Under the fist

Chapter 35 The Instructor, The Choice, The Bird Doesn't Fly
"Gong Wuer, Li Da..."

Lian Youming's lips twitched; none of these names sounded normal.

"You're Gong Wu'er's brother? You two don't even share the same surname."

He was still thinking of pretending to be confused and fooling them, but since the other party had gotten straight to the point, he had no other intentions.

The young man, who called himself "Li Da," gestured with his chin toward the outside of the courtyard, indicating that he should walk out. He then replied, "We made different choices. She joined the Bagua Sect from a young age, while I joined the army. She took her father's surname, and I took my mother's surname."

It turned out to be the case.

Lian Youming followed the other person out of the courtyard, then out of the alley, and onto the street.

As dawn broke, vehicles were already coming and going.

Li Da had a gentle demeanor. Despite being a martial arts master, his behavior gave off an innocent and carefree feeling. The more you looked at him, the more ordinary he seemed. He also carried a lot of food with him, and he ate and drank as he walked and talked.

Lian Youming almost doubted that this was an ordinary person. He had a slight thought and continued the conversation, "Then your mother must be a very important person."

The head of the "Bagua Sect," who also comes from a martial arts family, is able to allow her son to take her surname, so this woman must be someone of considerable importance. Moreover, judging from the other party's description, it's clear that the parents had a conflict in their parenting philosophies.

Li Da just smiled and didn't answer.

Lian Youming then asked, "Do you know Xue Hen?"

“We met once.” Li Da’s eyes shone brightly as he slowly spoke. “My younger sister entered the Bagua Sect at a young age and followed the path of a martial artist. As for me, I am proficient in both Bagua and Bajiquan. Before I was ten years old, I traveled to the north with an elder who had crossed the snow-capped mountains. I met Xue Hen once in Shanxi. He was with someone at the time, but he was still very young and wearing open-crotch pants. I beat him up.”

Before the age of ten?

At first, Lian Youming didn't think much of it, but looking at Li Da's appearance, with his short, stiff hair, sharp eyebrows, bright eyes, and short beard, he was probably only in his thirties.

So, that must have happened more than 20 years ago.

Seeing Lian Youming lost in thought, Li Dachong grabbed a handful of dried sweet potatoes and shoved them into his hand. He ate as he walked, saying, "Well, I know you have a lot of questions and doubts, but sometimes knowing too much isn't a good thing. Just tell me you want to trade that map for something."

Lian Youming's eyes darted around, and instead of answering, he asked, "May I ask your identity?"

He needed to ascertain the significance of the person before him in order to determine the value of the map.

Li Da pondered for a moment, then suddenly blinked, leaned closer, and whispered, "You've probably read Water Margin, right? Do you know the instructor of the 800,000 Imperial Guards?"

Lian Youming's pupils contracted upon hearing this.

Li Da blinked, showing no airs whatsoever, a stark contrast to Gong Wu'er's expressionless face. He seemed to have guessed Lian Youming's thoughts and added, "However, I should be better than him. In the early years of the all-army competition, in addition to the gun competitions, there was also a little-known martial arts competition. I was unlucky and encountered two freaks, so I only managed to get third place."

Lian Youming was silent for a moment, then asked, "What's inside the underground fortress?"

Li Da seemed very talkative and didn't hide anything. He casually said, "Inside there are the war supplies left by the Kwantung Army, as well as the treasures they looted back then and some things dug out from deep in the mountains. They seem to be some rare and precious materials. Moreover, it is rumored that there are also many boxing manuals lost by the Northern martial arts world and some old secrets that were unknown to people."

Before Lian Youming could respond, Li Da smiled gently and said, "After all, you saved my sister, so we can't be stingy. Based on that map, I can give you three choices: a job that many people envy, which I can let you choose until you're satisfied; a large sum of money; or a trip to the underground fortress with me, where you can get whatever you want depending on your luck... As for your uncle's reward, don't worry, it has nothing to do with your choice."

