Under the fist

Chapter 58 A Force Like an Overturning Mountain, the Eight Extremes Sect
Their footsteps were rapid, their sword flashes swift and fierce, like a sudden storm.

Gazing at the dense array of cold, gleaming shadows before him, Lian Youming's breath quickened and deepened, but it didn't sink completely. Instead, the breath entered his lungs and sank into his abdomen. The sank energy was the Qi Pill condensed from the Toad Fishing Technique, as if a fish had been caught from his throat and tongue and was now in his stomach. It seemed to sink but wasn't, suspended but not stopping, constantly vibrating up and down, thus stimulating his entire body to generate a strange force.

This "Toad Fishing Skill" is an internal martial art called "Dan Gong" (丹功). Its essence lies in the word "fishing." You fish for a breath, neither sinking nor exhaling, to keep it alive. Only when the breath, body, and strength are alive can your fists and feet be alive.

"Cuckoo..."

Two toad calls suddenly arose from Lian Youming's throat, clear and light, like the surging of a mountain spring, carrying an unusual penetrating force.

As the lights shone down, his taut muscles suddenly seemed to swell, his short hair stood on end like spears, his eyebrows were raised and his eyes were wide open, the red mole between his eyebrows was as red as blood, and his whole body exuded a fierce aura.

Upon hearing the toad's cry, Master Ba, who had been sitting steadily, swayed slightly, and the look in his eyes behind his toad-like glasses changed.

Having just practiced the Tai Chi hammer technique, and now this toad-catching skill, the back of his hand was tense, and his gaze was vaguely fixed on a man with a mustache wearing a melon-shaped hat leaning against the wooden door of the carriage behind him.

In the world of martial arts, besides skills, the most important thing is insight. With good insight, you can not only know the gains and losses, advantages and disadvantages, but also save your life in critical moments.

If the other party is indeed from the Tai Chi School, this matter could become very troublesome.

In that short time, two swift blades had already slashed and sliced, attacking Lian Youming's hands and feet.

The two wielders, a man and a woman, stood one above the other, one holding the knife in their left hand and the other in their right. The knife handles were wrapped with several layers of cloth rope. Their knife skills were fast and insidious, with ruthless and tricky angles. They didn't chop or slash, but instead severed people's tendons.

They not only had knives in their hands, but also Emei daggers in their other hands. The daggers spun rapidly, and if they were to block a knife, the Emei daggers would pierce straight into their hearts and lungs; if they were to seize a knife, the daggers would slash swiftly, making them incredibly deadly.

It's actually a combined attack formation.

Just as Lian Youming was about to parry, two more figures leaped from the back of the chair and pounced. One of them moved with lightning speed, like a venomous dragon, his legs flashing and spinning, creating layers of shadows that swept up the flying cotton and snowflakes, instantly mixing them together. The other landed and his arms trembled as he took a step forward, stomping his foot hard on the ground for leverage, then raised his elbow to strike Lian Youming's side.

"Bajiquan?"

Despite being surrounded, Lian Youming showed no sign of panic on his face; in fact, he was quite surprised.

You wouldn't believe he's a seasoned江湖人 (jianghu person, someone who has traveled all over the country) – he really has some skills. His coordinated attacks and encirclement tactics leave no chance for the enemy to breathe.

Amidst the flashing swords and clashing fists, Lian Youming neither dodged nor evaded. With a mere flick of his wrist, a handful of bean powder, carried by the cold wind behind him, dazzled the eyes of the man and woman.

"what!"

The two men came on strong, their blades impenetrable, and they were about to succeed when Lian Youming suddenly pulled a move that caused his face to change drastically. As his eyes stung, he instinctively squinted and lowered his head.

Through their blurred vision, they could only see that the imposing figure in front of them remained motionless. Overjoyed, they swiftly brought their blades down, aiming for Lian Youming's chest.

Lian Youming didn't move, nor did he dodge, nor even block. He steadied his feet, his aura contained, and his shirt seemed to be stuffed with cotton, rippling slightly. He stared intently at the swift blade, wanting to test it himself.

