Starting with a Wei Wu soldier

Chapter 126 Making Friends Through Martial Arts

Twice he visited, twice he was refused. Chen Xing's courteous and generous attitude towards his subordinates was seen by the bandits of Black Wind Ridge as more than enough, even bordering on "humble." Within Starfire Fortress, some undercurrents of discontent were inevitable. However, Chen Xing himself remained as calm as a deep pool. He knew that for someone like Dian Xiong, the previous instances of "courtesy" and "wealth" were merely stepping stones, a prelude to demonstrating sincerity and magnanimity. The real key lay in whether he could open the door to Dian Xiong's heart, a door tightly closed by betrayal and now devoted only to absolute power.

"My lord, that Dian Xiong is arrogant and rude, ungrateful and doesn't know his place. Our Starfire Fortress is now full of talented people, why should we repeatedly humble ourselves before such a boorish country bumpkin?" Back in the Starfire Fortress's council hall, even the usually composed Zhao Tiezhu couldn't help but advise him. Being rejected twice in a row made him feel that it had damaged his lord's dignity.

Although Chen Wei did not speak, his tightly pursed lips revealed his dissatisfaction with Dian Xiong's attitude.

Chen Xing put down the report on the progress of spring plowing, looked up at the people in the hall, his gaze calm yet weighty: "Dian Xiong's refusal was not due to arrogance, but to heartbreak. A tiger enraged by being trapped in its cage will not easily trust someone wielding a halberd again. We only showed him courtesy and tempted him with benefits, but we did not show him 'strength'—not the power of force, but the 'strength' that was enough to win his heart, to make him believe that his followers could protect him and lead him to greater heights."

He paused, then slowly said, "Dian Xiong is fond of martial arts and admires heroes. To win him over, words alone are useless; he needs to see and feel it firsthand. In ten days, I will make my third trip to Black Wind Ridge. This time, I will not discuss recruitment, but only martial arts. I want to make friends with him through martial arts."

"A martial arts contest?" Chen Wei was taken aback. "Does my lord wish to spar with Dian Xiong? That fellow is born with superhuman strength and is incredibly brave. His battlefield combat skills must be honed through countless trials. My lord is of inestimable strength; how can you risk your life?" Although he had confidence in Chen Xing's personal bravery, the rumors about Dian Xiong were too terrifying, and he couldn't help but worry.

Chen Xing's lips curled into a barely perceptible smile: "Precisely because he is brave and fierce, we need to show him the difference in 'bravery.' Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

Over the next ten days, Chen Xing reduced his routine administrative duties and devoted more time to the training grounds. He didn't engage in traditional battlefield martial arts training, but rather combined his system-enhanced body with the modern combat techniques and biomechanics he had learned before his transmigration, conducting targeted training that emphasized skill, explosiveness, and adaptability. He knew that against a powerful general like Dian Xiong, brute force was not the best strategy; he had to play to his strengths, using skill to overcome brute force and speed to overcome slowness.

Chen Wei was deeply worried and dispatched his most elite guards to protect him day and night. He also secretly instructed his entourage to make thorough preparations and even considered whether to secretly carry a crossbow as a precaution. However, Chen Xing explicitly stopped him—the duel must be fair. Hiding a weapon would not only fail to subdue Dian Xiong, but would also create a deadly feud.

Ten days later, Chen Xing led his team on their third expedition. This time, the team was smaller, consisting of no more than fifty riders, including Chen Wei. They were all skilled fighters handpicked from among his personal guards. They also did not bring many gifts, only some wound medicine to promote blood circulation and remove blood stasis, and clean strips of cloth.

Upon arriving at the foot of Black Wind Ridge again, after reporting their arrival, the leader led Chen Xing and the others up the mountain, his eyes filled with undisguised astonishment and curiosity. Clearly, news of Chen Xing's three visits to Zhuge Liang's thatched cottage had spread throughout the mountains; even the bandits thought the Lord of Starfire Fortress was excessively patient, and were even more curious about his purpose this time.

At the gate of the village, Dian Xiong still stood shirtless, holding a spear. His burly body looked like it was cast in iron under the sunlight. However, the look in his eyes when he looked at Chen Xing was less of the pure indifference he had shown the previous two times, and more of scrutiny and incomprehension.

"Master Chen, you've come again." Dian Xiong's voice was still rough, but his tone had softened somewhat. "I made myself clear last time. Black Wind Ridge doesn't welcome..."

