Dragon and Tiger Clash (2)
Both Yuan Shu and Richard were young bloods with no shortage of qualities to be called geniuses sent by the heavens themselves. Perhaps for that reason, their fight was a perfect stalemate where neither side yielded an inch. Richard held the edge in speed, so she landed more blows, but it was Yuan Shu whose every strike carried more lethal weight.
Damn it, damn it! Where the hell did this bastard crawl out from?!
She moved like a battle-hardened veteran, yet it was Richard who possessed the richer combat experience. Yuan Shu simply had a body that was monstrously strong. Still, in a situation like this, that very experience was actually working against her.
In her normal state, no one could withstand her power. Her speed was so overwhelming that ordinary eyes couldn’t even register it. But she wasn’t limited to speed alone. She possessed unimaginable brute strength—the kind that let her rip apart wild boars with her bare hands and punch straight through chainmail and shields. That was what true innate talent looked like. Because of it, no creature had ever endured her strength… until now.
She looked like she was about to collapse earlier. Was that a feint? Or did she actually recover in that short window??
She had believed she was the only monster in the world. Apparently she was wrong. This was also why Yuan Shao could watch the fight so comfortably, knowing full well how strong Richard was yet never doubting Yuan Shu’s victory.
“Swifter than a wild beast, with strikes like lightning. Truly a magnificent fighter.”
Yet…
“No matter how fiercely the lightning falls, it can never split Mount Tai.”
Yuan Shao murmured as she observed the two of them. It wasn’t mere familial bias that made her side with Yuan Shu. She simply held absolute faith in his strength. At the very least, if the opponent wielded a weapon and possessed that level of skill, the outcome might differ—but she could not imagine anyone in the entire world surpassing Yuan Shu in pure hand-to-hand combat.
After all, having witnessed that abnormal power that could shatter boulders with bare fists and break the very blades forged against his body, how could anyone entertain the thought of defeat first?
Unless it is the spear of one truly worthy of carving their name across the world with martial might, nothing can wound our lord.
In the wars of this era—where men collided and fates became entangled—the side with the stronger general always boasted higher morale. The logic was much the same.
Of course, the situation wasn’t quite as clearly decided as Yuan Shao’s optimistic view suggested. From any angle, whether surface appearance or deeper analysis, the current state was true equilibrium. A perfect deadlock where neither fighter gave ground.
But then—SWISH!
A whip-like kick slammed into Richard’s calf. Her face twisted in pain. Though the match still looked even, thinking several moves ahead painted a far less favorable picture.
If we used weapons it might be different, but in bare-handed combat, I’m superior.
When two experts of similar caliber clashed, the fight was bound to drag on. Richard charged forward as she always did, but Yuan Shu endured with stubborn toughness while always looking ahead. He took hits if he had to, but made every counter count.
In the end, it’s a battle of who’s tougher. Who breaks first.
That was the message Yuan Shu delivered through his fists: I’m confident. Are you?
Richard’s pride refused to let such provocation pass unanswered.
Fuck it, let’s go! We’ll see who’s better!
That didn’t mean she would simply dance on the stage he prepared, however.
If my legs take any more damage, my speed will die. If I keep closing distance, I’ll be the one pushed back!
Her legs were already trembling. Those seemingly light blows were landing with terrifying effectiveness. Yet retreating now would mean the title “Lionheart” had never belonged to her at all.
Tenacity, hot blood, and the fierce poison born from a life of scraping along the bottom—they erased the very concept of retreat. As a weed who had survived a brutal existence, she would rather die than turn her back on that pampered flower and run.
In that moment, Yuan Shu grinned, wiggling his fingers in open provocation. Come on in.
Richard did not hesitate.
BOOM!
She kicked off the ground, pushing her body to its absolute limit, and exploded forward like a storm.
“KRAAAAAP!!”
With the resolve that there was no turning back, she burned every last ounce of stamina as fuel and hammered Yuan Shu relentlessly, a tempest of razor-sharp strikes.
Yuan Shu endured that ferocious barrage with nothing but raw durability. He waited calmly, read the timing, and threw a punch as though he had predicted her every move.
It’s open!
Richard’s eyes flashed. She braked hard and violently altered her trajectory. She knew instinctively that simply hitting him wouldn’t end it. All the previous frenzied attacks had been groundwork for this—one decisive blow to topple the giant.
Twisting her body mid-motion while somehow maintaining top speed, she used insane flexibility and elasticity to exploit the opening. She stepped on Yuan Shu’s thick thigh, launched herself upward, and—
CRAAAAASH—!!!
A flying knee strike slammed into his temple. Had this been a pro-wrestling match, it might have been called a Shining Wizard. The blow landed with artistic precision.
Still unsatisfied, Richard twisted again in mid-air, using her astonishing athleticism to spin and deliver another kick to his jaw. A counter that made the impact even more devastating.
That one went clean…!