He wanted to test his current abilities.

In the blink of an eye, the blade had already fallen.

"what!"

But the two swordsmen, male and female, both cried out in surprise. It was because their swords, which had struck Lian Youming's chest, had slid off at an angle as if they had been deflected by the ripples in the air.

However, after the blade grazed the skin, a long, narrow gash appeared on Lian Youming's shirt, and a shallow cut appeared on the skin underneath. But the wound quickly closed up again in an instant.

This is not healing, but rather a manifestation of muscles constantly wrapping inward and continuously solidifying into one.

Lian Youming possessed the "Golden Bell Cover" technique, a muscle shield, and the "Toad Fishing Skill," an internal energy technique that could neutralize external force. Although he hadn't mastered it to perfection, the combination of the two unexpectedly produced a synergistic effect. Furthermore, after consuming that fierce tiger, his aura grew stronger day by day, and his muscles and bones underwent a dramatic transformation, making him far more powerful than before.

He glanced down at the trace of blood on his chest, still somewhat dissatisfied, and then punched out with both fists at the same time. The force was like a heavy hammer, and the momentum was like a mountain collapsing. He twisted and smashed the wrists of the two men in the waist and abdomen, and the fierce and domineering force immediately penetrated into their liver and kidneys.

"External martial arts training?"

The two men's eyes nearly popped out, but it was too late. With a muffled thud, the male and female knife-wielders instantly stiffened, lost control of their groin, and stared wide-eyed, unable to even scream. Their faces turned a liverish color from the pain as they slowly knelt on the ground.

The two men's kneeling immediately blocked some of the other thieves' attacks, but they were quickly pulled backward.

"Humph!"

With a single move, Lian Youming didn't even glance at the wild and fierce leg shadows on his left. He raised his left hand to protect his chest and head, half-blocking and half-parrying the layers of leg shadows.

His right hand had already touched the other person's elbow, and with a gentle rub of his five fingers, he quickly withdrew. But halfway there, he turned his palm into a fist and tapped the tendon on the other person's elbow. The originally fierce and domineering elbow strike immediately lost seven-tenths of its force, and it crashed into him as if a child had entered his arms.

Lian Youming's eyes were icy cold. He dodged to the side and punched Lian Youming in the cheek.

The other person, still with a look of shock and horror on their face, tilted their head to the side and spat out a mouthful of broken teeth and blood mist into the cold wind. They were like a drunkard, with half of their face deformed, and plunged into the gap between the seats, motionless.

Almost simultaneously, two footprints appeared on Lian Youming's chest. With two muffled thuds, he was struck by the sharp leg shadow, and his body swayed as he retreated.

The one who used the leg technique was a slanted-eyed, hunched-over man with a twisted head. Seeing that he had landed a successful blow, he was eager to press his advantage. Using his hands as feet, he braced himself against the back of the chair, his body soaring through the air, his legs nimbly flying, sweeping towards Lian Youming's face.

"Kill, kill, kill... So what if you're from the Tai Chi Sect? Kid, you're lucky to have been defeated by my legs."

Lian Youming's face turned extremely ugly as he smelled the stench of stinky feet. He opened and closed his left hand like a pincer, intending to use his superior physique to overpower and restrain his opponent. However, his slanted eyes were already prepared, and his feet swept and jabbed, kicking the opponent's wrist and sweeping his fingers with considerable force.

"Foot poking?"

But he only took half a step back. Lian Youming lowered his eyes and, with a flick of his right arm, the muscles of his entire arm quietly stretched outward. He started his hammering technique again and smashed it hard at the leg shadow that swept towards him.

In the midst of the clash of fists and feet, the moment they collided, a crack was heard from the right leg of the slanted-eye man, which appeared to have shortened, leaving his thin, short body hanging straight out of the window.

"Hiss...ah..."

Before he could catch his breath, Lian Youming charged forward with a gloomy and fierce expression, throwing a punch straight at his chest, yelling, "Get down here!"

