Republic of China Era: Entering the Dao through Divine Strike.

Everything is no longer scary.

"Young Master, it's nothing for us to suffer a little grievance. That's just how these local bullies do things. It's like a toad crawling on your foot, just ignore it."

Fearing that Li Xin might act too impulsively, Zhuang Hongxiu frowned and said, "There are two possibilities for why they did this. One is that they simply want to vent their anger."

While outsiders may not know that the Qing family's Black Snake and others were eliminated that day, their own people certainly did.

Having suffered such a huge loss, failing to seek revenge would damage one's prestige.

They'll use some underhanded tactics to deal with it, we'll just have to put up with it and it'll all be over.

The only worry is another possibility...

They wanted to provoke us, or rather, they wanted to make the young master want to retaliate. Then, they'd seize the opportunity to ambush and kill us.

Li Cheng muttered, "Isn't this just taking the beating without fighting back? Could it be that they really dare to lay a hand on my second brother, aren't they afraid that Master Cheng will come knocking on their door?"

"Young Master, you don't know this, but the most taboo thing for people in the martial arts world is to have no master to follow."

Everyone needs to abide by certain rules of the underworld.

That's how my mother taught me...

Although Master Cheng is extremely powerful, and his seven disciples are also highly skilled, compared to shady sects like the Qing family, their influence is relatively weak. In a real conflict, even if they kill a thousand enemies, they would also suffer heavy losses on their own.

Therefore, he will not take action without sufficient reason.

If the young master takes the initiative to cause trouble, and something goes wrong, it will be considered a personal grudge.

It's not easy to find fault with them no matter where you put it.

The Qing family might respect Master Cheng's powerful connections, but they wouldn't truly fear him.

"Isn't this bullying honest people?"

Li Cheng was extremely frustrated.

So, Master Cheng's only threat was not enough; he couldn't actually launch an attack.

Li Xin shook his head, instantly understanding the situation before him.

Master Cheng's status was indeed very high, but it was also just that of a martial arts instructor and martial arts school owner in the countryside.

People in the martial arts world respect not only the name of Cheng's Bagua, but more importantly, the patriarch of Bagua boxing in the palace.

Although Dong Gonggong no longer makes public appearances, he has countless disciples and followers who hold high positions in the palace.

Especially Yin Changshou...

Li Xin's senior martial brother now serves as the head instructor of the Imperial Guards, specifically responsible for protecting the royal family.

With this kind of identity, not just anyone can stage an accident for you.

This is precisely why, even though Li Xin and his family openly run their business, no one would openly come to their door to cause trouble.

Even if the other party hates you to the extreme, they can only resort to despicable means and secretly target you.

But then again.

In the Cheng family's Bagua (Eight Trigrams) organization, the only people who could truly be of use were Master Cheng and a few of his apprentices.

Moreover, each of the apprentices was busy making a living, unlike the gang members who were always thinking about how to take action and how to scheme against others.

We cannot expect those young disciples who are still learning their skills and are physically weak to go out and fight to the death.

In particular, the other party's targeted behavior is harmless in nature.

Even if Li Xin catches the perpetrator, the other party can sacrifice a pawn to save the king, claiming that those people spontaneously avenged the death of the second-in-command of the East Road.

The senior management of Qingzi Company claimed to be unaware of the matter, and the matter was thus dropped.

……

Zhuang Hongxiu leaned towards the first possibility, believing that the other party was likely just venting their anger.

However, Li Xin, who had lived two lives, would never dare to think that way.

Today, they dared to draw Xiaoyue's image as a dead ghost. Do they really intend to do the same tomorrow?

What about the day after tomorrow? Do you want to wipe out your entire family?

Never underestimate the evil in people's hearts.

Never overestimate the conscience and bottom line of those people; there will always be some who don't know how to weigh the pros and cons...

Commonly known as, incredibly audacious.

"Has anyone taken over the position of second-in-command from the dead Blackbone Serpent?"

Li Xin suddenly asked.

Zhuang Hongxiu shook her head: "I haven't heard about it. When I was buying vegetables, I overheard some idlers whispering that Duan Zhong, the 'Jade-Eyed Eagle,' and Tang Si Niang, the 'Green Bamboo Snake,' under the Black Bone Snake, almost got into a fight."

"understood."

Li Xin closed his eyes and pondered for a moment, then smiled and said, "It's alright, nothing will happen, don't worry."

I've made great progress these past few days... Having a renowned teacher to guide me has truly saved me from ten years of hard work.

"Brother, Hongxiu, why don't you two try attacking me?"

"Young Master has successfully condensed his internal energy."

Zhuang Hongxiu's face was filled with surprise.

Li Cheng temporarily forgot his frustration. "I never expected that today would bring double happiness. I only managed to control my blood energy today thanks to my second brother's reminder, but he was even faster."

"Come on, let's have a friendly competition."

As he spoke, Li Xin assumed a stance resembling a cold chicken step.

Place both palms in front of your chest, lower your waist and sit on your hips, standing as straight as a pine tree.

"Be careful."

Before Li Cheng could even make a move, Zhuang Hongxiu let out a spirited shout.