Any ordinary fighter would have been knocked out cold. The only difference was—
GRAB!
“!?”
—that Yuan Shu was no ordinary man.
His brain must have been rattled; dizziness washed over him and blood trickled from a split scalp. Yet he smiled as he seized Richard while she was still airborne.
“Told you I’m tough, didn’t I?”
“You son of a—!!”
Yuan Shu slammed her down with ferocious force.
KWAAAAAAAAAAAANG!!!
The impact was so violent the solid stone training ground cracked in every direction.
“Urk…!”
Richard’s face contorted as she reflexively coughed up blood. Her head rang like a struck bell.
How the hell did he… what kind of monster is this guy…?!
Before she could recover, Yuan Shu—still with strength to spare—lifted her into the air again and drove her into the ground, carving out an even larger crater.
Like hell…! You think I’ll let it end this pathetically…!!
Even while dizzy, Richard scraped her fingers across the stone floor, gathering powder and shards, then hurled them straight at Yuan Shu.
“Tsk, this bastard’s trying to blind me…!”
While the debris obscured his vision, Richard shoved him away with her foot, broke free from his grip, and gasped for air. Yuan Shu, locating her roughly by sound, immediately fired off a front kick. She blocked desperately, only for him to follow up with a heavy punch. She used the force against him, launching her body forward and smashing his jaw once more.
“Keuk…!”
Yuan Shu had been fighting on the belief that he could simply tank hits and counter harder, but his opponent was the Lionheart King incarnate in this era. It would have been strange if only he remained unscathed.
For a moment he staggered. Richard tried to press the attack, but her own legs gave out and she wobbled.
Dragon and tiger clashing—it was no exaggeration. Both of them were covered in dust, streaked with blood, and looked like complete wrecks.
Huu… huu… Heuk… haaak…!
They stood facing each other, chests heaving. Yuan Shu, who should have been unused to such a state, actually laughed. Richard, on the other hand, frowned deeply and wiped her mouth.
“Puhuhu. As expected, life is fun. My blood’s boiling! This moment is supremely enjoyable!”
Yuan Shu had realized it. The world was vast. He didn’t know whether an opponent like this would appear again, but he was certain many more enjoyable moments lay ahead.
“Giving you a bed and meals was the right choice! Thanks to you, I’m enjoying one of the most memorable times of my life!”
“Crazy bastard. You actually enjoy fistfighting with a lowly slave bitch sold at market? Carrying a prestigious family name and still such a maniac.”
“Lowly or noble is for me to decide. And you’re far too good to be defined as a mere slave!”
“Bastard. I won’t go easy just because you flatter me!”
Neither had much strength left. The opponent was probably in a similar state, but Yuan Shu still held the advantage. Having made her judgment, Richard charged. Yuan Shu met her head-on instead of waiting.
The moment their fists were about to clash—!
CRACK!!!
“Ah…!”
Richard’s leg finally gave out completely. Yuan Shu’s kick had struck her leg once more and shattered what remained of her stance.
“Go easy? That’s a luxury only the superior fighter can afford. Look—who’s standing on top?”
His blood might have been boiling, but his mind remained ice-cold. In bare-handed combat, Yuan Shu had been a cut above Richard from the start.
He grabbed the collar of the kneeling, gasping Richard.
“Ha, damn it…”
The world flipped upside down, and Richard was driven straight through the stone floor.
After she lost consciousness and the victor was decided, a short while later…
“Keuuuk…”
When Richard regained consciousness and barely pushed herself upright, a wet cloth flew over and slapped her in the face.
“Oof! What the—what is this?!”
“A water-soaked rag. Wipe that stupid look off your face.”
Yuan Shu, sitting on the ruined training ground and sharing drinks with Yuan Shao, burst into laughter at the sight of her.
“Ha, fuck. You were drinking while staring at this loser’s face?”
“Yep. Tasted damn good too! Keh keh keh!”
“Young guy laughing like an old man… ha, whatever. Give me a bowl too.”
“Here. Catch.”
Richard received not a cup but a full bowl, downed it in one go, then sighed.
“Damn it. You were better. Use me as a slave or sell me off—do whatever you want.”
“I don’t like the slave thing, so no. Since you got your ass handed to you today, from now on you’re my little sister. Got it?”
“Who got their ass handed to them—!”
“Ahem! How dare you speak that way to your heaven-like older brother… Call me Big Brother!”
“Keuk…! Damn it, to think I’d end up like this after coming this far…!”
With a reddened face, Richard downed another bowl before muttering quietly.
“B-Big Brother…”
“Can’t hear you.”
“Big Brother, damn it!!”
“Uhwahaha! Excellent!”
For people like them, there had never been a clearer way to establish hierarchy than through fighting. Winner becomes the older sibling, loser the younger. How beautifully simple.
Anyway, on this day, the precious young master of the Yuan family gained himself a rather unique little sister.