Chaos begins when one joins a martial arts school

Chapter 28 Opening the Blind Box
Outside the courtyard wall.

Yang Jing peered through a crack in the wall at the scene inside the courtyard.

After leaving the main house, Zhang Kui, the skinny monkey, picked up the short axe on the stone table, left the courtyard, and headed south along the street.

"Huh? He's gone?"

Yang Jing was taken aback, frowned, and looked somewhat surprised.

He had been looking for an opportunity to strike, intending to take advantage of the man's illness to kill him. He decided to kill both the injured Xu Tai and Zhang Kui, but unexpectedly, Zhang Kui actually left.

However, it's fine that Zhang Kui left; it's good that he left so that he can concentrate on dealing with Xu Tai.

Zhang Kui was just an insignificant nobody; Yang Jing's real target was Xu Tai, the leader of the Dayun Gang.

Although Xu Tai is injured, he is still a master at the peak of Ming Jin. Yang Jing will have to be on high alert to deal with him.

After Zhang Kui left, Yang Jing sensed an opportunity had come, but he did not act immediately.

The night was as dark as ink, without a breath of wind, and the old locust tree in the courtyard stood still like a ghost.

After Zhang Kui, the skinny monkey, left, Yang Jing waited outside the wall for half an incense stick's time. When he was sure there was no further movement, he lightly leaped over the shadow of the wall and silently climbed into the courtyard.

As soon as his feet touched the ground, he arched his back like a cat, pressing his ear against the cold brick wall to listen to the sounds coming from the courtyard.

The only sounds were the occasional crackling of the oil lamp in the main room and coughing.

He tiptoed around the wall to the window of the main room, dipped his finger in saliva, and gently poked at the hole in the window paper to enlarge it a little.

Peering inside by the dim light, Xu Tai was leaning against the bedpost with his eyes closed, resting. Large patches of dark red seeped through the bandage on his chest, and his breathing was heavy, like a broken bellows.

Yang Jing's anxiety eased slightly.

It seems that Senior Brother Liu's information was correct; that old scoundrel Xu Tai was indeed seriously injured.

He took two steps back, listened intently to the sounds outside the courtyard, and, confirming that no one was approaching, suddenly kicked the door open.

There was a "clang" sound.

The bolt on the wooden door snapped, and the door swung open with a bang, slamming against the wall with a gust of wind.

"Who?!"

Xu Tai suddenly opened his eyes, a hint of panic flashing in them, but his years of fighting instincts made him tense up instantly, and he subconsciously wanted to hide under the bed.

Just then, a cold light flew out from Yang Jing's hand. It was the short knife he had brought with him, and it pierced straight into the bed board with a whooshing sound!
Xu Tai reacted quickly, enduring the pain as he suddenly turned to the side. The short knife grazed his waist and embedded itself deeply into the bed board with a "thud," the handle still buzzing.

However, his dodging movement aggravated his wound, and he was a beat too slow. The bandage on his side, where the blade had swept across, tore open instantly, and blood gushed out.

Xu Tai groaned in pain, his forehead instantly soaked with cold sweat. Just as he reached for the knife on the bedside table, Yang Jing pounced on him like a tiger.

"Who are you?! Does the Righteousness Gang have a third Ming Jin master?"

Xu Tai looked at Yang Jing, who was dressed in black and wearing a blue cloth mask, his face turning pale as he guessed Yang Jing's identity.

He struggled to get up, but as soon as he stood up straight, he felt dizzy and could only stagger backward, his back hitting the wall hard.

Yang Jing gave him no chance to catch his breath, lowered his waist and twisted his hips, and used the "Stone-Splitting" style of the Mountain-Crushing Fist to strike straight at his chest.

Driven by Ming Jin, the fist wind carried a fierce force, and Xu Tai hurriedly raised his arm to block.

With a muffled thud, he felt his arm go numb, as if he had hit a red-hot iron. He was jolted and slammed against the wall again, a metallic taste rising in his throat.

"Mountain-Crushing Fist? You are...you are Yang—"

Xu Tai's expression changed instantly.

At that moment, he vaguely guessed the other party's identity.

But after guessing the other person's identity, he felt for the first time that it was absurd and outrageous.

Both Sun's Martial Arts School and Dayun Gang are located in the West City area. As the leader of Dayun Gang, Xu Tai naturally knows a lot about Sun's Martial Arts School, which is quite famous in the West City. Some of his friends are even disciples of Sun's Martial Arts School.

Therefore, Xu Tai also had some understanding of the "Crushing Mountain Fist" taught at the Sun Family Martial Arts School.

Xu Tai immediately recognized Yang Jing after he used the Mountain-Crushing Fist.

He had almost no conflicts with the Ming Jin disciples of the Sun Family Martial Arts School. If there were any conflicts, it would be with Yang Jing.

But he hadn't even had a chance to deal with Yang Jing yet. At least for now, it was just a matter of a dozen or so taels of silver. How could Yang Jing kill him for a dozen or so taels of silver?!
Looking at the black-clad man who didn't say a word and whose eyes were filled with cold killing intent, Xu Tai felt an overwhelming sense of regret.

