Chapter 43: You’d Lose Too
The sky was still muggy, but at this moment, they had no energy to pay attention. The boys and girls, whose legs were weak from running two laps, all got up. They didn’t care about being tired and put their hands to their mouths, their cheers much louder than the slogans.
The students present were trembling with excitement, their blood boiling. It was as if their bodies had been opened up, and a surge of hot true qi was rising from the soles of their feet to the top of their heads.
But when they saw the instructor, a grown man, kick at Zhou Wanfeng’s face twice with a side kick, the true qi in their bodies instantly cooled and sank.
“Ahhh, I can’t watch anymore!” Wang Feili, Yun Jingya’s junior high school classmate, her heart was pounding. She was so nervous and excited that she covered her face.
Yun Jingya clutched Wang Feili’s clothes, her hand trembling slightly, her palm sticky with sweat. But she pressed her lips together, her eyes fixed on Zhou Wanfeng. She was also nervous, but she knew she had to watch. “Wanfeng is helping us. She even dares to fight with Coach Wu. What are you afraid to watch?”
Yun Jingya said so, but when she saw the instructor’s continuous kicks, she was also shocked. She felt as if the powerful leg was kicking at her, and she subconsciously wanted to close her eyes.
Zhou Wanfeng raised her arm to block. Wu Zihe’s strength was fierce, and he was now using his full strength. Her brow furrowed, and her forearm was numb from the force. Before she could catch her breath, another kick came.
She lowered her center of gravity into a lunge, her hands in a cross block. After blocking it, Zhou Wanfeng gritted her teeth and grabbed his leg, pulling and pressing down.
Wu Zihe stumbled, and just as he was about to fall, he suddenly used his back strength and delivered a powerful spinning side kick.
Zhou Wanfeng dodged backwards, aimed at Wu Zihe’s landing foot, and with her hands on the ground, she delivered a series of kicks. Wu Zihe’s brow darkened. He changed his landing foot in mid-turn.
Both of them did a handstand flip and quickly got up. Wu Zihe used the momentum to be even faster, and with a turn, he delivered a sharp right hook at Zhou Wanfeng’s head, the wind from his fist whistling.
The students next to them were watching with rapt attention, not daring to breathe. They didn’t even have time to shout “be careful.”
They just swallowed hard, feeling their hearts pound like war drums.
Zhou Wanfeng felt the punch coming and was already prepared. She bent down and quickly ducked, and with a turn to the left, she perfectly dodged Wu Zihe’s heavy punch.
Then, her right leg hooked Wu Zihe’s right leg, and her hands, like eagle’s talons, struck his back. As he fell forward, Zhou Wanfeng immediately reached out and pulled him back, pressing down on his shoulder, wanting to deliver a knee strike to his back, and then a reverse elbow throw.
Unfortunately, Wu Zihe leaned back and struck back with his elbow. Zhou Wanfeng had to jump back to dodge.
The two of them were about a meter apart. Zhou Wanfeng narrowed her eyes slightly. The sweat stung her eyes, but her expression was calm and showed no panic. The hair on her forehead was wet with sweat, and sweat was pouring down. The sweat on the tip of her nose was clear and about to drip. Her face was flushed, and she was panting heavily.
Wu Zihe was the same, sweating profusely. Large beads of sweat were constantly seeping from his forehead. His training hat had fallen on the ground at some point, and he didn’t have time to pick it up. His gaze was still fixed on Zhou Wanfeng.
The more he fought, the more excited he became. All his belligerent instincts were activated. The girl opposite him was so strong that he had to use all his strength to fight her.
He could feel a strong desire to win from her. His eyes were filled with interest, and he asked in a rough voice between breaths, “Your name is Zhou Wanfeng?”
Before Zhou Wanfeng could answer, the students of First Year, Class Three were all shouting and scrambling to help her answer. “Yes, instructor! Her name is Zhou Wanfeng!”
“She is the strongest barrier of our First Year, Class Three!”
“Zhou Wanfeng, you are my god!”
“The Zhou of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the Wan of meeting too late, the Feng of the wind. Go, Zhou Wanfeng! Take down the instructor!”
Xu Lei stood behind the students with his hands behind his back, his gaze on Zhou Wanfeng. Only now did he let out a sharp breath. Watching it live really made you hold your breath.
Before he got the student roster, he had only briefly glanced at the class’s high school entrance exam total score ranking, who the top ten were, and their junior high schools. He had also looked at the scores for each subject, especially the main subjects, which were very important in high school.
He had also glanced at the last few names, thinking about how to supervise and help them catch up after the official start of school.
He remembered the name Zhou Wanfeng because of her graduating school, Shuangshu Model Middle School. He had the impression that it was a private junior high, and its reputation and teaching quality were not very outstanding. He had vaguely heard that this school had been focusing on teaching in the past two years. Now, it seemed that it had some results.
