The three of them walked into Gao Yi Martial Arts Hall together.
Xie Heng trailed behind, curiously looking around. It was his first time realizing that martial arts halls still existed. It felt like something out of a historical drama.
However, once inside, he saw that the interior was quite modern. There were various automated facilities, and even an AI robot walking around, handing out towels and water.
Lu Xi also found the place intriguing.
It was her first time in a place like this.
Unlike Xie Heng, who looked everywhere, she was more reserved. She only glanced at the front desk and the surrounding layout, listening to the various sounds coming from inside the hall. It all seemed very interesting.
Next to the front desk stood a promotional board with advertisements for enrollment, membership discounts, and introductions to the hall’s renowned instructors.
It seemed this place wasn’t just for training but also recruited students. Lu Xi glanced at Xie Yizhao, wondering what his role here was.
Her question was soon answered by the front desk attendant.
“Boss Xie! What brings you here today?” A robust young man grinned brightly, his white teeth showing in a cheerful smile.
The hall was heated, so the young man was dressed lightly in just a long-sleeved T-shirt, his muscular arms on full display.
Lu Xi : Hmmmmm.
This martial arts hall’s strength was clearly well-represented.
Perhaps noticing her thoughts, Xie Yizhao glanced down at her and couldn’t help but cough lightly, squeezing her fingers.
Lu Xi immediately composed herself. She blinked at Xie Yizhao and asked, “Did he just call you ‘Boss Xie’?”
It was subtly different from ‘CEO Xie.’
Xie Yizhao said calmly, “Mm, I’m one of the owners here.”
Lu Xi and Xie Heng both turned to look at him in disbelief.
His investments even extended to a martial arts hall?
Seeing their expressions, which practically read “How many more hidden identities do you have?”, Xie Yizhao chuckled. “I’ll explain in detail later.”
He then turned to the front desk attendant. “Get us a larger training room.”
The attendant nodded and glanced at the two people beside Xie Yizhao. He wasn’t clueless. Though he had never met Xie Yizhao’s family before, one was holding hands with him, and the other followed obediently like a little tail. Not to mention, the younger one looked almost identical to Xie Yizhao, with facial features resembling the woman as well. It was obvious they were family.
He asked, “Should I call someone to spar with you?”
As he spoke, he was about to head upstairs to the large training area on the second floor.
Xie Yizhao stopped him. “No need.”
The attendant hesitated. “Then…? Alright, my shift ends in ten minutes anyway.”
Xie Yizhao’s gaze landed on Xie Heng. “Today, my son will spar with me.”
The front desk attendant froze.
Father versus son?
Wasn’t there a rumor that Boss Xie and his son didn’t get along? He didn’t expect things to be this bad…
The attendant nodded and led them to a training room on the third floor. He also had someone bring in some fruit, snacks, and two clean training uniforms. Before leaving, he couldn’t help but shoot Xie Heng a sympathetic look.
Xie Heng : ?
What was that look for?
Why did it feel like he was being underestimated?
He was actually pretty good at fighting, okay?!
Xie Heng was not pleased. He was always confident in his combat skills and had never been looked down on like this before.
“Go change,” Xie Yizhao instructed, pointing at the uniforms before taking one himself and heading into the bathroom.
That left only Lu Xi and Xie Heng in the room.
Lu Xi, completely at ease, took the opportunity to check out the surroundings. The room was reminiscent of a dance studio, with mirrors on all sides and a row of chairs along one wall. She grabbed some fruit and snacks and sat down.
Seeing Xie Heng still standing dumbly by the door, she waved him over and patted the seat next to her. “Did you eat earlier? Want to grab a bite?”
“Hmph.” Xie Heng stood firm. “I heard everything just now.”
“What?”
Xie Heng grumbled, “You told my Dad to beat me up.”
Lu Xi bit her lip.
Oh, come on, he was still holding onto that?
She was starting to realize that this kid could hold a grudge. Why did he only remember the bad things?
“You ungrateful brat. I even reminded your Dad not to hit your stomach, head, or face. Shouldn’t you be thanking me?”
Xie Heng : “…”
Okay, maybe sparing his stomach was fine.
As for his head and face… He really didn’t want to dwell on the reason.
Lu Xi took a bite of her strawberry, shaking her head at the way Xie Heng was looking at her. As if he’d already seen through her excuses.
This little brat was definitely going to get beaten up.
Xie Yizhao soon returned, dressed in black training attire with a thin belt around his waist. He looked sharp and composed.
It was Lu Xi’s first time seeing him in this outfit, and her eyes lit up.
Xie Heng said nothing. He simply picked up his uniform and quickly changed.
When it came to fighting, he was experienced. No matter what, he couldn’t let his momentum falter, or he’d definitely lose.
Standing opposite Xie Yizhao, he raised his chin arrogantly. “Come on, don’t hold back. I can handle it.”
Xie Yizhao pinched the bridge of his nose.
This kid—was he overconfident, or just naive?
Xie Yizhao smirked slightly, took one step forward—
And Xie Heng instinctively took one step back.
Lu Xi : “…”
He kept feeling that the brat’s mental resilience was a bit off today.
Could this be the legendary ‘bloodline suppression’?
Xie Heng himself felt a little awkward. He scratched his head and said, “Wait! Let’s clarify first, how do we determine the winner?”
