“Modern martial arts, huh.” Hearing Gen’s words, Yang nodded thoughtfully.
After all, it had been three years since he came to this world, and Yang was no longer as utterly clueless about it as he’d been at the start.
The so-called modern martial arts weren’t really all that different from the ancient martial arts, since both were, at their core, the cultivation of body and spirit.
The only difference lay in how one understood and used qi.
Among them, ancient martial arts—like the Sou and Ki that Gen had mastered—focused mainly on qi and spirit.
Modern martial arts, by comparison, were more focused on the physical body.
That said, if you really got down to it, the distinction between the two wasn’t all that strict.
Because no matter what, the core of training was always spirit and body—it was merely a question of which came first.
Thinking this, Yang nodded.
He really did want to try some modern martial arts…
or rather, fighting.
Mid-thought, Yang asked curiously, “Setting that aside…
how’s Sagat doing now?” “…Uh.” At Yang’s question, Chun-Li and Dorai’s mouths twitched a few times, and then they said somewhat awkwardly: “Sagat…
might have to stay here for a while.” “Hm?” Hearing this, a trace of surprise showed on Yang’s face.
“Stay here for a while?
What do you mean?” At this, Chun-Li didn’t know how to answer for a moment, and could only turn a pleading gaze toward her father beside her.
Sensing his daughter’s plea for help as well as Yang’s curious gaze, Dorai’s face filled with helplessness as he said: “According to word from headquarters, the Thai King, through private channels, hopes we can show Sagat leniency.
As compensation, all economic losses and personnel casualties will be handled and paid for by the Thai royal family.” Hearing Dorai’s words, Yang looked slightly surprised.
Though he had anticipated that Sagat probably wouldn’t receive any overly harsh punishment, the Thai King demanding his release?
That really was somewhat beyond Yang’s expectations.
Seeming to sense Yang’s confusion and bewilderment, Dorai sighed and explained: “About Sagat…
because everything happened so suddenly, we don’t have enough actual evidence in hand.
“Although we’ve confirmed part of Charudo’s connection to the Shadowlaw organization, by the time we arrived all the records had already been burned, and some key personnel were brain-dead.
Testing revealed traces of spiritual power—it should be a contingency Vega left behind.” “And with only the partial evidence we have…
not to mention Charudo has already been silenced, even if he hadn’t been, convicting a national hero like Sagat based merely on such a loose, ragtag organization would be impossible.” As he said this, a trace of helplessness surfaced on Dorai’s face.
As Yang’s elder—when Yang had risked his very life to stop Sagat’s atrocities, yet when it came to his own turn he’d dropped the ball; never mind a conviction, he couldn’t even intervene in how Sagat was dealt with…
He subconsciously pulled out a cigarette, ready to light one up to ease the mental pressure, but then he felt his daughter’s fierce glare from beside him.
Seeing this, an awkward look surfaced on Dorai’s face, and he hurriedly put the cigarettes away.
As for Dorai’s words, Yang wasn’t all that surprised.
Because back when he first met Chun-Li and Dorai, Yang had taken a good look into this world’s Sagat.
The main reason was that in quite a number of fighting games, Muay Thai—as Thailand’s national martial art—made appearances.
Whether it was Street Fighter, Tekken, The King of Fighters, Kengan Ashura, or any other literary, film, or TV works, Muay Thai was a regular guest in anything fighting-related.
Its origins date to before the 13th century AD, and it flourished in the 14th century during the Ayutthaya Dynasty, becoming the royal family’s exclusive martial art—a required discipline for the army and an obligatory performance at royal celebrations.
It was also during this period that ring performances and ceremonies began to appear.
Once Western sports were introduced to Thailand, Muay Thai developed corresponding modern ring rules—switching to boxing gloves, dividing matches into rounds, restricting lethal techniques, and so on—thereby formally stepping onto the world stage.
Thailand had two great fist-cities, north and south.
The southern fist-city was Bangkok, the birthplace and central arena of modern professional Muay Thai.
In the materials Yang had looked up, the War God of Kengan Ashura, Gaolang Wongsawat, hailed from the southern fist region.
The northern fist-capital was located in Chiang Mai, the ancient capital of northern Thailand and former capital of the Lanna Dynasty, which held ancient Muay Thai in higher esteem.
Compared to the fast pace of southern Muay Thai—roaming and scoring points, round-by-round tallies—northern Muay Thai leaned more toward steady stances and close-quarters fighting, clinching and grappling.
And Sagat was the King of the North; because of his past unbroken streak of victories, he was also called a national hero, a hero of Muay Thai.
Although his battle with Ryu had affected Sagat’s reputation, a man’s fame is like a tree’s shadow—even now, Sagat remained one of Thailand’s national calling cards.
Unless he had truly committed an unforgivable grave crime with a complete chain of evidence, even from Thailand’s national standpoint they would not permit Sagat to be publicly punished.