Seeing that deadly punch, the squinty-eyed man forgot all about screaming and was terrified. He quickly shrank back and jumped off the train on his own.

But at that moment, two figures suddenly rushed in through the window. They landed and flipped over, hooking Lian Youming's feet with a grappling hook. Their hands moved like venomous snakes, aiming straight for his groin.

It turned out that some people had already taken advantage of the situation and were waiting outside the train to make their move.

Not only were there people on his left and right, but there were also people behind Lian Youming.

A figure appeared to jump off the roof of the vehicle and then quickly squeezed through the door of the carriage, holding a sharp knife and thrusting straight at the target.

With each move, the group of thieves inside the carriage seemed to instantly form a killing formation; in short, it was chaos, and they attacked everyone they could.

Some people even took the opportunity to steal Lian Youming's luggage.

The person coming from behind was the little old lady, while the one reaching for the luggage was One-Ear. Chaos ensued.

squeeze.

Lian Youming's eyes swept quickly across the room, and he felt as if the small carriage was packed with people.

There were people in front of him, people behind him, and people to his left and right. It seemed that there was intense killing intent all around him.

The moment his legs were restrained, Lian Youming's pupils contracted sharply. He saw two more thieves rush out from among the bandits, attempting to lock his shoulders. They held two steel claws in their hands, their cold light gleaming menacingly.

Not only were there people, but two flashes of light also flew out from the other end of the carriage, shooting straight at the chest; they were clearly two throwing knives.

It really is a mixed bag.

Faced with such a perilous situation, Lian Youming's thick eyebrows furrowed, and the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end, as if he too had sensed an immense killing intent.

But he couldn't retreat; the little old woman behind him was closing in, seemingly waiting to stab him.

At the critical moment of life and death, Lian Youming's expression remained unchanged. He grabbed the coat on the back of the chair beside him with one hand, and with a flick of his wrist, the green coat billowed out like a green cloud. It not only blocked the two flying knives, but also blocked the vision of the group of thieves, and kept the two who intended to lock their shoulders out.

Taking a brief moment to catch his breath, Lian Youming clenched his fists into phoenix-eye fists, releasing them with lightning speed. He struck the tops of the two men clinging to his legs, broke free from their restraints, and leaped away, narrowly avoiding the old woman's knife from behind.

A cold wind howled, frost and snow poured in, and the coat fluttered to the ground.

"Ah, save me!"

The old woman missed her first strike, but her scalp tingled with fear. Lian Youming had already squatted on the back of a chair, his eyes brimming with malevolence, making him appear like a ferocious ape with a grotesque face and a snarling grin, waiting for his chance, already raising his hand.

"You bunch of scum, you've actually got some skills."

As soon as he finished speaking, he spread his right hand wide, like a palm covering the sky, and pressed it hard on the old woman's face, which was as withered as tree bark. With a flick of his arm, he lifted her up and then slammed her down on the thieves who were about to attack again.

With overwhelming and fierce force, the old woman's body twisted unnaturally before she even landed. Five or six people were smashed like rolling gourds, their bones broken, coughing up blood and staggering backward, their eyes filled with horror.

All these changes, though seemingly complex and lengthy, actually took no more than five or six minutes; the difference in skill was already evident in the very first move.

The group of thieves looked at the many figures lying on the ground, their previous imposing aura gone. They stared at each other in disbelief, their eyes filled with horror.

Yan Tao, sitting in the corner, was stunned and dumbfounded. Looking at the people lying on the ground and then at the figure who was moving wildly and aggressively in the carriage, she felt a sense of bewilderment, as if she were in a dream.

Without a moment's hesitation, Lian Youming grabbed the luggage rack with his left hand, shrank like a monkey, and imitated the monkey-like tricks of the Xingyi School. With his arms hanging down and outstretched, he moved and twisted on the luggage rack like he was hanging from a tree and kicking a branch, and then pounced backward.

He is now strong and powerful, and although he is not as agile as the monkey form of those Xingyi School practitioners, he can still rise and fall freely and move swiftly thanks to his strong physique.

