Old Wang vs. Madame Gao

K’un-Lun?

Iron Fist?

Madame Gao was startled at first, then delighted:

After all these years, she had actually encountered a second Iron Fist?

If so, the plan she had been plotting for so long truly had a chance of succeeding!

The Hand had Five Fingers, all of them traitors to K’un-Lun.

The five of them relied on the power of Dragon Bones to gain immortality and the ability to return from death.

The Dragon Bones stolen from K’un-Lun all those years ago were nearly used up. If she could not find more, she would truly die!

According to limited records, a complete Dragon Bone Fossil was buried deep beneath Manhattan, New York, sealed by the power of some previous Iron Fist.

Only an Iron Fist of the same lineage could open it.

Madame Gao had originally fallen into despair.

But now, new hope had appeared.

Strange. Iron Fist was K’un-Lun’s guardian and had to remain in K’un-Lun. By all rights, he should not have left K’un-Lun. Why had he come to New York? Could he have come specifically to hunt down a K’un-Lun traitor like her?

Was hunting me more important than guarding K’un-Lun?

Since when was I such a big deal?

Wait…

That wasn’t right!

Madame Gao stared at the masked man’s hand for a full ten seconds. Mockery and suspicion appeared on her aged face. "You only have qi, not the power of Shenlong Shou Lao! You are not Iron Fist. Who exactly are you?"

Madame Gao had held status in K’un-Lun before. She had seen Shenlong Shou Lao more than once, as well as the Iron Fist of that generation, so she knew what Iron Fist’s power was like.

Though that power also belonged to the category of "qi," it was unique and extraordinarily powerful.

The "qi" of the man before her was distinctive as well, even giving her the feeling that it was "no weaker than Iron Fist’s." But it was certainly not Iron Fist’s power and had nothing to do with Shenlong Shou Lao.

Nor was it the power of any of the other six "Immortal Weapons."

Could he, like Shang-Chi, be a kung fu master and peerless genius unaffiliated with K’un-Lun?

"So you saw through me!"

"Masked Man" Old Wang sighed and spread his hands. He decided to tell this elderly woman, who was about to die, the truth. It was the final courtesy due to an elder. "Fine. I’m actually the Twilight Fist, disciple of the Pandaren Brewmaster, follower of the August Celestials, last guardian of Pandaria, and Great Dragon Hero of Azeroth."

Madame Gao’s face instantly darkened.

Heh.

The titles sure sounded impressive, but who would believe them?

Names like Dawn Fist, Void Fist, and Twilight Fist were so cringey that even elementary school kids no longer used them.

What the hell was a Pandaren Brewmaster? And what were the August Celestials?

As for Great Dragon Hero?

Were you that giant panda named Po? How did you get so hungry?

No Iron Fist throughout history would dare call himself that. You really had some nerve!

Madame Gao could not figure out Old Wang’s true identity.

But since he knew her and could name the Kunlun Iron Fist, he was most likely connected to K’un-Lun.

Perhaps K’un-Lun had truly sent him to hunt down her and the other four. Or perhaps he was from that mortal enemy known as the True Pure Ones Society.

The latter was unlikely.

Although the True Pure Ones Society had always been rather troublesome, they were nothing but a rabble. They did not even have a single kung fu master who had cultivated qi. They had engaged in petty skirmishes for over a thousand years, and their so-called millennial war was a joke. The only reason she had never bothered dealing with them was because she feared the K’un-Lun behind them.

Wasn’t their current leader, Stick, also a homeless dog?

She would kill him sooner or later.

Since he was neither Iron Fist nor one of the other six Immortal Weapons, Madame Gao naturally had nothing to fear.

The Kunlun People did not permit the desecration of Dragon Bones for immortality. In all of K’un-Lun, aside from the ever-reincarnating Shenlong Shou Lao, absolutely no one had lived longer than she had.

Longevity often represented strength.

Other than the Iron Fists who had received Shenlong Shou Lao’s power, only the Jade Emperor and Lei Gong in K’un-Lun should have been qualified to fight her.

This man could not possibly be the Jade Emperor or Lei Gong, could he?

"If you won’t tell the truth, then die!"

Madame Gao did not dare let her guard down. Though she spoke with disdain, she took him seriously. Rather than using her palm techniques, she swung her cane.

She was proficient in over a hundred fighting styles from around the world. She was confident that few on Earth surpassed her in that regard. Though she usually used palm techniques, at critical moments, she still relied on the swordsmanship she was best at.

