The sickly girl is killing her way through the weird world

"Them?" Zhao Lin asked.

Tong Hui didn't answer, but glanced at the three people beside him, especially focusing on Bai Qian.

From the moment the girl entered the house, she had been puffing out her cheeks and munching on pastries, which reminded him of his own granddaughter. He wasn't quite sure what this girl with three dependents was doing here.

“A demon from the next village,” Tong Hui said. After seeing the four of them, he had no intention of hiding it from them.

Zhao Lin was taken aback for a moment upon hearing this, but he wasn't too surprised.

After all, if you're a martial artist, you'll always think about killing demons from the very beginning of your martial arts training. However, as you gradually learn martial arts, hit a bottleneck, and see the true and cruel side of the world, that thought will slowly fade away.

The gap between humans and demons is too great, it has been so from the beginning, and it became so great in the end that it was incomprehensible. Otherwise, the Demon Slayer Division would not have been so easily wiped out by the demons.

"The demons in the next village... are they those pig demons?" Pei Huan frowned slightly and asked.

She had some recollection of it, after all, it was a village right next to Tong Hui, and the largest village within dozens of miles of Bai Fengcheng.

A few years ago, a group of pig demons broke in, and the villagers, in order to survive, simply made offerings to these pig demons.

It sounds outrageous, but in this world, it's perfectly normal; human life is as cheap as grass.

Tong Hui sneered and nodded.

"It seems you did your homework before coming. It really is that group of pig demons. I need you to help me hold them off for fifteen minutes so I can be alone with their leader." His face was somewhat gloomy.

"Your arrival is quite opportune. If you hadn't come, I would have gone there alone in the next couple of days, and you probably wouldn't have seen me then."

"How many of those pig demons are there?" Pei Huan asked after a moment's hesitation.

She was very confident in Bai Qian, but there were still some crucial things she couldn't overlook; what she needed to know, she still needed to know.

"Including their heads... there are six in total," Tong Hui said after a moment of silence.

"You can find some more people. I can teach them all the methods for breaking through to the Meridian Opening stage." Although he said this, the old man was clearly not very confident.

He seemed to know that his request was a bit too much for him.

Of the four people opposite, only one had entered the country; the other three were just burdens.

And with this one entry point, they managed to fend off five pig demons that had entered the country...

He himself is having some difficulties, let alone relying on others.

But he had no other choice; he couldn't hold on any longer.

Having lived for so many years, I haven't saved anything. Apart from a body full of injuries, it seems like I have nothing.

Zhao Lin frowned deeply upon hearing Tong Hui's words. He knew his own limitations; he could handle one pig demon, but he certainly couldn't handle more. This group of pig demons had been lingering here for a long time, and he wondered what they had become.

"When?" The room fell into a brief silence, but it was soon broken. Bai Qian took a small bite of the osmanthus cake in her hand and looked at Tong Hui with her dark eyes as she asked.

Tong Hui was taken aback upon hearing this, and exchanged a glance with Bai Qian, unable to discern anything.

“Tomorrow,” he replied.

Whether they agree or not, he will take action tomorrow.

"Tomorrow I'll risk my life to kill two of the pig demons first. As long as the remaining three pig demons help me hold them off for a quarter of an hour..." He suddenly couldn't continue. He knew that what he was saying was unrealistic, and more importantly... he didn't have confidence in himself either.

“A method.” Bai Qian stretched out her fair white hand.

Looking at Bai Qian's outstretched hand, Tong Hui glanced at Zhao Lin, and only sighed slightly when he saw that Zhao Lin had no objections.

He wasn't angry, just somewhat sighing. He didn't dislike this girl; who wouldn't like a girl with a good appetite and a straightforward manner?

"Come with me. The method for opening the meridians is not difficult and easy to remember. It just takes a little more effort."

---

The four followed behind the old man. Bai Qian was deep in thought when Bai Yao slowly followed behind her and whispered, "Don't get involved in tomorrow's affairs."

Bai Yao spoke very seriously.

I must say, coming here with Bai Qian this time was the right decision.

Or rather, if they had known it would be this ridiculous, they wouldn't have let Bai Qian come.

She already knew the reason Bai Qian had come on her way here; it was still to learn martial arts.

She didn't object to Bai Qian seeking out a martial arts master to learn from. After all, if Bai Qian truly had talent, it would be better for her to learn from a powerful martial artist sooner rather than listen to her nonsense.

Even if one practices martial arts, there's no need to take such a big risk in trying to find a martial artist with open meridians. Once we get to the county town, I can help Bai Qian find one.

