The Return of the Condor Heroes: Starting with a Suicide Note and Conquering All Realms

The black, swirling hand rapidly magnified in Lin Yuan's pupils.

Before the palm strike even arrived, the surrounding air was instantly sucked away, and the suffocating feeling was like an iron shackle tightly gripping Lin Yuan's throat.

Ouyang Feng's murderous intent came without warning. The lingering medicinal fragrance of Peach Blossom Island from the Nine-Flower Jade Dew Pill, mixed with the aura of the Dali Duan family from the "One Finger Divine Skill Essentials," completely severed the deepest nerve of hatred in this madman.

This is a hopeless situation with no chance of survival.

But Lin Yuan did not retreat, for retreat meant death.

In a flash, he reached into his robes, grabbed the gray cloth bundle left by Huang Rong, and hurled it with all his might into the dark alleyway in the opposite direction.

"Lord Duan is over there!"

Lin Yuan roared hoarsely. The sound exploded in the dead silence of the street, carrying a desperate, all-or-nothing resolve.

Ouyang Feng's tall body suddenly trembled, and his hand, which was only half a foot away from Lin Yuan's face, was abruptly stopped in mid-air.

"Duan Zhixing! You dare to come here again!"

The old poisoner's murderous intent shifted instantly. He whirled around, letting out a muffled, inhuman croak, and slashed his right palm at the package flying through the darkness.

"boom!"

A surge of violent true energy burst forth from his body. The gray cloth wrapped around him exploded in mid-air, the crumbs of bread and ointment mixing together and instantly turning into dust everywhere.

Taking advantage of that one-thousandth of a second of space, Lin Yuan raised his leg without hesitation and kicked Yang Guo hard in the back of the knee.

"Hold him! Cry!" Lin Yuan lowered his voice, speaking as fast as a knife.

Yang Guo was already stiff with shock from this sudden turn of events. When Lin Yuan kicked him, he fell to the ground and clung tightly to Ouyang Feng's leg.

"Dad! Don't go! Don't leave me!"

The boy's tearful, piercing scream was like a bucket of ice water, instantly extinguishing Ouyang Feng's newly ignited murderous intent.

The crimson in the old poisoner's eyes faded quickly. He looked down at Yang Guo, who was clinging to him tightly, his withered hands trembling violently as he slowly stroked Yang Guo's head.

"My good son... Daddy won't leave, Daddy will go kill Duan Zhixing... Daddy will protect you..."

Lin Yuan stood three steps away, his inner clothes already soaked with cold sweat, which dripped down his chin and onto the bluestone slab.

survived.

He forced down the taste of blood in his throat, straightened his disheveled clothes, and stepped forward. His steps were steady, without the slightest hint of fear.

"Godfather." Lin Yuan bowed deeply to Ouyang Feng, his voice respectful and steady. "I am Guo'er's elder brother. Duan Zhixing has already been driven away by your palm strike. This place is not safe to stay any longer. The officials will be here soon. I will take you and Guo'er to a safe place."

Ouyang Feng raised his head, his murky eyes scanning Lin Yuan's face back and forth.

"Guo'er's older brother?" He tilted his head, seemingly trying to sort out this relationship in his depleted mind.

"Yes, Brother Lin always takes the best care of me!" Yang Guo grabbed Ouyang Feng's clothes tightly and echoed loudly, his eyes full of trust in Lin Yuan.

Ouyang Feng grinned, revealing his uneven, yellow teeth.

"Alright, alright. Guo'er's elder brother is a good boy too. Let's go."

……

North of the city, an abandoned City God Temple.

The dilapidated wooden door was half-open, and a biting wind, sharp as a knife, poured in through the hole in the roof, causing the flickering candlelight on the altar to burn uncertainly.

Ouyang Feng sat cross-legged on the prayer mat in front of the altar, with Yang Guo nestled beside him. Due to extreme exhaustion and fright, Yang Guo had already fallen into a deep sleep.

Lin Yuan walked in from outside carrying a broken earthenware pot filled with freshly boiled well water.

"Godfather, have some hot water." Lin Yuan handed him the earthenware pot.

Ouyang Feng took the earthenware pot and gulped down several mouthfuls. His cloudy eyes darted around, and he suddenly beckoned to Lin Yuan.

