Under the fist

Chapter 76 Old debts unpaid, new grievances added.

"Squeak."

The courtyard gate opened, and the girl looked at the person standing outside with some confusion.

Lian Youming didn't say anything, just chuckled and squeezed in first.

He was already tall and burly, and with just one movement, he didn't look like a good person. The girl immediately looked panicked, quickly tucked her collar in, took several steps back, and was still holding a pair of scissors in her hand. She was terrified and trembling.

The courtyard was small, even cramped.

Several plum blossoms have already formed buds and are placed in the corner.

In the center of the courtyard, there was a winnowing basket with dates drying in it.

Lian Youming picked up a few dates and ate them as he said, "There are quite a few people outside... Mmm, these dates are so sweet."

He casually hooked his right foot onto the door, glancing around at the girl without paying any attention to her trembling. He said to himself, "When I was working in the countryside in Northeast China, I met an old man. Before he died, he asked me to come and see you on his behalf."

As soon as those words left her lips, the girl's initially panicked eyes suddenly revealed a subtle change, as if hiding hatred, inner turmoil, pain, and reluctance, and even her eyes reddened.

Sure enough, I could hear it.

Lian Youming's gaze froze, and he cursed Xie Laosan a thousand times in his heart. This person must have deliberately lied to him.

the reason is simple.

That old man definitely guessed his granddaughter's current situation, but dared not say it outright, so he could only cover it up. He was certain that as long as Lian Youming went there, he would not stand idly by and watch an orphan girl be bullied.

"This old thing."

Lian Youming was somewhat surprised and angry.

They were enemies, yet Xie Laosan, on the verge of death, actually trusted his enemy and entrusted his granddaughter to him. How tragic and helpless it was, yet one could not refuse him.

Because Xie Laosan trusted him.

I believe he is a good person, and I believe even more that he is someone I can entrust my life to.

It was precisely because of this belief that this person was willing to risk his life in a life-or-death situation, and was ready to fight with all his might. He hoped to use the slightest bit of friendship he had built with Lian Youming to fight the enemy, in order to buy his granddaughter a chance to catch her breath, even if that chance was very slim.

A dying man, a man who has done many bad things, in the end actually believes in the goodness he once betrayed, and places his last remaining hope on his enemy.

How ridiculous.

"Hehe, this is ridiculous." Lian Youming found it funny, but then he sighed, "But the timing is wrong. Xie Laosan, you didn't expect how many enemies I've made, did you? Plus your granddaughter, I don't know if I can handle it."

This statement reveals Lian Youming's inner choice.

Whether he can withstand it or not is another matter; his only task now is to prove that Xie Laosan did not trust the wrong person.

Some people you see every day, but that doesn't necessarily make you friends; on the contrary, you might become rivals who scheme against each other, and you might even stab each other in the back.

But some people, after only meeting once or exchanging a few words, are enough to become lifelong friends.

Xie Laosan was certainly not his friend or confidant; he was an enemy. Lian Youming didn't feel the slightest regret that Xie Laosan had died, but the other party could trust him.

Inside the house, there is a memorial tablet for Xie Laosan.

Lian Youming looked at the memorial tablet and smiled faintly, "Third Brother Xie, you're not blind after all, you have good judgment. My character is beyond reproach."

For no other reason than that he was willing to give Xie Laosan a chance to believe in goodness again.

Even if this person is already dead.

Looking at the almost bare walls and furnishings in the room, Lian Youming walked around for a while before finally meeting the other person's narrow, willow-leaf-shaped eyes and looking at their pale face. "No wonder you want to eat dates. You look a bit anemic and malnourished. What's your name?"

The girl was wearing a somewhat old and small cotton coat. Her fingers were clenched tightly. She didn't speak, but just stood there, her eyes red. She neither approached nor distanced herself. After a while, she took out a small notebook from her pocket and pointed to the words on it.

"Xie Ruomei".

Then he quickly wrote three more words.

"Go quickly."