Zhou Wanfeng’s scores for each subject, as well as her total score, were in the upper-middle range of the class.
Now, to see this scene during the military training, Xu Lei had really not expected it. He just saw Instructor Wu in the field start another wave of attacks.
He slid forward, and at the same time, his right straight punch swung at Zhou Wanfeng’s face. Zhou Wanfeng was calm and composed. She immediately took a step back with her left foot, dodging the punch. She then pressed down on Wu Zihe’s right forearm with her left hand. After neutralizing the attack, she took a step forward with her right foot, and when her right foot landed behind Wu Zihe’s back leg, she used her strength to trip him. Wu Zihe let out a muffled groan and used his explosive strength to trip her back.
At the same time, their bodies collided violently, a clash of strength.
Zhou Wanfeng’s gaze was sharp. Seeing the instructor start to attack with force, her expression did not panic at all. She retreated to adjust her attack, and with a right side kick, Wu Zihe dodged with his head and punched at her shin joint.
Seeing this, a glint flashed in Zhou Wanfeng’s eyes. Her other leg instantly bent down, and she kicked Wu Zihe’s shoulder. Seeing him stumble slightly, Zhou Wanfeng used her core strength to get up and pressed down on Wu Zihe’s arm with her right hand.
She kicked him in the knee.
Wu Zihe’s knee went numb, and he missed the opportunity to counterattack. He wanted to pull back, but Zhou Wanfeng would not miss this opportunity. She stepped on his knee and went straight up.
She pressed down on Wu Zihe’s neck, and with a quick turn, she was behind him. Her arm formed a V-shape and choked his neck. Her brow furrowed, and she secretly took a breath. Using her body weight, she sank down and shouted, “Get down!”
She jumped back and used all her strength. At the same time, Wu Zihe’s neck was being choked. His face was flushed, and he roared and lunged forward.
Zhou Wanfeng gritted her teeth and turned, using the momentum to change Wu Zihe’s center of gravity, making it so that he couldn’t exert his strength. “Die!” she grunted, twisting her body and pressing down hard.
The students around them clenched their fists silently, their breathing in sync with their efforts.
All they saw was Zhou Wanfeng’s one hand go under the instructor’s armpit, and the other hand in a cross choke. She gritted her teeth and roared. Everyone’s eyes were wide, and they had forgotten to breathe, gritting their teeth along with her…
All they saw was Instructor Wu’s strong body fall backwards, and with a heavy thud, the ground seemed to tremble.
Zhou Wanfeng’s arms were tightly wrapped around Wu Zihe’s neck. She didn’t let go even after he had fallen. He was being choked so hard that it was difficult for him to breathe, let alone speak.
Wu Zihe had to tap his hand, pounding the ground. “Let… let go…”
For a brief second, the students who had reacted jumped up and screamed in excitement.
“Ahhh, Zhou Wanfeng won!”
“Zhou Wanfeng beat the instructor! She won, she won!”
“Zhou Wanfeng, Zhou Wanfeng, ahhh!”
Xu Lei let out a sharp breath, his heart pounding. He looked at the excited and shouting students of Class Three, and a smile appeared on his serious face. He suddenly felt that the class he was leading might become an excellent class. At the very least, they were very united against outsiders.
“Yo, this student is amazing. She even took down our instructor,” the instructor said, not knowing when he had come over.
Wu Zihe picked up his hat and put it on, neatened his clothes, and quickly ran to the instructor to salute. Unfortunately, his throat was not very comfortable at the moment. He coughed twice and shouted, “Reporting, instructor! First Year, Class Three has suspended training and is resting on the spot! Please give your instructions!”
With that, he panted heavily, his gaze unconsciously shifting to Zhou Wanfeng, who was dusting herself off. At this moment, she was surrounded by the students in her class.
Both boys and girls were there, and the atmosphere was extremely enthusiastic.
“Zhou Wanfeng, have some water. I just bought it at noon, I haven’t even opened it,” Kong Xiaoxu said, using his height and strength to squeeze to the front and offer his water.
The girls were much more thoughtful. “Zhou Wanfeng, wipe your sweat.”
“Make way, make way! I’ll fan her to cool her down.”
“Zhou Wanfeng, how are you so amazing? You have no idea, I’ve had goosebumps the whole time. I even forgot how hot it was.”
“When I was watching, my heart was beating at least 200 times a minute. It’s never been this fast.”
Zhou Wanfeng took the water and took a big gulp. She caught her breath and pointed at the instructor. “Give the instructor a bottle.”
“Alright!” a boy replied loudly, turned, and shouted to the instructor, “Instructor, Zhou Wanfeng told me to give you a bottle of water.”
