The Way of Restraint

Chapter 15: True Combat – The Ever-Changing Hoe Technique

“Sister Nie acting as the referee is perfect,” Li Hu and Song Li, along with their group, seemed to know this female coach well and respected her greatly.

“Let’s begin,” Josh had no objections.

“Don’t lose to a foreigner,” the female coach, known as Sister Nie, whispered to Li Hu. “For the first match, let Song Li compete against this student. What’s your name?”

“Su Jie,” Su Jie replied calmly.

“Hold back a little,” Sister Nie advised Song Li as he stepped into the ring.

“I know. This kid won’t last more than a few punches,” Song Li remarked confidently as he vaulted gracefully over the ropes into the ring.

Having Song Li face Su Jie first was actually a clever strategy. It was clear that Su Jie seemed like an easy opponent. Winning the first round would boost their morale.

“Let’s clarify the rules first,” Josh said as Su Jie entered the ring. “Are we using mixed martial arts rules, kickboxing rules, or no-holds-barred?”

Mixed martial arts rules allow ground grappling, while kickboxing focuses on standing strikes. No-holds-barred, however, is completely unrestricted and often popular in underground matches, especially for betting purposes.

“Whatever you say,” Song Li narrowed his eyes.

“Then no-holds-barred it is,” Josh shrugged nonchalantly. “Other formats can’t fully showcase our combat skills.”

“The academy doesn’t allow no-holds-barred combat,” Sister Nie snapped. “Do you think this is some street brawl? What if something goes wrong? Mixed martial arts rules are the closest to real combat. Use those.” She stepped into the ring as well.

“Let’s go,” Song Li stretched his body and assumed a fighting stance. As soon as Sister Nie signaled the start, he began pressing toward Su Jie with steady steps.

His fighting style was indeed steady and calculated. He didn’t attack first but advanced like an unstoppable tank, creating an intimidating aura that could unnerve his opponent.

This style suited his robust build. Like a mountain or a forest, he advanced relentlessly.

‘You can hit me a hundred times, but I only need one punch to take you down.’

Step by step, Song Li closed in. His presence was like a spider ensnaring its prey, designed to instill psychological pressure.

Anyone facing such a relentless approach would inevitably feel panic, and panic leads to openings. Once he found an opening, Song Li would launch a ferocious attack to overwhelm his opponent.

However, this tactic didn’t work on Su Jie.

Whenever he was about to be cornered, Su Jie would suddenly dart away like a monkey, evading to another corner of the ring.

In his sparring with Odell, Su Jie often found himself cornered but would rely on his movement techniques to escape. This was a core aspect of the “Hoe Technique” – its agility and unpredictability.

[Swift as a monkey, fierce as a tiger, never retreat until the enemy bleeds.]

Song Li grew frustrated. Every time he closed in and was ready to strike, Su Jie would evade to the opposite side, leaving Song Li unable to land a blow.

After several failed attempts, Song Li’s patience wore thin.

He felt uncomfortable under Su Jie’s steady gaze and was infuriated by his hit-and-run tactics.

Swoosh!

Song Li threw a jab. It was a feint to test Su Jie’s reaction, intending to follow up with a combination attack.

But just as his jab extended forward, Su Jie moved. He seized the opportunity with absolute confidence.

Boom!

In Su Jie’s mind, Song Li was no longer an opponent but a target for the “Hoe Technique.” Only its mantra filled his thoughts.

[Anger fills the chest, hair rises with rage; flesh as firm as iron, bones like steel. Swift as a monkey, fierce as a tiger, never retreat until the enemy bleeds.]

This was the essence of the technique. During practice, one visualizes an opponent in front of them. In combat, one disregards the opponent entirely, treating them as if they don’t exist.

The “Hoe Technique” was born of hate – hate that the sky has no handle, hate that the earth has no ring.

It was executed with ferocity.

Fueled by rage, even the bones became as hard as steel!

Smack!

With a swift motion, Su Jie blocked the jab with one hand, then advanced and delivered a downward strike. His entire body moved like a tiger descending a mountain, channeling all his strength into the attack aimed directly at Song Li’s centerline.

It was an all-out strike, a perfect fusion of intent, will, and power – vicious and ruthless.

No matter how adaptable you are, I’ll crush you with one strike.

This was the farmer’s way of combat with the “Hoe Technique.”

Bang!

Song Li hadn’t even reacted before Su Jie’s heavy blow landed on his chest. The impact sent him flying into the ropes, where he tumbled down onto the ground, unconscious.

“What?” Sister Nie, acting as the referee, was stunned. She hadn’t expected Su Jie to act so decisively – as fierce as a wolf, as savage as a tiger.

She quickly rushed to Song Li’s side, pressing acupuncture points and massaging his chest.

After a while, Song Li finally regained consciousness.

Meanwhile, Su Jie stood motionless in the ring, seemingly snapping back to reality. To be honest, he had put every ounce of his strength into that blow. After knocking Song Li down, he didn’t even realize what had happened.

Seeing his opponent collapse off the ring, Su Jie finally came to his senses.

‘I actually won,’ he thought, feeling a surge of excitement. This was the first time he had defeated an opponent, instantly boosting his confidence.