Especially since, thanks to Yang’s intervention, Go Hibiki had only been gravely wounded rather than killed in this incident, so many things hadn’t yet reached the point of no return.
Thinking this, Yang said, “So how does Interpol plan to deal with Sagat?” At this, Dorai said: “The Thai King has already given his promise: Sagat will gradually fade from the boxing world, severing ties with identities like national hero of Thailand and Emperor of Muay Thai, continuing to live as a private martial artist, and he will no longer take part in any official competitions or commercial promotions…
and, he will be struck from the rolls of the Chiang Mai Fist Sect.” Hearing about being expelled from the Fist Sect, a flash of surprise crossed Yang’s eyes.
The Chiang Mai Fist Sect placed great importance on master-disciple lineage.
The consequences of expulsion were akin to the “revocation of all documents since one’s origin” practiced in the ancient feudal dynasties of the Tang Empire—roughly understood as the destruction of all files, credentials, and records from the moment of one’s birth, being cut from the official lineage to become a savage, a lonely wandering ghost.
It could basically be regarded as a total negation of his entire life.
Though people often spoke of cultivating one’s body and temperament, it was also a fact that martial artists sought fame.
Especially for Sagat.
As the Emperor of Muay Thai, Sagat’s strength was beyond question; he held a nearly supreme status in Thailand, respected and revered by the entire nation.
Under such circumstances, being defeated by a green, untested kid like Ryu—and even left with an obvious, enormous scar across his chest—anyone in his place would likely have been unable to take it in stride.
Especially since, in the battle, Sagat had been the one with victory firmly in hand— In the arcade storyline, while Ryu hadn’t exactly been strung up and toyed with by Sagat, in the ending scene he had been knocked to the ground; then Sagat stepped forward and taunted him, whereupon a furious Ryu twisted around and unleashed a killer Shoryuken.
Not knowing Ryu had been hiding such a finishing move, at extremely close range the Shoryuken sliced straight open Sagat’s chest, then struck him square on the jaw and defeated him.
Although there was an element of luck in the process, there was no doubt: victory was victory, and defeat was defeat.
With his undefeated invincibility shattered—and by a nobody, no less—Sagat began to encounter many things he had never faced before…
For instance, after discovering his teacher wasn’t so mighty after all, his disciple Adon decided Sagat had brought shame upon Muay Thai and so refused to acknowledge Sagat as his master, and so on.
As for the situation between Sagat and Ryu…
Ryu had defeated Sagat, and because of that Sagat had fallen into an obsession with revenge.
One could say that everything Sagat did, at the very beginning, stemmed from his pursuit of honor and status.
Under such circumstances, being expelled from the Chiang Mai Fist Sect, it would not be an overstatement to say everything he had pursued had come to nothing.
Thinking this, Yang felt a pang of emotion, then pondered and said, “Hm…
if the parties involved forgive him, could his punishment be lightened a little?” “…Huh?” At this, both Dorai and Chun-Li couldn’t help being slightly stunned.
Then Chun-Li, beside him, couldn’t hold back and said: “What nonsense are you talking?
A-Yang, if it weren’t for the miraculous gift of your life energy, you might never be able to practice martial arts again.” “It’s precisely because I have this gift that I’m willing to forgive him.” Yang shook his head.
“I can feel it—Sagat’s qi is pure and bracing.
He’s by no means a purely evil man, but rather…
someone who strayed onto the wrong path.” Although he had just been through a battle, to be honest, Yang still couldn’t bring himself to hate Sagat.
For one thing, in the earlier battle, Sagat could entirely have beaten Yang to death, yet he never did.
Especially at the final moment, when Yang had revived by pushing through with life energy—with Sagat’s ability and perception, delivering a lethal blow midway would have been no difficult feat.
Furthermore, there was the manga storyline.
At the end of Legend of Chun-Li, Sagat had ultimately succeeded in seizing the six Terracotta Warriors.
But upon touching the Terracotta Warriors, Sagat sensed a great deal of negative emotion, decided such power couldn’t be handed over to someone like Vega, and so without hesitation destroyed them all, then reported to Vega that it had all been Interpol’s doing.
And later still in the manga storyline, Sagat even straightforwardly paid a visit to Ryu, telling him the next-step news about how the Shadowlaw organization was about to make its move.
And after that, Sagat returned to his hometown, no longer pursuing revenge and fame, but instead beginning to seek his own breakthrough.
And when he described the past to the villagers, he described Ryu as a long-lost old friend.
“A momentary mistake can’t negate Sagat as a whole person…
if possible, I could visit the master of the Hibiki Dojo.
If the two of us, the parties involved, are both willing to step forward, then it should—” Before Yang’s voice had even fallen, a low voice came from outside the door.
“…No need.” Turning to look, Sagat bent his towering two-meter-twenty-six frame and stepped in, a faint, complex gloom hanging between his brows.
____ 👻🔥Seek: Walnut-chan🔥👻 🔥 New history: A Martial Arts Master Will Never Be Humiliated Let’s hit these goals: