chsdbacks Chapter 78 Iron Sand Palm, Ma Cheng
Chapter 78 Iron Sand Palm, Ma Cheng
On the seventh day, the Imperial Guards held a grand martial arts competition.
The training ground was located at Beidaying in the western suburbs of Beijing, covering an area of 300 acres, with stands built on all four sides.
The main viewing platform is a high platform in the center, with the emperor sitting facing south. On the left and right sides are the seats for civil and military officials. The east viewing platform is where the crown prince and his officials from the Eastern Palace are located, while the west viewing platform is where the second and third princes and their advisors are located.
When Lin Yan arrived, it was just dawn.
He was dressed in a brand-new military officer's court robe, with the silver seal of the Loyal and Martial General hanging at his waist and his sword resting beside his saddle.
Xiong Kuo and Sun Dayong followed behind, also wearing newly changed Imperial Guard uniforms.
"General, quite a few people have come today," Sun Dayong said in a low voice, looking around.
Indeed a lot.
Hundreds of people stood densely packed around the drill ground, including soldiers from various battalions, civilians who came to watch the spectacle, and military officers who had traveled from other places to observe the battle.
"General Lin."
Manager Feng squeezed through the crowd, his forehead covered in sweat. "His Highness is on the east side of the stands. He requests your presence."
Lin Yan tossed the reins to Xiong Kuo and followed Steward Feng toward the east-side stands.
Crown Prince Li Zhengxin sat in the front row of the stands, with several officials from the Eastern Palace standing beside him.
Seeing Lin Yan approach, he stood up, waved to Lin Yan, and said loudly:
"sit."
Li Zhengxin pointed to the chair next to him, "You're the main character today, don't stand."
Lin Yan sat down, his gaze sweeping across the entire training ground.
The emperor's dragon throne at the head of the main grandstand was still empty.
Most of the civil and military officials on both sides were already seated, while the seats for the second prince and the third prince were empty.
"Will the Second Prince come today?" Lin Yan asked.
"Yes." Li Zhengxin picked up his teacup. "If he doesn't even come to an occasion like this, it's tantamount to telling the entire court that he admits defeat. He's not stupid."
Lin Yan nodded.
"Whoever you draw today is your lot," Li Zhengxin said, taking a sip of tea. "I won't touch your lot, nor will I let anyone else touch it. Draw it yourself, and see how far you can go."
Lin Yan glanced at him.
The prince's tone was very sincere, but Lin Yan learned one thing during his year or so in Zhenbeiguan: most of the time, you only need to believe three-tenths of what those in power say.
"Thank you, Your Highness."
The drawing of lots officially began at Chen Shi (7-9 AM).
The Vice Minister of War who temporarily took over Zhao Wenhan's post was an old man surnamed Zhou. He had gray hair, walked with a slight limp, but had a loud voice.
"The Imperial Guards' Grand Martial Arts Competition will be held, with sixteen officers from each battalion below the third rank, divided into eight groups for the final showdown. Winners will advance, and losers will be eliminated. There is only one rule: no intentional killing."
He reached into the divination tube, stirred it, and drew out the first divination stick.
"General Lin Yan, the Loyal and Martial General, will face off against..."
Vice Minister Zhou paused for a moment, then read out the name, "Deputy Commander of the Tiger Might Battalion, Ma Cheng."
A slight commotion arose from the stands.
Ma Cheng.
Lin Yan had never heard of this name before, but judging from the reactions of those around him, this person was clearly no nobody.
"Ma Cheng is Zhao Hu's deputy in the Tiger Might Battalion."
Steward Feng leaned closer and whispered, "The Tiger Might Battalion belongs to the Second Prince. They practice their family's Iron Sand Palm technique, which is quite renowned in the capital."
Lin Yan stood up and walked towards the center of the training ground.
In the center of the drill ground, a circle thirty paces in diameter was drawn with white lime, and a layer of fine sand was laid inside the circle.
Lin Yan stood inside the circle, took off his knife, and handed it to Xiong Kuo on the sidelines.
"Without a knife?"
"Let's see how it goes for the first match."
Ma Cheng walked over from the opposite side.
This man was in his early thirties, not very tall, but with extremely broad shoulders and back.
His hands were a size larger than normal, and his palms were as thick as two bricks.
