Chapter 138: More Than a Win
The Five Fists of Narrow Stone Peak stood in a line, each one towering and built like a stone wall, their expressions unreadable. My eyes scanned the group, and Wei Long’s sharp voice cut through the air like a blade.
"Gu Bei," he called, stepping forward with an air of authority. The name echoed in my mind. Gu Bei stepped out of line, his movements deliberate yet restrained. His gaze met mine, and I could see the wariness there. He wasn’t one of the men who had attacked me in Crescent Bay City. No, he’d been passed out drunk, missing the brawl entirely.
I tempered my anger, keeping my breathing steady. This wasn’t about personal grudges. Not today. I had to stay calm.
The man before me was a giant, easily a head taller than me, and built like an ox. His shaved head gleamed in the afternoon light, and as I studied him more closely, I noticed a burn mark trailing from his neck to his shoulder, a discolored patch of skin that stood out against his otherwise rough-hewn exterior.
I gestured toward the line of the Five Fists behind him. "You all look... strikingly similar. Are you related?" The question slipped out before I could stop it, half curiosity, half an attempt to gauge the dynamic between them.
Gu Bei shook his head, his voice gruff but not unfriendly. "No. Not brothers, not by blood. Just... brothers in training."
I nodded slowly, taking in the way they stood together. Their appearance was almost uncanny. Same shaved heads, same muscular frames, but now that I looked closer, I could see the subtle differences. Gu Bei with his burn scar, another missing a tooth, one with a nose that looked like it had been kicked in by a horse, and the last bearing a scar that ran from his ear down his jawline. Despite their similarities, each of them bore the marks of their past struggles, small details that set them apart from each other.
I don't recall them having those when I first encountered them. Perhaps they've been through much since our last meeting.
Wei Long’s voice broke through my observations. "Since this is a demonstration, you will be given the first three moves, Kai." His tone was smooth, diplomatic, but there was an edge to it. "If it becomes too heated, I will step in. This is a demonstration first and foremost. Safety is paramount."