Under the fist

Chapter 67 The Black Market in the Enclosure, the Letter of Challenge

"Looks like we won't be able to go to Zhongnan Mountain today."

Following the direction the other person had gone, Lian Youming followed at a leisurely pace, strolling along the street and looking around. He spotted someone selling face masks and casually bought a Sun Wukong face mask. He then took off his dark blue coat, revealing a sweater underneath.

They saw the other person wandering around the streets and alleys, making a huge circle, before finally exiting through the south gate.

The South Gate is Yongning Gate.

This person seemed very familiar with this area; instead of going through the city gate, he ventured into those nooks and crannies, crawling through holes and scaling walls.

Wearing a mask, Lian Youming followed the other party in a haphazard manner. When they finally stopped, he realized that he had arrived at the barbican outside the south gate.

Looking around, rows of brick and mud houses of varying heights and sizes were crammed together, and crooked alleyways stretched in all directions. Many people were going in and out, but they all looked a little nervous. Some were carrying grain, some were carrying baskets, and some were even hiding homemade guns.

"When did a black market appear in this Wengcheng?"

Lian Youming clicked his tongue in amazement. Although he was born and raised in Xijing City, the city was developing rapidly these days. Some places were changing every day, and the changes were so fast that they caught people off guard.

His eyes flickered slightly, and he saw the person who had been following him earlier disappear into a small alley. He immediately put on his mask and followed.

The difference is that at the entrance to this alley, there are two thugs with crooked mouths and slanted eyes, smoking cigarettes, who raise their hands to stop you.

Lian Youming thought he wouldn't be able to get in, but then someone spread out their right hand and said lazily, "Buy or sell? Buy for 50 cents."

Lian Youming asked softly, "Then how about selling them?"

The other man, with a cigarette between his right fingers, and who knows if he had fleas, tilted his nose up and shook his leg as he said, "I'll sell it for 50 cents."

"Huh? Is there a difference?" Lian Youming was taken aback.

Another person chimed in, "Is this your first time here? You pay when you go in to buy things, and you pay when you leave to sell things. If you don't sell anything, you can pay for it."

"They're quite particular."

"That's right. This is Tiger's territory. He's fair and just. If there's even the slightest disturbance, someone on the city wall will be there to warn us."

Lian Youming glanced at the person keeping watch on the city wall, then took five cents before continuing to walk in.

As soon as he entered, he turned a corner and saw a number of people squatting on a short street of moderate size. Some were sitting on the ground, some were leaning against the wall, and some were holding baskets on their backs. There were people from both inside and outside the city.

Moreover, they sell a wide variety of products.

In addition to leather goods, mountain products, and fine grains and meats, there are also some old items, such as antique furniture, antique calligraphy and paintings.

Lian Youming glanced around casually, then his eyes suddenly twitched. He saw two dark-skinned, burly young men squatting in the corner, their faces covered with brightly colored cloths and wrapped in two thick gray coats. They were looking around nervously, like thieves.

Although his appearance had changed and he looked unfamiliar, he could still recognize those two overcoats.

His aunt's two children have worn these two big coats every winter since they were little. They've worn them from infancy to adulthood, and the clothes have been worn from big to small. They've been patched and mended, and the stitches were even done by Lian Youming's mother using a sewing machine borrowed from a neighbor. The cotton stuffing was done two years ago, and the lining was made from his clothes. He can't forget it.

Looking at the things placed in front of the two, there was a pile of miscellaneous odds and ends, pottery jars, which looked like they had just been dug out of the mountains and were still covered in soil.

"Did they go up the mountain to rob tombs?"

Lian Youming was in a real bind.

In terms of seniority, these are his younger brothers, but the poverty they endured instilled in them a reckless personality. Fortunately, they are all honest people.

"Not bad, at least they know to cover their faces."

Thinking of the person who had been following him, Lian Youming only glanced at the sign quickly before walking straight inside.

In a small courtyard at the end of the short street.

“Brother-in-law, I’m sure I’m not mistaken. It’s that kid in the picture. He has a mole between his eyebrows and he’s tall, strong, and burly.”

The shifty-eyed young man was nervously recounting what had happened.

Where did he get on the bus from?

On a deckchair in the courtyard, a pale-faced man with bald eyebrows and a cold, aloof expression was squinting in the sun.

The young man held up a pot of hot tea and gulped it down. After he had drunk most of it, he spat out the tea leaves and said, "I don't know that. I got on the bus halfway through the journey."

The pale-faced man suddenly opened his eyes. "Did you get out of the car and chase after them?"

The rat-eyed youth nodded hurriedly, "We chased after him, our shoes even came off in the crush, but such a big guy, he disappeared in the blink of an eye."

