talk much today. I heard someone say you’d changed. I didn’t believe it at first, but now I do. Even though you look like you want to talk and your face is red from holding it in, it’s good that you don’t. It’s good to talk less. That’s what my father said.”

Chu Jin often fought with Qi Xingfeng, so he knew Qi Xingfeng’s personality very well. Today, he saw that Qi Xingfeng suddenly spoke less, but he still looked like he wanted to speak and his face was red from holding it in.

Although he didn’t know why he restrained himself, it was a good thing.

“Likewise.”

Qi Xingfeng said after a while.

Chu Jin stroked his beard thoughtfully. “Indeed, I should change too.”

His temperament was actually not much different from Qi Xingfeng’s. They were both hot-headed in the past. Previously, with Qi Xingfeng, he still had a reason to be like that. Now that Qi Xingfeng had changed drastically, he could not find a reason to continue being like that.

A martial arts practitioner had a straightforward temperament. Qi Xingfeng had not changed for so many years. Now that he had changed, it meant that it was definitely a bad thing. Since it was something bad, he should change it too.

Chu Jin pondered for a moment and cupped his hands respectfully at Su Chong. He said politely, “Young Master Su, thank you for your guidance.”

Su Chong nodded. “Young Master Chu, please.”

At this point, Qi Xingfeng didn’t say anything else. He reminded Su Chong to be careful and didn’t say anything else.

Chu Jin and Su Chong quickly started the arena battle.

Many soldiers in the training grounds stopped their training and gathered around to watch.

Chu Jin and Qi Xingfeng were famous for their strength. Previously, when they fought in the arena, the soldiers loved to watch.

Now that Chu Jin was challenging Su Chong, they were even more curious.

The arena battles of martial arts practitioners were very simple. Most of them competed in martial arts techniques and strength. This kind of arena battle where every punch hit the flesh was what all the soldiers liked to watch. Through the techniques and strength of the punches and kicks, many of them could learn and put them to use after observing. This was simply a true teaching.

Before it began, the surrounding soldiers and generals were all gathered.

The confrontation between Su Chong and Chu Jin had officially begun.

Chu Jin remained calm and extended his hand politely. “Please.”

Without another word, Su Chong clenched his fists and took the initiative to punch. Chu Jin crossed his hands and blocked Su Chong’s punch.

This was the initial test. Neither of them used their full strength.

After a punch, Su Chong felt Chu Jin’s foundation. Chu Jin’s lower body was very stable and he used a lot of strength. He was a good opponent.

Chu Jin also had a good impression of Su Chong and felt that he had a solid foundation.

After this test, the two of them began to become serious. They did not hide their strength and punched each other. The muffled sounds of fists colliding caused the surrounding soldiers to cheer.

If they used swords, Chu Jin would not be his opponent. However, if they used their fists in close combat, Chu Jin would be on par with him.

Chu Jin punched his shoulder, and he punched Chu Jin’s chin.

They were all heavy grunts.

No one cared about these superficial wounds. They became more and more courageous as they fought.

They fought for four to six hours. It was almost dusk, but there was no winner. However, the two of them had varying degrees of bruises. The originally excited soldiers were no longer in the mood to watch. They were tired.

Qi Xingfeng saw that there was no way to determine the victor, so after Su Chong punched Chu Jin, he immediately shouted, “Stop—”

Su Chong and Chu Jin both stopped.

Qi Xingfeng said with a red face, “Next time.”

Then, Qi Xingfeng pointed at the sky. He didn’t want to say too much, but one look at the sky and he knew that it was getting dark. It was time to go home.

Su Chong cupped his hands first. “Young Master Chu, it looks like it’s hard to tell who will win today. I’ll be waiting for you next time.”

Chu Jin took a deep breath and tapped his swollen cheek with the tip of his tongue. He agreed straightforwardly. “Alright, let’s continue tomorrow.”

Su Chong’s fist was really strong, but he wasn’t bad either. Half of Su Chong’s face was swollen.

After Chu Jin finished speaking, he smiled. “Young Master Su, see you tomorrow.”

Chu Jin strode towards his horse, mounted it, and rode back.

Only then did Qi Xingfeng step forward. He had mixed feelings and didn’t know what to say.

Su Chong smiled and patted Qi Xingfeng’s shoulder. “It’s fine. It’s good to train more.”

Qi Xingfeng thought that Chu Jin would not let this go. He instructed Su Chong, “Apply the medicine.”

These injuries were not harmful to the body, but if he ignored them, the pain would last for a long time because it was difficult for the blood clots to dissipate.

Su Chong nodded. He probably had bruises on several parts of his body, but Chu Jin was not much better.

After separating from Qi Xingfeng, Su Chong went home.

Facing Su Sanlang and Madam Zhao’s worried gazes, Su Chong explained, “I sparred with a young man in the army with a good foundation. It’s fine. I know my limits.”

Madam Zhao was worried, so the worry in her eyes could not be dispelled.

Su Xiaolu stood up and took Su Chong’s pulse. She said, “Father, mother, Big Brother is fine. It’s just superficial wounds. He’ll be fine in a few days. He’ll be fine tomorrow with some medicine.”

There were no internal injuries. Although his face was bruised and swollen, it was not an internal injury. Su Chong was not lying.

With Su Xiaolu’s words, Madam Zhao and Su Sanlang were relieved.

Their son had grown up. He had his own pursuits. As parents, they no longer interfered. They just felt sorry for their child when they saw his bruised face.

Su Chong quickly ate and went to rest. He thought to himself that if Chu Jin came again tomorrow, he would have to talk to him and not slap his face.

As for her body, it was fine. Others wouldn’t be able to see it if he wore clothes. As long as his face was fine and his parents were okay with it, it was fine.

Su Chong did not know that Chu Jin was also facing the same scrutiny as him.

Mother Chu was a tearful person. When she saw that half of her son’s face was swollen, she immediately cried. She pulled her son to apply medicine and cried at the same time. She, Madam Wen, was from Jiangzhou and had a gentle personality. She doted on him since he was young. When he fell, she would cry while applying medicine.

As Chu Leizhen rubbed his nose in embarrassment, he whispered to Madam Wen, “Is this Su Chong so powerful? He actually beat my son up like this? Ahem, Madam, don’t cry. If there’s really no other way, we won’t help him. Just reject Lin Pingsheng with a letter.”