Future Pet Shop

'What a shame. I'm no martial arts master; otherwise, watching these two fight might have inspired me to create some incredible new martial art. Didn't legend say that Zhang Sanfeng invented Tai Chi after being inspired by watching a battle between a tortoise and a snake? Xiaoliu and Shi Gaofei are fighting way more fiercely than any tortoise and snake. A martial art inspired by them might be even more powerful than Tai Chi,' Shen Yibin mused, stroking his chin as he watched them.

'Even though he couldn't create a martial art, that didn't stop Shen Yibin from daydreaming. 'So, what would I call a martial art inspired by their fight? Immortal Ape Swordsmanship? No, I think that's already in a wuxia novel. And what about Shi Gaofei's style? Honey Badger Fist? It doesn't sound very impressive at all. How about Flat Head Fist? That sounds even lamer.'

The moment he thought this, the scene before Shen Yibin seemed to transform. It was no longer two animals fighting, but peerless masters like Ye Gucheng and Ximen Chuixue dueling by the edge of the pool. 'Uh, no, wait,' he thought. 'Ye Gucheng and Ximen Chuixue both use swords, but Shi Gaofei is bare-handed. Maybe Huang Yaoshi and Hong Qigong would be a better comparison? But then again, Pingtou's temperament is a lot more like Ouyang Feng's.'

'Ah, whatever,' Shen Yibin decided, and began to enjoy their battle as if he were watching a martial arts movie. He watched Xiaoliu's Swordsmanship. It was formless yet full of intent, its essence preserved without rigid structure. Ghostly and phantom-like, he would strike from angles no one could possibly anticipate, his movements leaving no trace. 'If I were in his place,' Shen Yibin mused, 'I'd have been covered in white dots by now.'

But Shi Gaofei was holding his own. Relying on his Golden Bell Shield and Iron Cloth Shirt, which had reached a state of perfection, he didn't dodge or evade Xiaoliu's attacks. He was willing to take a blow or two in order to lash out at Xiaoliu's body with his sharp, whistling claws. The two masters clashed and separated in an instant, each landing a white dot on the other. It was an even match.

"HFF... HFF..." Shi Gaofei retreated to his spot, his body low to the ground with his head slightly raised. His sharp eyes were fixed on Xiaoliu's shoulder, searching for an opening. Xiaoliu, meanwhile, pointed his wooden stick at Shi Gaofei from a distance. The tip of the stick quivered slightly, seemingly covering all of Shi Gaofei's vital points.

After circling Xiaoliu for a moment, Shi Gaofei suddenly darted low to the ground, rushing toward Xiaoliu's rear flank. His right claw aimed straight for the family jewels under Xiaoliu's bright red butt. This move was the killing blow of Flat Head Fist, known as "Flathead Egg Picking." It was the very technique Shi Gaofei had used to defeat the masters of the African Martial Arts and establish his fame as the Alliance Leader. It was not to be underestimated.

"SQUEAK SQUEAK!" Unfortunately for Shi Gaofei, he had used this move on the wrong opponent. One must know that in the Asian Martial Arts world, there is a remarkably similar move called "Monkey Steals the Peach," the ultimate secret technique of the Monkey Fist Sect. As the Emei Monkey King, how could Xiaoliu not recognize it? Instead of being alarmed, he was amused. Without panicking or even looking behind him, he thrust the wooden stick out from under his arm, aimed directly at Shi Gaofei. It was as if Shi Gaofei was deliberately ramming his own forehead into the tip of the stick.

With a soft THUD, a white dot appeared on Shi Gaofei's forehead. But he had a fierce and aggressive nature. Enduring the pain, he landed a claw on Xiaoliu's red butt. They had traded blows evenly again. One now had a beauty mark on his forehead, while the other had a white dot on his red butt. It looked like the flag of a certain nation, just with the colors reversed.

"Bravo!" The onlooking heroes and gallants couldn't help but cheer. Even Hong Mian, the master from the Six Gates, joined in. Back at her place, Shi Gaofei had been completely undefeated, but she never imagined he would meet his match here with Shen Yibin.

Xiaoliu dominated the first three rounds. His ever-changing, traceless Swordsmanship gave Shi Gaofei considerable trouble, and he quickly racked up a huge lead in points. However, as time went on, his movements gradually grew sluggish. His stamina, after all, was no match for Shi Gaofei, an animal that could chase its prey for dozens of kilometers.

In other words, Xiaoliu was like a disciple of the Sword Sect, focusing on form and technique while neglecting to build up his Inner Strength. Shi Gaofei was the complete opposite. He was weaker than Xiaoliu in technique but held a major advantage in Inner Strength. In the last three rounds, he seized the opportunity presented by Xiaoliu's slowing attacks to launch a fierce counteroffensive, managing to reclaim all the points he had lost earlier.

"Alright, alright! This is supposed to be a friendly martial arts exchange. Harmony is precious, so we can't let this hurt your friendship." Now that the six rounds were over, Shen Yibin hurried forward to separate them. The duel had gone on long enough. If it continued, things were likely to get out of hand.

"Easy there, easy. You're not leaving right away," Shen Yibin said, seeing that Shi Gaofei still seemed reluctant to stop. He quickly stroked the fur on the honey badger's back to calm him down. "Let's take a break. We can continue after dinner if you want! For now, let's just wash off all these white dots and get some rest!"

In the end, Shen Yibin didn't declare a winner or a loser. It wasn't because the two creatures had the same number of white dots, but because he had made an oversight. He had forgotten the saying the African Martial Arts world had for Pingtou: "Flat head, white hair, a silver cloak; on African soil, I'm the most ferocious of folk." The honey badger's back was silvery-white. How could anyone see white talcum powder dots on it? And so, the duel had to be declared a draw. 'Next time,' Shen Yibin thought, 'I'll have to consider using a different colored powder.'

These two were great martial arts heroes, and after their two previous duels, they had come to cherish each other's abilities. They were just like Miao Renfeng and Hu Yidao dueling in Cangzhou Prefecture—giving it their all and never holding back during the fight, only to become the best of brothers the moment it ended. The second Shen Yibin removed Shi Gaofei's gloves and mask, the two rascals jumped into the pool arm in arm to wash off the white dots. One moment, one was scrubbing the other's back; the next, the other was washing his neck. The bromance was off the charts!

Bald Qiang and Maphario watched them, at a complete loss for words. 'Hey, weren't you two just fighting to the death a minute ago? How are you suddenly thick as thieves? What in the world is going on?! And after we tried so hard to help!'

Still, Bald Qiang and his mate didn't dare to lower their guard. They watched nervously from their nest, terrified that the two would start another ruckus in the pool. If that happened, the villa they had worked so painstakingly to build would be done for!

Fortunately, their fears did not come to pass. After they were clean, the two rascals climbed onto the bank and shook the water from their fur. Xiaoliu then scurried up a tree in a flash, used his wine gourd to ladle out some wine from a hidden hollow, and brought it down to share with Shi Gaofei.

'Holy shit,' Shen Yibin thought. 'I thought we were out of wine! You little rascal, you've been holding out on me!'