Wu Zihe took the water and took a sip to soothe his throat. Just as he was about to say thank you, he saw Zhou Wanfeng raise her arm and point at the playground, her eyes raised, her voice clear and textured. “Two to one, we win.”
The classmates next to her hadn’t reacted yet. Yes, they had won. They didn’t have to train anymore, and they didn’t have to run laps.
In an instant, a few classmates reacted, their eyes filled with excitement. They shouted, “We won, we don’t have to run! But the instructor lost! He has to run ten laps!”
At this moment, the joy of all the students in First Year, Class Three had reached its peak.
The instructor knew that this was not the army, and the rules were not so rigid. And he could see that the atmosphere between the instructor and the students was very good. He didn’t say much, just glanced at the girl in the student crowd who had beaten Wu Zihe.
He had come over halfway through. He had seen the scene of Wu Zihe losing. This girl’s fighting skills were skilled, and she was proficient in the essence of various combat techniques. Her body was flexible, and her reflexes were extremely fast. However, in his opinion, the reason she could win against Wu Zihe was entirely due to her rich practical experience.
But then again, for a girl of this age, he felt that he had thought wrong.
As an instructor, Wu Zihe had to set an example for the students. “Let’s go!” he shouted in a loud voice, and with a standard running posture, he began to run ten laps around the playground by himself.
Zhou Wanfeng was surrounded by her classmates, who were curiously asking all sorts of questions, especially Kong Xiaoxu, who was the most annoying. “Zhou Wanfeng, where did you learn that? Can you introduce me to the dojo?”
“Zhou Wanfeng, how old were you when you started learning? Do you also have a dream of being a hero? I was obsessed with martial arts movies when I was a kid…”
Suddenly, Zhou Wanfeng stretched her arms and clapped her hands above her head. The clear clap silenced the air. The chattering and laughing classmates all looked at her. Her eyes were grim, and her voice was unhurried. “Be quiet. The other classes are still training.”
With that, she took her water and walked out of the crowd, and sat down in a corner to rest. Her calm and composed face was as if the person who had just won the fierce fight was someone else. That powerful mentality of quickly returning to her own self even secretly surprised the homeroom teacher, Xu Lei.
He had once read a book, and he remembered a passage in it. A strong person, first of all, is not controlled by emotions. They must have a strong mentality and exquisite skills.
Looking at the drinking Zhou Wanfeng, he vaguely felt that she possessed these elements.
The afternoon training would last until six o’clock. The students, who were so hungry that their chests were sticking to their backs, heard the whistle to dismiss and all ran towards the cafeteria.
Zhou Wanfeng ignored the others’ friendly invitations and walked behind by herself.
Yun Jingya was walking with a few other girls, and from time to time, she would look back. She saw that although Zhou Wanfeng was walking alone, everyone who passed by her would call out to her and tell her their name.
This scene of actively introducing themselves was a little funny. It had started with the class president, Wu Junfeng.
Everyone could see that Zhou Wanfeng was a little cold and didn’t seem to care much about anyone. They were afraid that she wouldn’t even remember her classmates after three years of high school, so they took the initiative to tell her.
Wang Feili turned her head and stole a glance, still very excited. “I feel like she’s so cool. Do you know that feeling? Not caring what others think of you? I am who I am,” she said, even shaking her hands in excitement and grabbing Yun Jingya’s arm. “Did you know that I always thought that this kind of person only appeared on TV, created by directors? But now there’s a real Zhou Wanfeng next to me. It’s like I’m chasing a star and I’ve met the real person. I even want to get her autograph.”
Yun Jingya listened with a proud look on her face. “Wanfeng’s personality is a little cold, but she’s a very, very good person. You’ll know in the future.”
The instructors gathered and only started to walk towards the dorms after all the students had dispersed.
They were in groups of three or five. The other instructors’ training uniforms were clean, but Wu Zihe, who was walking in the middle, smelled of sweat, and on closer inspection, his camouflage uniform was stained with mud. His teammates reached out to help him dust it off. They had all seen him run ten laps around the playground by himself in the afternoon, looking dazed.
The playground was very large, and all the classes of the first year were scattered and training. Some instructors had only seen him running in circles and had even gone over to ask him what was wrong, if he had been punished by the instructor.
Wu Zihe had just been running and hadn’t said a word.
Now, as a few teammates were walking back to the dorms, they couldn’t help but be curious. They asked in a hoarse voice, “Wu Zihe, what were you running for by yourself in the afternoon? We asked you, but you didn’t even answer.”
“I secretly asked the instructor, but the instructor didn’t say. He told me to ask myself.”
“Who knows what’s going on? I’ve been curious all afternoon,” a few of the instructors in the group had bad voices. They had been shouting slogans all afternoon, and now they were all hoarse.
