Under the fist

Chapter 20 Nothing in the world is fairer than kung fu.

late at night.

Just as chaos erupted in Kaoshantun and everyone was frantic with worry, a villager suddenly ran back, overjoyed.

"They're back. Director Qin and that kid are both back."

As everyone hurried out, they saw Lian Youming, covered in soot, carrying the unconscious Qin Yuhu on his back, limping to the old Party Secretary in the moonlight. He said in a hoarse voice, "I'm fine. Take my Uncle Qin to the hospital first."

Seeing Qin Yuhu's terrible injuries, the old Party Secretary dared not delay. He hurriedly hitched up the mule cart, wrapped himself in his coat, and rushed to the city.

Lian Youming returned to the courtyard with the help of Liu, the village doctor.

Without pausing for a moment, as soon as he entered the house, he collapsed onto the kang (a heated brick bed) as if he had lost all his strength.

The doors and windows inside the house were tightly closed, but the fire in the stove was burning brightly.

Ignoring Lian Youming's reaction, Liu Da Nao pulled up his pants and, seeing the legs that were convulsing from running all the way, quickly grabbed some medicinal wine to apply.

At this moment, Lian Youming extended his right hand, and to the astonishment and confusion of Liu the village doctor, an old pill slipped out from between his fingers.

Liu, the village doctor, carefully took the pills and dissolved them all in the wine before dipping his palms in the wine and rubbing them against Lian Youming's legs.

"You...you really stole the show tonight, so many people searched that forest farm over and over again...searched it more than a dozen times, and they were no match for you, a mere child. Carrying Director Qin...Director Qin this...this far on your back, you're as tough as iron. How about I...I'll find you a match? With your build, you're obviously...good enough to put in the effort..."

Lian Youming had neither the mind nor the energy to respond, letting the village doctor ramble on and on in his ear.

Gazing at the ceiling, glowing from the firelight, his eyes were clouded, and his thoughts drifted back to the moment Xue Hen left.

……

Dark room.

After glancing at Gong Wuer, Lian Youming didn't linger and hurriedly went to Qin Yuhu's side.

"Uncle, how are you?"

The flames leaped up, illuminating Qin Yuhu's pale face.

Unfortunately, the person's eyes were tightly closed, and he did not react at all.

Gong Wuer sat cross-legged on the ground with his eyes closed. He breathed deeply and said slowly, "Don't worry, I used my internal energy to seal the wound on his severed arm and used a ginseng root to replenish his vital energy. He'll be fine."

Upon closer inspection, Lian Youming saw that Qin Yuhu indeed had a wild ginseng root in his mouth.

In an instant, his heart finally settled down, and he slumped down, his hands and feet twitching and trembling uncontrollably, groaning in pain.

Upon hearing the noise, Gong Wu'er opened her phoenix eyes and looked at her quietly for a while before saying, "Are you the disciple of that old man who guards the mountain?"

As she spoke, she took out two dark brown pills from her body and then tossed them out with a skillful motion. "These are fasting pills made from Polygonatum sibiricum, Polygonum multiflorum, and some herbal essences. They can help you regain some strength."

Lian Youming had been running nonstop all the way up the mountain, and was already exhausted. If it weren't for his concern for Qin Yuhu's safety, he probably wouldn't have been able to hold on much longer.

Lian Youming took the pill, smelled it, then tossed it into his mouth, chewing as he said, "Is this what you experts eat? It has no flavor whatsoever, it's as bland as mud, what's the fun in that?"

Gong Wuer said softly, “Luxury food and fine clothes are nothing but poison that destroys oneself. Sexual desire is like a mountain of knives, lust is like a raging fire, and the sea of ​​passion is boundless. Those who sink into it are like falling into hell, which leads to the loss of spirit and the wasted years. Although you have glimpsed a corner of the martial arts world, your heart is still in the secular world. No wonder the old man guarding the mountain did not take you into his sect, but let you return to the secular world.”

Lian Youming, however, adopted an indifferent attitude, chewing slowly and catching his breath, but his eyes kept glancing towards the entrance, the bloodshot in his eyes still lingering.

Gong Wu'er seemed to have seen through his thoughts and said, "Don't worry, although Xue Hen is arrogant, he has his own principles and values ​​martial arts more than his own life. He would never do anything to tarnish his conscience."

At the end, the man changed his tone again, "Otherwise, he could have killed you just now, and perhaps he could have killed me too."

Lian Youming swallowed the pill in his mouth and said casually, "Then why did he leave again?"

Gong Wuer's face seemed expressionless, and his tone was calm. "Xue Hen's murderous intent towards you hasn't disappeared, but it has been restrained. This person is sincere and true to the martial arts. He might kill an ordinary person, but he won't kill a martial artist who hasn't yet grown up and has great potential."

“I understand.” Lian Youming smacked his lips, savoring the taste. “So he thinks it will be more fun to make a move when I’m more powerful.”