"Come here."

Lin Yuan took two steps forward and stopped.

"I'm very pleased that you've taken care of me. I'll teach you martial arts." Ouyang Feng's voice was still hoarse, yet it carried an arrogant air of dominance. "My martial arts are the best in the world!"

Lin Yuan's heart pounded wildly, but his face remained calm. Without hesitation, he slammed his knees to the ground and kowtowed heavily.

"Thank you for your guidance, Godfather!"

There were no hypocritical excuses, no empty words of flattery. In this world where life is as cheap as grass, the power you can hold in your own hands is the only truth.

"Sit down." Ouyang Feng pointed to the empty space in front of him.

Lin Yuan sat down cross-legged as instructed.

"My father's kung fu is called Toad Style. It involves focusing your qi in your dantian and concentrating your mind on your spiritual center..."

Ouyang Feng spoke at breakneck speed, spewing out obscure and profound incantations like beans falling from his mouth. Lin Yuan was completely focused, memorizing every single word. He didn't fully understand, but he knew it was the most advanced external martial arts technique of its time.

"Close your eyes and gather your energy!" Ouyang Feng suddenly uttered a thunderous command.

Lin Yuan immediately closed his eyes and tried to guide the faint trace of Qi within his body according to the incantation.

The next instant, a withered yet heavy hand slammed down on Lin Yuan's back.

An extremely domineering and scorching hot true energy, like magma, was forcibly poured into Lin Yuan's meridians!

"Well!"

Lin Yuan's eyes widened, and he bit his lip hard, swallowing back the scream that was about to burst from his throat.

It hurts so much!

That true energy wasn't flowing around at all; instead, it was like red-hot steel knives, brutally tearing apart his meridian walls. His already fragile meridians were stretched to their limit, as if they would burst inch by inch at any moment.

But he couldn't back down. All those gentle methods of guiding qi into the body in cultivation novels are utter nonsense. True martial arts are about risking your life and grinding your flesh and blood!

He desperately tried to calm his mind and mobilize the gentle medicinal power remaining in the Nine-Flower Jade Dew Pill in his dantian, transforming it into a thin barrier to guide the violent Toad Skill true energy.

Two completely different forces engaged in a brutal tug-of-war within his body. Sweat instantly soaked through his tattered clothes, and Lin Yuan's skin turned an eerie blood red, with wisps of white steam rising from the top of his head.

"Go along the Lung Meridian of Hand-Taiyin! Charge!" Ouyang Feng's roar exploded in my ears.

Taking advantage of this external force, a ruthless glint flashed in Lin Yuan's eyes. He twisted all the true energy in his body into a sharp cone and smashed it fiercely into the blocked meridians!

"Click."

A faint cracking sound came from inside the body.

Immediately afterwards, the violent true energy, like a flood bursting its banks, broke through the obstruction and surged out along the Lung Meridian of Hand-Taiyin, eventually converging in the Dantian like a hundred rivers flowing into the sea.

The excruciating pain, like being slowly sliced ​​to death, receded like a tide, replaced by an unprecedented feeling of being filled with power.

Lin Yuan opened his eyes, clenched his fists tightly, and his knuckles crackled.

The first serious one is working!

He sensed the faint yet extremely pure and domineering internal energy within his body, and a deep sharpness disappeared from his eyes.

The foundation of martial arts has been laid.

"Good lad, you've got some guts." Ouyang Feng withdrew his hand and nodded in satisfaction. "Better than Guo'er. Guo'er's body is too weak; he can't withstand Father's true energy."

Lin Yuan stood up and bowed deeply once again.

"Thank you, my adoptive father, for passing on your skills."

Yang Guo was also awakened by the noise. He rubbed his eyes and sat up, looking at the lingering white mist above Lin Yuan's head with surprise: "Brother Lin, you've learned it?"

"I'm just starting out," Lin Yuan said calmly.

Yang Guo excitedly hugged Ouyang Feng's arm: "Father, you're amazing! With you here, no one will be able to bully us anymore!"

Ouyang Feng laughed heartily and affectionately stroked Yang Guo's head.

Lin Yuan stood aside, coldly watching this heartwarming scene of "filial piety and parental love".