Upon hearing this, the man now called "Tiger" suddenly sat bolt upright, kicked the young man away, and cursed angrily, "Damn it, didn't I tell you to just keep an eye on him from a distance once you spotted him? You know who he is, yet you dare to chase after him? You're running towards me? Do you want me dead? That's... disaster..."

Tiger's expression changed drastically, his eyes quickly darkening as he coldly ordered, "Have all the brothers around here come over first..."

Before he could finish speaking, the tightly closed courtyard gate was pushed open.

"Squeak!"

Hearing the dry, rattling sound of the door hinges turning, and seeing that the two lookouts outside were completely silent, Tiger's face instantly darkened.

Along with it came a gentle voice.

"You were looking for me?"

Before the rat-eyed youth could react, he saw the boy standing at the door and then saw him remove his mask. He was overjoyed. "Brother-in-law, it's him! He's that kid... Haha, kid, you actually found your way here yourself. You've got guts."

Lian Youming closed the door behind him, then glanced at the rat-eyed youth who was still jumping around wildly, and chuckled, "Where do you find this kind of talent? Brother Tiger, right? Did I offend you in the past?"

Upon hearing this, the pale-faced man on the recliner immediately stood up, his expression stiff, and said, "I dare not offend you. I am Song Xiehu, and I greet this brother."

In just the last few days, news of an incident has spread throughout the Northwest region. A gang of thieves from Tianjin suffered over a dozen casualties, some wounded and others killed. Moreover, the dead were not immediately succumbed to their injuries; they either urinated or defecated blood, literally tormented to death.

Others might not know, but Song Xiehu was well aware that he had offended a master of internal martial arts.

Lian Youming glanced at the others in the courtyard and said gently, "Then what do you mean? Do you want to find out more about my family's background?"

Though the words were spoken lightly, the hidden murderous intent was chilling.

Song Xiehu took a deep breath. "I wouldn't dare. That's too much to say. We shouldn't bring trouble upon our families. When we're out in the world, we can put aside other things, but we must uphold morality." But as soon as he finished speaking, Song Xiehu regretted it.

"Trouble?" Lian Youming raised an eyebrow. "What trouble?"

Song Xiehu's lips moved, but his eyes also turned sinister. "That's the rule of the martial world, so I can't tell you. But you should know what you've done and who you've offended."

Lian Youming laughed and said, "So, you're just like those people from Tianjin?"

Song Xiehu narrowed his eyes and his voice turned cold as he said, "You call me brother, and you really think I'm afraid of you? What do you take me for, Song Xiehu? Those filthy bastards who have done all sorts of evil deeds, if I were to associate with them, my Song family ancestors for eight generations would be disgraced, and my son would be born without an anus."

The rat-eyed youth standing nearby was already completely confused, but upon hearing this, he couldn't help but chime in, "Brother-in-law, you can't talk nonsense, you haven't married my sister yet."

"Are you out of your mind? Get lost."

As he finished speaking, Song Xiehu gently shook his hands, which were hanging at his sides, and with a "whoosh," two short knives slid out of his sleeves and into his hands.

With his twin swords in hand, Song Xiehu pointed to the main room again, "Kid, take a look at what's there."

Lian Youming looked up and saw an altar in the brick house. Instead of a shrine, it held a red stick tied with a red ribbon.

Song Xiehu recited in a loud and clear voice: "This stick comes from Baonan Mountain, and when it falls into the Hong family, it is used to beat traitors. It is three feet and six inches long and probably cannot be changed, and it weighs four pounds and eight ounces without any alteration."

Lian Youming grinned, "This thing is useless to me. What era are we living in? You're still using Jianghu slang. You're getting more and more outdated."

After speaking, his smile vanished, and he said expressionlessly, "Who sent you to find me in Xijing City? Tell me, and I'll turn around and leave. Otherwise, all these people in your courtyard might be lying down."

Seeing that Lian Youming's eyes remained unmoved, Song Xiehu gripped his twin swords tightly. "If I were to tell them, none of us would have an easy time. They're just trying to make a living with me; they haven't done anything wrong."

Lian Youming looked at the group of people in the courtyard, all of them pale and thin, seemingly ordinary people. "Then let them all go out, and we'll talk alone."

One of the men in the courtyard, who had a fiery temper, couldn't hold back any longer and burst out, "Brother, what are we afraid of? Let's deal with him first... Kid, you're pretty arrogant."

Song Xiehu angrily stopped them, saying, "Don't move! Go out first, guard the door, and make sure no one comes in. Don't look around either."

After a group of people reluctantly left, the wooden door slowly closed.