Before this, he only acted as Josh’s punching bag during training or was on the receiving end of Odell’s moves. He never experienced actual combat.

Odell’s skills and physical condition were far superior to his. In the presence of this world’s top coach, he wasn’t much stronger than a small child. Thus, he never experienced the mental and physical challenge of an evenly matched confrontation.

Winning his first official match against someone as sturdy as Song Li made Su Jie feel that his efforts had paid off. It strengthened his resolve to continue practicing diligently.

“That was impressive.” Josh was thrilled. He hadn’t expected Su Jie to defeat Song Li so cleanly and decisively. He beckoned with his finger, “We won the first match. Now for the second round. Li Hu, it’s your turn.”

Li Hu stepped onto the stage without saying much and squared off against Josh.

“Come on.” Josh didn’t even adopt a formal stance. With his hands behind his back, he leaned forward provocatively, signaling, “Come at me.”

This kind of behavior is common in many professional martial arts competitions. It’s a strategy to lure opponents into attacking, deliberately exposing a weakness. However, it requires both skill and courage; otherwise, leaning your head forward is just offering it up as a target.

Li Hu didn’t rush to attack. He appeared cautious, bouncing slightly to adjust his stance and prepare for an opening.

Seeing Li Hu remain still, Josh suddenly twisted his waist and hips, launching a sweeping kick aimed at Li Hu’s inner thigh. This was a typical Muay Thai technique. A single successful hit could cramp the opponent’s muscle, causing them to collapse instantly.

Li Hu quickly dodged. Josh’s kick was so fast and fierce that there was barely any time to react.

In the moment Li Hu dodged, Josh’s sweeping kick changed trajectory mid-motion, targeting Li Hu’s head instead.

Bang!

Li Hu was struck on the head and immediately fell to the ground.

Knockout!

“Josh’s kicking technique is truly fierce—Jeet Kune Do’s three-step kick. Not only is it fast, but the angle is unpredictable and changes constantly. It looks like it’s aimed at your lower body, but in the blink of an eye, it targets your head instead.” Su Jie had suffered enough from this three-step kick during training with Josh.

“Yeah! Ten thousand bucks in the bag.” Josh waited for Li Hu to get up before demanding his winnings. It was part of the bet they had agreed on.

“Bank transfer.” Li Hu didn’t try to renege and promptly transferred ten thousand yuan to Josh.

By this time, Song Li had also regained consciousness. His expression was grim—not only because he lost to Su Jie but also because he now owed ten thousand yuan. It was a hefty sum, and he clearly couldn’t afford it.

“I’ll cover it for you,” Li Hu said, preparing to transfer the money again.

“Forget it,” Su Jie waved his hand, signaling he didn’t want the money.

“Huh? Su Jie, why don’t you want it?” Josh was puzzled.

“Forget it.” Su Jie replied to Josh in English, “A match is just a match. Gambling on fights doesn’t feel right to me.”

“Suit yourself then.” Josh didn’t try to persuade him further.

Hearing Su Jie speak such fluent English, Sister Nie’s eyes lit up.

“Let’s go,” Li Hu said, casting a meaningful glance at Su Jie. Since Su Jie didn’t want the money, he didn’t insist. “I consider you a friend now.”

As they left, he gave Su Jie a kind smile.

“Let’s train together sometime,” Su Jie nodded in response. “Sometimes you have to fight to get to know someone. Let’s exchange contact information.”

Training in martial arts alone in isolation would never lead to success. Collaboration and sparring with others were essential. For example, hitting a sandbag with gloves every day was far less effective than sparring with a living opponent in the ring. Su Jie hoped to have more people to practice and exchange techniques with in the future to improve faster.

“Let’s exchange contacts too,” Sister Nie said, actively asking Su Jie for his information.

Su Jie naturally didn’t refuse. He could tell Sister Nie held a significant position in the academy.

“Could we talk privately?” After adding his contact information, Sister Nie asked Su Jie.

“Sure,” Su Jie nodded and followed Sister Nie to a nearby café beside the training ground. The café offered cakes, bread, and various snacks.

“Did you learn your techniques from Coach Gu Yang?” Sister Nie asked seriously.

“I figured them out on my own. Coach Gu Yang only had us dig soil for seven days and carry loads for another seven,” Su Jie replied. He knew that in such traditional martial arts training courses, the coach wasn’t planning to teach the students actual fighting techniques, only various routines.

“It seems Coach Gu Yang didn’t violate the academy’s regulations.” Sister Nie nodded. “Did you really only study for a month to reach this level?”

“Yes,” Su Jie answered honestly. “I’ve taken PE classes at academy and regularly exercised—running, doing push-ups, pull-ups, high jumps, long jumps, shot put, skipping rope, and playing basketball. Do those count?”

“Of course not.” Sister Nie pulled out her phone, seemingly accessing the academy’s database. After a quick search, she retrieved video footage of Su Jie from when he first joined the academy’s training program.

Looking at the footage of Su Jie back then compared to now, even though only a month had passed, the difference was striking.

When Su Jie first entered the training program, he was a frail high academy student. Now, every move he made exuded an indescribable aura.

In two words: lean and tough.

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