Under the fist

Chapter 75 Master Liu, the Deaf-Mute Girl

If we go back a hundred years or so, practicing martial arts and studying are actually both ways of seeking a way to make a living.

Scholars spend ten years studying diligently, and martial artists spend years honing their skills and seeking enlightenment, all in pursuit of standing out from the crowd.

But martial artists have more choices than scholars. Those with great skills can take the martial arts exam; those with less skill can become martial arts instructors under princes and nobles, or bodyguards for wealthy merchants; those with a strong temperament can simply make a living in the martial arts world, escorting goods, risking their lives, and living the life of a江湖 (jianghu, the martial arts world).

Of course, there are also ruthless and vicious ones who gather in the mountains and forests, rob and plunder, and become local bandits and outlaws.

If all else fails, do some manual labor.

But all things considered, the term "kung fu" truly became popular during the late Qing Dynasty and early Republican era.

After learning the literary and martial arts, he sold them to the imperial family.

Beijing and Tianjin are home to countless powerful and influential people, as well as numerous talented individuals. Countless people from all over the world flock there seeking profit and fame, and over time, this has naturally created a den of dragons and tigers.

This situation was pushed to its extreme, especially during the time of China's collapse and social upheaval, reaching an unprecedented level of prosperity. Martial arts masters from all over the north gathered in Beijing and Tianjin, a vibrant scene of diverse styles and competing schools, each vying for prominence and defying authority, resulting in fierce battles and a clash of fists and kicks.

This is how Cangzhou became a renowned martial arts town.

This is not only because this place is adjacent to Beijing and Tianjin, but also because it has produced so many masters, and because half of the martial arts sects in the north originated from here, and then became famous in the capital and were able to flourish.

……

Cangzhou, Hebei.

On the white snow, a boy with a cloth bag slung across his shoulder, wearing a Lei Feng hat, a dark blue cotton-padded coat and trousers, and a pair of liberation shoes, walked and looked around.

Snow-laden bare branches and frost-covered old trees lined the streets. In the icy and snowy landscape, many people were playing shuttlecock and practicing martial arts. Coupled with the atmosphere of the approaching New Year, the scene was incredibly lively and festive.

Upon arriving in Cangzhou, Lian Youming naturally first wandered around, looked at the giant iron lion, and then ate donkey meat sandwiches.

But as I passed by an empty park, I saw some people sitting on the ground in the cold weather, in a cross-legged position, each holding an aluminum pot, which they then put on their heads, muttering something incoherently.

Lian Youming, extremely curious, leaned closer and asked, "What's going on here?"

Someone nearby said excitedly, "You don't even know about Qigong? These are all Qigong masters who have reached a certain level. The thing they wear is called a signal receiver, which can sense the energy magnetic field in the universe and develop special abilities."

Lian Youming was dumbfounded when he saw those hotheads with aluminum pots on their heads.

He shook his head and was about to turn and leave when he suddenly heard someone exclaim, "These are all cultivation methods passed down from Master Liu of the 'Youming Sect,' and I've heard they're very effective."

"The Netherworld Sect? Master Liu?"

For some reason, upon hearing those six words, Lian Youming suddenly had a bad premonition, and a very strong one at that.

He asked instinctively, "Which Master Liu?"

A middle-aged woman carrying an aluminum pot suddenly opened her eyes, struck a pose of superiority, and said indifferently, "You don't even know Master Liu? He's a master who can breathe smoke and move objects from a distance. He's coming to our martial arts hometown in a few days to exchange ideas."

"What's your name?"

"I don't know, I only know that his surname is Liu, he's from the Northeast, and it seems that he used to be a village doctor. But he met a master who gave him guidance, and he suddenly realized the truth and founded the 'Youming Sect'. He can swallow clouds and spit out mist and take things from a distance."

Hearing the murmurs in the crowd, Lian Youming was stunned and almost fainted.

"The Gate of the Netherworld? The Northeast? A village doctor? Encountering a master's guidance? Spouting clouds and mist?"

For some reason, upon hearing this string of words that were both unfamiliar and somewhat familiar, he inexplicably thought of Liu Da Nao from Kaoshantun.

Then look at the group of people practicing Qigong in front of me. Goodness, there are at least seventy or eighty of them. It's quite a sight.

Besides this group, there was another group practicing qigong under the name of some Master Li.

The two sides couldn't agree on anything after a few words, so they simply got into a fighting stance, unleashing their power at each other, their eyes wide open as if they wanted to stare the other to death.

When an old man on the other side collapsed from exhaustion, Master Liu's camp immediately erupted in cheers.

"Master Liu's qigong is truly amazing!!"

Lian Youming stood there, stunned, clutching his eyes in anguish. "It's over. Even though we're thousands of miles apart, they still couldn't let me go... Liu Da Nao, you son of a bitch!!!"

Without lingering, he turned and left the park; these were all minor matters at the moment.

The most urgent task is to finish what needs to be done first, and then go and get things cleared up with Liu Da Nao.

Otherwise, with this kind of situation, if things escalate, it could cause some trouble.

When Liu Da Nao's smokescreen is exposed, someone from above will ask, "Why did you choose the name 'Youmingmen'?"

Who knows, the old man might reveal his identity: "Oh, the master I met back then was so-and-so."

Then it will all be over.