"Brave Warrior Dian," Chen Xing interrupted him, getting straight to the point, "On the previous two occasions, I invited you with courtesy and gifts, as a sign of my sincerity. Today, I've come for the third time, not for any other reason than one wish—I've long heard that Brave Warrior Dian's strength is unparalleled in the North. I, Chen, though unworthy, also enjoy martial arts, and today I've come specifically to learn from you, wishing to exchange a few blows and make friends through martial arts. I wonder if you, Brave Warrior, dare to accept the challenge?"

"A duel?" Dian Xiong's copper bell-like eyes widened suddenly, as if he had heard something utterly absurd. He looked Chen Xing up and down, not at all burly, then at his own bulging muscles and heavy iron spear, his face showing disbelief, which quickly turned into an expression that mixed with amusement and contempt. "Lord Chen, are you making fun of me? You seem to be a learned and sensible person, capable of leading troops into battle. Why bother with the bravado of a commoner? Swords and spears have no eyes. If I were to injure you, it would make me, Dian Xiong, seem ignorant of hospitality and have bullied you."

The surrounding bandits also let out a suppressed jeer, clearly feeling that Chen Xing was humiliating himself.

Chen Xing's expression remained unchanged. He removed his cloak, revealing a close-fitting black outfit underneath, and slowly drew the finely forged, gleaming steel sword from his waist, its tip pointing diagonally at the ground: "Whether you're brave or not, a test will tell. Could it be that the mighty Dian, who commands Black Wind Ridge, lacks even the courage for a fair duel? Or is he merely a figurehead, afraid of losing face before a 'scholar' like me?"

The last sentence, though spoken in a flat tone, carried a clear provocative undertone.

Dian Xiong, as expected, was provoked. His face darkened, and he roared, "Fine! Since you insist on causing trouble, I'll grant your wish! No need for weapons, lest you say I'm bullying you! Let's spar bare-handed! If you can last twenty rounds against me, no, ten rounds! Then I'll consider you brave!"

He already felt somewhat guilty because of the previous two rejections, and was further provoked by the words, which made him feel heroic. He planted his spear in the ground, strode to the center of the open space, clenched his fists, his knuckles cracking, and assumed a powerful opening stance.

"Alright!" Chen Xing didn't say much. He handed the steel knife to Chen Wei, stretched his wrists and ankles, and walked into the arena, facing Dian Xiong three zhang away. His posture looked quite casual. It was neither the common horse stance nor a fist and palm routine. He simply lowered his shoulders and elbows slightly, with his center of gravity between his feet, like a drawn bow or a leopard ready to pounce.

The sidelines fell silent instantly, everyone holding their breath. The Starfire Fortress guards gripped their sword hilts tightly, while the bandits stared wide-eyed, waiting to see how their leader would teach this arrogant young master a lesson.

"Take this!" Dian Xiong roared, his voice like thunder. His burly body was surprisingly agile. In one stride, he rushed in front of Chen Xing, his fist, as big as a bowl, whistling through the air, aimed straight at Chen Xing's face! This punch was completely devoid of any fancy moves, a pure crushing force and speed. If it landed squarely, even a stone would probably crack.

However, Chen Xing seemed to have anticipated this. The instant the fist struck his body, his body slid slightly to the side and back, like an eel, narrowly avoiding the thunderous blow. At the same time, his left hand shot out like lightning, not to block, but to smoothly grab the outside of Dian Xiong's right elbow joint, which was slightly extended forward due to the full force of his punch. His five fingers were like hooks, and he suddenly exerted force to hook and twist!

Dian Xiong felt a sharp, tingling pain in his right elbow, which instantly reduced his strength by a third and halted his forward momentum. Startled, he instinctively swung his left fist out, intending to force Chen Xing back.

Chen Xing seemed to have anticipated this. He did not loosen his grip on Dian Xiong's right arm with his left hand. Instead, he used the force to twist his body and moved as nimbly as a monkey to get close to Dian Xiong's side, avoiding the sweeping left fist. At the same time, his right elbow struck Dian Xiong's right ribs, a vulnerable area that was difficult to protect from armor, like a venomous snake emerging from its hole!

"Bang!" A muffled sound rang out. Dian Xiong groaned, his massive body staggering back a step from the short, powerful elbow strike. His right side went numb, and he gasped for breath.

"First move." Chen Xing's voice rang out calmly, and he was already close behind again, like a shadow.

Dian Xiong was both shocked and furious. He had never encountered such a strange and cunning fighting style before. It didn't try to outmuscle him, but instead targeted joints, weak points, and blind spots. Its speed was astonishing, and its angles were even more unbelievable. He roared and unleashed a barrage of punches like a storm, attempting to overwhelm Chen Xing with sheer power and sheer density of attacks.

