Under the fist

Chapter 55 The Martial World on the Train
"Yan Tao, carry those children to a seat."

Lian Youming grabbed one ear and called out to Yan Tao, who was still stunned and terrified.

Hearing the voice, Yan Tao finally came to her senses. Looking at the children in the arms of the village women, she immediately understood what was going on. A hint of anger flashed in her eyes, and she quickly picked up several swaddled babies and placed them one by one beside her.

"Why aren't they crying?" Yan Tao looked at them one by one, somewhat panicked.

Lian Youming said softly, "They've probably been drugged too. You keep an eye on them."

After all the children were rescued, Lian Youming looked at the snarling One-Ear in his hands and asked, "Who is Eighth Master?"

One-Ear looked flustered and clasped his hands in a gesture of pleading, "Sir, there are many rules in this world. It's not that I don't want to tell you, but I won't survive if I do. Please have mercy and let me go."

Lian Youming glanced at the people still gathered at both ends of the carriage. Although many had dispersed, they clearly still had other intentions.

It seems they're trying to get revenge.

He then asked, "What is the background of these women carrying children?"

Tears welled up in his eyes from the pain in one ear. "They're just uneducated farmers who joined to make money. Their main job is to provide cover. The ones who attacked you are hired thieves trained along the railway line south of Beijing and Tianjin. They're part of the thief gang. There are also errand runners, stalkers, receivers of stolen goods, and strategists, like the Eight Vajras under the bandit leader Zuo Shandiao."

"Oh ho, you even know that Zuo Shandiao has eight Vajra... The Thieves' Guild? Looks like they're getting quite a bit of momentum. How big?"

Lian Youming plopped down in a chair, and One Ear knelt down with a thud. Hearing this, he hurriedly replied, "How can I tell you? It can roughly reach the Guangdong and Guangxi regions, but different forces are entrenched along these routes. There are those who openly rob and secretly steal, those who run sleighs, those who collect beggars, those who steal cotton, those who collect gold and silver, and those who steal goods. Each group has its own rules, and what they take is not the same."

Lian Youming nodded in sudden realization, "I understand now. So all those shady characters and bandits from before have been moved onto this train?"

One-Ear hurriedly said, "That's right. You see, in the past, those bandits would just rob people on the road. But now the world is different. Transportation is convenient. With trains, people can travel north and south. It's also a major route for the flow of gold and silver. Naturally, it's like a big piece of fat meat. Everyone wants to take a bite. It's a real mixed bag."

Lian Youming listened with astonishment, "A mixed bag? Heh, you're so arrogant, aren't you afraid of the police on the train?"

Mentioning this, One-Ear perked up immediately, "You're joking. Since ancient times, mice have always trembled at the sight of cats. But on this train, with people coming and going, and us skilled at disguise, along with the cooperation and cover of our brothers, one or two cats can't catch a bunch of mice like us. Maybe sometimes the mice will even eat the cats."

Lian Youming grew increasingly alarmed as he listened. There were countless railways running from north to south, crisscrossing and connecting all directions. If what One-Ear said was true, then the so-called "Thief's Guild" must be an unimaginably vast force spanning north and south, with its own territories, indicating that it had many martial arts figures.

Just then, One Ear suddenly broke free from the restraints while Lian Youming was distracted, then turned and ran to the other side, not forgetting to utter a threat before he left, "Kid, today, not only you, but this woman and those kids will all die."

As soon as this person ran, almost everyone else regained their mobility and scrambled out of the carriage.

Yan Tao was comforting her child when she saw this scene and immediately said anxiously, "Oh dear, how can we let them get away? They are all human traffickers!"

Lian Youming laughed and said, "How could that be?"

He smiled, but his eyes remained filled with murderous intent. This method of killing with internal energy is different from those methods that draw blood and slit throats. It is invisible to the naked eye and relies solely on internal energy to injure the enemy. It doesn't require a particularly fierce or violent scene. When he slapped those people's waists and abdomens just now, he was actually hitting their kidney and stomach meridians.

Don't be fooled by the fact that these people can still run and jump now. In three to five days, they will all die from hematuria and bloody stools.

Having already made enemies of these utterly depraved individuals, Lian Youming was not about to be kind enough to spare their lives.