He glanced at Lin Yan, said nothing, but took off his coat and threw it to the guards on the sidelines, revealing a black short-sleeved shirt underneath.
Ma Cheng clasped his hands in a fist salute.
Lin Yan returned the greeting with clasped hands.
Vice Minister Zhou stood at the sidelines and raised the command flag.
"start!"
Ma Cheng made the first move.
He took a big step forward, his right foot sinking into the sand, kicking up a cloud of fine sand. He thrust his right palm out from his waist, the wind from his palm whistling through the air, aiming straight for Lin Yan's chest.
Lin Yan didn't take the hit head-on, but stepped aside to let it pass.
The palm strike brushed past his clothes, creating a shallow crater in the sand behind him.
Lin Yan narrowed his eyes.
The force of that palm strike was greater than that of the bald retainer he encountered at the Ministry of War.
But what concerned him more was not the force, but the way Ma Cheng struck.
Iron Palm is an external martial art that emphasizes powerful and swift palm strikes, but Ma Cheng's palm strike, in addition to its power, also carries a very steady force.
Unlike the true qi he cultivated, the force Ma Cheng unleashed in this palm strike was the kind of power honed from his muscles and bones, more like internal energy.
"Again."
Lin Yan spat and assumed a fist stance once more.
Ma Cheng followed up with a second palm strike, his left palm sweeping upwards and his right palm chopping downwards, the two palms one in front of the other, blocking Lin Yan's space to dodge left and right.
Lin Yan took a step back.
He didn't retreat far, just enough to avoid the sharpness of Ma Cheng's left palm. Then, he tapped the ground with his right foot and bounced back, slapping Ma Cheng's right wrist with his left palm.
The waves surged one layer higher.
Ma Cheng's right palm was off-center by half an inch, and his palm strike hit empty air.
Lin Yan did not pursue, but retreated again.
The two distanced themselves again.
On the stands, Steward Feng leaned close to the Crown Prince's ear and whispered, "Your Highness, General Lin seems to be testing us."
Li Zhengxin held his teacup, his eyes fixed on the arena. "Lin Yan didn't use his full strength; he's assessing Ma Cheng's abilities."
In the arena, Ma Cheng launched his third attack. This time, he unleashed seven or eight palm strikes in quick succession, each accompanied by a whooshing sound of wind breaking through the air.
Lin Yan had no intention of taking over, and instead used the Swimming Step technique to glide around in the circle, constantly observing Ma Cheng's moves.
Observe Ma Cheng's footwork, his breathing, and the changes in his shoulders, waist, hips, and knees as he exerts force with each palm strike.
Lin Yan discovered that Ma Cheng did not possess any true qi; he only had purely external martial arts skills.
However, his external martial arts skills had been honed to the bone, making him no less skilled than an ordinary martial artist.
Lin Yan understood.
When Ma Cheng launched his fourth attack, Lin Yan did not dodge.
He stepped forward and struck Ma Cheng's right elbow with his left palm, the overlapping force stacked one, two, and three times.
Ma Cheng's right arm bent, and the palm strike was interrupted.
Taking advantage of the situation, Lin Yan moved closer and pressed his right shoulder against Ma Cheng's chest.
Even though he didn't use his full strength, Ma Cheng still staggered back several steps, his feet carving two furrows in the sand.
Ma Cheng steadied himself, looked down at his right elbow, took a deep breath, and got back into position. But this time, he didn't attack first; instead, he stood still and waited for Lin Yan to come over.
Lin Yan, however, adopted a nonchalant demeanor and stood on the other side of the circle.
Ma Cheng rushed forward, striking out with both palms simultaneously, one aimed at Lin Yan's face and the other at his lower abdomen.
This is a killing move from Iron Palm called "Double Wind Piercing the Ears," but Ma Cheng changed it to attack from both above and below, making it even more cunning.
This time, Lin Yan chose to confront Ma Cheng head-on, throwing a punch directly at him.
Fist and palm collided with a muffled thud.
Ma Cheng retreated five steps, while Lin Yan only retreated two steps.
Ma Cheng's hands were trembling, and Lin Yan's fists were also red.
Ma Cheng's face showed a hint of disbelief.
"Your power... could it be that you've already reached the peak of the True Qi Realm?"
"you guess."