"Human hearts have gone rotten, and the world has fallen into decline. No one believes the truth anymore…"

Old Wang shook his head with a sigh. He had long known Madame Gao’s background, so naturally he would not underestimate her.

Besides, Zhou Cheng had already aimed his gun at him.

He rolled along the ground, dodging the bullet, and arrived before Zhou Cheng in the blink of an eye. Then he struck with a palm.

Bang!

Zhou Cheng flew backward and crashed heavily onto the ground. Blood rose in his throat, and he spat out a mouthful of dark blood.

Though he was skilled in combat and possessed the physical conditioning of an athlete, he still could not withstand Old Wang’s casual blow. He twitched a few times, then died.

Madame Gao reacted swiftly, her cane shooting straight at Old Wang.

Although she had lived for over a thousand years, she had always relied on Dragon Bones to maintain her immortality. She had even died several times during that period, only to return from death.

It was true that she was proficient in over a hundred fighting styles, but her physical condition was nowhere near as formidable as imagined. She was only slightly stronger than Black Widow, and far weaker than even Winter Soldier.

Furthermore, cultivating for over a thousand years did not mean possessing over a thousand years of internal power.

The human body was like a water tank; there was a limit to how much True Qi it could hold. Not to mention that this water tank had been damaged and repaired repeatedly through death and resurrection.

Since the quality of her True Qi could not improve, Madame Gao’s reserves were considerably greater than Old Wang’s, but its quality was slightly inferior. No wonder she had been bullied by Daredevil and the weakest Iron Fist in history in the TV series.

Of course, TV shows were lies too.

Madame Gao’s displayed strength was clearly far greater than in the show. Even a turtle that lived a thousand years could become a spirit. Although Madame Gao was somewhat rusty from not fighting for so long, her experience and techniques remained.

Only after exchanging blows did Old Wang realize that Madame Gao had not lived those thousand-plus years for nothing. In terms of experience and technique alone, she was not inferior to him in the slightest.

Unfortunately, she had one fatal weakness:

Madame Gao was a featherweight, while Old Wang was a middleweight. They were not even in the same class. His weight gave him an overwhelming advantage.

If it weren’t for qi, I could flatten you just by sitting on you!

A larger body was like a bigger water tank, capable of holding more True Qi. Old Wang was broad-minded and broad-bodied, so his upper limit was higher than Madame Gao’s.

With all her subordinates dead, Madame Gao was clearly starting to panic.

Where were the reinforcements she had been promised?

I called for people ages ago. The Triads have hundreds of men in New York, and they aren’t far away. It’s been more than ten minutes already—why hasn’t a single one come?

Old Wang was like human-shaped glue, and a nimble fat man at that. He clung to her relentlessly. She could not hit him, nor could she escape. His strength was not inferior to hers in the least, and because he was younger, he had more stamina. He completely defied the iron rule that women lasted longer than men.

Madame Gao was already feeling tired, yet Old Wang grew fiercer the longer they fought. He showed no mercy whatsoever just because Madame Gao was an old woman over a thousand years old.

True Qi surged throughout Madame Gao’s body, making her look like a first-rate master from a martial arts novel.

Her cane, made of some unknown material, was actually harder and heavier than steel. It whistled through the air as she swung it.

Old Wang changed his usual approach. He refused to yield even half a step, suddenly striking the cane with a palm.

In an instant, the cane shattered into four pieces, revealing a cold, slender longsword.

This was Madame Gao’s true killing move!

However, Old Wang had long been prepared. He drove Madame Gao back with another fierce palm strike.

Then he raised a hand in summons.

A streak of azure Jade Lightning crashed down from the sky.

Kung fu masters had sharp senses. Though Madame Gao did not know how Old Wang intended to deal with her, she still sensed danger. She stirred all the True Qi in her body and held her sword horizontally above her head to block the unknown attack from above.

The Jade Lightning struck.

It tore through the layer of True Qi covering the blade.

It struck the alloy longsword.

Guided by this natural lightning rod, the powerful current poured into Madame Gao’s body.

This well-maintained elderly Asian woman who had lived for a thousand years

was instantly transported to an African coal mine,

turning into a human-shaped lump of charcoal.

Thanks to Ziyuan882 for the 100 reward, Me Who Is Nothing for the 100 reward, and Zhuangzi Dreaming of Butterflies for the 1000 reward!