Yang Guo regarded Ouyang Feng as his backer. But Lin Yuan knew better than anyone else that Ouyang Feng was definitely not a backer; he was a ticking time bomb.

This madman is unpredictable. If he loses his temper or smells something strange again, his Toad Style internal energy will indiscriminately crush them into mincemeat.

The divine skill is now in hand. This bomb must be defused.

"Godfather, Guo'er is hungry. I'll go outside to find something to eat and get some clean water while I'm at it." Lin Yuan picked up the broken earthenware pot from the ground, his tone natural and without a trace of emotion.

"Go, and come back soon." Ouyang Feng's mind was completely focused on Yang Guo, and he didn't care at all whether Lin Yuan stayed or left.

Lin Yuan walked out of the City God Temple.

The snow outside has stopped, and the cold moon shines like frost.

Instead of looking for food, he went straight to the bluestone alley outside the City God Temple, a place he could only pass through.

He took out the Beggars' Sect bronze badge with three horizontal lines from his pocket. Walking to a conspicuous white wall at the alley entrance, Lin Yuan picked up a sharp piece of broken tile and, following the pattern on the back of the badge, forcefully carved three deep horizontal lines into the wall.

After finishing one piece, he walked forward a dozen steps and carved another piece in a more conspicuous location.

Five hidden marks were engraved in total, like a fuse that extended all the way to the gate of the City God Temple.

After doing all this, Lin Yuan carefully put the bronze medal back close to his body, his eyes as cold as ice.

Huang Rong was an extremely intelligent woman; the secret marks she left behind would surely be followed by the Beggars' Sect disciples. Judging by the time, Guo Jing and Huang Rong, having dealt with Li Mochou at Lu Family Manor, should already be in the city searching for her.

The Beggars' Clan had spies all over the city. If they saw these secret marks, Guo Jing would come looking for them within half an hour at most.

Guo Jing's Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms clashed with Ouyang Feng's Toad Stance.

This is called using someone else to do the dirty work, and even more so, it's about getting away unscathed.

Lin Yuan carried a jar of cold water drawn from the well and slowly walked back to the dilapidated temple.

Time passed second by second. Lin Yuan sat by the fire, closed his eyes to rest, and silently circulated the Hand Taiyin Lung Meridian that he had just opened, consolidating the hard-won internal energy.

Ouyang Feng was still rambling on to Yang Guo about his chaotic and unclear "number one in the world" deeds.

Suddenly, Ouyang Feng's voice stopped abruptly.

He whirled around, staring intently at the half-open wooden door of the dilapidated temple. His eyes, hidden beneath his disheveled hair, instantly filled with bloodshot veins, and a surge of violent inner energy emanated from his body, causing sparks to fly wildly from the fire!

"There's a master!" Ouyang Feng let out a low, beast-like roar.

Lin Yuan suddenly opened his eyes.

coming.

"boom!"

Without warning, the heavy wooden door of the dilapidated temple suddenly shattered!

Amidst a flurry of wood chips, a towering figure, as imposing as a mountain, with an overwhelming aura, forcefully broke through the wind and snow and stepped into the temple. Golden true energy swirled around the man, faintly accompanied by a deafening dragon's roar.

Guo Jing!

"Ouyang Feng! You old monster, put down those two children!"

Guo Jing's eyes widened in anger, and his right palm drew an extremely profound arc in front of his chest, gathering a violent palm force ready to be unleashed.

The Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms: The Dragon Regrets!

Ouyang Feng let out a fierce roar, his legs slightly bent, and he pounced forward like a giant toad to meet Guo Jing's palm strike!

The true energy of the two top masters collided violently inside the dilapidated temple!

A shockwave rippled outwards, causing the altar to collapse instantly, and the dilapidated roof was ripped off like paper.

Lin Yuan grabbed Yang Guo, who had been thrown away by the shockwave, and held him tightly beneath him, pushing his newly learned Toad Stance internal energy to its limit to desperately resist the impact of the aftershocks.

It was within these earth-shattering ripples of true energy.

Deep in Lin Yuan's mind.

Suddenly, a sharp, cold sound, like shattering glass, rang out.

"Click."

Immediately afterwards, a line of scarlet, blood-red handwriting flashed and rearranged wildly on my retina without warning.

[The next suicide note... is being reconstructed.]