Chapter 314: The Clown Mask

At this moment, Jia Zhuangyuan seemed genuinely unable to contain himself any longer. He rushed over to Dashao Liu anxiously and said, “Master Liu, we can no longer tolerate these foreign devils. They are all deceitful and treacherous.”

James sneered at Jia Zhuangyuan and said mockingly, “Mr. Jia, the famous scholar, isn’t scared, is he? Oh, I forgot, Mr. Jia doesn’t have any martial arts skills, so he’s a bit timid.”

The Americans behind him burst into laughter upon hearing this. This infuriated Jia Zhuangyuan, who became so angry that he jumped up and shouted at James, “Go to hell with your American mother’s stinky fart! I’m not afraid of you biting me, you old bastard! If you’ve got the guts, come fight me a few rounds, and I’ll beat you to death!”

With that, he rushed forward to punch James. The old man wisely took a few steps back and sneered at Jia Zhuangyuan as he said, “Mr. Jia, whether I have the ability or not, you’ll know in a moment. As for your so-called three-bit martial arts skills, I’m not even interested in playing with you.”

After saying this, he swiftly moved his body, and everyone merely felt a flash before James had suddenly returned to his group of people, still sneering at the crowd. Everyone involuntarily felt a chill; from the center of the field to where he was, it was estimated to be a distance of five or six meters, yet this old man had returned there in the blink of an eye. Dashao Liu inwardly cried out in alarm, realizing that this cunning old man had apparently been concealing his abilities all along. He believed that among the people around James, there were probably also hidden experts.

This display by James must have startled Jia Zhuangyuan, who stood beside Dashao Liu, his mouth agape in shock.

Dashao Liu gently patted Jia Zhuangyuan’s shoulder to comfort him. Then he fixed his gaze on James and said, “I’ve always known that as the leader of these psychics, you are not merely a government secret agent. I believe that few of the people under your command are genuine soldiers.”

James cunningly shrugged his hands and said, “Now my people have already revealed their true faces. The Taoist priest has seen them, so do you decide to challenge us?”

Dashao Liu waved his hand to stop the chorus of objections and then said, “We Chinese have never feared foreign aggression and oppression. In every dynasty, foreign invasions have only ended in failure. I accept your challenge, but I warn you not to play any tricks. If you lose, leave this Chinese land and stop dreaming of taking anything from it.”

James chuckled and said, “No problem, but if you lose, you must also abide by the agreement and hand over the treasures for us to take.”

Dashao Liu suddenly burst into loud laughter, leaving James and his gang completely baffled.

After finishing his laughter, Dashao Liu solemnly looked at the group of foreigners in front of him and said, “Do you think on our own soil, you can win anything? A contest? Or the national treasures of China? It’s simply wishful thinking!”

After saying this, he pointed at James and asked, “What’s the first match about?”

James thought for a moment and said, “The first match will be martial arts.” Saying this, he turned around and pointed at a big man in camouflage, “Turandot, haven’t you always wanted to learn Chinese kung fu?”

The big man handed his gun to his companion and slowly stepped forward to the center of the arena. He bowed and then spoke in a gruff, broken Chinese, “I am Thai, my name is Turandot. I have long admired the prowess of Chinese martial arts. In America and Thailand, I have fought many so-called Shaolin masters, unfortunately… the saying that all martial arts originate from Shaolin is merely for show, lacking real effectiveness.”

After saying this, he looked at everyone with a fierce gaze, a trace of arrogant smile on the corner of his mouth.

“Damn it!” Fan Debiao roared and was about to rush out to fight him. Cai Qingchong quickly blocked his path and said, “Debiao, don’t be hasty. Now everything depends on the young master.”

Fan Debiao grumbled, “This Thai dog of the Americans thinks he knows a bit of Muay Thai and forgets his own worth. Let Master Fan go out and send him back to Thailand with a few punches.”

