Under the fist

Chapter 16 Dark Room, Stone Carving

The next day, Qin Yuhu picked up Lian Youming early in the morning.

Anyway, it's almost Chinese New Year, and there's not much to do in the village except prepare for the winter fishing. Besides, with Lian Youming's current physical condition, he can barely get out of bed, so there's no hope for him.

Moreover, considering that the decision to send educated youth to the countryside was made on a temporary basis, the villages that received them generally received some material subsidies. As for what kind of supplies, they were the old hens raised by the elderly people guarding the mountains, and a few large fat pigs.

So when Lian Youming asked for leave, the village secretary readily granted him ten days' leave, adding that if that wasn't enough, he could return before the winter fishing season.

The long and harsh winter at the end of the year brings increasingly late dawns in Tarim River, with the rising sun mostly hanging on the southern horizon, radiating little warmth.

The white frost and snow hadn't melted before it froze again. The howling northwest wind, carrying the cold frost, blew like ice and snow sprites, swirling and dancing between heaven and earth.

This time, Qin Yuhu didn't ride his dump motorcycle, but instead got a mule cart.

Out of curiosity, Lian Youming asked about it and learned that Qin Yuhu had slipped and fallen on his way back to the city yesterday because the tires were slipping and the road was icy.

Lian Youming didn't care whether the car was broken or not; he only breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that his uncle was alright.

He was covered up completely, sitting on the mule cart with his hands tucked into his sleeves, his neck hunched, his head down, and his legs dangling in the air, like a young wife returning to her parents' home.

"Uncle, that guy surnamed Gong left?"

"What Gong guy? You're talking nonsense again. Do you even know what he does? According to those opera stories, he's a top-notch imperial guard... He hasn't left, he's still staying on the mountain."

Qin Yuhu sat sideways on the carriage shaft, also bundled up in thick layers of clothing: cotton trousers, cotton boots, cotton hat, and a pair of thick deerskin gloves. When he opened his mouth, a puff of white steam immediately escaped from under his scarf, like a leaking kettle.

Lian Youming gave an "oh" and seemed to be thinking. According to his uncle's words, if the other party was a master of the Imperial Guard, then the other party's identity was already obvious.

Central and Southern China bodyguards.

It was the last month before the Lunar New Year, and although it was freezing cold, the festive atmosphere couldn't be suppressed.

The streets were bustling with people, all wrapped up like rice dumplings, their faces beaming, strolling around and busy buying New Year's goods at the supply and marketing cooperative.

Qin Yuhu did not go straight home, but instead took Lian Youming to the train station.

As the year draws to a close, travelers return home.

After waiting for about forty minutes, just as Qin Yuhu and Lian Youming were looking around, a figure wearing a cotton hat and a mink coat suddenly crept up behind them from the crowd of people exiting the station and suddenly shouted, "Dad!"

Then, amidst giggles, she lifted her scarf, revealing a round, chubby face. Although it made her look a little plump, it was by no means unattractive. She had big eyes, a high nose, and fair cheeks. She not only had an indescribable bright and elegant air, but also an incredibly lively personality.

This chubby girl is Qin Yuhu and Shen Qinghong's daughter, named Qin Hongxiu, who studies at the Forestry College in Harbin.

Qin Hongxiu, with her cheerful personality, reached out and put her arm around Lian Youming's shoulder, then said in an extremely serious and earnest tone, "We meet again, Comrade."

Lian Youming cleared his throat and said in a serious tone with a straight face, "Comrades, there are two paths before you, one is victory, and the other is death. Death does not belong to the working class... Ouch!"

Then, Qin Yuhu flicked each of them on the forehead.

With a grimace, Qin Hongxiu got onto the mule cart and handed her satchel to Lian Youming. "Here are the books I brought for you. I got these from a classmate. Besides some common review materials, I also found two foreign language books, one in Russian and one in English. I'll teach you when I have time."

After picking up his daughter, Qin Yuhu jumped off the cart, took the reins, and cracked the whip, disappearing into the morning light amidst the shouts of the mule drivers.

……

In the forest farm on the mountain.

The soldiers who took over have already left.

The wooden houses were also weighed down by the heavy snow, looking like snowdrifts from a distance. Apart from being empty and desolate, there was only the howling wind.