Bai Qian is very talented, as Bai Yao can see, judging from Pei Huan's attitude towards her on the road.

Merchants don't get up early for nothing; the reason they're treating Bai Qian so well now is probably because they see her potential in the future.

But that's just potential. Xiaoqian has only been practicing for a few days at most. Even the most talented person needs time.

Bai Yao had heard that the most talented person was from the Liang Dumu family, who entered the country in half a month and reached the Tongmai stage in half a year.

That was already an unparalleled genius, and then, two months after his meridians were opened, he was devoured by a demon.

Bai Yao's only wish now is to help Bai Qian find a way to leave Daliang and go to Dasu next door, where at least it's much better than Daliang, with far fewer demons.

"If you want to learn, I can help you find one when we get to the county town. There's no need to take any risks now."

Bai Qian blinked gently as she listened to Bai Yao's words, just as she was about to say something.

"This is it." Tong Hui took a scroll out of a dusty box.

"This is the intention of the Mountain Tiger Fist, and also the key to breaking through the meridians." His tone carried a hint of arrogance.

Perhaps it was the pride that came from remembering the martial arts school, but when he looked at his own severed arm, that pride turned into a dejected sadness.

"The scroll contains methods for nourishing qi and unblocking the meridians of the human body, which are enough for people to break through to the point of unblocking the meridians. You can take this thing and leave later. To be honest, you have nothing to do with this matter and there is no need for you to get involved."

"If all goes well, it might take two or three years to succeed. After that, if you remember, please help me get revenge." He was naturally referring to someone like Zhao Lin.

He handed the scroll to Zhao Lin, who looked at it without making a move.

The small hand accepted the scroll.

What time is tomorrow?

Tong Hui stared blankly at Bai Qian as she took the scroll.

"You don't need to lift a finger, just leave," he said, shaking his head.

"Mao Shi?" Is that the time? What time is it?

Tong Hu gave Bai Qian a deep look, wondering how this girl knew what he was thinking.

He wanted to say something, but only sighed softly.

It feels quite complicated.

"When you get there, if you're scared by what you see, you can run, and I'll hold them off for you," he said.

"That girl is right, it's really not worth taking such a big risk."

Bai Qian didn't speak. She simply opened the scroll quietly, and a white figure was reflected in her dark eyes—a large cat that seemed to be baring its teeth and claws at her.

[Currently Upgradeable Ability: Mountain Tiger Fist (D)]

Volume 1: Chapter 44, I'll Collect Your Corpse

[In your first year, you tried learning Mountain Tiger Fist. Before that, you had already learned similar martial arts, so your learning of Mountain Tiger Fist can be described as vigorous and diligent. In less than a year, you had already achieved a basic level of proficiency.]

[In the second year, you mastered the Mountain Tiger Fist. This is undoubtedly related to the fact that your own mindset aligns with the Mountain Tiger Fist. The Mountain Tiger Fist emphasizes courage and diligence, and its essence, derived from the tiger, is fearlessness. If you were stuck halfway through practicing the Compassionate Hand because you didn't understand what compassion meant, then now, in practicing the Mountain Tiger Fist, you will hardly encounter any bottlenecks.]

[In the third year, your Mountain Tiger Fist technique has nearly reached the level of a grandmaster. The difference between you and a grandmaster lies not in technique, but in destiny and intention. Destiny refers to the refinement of your body, which is not difficult for you. Mountain Tiger Fist has methods for opening the meridians; you just need to diligently follow these methods to cultivate your Qi and open the meridians. As for intention, for you, it's simply a matter of suddenly having an epiphany one day.]

[In the sixth year, after several years of cultivating your inner energy, you accumulated enough power. On a suitable day, you used a burst of energy to break through four regular meridians and three extraordinary meridians. This was unprecedented in the records of the entire boxing school. After all, for those rough men, breaking through three or four meridians on their first attempt was considered a once-in-a-century feat.]

[In the eighth year, following the methods recorded in the martial arts school, you broke through seven regular meridians and five extraordinary meridians. However, at this point, the methods for opening meridians recorded in the Mountain Tiger Fist were no longer available. But you know that the human body has twelve regular meridians and eight extraordinary meridians, and you are still far from achieving perfect meridian opening.]

[In the twelfth year, you comprehended the essence of the fierce tiger, a unique realm of Mountain Tiger Fist, much like the [Cloud Willow] you have mastered. Simultaneously, through exploration, you broke through to the eighth level of the orthodox path.]