Cai Qingchong whispered, “Debiao, among us, who doesn’t know a bit of martial arts? The key is that this is a competition, and we must win, you know? The young master will arrange the right person to teach this ignorant bastard a lesson.”

Fan Debiao, fuming, said nothing more.

At this time, Dashao Liu turned around and pointed at Cai Qingchong, saying indifferently, “Insect, it’s up to you to test the Muay Thai skills. After all, it’s just a match. I’m afraid our Brother Fan might hit too hard and injure this Thai-American who doesn’t know what Chinese martial arts really are. I feel more at ease if you go, as you can be a bit gentler.”

After hearing Dashao Liu’s words, everyone was first taken aback, then burst into laughter at his dry humor. Fan Debiao, the jester, laughed so hard he was jumping up and down.

Trying to suppress a smile, Cai Qingchong slowly walked into the arena. He bowed to Turandot, who was already visibly angry, and said, “I have never experienced Muay Thai before. Today, I am honored to meet a Muay Thai expert. Let me, a minor figure, learn from your Muay Thai skills.”

Turandot glared at Cai Qingchong, who was much shorter and thinner than him, and said fiercely, “I never fight with skinny little boys. Send out that fat guy who wanted to fight me just now.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Fan Debiao, who was laughing wildly, thought, “What? He dares to call me fat by name? Alright then.” He immediately shouted, “You motherf***** dared to call me fat. Cai Qingchong, come back. Let me go and teach him a lesson.” Saying this, he rolled up his sleeves and was about to step into the arena.

Cai Qingchong waved his hand and said, “Debiao, please stay calm.” Then he turned to Turandot and said, “Chinese martial arts do not distinguish between strong and weak. Enough talk, I’m about to attack.”

With that, he spread his hands and assumed the posture of the White Crane Spreads Its Wings from the Tai Chi of Chinese martial arts, indicating to Turandot that he was about to launch an attack.

Turandot blinked his eyes and looked at Cai Qingchong, then muttered, “Then don’t blame me for overpowering you.” With that, he let out a fierce shout, raised both arms, and crossed his fists in front of his chest. Turandot’s meaning seemed to tell Cai Qingchong that he was ready but looked down on the idea of attacking this tiny opponent first.

Cai Qingchong smiled slightly, his palms drawing a circle. He stepped forward, creating countless palm shadows as he attacked Turandot. Dashao Liu could tell that Cai Qingchong was using the Tai Chi Bagua Palm from the Daoist martial arts tradition. The Tai Chi Bagua Palm emphasizes: one move transforms into eight, hands move so fast they can’t be seen, and once seen, you can’t escape. It belongs to the category of soft and continuous martial arts techniques. This style was the perfect counter to the fierce and powerful style of Muay Thai.

Seeing Cai Qingchong’s attack, Turandot quickly took a few steps back, protected his head with both hands, raised his right leg, and used his elbows and legs in a continuous assault, attempting to break through Cai Qingchong’s relentless and stormy attack. He also aimed to regain the initiative with his powerful style. Muay Thai is actually a traditional Thai combat technique. Its characteristics allow attacks at extremely short distances using body parts such as the elbows and knees. It is a very ruthless martial art. In martial arts, there are various training methods like literary practice, martial practice, and hard practice. Muay Thai belongs to the hard practice category and has strong destructive power. Muay Thai includes techniques such as straight punches, hook punches, kicking techniques, elbow strikes, and knee strikes, all aimed at powerful and relentless attacks. Generally, if hit by a Muay Thai expert on any part of the body, one would suffer serious injury.

At this moment, Turandot unleashed his Muay Thai skills, emitting low growls like “Huh! Huh!” and using his elbows, legs, and knees to launch a fierce attack forward. In an instant, the arena was filled with the sound of punches and kicks. At this time, Cai Qingchong suddenly abandoned his attack and instead began a mobile fight around Turandot. His palms moved like a dragon, never leaving Turandot’s neck, chest, ribs, and abdomen—key vital areas.

His intention was very clear; it would be unwise to confront Turandot’s powerful style directly. Muay Thai, as one of the deadliest combat techniques in the world today, excels in blitzkrieg and hard-hitting battles, quickly defeating opponents with overwhelming force in the blink of an eye. In the history of martial arts around the world when facing Muay Thai, many masters have been defeated or injured within minutes. Thus, Muay Thai has gained worldwide fame.

Cai Qingchong naturally understood this principle, and his mobile fighting strategy was precisely based on this. Once Turandot’s powerful style was thoroughly understood by Cai Qingchong within a few minutes and his weaknesses were identified, a quick and decisive strike would soon follow.

Indeed, after a few minutes of relentless punches and kicks from Turandot, he couldn’t even touch Cai Qingchong’s figure. He became increasingly frustrated, his “Huh! Huh!” sounds becoming more urgent and rising in pitch. Clearly, he was growing impatient.

At this moment, Cai Qingchong suddenly let out a crisp shout. His figure slowed down. As Turandot’s right straight punch was about to reach his chest, Cai Qingchong’s palms transformed into a gripping motion, instantly grabbing Turandot’s right wrist. Following the momentum of Turandot’s punch, he swiftly turned and pulled Turandot’s arm, twisting it in a lightning-fast motion to position himself behind Turandot. Before Turandot could even stagger and turn around, Cai Qingchong’s palms had already landed solidly on Turandot’s shoulders.

In one fluid motion, Cai Qingchong employed the techniques of Ming Jin (visible strength), An Jin (hidden strength), and Hua Jin (dissolving strength) from the Tai Chi Bagua Palm. First, he used Hua Jin to neutralize Turandot’s powerful straight punch, then applied An Jin to disrupt Turandot’s balance and center of gravity. Finally, he used Ming Jin to strike Turandot’s shoulders from behind.

With a ‘crack, crack’ sound, Turandot let out a pained cry and fell onto the crystal floor. His body trembled as he tried to push himself up with his hands, but he collapsed back down. It was evident that Cai Qingchong had used internal force in his palm strike, breaking Turandot’s shoulder collarbones.

Cai Qingchong looked at Turandot, who was still struggling on the ground, with a hint of pity. Then he turned to James and his subordinates, bowed his hand, and said, “I apologize. His injuries are not serious; with a few months of bone setting and recovery, he will heal.” With that, he proudly walked back to his group.

Dashao Liu stepped forward with a smile and said to James, “We’ve won the first match in martial arts. Doctor, what would you like to challenge next?”

James, his face dark with anger, coldly snorted, “Turandot is the direct disciple of Napha, the world’s top Muay Thai champion. You know his skills well, Taoist Master. Your brother merely won by using a sly, soft technique. It’s not a fair victory; we’ll consider this first round as our loss. For the second round, we will challenge you to magic.”

With that, he turned around and shouted, “Harton, you’re up.” At his command, the African youth Harton stepped forward solemnly, nodded slightly to James, and stood quietly in the center of the arena.

Seeing him step into the arena, Cai Qingchong solemnly whispered to everyone, “This African magic is said to be the most primitive and mysterious form of witchcraft in the world. The world knows little about it. However, this does not mean their magic is as backward as their level of civilization. The origin of humanity lies in that magical, primitive land.”

Dashao Liu also nodded and said, “I’ve heard from my master about an African witch doctor known as the first wise man of Zambia. He once performed a ritual that miraculously brought a national official back to life instantly after being shot through the body. The bullet automatically fell out, and the wounds healed themselves, which was extremely amazing. And then…”

At this moment, James impatiently shouted, “Taoist Master, who from your side will take on this challenge? If no one dares to come out, we’ll consider you forfeited.”

Jia Zhuangyuan immediately retorted, “It’s you who will lose.”

Then Jia turned to Liu Dashao and said, “Master Liu, let me go for this match.”

