Chapter 182: Fist Against Fist
"Hm?" Xiaoxiao turned around and found a man with tattooed arms standing behind her, a faint smile on his face.
"Everyone, hold on. Let me talk first." Qiao Jiajin waved his hand in the distance. "Hey, you there. Kick that rock off the bridge first, don't let anyone trip over it."
"Get lost." Xiaoxiao ignored Qiao Jiajin and reached out to shove him hard.
But to her surprise, as soon as she extended her hand, he grabbed her forearm. Before she could react, she felt herself being pulled forward a step, and a palm whirred through the air like a gale, stopping just before her chin.
The palm was still a few centimeters from her chin, but the tremendous force of its wind had already swept across her face.
If he hadn't stopped, Xiaoxiao would have been knocked out by now.
The wind howled across the rooftop, and the atmosphere was silent.
Qiao Jiajin smiled slightly, slowly withdrawing his hand, and said with a troubled expression, "What a headache... My first opponent is a girl. I swore an oath to Lord Guan Yu—I never hit the old, the weak, women, or children."
Xiaoxiao's face darkened as she pulled her hand back.
What the hell was that palm strike just now?
If such a massive palm wind had hit her chin, would she have died instantly?
Was that just a coincidence?
This scruffy-looking man casually threw a strike but didn't follow through—was he just bluffing?
Countless thoughts raced through Xiaoxiao's mind, and her expression grew complicated.
She slowly lowered her stance and stretched her legs.
No matter whether the man in front of her was bluffing or not, her next strike had to send him falling off the bridge. Otherwise, their encirclement would be broken, and her two teammates would be in danger.
Qiao Jiajin spoke up: "Big girl, if you don't want to get hurt, back off a little. Let our group's fighting girl spar with you later. I'll go deal with those two losers first."
"You won't have the chance." Xiaoxiao finished stretching and stood up, cracking her knuckles. "If you can't even take me down, don't dream of crossing this bridge."
"Hmm... Why are you so stubborn?"
Xiaoxiao didn't answer. Instead, she charged forward, trying to grapple Qiao Jiajin.
She knew she outweighed him, and if she could land a body slam, he wouldn't be able to resist.
In the blink of an eye, Xiaoxiao had already dropped her center of gravity and closed in on Qiao Jiajin. Her arms shot out like pincers from both sides, aiming to lock around his waist.
Qiao Jiajin's expression turned cold. He stepped back with both legs simultaneously, preventing her from grabbing his waist. Then he pressed his upper body downward and locked his right arm around Xiaoxiao's neck.
Now Qiao Jiajin was leaning on her at a forty-five-degree angle. Both of them stood diagonally, their strength locked against each other.
Xiaoxiao hadn't expected him to be so skilled in combat. She immediately changed tactics, abandoning the waist grab and instead striking at his armpit.
Qiao Jiajin turned his palm into a fist and intercepted the attack with a straight punch to her forearm. Then he shifted his weight further back, took two large steps, and pulled Xiaoxiao to the ground.
Xiaoxiao fell face-first, the impact jarring her body. But worse than that, Qiao Jiajin was still pressing down on her neck, making it hard to breathe.
She kept throwing wild hooks from her right side, aiming for Qiao Jiajin.
But the man's combat experience was simply too rich—every time her fist was about to land, he blocked it.
After more than a dozen swings, Xiaoxiao felt her strength draining fast, and her vision was starting to blur.
"Big girl, you give up?" Qiao Jiajin asked.
Xiaoxiao clenched her teeth. "No."
"Why won't you listen?" Qiao Jiajin glanced at her muscular back and said, "You've got such incredible muscles—why not use them to do something righteous?"
"Righteous... Are you insane?" Xiaoxiao pushed hard against Qiao Jiajin, but still couldn't break free.
Qiao Jiajin was about to say something else when he suddenly felt something lock around his neck, and everything went black.
He coughed, immediately let go, and swung his arm around. He thought someone had attacked him from behind, but after flailing a few times, he realized there was no one there.
What was that feeling of something locking around his neck?
When Xiaoxiao saw that her "Frame" skill had activated successfully, a smirk curled at the corner of her mouth. She immediately stood up and delivered a front kick aimed squarely at Qiao Jiajin's stomach.
She thought this kick would undoubtedly knock him down, but to her surprise, even though Qiao Jiajin's eyes were closed, he caught her foot as she struck.
Based on the foot in his hand, Qiao Jiajin determined Xiaoxiao's position. He immediately extended his other leg in a low side kick, striking her other leg at the knee. Then he lifted her captured foot upward and pushed forward.
The large-framed Xiaoxiao lost stability in both legs, lost her balance, and tumbled to the ground.
Only then did Qiao Jiajin's vision slowly clear as he took in his surroundings.
He realized he had just entered a state of oxygen deprivation, but the moment was fleeting, and he had already adapted.
"Is that your special ability?" Qiao Jiajin rolled his neck. "Pretty impressive."
"I realize I've been underestimating you too..." Xiaoxiao slowly stood up. "Now I'm ready to really have a go with you."
Upon hearing this, Qiao Jiajin expressionlessly took off his shirt, revealing the elaborate dragon-and-phoenix tattoo on his torso.
"As the saying goes, 'Three strikes and you're out.'" Qiao Jiajin tossed his shirt aside. "You've challenged me to a one-on-one fight multiple times now. I shouldn't keep treating you like just a girl anymore."
"Good." Xiaoxiao stood up, rubbing her kicked knee, and said, "I've hated being treated like a weak woman my whole life. Your attitude right now satisfies me."
"You're satisfied now, but you'll regret it later." Qiao Jiajin spread his feet apart, bounced a few times, then changed his stance, as if measuring how much movement the steel beams beneath him could allow.
"Win or lose, I won't regret it," Xiaoxiao replied. "Just getting to fight someone this strong is an honor for me."
Qiao Jiajin nodded after hearing that. "Then let's go fist to fist."
...
Old Sun and the tall man had been in a stalemate for a while. Zhang Shan was blocking their view, so they had no idea what was happening on the other side of the bridge.
"What's up with Xiaoxiao?" Old Sun tried to peek, but Zhang Shan took another step sideways.
"Hey, your opponents are us," Zhang Shan said. "If you don't want to die, step aside now."
"Stepping aside? Not a chance." Old Sun shook his head, turned back to the tall man, and said, "Luo Shiyi, let's move."
The young man called Luo Shiyi nodded, closed his eyes, and a bell tolled in response.
"What level of service do you want?" Luo Shiyi asked.
"Don't act like you don't know!" Old Sun snapped. "All of it! Full-throttle service!"