[In the twenty-first year, you have seriously explored and reached the ninth level. At the same time, because you have reached the pinnacle of Mountain Tiger Fist, you realize that the essence of Mountain Tiger Fist may not be in line with your own. You try to integrate it with other martial arts you have learned.]

[In the twenty-eighth year, after several years of exploration, you finally found an opportunity. Based on compatibility, you merged [Drumming], [Sorrowful Hand], and [Mountain Tiger Fist] together. The common characteristic of these three martial arts is their thunderous methods, emphasizing unyielding and fierce power. Through your experimentation, you successfully merged these three martial arts together.]

[In the thirty-first year, through your efforts, you successfully created a martial art. This martial art is centered on the Sorrowful Hand, because you found that the Sorrowful Hand suited you better than the Mountain Tiger Fist. This newly created martial art combines fist and palm techniques, and after careful consideration, you named this new martial art Empty Fist.]

[The meaning isn't complicated; a single punch purifies the mind, rendering all worldly concerns meaningless. You like this style of boxing very much. Because it's based on compassion, it also has another function: to save people and demons, even to the deepest hell, if such a thing exists.]

[In the forty-first year, you re-deduced the essence of the Empty Fist and fully opened the twelve regular meridians. However, you have been slow to grasp the three remaining extraordinary meridians. You have a premonition that once you open these three extraordinary meridians, you will achieve mastery of the Meridian Opening Technique and gain insight into what lies beyond it.]

[Having mastered the art of empty-handed combat (C), one comprehends its meaning: all is emptiness.]

When the scroll is opened, it reveals a white tiger with piercing eyes, painted very realistically. The tiger is lying on a mountain, its large, bronze-bell-like eyes seeming to be looking at the people outside the scroll.

Just by looking at the painting, one can feel its awe-inspiring power, as if it were about to leap out of the painting.

It was as if she were just drinking water; Bai Qian went from zero to one, and then from one to an unimaginable peak.

"Take it back and take a look first. We'll talk about tomorrow's matters tomorrow." Seeing Bai Qian open the scroll, Tong Hui waved his hand as if he was tired.

The guests have been seen off.

Seeing this, the four of them didn't necessarily want to stay. Their initial goal had been achieved so easily, which was quite unexpected.

“I’ve found a landlord in the local village; let’s stay there tonight.”

"Hmm." Bai Yao nodded, glancing at Bai Qian walking quietly beside her with the painting scroll, her face filled with unconcealed worry.

Bai Qian had been pondering the empty fist technique she had just learned. At this moment, two intentions were intertwined in her mind: one was the sword intent [Yun Liu], and the other was the fist intent [Jie Kong]. The two different intentions were a little difficult to understand.

In other words, just like the left and right hands, they always need to be distinguished slightly.

He paused for a moment, then turned his gaze to the bushes beside him.

After hesitating for a moment, he casually kicked a pebble into the hole.

He kicked something, and the swaying grass stopped moving.

As the four left, the wind blew the grass aside, vaguely revealing the fox's half-destroyed corpse inside.

---

The old man sat by the candlelight, gazing absently at the dark night sky outside the window.

Now there should be no more worries.

The Mountain Tiger Fist techniques have all been given away, those four people...

Tong Hui's deepest impression was of that girl, who was quite pretty, but a bit gloomy.

But she was very brave. Tong Hui could tell that among the four people, only this girl was fearless, which was exactly the essence of the Mountain Tiger Fist.

In the past, he would definitely have been a key figure in training within the martial arts school.

But now...

I sighed. How much she can understand is up to her. She's a bit older, but it's not too late.

He straightened his clothes, picked up the oil lamp, and went out of the house.

It wasn't dark yet, or rather, it was just before it got dark.

That girl said she acted at 5 AM, I don't know how she figured that out.

But even the best plans can change, especially for an old man who is about to die.

If the plan is to take action tomorrow, what actions are we taking today?

Just have someone inform them that they should leave tomorrow.

With his left arm still holding the oil lamp, he slowly walked out of the house.

He bumped right into the black-haired girl who was standing at the door.

She seemed to be waiting right outside.

Tong Hui paused for a moment, then gave her a deep look.

"As I said, I'm not keeping you here. We'll talk about what to do tomorrow."

"Then what are you going to do when you go out now?" Bai Qian asked in return.

Tong Hui was a little curious about how the girl knew what he was thinking, but then he lost interest in asking.

What's the point of a dying person knowing so much?

"So you're going to come with me?"