Under the fist

Chapter 31 Once you enter the martial world, you never leave empty-handed.
"what!"

Hearing the heart-wrenching screams, Xie Laosan went mad, his hair disheveled, looking like a vengeful ghost. With one hand, he darted left and right, grabbing and probing at Lei Hu, scratching his ears and eyes, attacking his vital points.

Lei Hu's single eye was wide open. Under the intense pain, he seemed to have gone mad. Sensing the fierce attack above him, he simply abandoned Lian Youming in front of him and wildly swung his fists to meet Xie Laosan's unpredictable claw shadows.

But Lian Youming would not let go of this excellent opportunity. He had just seen Xie Laosan's vicious groin-grabbing technique, and he also thought that Lei Hu's fists and feet were hard to injure. So he took advantage of the gap when the other party withdrew his fist, made a feint attack with his hands, but put all his strength into his right foot, tightened his instep, and then hooked his foot out.

Lei Hu, having lost an eye, was already in a state of panic. Now, he had to fend off the murderous intent above him. He swung his fists, and it seemed that Xie Laosan was about to die under his fists when he suddenly felt a chill in his groin and was immediately startled.

Lian Youming's hooking kick wasn't aimed at his lower body, but at killing him.

But being a desperate man who had tasted blood, Lei Hu was still able to react in such a dangerous situation. Instead of retreating, he advanced, his legs like two monstrous pythons, and with a single twist, he wrapped Lian Youming's right foot and sent him sprawling to the ground.

Lian Youming's right leg was locked, and his body was restricted. At this moment, he was pulled by the opponent's force and felt a sharp pain in his muscles and bones, as if they were about to be broken. He fell down involuntarily.

Xie Laosan, who was wrapped around Lei Hu's neck, also collapsed.

With this fall, fearing that Lian Youming would make a move, Lei Hu used his waist to pull the two of them together, making them roll around like gourds, the three of them tumbling and rolling, crashing left and right in the mountain forest.

Under the fierce and powerful force, coupled with the impact of the rocks, Xie Laosan felt as if his whole body was about to fall apart, and his face turned as white as paper.

Lian Youming's right leg was locked, and he could not break free for a while. He could only roll over and over with the momentum of the roll, and was so dizzy from the fall that he was disoriented.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Lei Hu's single eye turned bloodshot. He gripped Xie Laosan's left wrist tightly with one hand, while his other hand transformed into a tiger claw, grabbing upwards with lightning speed and snapping Xie Laosan's wrist around his waist and abdomen, the force penetrating deep into his bones.

"Ok!"

With his weak point exploited, Xie Laosan groaned in pain. As soon as the energy in his dantian was released, eight or nine tenths of his strength was gone, and he seemed to collapse.

"Old thing!"

Lei Hu smiled cruelly, his arms bulging with blood and veins, bulging with power, as if he wanted to tear Xie Laosan to pieces on the spot in an extremely strange posture.

The sound of tearing fabric was clearly audible, and Xie Laosan's screams rang out at that moment.

In the midst of the struggle, Lian Youming was swept away by Lei Hu's kick.

"die!"

With his legs free, Lei Hu gathered his breath, steadied himself, and raised Xie Laosan high to slam him into his raised right knee.

Facing imminent death, Xie Laosan was filled with resentment, his old eyes turning red.

It's a pity that his vital energy was depleted and his body was crippled; otherwise, he wouldn't have ended up in such a state.

"Ugh!"

A soft sigh is both a sign of dejection and a sign of exhaustion.

As for practicing the Netherworld, may you have good fortune.

Even as death loomed, Xie Laosan still subconsciously glanced at the figure that had jumped out.

I shouldn't have believed this kid's nonsense. I should have run far away from him.

Just as his eyes rolled, Xie Laosan suddenly felt a heat on his cheek. At that moment, Lei Hu's other eye burst open with a "pop," blood splattering everywhere, and time seemed to stand still.

A few meters away, Lian Youming, covered in dust and dirt, knelt up, holding a slingshot in his hand, panting heavily.

Lei Hu's throwing motion faltered for a moment. Before he could even scream, Xie Laosan had already broken free of his restraints and plummeted from mid-air. He spun around and circled behind his opponent, his left hand flashing out to grab him from under his crotch, then released him.

"Well……"

In an instant, Lei Hu's entire face turned visibly red and congested with blood, the veins in his neck bulged, and he stood up straight. Then, with a suppressed, heart-wrenching groan, he kicked Xie Laosan in the chest.

Xie Laosan immediately vomited blood and staggered backward, his fate unknown.

But as Xie Laosan retreated, a burly figure strode in at that moment.

Lian Youming clenched his right fist in mid-air, exerted his strength to lift it up, and stretched out his right arm, pulling it in an exaggerated arc like drawing a bow and shooting an arrow, before landing on Lei Hu's stomach.

"Pour it for me!"

With a powerful force, Lei Hu's arms and legs trembled, and his burly body was sent flying two or three meters away, crashing into an old tree.

After a moment of stiffness, the man fell to the ground with a thud against the old tree, his mouth and nose filled with blood, and blood was also coming out of his groin. His Adam's apple bulged, and he spat out a mouthful of blood mist with a "pfft." Then his head drooped, and he died on the spot.

Lian Youming wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his eyes flashing. He walked up to Lei Hu and kicked him hard in the head again. Seeing that Lei Hu was truly dead, he took a few steps back and looked at Xie Laosan, who was struggling to get up on the ground. Lei Hu was dead, and it seemed that this man was doomed too.