Liu Dashao looked at Jia Zhuangyuan and then at the others, frowning slightly, “No, I’ll go. African magic, like our Chinese Taoist techniques and Western light magic and dark sorcery, is among the most primitive forms of magic, very mysterious and sinister.”

Jia Zhuangyuan urged, “Master Liu, precisely because of this, let me go. We’ve already won the previous match. This magic match, after all, we are facing the most mysterious and unpredictable African witchcraft. Even if I lose, there’s still one more match left. Right now, you are the pillar of support for all of us. The last match will involve special abilities, and you need to personally take part in that.”

Everyone also thought Jia Zhuangyuan’s idea was good. Harton indeed gave everyone a very hard-to-guess feeling. Standing calmly in the center of the field, he wore a habitual smile, showing no signs of a psychic. He looked like an extremely ordinary African youth. However, precisely because he was such an ordinary person, he was often a very terrifying and restrained opponent. If Liu Dashao were to make a mistake and be injured or controlled by his magic, the consequences would be unimaginable. Thus, everyone urged Liu Dashao together.

After listening to everyone’s persuasion, Liu Dashao hesitated for a moment and said, “Alright then, Senior, you can take him on, but be very careful. It’s okay to lose, but don’t be stubborn and end up hurting yourself.”

“This old man knows his limits,” Jia Zhuangyuan nodded, drew his flexible whip, and slowly walked into the center of the field.

Harton smiled very kindly, revealing his snow-white teeth as he greeted Jia Zhuangyuan. Then he pointed curiously at Jia’s whip, which was shimmering with light, and spoke in broken Chinese, “Old master, is this your magical artifact?”

Jia Zhuangyuan also smiled and replied, “Yes, this is my weapon. Brother, what about you?”

Harton shyly chuckled and smiled. With his right hand, he took out a brown leather pouch from inside his clothes. Then, with his left hand, he performed a peculiar gesture towards the pouch with great reverence. Finally, he slowly took out several items from the leather pouch.

Everyone present widened their eyes, watching his every move. African magic was indeed very mysterious and extremely rare ancient sorcery.

Harton first took out a clown mask from a circus, which looked like it was made of some special material, but seemed very thin. Harton gazed serenely at the mask, then gently placed it over his face. At that moment, everyone present witnessed an astonishing sight. As the mask touched his face, it seemed to come alive, slowly vibrating slightly, and appeared to flow like water from Harton’s face to his temples and neck, until it completely merged with his face and neck.

Harton slowly removed his left hand, which had been pressing the mask. At this point, Harton’s face had become extremely strange and terrifying to everyone. He had a face like a clown, expressionless. What a sight it must have been, everyone could imagine.

Next, Harton slowly put on a pair of identical white gloves. The gloves oddly merged with his hands, as if Harton had originally been born with white palms.

The last item was held in Harton’s right hand. It should have been a round bell. At this moment, as Harton gently shook his hand, the bell was producing an unusually crisp tinkling sound. This bell had a very unique design. The bottom of the bell was much longer than the ones people had seen before, with a series of grooves on it. The top of the bell was a thin needle-like shape. Looking at it as a whole, it seemed less like a bell and more like a tower.

Harton gently shook the bell in his hand. Behind the clown-like, expressionless face came a strange voice: “Thi-i-is i-i-is my ma-a-agical a-a-artifact.”

As soon as this voice came out, everyone present, including all of James’s people, couldn’t help but shiver. This voice was no longer Harton’s; it sounded more like it wasn’t made by a human. It was an indescribable, hollow, eerie, and almost inexpressible sound.

Jia Zhuangyuan was standing right in front of him and was definitely startled by this sound. He shook his hand and warily looked at the clown-faced Harton and said, “Harton, can we now begin the magical duel?”

From behind the clown face came another sound: “You-u-u igno-o-orant huma-a-ans shoul-l-l-d be pu-u-unished!” As the sound ended, the bell in Harton’s hand suddenly began to ring faster and faster, and the white hand holding the bell also trembled more and more rapidly.