Chapter 358 - 328: Swords Pointed At The Heart, Hidden Intentions
(Note: Since the text discusses martial arts and mentions specific weapons like swords and spears, I’m assuming that "枪" refers to "spear" rather than "gun" for the purpose of this translation.)
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(PS: I’ve seen friends asking why Wu Li didn’t fight with a spear against his opponent. Battling with a spear against a sword is like fighting with a sword against an unarmed opponent—it’s a huge gap. If the skill levels are similar, there’s no real fight. Fujiwara is no fool; he came here to challenge Wu Li’s swordsmanship, not his spear technique. If Wu Li wanted to use a spear, Fujiwara would not agree, and both sides would have to continue to argue about it. Wu Li is confident that he can win with a sword, so rather than argue, it is more straightforward. Moreover, if Wu Li used a spear against a sword in a public duel, even if he won, there would still be those who say his victory was dishonorable. Besides, he has already killed Fujiwara’s senior disciple with a spear, and now fighting Fujiwara with a spear again, it would inevitably lead to a lot of negative talk. So it’s better to fight sword against sword, to win cleanly and leave no room for discussion.
Public duels have rules; you don’t just fight however you want, both sides must agree. Think of the movie "Huo Yuanjia," with those three matches—sword against sword, spear against spear, hand-to-hand. It’s the same here. There are rules for cold weapons duels, but I won’t go into that here.)
"You’ve injured your arm, you’re as good as dead in the upcoming duel!"
Fujiwara Naoto, his face devoid of color, said to Wu Li with a grim smile.
He spoke in Japanese, which Wu Li didn’t understand, but he could generally infer the meaning from Fujiwara Naoto’s demeanor and tone—Fujiwara Naoto was prepared to risk his life to inflict injury on Wu Li.
"Master Fujiwara!"
"Mr. Fujiwara!"
Members of the Island Country Martial Arts World looked at Fujiwara Naoto on the stage with expressions of deep sorrow, yet they were also surprised.
After all, this duel didn’t necessarily have to end in life or death. If one couldn’t win, conceding was also an option. Even though that might ruin one’s reputation, it would at least save their life. Fujiwara Naoto was not a martial artist who lived off his reputation. He had just practiced with his teacher without running his own dojo and teaching disciples. Even if his reputation was destroyed, he could retire to the countryside.