Lian Youming paced back and forth, looking at Song Xiehu's increasingly low breath and the two short swords, and said with interest, "Guanzhong swordsmen? I've heard of them."

next second.

A flash of bright light slashed diagonally, disappearing in an instant like a silver bottle suddenly spilling, and was already two inches away from Lian Youming's shoulder and neck.

Song Xiehu stood with both feet on the ground, wearing straw sandals. He moved nimbly with each step, his two swords spinning rapidly. One sword slashed down, and the other came down in an instant.

Fast, accurate and ruthless.

Lian Youming tilted his head to the side, and instead of retreating, he advanced, taking a big step forward. He was already half a step away from Song Xiehu, and then he lifted one shoulder and pressed it against the other's right wrist.

With his blade restrained, Song Xiehu's expression changed drastically. He quickly lowered his left hand and slashed horizontally, aiming straight for Lian Youming's waist and abdomen.

But suddenly a fist rapidly expanded in front of him, silently and without making a sound.

His pupils contracted sharply, and Song Xiehu quickly withdrew his twin swords, crossing them in front of his chest to block. As the fist landed, a tremendous force struck his chest.

Lian Youming lowered his body as if pressing down on someone with force, and the force of his fist sank down. Song Xiehu immediately forced himself to kneel down on one knee, as if he were carrying a heavy mountain on his shoulder, but he still gritted his teeth and held on tightly to his fist, his whole body swaying precariously.

"Your knife has lost its sharpness."

For some reason, Lian Youming gained the upper hand in one move, but instead of feeling any joy, he frowned slightly.

"I have no intention of killing you. Do you want to die?"

This man's knife skills were even faster than the little old lady on the train. He was clearly quite skilled, but his fight with her was far from satisfying.

Just then, the rat-eyed youth suddenly climbed in from somewhere and exclaimed, "Brother-in-law, you can't cause any more trouble! My sister is about to give birth!"

The man looked anxious, but when he saw that Song Xiehu was at a disadvantage, he grabbed a wooden stick and smashed it hard on Lian Youming's shoulder.

But as the sawdust flew and exploded, the young man, seeing the immovable, burly figure before him, slumped to the ground, as if he had finally understood something.

"I'm sorry, it's all my fault. My sister has suffered too much in her life, and she's finally having a few days of peace. If you want to kill someone, kill me, but please spare my brother-in-law."

Then they saw the man grab Lian Youming's leg and shout at Song Xiehu, "Brother-in-law, run! I'll hold him off!"

Song Xiehu said irritably, "Who let you in? Get out now."

After saying that, he turned to look at Lian Youming and said in a deep voice, "This has nothing to do with him. If you want to kill someone, kill me."

Lian Youming was completely dumbfounded.

He swept the crying, rat-eyed youth aside with his foot and said with a strange expression, "Are you two putting on a show here? After all this time, I feel like I've become the villain, and I didn't say I was going to kill anyone."

In that short time, the group of people outside heard the commotion and prepared to rush in again.

Song Xiehu quickly shouted, "None of you come in!"

Lian Youming loosened his fist, took a step back, and looked at Song Xiehu, saying, "Have you ever thought about what would happen if the other party were truly ruthless and cruel, but I walked out of here alive and unharmed today? Do you think that person would let you go?"

Song Xiehu fell silent immediately. After a long while, his eyes hardened, and he said in a hoarse voice, "You've heard of the Eagle Claw Sect, right? The deputy sect leader of the Eagle Claw Sect is named Tan Fei. His disciple died at your hands... There's a thief leader at Xi'an Railway Station who has a past with Tan Fei and is responsible for helping to find you."

Having gotten what he wanted, Lian Youming was about to leave, but seeing Song Xiehu's dejected and forlorn appearance, he asked again, "You haven't killed any innocent people, have you?"

Before Song Xiehu could speak, his brother-in-law stuck out his neck and shouted, "My brother-in-law is a chivalrous knight-errant, a swordsman."

Lian Youming raised an eyebrow. "Then do you know where the Eagle Claw Sect is?"

Song Xiehu asked in surprise, "What do you want to do in Cangzhou, Hebei?"

"It's actually in Cangzhou," Lian Youming was taken aback at first, then chuckled twice, "A master who can teach a disciple like that must not be a good person either. Since he's blind, I'll just have to gouge his eyes out."

As he walked, he said without turning his head, "Go and give them a message for me. Set it for the last day of the year. There's still more than a month left. Let them think what they want, whether it's a formal letter or a challenge. I'll go to Cangzhou and lend them a hand. Whatever grudges we have, we'll settle them all at once."

(End of this chapter)