Just as One Ear touched the luggage, a strange laugh suddenly came from above. He subconsciously looked up and saw a large hand grabbing at him. Before he could react, he felt a pain in his right eye and realized that one eye had been gouged out. Just as he was about to scream, he was kicked in the center of the chest and fell backward.

After doing all this, Lian Youming flipped over and jumped up, but did not stop. With a cold laugh, he threw up a handful of bean powder along with the cold wind that swept in.

The remaining four thieves made a move to attack again, but Doufen squinted and the wind and snow hit their faces. When they managed to look again, they were shocked to find that their vision had vanished.

The next second, a burly figure seemed to descend from the sky. Amid a series of exclamations, he clenched his left fist and opened his right palm. His left fist thrust and pointed, expanding from a single point to a wider area, striking the entire body with force. His right palm slapped and pressed, unleashing his inner strength.

In just a few breaths, the once crowded half of the carriage was now empty, and a group of people collapsed to the ground.

Suddenly, Lian Youming's expression changed, because at that moment, behind the thieves who had fallen to the ground, a figure emerged, exhaling scalding breath and letting out a muffled groan like a bull's roar. With his elbows raised, he charged straight at the wind and snow like an arrow released from a bow.

A practitioner of Bajiquan?
Lian Youming's eyes narrowed slightly, his pupils contracted sharply, but it was too late to defend himself.

The timing of this person's attack was absolutely perfect; it occurred precisely during the brief interval between his breath shifts and the alternation of his internal energy.

Decisive and efficient, his stomping was thunderous.

So fast.

From the moment he heard the strange, bull-like roar to the moment the enemy attacked and got close, only a moment had passed.

"Ba Ye?"

The bandit leader was actually a highly skilled martial artist with hidden abilities.

As the other person's face rapidly approached, Lian Youming suddenly felt a pain in his chest, and his feet touched the ground as he slid backward a short distance.

Eighth Master wore those frog-like sunglasses, his triangular eyes gleaming with a dangerous cold light. He also had several small black moles on his face, and his cheeks were extremely thin, his skin and flesh like taut strings.

Seeing the red stain on Lian Youming's mouth, Eighth Master smiled mockingly, "Kid, you're still too green. You dare to stand up for others without knowing the consequences, which is a major taboo in military strategy. Besides, you also have to worry about those three burdens behind you... You dare to act like a hero at such a young age, but you don't know that the shortest-lived heroes are often the ones who die young. So what if you're from the Tai Chi Sect? Do you think I'm a pushover?"

Lian Youming steadied himself, bared his teeth, revealing two rows of blood-stained teeth, dusted off his chest, and chuckled strangely, "You learned your Bajiquan from your master's wife, didn't you?"

Eighth Master's face turned cold. "You're about to die and you're still being stubborn. Today I'll teach you a lesson."

Just as the two were about to fight, someone suddenly squeezed into the carriage.

"Eighth Master, the flight attendants are coming."

In an instant, both Eighth Master and Lian Youming narrowed their eyes and sat down across the aisle, as if nothing had happened.

Soon, several other thieves arrived quickly and swiftly carried the group of people lying on the ground off the train, closed the doors and windows, and even wiped away the bloodstains.

The train attendant arrived quickly, yawning as he squeezed through the carriages. But when he reached the last carriage, he couldn't help but frown, sniffing the strange smell in the air, and naturally looked at the grandmother and grandson.

"Why does it smell so bad? You two, just the old man and the child, where are your tickets?"

Lian Youming put on his coat and said softly, "I paid for their tickets."

The disheveled girl was initially at a loss, but upon hearing these words, her tense body immediately relaxed.

The flight attendant wanted to say a few more words, but upon hearing the old man's heart-wrenching cough, she quickly took the ticket money from Lian Youming and hurried away with a look of disgust.

After everyone turned and walked away, Lian Youming sat down again.

Eighth Master, standing to the side, slowly took off his glasses, placed them aside, and then rolled up his sleeves.

　It will be available at noon tomorrow, so today is a combination of the two.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)