Chapter 121: Proud and Light
Everyone moved to the backyard. Before Pan Chuba could speak, Ding Cui asked first, "Dad, going to Shaolin is a life-or-death struggle. As the saying goes, swords have no eyes. Plus, you promised to protect the 'Xuan Shui Xia Juan' at all costs. So if anyone who accepts the challenge is not careful, they will be covered in wounds at best, or even die at worst..."

"Sister-in-law, what do you want to say?" Seeing Ding Cui hesitating and hesitant, Pan Wen couldn't help but ask, "We are all family here, you can just speak frankly."

"Since big brother has spoken, I will speak directly." Ding Cui pretended to be modest and said, "What I mean is that no matter who we send to fight this time, they are risking their lives for our entire Pan family. So shouldn't Dad...should he..."

Pan Chuba understood and nodded, saying, "That makes sense. Anyone who accepts the challenge on behalf of the Pan family will be rewarded handsomely by me regardless of success or failure."

"But I don't know what the reward Dad is talking about is..."

"Shut up!" Before Ding Cui could ask again with joy, Pan Wu said in a low voice with a gloomy face, "Since we are descendants of the Pan family, we should fight for the Pan family without regrets. You don't need to say more!"

Pan Wu was moody, and Ding Cui did not dare to confront him rashly, for fear of accidentally angering Pan Wu and getting beaten for no reason.

"Pan Wu, Pan Chun." Pan Chuba's expression straightened and he said loudly, "In my Pan family, only the two of you are talented in martial arts. Over the years, you have been studying hard and never slacked off. In recent years, I personally taught Pan Wu to study the Xuanshui sword technique, and sent Pan Chun to the Huaibei New Army Headquarters for training, hoping that you can give full play to your respective strengths and not stick to one way, so as to avoid losses for all when fighting the Qin family."

"Grandpa!" Before Pan Chuba finished speaking, Pan Yun mustered up his courage and suddenly said, "Grandson is also willing to do his best for the Pan family, even if it means his death!"

"Yun'er..." Seeing Pan Yun asking for permission, the eldest lady's face suddenly turned pale, and she exclaimed hurriedly, "You have been weak and sick since childhood, don't make trouble!"

"Mother, although I am weak, I have been practicing martial arts with my elder brother since I was six years old, and I have never slacked off for more than ten years. Grandpa was a martial artist, so how can I, as a grandson, betray my ancestors? I know that my martial arts skills are mediocre, but I am willing to give it a try."

"Good!" Pan Wen's eyes flashed with relief, and he praised, "The thing that Dad regrets most in his life is that he couldn't endure hardship when he was young and didn't persist in practicing martial arts, so that today I can't carry anything on my shoulders or lift anything with my hands. Today you have such filial piety, Dad is very relieved."

Pan Chuba smiled and said, "Yun'er, you are very brave. You are worthy of being a descendant of the Pan family." Then he changed the subject and said, "This battle is about the life and death of the Pan family. Yun'er, although you have practiced martial arts for many years, your talent is mediocre. The kung fu you have practiced can only strengthen your body, but it cannot be used to fight against others."

"Grandpa has never tested my grandson's martial arts, how do you know that I can't fight in battle?" Pan Yun's face was tense and he said stubbornly, "Please give me a chance!" After that, Pan Yun knelt down on the ground and kowtowed to Pan Chuba.

Faced with Pan Yun's insistence, the eldest lady's eyes were already tearful, and her brows were filled with deep worry. On the other hand, Ding Cui's eyes were cold, she thought that Pan Yun's motive for volunteering to fight must be impure.

Ding Cui thought: "Right now, the old man has placed all his hopes on Pan Wu and Pan Chun, and has ignored Pan Wen and his son, who are currently in charge of the Pan family's finances. If Pan Wu and his son can really make great contributions, they may be able to turn the situation around in the future, and Pan Wu may even replace Pan Wen. So in order to maintain his position, Pan Wen deliberately let Pan Yun take the initiative to ask for battle. His real purpose is nothing more than to show his loyalty in front of the old man so that he can get some credit! Humph!"

As the saying goes, a gentleman is open and honest, while a villain is always worried. Ding Cui has been calculating all her life, so in her eyes, everything others do is also calculated. Such people will never understand what "loyalty, filial piety, affection and righteousness" are.

After thinking about it, Ding Cui secretly gave Pan Chun a look. Pan Chun understood and took the initiative to help Pan Yun up, saying with a smile: "Second brother, you should get up quickly and don't make things difficult for grandpa."

Pan Yun was puzzled and asked, "Brother, what do you mean by that? How did I embarrass Grandpa?"

