Chapter 423: 423

Chapter 423 Too Quick, Does It Count?

The boxing training ground called Garden was located in the old town at a corner that usually went unnoticed . Below it was a store that sold second-hand sporting goods . The shophouse was still in its original brick-and-tile structure like the other shops in the old town, and the mottled walls looked like it had been there since forever . The neon sign hanging in front of the window wasn’t on . They were not sure if the owner turned it off to save electricity, or it was just broken . Fortunately, the lights from the window proved the training ground was still open for business .

Zhang Heng and Leah walked up the stairs to the second floor of the sports shop, where the unmistakable sound of punching bags got louder louder . Two ripped men without shirts were drenched in sweat . There was someone skipping on a rope, and another man lefted dumbbells . On the side, a group of children sat on the ground, paying attention to a teacher of some sort . He was an old man with greying hair and looked like the person in charge of this training ground .

The group of what seemed to be eight or nine-year-olds focussed intently on what they were doing, ignoring Zhang Heng who had just entered the grounds . However, Leah’s beauty caused the man who was lifting the dumbbells to look at her twice .

“My brother is not here,” Leah whispered to Zhang Heng

Zhang Heng nodded . For now, he was not in a hurry . So, he stood there and waited patiently

out 15 minutes . The grey-haired coach showed the kids a punching routine and let them practice on their own . He then walked towards Zhang Heng and Leah .

“Can I help you?” the old man gestured politely as he put his hands together .

“We are looking for someone,” Zhang Heng said, “but it seems he’s not here . ”

“Then I’m afraid I can’t help you,” The old man turned around and returned to teach the group of children again .

“Wait, are you Catholic?” Zhang Heng took out the leaflet he received outside the monastery .

The old man grabbed the leaflet and glanced at it . After a while, he returned it to Zhang

Heng .

“Sorry, I don’t believe in religion,” he replied as he shook his head .

“My apologies for the disturbance . ”

Zhang Heng put the leaflet back in his pocket and was about to leave . Unexpectedly, one of the muscular guys stopped hitting the punching bag . He pointed at Zhang Heng, then pointed to the boxing ring beside him .

“He wants to fight you,” the old man frowned .

“I’m sorry . I haven’t done any boxing before,” Zhang Heng declined politely, then looked to Leah .

“Let’s go,” he went on, wasting no time and prepared to leave .

The ripped man was displeased when he saw this . At that, the old man sighed and spoke again, “He may know where the person you’ve been looking for is . ”

“Sorry, is he a mute? Can’t he speak for himself?” said Zhang Heng as he turned around to look directly at the ripped man .

The ripped man seemed to understand the word mute . His expression changed immediately, and he appeared even more unhappy . He then thumped his chest with his gloved hand, before looking at Zhang Heng with a provocative stare .

Several other people in the training ground also noticed the tension in the air and stopped what they were doing .

“I don’t know the rules of boxing very well,” Zhang Heng said .

“It doesn’t matter, you can use whatever fighting skills you are good at, or you can even use weapons if you wish to . ”

“Who can lend me a knife?” Zhang Heng asked . The folding knife he always used couldn’t be brought out of the parallel quest .

“Are you fine with a steak knife?” “Yeah . ”

Zhang Heng then borrowed some tape and wrapped it around the knife .

After seeing what Zhang Heng did, a scornful smile surfaced on the ripped man’s face, laughing at the young man as if he was doing something useless . Even if Zhang Heng was holding a Tang Dao, there was no way he would be able to hurt him, let alone a steak knife .

“Wait, you will thank me for wrapping the knife with the tape,” Zhang Heng said .

The old man tried to pass Zhang Heng some protective gear, to which he only rejected . He took off his suit and handed it over to Leah . After that, he entered the ring with the muscular man .

Zhang Heng’s opponent seemed amused by his sparsely he was equipped . Seeing how his opponent was dressed so lightly in only a shirt and a pair of trousers, the ripped man moved his limbs slightly, too lazy to even put up a proper defensive posture . The muscular man then taunted Zhang Heng with a finger, signaling for him to start the fight .

However, his pupils contracted in the next moment . He still thinking about whether to use an uppercut or straight punch and how much strength needed to defeat Zhang Heng without killing him when something didn’t seem right . Before he managed to throw any punches, he saw Zhang Heng move suddenly .

The muscular man was in no way weak . He had been an amateur boxer for three years and participated in many boxing matches with opponents of varying experience . This was his first time encountering someone with such a swift reflex .

While he was still putting up a hooking posture to provoke Zhang Heng, the tip of the steak knife in Zhang Heng’s hand flashed before his eyes . It happened in a split second, and his eyes would have been sliced to oblivion if he had only moved two centimeters forward .

Nobody expected the battle between dragon and tiger to come to an end in less than a second . Zhang Heng had moved so quickly that those people around him didn’t have the time to be surprised .

“Did I move too fast? Does it count?” Zhang Heng withdrew his hand, “Why not you try this time?”

The muscular man wiped the sweat from the tip of his nose . After Zhang Heng’s strike, he finally lost his calm and disregard that he had before . He instantly mucked up, becoming more alert as he knew he wasn’t dealing with an easy opponent . Despite the odds, he was also confident in his strength, and once he got serious, he knew he still had a good chance to defeat Zhang Heng .

As the thoughts coursed through his mind, the muscular man finally began to move around . To prevent Zhang Heng from attacking him like before, he made sure a good distance seperated them . He then carefully tested Zhang Heng’s rhythm by shaking his shoulders . It was what he would usually do when he faced a powerful enemy .

On the other hand, Zhang Heng did not respond to what he did . Instead, he just stood quietly in place .

After the muscular man tested his opponent for a while, he became embarassed after seeing Zhang Heng’s reaction . Every time he made a move, he would imagine a way Zhang Heng would counter his attack . He would then come up with a defensive move based on the scenario in mind . As a result, he kept on freaking out like a silly goose for a long time . On the other hand, Zhang Heng hadn’t made a single move yet .

The muscular man realized he could no go on like this . He had to attack . While thinking about this, the muscular man finally took his first step and threw his right fist at Zhang Heng . At the same time, Zhang Heng made a move as well . He leaned back a little to dodge the punch . Immediately, the muscular man pulled a second punch at Zhang Heng! This time he chose to attack his opponent’s chest, but Zhang Heng still managed to dodge it easily .

After the two calculated maneuvers, the muscular man threw away whatever strategies he had in his head and just started punching Zhang Heng nonstop with his fists . However unbelievable it may sound, Zhang Heng once again dodged the man’s hurricane-like attacks .

“Huh?”

A look of surprise flashed through the eyes of the old man as he watched the battle . It was his first time witnessing a man with such quick reflexes . Even a professional boxer wouldn’t perform on the same level . This was not something that could be achieved by theories alone . It required a lot of practical experience .

“Are you done with your attack? If you are done, I’ll take a shot next,” Zhang Heng finally spoke up after avoiding countless strikes from the muscular man .

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