In just a short while, Gong Wuer's complexion had regained some color. "This person is a martial arts fanatic. His actions are not simply for killing, but for pursuing progress in the process of killing, for the highest realm of martial arts... I am also on this long road. If it were me, I wouldn't mind giving those who come after me a chance to grow and become opponents for us to test what we have learned in our lives!"

Lian Youming shook his head. "I don't understand."

Gong Wuer stood up. “You will understand. Once upon a time, when you discovered an unknown world by chance and had the desire to join it, you were destined to be like-minded with me and Xue Hen. We have all made this decision... It’s just that you lack the ambition.”

This beautiful woman, with a scholarly air about her, spoke slowly, like a teacher guiding her students: "In this world, the most honest thing is kung fu, and the fairest thing is also kung fu. There are never any shortcuts. If you are honest with it, it will not let you down. If you are not honest, you will inevitably die under someone else's fist one day."

Looking back at the blurry writing on the wall, Gong Wu'er took a few steps, grabbed Qin Yuhu, and hooked his arm around the boy's arm. The two of them weighed nearly 300 pounds. With one in each hand, he turned and walked outside. "I'll escort you down the mountain. I won't tell anyone about what happened here. If you return to the secular world in the future, you don't need to worry about Xue Hen looking for you. But if you want to make your way in this martial world, even if you don't look for him, he will come looking for you, and I will come looking for you too."

……

Once he put his mind to work, Lian Youming had already tilted his head to the side and fallen into a deep sleep on the bed.

I slept until noon the next day.

Hearing the village dogs barking, Lian Youming quickly dressed and hurried outside.

He needs to check on Qin Yuhu's injuries.

As soon as he took a step, an indescribable soreness made him stagger and almost fall to the ground.

The poor old Party Secretary, who was over sixty years old, hadn't slept all night and walked in listlessly with dark circles under his eyes. "Director Qin is fine, he just lost too much blood and needs to rest for a while."

Upon hearing this, Lian Youming's face lit up with joy, and he turned to walk out.

Seeing his movement, the old Party Secretary, holding a pipe and with a dark face, shouted, "Hey, hey, who the hell told you to move? You worthless bastard, I haven't even settled accounts with you yet. Do you know what your behavior last night is called? It's called disobeying organizational discipline, and personal heroism is even more unacceptable. From now on, after you've finished helping Liu Da Nao, go to the east end of the village and clean the manure from the livestock shed."

Lian Youming forced a dry laugh, "Uncle, my Uncle Qin is still in the hospital, and my aunt is about to give birth. You have to let me go see her."

The old Party Secretary rolled his eyes. "You think you're the only one who can think of this? Oh, so only you can come up with these ideas, and nobody else can?"

Finally, the old Party Secretary yawned again. "I'm not going to waste my breath on you. This is Director Qin's order. He said you don't need to worry about him. Someone will take care of you. These days, you just stay in the village and do your job properly. If you dare to cause any more trouble, I'll beat you to death."

After the Party Secretary left the courtyard, Lian Youming squinted and looked up at the sun on the horizon.

It's good that he's alright. Although he lost an arm, it's a relief for his parents and for Shen Qinghong and her daughter.

Only after everything had settled down did Lian Youming belatedly break out in a cold sweat.

He realized he had indeed acted impulsively last night.

I almost got myself killed.

Who would have thought that Xue Hen could dodge bullets at a certain distance?

Their incredible agility and astonishing skills once again refreshed his understanding of these martial artists.

But Lian Youming did not regret his actions last night, because no matter what he chose or did, without knowing Xue Hen's strength, he could never make a perfect response to unknown special events.

Although he had lived two lives, he was not omniscient or omnipotent. He was already grateful that he was able to save Qin Yuhu.

But that won't happen again.

"Nothing in the world is more honest than kung fu!"

Lian Youming stood in the sun, took a deep breath, and couldn't help but recall Gong Wuer's words.

"I think I understand."

……

For the next few days, Lian Youming was extremely busy.

Winter fishing was not over, and with the winter famine still to be dealt with, most of the able-bodied men and women in the village were out early and back late, leaving only the elderly, weak, women, and children. The few educated youths became the main labor force in the village, treated more like livestock than animals themselves.

Besides helping Liu Danao dry and grind the herbs, Lian Youming also had to spend half a day wandering around those cattle and sheep pens. Those mules, donkeys, horses, and pigs could eat and excrete a lot, producing hundreds or even thousands of pounds of manure alone. Every day, he had to scoop out manure and compost it, which made his back so tired that he could hardly straighten up.

“Lian, a young intellectual, someone has come to see you.”

That day, Lian Youming was squatting in the cattle and sheep pen, stuffing his nose with cotton and shoveling manure, when he heard someone shout outside.

He thought it was Qin Hongxiu, but when he peeked out, he found a female educated youth, wrapped up from head to toe, standing on the village dam, waving in his direction.

It turns out he's a descendant of that family of traditional Chinese medicine practitioners.

Yan Lingyun.

　Would you mind having a female lead?
　　Two chapters a day from now on.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)