Lian Youming glanced over and saw that Xie Laosan was not only lame, but also had a broken arm, his chest had collapsed, he was coughing up blood, and his face was ashen. He was on the verge of death.

The two men locked eyes, when suddenly Xie Laosan struggled to sit up, supporting himself with one hand on the ground, and said weakly, "Kid, if you want to kill me, then do it. Otherwise, once I recover my strength, you won't have a chance."

Lian Youming's eyes were complicated. If you said this person was bad, he had a bottom line and a sense of morality. But if you said he wasn't bad, he was burdened with murderous sins and had become his enemy.

"You should save your breath. With your condition, taking a few more breaths is better than anything else."

Thinking back to when the two of them had joined forces to fight the enemy, and the enemy had traded his hand for his eye, the hatred in his heart suddenly faded a lot, and he even had a slight impulse to save him.

Lian Youming, just like before, teased with a playful smile, "Why don't you just surrender?"

Xie Laosan stared intently at the boy in front of him and said jokingly, "I can tell what you're thinking the moment you roll your eyes. You want the map of the Kwantung Army's underground fortress, don't you?"

Lian Youming didn't hide anything, "Of course, who wouldn't covet good things?"

"Hehe...cough cough..."

Xie Laosan laughed when he heard this, but after laughing twice, he coughed up blood incessantly, looking extremely miserable.

Lian Youming remained silent for a moment, then stepped forward to help the old man up. He then took out a piece of Polygonatum from his pocket and said with great heartache, "I only have a few pieces of this left. I usually eat it sliced ​​up."

Xie Laosan took a bite without hesitation, then curled his lip and said, "What a stingy guy."

This person was not only eating Solomon's Seal, but also groping around at his waist with his other hand, as if looking for something.

Lian Youming turned his head and saw the old ghost touching his pipe, so he picked it up and took some tobacco from his pipe and stuffed it in.

The old man smiled and took the pipe. After biting the mouthpiece, he picked up a half-burnt piece of charcoal from the ground and took a deep drag on the pipe.

Lian Youming seemed to be exhausted as well; the internal energy was indeed too much to handle. He slumped down and sat down next to Xie Laosan.

"By the way, why are you back again? Shouldn't you have fled abroad?"

Xie Laosan exhaled a puff of smoke and remained silent for a long time. "I've spent half my life here, never leaving. Where can I escape to? Besides, the White Lotus Sect is hunting me down all over the world. In the end, I can't just die in a foreign land. I used to scoff at the idea of ​​returning to one's roots, but now that I'm about to die, I'm actually looking for a place to rest."

Lian Youming raised an eyebrow. "Is it because you messed things up?"

Xie Laosan shook his head, "It's because of the map I have. This thing is extraordinary; it contains a shocking secret that I obtained by chance."

Seeing Lian Youming looking disheveled, Xie Laosan couldn't help but laugh and ask, "How's it like living in the martial world?"

Lian Youming hummed in agreement. "Not bad, very fresh!"

Upon hearing this, Xie Laosan was filled with emotion. "Ever since you were subtly probing me on the mountain, I knew you were the kind of guy who could make it in the underworld... I just didn't expect it to happen so quickly."

As he spoke, the man's chest and abdomen began to heave violently, his breathing heavy and labored, as if a leaky bellows was twitching incessantly.

“I can give you the map, and there’s also an old club tree with seven leaves under that old tree over there. You can have it all, but you have to promise me one thing.”

Xie Laosan was panting as he spoke; his breathing was so rapid it was almost frightening.

Lian Youming nodded. "Go on."

Xie Laosan sighed, "I've committed many wrongdoings in my life, my hands are stained with blood, and I've long been prepared to die. I have no regrets. But one regret has haunted me all these years: I have a granddaughter in Cangzhou, Hebei..."

Lian Youming frowned and said, "You don't mean you want me to protect her, do you?"

“No,” Xie Laosan shook his head, his eyes darting around as he stared straight at the night sky. “She was born deaf and mute, so don’t disturb her life. If you have any free time, just keep an eye on her from afar. If there’s any gold or silver treasure in that underground fortress, don’t be stingy, kid. It doesn’t need to be much, just enough for her to live a peaceful life… When I went to see her, she was only six or seven years old. Now she should be in her early twenties, a beautiful young woman… Her photo and address are in here…”

As he spoke, the old man handed him something, delicate and smooth, like a jade box.

Lian Youming was overwhelmed with mixed feelings upon hearing this.

Xie Laosan quickly added, "Be careful. Those White Lotus Sect masters are skilled in shrinking bones, changing shapes, and altering appearances. They've already infiltrated various places. If you sense anything amiss, strike first... You're a good candidate for martial arts. Don't just practice 'Transformation Force.' Overt, covert, and transformative techniques are just methods. There's a whole new world beyond methods, and it also relates to the secrets guarded by the old man who protects the mountain..."

The man's voice grew softer and softer until it was almost a murmur, and the rise and fall of his chest and abdomen became slower and slower.

"Once you enter the martial world, you always leave empty-handed. Burn me in a big fire, but please don't hand me over to anyone else. I don't want to be dishonored after death... I just want... I just want a clean end..."

Lian Youming also looked up at the sky and sighed softly, while the old man beside him gradually fell silent.

(End of this chapter)