Xie Yizhao: “Whoever knocks the other down and keeps them on the ground for ten seconds wins.”
“……” Xie Heng was in disbelief. A wave of sorrow welled up in his heart. As expected! His Dad really was trying to beat him to death today!
Lu Xi was also slightly stunned. Huh? Isn’t that a bit too ruthless? Surely it’s not that serious.
Just as she was about to step in and say something, Xie Yizhao suddenly spoke again in a calm tone: “That was the rule for underground boxing matches. As for us, father and son, there’s no need to go that far. Whoever pulls off the other’s belt first wins.”
Lu Xi let out a sigh of relief and sat back down.
Xie Heng also couldn’t help but exhale, finally feeling a little better. Until he suddenly realized something was off.
So his Dad… was messing with him just now?
Isn’t this just straight-up bullying a kid?
Feeling wronged, Xie Heng shot his Dad a look and stiffly said, “Alright then, don’t worry, I follow martial ethics. I won’t hit your stomach, head, or face—ah!”
Before he could even finish his sentence, Xie Yizhao suddenly made a move, stepping forward swiftly to grab his collar.
Xie Heng’s heart jolted, and he instinctively tried to dodge.
He had seen this move from his Dad before. Once his collar got grabbed, he’d be beaten black and blue!
But Xie Yizhao seemed to have predicted his reaction. His right hand clenched into a fist and swung toward Xie Heng’s left cheek.
In that instant, Xie Heng felt a gust of wind rushing at his face, making it stiffen slightly.
He hesitated for just one second. Realizing he couldn’t dodge in time, he reflexively shut his eyes.
However, just as Xie Yizhao’s fist was about to land, it abruptly stopped. Instead, he loosened his grip, caught Xie Heng’s arm, and yanked him to the side.
“Open your eyes. Stand firm. Try again.”
Xie Heng lifted his eyelids, only to see his Dad’s stern face.
“That was my mistake just now.” He averted his gaze, coughed awkwardly, then suddenly widened his eyes as he realized—“You… you ambushed me? How could you ambush me?!”
That’s not honorable at all!
Xie Yizhao remained unfazed. “In real fights, who waits for a countdown?”
Xie Heng was momentarily at a loss for words. But thinking about it, he had to admit. That was true.
Nobody ever gave a heads-up before throwing a punch in a real fight.
Seeing him zoning out, Xie Yizhao couldn’t help but deliver a triple-layered taunt: “Do you space out this easily when fighting?
“When someone punches you, do you close your eyes?
“I noticed last time. You always dodge left when you fight. That’s an obvious weakness.”
As he spoke, he didn’t stop moving. Lifting his leg, he quickly kicked at Xie Heng.
Unlike when he had kicked Xiao Feiyuan before, this time Xie Yizhao held back, reducing his strength. His foot landed on Xie Heng’s calf.
Still, the taunt had rattled Xie Heng, and he failed to react in time. Though the kick wasn’t heavy, it still made him stumble and drop to one knee.
Xie Heng : “……” Ahhh, this is so embarrassing.
And Ms. Lu was watching too!
Sure, kneeling to his Dad wasn’t a big deal, but not under these circumstances!
His face burned with humiliation.
But strangely, the pain actually cleared his mind.
Standing up, he stared at his Dad. This time, his eyes were different.
Even Lu Xi noticed, he had entered battle mode.
“I mean, this is my first time fighting my Dad. I have no experience. And come on, it’s my Dad, I can’t go all out on him like I would with other people, right?” Xie Heng tried to salvage his dignity, sneaking a glance at Lu Xi in the mirror as he spoke.
Lu Xi slowly nodded.
—That’s true… but, sweetheart, could you stop shaking your legs?
This time, however, after getting back up, Xie Heng was clearly more focused.
He no longer hesitated until the last second before dodging, and instead of just avoiding attacks, he started looking for chances to strike back.
But none of his attacks landed.
Xie Yizhao was too good. He predicted every move in advance. Whether Xie Heng threw a punch or kicked, even when he got desperate and tried to headbutt his Dad’s chin, Xie Yizhao blocked it effortlessly.
Xie Heng knew it wasn’t a good look, but he refused to accept defeat.
For a moment, their foreheads and hands were locked in a standoff.
Lu Xi watched in awe, holding a strawberry with a tiny bite taken out of it, momentarily forgetting to eat.
Even as an amateur, she could tell. Xie Yizhao was in complete control.
Logically speaking, a headbutt should have more force and impact. Yet Xie Yizhao blocked it with one hand and didn’t even budge. That meant his strength was immense.
Looking at their expressions—
The younger one was sweating, his pale face flushed red, ears burning, pushing himself to the limit.
The older one? Just looked a bit more serious than usual, but otherwise relaxed. And there was even a hint of… affection in his gaze as he looked at the stubborn fool in front of him.
Sensing that Xie Heng was reaching his limit, Lu Xi silently counted in her head, guessing how much longer he could last.
At twenty seconds, Xie Heng finally backed away.
The boy completely lost his strength, glancing aggrievedly at his Dad before lowering his head. He clenched his molars, took a few steps back, and then plopped down onto the ground.
Lu Xi : ?
What’s going on?
Did he get beaten so badly that he couldn’t even stand up?