chapter 41 Baguazhang

"Hmph!" With a cold snort, Tab took the initiative, his feet rubbing against the ground as if trudging through muddy water, yet moving extremely fast. The Bagua steps, also known as "Muddy Steps," involve moving with the soles of the feet parallel to the ground and taking small steps, as if a pedestrian is cautiously walking through mud to avoid soiling their shoes. Baldwin stood relaxed and unmoved at his original spot. As Tab approached, Baldwin's body suddenly shook, resembling a gust of wind stirring a great tree, its leaves rustling! His head, shoulders, body, hands, and legs moved in that instant, unleashing an incredibly intimidating aura, like a sudden, massive tsunami! "You’ll never master the true essence of Bagua Palm if you practice it like that!" Baldwin retorted, raising his right hand like a huge grinding disc, and striking down towards Tab. Tab, startled by this display of power, shivered inwardly, involuntarily twisting his body and retreating. "The essence of Bagua Palm lies in its fluid, versatile combat and opportunistic attacks... But how can his Bagua Palm be so... domineering?!" Such a thought flashed in Tab's mind. Baldwin, too, used Bagua steps, lightly scraping his toe on the ground and swiftly darting forward, reaching Tab in the blink of an eye. The oppressive and forceful palm energy was so intense that Tab could barely keep his eyes open against the gust. Faced with the incoming palm, Tab felt an illusion: "Is this really Bagua Palm, or is it Baji Quan? How can it be so domineering?!" He crossed his arms in front of him to block. Baldwin struck with a "Lifting Body Palm," lifting Tab's arms, then stepped forward with his right foot, aligning it with Tab's centerline, and pushed forward with his left palm. "Smack!" A sound like leather being struck echoed, Tab’s face paled, blood spewing from his mouth as his body rolled away like a broken gourd. Baldwin casually withdrew his hand, shaking his head in disinterest. Tab's level was too low for him, he hadn’t even gotten serious yet! The audience was stunned into silence, speechless, their breathing barely audible. Rory lay on the ground, blood dripping from his mouth, forgotten in his shock. Tab, defeated so easily by Baldwin? It was just a single encounter! Ernest clenched his teeth, dismayed that the land he almost had was slipping away... And the one causing his loss was Baldwin, whom they had always underestimated. A faint smile appeared on Carena's frosty face; she sat down on the sofa, not willing to leave just yet. Steward and Patrick stood agape, unable to believe the scene before them. The secretary’s eyes widened like round bulbs, looking adorably shocked. "Director Wang, it seems your estimate was wrong. We, Xiang Group, do have capable people, fully able to withstand the pressure of developing the New Century land," Carena broke the silence, speaking slowly. Now it was Ernest’s turn to be speechless. Just moments ago, he had almost crushed the Xiang Group, but now the tables had turned on Humen Group. "Heh... Okay, it seems Xiang Group does have the capability. I was wrong in my judgment," Ernest admitted grudgingly. The secretary looked at Baldwin with admiration. Just moments ago, she doubted him, but now he seemed like a superhero, turning the tide at a critical moment! Baldwin rolled his sleeves back, muttering, "Boring!" His comment left no room for rebuttal. Steward secretly gritted his teeth, murmuring, "It must be because Patrick and I exhausted Tab's strength. Fighting three rounds in a row, no one could maintain their stamina!" "This guy just took advantage of our effort, seizing the opportunity after we drained Tab's energy." "He's not that great. If I had been the third to go up, I definitely could have done it!" Baldwin, with his exceptional hearing, caught Steward’s muttering, glanced at him, too lazy to respond, and turned away. Ernest looked deeply at Baldwin, then nodded at Carena, "Carena, we will have our day!" With that, the Humen Group members began to leave. However, before they left, they couldn't help but take a few more glances at Baldwin, deeply imprinting this person in their minds. "Vice Minister Qi, you've made a great contribution this time," Carena said to Baldwin. Baldwin waved his hand and said, "Alright, alright, the people from the Humen Group don't understand the ways of the world, arranging to meet at a restaurant for negotiation, but only fighting instead of eating. I'm really hungry now!" "What?" Baldwin's words left everyone stunned and speechless. "You can arrange whatever you want to eat, just put it on my account," Carena said with a resigned shake of her head, then stood up and left. The young secretary happily made a face at Baldwin and left, while Steward and Patrick, who were injured, had to go to the hospital. In short, the Xiang Group's territory was secured, and moreover, Baldwin gained the right to meddle with this territory, a promise personally made by Carena. Baldwin, without being polite with Carena, ordered a large table of food in the restaurant and ate heartily, showing his work badge to charge it to Carena's account. "Later, find a chance to slip this into April's cup..." Baldwin overheard a voice as he passed by a private room. Then, he heard Egbert's voice: "Young Master Kang, April is a woman I've pursued for a long time without success. She's just started to trust me a bit, and now I'm giving her to you, showing my loyalty to you..." "Egbert, you're not bad. Rest assured, your family's departure from Hua Country and the arrangements in America will be well taken care of, with no problems," Young Master Kang responded. "Thank you, young master Kang!" Egbert said with a mix of emotions. "I've been pursuing April for so long without success, and now, to escape safely, I actually have to let someone else enjoy her..." "Damn it, it's all because of Baldwin's appearance, disrupting my plans! Otherwise, I would have been the first to taste April's charm." As he was thinking, the door was suddenly kicked open with a bang, and Egbert looked towards the door, his expression as if he had seen a ghost. Just cursing Baldwin a moment ago, and now the guy appears at the door, what's going on? "Egbert, quite the act you have there!" Baldwin said with a smile, but his left eye was squinting.