Yet, in this desolate, snow-covered wilderness, a young woman sat cross-legged on a thick wooden post that would take three or four people to encircle, her lips slightly parted, her throat and tongue trembling as she breathed.

"Ow!"

As his chest and abdomen rose and fell, a faint dragon's roar seemed to rise from Gong Wu'er's throat. He then tilted his head back, opened his eyes, and exhaled rapidly. A wisp of white vapor instantly shot up three or four meters into the sky like a dragon soaring into the heavens before dissipating into nothingness.

After a series of breathing exercises, Gong Wuer appeared to be unharmed, but the snow around the wooden stake had melted more than half a meter away, revealing the soil underneath. From a distance, it looked like a drop of ink on the white snow.

Gong Wuer stood up and walked into the earthen houses where the old man guarding the mountain lived.

There are a total of six earthen houses. Besides the three houses used for raising pigs and chickens, there are three others. One is a quiet room for meditation and rest, another is a room for practicing martial arts, and the last one is empty, without windows, but filled with gray-blue floor tiles.

Upon seeing this last earthen house, Gong Wuer stopped in his tracks, his gaze immediately settling on the blue bricks scattered on the ground without any further scrutiny.

These paving stones, though old, are not uncommon; they are mostly from old graves and tombs that have been dismantled and reused.

After a moment's hesitation, Gong Wu'er moved his feet seemingly aimlessly. But after circling around and reaching a corner of the earthen house, he suddenly pressed down with his toes, and a section of the tightly fitted blue bricks collapsed, revealing a secret passage underneath.

With a glint in his eyes, without much hesitation, Gong Wuer turned around and brought an oil lamp from outside, then slowly and carefully made his way downstairs.

Where the light shines, one can see a set of steps paved with blue bricks extending downwards.

After walking a short distance and finding no traps or mechanisms, Gong Wuer took a deep breath and suddenly quickened his pace, becoming like a fleeting shadow.

It wasn't until she had gone in forty or fifty steps that her view suddenly opened up.

"call!"

A cold wind blew gently behind him. Gong Wu'er, carrying an oil lamp, gazed at everything before him with flickering eyes and slowly let out a sigh of relief.

There was a hidden cave beneath this place, a tomb.

However, this ancient tomb has clearly been remodeled. There is not much of a putrid smell, nor are there any coffins or skeletons. It seems to have been deliberately transformed into a dark room. Although it is dark, many remaining traces reveal that someone once lived here.

In the deepest part of the dark room, a stone bed lay horizontally.

Gong Wuer lit the torches on the wall one by one and slowly walked over.

Not only was there a bed, but there were also chairs and stools, and several futons on the floor, all covered in a thick layer of dust, as if no one had used them for a long time.

However, Gong Wuer noticed that the dust on the stone bed was very light and thin, as if it had just accumulated, indicating that someone had lain on the bed not long ago.

She stretched out her slender left hand and stroked the surface of the stone bed with her fingertips, as if searching for something.

Unfortunately, after much trial and error, they gained absolutely nothing.

As Gong Wuer looked around, his gaze suddenly fell on the wall on one side of the stone bed.

This side is a stone wall, not made of blue bricks. It seems to be coated with a layer of bluish-gray wall plaster. It looks ordinary, but in Gong Wuer's eyes, it is somewhat unusual.

Just as she was hesitating and observing, a soft laugh suddenly came from behind her.

"What's so interesting about this? Could the real thing be hidden underneath?"

The person walked with their hands behind their back, but as soon as they saw the wall, their pace suddenly quickened.

In the dimly lit space, a strong wind howled and the firelight flickered. A fist, illuminated by the lamplight, appeared as if it were cast in bronze and iron. It slammed down on the wall with the force of an arrow released from a bow.

"boom!"

"boom!"

"boom!"

Upon closer inspection, three more fist marks appeared on the wall.

At the other end of the stone bed, a figure as agile as a monkey tumbled down from the air and stood upright.

The newcomer was a young man in a Zhongshan suit, thin with broad shoulders, a sallow complexion, and a somewhat wooden expression, yet his eyes held a lively glint. When he wasn't smiling, he was alright, but when he grinned, he seemed to transform completely, revealing a vicious nature, his eyes filled with malevolence, as if he had become a mountain demon, displaying utter savagery.