……

Leaving the park, without much thought, Lian Youming decided to visit Xie Laosan's granddaughter first. Following the address left by Xie Laosan, he wandered around and eventually arrived near a mosque.

"The Great Mosque of Qingzhen, the Great Stone Bridge, Yihe Street..."

He circled around several times but still couldn't find the place. Several people he asked said they'd never heard of it.

After much difficulty, I managed to get some information from an old man, only to find out that the address Xie Laosan left behind was an old name from many years ago. Many places had been leveled or changed, and many people had moved away, so the place had long since changed its appearance.

"This Xie Laosan is really unreliable."

Lian Youming was dizzy from spinning around and had gone in circles. He had asked not only people surnamed Xie, but also deaf-mute girls, but no one knew anything about it.

There was nothing else I could do but inquire where those who had moved had gone. Fortunately, I got some useful information. It turned out that some of them were part of a mass relocation, and they were relocated to a commercial street in the city center.

"If we can't find him, Xie Laosan, please don't blame me. I really did my best."

Lian Youming hurried over there as fast as he could.

Dongfeng Shopping Mall.

When we arrived at the destination, we found the narrow road packed with people. The dense crowd was so big that it was impossible to move. It was incredibly lively.

Lian Youming found a roadside stall, sat down, ordered a bowl of tofu, and ate while reading.

The stall owner was a middle-aged woman wearing a floral apron, her hands covered in sores, and a baby in swaddling clothes on her back. The toddler, about a year old, was looking around curiously from her mother's back.

A spoonful of gravy was poured over the white tofu, making Lian Youming's mouth water. As he ate, he said, "Sister, can I ask you something?"

The stall owner, busy with her work, responded, "Young man, what are you asking for?"

Lian Youming asked, "Do you have a deaf-mute girl here who can't speak? About my age, or maybe a little older..."

Before he could finish speaking, his older sister exclaimed, "Oh dear, isn't that the deaf girl from the south who sells buttons? She can't even speak properly, all she does is gesture. And her mother is such a mean-spirited woman; she remarried and didn't even bother to take care of her daughter, she didn't care about her at all..."

Once the stall owner started talking, he couldn't stop, rambling on and on.

"I heard that the girl's condition was retribution, that someone in her family did something evil."

Lian Youming didn't say anything, just ate and listened. He had just finished eating a bowl of tofu when the stall owner suddenly said, "Look, that girl, the one holding the button box... She's really pretty, but it's a pity she's mute."

Lian Youming turned his head and saw a thin little girl walking out from the crowded people. Her clothes were a bit thin, and she had two braids hanging on her shoulders. She was carrying a button box in her arms, which contained some buttons of various colors and some hair clips. There was a small sign next to her with the prices marked on it.

Along the way, many female students gathered in front of the button box, picking and choosing, and even making a few gestures, as if they were all very familiar with it.

The stall owner said from the side, "That girl is quick-witted. She knows that her buttons are expensive and that ordinary people can't afford to buy them, so she deliberately hangs around in front of these female students."

Lian Youming said softly, "Then the days seem alright."

“What good is that?” the older sister shook her head. “This girl has high aspirations. She’s exchanged a lot of books while interacting with those female students. But you know, she can’t hear or speak. Isn’t she just making a fuss over nothing?”

Lian Youming originally only wanted to take a look from afar, just like Xie Laosan said, not to disturb them, and to fulfill his promise as long as the other party was doing well. But upon hearing the stall owner's words, he raised an eyebrow and glanced at the stall a few more times, discovering that some students were indeed exchanging some old books they had read for other items.

Lian Youming only followed after Xie Laosan's granddaughter had walked away into the distance.

There's something off about this guy.

It's not about identity.

Lian Youming looked at the button box in the other person's hand. Although it was tied with a strap and hung on his shoulder, the other person had carried the box steadily all the way, clearly indicating that he was skilled in martial arts.

"Hand skills, Eagle Claw Kung Fu? Tsk tsk, surely Xie Laosan can't have misremembered his own granddaughter."

Moreover, the true essence of internal martial arts cannot be understood simply by reading. Without knowing the true meaning of the words and understanding the key points, how can one comprehend the way of martial arts? Furthermore, if three of a person's seven orifices are blocked, how can they possibly master the art?

"Pretending?"

Thinking of this, Lian Youming's eyes flashed, but he stopped in his tracks.

Whether someone is faking it or not, what does it have to do with me? As long as I'm alive and have enough to eat, that's all that matters. Besides, having kung fu skills is good too; at least I won't be bullied.

Lian Youming subconsciously touched his pocket, where he still had more than two thousand yuan. He mainly thought that if the other party was in financial difficulty, he could help them out as Xie Laosan had suggested. He was not a stingy person.

But seeing that the other party was deliberately hiding himself, Lian Youming gave up the idea.

He is currently preoccupied with many matters, and a life-or-death battle is imminent; he cannot afford any further complications.

After seeing the little girl enter a small courtyard, Lian Youming turned to leave. But after walking only a short distance, about twenty meters, his eyes suddenly darted around, and he glanced back at the area around the courtyard, his tiger-like eyes narrowing slightly.

"Damn it, how many enemies has Xie Laosan made?"

After thinking for a moment, Lian Youming suddenly grinned strangely, turned around and went back to the courtyard, then knocked on the door.

Now that we've arrived at our destination, we should at least greet these江湖客 (jianghu ke, meaning people from all walks of life).

(End of this chapter)