Madman!

Chapter 88: Provocation

"Some say he and several experts went to assassinate high-ranking Federation officials... but they failed..."

"That fierce?" Chen Wujun's expression showed shock, while his heart was a turbulent sea of emotion.

'The people in Master's photo... those were all great experts, and they all died... Could Master have gone with them to assassinate the Federation's upper echelon?'

Although his master appeared to be only fifty or sixty, Master Xin was over ninety yet still looked like a man in his fifties...

Master Xin had reached the Magnetic Field Level. At that stage, one could even control and influence a portion of their body's cells to extend their lifespan.

Judging by the tone Master Zhou Qing used when critiquing New Arts, his master must have been a New Arts expert as well.

Moreover, he likely practiced Old Arts first, then New Arts.

"What did that Deng Yuan look like?" Though Chen Wujun's mind was reeling, his face only showed curiosity.

"I don't know. I never saw him either. I just heard from my family... they only said his stature was tall and different from normal people..." Li Wei said.

That description was as good as saying nothing.One had to realize that most New Arts experts were tall and physically distinct from ordinary people.

Someone like Elephant, for instance, was over two meters tall.

"You practice the Through-Back Fist. I've only heard of this style, so let's see how your kung fu is," Chen Wujun said after resting for a moment.

In reality, his knowledge of various fist styles was extremely limited; he had only learned about this martial art from Li Wei's own mouth.

The two stood on the platform without wearing any protective gear.

"Brother Jun, be careful. Through-Back Fist emphasizes hands like iron, wrists like cotton, and arms like whips," Li Wei warned. Then, his feet stomped the ground, and he stepped forward with a leading hand strike, his sleeves snapping loudly.

When Chen Wujun practiced in the past, his sleeves would snap like a great flag unfurling in the wind.

Li Wei's move was equally imposing; his arm lashed out directly like a whip.

Chen Wujun raised his hand to block and immediately felt a stinging pain in his arm, as if he had been struck by an iron bar.

However, his arms were also extremely hard, so his expression remained unchanged.

After the leading hand, Li Wei switched to a pulling hand to suppress Wujun's guard, while his other long arm thrust straight forward like a great spear aimed at Chen Wujun's chest.

But the moment his shoulder moved, Chen Wujun anticipated the incoming change. Wujun turned his feet, using a pushing hand to shove Li Wei's arm back against his own chest.

Li Wei scrambled back to create distance, then rotated his body, stepping in with "Linked Drilling Hands." Chen Wujun swept his feet across the floor and circled behind him.

Li Wei turned and swept horizontally, his hands striking down continuously like two leather whips in an unbroken assault.

'So that's how it is. Whipping strikes. The tip of the whip moves extremely fast, perhaps even breaking the sound barrier... Speed combined with mass creates a strike with immense force. No wonder he said Through-Back Fist makes the arms like leather whips.'

'And his hands have been specially conditioned; they are even harder than my arms.'

'This offensive is endless. His palms are tempered as hard as steel and carry a penetrating force. An ordinary person really couldn't withstand this.'

Chen Wujun received a few strikes and his arms began to ache. After blocking Li Wei's whip hand, he flipped his palm to grab the man's arm. Simultaneously, he stomped his foot, stepped in, and used a shoulder check to send Li Wei flying.

After hitting the ground, Li Wei rolled a few times before springing up. His movements were extremely agile, looking for all the world like a long-armed gibbon.

Seeing that Chen Wujun had already withdrawn his stance, Li Wei stood up, looking somewhat embarrassed. "Thank you for showing mercy, Brother Jun."

As the saying goes, "a single shoulder can carry a thousand kilograms." Using the shoulder to deliver a violent, explosive impact—especially from an expert like Chen Wujun—was like being hit by a small car.

It was obvious that Chen Wujun hadn't used his full strength just now; he had merely tossed him away.

Furthermore, Chen Wujun hadn't really counterattacked earlier; he was simply testing his kung fu.

