Chapter 227: He's Not Going to Lose, Is He?
As Zhou Fan spoke, Bai Zhi took careful notes. She even glanced at Fan, her fingers trembling slightly, as if trying to figure out the fastest way to strike those three acupoints.
"What if they don't practice Hard Qi Gong? Are these three points still effective?" Bai Zhi asked quietly. She knew that when it came to assassination, you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone in the world more professional than Zhou Fan. So now that he was willing to teach, she was determined to commit every word to memory.
"They're effective, just not as dramatically. But if you have enough power and speed, anyone hit in these three acupoints will be crippled, if not killed. If that's not enough, you can finish them off with a solid blow to the Baihui Acupoint," Zhou Fan nodded. He then raised his hand and gently touched the Baihui Acupoint on Bai Zhi's head.
"Hey, can you two stop with the live lesson? I'm about to go on. Aren't you going to wish me luck?" As Fan listened to Zhou Fan's instructions to Bai Zhi, he silently committed them to memory as well. 'If I get the chance later,' he thought, 'I should try them out. You never know when they might come in handy, right?'
"Go on. Don't lose, or I'll look down on you. I'll even send a video of you losing to Zheng Sisi so she can admire your 'heroic' performance," Zhou Fan said with a casual wave of his hand, his words nearly making Fan curse out loud.
"Zhou Fan, have a heart! My love life is just about to blossom!" Fan shot Zhou Fan a look, then turned and strode confidently onto the fighting stage.
"Hey, old woman! Our girl Bai Zhi won the first match. I'm up for the second one. Send out whoever you want, just don't say this old man is bullying you!" Fan stood on the stage like a rogue, looking at Li Mei, whose expression was grim, and shouted across.
"Master, let me go!" a woman with long, unbound hair standing behind Li Mei requested. She held a long saber and cupped her fist to Li Mei in a salute.
"Zhou Huang, you can go, but be careful. That man is the former captain of Wolf Fang. He may not look serious, but his strength is not to be underestimated," Li Mei cautioned her disciple, her expression turning grave.
"Don't worry, Master. I will cut him down," Zhou Huang promised in a low voice. Then, with a few large strides, she leaped onto the stage and stood opposite Fan.
"Zhou Huang." After taking her stance, she gripped her saber with both hands. She offered Fan a cupped-fist salute and simply stated her name.
"Well now, Zhou Fan, she's got the same family name as you. Should I fight her or not?" Fan sized her up. She was gorgeous—raven-black hair, a tall figure, and delicate, well-defined features that made her look like she could be of mixed heritage. The only thing was the pair of pale blue eyes, which glittered with a grim indifference and killing intent that warned people to stay away.
"Huh? What was that? I can't hear you! I'm busy recording this. I'm planning to show it to Miss Zheng later!" Zhou Fan replied with theatrical exaggeration, pointing to the phone he was holding up.
"Damn it!" Fan cursed, speechless. He thought Zhou Fan was just messing with him, but he hadn't expected the guy to actually be recording. Not daring to say more, he turned his attention to Zhou Huang. Gripping his dagger, he made a gesture for her to make the first move.
Instantly, Zhou Huang lunged forward. Her saber came straight down in a single, unadorned arc, cleaving directly at Fan's head.
'Holy shit, this girl is vicious!' Fan muttered instinctively. He raised his dagger to block the overhead strike while simultaneously reaching out with his left hand to grab Zhou Huang's wrist.
But Zhou Huang was clearly prepared. Without altering the path of her saber, she shot a kick at Fan's side.
CLANG!
The saber slammed against the dagger. The massive force of the impact sent Fan stumbling back half a step. He shook out his left hand—which had just blocked Zhou Huang's kick—his expression turning grim.
'This girl is way too strong,' he thought. 'We just started and she's already gotten the better of me twice.'
"This woman... she's pretty impressive." Zhou Fan's eyes narrowed. He knew Fan's true capabilities. Fan might seem unreliable most of the time, but when his life was on the line, there were few who could match him.
'But just now, he chose to meet Zhou Huang's strike head-on. Was he intentionally trying to match her strength for strength?'
'Clearly not. Fan wasn't the type to face someone head-on; sneak attacks and assassinations were his forte.'
'So, there were only two explanations for why Fan took that last strike head-on. Either he had no choice but to block, or he wanted to use the clash to gauge his opponent's true strength.'
"He's not going to lose, is he?" Chen Yao couldn't quite follow the fight, her view of the action not even being that clear. Hearing Zhou Fan's analysis, she asked cautiously, a hint of worry in her voice.
"Relax. If he were that easy to beat, he wouldn't have survived this long. Besides, even if he does lose, I'm still here," Zhou Fan said, gently putting an arm around Chen Yao's shoulder to comfort her.