Chapter 43: I’ll Call You a Friend!

“What if I lose?”
Lu Chuan’s heart stirred slightly.

Fifty taels of silver—
For someone in his current situation, that was definitely not a small sum!

Who exactly was this man in front of him? He didn’t look like much, but he could casually put up that kind of money?

“If you lose,” Yu Tianrui said calmly, “then as long as I’m in Hongtu County, you’ll bring me one wild pheasant every month.”
“Deliver it to this tavern—let me taste that Roasted Whole Phoenix again.”

“How about it?”

Lu Chuan hadn’t expected the man in front of him to be… a foodie.

Still, this bet seemed a little strange. After all, Lu Chuan had no idea how long Yu Tianrui planned to stay in Hongtu County.

“Forget it then!”

“Fifty taels!”

Yu Tianrui suddenly raised a hand, grinning smugly.

Lu Chuan’s mouth twitched hard.

Why did looking at Yu Tianrui’s face make him want to punch it?

“Relax, I’ll only be in Hongtu for at most a year,” Yu Tianrui said lightly. “Honestly, even if you lose, you still come out ahead. It’s not every day you get a chance to win fifty taels of silver!”

“Alright.”
Lu Chuan nodded.

“Let’s go.”

As he spoke, he stood up and walked outside. Before long, the two of them reached a riverbank.

Yu Tianrui stood there calmly, like a towering tree—flawless in posture and still as stone.

He was also studying Lu Chuan.

But at this moment, Lu Chuan’s stance seemed odd. He stood there casually, and his initial movement appeared entirely non-threatening. Yet… Yu Tianrui sensed something dangerous within it.

A killing aura.

At the same time, Lu Chuan was carefully analyzing Yu Tianrui.

He had to find his opponent’s weakness.

Right now, his greatest advantage was that Yu Tianrui had no knowledge of Xing Yi Quan.

“Looks like you’ve got some real skill.”

Yu Tianrui smiled, then suddenly stepped forward with lightning speed—
And struck down with a chopping palm!

Lu Chuan moved like an arrow piercing through cloth.

In that instant, it was as if the earth split and mountains crumbled around him.

Half-step Beng Quan—
Incredibly forceful, aimed directly at Yu Tianrui’s face!

A flicker of surprise flashed in Yu Tianrui’s eyes.
He tried to dodge, but it was too late—Lu Chuan’s movement was lightning fast. Though lacking full strength, the punch was already inches from his face!

Bang—

Caught off guard, Yu Tianrui staggered back two full steps!

Lu Chuan didn’t hesitate.
He followed up with a powerful Pao Quan (Cannon Fist), one strike after another—

Each blow fierce and forceful, pressing forward with overwhelming momentum!

“Damn it!”

Yu Tianrui cursed. A flash of fury appeared in his eyes.

He hadn’t expected Lu Chuan to be this difficult to handle. Immediately, he brought both hands together and unleashed a fierce palm strike—
The gust it created crackled in the air with explosive snaps!

Lu Chuan’s brows furrowed slightly.

So the difference in raw strength was real.
Yu Tianrui could brute-force his way through almost anything.

Now that Lu Chuan had lost the initial edge, Yu Tianrui had begun to understand his technique—
It wouldn’t be so easy to gain the upper hand again.

At that moment, Lu Chuan instantly switched tactics.

His arms moved fluidly like a snake, swift and graceful—
Twisting in and hooking directly onto Yu Tianrui’s wrists!

With a sudden pivot, he used Yu’s own momentum—
And flipped him cleanly into the river!

Caught completely off guard, Yu Tianrui’s body flew through the air and splashed heavily into the water!

“The match is decided.”

Lu Chuan looked calmly at Yu Tianrui, who had just climbed out of the river, drenched and disheveled.

“How is that possible?”
“If this were a fight to the death, you’d be dead by now!”
Yu Tianrui snapped, clearly furious.

From childhood to now, he had never been so humiliated—thrown into the water by another man!

“Hahaha.”

Lu Chuan chuckled twice, then shook his head.
“If it were a fight to the death, you would’ve died a dozen times already.”

“I’m not convinced. Let’s go again!”
Yu Tianrui stared at Lu Chuan with blazing eyes.

But Lu Chuan just smiled calmly back at him.

Their gazes met in the air for a brief, intense moment.

Yu Tianrui seemed to sense something. After taking a deep breath, he looked at Lu Chuan again and said, “I won’t take advantage of you. Let’s just say I lost this time.”

“I’ll give you a month.”

“In a month, we’ll have a rematch.”

“If you win again, I’ll give you a full hundred taels of silver!”

Yu Tianrui’s tone was filled with fire and conviction.

“Deal.”
Lu Chuan nodded.

Yu Tianrui was strong—but as long as he didn’t draw a blade, Lu Chuan wasn’t afraid of him.

The true power of Baji Quan lay in real combat.

Lu Chuan understood all the key points of explosive force. Right now, his only disadvantage was lacking physical strength. But in a month, with his body further recovered, defeating Yu Tianrui shouldn’t be too difficult.

Even without tricks, relying purely on strength, he would be more than capable.

“Here!”

Yu Tianrui tossed over a hefty silver ingot and said, “I lost the bet. I’ll pay up.”

Lu Chuan took the silver, a smile appearing on his face.

That was the easiest money he’d ever made!

Still, he knew in his heart—he had taken advantage this time. Next time, Yu Tianrui would be on guard. The same trick wouldn’t work twice.

Next time, he’d have to win on skill alone.

“Three days from now—”
“This same tavern.”
“I’ll send you a wild pheasant…”
“So you can finally taste their Roasted Whole Phoenix.”

Lu Chuan weighed the silver in his hand with a grin.

Yu Tianrui froze for a second.
Then burst out laughing heartily!

“Good, good, good!”
“You’re my kind of guy!”

Yu Tianrui beamed. “From this day on, I officially recognize you as my friend!”

With that, he turned and walked away, his departing figure exuding a carefree air.

“Master, didn’t you say you weren’t his match?”
Sun Laizi looked at Lu Chuan with wide-eyed excitement.

Lu Chuan patted his shoulder.
“If the fight had continued, I definitely would’ve lost—unless it was a fight to the death. Then I might’ve had a chance.”

“But in a fight to the death, he definitely wouldn’t be unarmed.”

Lu Chuan sighed.

Yu Tianrui was strong—no doubt about it.

But Lu Chuan still had this nagging sense that… something didn’t feel quite right about him.

“Forget it. No use thinking too much. Come on, let’s head to Cui’s Grain Shop first, then the Textile Bureau.”

He turned to leave.

These days, if you wanted to buy a loom, regular carpenters didn’t usually carry them—you had to place a custom order.

But the Textile Bureau often had unused looms in storage.

And the price was far cheaper than having a new one made.

“Got it, Master!”
Sun Laizi responded with a cheerful nod.