Chapter 971: Gongjin, Stop Right There

"I’m going to kill you!" Ma Chao and Sun Ce lunged at each other like rabid dogs. They had just been punched in the face!

At that moment, both had unleashed all their power, which resulted in their weapons being shattered. And after getting punched in the face by each other, both of them were seething with rage.

Immediately, the two began brawling in mid-air, like street thugs. But this time, neither had any internal energy left to reinforce their bodies, relying solely on their physical strength.

A pure fistfight. A complete brawl. Two equally hot-headed and stubborn men began exchanging blows with all they had.

After three punches, both were genuinely enraged. This was no longer a sparring match; it had devolved into a real fight, with each using whatever tricks they could, even childlike moves.

However, it quickly became apparent that Ma Chao, seasoned in countless battles in Xiliang, had the upper hand in hand-to-hand combat. Moreover, he had been personally taught by Dian Wei, a master of brawling.

Blocking Sun Ce’s right punch with one hand, Ma Chao smashed his right fist into Sun Ce’s nose, displacing it immediately. Tears involuntarily streamed down Sun Ce’s face, but he didn’t relent, throwing a punch toward Ma Chao’s right eye, only for it to be blocked.

Ma Chao countered with another punch to Sun Ce’s face. After a few consecutive hits, Sun Ce was seeing stars. But he was determined. He wouldn’t fall until he pummeled Ma Chao into a swollen mess, knowing full well his own face was already a bruised mess!

"Roar!" Ma Chao landed another punch on Sun Ce, but this time, as he withdrew his fist, Sun Ce caught it. Before Ma Chao could react with a kick, Sun Ce let out an earth-shaking roar, gathering all his strength.

In that instant, Ma Chao was stunned, as if struck by lightning. The roar of the "Little Overlord" was powerful enough to incapacitate even generals. Caught off guard, Ma Chao was momentarily dazed. Sun Ce seized the opportunity and beat Ma Chao’s face into a swollen mess, turning it into a bun-like shape.

"I’ll kill you!" Ma Chao snapped out of his daze, only to realize his vision had narrowed significantly. His entire face was swollen, and his eyes were nearly shut from the swelling.

Sun Ce, without responding, continued to pummel Ma Chao’s face. Ma Chao, now fully enraged, stopped defending himself and hammered back at Sun Ce’s face. Under the relentless barrage of blows, both their faces swelled visibly, and stars danced in their vision.

Although Sun Ce initially gained the upper hand with a surprise attack, he wasn’t as skilled in hand-to-hand combat as Ma Chao. After his initial tactic, Ma Chao soon adapted, and Sun Ce found himself at a disadvantage again.

Thud! Realizing that he was no match for Ma Chao in hand-to-hand combat, Sun Ce made a desperate decision. Ignoring Ma Chao’s punches, he grabbed both of Ma Chao’s arms and headbutted him with all his might. But Ma Chao had anticipated this. Taught by Dian Wei, Ma Chao knew the power of a well-timed headbutt. He immediately responded with a headbutt of his own.

With a muffled thud, both Ma Chao and Sun Ce collapsed simultaneously. Even on the ground, they didn’t let go of each other’s arms, maintaining a death grip.

Hours later, they slowly regained consciousness. Seeing each other’s swollen faces, they both burst into laughter, only to groan in pain as the motion pulled on their wounds.

"This time it’s a draw," they said in unison as they stood up. "But next time, I’ll definitely win!" they added, again speaking together.

"Hahaha!" Sun Ce and Ma Chao, each sporting a swollen, pig-like face, laughed together.

"Thanks to you, I’ve finally vented my frustrations," Sun Ce said with a grimace, his face contorted in pain. His knuckles were swollen from repeated punches, and every finger was bruised.

"And thanks to you, I now know there’s not just Ma Mengqi in this world, but also Sun Bofu. Next time we meet on the battlefield, I’ll defeat you!" Ma Chao, his swollen face twisted into a fierce grin, acknowledged Sun Ce’s strength.

"We’ll see on the battlefield," Sun Ce replied, though he was annoyed by the thought of having to cooperate with Cao Cao. Zhou Yu had already informed him of certain plans. Ma Chao would return to Yong Province, and soon there would be a resolution.

Ma Chao whistled, and the bald-headed Li Feisha quickly flew over from the other side of the Yangtze River. "I won’t be going back with you. I’ve already delayed too long. My father must be worried. And as for the repayment I owe you, you’ll receive my gift soon."

"Who needs your repayment? I, Sun Ce, will expand my business to Xiliang one day!" Sun Ce declared proudly.

"Hmph, if you want to reach Liang Province, you’ll have to get past me first!" Ma Chao saluted Sun Ce before mounting Li Feisha and flying into the sky. From a distance, his voice echoed, "Next time, I’ll win for sure!"

"Heh, we’ll see about that," Sun Ce muttered with a pained smile, clutching his swollen face. Did he really think having a swollen face meant he wouldn’t feel pain? If Ma Chao hadn’t been there when they woke up, Sun Ce would’ve screamed in agony.

"That Sun Bofu fights too fiercely!" Ma Chao, riding Li Feisha, couldn’t stop wincing in pain. His entire face was swollen, his eyes were bruised, and he’d even lost a few teeth.

Not long after Ma Chao left, Zhou Yu appeared. He looked at Sun Ce’s handsome face, now swollen like a pig’s, and couldn’t help but smirk.

"Bofu," Zhou Yu called out.

"What is it?" Sun Ce grumbled, too embarrassed to look at Zhou Yu. It was humiliating to be seen in such a sorry state.

"Here, take this mirror." Zhou Yu pulled out a mirror he had originally intended as a gift for Xiao Qiao and handed it to Sun Ce.

"I’m not looking!" Sun Ce snapped in frustration. "Can such a face still achieve great things?"

"Well, I suppose you’ll have to wait until your face recovers before achieving anything," Zhou Yu said with a shrug, putting the mirror away. Seeing the once-dashing Sun Bofu now with a swollen face walking beside him was certainly amusing.

"What about Mengqi? He didn’t get away unscathed, did he?" Zhou Yu changed the subject.

"Hmph, if I look like this, do you think he got off easy?" Sun Ce replied with a snort. Both of them had given as good as they got. But as he spoke, Sun Ce gave Zhou Yu a mischievous look. Sensing danger, Zhou Yu quickly jumped onto his steed and fled.

"Gongjin! Stop right there! You’re my sworn brother, so you should get swollen too!" Sun Ce, his internal energy still depleted, couldn’t run as fast as Zhou Yu’s steed and chased after him, shouting in anger.

Zhou Yu smirked as he rode away. No way was he foolish enough to let himself get beaten into a swollen mess. After all, unlike Sun Ce, he wasn’t about to lose half his teeth in a sparring match!

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