Xue Hen.

But neither Gong Wuer nor Xue Hen were paying attention to each other at this moment; instead, they were staring intently at the wall in front of them.

The moment the three punches landed, the plaster on the stone wall cracked rapidly and then fell off, revealing what lay beneath. To their great surprise, a stone carving was found beneath the plaster.

As each character appeared, it was revealed to be a poem.

“I have a three-bay house, living in the Spiritual Source. The four walls are bare and desolate, and all things in the universe are like brackets, with tiles covering the blue sky. I have lived in peace for many years, and thus formed a karmic bond. I have cultivated myself to the point of fulfilling three thousand merits, and I have subdued the fire dragon and tiger, becoming a terrestrial immortal.”

"A land-based immortal?"

Xue Hen's gaze followed the words until he saw the last few sentences, especially the four words "land immortals." In an instant, his face showed a crazy expression, and his eyes became more and more fierce, like a madman or a demon.

"The poems of Lü Dongbin".

"Ok?"

"besides?"

Gong Wuer noticed two more characters at the end of the stone carving.

"Mount Lu?"

These two characters look extremely abrupt, the strokes of the brush seem to be broken yet not broken, almost finished yet not finished, as if there are still unfinished words.

Xue Hen also saw those two words, and his dark eyes suddenly lit up.

"Interesting. Lü Dongbin? Mount Lu?"

But soon, Xue Hen stood with his hands behind his back, tilted his head, and slowly looked at Gong Wuer beside him. As the firelight on his face twisted and changed, it instantly returned to his wooden expression. "Although you are one of the young talents of the 'Bagua Sect,' you are willing to be driven by others. Moreover, you have entered the imperial court and are no longer a pure martial artist... Let your brother take over."

His tone was calm, but it concealed a chilling murderous intent.

Gong Wuer remained calm. “That’s not true. The world has changed. Where is the imperial court now? You are here, but your heart is in this chaotic world. Not only are you killing innocent people, but you also want to compete with all the heroes in the world. You are already a demon. It’s not too late to turn back now.”

Xue Hen replied in a similarly flat tone, "Your heart is bound by rules; how can you face the world? Go back to your own little corner of the earth."

Since we don't see eye to eye, there's no need to say more.

Gong Wuer closed his eyes slightly, his phoenix eyes lowered, and his ten fingers quietly clenched together, resembling a cow's tongue.

Xue Hen sighed softly, "Sixty years ago, the martial world was so vibrant, with heroes emerging in great numbers and peerless masters roaming the north and south. Unfortunately, I arrived decades too late. Fortunately... hehe... the martial arts have not died out, the martial world is not far away, and I have discovered a shocking secret. Perhaps, I can truly compete with those predecessors and break through to the highest realm of martial arts."

Gong Wuer said calmly, "It seems you've made up your mind to go down this dark path."

Xue Hen said softly, "It's too early to say who's right and who's wrong."

Gong Wuer's eyelids twitched. "I'm just about to learn from you!"

Xue Hen said jokingly, "Easy."

As soon as the words were spoken, the two figures moved in unison, shifting sideways with lightning speed.

Suddenly a gust of wind came, and all the lights on all sides went out in an instant. In the dim space, fists and palms were already clashing, and killing intent was rising everywhere.

……

……

Tahe County.

On the way back, snowflakes began to fall again.

Qin Yuhu drove the mule cart to the supply and marketing cooperative, gave the two men a few instructions, and then went to the state-run restaurant.

It's freezing cold now, and Shen Qinghong is pregnant, so it's naturally inconvenient for her to cook. All the food has been ordered from a restaurant, and she just needs to take it home and heat it up.

Watching Qin Yuhu's departing figure, Lian Youming jumped off the mule cart.

He had already saved twenty or thirty yuan while he was at the forest farm. Adding the money he brought with him, he had about one hundred and forty yuan. In addition, his parents sent another one hundred yuan in the package yesterday.

Thinking of the trouble Qin Yuhu had been taking care of him these past few days, Lian Youming asked Qin Hongxiu to guard the mule cart while he went into the supply and marketing cooperative.

Simply lifting the cotton curtain, a wave of warmth immediately enveloped the room.

