Atlas of Heaven and Earth-Chapter 12: The Duel

Yu Gang went outside and saw a total of more than ten people on the open ground. Most of them were scattered around, wearing dark blue work clothes, with their fists wrapped in shiny silver chains, looking fierce and imposing.

At the forefront stood four people, led by a man in his thirties, short in stature, wearing plain glasses and dressed in an old-fashioned plain collar straight robe. Behind him were two middle-aged strong men, and standing a bit further away was a young man in his early twenties with a crew cut, his eyes revealing arrogance.

Seeing Yu Gang, the leading man smiled, clasped his fists and said, "Master Yu, it's been a long time."

Yu Gang also clasped his fists and said, "I didn't expect Mr. Qi to grace this place with your presence. My place is humble, with nothing good to offer for hospitality, I'm afraid."

Mr. Qi sighed and said, "Not at all, Mr. Qi is not here today for tea or wine, but solely to see Master Yu."

Yu Gang said, "I am just an ordinary martial arts coach, nothing special to see."

Mr. Qi smiled and said, "Master Yu, why be so modest? Who doesn't know of Master Yu's skills? Mr. Qi came here today specifically to invite Master Yu to join our Iron Chain Gang. Hey, Master Yu, don't be in a hurry to refuse..."

He waved his hand and said, "We know that Master Yu has troubles, but we can help Mr. Yu solve them."

Yu Gang said in a deep voice, "My troubles are not something the Iron Chain Gang can solve, it will only bring you trouble."

Mr. Qi was not convinced, or rather, he was extremely confident, saying, "How do you know without trying? Master Yu, those powerful people are not to be trifled with, but our Iron Chain Gang is not to be trifled with either. Once you join the Iron Chain Gang, we become brothers, your troubles are our troubles, we will help you, and in a way that satisfies Master Yu."

Yu Gang remained silent.

Mr. Qi then clasped his fists again, making sure his voice was heard by everyone present, and said, "Master Yu, after you join the Iron Chain, Mr. Qi can become your disciple, so Master Yu should not doubt the sincerity of our Iron Chain Gang, right?"

Yu Gang couldn't help but fall silent. The Iron Chain Gang was no pushover, and with things having come to this point, a clear response was necessary, otherwise, it would be disrespectful to these people.

Mr. Qi maintained his smile and the posture of clasping his fists, waiting for his response.After a moment, Yu Gang seemed to have made a decision. He looked at Mr. Qi and the others and said, "Alright, I, Yu, know nothing but combat. Let my student have a match with your man. If you win, I can agree to join the Iron Chain Gang. If you lose, at least don't come looking for me for a year."

Mr. Qi seemed to have anticipated this, putting his hands down and smiling, "We must give face to Master Yu." He turned his head and called out, "Ding Shuo."

"Here!" The young man in his early twenties with a crew cut stepped forward from behind him, saying, "Mr. Qi."

Mr. Qi said, "You come and spar with Master Yu's student. Be careful, Master Yu is highly skilled, so his student must be no less."

Ding Shuo found Lu Ke behind Yu Gang and glared at him fiercely.

Yu Gang called Lu Ke over and instructed, "Lu Ke, go and have a match with him. Be careful." Lu Ke, somewhat nervous, responded, "Yes, Master."

Mr. Qi said, "Mr. Yu, we're all friends here, no life or death, just a friendly match." He then looked to his side, "Ding Shuo, did you hear that?"

Ding Shuo said, "Mr. Qi, just watch." He took off his shirt, revealing a muscular body, took out a hand wrap from his pocket, tied his hands, and then started jumping around to warm up.

Lu Ke was also warming up, though he seemed a bit out of sorts, continuously taking deep breaths.

Chen Chuan had also arrived at the entrance of the training ground, watching the commotion outside. The Iron Chain Gang and the Blood Mark Gang were the two largest gangs in Yangzhi City, and conflicts between the two gangs were frequent.

He wasn't clear on the specifics of their enmity, but he had heard that the Blood Mark Gang was backed by Molan Corporation. The Iron Chain Gang, being able to stand up to the Blood Mark Gang, must also have some force supporting them.

He just didn't know why they were approaching Yu Gang this time. To be fair, if Yu Gang were to be recruited by the Iron Chain Gang, it would disrupt his training plan...

It wasn't long before Lu Ke and Ding Shuo were almost ready. Both sides went to the open ground, saluted each other according to custom, took a few steps back, and each took their stance.

