"You didn't see properly. They are rookies through and through. They just happened to have escaped the Huns alive. So, do you want to say that I, Xu Ming, am a liar?"
News of the challenge quickly spread across the camp.
The soldiers quickly gathered around the training group. While others were optimistic about their victory and awaiting the shameful defeat of Li Shang and his troop, the others were eager to pass the time observing the battle under the immense threat of the Huns' invasion.
"Who do you think will win?" Ling asked.
"We are winning, of course," Yao said with a confident smirk.
"How sure are you? You know that the Imperial Army is filled with numerous top dogs, right?" Ling asked with furrowed brows.
"Nonsense. We are faster, stronger, and better. Unless they have undergone the same training as we have, they are nowhere near comparable to us in terms of strength and skill," Yao replied with a snort.
"Okay, they might be slightly more skilful than us, but that still doesn't change the fact that we are going to win this battle." He folded his arms and added, noticing the surrounding gazes on him.
"I have no doubt that the Captain and Lieutenant Ping are going to win."
"What do you think, Chien-Po?" Ling shifted his attention to the towering, chubby man behind them.
Anyone would think his body was full of fat, but only those who had wrestled with him and seen him train knew that beneath that fat were mountains of muscles.
"I just hope that nobody gets hurt. We should focus our strength on hunting down the Huns, not fighting one another," Chien-Po responded with a depressed tone.
"Well, right now we have no choice. Let's just hope that the Captain and Ping can kick their asses safely," Ling replied.
"There they are!" Yao quickly spotted Aladdin and Mulan in the distance and exclaimed. He waved his hand at them.
Ling and Chien-Po did the same.
Noticing them as well, Aladdin and Mulan returned their greeting with a nod. They did the same to several other members of their troops.
"Are you ready?" Aladdin asked, shifting his attention to Mulan.
"Yes."
"Go easy on them. You still need them to win the war."
"I don't plan on going too far just enough to show our newfound strength to the General."
"When will Li Shang get here?"
"I don't know. I heard the General had invited him to his tent to speak privately. You know that he's the General's son, so they must be catching up." Mulan shook her head.
Aladdin nodded silently.
Amidst the silence, Mulan subtly glanced at Aladdin.
She wished she had never said those words when she found out that he was married. Not only had she almost ruined their relationship, but it had also made her seem like she was begging for affection.
Although they had managed to quickly rebuild what was left before it was totally ruined, there was still some lingering awkward tension between them.
Even Aladdin found it hard to ignore, which was why he tried to maintain a certain distance whenever he could.
The Captains of the Imperial Army had arrived as well and stood on the other side of the training ground opposite them.
Ten minutes later, Li Shang and General Li arrived at the training ground.
General Li nodded at them from a distance and halted in front of the Captains.
Meanwhile, Li Shang continued walking towards them.
Aladdin and Mulan returned the gesture with a slight, respectful bow.
"Sorry I was late. I had some things to take care of," Li Shang apologised, bowing slightly with his fist cupped towards them.
He straightened his back and stood beside them.
A loud horn resonated across the training ground.
The soldiers immediately became silent.
The crowd slowly parted as a tall, muscular man dressed in standard Chinese armour, with a sword strapped to his side, stepped forward.
He halted at the centre of the training ground and drew his blade. He gazed at Li Shang and Mulan.
"Which one of us is going first?" Li Shang asked.
"I can go second," Mulan replied.
"I will go first, then."
Mulan wanted to hand a sheathed blade over to Li Shang, but he gently pushed it away.
"You know that I don't need that. I will be fine with this." Li Shang smiled as he took out a bundle of bandages from his pocket and wrapped it around his hands.
"Wish me good luck, Teacher."
He glanced at Aladdin.
"Good luck." Aladdin nodded.
Li Shang stepped forward to meet his challenger.
He halted before the man.
The man frowned, seeing that Li Shang's hadn't brought a sword with him.
"Are you going to fight without a weapon?" the man asked.
"No. I'm afraid that I won't be able to hold back if I did. My hands are enough." Li Shang looked up, holding his gaze.
"Hahahaha!! You are arrogant! I have met you before, and I thought you would take over for your father and surpass him once he gets old. But it seems I was wrong. You are simply an overconfident fool," the man roared with laughter.
"I am Zhao Lu, Lieutenant of the First Vanguard Division. State your name!" He cupped his fist and bowed towards Li Shang.
"I am Li Shang, Captain of the Second Cavalry Division." Li Shang bowed with his fists cupped together as well.
"Don't worry. I will let you off easy. You are still a rookie, after all," Zhao Lu said with a smile.
While growing up, he trained with Zhao Lu and other soldiers so he could get the opportunity to stand beside his father in battle. So, despite the harsh words he had spoken earlier, Li Shang knew that Zhao Lu meant well.
"Please don't go easy on me. I want to show my father the improvements I have made while I was away." Li Shang bowed once more towards Zhao Lu.
"Fine. I also want to see what gave you the reason to disobey the General's orders," Zhao Lu replied solemnly.
He drew his blade.
"Are you sure you don't need a weapon?" he asked once more.
"I don't." Li Shang raised his arms and spread out his legs in a combat-ready stance. "We may begin."
Zhao Lu dashed forward with a swift strike from his right side.
Swish!!
Li Shang leaned forward, dodging the attack.
Taking advantage of his momentum, Zhao Lu thrust his knee towards Li Shang's face.
Li Shang caught his knee with one hand and held onto it tightly.
Zhao Lu's eyes widened when he saw his attack had been easily countered.
He brought his sword down towards Li Shang's back.
In truth, if Li Shang showed any signs of releasing his grip or pulling back, Zhao Lu would have swiftly withdrawn his blade.
The blade was only meant to keep him on the edge.
Li Shang swiftly let go of his grip and punched Zhao Lu in the gut, launching him backwards.
Zhao Lu's feet dragged across the dirt until he came to a stop and collapsed onto his knees.
"COUGH!! COUGH!!" He covered his mouth until he regained his composure.
The soldiers observed the scene dumbfoundedly, unable to believe what they had just witnessed.
Li Shang didn't chase after him for another attack. He remained in his position.
"Not so bad. You are strong. Unfortunately, you aren't my match right now," Li Shang said. "Surrender now. I don't want to hurt you."
Zhao Lu wiped the stain off his lips. He stabbed his sword into the dirt and rose to his feet.
"I need to get serious, then." Zhao Lu cracked his neck from side to side as he stepped towards Li Shang. His speed suddenly picked up, and he arrived before Li Shang within a few moments.
Zhao Lu thrust his fist forward.
He was fast. Unfortunately, to someone like Li Shang, whose strength was already bordering on the level of superhuman even before his training, he was exceedingly slow.
Li Shang caught his fist and threw Zhao Lu's arms over his shoulders. Then, he grabbed his waist and lifted him off the ground. He spun around and slammed Zhao Lu's back against the ground.
Before Zhao Lu realised what was happening, the air was knocked out of him once more, and he found himself pinned to the ground by Li Shang.
"I surrender!! I surrender!!"
With the absurd strength and reaction speed that Li Shang had shown, Zhao Lu saw no reason to continue the duel, so he quickly tapped out.
Li Shang released Zhao Lu from his grip and slowly stood up.
Zhao Lu collapsed onto the ground, trying to catch his breath.
The crowd erupted.
"Lieutenant Zhao Lu lost!! He lost!!"
"Did you see that? I doubt Captain Li Shang utilised any of his strength!!"
"Captain Li Shang is a monster!!!"
"This…!! Who would have expected such a shocking result?!!"
"Yeah. It was as though he was playing with Lieutenant Zhao Lu. He countered all of his attacks effortlessly!!"
"Lieutenant Zhao Lu didn't even have a chance from the beginning! Do you think this was rigged to grow the Captain's fame?!"
"What are you talking about, nimwit? First, you doubted whether Captain Li Shang had the strength to back up his words, and now you're claiming that this was merely propaganda to elevate his status! Why don't you go and challenge Lieutenant Zhao Lu and let us all judge whether it's propaganda or not?"
Cheers slowly spread across the training ground.
"He won!! The Captain won!!" Ling cheered, raising his arms into the air.
"I told you that he would win. The Captain was even holding back his strength. Any one of us could emerge victorious if we were in there as well," Yao chimed in midway through the celebration.
"Oh, shut it!" Ling retorted.
Two arms wrapped around them, lifting them into the air.
"YEAAAHHH!! WE WON!!" Chien Po cheered excitedly, unknowingly squeezing the two in his grasp.
"Hey, Chien Po, watch your hands!!"
"Too tight!! Too tight!!"
At the centre of the training ground, Li Shang stretched out his hand towards Zhao Lu.
Zhao Lu grabbed it and slowly pulled himself up.
"I didn't think you had it in you," Zhao Lu sighed, embarrassed.
"I'm sorry."
He bowed respectfully with his fist cupped towards Li Shang.
"You have won this round, Captain Li Shang."
They bowed to each other one last time before leaving the training ground.
The crowd cheered with even greater excitement.
On the side, General Li and the other captains watched in silence.
"It seems that they aren't lying. Captain Li Shang has really improved," Captain Wu Chen of the First Vanguard Division remarked.
"What are the chances that Lieutenant Zhao Lu held back?" General Li glanced at him, his expression solemn.
"None. I know his method of fighting. Unless Captain Li Shang chooses to pick up his blade so we can test their swordsmanship, but knowing his skills, it would most likely still end in Zhao Lu's defeat," Captain Wu Chen shook his head in response.
He narrowed his eyes at Li Shang. "Whatever kind of training he had undergone had increased his strength to a frightening degree. I'm afraid that even I won't be a match."
General Li nodded. "Are those your observations?" he asked.
"Yes." Captain Wu Chen replied with a nod.
"Good. Then it simply means that they were telling the truth," General Li said. "Send out the next combatant. Let's test his Lieutenant and see his results as well."
"This time, they must use their blades. A warrior's strength is also attributed to his swordsmanship."
"But—" Captain Wu Chen wanted to speak, but General Li quickly interrupted him.
"Now that we know that they aren't lying, we no longer need to test their strength. Instead, we will use this opportunity to raise the morale of the soldiers. The Huns' attack has already dealt a blow to them, and knowing that they have someone this strong on their side will encourage them for battle."