Lian Youming walked to the counter, his gaze first sweeping over the dazzling array of food, and then over some high-quality leather goods.

To his surprise, there were also many mountain products here, such as wild ginseng and lingzhi mushrooms. They were of poor quality, but they were still enough to make him happy.

That saves me trouble; I can try out the recipes on the brocade.

If one can replenish the five elements and lay a solid foundation, one can then practice the "Three Yin Earthly Fiend Force," and even the "Toad Fishing Skill," and perhaps even try to master the Golden Bell Cover.

The saleswoman, a woman in her forties or fifties, leaned against the counter, munching on sunflower seeds. Seeing Lian Youming wandering around, she couldn't help but say, "Young man, don't just wander around, what's on your mind?"

Lian Youming asked, "How much are these wild ginsengs?"

The salesperson raised his chin. "These were all collected from those mountain herders. They're not in good condition, so the price is naturally cheaper. Just those few in front of you are six hundred per pound."

Lian Youming's eyes lit up upon hearing this; the price was truly...unexpected.

Seeing that Lian Youming was still standing there, the saleswoman became a little impatient. "Are you going to buy it or not? If you're not going to buy it, don't waste my time."

Lian Youming just smiled, then turned his gaze to the corner of the counter where two watches were placed. "I'd like to take a watch, two bottles of Moutai, two pairs of suede cotton boots, two pairs of gloves, and two boxes of clam oil."

The sales clerk immediately perked up, "We don't need receipts for watches here, Shanghai brand, eighty yuan. Moutai is nine yuan a bottle without a receipt, seven yuan a bottle with a receipt. As for cotton boots and gloves, four pairs are five and a half yuan in total, clam oil..."

As she spoke, the saleswoman took out two dusty gray seashells from the counter. These were clam shells, and inside was hand cream from this era.

"Seven cents and fifty cents a box, two boxes for fifteen cents."

Seeing that Lian Youming was about to take out his money, the sales clerk recommended, "We also have malted milk powder here, young man, would you like a can?"

Lian Youming shook his head. He had bought this stuff before and almost suffocated from how sweet and cloying it was. He basically left it for his younger siblings to dilute with water.

He turned around and bought some candy and peanuts before paying and leaving the supply and marketing cooperative.

Just as he went out, Qin Yuhu returned. When he saw Lian Youming carrying out a bunch of things, his face immediately darkened. Especially when he saw the watch, his one eye widened instantly, scaring him to death.

“The little bit of money your parents sent you was saved up by them through frugality. Who told you to squander it? Go back and return it to me right now. I don’t need your food.”

After saying that, the man started to pull out his belt, and no matter how hard Qin Hongxiu pulled, she couldn't stop him.

Seeing this action, which was exactly the same as his father's, Lian Youming quickly explained, "No, I bought all these things with my own money. The money my parents sent is still here."

He quickly took out the hundred yuan his parents had sent him.

Seeing that the money was still there, Qin Yuhu's expression improved considerably, but his tone was still somewhat displeased, "Even if you earned it yourself, you can't just spend it like this. Go and return it immediately."

Lian Youming rolled her eyes. "Fine, Uncle Qin, since you're going to be so distant, I'll go back to the village. Besides, it's not for you. It's for my Aunt Shen. My mom and Aunt Shen are like sisters. She even told me to be filial to her when she came. What's wrong with me buying something?"

These two families were a bit strange. At first, the fathers were as close as brothers, and then Lian Youming's mother and Shen Qinghong gradually became acquainted and eventually got along like half-sisters. So Lian Youming simply called Qin Yuhu "uncle" and Shen Qinghong "aunt," each calling the other their own name.

Qin Yuhu was speechless for a moment.

Lian Youming chuckled, "Hey, stop standing there, go back quickly, I'm freezing to death."

Qin Yuhu held back for a long time, then snorted coldly, and finally could only helplessly curse: "You brat, just this once, don't let it happen again, or I'll beat you up."

Lian Youming nodded repeatedly in a perfunctory manner, then got back onto the mule cart. "Hurry up and put the belt back on. You're just like my father. You start whipping me with the belt at the slightest disagreement."

Qin Hongxiu hugged a pile of food and laughed so hard she almost fell over.

……

The snow was falling heavily overhead, gradually obscuring the three figures.

(End of this chapter)