Lian Youming finally understood that the girl could only hear, but still couldn't speak.

Just then, two footsteps approached quickly from outside the courtyard, then jumped over the wall and landed in the courtyard.

Lian Youming tossed the last jujube in his hand into his mouth, turned around and saw two young men jumping in. They were slender-waisted, long-armed, and broad-shouldered, clearly martial arts practitioners.

A man with his arms crossed, wearing only a sailor shirt despite it being the dead of winter, said coldly, "Kid, who are you? State your name!"

Lian Youming said with a grin, "You go first."

The man narrowed his eyes slightly. "What is your relationship with Xie Laosan and the White Lotus Sect?"

Lian Youming bluntly stated, "An enemy."

"Bullshit." Another slightly older, bearded young man spat out, "You can still laugh when it's really your enemy."

Lian Youming stopped chewing and asked, "Then tell me, what kind of person am I?"

The bearded youth sneered, "I bet you're either a disciple of Xie Laosan, a heretic from the White Lotus Sect, or maybe just some random man this little beast found, hehe."

Lian Youming laughed too, grinning and squinting, "Alright, whatever you say."

The bearded youth's laughter froze, and the muscles in his cheeks twitched uncontrollably. "Then you might have to leave lying down today."

Lian Youming curled his lip upon hearing this, "I thought you were going to kill me. Heh, you're really being polite. Well then, I'll let you leave lying down."

The two people opposite him chuckled. "Where did this clown come from? I'm from the Yanqing Sect."

Lian Youming scoffed, "Never heard of it."

"you wanna die."

Upon hearing this, the other man's face turned cold. He moved in an arc, his arms trembling like pythons, and he closed in, grabbing the shoulder and waist with a wrestling technique.

But as soon as this person touched Lian Youming's body, he heard a clear "coo" sound like a toad.

The sound was not loud, but it was like a bucket of cold water being poured over his head, startling the young man.

His original intention in interlocking his fingers was to grasp tendons and bones, and seize joints and ribs, but as soon as the toad chirped, Lian Youming's clothes suddenly burst open silently, as if a ball of cotton had been stuffed inside. When he exerted his strength, it was like a mud ox entering water, only able to hold onto a layer of clothes.

"The art of fishing for toads?"

Upon hearing the toad's cry, the bearded youth's expression changed drastically. With a flick of his arms, the wrinkles on his sleeves were instantly smoothed out by a strange force, as if they had transformed into two steel whips that lashed out, the force of which was deafening.

As he made his move, the other party hurriedly shouted, "Brother, hold on!"

Tongbei Fist, Great Sage Fist, Armor...

Lian Youming only saw this fighting style and he could already tell that it contained three kinds of internal martial arts. As for what the other party said, he ignored it.

The fist is already at your doorstep, telling people not to make a move? That's ridiculous.

Meeting the trembling eyes of the young man before him, Lian Youming placed his hands on the other's arms, his ten fingers slightly bent and half-clenched. As soon as this "entwining silk force" touched him, the young man's face turned ashen. He could not hold on for more than half a breath before his center of gravity was disrupted.

Lian Youming's originally burly body suddenly shrank, and he leaped backward. With a forceful pull, the young man immediately fell forward like a puppet on strings.

He had barely tumbled into the air when he was kicked in the chest, smashed open the courtyard gate, and tumbled out of the yard, stirring up a flurry of snowflakes, without uttering a sound.

The bearded man snorted angrily upon seeing this, his arms swinging with a whooshing sound, his strength terrifying. But Lian Youming remained calm and composed, landing with a firm kick, his cotton coat shaking and the snow falling on his shoulders being brushed away.

His feet were neither shoulder-width apart, and his soft palms pressed lightly into the air, looking as gentle and powerless as stirring water. With just a slight movement, his palms kneaded the other person's fist.

The bearded man's pupils contracted sharply, and he unleashed a burst of powerful force with both arms, trying to break free.