Otherwise, Li Wei would have been lying on the ground in one or two moves.

"Good kung fu," Chen Wujun praised. Having just exchanged blows, he had grasped the details of Li Wei's foundation and even figured out some of his force generation methods.

Li Wei had a punching force of roughly three to four hundred kilograms, similar to Initial Construction Phase martial artists like Ah Fei or Curry. However, due to his method of exerting force, the power he displayed was greater, as was his destructive capability. His fighting style was also more refined and agile, making him stronger than Curry and Ah Fei.

Wujun's own kung fu emphasized the power of the Dragon and Tiger, channeling force to the four extremities through explosive springing and twisting.

While Through-Back Fist also used springing and twisting, the body acted as the whip handle, the arms as the whip, and the fists as the tip of the whip.

The two were completely different.

"From now on, your salary is eight thousand a month!"

"Thank you, Brother Jun!" Li Wei immediately showed a look of joy.

When Chen Wujun returned home, he was still pondering Li Wei's Through-Back Fist.

Aside from the Wolf Fist and Swimming Dragon Palm taught by his master and senior brother, this was his first contact with another fist style. He felt it had broadened his horizons.

'I must interact with other Old Arts more in the future. That's the only way to expand my perspective, learn the advantages of other styles, and gain comprehension by analogy.'

'I heard the Dragon Head of the Four Stripes gang practiced Tan Legs since childhood before switching to New Arts. Once I break through to Qi Refining, I'll find an opportunity to see it for myself.'

'There are two other martial arts schools in the Walled City. Rumor has it their kung fu is average, but I should go take a look anyway.'

...

Two days later, Chen Wujun had Ah Fei take the money and ledgers and went with him to Jindi Finance.

"Sister Shark Jiu, this month's money and accounts." Chen Wujun entered the room, took the bag from Ah Fei's hand, placed it on the table, and then turned to look at the people sitting on the sofa nearby.

Ah Hao and Flower Boy Rong were each holding an erotic magazine, legs crossed as they read.

Cun Bao was holding a water cup, pouring a pile of powder into it, then adding water and stirring it evenly.

Karen was holding a mirror and applying lipstick, while Ji Xiang sat to the side, smiling.

Everyone greeted Chen Wujun; even Karen showed no strange expression on her face.

Chen Wujun responded to each of them, then sat down next to Ji Xiang.

"Brother Ji Xiang, your face is glowing red. Did you run into some good fortune recently?"

"It's alright. As long as there are no problems with the accounts, I eat well and sleep well," Ji Xiang laughed.

"I called you 'Brother Ji Xiang'... I was just saying it, but you actually accepted it?" Chen Wujun looked puzzled.

"I can call you Brother Jun too," Ji Xiang narrowed his eyes slightly, continuing to smile.

"Sure, let's hear it," Chen Wujun said with a grin.

Ji Xiang kept the smile on his face as he turned to look at Chen Wujun.

Chen Wujun looked back at him, maintaining his own smile.

"Say it. Why aren't you saying it? Can't get the words out?"

Seeming to sense the friction between the two, Ah Hao waved his hand. "Ah Jun, this foreign chick isn't bad. Her face is innocent yet lustful, and her body is explosive..."

Chen Wujun continued to stare at Ji Xiang.

Ji Xiang was filled with rage. He glanced around, and seeing that the others were watching, he simply dropped his smile and addressed the issue directly.

"Ah Jun, I know Sister Shark Jiu values you, and I give you face. But no matter how you put it, I'm your senior... You've provoked me two or three times now. What are you trying to do?"

"Angry?" Chen Wujun looked astonished.

"I was just joking with you. You're angry already? Why is your temper so bad?"

He stood up and walked over to Karen, draping his arm around her shoulder. Drawing out his words, he said, "Everyone knows Sister Karen and I have a good relationship, but someone just has to drive a wedge between us... If you have an issue, just say it straight. Don't be too scared to speak up while pulling little tricks behind my back..."