However, Chen Xing's movements were like a ghost, weaving and dodging through Dian Xiong's fist shadows, narrowly avoiding heavy blows each time. At the same time, he used both hands and feet, his fingers, palms, fists, elbows, knees, and legs transforming into sharp afterimages, constantly striking Dian Xiong's joints, acupoints, tendons, and other vulnerable points. Although the power of a single blow was far less than that of Dian Xiong, the cumulative effect made Dian Xiong feel uneasy all over, his strength becoming increasingly difficult to maintain, and his movements gradually becoming distorted and sluggish due to the constant interruptions and interference.

Three moves, five moves, seven moves...

As Dian Xiong fought, he grew increasingly alarmed, veins bulging on his forehead and sweat pouring down his face. He felt as if he were sinking into an invisible quagmire, possessing immense strength yet constantly missing his targets, his attacks being continuously weakened and slowed by his opponent's seemingly effortless yet incredibly precise strikes. His opponent's footwork, movements, and timing of attacks all possessed a strange and efficient quality that he couldn't comprehend at all.

In the ninth move, Dian Xiong delivered a powerful whip kick towards Chen Xing's waist. Instead of retreating, Chen Xing advanced, crouching down and bursting into Dian Xiong's center. His shoulder slammed into the thigh of Dian Xiong's supporting leg, while he cleverly hooked his foot at the same time.

"Thump!"

Amidst the incredulous exclamations of the surrounding bandits, Dian Xiong, whose body was as solid as a mountain, was actually knocked off balance by Chen Xing's bump and hook, and fell flat on his back to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust!

The room was deathly silent.

Dianxiong lay in the dust, his chest heaving violently, his eyes filled with bewilderment, shock, and disbelief. He had lost? And in the very area he was most proud of—martial arts—in hand-to-hand combat, he had been defeated in ten moves by someone much smaller and seemingly "weak" than himself?

Chen Xing stopped his stance and stood still, his breathing only slightly rapid. He extended his hand and said calmly, "Brave Warrior Dian, you are too kind."

Dianxiong stared blankly at the long, slender hand that contained incredible power before him, then looked up at Chen Xing's clear and deep eyes. There was no victor's arrogance, nor mockery of his disheveled appearance, only a calm and composed demeanor, and a hint of… genuine appreciation?

A complex mix of emotions welled up in Norio's heart. Shame and anger? Yes. Resentment? Also. But more than anything, there was a shock from having his understanding completely overturned, and a faint sense of... admiration? His opponent hadn't used any tricks or schemes, nor had he relied on numbers; he had simply defeated him head-on with a superior "martial art" that Norio couldn't comprehend.

He suddenly remembered what Chen Xing had said twice before—"to work together for a great cause," "a hero in distress," "a pearl covered in dust"... He also remembered the injustice and betrayal he had suffered under the command of the King of Xiliang.

Perhaps... there really are different kinds of "enlightened rulers" in this world?

Dian Xiong gritted his teeth, stretched out his large, fan-like hand, and grasped Chen Xing's outstretched hand, using the leverage to stand up. He dusted himself off, and his gaze towards Chen Xing was no longer tinged with contempt, but instead filled with an unprecedented solemnity and inquiry.

He took a deep breath, clasped his hands in a fist salute, bowed slightly, and spoke in a hoarse but clear voice:

"Lord Chen... no, my lord! Dian Xiong is blind and arrogant, and has repeatedly offended me! Today I realize that there are always people more capable than you! My lord did not consider Dian Xiong's crudeness, but visited him three times, and then impressed him with your superb skills. With such magnanimity, courage, and martial arts, Dian Xiong... is convinced!"

With a thud, this towering giant knelt on one knee in front of hundreds of people from both sides, his head bowed.

"Dianxiong, I am willing to serve my lord! I will serve you faithfully, even unto death! If I break this oath, may I be struck down by heaven and earth!"

The sound was resounding, like the clanging of metal, echoing through the valleys of Black Wind Ridge.

Chen Xing stepped forward and helped Dian Xiong to his feet, a genuine smile finally appearing on his face: "With Ziwei by my side, I am like a tiger with wings! Please get up!"

On Black Wind Ridge, there was silence at first, then a deafening cheer erupted—from the Starfire Fortress guards, and also from the bandits who finally saw their leader find a wise ruler and have a promising future.

After three visits to Zhuge Liang's thatched cottage, he finally made friends through martial arts and won over the fierce general. With Dian Xiong back in command, Starfire Fortress gained another peerless and deadly blade capable of tearing apart any enemy formation!