Pan Chun smiled and stretched out his hand to pinch Pan Yun's thin shoulders, then gently patted Pan Yun's thin waist and said with a smile: "Second brother, although you have practiced martial arts for many years, what you have practiced are just some useless boxing and kicking routines. It's not that I am deliberately pouring cold water on you. With those fancy boxing and kicking you have practiced, if you go on the field to fight against the Qin family's masters, you will not only be like an egg hitting a rock, but it will also damage the dignity of my Pan family. It's not right, it's really not right!"

After saying that, without waiting for Pan Yun to refute, Pan Chun hurriedly added: "Second brother, please don't misunderstand. I am actually thinking about your safety. Fighting with others is different from hitting a wooden man. It requires not only extraordinary courage, but also real strength. With your small body, I am afraid you can't even withstand a punch. If you get injured because of impulsiveness, wouldn't it be more than worth it?"

"Since I was six years old, I have been getting up early every day to practice martial arts with my elder brother. The punches, kicks and weapons we practice are exactly the same. In fact, many times, I am more diligent than my elder brother, and I have been practicing for many years regardless of weather conditions." Pan Yun retorted unconvincedly, "If my elder brother says that I practice fancy boxing and embroidered kicks, then what do you practice?"

"What I practiced before was just fancy moves." Pan Chun chuckled and said, "What you and I practiced in those years were just some basic skills. Moves and routines are one thing, and facing the enemy in battle is another. In the past three years, I have practiced hard day and night in the new military headquarters. Every move is a practical skill, a way to defeat the enemy, and even a way to kill people. These are the real skills."

Pan Chun's words not only angered Pan Yun, but also made Pan Chuba extremely unhappy. He coughed twice and said calmly, "Chun'er, you are wrong! The martial arts taught by the new military office are indeed excellent, but what I asked you to practice is not completely useless."

"Grandpa, I know that Xuanshui swordsmanship is very powerful." Pan Chun smiled confidently, "But who else in the Pan family is qualified to practice Xuanshui swordsmanship, except my father? The new military office teaches real kung fu that can survive in a fight between thousands of people. It is the orthodox martial arts of the court, which is far beyond the reach of the martial arts world..."

"Asshole!" Pan Chuba glared and shouted angrily, "How dare you say such nonsense at such a young age? According to you, only the martial arts of the imperial court are called 'orthodox', and the martial arts in the martial arts world are 'unorthodox'?"

Although Pan Chun did not dare to speak out, he still whispered in dissatisfaction: "There are indeed many masters in the martial arts world, but when it comes to the orthodoxy of martial arts, it is still our court..."

"Shut up!" Pan Chuba shouted, "I sent you to the new military headquarters for training because I hope you can be tempered, not to make you arrogant and look down on others. According to what you said, the Hexi Qin family, which is one of the four great families in the martial arts world, is nothing."

Pan Chun was also provoked to anger. He looked up at Pan Chuba and said bluntly: "In front of tens of thousands of troops, let alone the Hexi Qin family, even if the so-called four great martial arts families were tied together, they would be wiped out in a matter of seconds."

"You..." Pan Chuba was so angry that he didn't know how to refute. He pointed at Pan Chun with a trembling finger and sighed, "If I had known that sending you to the new military headquarters would make you so ignorant, I should have kept you at home and practiced martial arts with your father. Today you are so self-righteous and underestimate the enemy. Aren't you going to Shaolin for nothing next year?"

"Grandpa, I..." "No need to say more." Pan Chuba waved his hand to interrupt Pan Chun's words and said in a deep voice, "Since you boast about how great your orthodox martial arts are, let us open our eyes and see what amazing skills you have learned in the past three years."

After that, Pan Chuba turned his gaze to Pan Yun and said sternly, "Yun'er, don't you want Grandpa to give you a chance? I promise you now, as long as you can fight your eldest brother for fifty rounds without losing, I will allow you to fight the Qin family."

"Really?" Pan Yun was overjoyed and asked, "Grandpa keeps his word."

"I never break my promise!" Pan Chuba said sternly, "Swords have no eyes, so you brothers should just fight with your fists and feet!"

"Yes!" Pan Yun agreed happily, turned to look at Pan Chun, and excitedly bowed, "Brother, please teach me!"

Pan Chun was hesitant at first, but when he saw Pan Yun's determination, he simply put his worries aside. When he looked at Pan Yun again, he couldn't help but reveal a strong sense of confidence. He smiled and said, "Since the second brother is determined to do this, then I will show my ugliness!"

"Accept!"

Before Pan Chun finished speaking, Pan Yun suddenly took action, trying to strike first.

Pan Yun took several steps and rushed forward with his left fist and right palm. This was his most proficient move, which was also taught by Pan Chuba in the past. It was called "Tiger Roar and Dragon Roar".

The left hand is a fist, which means it is as powerful as a tiger, and the right hand is a palm, which means it is as swift as a swimming dragon. Then, with the mandarin duck chain steps, the fists and palms are interlaced, and the dragon and the tiger move alternately. One is virtual and the other is real, one is bright and the other is dark, one is fast and the other is slow, one is hard and the other is soft. It looks like a simple move, but it contains thousands of changes. If used properly, it is enough to deal with ordinary moves. Moreover, this move combines hardness and softness, virtuality and reality, and is extremely difficult to be easily resolved.

"After so many years, I didn't expect that after all your practice, you only have this one move."

Pan Chun sneered. Facing Pan Yun's tiger roar and dragon roar coming from both sides, he showed no sign of panic. Pan Chun staggered half a step back. When Pan Yun's right palm rushed towards his chest, his body suddenly turned sideways, and Pan Yun's palm flew out. At the same time, Pan Yun hurriedly swung his right fist and attacked Pan Chun's side. Pan Chun, on the other hand, sucked in his lower abdomen and instantly arched his body backwards. Pan Yun's punch was dodged by Pan Chun again.

Before Pan Yun could make another move, Pan Chun's eyes flashed with coldness. He turned his left hand into a claw and grabbed Pan Yun's throat in a flash.

Pan Yun was shocked and hurriedly waved his hands to block, but he was distracted and didn't realize that his lower abdomen was exposed. Pan Chun seized the opportunity and drove his right fist straight in, hitting Pan Yun's stomach hard.

Accompanied by a muffled "bang" sound, Pan Yun suddenly felt a sharp pain that quickly spread from his lower abdomen to his whole body. This was a kind of pain that Pan Yun had never felt in his life.

Under the unbearable pain, Pan Yun's mind went blank, and the arms that were blocking Pan Chun's left claw also lost strength. Pan Chun broke them with one move, and then went straight to the dragon's heart, and his left hand instantly pinched Pan Yun's slender neck.

Pan Yun's face turned pale, and he struggled a few times before giving up resistance. Suddenly he coughed violently, and a trace of bloody phlegm flowed out from the corner of his mouth.

"Yun'er!" Seeing this scene, Pan Wen and the eldest lady exclaimed in unison, their faces full of worry. On the other hand, Ding Cui showed a hint of pride without any hesitation.

"Second brother, now do you know the gap between you and me?" Pan Chun sneered, then pushed away Pan Yun who was distracted, and turned to look at Pan Chuba, with a hint of pride between his brows, and said with a cupped hand, "Grandpa, this is the skill I learned in the New Army House. Although the moves are simple, they are very practical. The 'Tiger Roar and Dragon Roar' that my second brother learned is gorgeous, but it can only be regarded as fancy moves."

Seeing Pan Chun's extreme complacency, Pan Chuba was not angry, but fell into deep worry.

For Pan Chuba, Pan Chun's improvement in martial arts was definitely a good thing, but what he really worried about was that Pan Chun would become arrogant and look down on others. He thought that he was invincible just because he learned a few moves in the new military office. This was putting the cart before the horse and mistaking the importance of things. It was undoubtedly a kind of torture for the young Pan Chun.

Thinking of this, Pan Chuba suddenly felt helpless and sad. Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and he turned his head to look at Liu Xunyi who was watching the game silently. After thinking for a moment, he slowly said, "Young Master Liu, you are about the same age. What do you think of Pan Chun's performance just now?" When Pan Chuba said this, his eyes flashed with an indescribable earnestness.

Liu Xunyi was slightly stunned, but he soon understood Pan Chuba's good intentions, so he nodded slightly. Under the curious gazes of everyone and Pan Chun's arrogant look, Liu Xunyi pretended to be disappointed, curled his lips, shook his head frequently, and sighed.

"Young Master Liu, what do you mean?" Pan Chuba asked in surprise, "Why do you keep sighing?"

"Forgive me for being blunt, but if the children of the Pan family are only at this level..." Liu Xunyi said with an embarrassed smile, "I advise Mr. Pan to surrender to the Qin family as soon as possible and hand over the lower volume of Xuanshui as soon as possible, so as to avoid losing a few lives in vain."

"What do you mean?" Pan Chun was stunned, then his face darkened and he said angrily, "Your Excellency, if you have something to say, just say it directly. Why do you have to beat around the bush and make sarcastic remarks?"

"As you command!" Liu Xunyi bowed respectfully to Pan Chun and sneered, "I never thought that... the Pan family disciples' martial arts exchange would be like children fighting. It would be an exaggeration to say that it is just fancy moves. The martial arts of the two of you are not only disappointingly mediocre, but in my opinion, it is simply childish and ridiculous."

……

(End of this chapter)