"Ah Jun, I don't know what you're talking about. Are you misunderstanding something?" Ji Xiang raised an eyebrow.

"I wasn't talking about you, please don't misunderstand. You all know me—I'm young and outspoken... I was just saying that some people..." Chen Wujun crossed his legs.

"Enough." Shark Jiu leaned back in her chair, looking at Ah Jun and Ji Xiang.

"Ah Jun, don't speak carelessly without evidence. Although we aren't police, we are all on the same side here, so we still need to speak based on evidence."

"Understood!" Chen Wujun sat on the sofa and raised his hand in a mock salute of a Federation police officer.

"I'll have people look for evidence when I get back!"

"What is going on between you and Karen?" Shark Jiu looked at Chen Wujun and asked.

"Nothing at all... just a tiny misunderstanding..." Chen Wujun grinned.

"Karen, what do you say?"

"It really was just a small misunderstanding. It's already been cleared up," Karen smiled.

"Since it's cleared up, then there's no issue."

"That's for the best. Everyone here is on the same side, and our interests are tied together. I don't want to see any unpleasantness between you," Shark Jiu stated.

Chen Wujun agreed with a grin, and Karen's expression remained normal, but Ji Xiang's eyes were filled with gloom.

He had been left quite ragged by Chen Wujun's sudden ambush just now.

In his view, Shark Jiu's attempt to smooth things over was clearly a tacit approval of Chen Wujun's provocation against him.

"Let's have dinner together tonight. My treat. We'll have a couple of drinks, and all misunderstandings will be gone," Shark Jiu added.

"Sister Shark Jiu is treating? Then we definitely have to go," Ah Hao responded immediately.

"I have no problem with that." Chen Wujun leaned over and snatched the magazine from Ah Hao.

"Which one was it you were talking about just now?"

Although he didn't really look for women outside, he certainly enjoyed looking at them.

...

That evening, at a seafood restaurant, Chen Wujun watched Ji Xiang go to the restroom. His eyes darted around, and he followed him.

"Cun Bao," Shark Jiu frowned when she saw the two leave one after another and spoke up.

Cun Bao immediately followed them.

When Chen Wujun entered, he saw Ji Xiang relieving himself. He walked up to the urinal next to Ji Xiang, unzipped, and glanced sideways while relieving himself.

"Why is it so small? We should just call you Little Ji Xiang from now on!"

"I'm still developing and I'm bigger than you. You won't get the chance to develop."

"Ah Jun, I've tolerated you several times. Don't keep looking for trouble," Ji Xiang said coldly, his belly full of anger.

"My dad told me before: the truth hurts the most," Chen Wujun grinned.

Cun Bao walked in and unzipped at a urinal.

"Ah Jun, Ji Xiang, you two ran in here to whisper sweet nothings? What are you chatting about?"

Chen Wujun glanced at him, stopped talking, pulled up his pants expressionlessly, and left.

After dinner that night, Chen Wujun and Shark Jiu went up to the rooftop.

Only then did Shark Jiu ask, "What's going on with you and Ji Xiang?"

"Nothing much. I had a bit of a misunderstanding with Karen before, and someone was adding oil to the fire and playing tricks behind the scenes," Chen Wujun said, stretching lazily.

"Leaving aside whether he did it or not, you seemed to be targeting him from the start." Shark Jiu had actually sensed the conflict between the two long ago, but since it hadn't been brought into the open before, she hadn't bothered to manage it.

"Senior Sister, you wrong me. I've always been very respectful to him. Everyone knows I respect the old and cherish the young the most."

Chen Wujun naturally wouldn't admit it, so he changed the subject.

"When do we move against Uncle Wu?"

"We need an opportunity. Uncle Wu's bodyguards aren't easy to deal with."

"If we make a move, we must beat him to death in one strike. We can't give him any chance."