However, Lian Youming's soft palm was like a leech clinging to a bone, moving with the opponent's force, pushing and turning, his feet drawing arcs and turning, making it seem as if he was stuck to the opponent's body.

The bearded man's eyelids twitched wildly, and his inner strength exploded. A series of cracking sounds, like soybeans bursting, could be faintly heard between his fists and palms, but he just couldn't break free from Lian Youming's soft palms. His originally steady breathing became visibly heavy.

As the opponent's aura weakened, Lian Youming, still smiling, strode closer, leaned his right shoulder against the opponent's chest, and the bearded man immediately tumbled and fell over.

On the snow, the bearded man tumbled down in a disheveled state, and said in a hoarse voice, "You're the one who has a grudge against the Eagle Claw Sect?"

Lian Youming said calmly, "It's me. What can I do for you? Which sect or school are you from?"

The bearded man's face flushed red. "I'm from the Pi Gua School. You're already in dire straits yourself, yet you dare to wade into this mess?"

Lian Youming laughed, "You're really something. You were the ones who were about to fight at the drop of a hat. Besides, I'm already in a precarious situation, so what's there to be afraid of?"

The bearded youth's face darkened further. "Xie Tianhong is not only a member of the White Lotus Sect, but he has also made enemies with our sects... Are you determined to protect this little beast?"

Lian Youming frowned slightly upon hearing this. "She has done evil deeds?"

The bearded youth said coldly, "No."

Lian Youming said irritably, "Then what nonsense are you spouting?"

The bearded youth, his eyes red, hissed, "The son must pay for the father's debts!"

Hearing this, Lian Youming scratched his head in annoyance. "Can we discuss this?"

The bearded youth stood up and said fiercely, "No."

Lian Youming pondered for a moment and then asked, "If I want to resolve the feud between the Xie family and you, what should I do?"

In the vast expanse of white snow, an old man in a Zhongshan suit walked with his hands behind his back, his beard and eyebrows gray, and he was over sixty years old.

"Do you have some connection with this girl?"

Lian Youming sighed, "No, this is the first time I've seen this before."

The old man then asked, "Then why are you still protecting her?"

Lian Youming smiled lazily, "I know Xie Tianhong isn't a good person, but what can I do? I'm just a kind-hearted person who always likes to do good deeds like Comrade Lei Feng."

The old man nodded, thought for a moment, and said calmly, "Young man, you have good courage. Back in the Republic of China era, there was a street in Cangzhou lined with martial arts schools, as many as twenty-eight at its peak. In those days, if there was a grudge to settle, you had to set up a fight on the street. The number of people involved depended on the severity of the grudge. If someone who had done evil and wanted to settle a score, they had to fight nine matches by themselves. These nine people were all skilled fighters recommended by their respective schools. Only by winning could they gain a foothold... This was called 'breaking into the street'."

Lian Youming said jokingly, "I understand, it's a war of attrition, but I don't have much time to wait for you."

The old man's eyes were calm. "Then we'll wait for you. We know you have a grudge against the Eagle Claw Sect. If you survive, then come and cause trouble again."

Lian Youming laughed somewhat unrestrainedly, pointing at the people in the shadows, "These people can't be here serving us every day, can they?"

The old man's tone was also calm, "Don't worry, since you've said so, they naturally won't show up again during this period, and you don't need to worry about anyone using dirty tricks behind your back."

"You're particular." Lian Youming's tiger-like eyes narrowed slightly. "Old man, who are you? Can your words be trusted?"

The old man's eyes flickered slightly. "Thinking back, Xie Tianhong and I were once sworn brothers. As for whether what I said is true or not, let me put it this way: Li Da is my martial uncle, and I am from the 'Bajiquan' sect. As for the names of us, you will know when you come back alive."

Lian Youming immediately relaxed, cupped his hands in thanks, and said, "Thank you!"

The old man gave the boy, who resembled a fierce tiger, a deep look, said nothing, and turned to leave.

(End of this chapter)