With legs slightly clamped together and toes lightly touching the ground, he spread his hands and shot out like an arrow, followed by a straight punch.

Below, a leg from under a skirt was kicked out silently.

"Clap clap clap..."

The fists and the kick struck almost simultaneously, a perfect interplay of feint and real attack.

Li Xin, however, did not move an inch, his hands moving as fast as a blur, striking left and right.

One leg was quietly lifted, sealing Zhuang Hongxiu's leg inside her skirt.

"The Qi and blood flow smoothly, and the whole body is in harmony. Good."

Li Cheng watched with envy, and upon hearing the slight cracking sound of the two men exerting force, he strode forward.

With one leg and two techniques, a sweeping back kick... this time, it was Li Xin's supporting leg that was attacked.

"It's no use."

Li Xin chuckled and said, "Your intentions are too obvious."

As he spoke, his right foot moved like a powerful arrow from a bow, striking Li Cheng's legs with a series of thuds.

Furthermore, his upper body seemed to snap, tilting backward at a forty-five-degree angle to dodge Li Cheng's sudden horizontal punch. Simultaneously, he lifted Zhuang Hongxiu and launched a forward palm strike...

"It's my turn to attack."

Li Xin's waist was as slender as a willow branch, and he bounced back after a quick movement.

With a slight movement of its feet, it leaped into Li Cheng's arms and stood up.

Before Li Cheng could retract his arm, he felt a violent tremor in his armpit and a tingling sensation throughout half of his body.

He was thrown backward, flying three or four steps, and then landed with a thud, taking three or four more steps before finally regaining his footing.

While in mid-air, she saw her second brother's figure move like a dragon, his feet forming a circle... his body drawing an arc as he flashed past Zhuang Hongxiu's back.

A hand pressed against Zhuang Hongxiu's waist, paused for a moment, and then withdrew. She crossed her feet, spun around, and returned to her previous position.

It was as if he had never moved.

Zhuang Hongxiu quickly took two steps back, looked down at her waist, and blushed slightly.

He chuckled, "Young Master's strength is as round and smooth as a bead, making it slippery and difficult to strike. Has he grasped the essence of hard and crisp strength?"

……

Chapter Twenty-Four: Luring the Snake Out of Its Hole, Enough is Enough

During their sparring session, Zhuang Hongxiu could clearly feel that her attacks were being blocked and redirected by a short, cunning force. Her fists and feet were involuntarily jolted and deflected, making it impossible for her to penetrate.

Having practiced diligently for many years and mastered the generation of internal energy through qi and blood for over a year, the two forces clashed and their energy collided, but he was subtly at a disadvantage.

That's just too much of a blow.

Not yet, but it will be soon.

Li Xin laughed and said, "The main reason is that I haven't lacked medicine and meat these days, which has made up for my previous deficiencies, and my body has become much stronger."

Of course, most importantly, Senior Sister Feiyan uses her own strength every day to help me stretch my muscles and improve blood circulation, allowing the energy in my body to flow smoothly from top to bottom, forming a unified whole.

That is, to use one's full strength anytime, anywhere.

One's own comprehension is one aspect.

The guidance of renowned teachers and the best sparring partners combine to create a unique and advantageous learning environment.

Li Xin wasn't some complete novice who had to learn everything from scratch.

Although he had not experienced a systematic martial arts inheritance, he was still knowledgeable and able to draw inferences from one instance to another.

Since the physical condition is already sufficient, some technical skills can be learned quickly.

The reason it took a full half month to fully unleash the power throughout my body and control my qi and blood was because this body was relatively unfamiliar, and I had never diligently practiced before; this was a major hindrance.

After all, martial arts are not metaphysics.

No matter how deep your understanding or how much experience you have, if you twist your waist when you throw a punch or tear your hip when you kick, your tendons and muscles are not prepared and have not become strong and flexible.

No matter how many skills one possesses, they only exist in theory.

Li Xin knew his own situation.

Back then, he had a gun in hand, relying entirely on his high physical stats... with his excellent reflexes and perception, he attacked at an even faster speed, injuring people with his own strength.

To be honest, I didn't even use half of my agility.

Because he was at a disadvantage in terms of energy, he could only dodge some attacks from a distance.

If you can't use someone else's force against them, and your movements become erratic... your attack efficiency drops by more than half.

To others, his intensive training over the past two weeks might have seemed like he had only just begun.

He himself knew that this was a complete transformation, a complete metamorphosis.

Their combat power has more than doubled.

Just like the eldest brother, Li Cheng.

In previous sparring sessions with him, I managed to keep him from touching or hitting me. But when I wanted to attack, I could only target his weaknesses or strike first with my weapon.

Trying to launch a direct, forceful attack, exchanging punches and kicks to easily send the eldest brother flying is simply impossible.

In the past, Li Cheng might have thought that as long as he was fast enough, he still had a chance to win.

Now he is truly convinced.

Facing his second brother, who only reached his chest.

He couldn't even muster the slightest thought of winning...

This is a complete and utter defeat.

……

After a pleasant dinner together, Li Xin coaxed his younger sister to sleep.

As he watched the little girl drift off to sleep with a sweet smile on her face, his expression slowly darkened.