The tall, thin instructor next to Wu Zihe let out a muffled laugh, his shoulders shaking. “Him? He brought it on himself. He shot himself in the foot. He insisted on sparring with a student. It would have been fine if he had just thrown the boy down, but he agreed to a best of three. This time, a girl went up. He probably didn’t dare to go all out. If he had hit her too hard and made the girl cry, he would have been scolded by the instructor later. What was the point? Hahaha,” this instructor was in the class next door. Unfortunately, he had to train his students and hadn’t seen the fight.
An instructor from behind came up and put his arm around Wu Zihe’s shoulder, teasing, “I didn’t know, Wu Zihe. I’ve never seen you go easy on anyone in the army’s martial arts competition. So it’s because we’re not girls.”
Wu Zihe pushed the hand on his shoulder away. “A competition is a competition. To use all your strength to fight is to respect your opponent.”
“Then why didn’t you use your full strength this time? Is your first place in the martial arts competition a fake?”
“What do you know? Wu Zihe is just being kind and gentle, loving the old and the young. He’s greatly promoting our…” The teammates were joking with each other, but Wu Zihe’s expression was serious. He interrupted his teammate, “I didn’t go easy on her. I even went all out.”
The teammates looked at each other, thinking that Wu Zihe was joking. But those who knew his personality saw that his expression and eyes were very serious, which meant that what he was saying was not a joke.
“Really? You were beaten by a first-year high school girl?” a teammate exclaimed, still not quite believing it, his eyes filled with doubt.
Wu Zihe nodded very seriously. “I’m not kidding. She’s very strong. You’ll know if you fight her. Apart from her explosive power, which is no match for mine, I feel that she can crush me in all other aspects.”
“How is that possible? She’s just a student.”
“Wu Zihe is not wrong. He did go all out, but he still lost,” the instructor’s voice came from behind. The instructors all stood at attention, about to salute.
The instructor waved his hand. This was a break time, and there were not so many rules.
“Instructor, did Wu Zihe really not beat the girl in his class?” someone said, still a little disbelieving.
The instructor pursed his lips and nodded heavily. He looked at Wu Zihe. “Although it’s a little embarrassing, it’s a fact. I saw it with my own eyes. That girl named Zhou Wanfeng is not an ordinary person. In my opinion, she should be proficient in many kinds of combat techniques. In the process of fighting with you, she was testing your strength step by step. If I’m not mistaken, if you were a hooligan, a thief, or her enemy, she should have been able to take you down even earlier. Didn’t you notice that she was avoiding your vital parts when she attacked?”
Wu Zihe frowned and said in a muffled voice, “I did notice later. But she’s really tough. Throughout the entire fight, her eyes and expression were very stable. I used all my strength, but she could basically deflect all my moves. Her reflexes were also very fast, and her moves were neat and decisive. The more I fought, the more frustrated I became. The more I tried to suppress her with my strength, the more she used it against me, and I couldn’t exert it. I got a little impatient later.”
While he was running in circles, Wu Zihe had been replaying the whole fight in his mind, analyzing his own problems and the other person’s attacks one by one.
“I want to fight her again,” Wu Zihe couldn’t help but clench his fist. “This time, I’ll fight slowly and steadily. Her stamina should not be as good as mine. As long as she can’t lock me down, I can suppress her with my strength.”
Smack. He was punched from behind by a teammate.
“Still want to fight? Do you think this is the army, where your teammates will play with you over and over again? You’ve already been embarrassed once. Do you want to be embarrassed again?”
Wu Zihe was not convinced. “What’s there to be embarrassed about? You’d lose too. You’re all no match for me. It’s a sparring session, an exchange. Do you understand? Isn’t that right, instructor?”
The instructor smiled and didn’t say anything. Before he left with his hands behind his back, he said to Wu Zihe and the other instructors, “Don’t discuss his first place in the company’s martial arts competition here. And don’t go looking for people to spar with. If you all have to run laps, how are you going to train the students? Don’t cause any more trouble. Just train properly,” the instructor said, looking at the instructors. He was thinking of going back and discussing with the combat instructor to strengthen their combat skills.
During the military training, the evening self-study was as usual.
The instructors would change their clothes and go to the classrooms to take a look. They would probably use one evening self-study session to teach the students to sing. The first-year teaching building was filled with the sound of military songs, one class trying to outdo the other, and it was extremely lively.
After one class, the instructor would leave, and the students would read and study on their own.
Wu Zihe really wanted to find Zhou Wanfeng and ask her where she had learned her combat skills, and how she had learned them. Unfortunately, after the singing, she hadn’t even looked up. She had spread out her workbook, picked up her pen, and started to copy English words.
As he walked past her, he could even hear her soft murmuring. Her concentration was amazing.