It's another choice between being an ordinary person and pursuing the path of martial arts.

Lian Youming was greatly surprised. "Just the two of us?"

Li Da nodded. "It seems you've made your choice. But I need to take care of something first, which will probably take some time, at least half a month, at most a month or two. And you need to give me the map first."

Lian Youming looked at him suspiciously and said, "You're not deliberately trying to trick me, are you? And then you'll disappear without a trace. Who am I supposed to complain to?" Li Da also glanced at him sideways and said with disdain, "With your personality, I don't believe you didn't secretly draw down the markings and routes on the map. This stuff is no good for you. The longer you take it, the more dangerous it becomes. If you really care about the people around you, don't be greedy."

Lian Youming chuckled and squinted his eyes, "Alright, but you have to show something in the end, just in case your identity doesn't match."

Li Da laughed, "Good lad, you're clever enough."

As he spoke, the man looked around and, seeing that the area was secluded, slowly walked to the base of a large, leafy tree.

Watching the birds chirping in the tree, Li Da bent his index and middle fingers as if making a fist and gently tapped the tree trunk. His gesture was completely unassuming, and a soft "bang" was heard. Immediately, a yellow sparrow wobbled and fell headfirst to the ground.

Li Da gently raised his hand to take it, stroked the bird's feathers, and then opened his palm and spread his five fingers in front of Lian Youming.

"Alright!"

The yellow bird was not injured. It shook its head and quickly came back to life, flapping its wings continuously.

At first, Lian Youming was confused, but when he saw Li Da walk around and the undulating cleavage of his clothes behind him revealed, he narrowed his eyes and stared intently at the other man's right hand.

Li Da held the yellow bird in his right hand, but he was not still. Instead, he bent his elbow and flipped his wrist, constantly changing his posture and releasing his strength. His entire sleeve tightened and loosened at different times, which was very strange.

Even stranger, the other party's five fingers were not closed and the palm was not closed, but the oriole just couldn't fly up no matter what, and kept circling around, like Sun Wukong in the Buddha's hands.

"Since you are practicing the Transformation Realm, I will leave you with a memento today. It can be considered as repaying the favor of saving my sister, and also as a boost to your martial arts path."

Seeing such an unbelievable method, Lian Youming's eyes widened, his expression constantly shifting. Especially listening to the chirping of birds, he felt a sense of unreality.

“In the past, Tai Chi master Yang Luchan had a unique skill that birds could not fly away. His mastery of internal energy was unparalleled, and his control over the force was so subtle that it was indistinguishable to the naked eye. He did not need to move; he only needed to think about it, and his palm would become a cage, making it difficult for flies to land and for external force to penetrate his body.”

Lian Youming subconsciously reached out and touched it.

But as soon as General Li pushed the bird over and it landed in his hand, the bird immediately flapped its wings and flew away, escaping his control.

"Thank you!"

Lian Youming stared at the sky for a long time before snapping out of his daze.

Even if the other party gives nothing back, this one move alone seems worthwhile.

He decisively took out the map and handed it to the other person.

"You're welcome."

Li Da still had that innocent and carefree expression and tone, but paired with his appearance of being over thirty, it didn't seem strange at all; on the contrary, it had an indescribable harmony, as if it were always meant to be this way.

Normally, such martial arts masters are either aloof and arrogant, with a strange temperament, or like Xue Hen and Gong Wu'er, each with their own unique characteristics. But this Li Da is just like an ordinary person.

After handing over the map, Lian Youming subconsciously glanced at the birds in the tree, listening to their chirping. But when he came to his senses, Li Da was already far away, so far that only his back was visible, waving goodbye without turning his head.

It truly comes quickly and goes swiftly.

　I'm speechless. Although I write about traditional Chinese martial arts, it's still a genre of wuxia (martial arts fiction), and a bunch of people are jumping out to talk about science. This is online literature, not a documentary. What are they all doing?

　　
　
(End of this chapter)