Gong Wuer and his group were still able to follow the rules and uphold their principles, but he never had any expectations of them.

Some things, if you're going to do them, do them thoroughly and completely.

If they weren't on this train, given Lian Youming's current temperament, every single one of these people would have died on the spot. The fact that they've survived for another three to five days is already a bargain for them.

"Don't get off at Tianjin. Come with me to Xi'an. You can call Sun Duhe then. I think these people definitely have accomplices waiting for you at the station. There are a lot of them, and now that they've made an enemy, they definitely won't let you go. Once you get off the train, you two might both be in trouble." Yan Tao's pretty face turned pale. She hummed in agreement and then looked at the children beside her. "What about them? Should I go call the police?"

"Keep an eye on them for now, they won't wake up anytime soon." Lian Youming checked the children's breathing and, finding nothing seriously wrong, breathed a sigh of relief.

As for that Eighth Master? He already had some guesses.

In Beijing and Tianjin, there are countless notorious thieves and robbers; he'd read countless stories about them, but he'd never actually seen one in person. However, since the other party dared to commit such heinous acts, he was a scoundrel who deserved to die. If he dared to show himself, he would eliminate him completely, killing him with a single punch.

And these kids... Lian Youming doesn't trust the people on the train. He'll learn from his mistakes. Those thieves are all experts in disguise. Once they put on a new outfit, who knows if it's real or fake?

Besides, since those people keeping watch haven't left yet, it means the battle between the two sides isn't over. Every move they make is under someone else's watchful eye, practically blocking their escape route.

If Lian Youming were to leave, he certainly couldn't abandon these five children. He couldn't carry them either; if he did, it would be like tying his own hands, leaving him restricted and vulnerable to being attacked by a group of people. He would be riddled with holes in no time.

So he could only wait. He didn't trust the people on the train, so he could only wait until the train stopped.

Seeing that the night wind was getting colder, he covered the children with his coat.

As time slowly passed and Lian Youming pondered his next move, a girl in a sweater with braided hair squeezed in from behind the thieves who were keeping watch. She seemed to be looking for a restroom, but muttered, "Where did she go?"

It was Zhao Xiaozhi!

When Zhao Xiaozhi caught sight of Lian Youming in the carriage, her eyes lit up, and a hint of joy appeared in them. But she quickly realized something was wrong, her face tightened, and she hurried into the toilet.

This carriage is really strange. The other carriages are crowded to the point of being frightening, but this one is empty with only two people sitting in it. However, there are quite a few people standing at the beginning and end, but no one is sitting down.

After waiting for a few minutes, Zhao Xiaozhi finally came out of the restroom. She glanced at Lian Youming almost imperceptibly before squeezing through the crowd and leaving.

Not only Zhao Xiaozhi, but three other passengers also did not notice anything unusual. They were overjoyed to see empty seats and sat down with their luggage. However, as soon as they sat down, they were surrounded by two big men. In no time, they all fell asleep on the table and were then dragged to the connecting area between the carriages.

"Dear passengers, we are about to arrive at Tianjin Station. This train departs from our great capital and is bound for Taiyuan, Shanxi, passing through..."

As Lian Youming listened to the announcement, his eyes narrowed slightly. He gazed at the rapidly approaching lights outside the window and the diverse passengers on the platform, and felt an intangible sense of intense, chilling dread.

Looking at the railway security guards patrolling the platform, he suddenly exclaimed, "Oh dear, whose child is this? Who left their child behind?"

After saying that, as Gong An hurried in, Lian Youming, carrying Yan Tao and their luggage, went straight to the back carriage, avoiding being questioned.

His movement instilled fear in the thieves blocking the road, and they all retreated.

"Whose child?"

Several police officers, with sharp eyes, scanned the area and questioned everyone around them, but to no avail. Seeing that the children were all unconscious, their expressions changed instantly. Realizing what was happening, they picked up the children and got off the train.

Only after watching Comrade Gong An walk away quickly did Lian Youming and Yan Tao sit back down.

Yan Tao asked somewhat nervously, "What do we do now?"

With the children out of danger, Lian Youming felt a great sense of relief. He watched the figures boarding the vehicle one after another and smiled with narrowed eyes, "Just enjoy the show."

(End of this chapter)