Ding Shuo then grinned, charged forward, and immediately launched a flying knee strike at Lu Ke, looking exceptionally fierce.Lu Ke quickly dodged to the side. After Ding Shuo landed, he nimbly turned on his feet, keeping up with Lu Ke's pace. He unleashed a fierce combination of punches and then suddenly launched a low sweep. Lu Ke showed no openings and timely raised his knee to block, but the force of the kick seemed quite strong, forcing him to step aside to dissipate the force.

Chen Chuan watched closely. From the smoothness of Ding Shuo's posture and the barely discernible exhaling sounds, he judged that this person also mastered the breathing technique. However, as long as Lu Ke performed normally, there was still a chance.

Lu Ke continuously dodged under Ding Shuo's aggressive attacks. Although he was on the defensive, he held his ground quite steadily. While dodging, he also observed his opponent, looking for vulnerabilities.

Soon, he found an opportunity. After Ding Shuo threw two punches and was about to sweep with his leg, Lu Ke suddenly kicked forward, hitting the latter's abdomen squarely.

This kick was beautiful, not only disrupting Ding Shuo's sweep but also delivering a powerful counterattack.

This strike should have disrupted the opponent's rhythm and marked the beginning of a counterattack. However, surprisingly, Ding Shuo not only wasn't interrupted but also pushed his abdomen forward. Lu Ke immediately felt a force pushing back from the sole of his foot, involuntarily stepping back.

Given his physical condition, he should have quickly steadied himself, but it seemed like he had a cramp, his foot suddenly softened, and he fell to the ground. He quickly rolled over and half-knelt, raising a fist in front of him to guard against Ding Shuo's subsequent attacks.

Ding Shuo did not rush forward but instead took two steps in place, waving his palm upward as if signaling him to get up quickly.

Chen Chuan then noticed a flush rising on Lu Ke's face, and his breathing became much more rapid. He couldn't help but think of something and turned to look at where Lu Ke had been sitting. Next to Lu Ke's usual water bottle, there was a small medicine bottle with the lid not closed, containing two pale yellow pills.

Lu Ke took a deep breath and stood up. Ding Shuo then lunged forward, and a gust of fist wind came. Lu Ke instinctively raised his arm to block, but as soon as his hand lifted, his ribs were hit by a knee strike, causing him to grunt, his breathing disordered, staggering a few steps, and then falling to the ground again, only propping himself up with his arm to avoid lying down.

Now, everyone could see that his condition was not right.Ding Shuo said with dissatisfaction, "Hey, what are you doing, are you sick?"

Yu Gang sighed slightly and said, "Lu Ke, come back." He paused, "Mr. Qi, this round..."

"Wait, Teacher Yu."

A voice came from inside the building.

Mr. Qi and the others turned to look and saw a young man with a well-proportioned figure and a heroic temperament walking out from inside.

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Chen Chuan walked to Yu Gang's side and said to him, "Teacher Yu, can I also be considered your student? Brother Lu seems to be unwell, making this match a bit unfair. Since the outcome is still undecided, can I take his place and continue?"

Yu Gang looked at him and said, "You don't have to come out, this isn't your matter."

Chen Chuan said earnestly, "Mr. Yu, if it's not my matter now, it will be. You understand, if the result is as such, it might not be easy for me to continue learning with you."

If it were solely Yu Gang's matter, he wouldn't have volunteered. But Nian Fuli had reminded him that because Yu Gang was involved in a case, he should just follow and learn, not get too close, possibly out of some concern. But if Yu Gang joined the Iron Chain Gang, to avoid suspicion, he definitely couldn't continue learning. Rather than that, it's better to actively try to change the situation.

Mr. Qi then laughed and said, "Teacher Yu, is this also your student? Since it was agreed that your student would fight, it's only fair to let him step up."

Ding Shuo scoffed, but he had no real objection. Beating someone who was unwell didn't feel satisfying to him, and the previous rounds had only served to warm him up.

Seeing they had no objections, Yu Gang considered for a moment and then said to Chen Chuan, "Be careful, this young man Ding is very skilled with his fists and feet."

Chen Chuan immediately understood; being skilled with fists and feet meant other techniques might be slightly inferior, so he could fight a bit more freely.

Lu Ke then got up, clutching his ribs, and came before Yu Gang, saying, "Master, I..."

Yu Gang patted his shoulder and said, "Don't overthink it, it was my oversight. Go back and take your medicine quickly."

Lu Ke softly acknowledged, glanced back at Chen Chuan who was starting to warm up, took a deep breath, and slowly walked back into the building.

Chen Chuan soon finished warming up and came to the open ground, standing face to face with Ding Shuo.Lu Ke softly acknowledged, glanced back at Chen Chuan who was starting to warm up, took a deep breath, and slowly walked back into the building.

Chen Chuan soon finished warming up and came to the open ground, standing face to face with Ding Shuo.