After his subordinates investigated Yang Jing's background, he originally thought that Yang Jing was just a silly boy who only knew how to practice boxing, and that even if he broke through to the Ming Jin level, it wouldn't be anything special.

If I had known this guy was a ruthless and merciless man, I wouldn't have wanted sixteen taels of silver, or even a hundred taels; I would have directly tried to ease tensions with him.

For gangsters like him who fight their way up from the bottom, what matters most is the character of their enemies. In other words, they bully honest people and try to avoid making enemies with dishonest ones. If an enmity is unavoidable, they must deal with it as quickly as possible and kill it with one blow.

But they misjudged Yang Jing.

Yang Jing is not a dull and honest person at all; on the contrary, he is a ruthless and decisive person.

"Brother, don't do it! I have money, I'll give you money—gold, silver, precious medicine—"

Xu Tai was both shocked and frightened. In his prime, he was naturally not afraid of Yang Jing, but now he was seriously injured and could not even muster 30% of his strength.

He wanted to beg for mercy and try to persuade Yang Jing with money and valuables.

Before he could finish speaking, Yang Jing's fist came down again. He didn't say a word, but his punches were even more powerful and fierce!
Yang Jing knew that Xu Tai was at the peak of Ming Jin, and even if he only had two or three tenths of his strength left, he could not be careless.

Xu Tai's face turned ugly. He suddenly curled up his legs and kicked Yang Jing hard in the abdomen, trying to force him back.

Yang Jing neither dodged nor avoided, his left hand gripping his ankle like an iron clamp, his right hand forming a fist.

With a thud, a fist slammed into the outside of Xu Tai's knee.

With a soft "crack," Xu Tai cried out in pain as his knee twisted at an odd angle.

At that moment, he knew he was finished, but he was still unwilling to give up. He grabbed Yang Jing's wrist with his other hand, trying to use the leverage to turn over.

Yang Jing's eyes turned cold, and his fist changed direction, sliding down his arm and landing heavily on the old wound on his chest!

"puff--"

Xu Tai suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, his bandages were completely stained red, and he collapsed on the floor like a lump of mud.

He watched Yang Jing approach step by step, an uncontrollable fear appearing in his eyes. "You...you can't kill me. I know your martial arts school."

Yang Jing didn't speak, but focused his internal energy into his fist. He remembered what his master Sun Yong and fourth senior brother Liu Maolin had talked about before: "energy penetrating the muscles." At this moment, every punch he threw landed precisely on Xu Tai's injured areas—the shoulder socket, the ribs, and the lower abdomen.
The fist carried the ferocity to split mountains and shatter rocks, yet it was controlled and restrained, not killing the opponent instantly, but only causing the excruciating pain to accumulate layer by layer.

Xu Tai's resistance grew weaker and weaker, from punching and blocking to only being able to protect his head with his arms, and finally he didn't even have the strength to raise his hands, leaving only panting.

The oil lamp flame flickered violently in the wind of the punch, casting the shadows of the two men on the wall: one upright like a pine tree, the other curled up like a dog.

With his final punch, Yang Jing gathered all his internal energy and slammed it hard into Xu Tai's chest.

With a muffled thud, Xu Tai's body bounced like a sack of potatoes struck by a heavy blow, then went completely still, his eyes wide open, still holding the last traces of shock and resentment.

Yang Jing stood there, panting heavily.

From the moment he kicked the door open to the moment he killed Xu Tai, everything happened in the blink of an eye, in just a few breaths.

Despite Xu Tai's eloquent words and various attempts to persuade Yang Jing, Yang Jing remained unmoved.

He didn't say a word from beginning to end, until he killed Xu Tai.

Although Xu Tai had been seriously injured before, he was still an experienced master of Ming Jin. During the fight, Yang Jing did not dare to be careless at all and was fully focused, determined not to give up until he killed Xu Tai.

After a few breaths of fierce fighting, Yang Jing couldn't help but break out in a fine sweat.

However, this was not the first time he had killed someone. Including Feng Lei and Scarface Li, Xu Tai was the third person to die at his hands.

As he killed more people, Yang Jing's mindset gradually changed, and he no longer felt the initial discomfort.

Moreover, people like Xu Tai and Scarface Li deserve to die, even more so than Feng Lei.

It should be noted that the Dayun Gang has always been engaged in heinous businesses. Loan sharking is one of the better ones, but their business of harvesting and butchering animals is enough to kill these animals ten or eight times over.

Soon, Yang Jing took a deep breath, slowly exhaled, calmed himself down, and then bent down to grope Xu Tai's body.

Yang Jing reached inside Xu Tai's clothes with his fingers and, to his surprise, didn't find any silver coins. Instead, he touched a booklet with a rough cover.

Yang Jing withdrew his hand, pulled out the booklet and looked at it. On the cover, three words were written in thick ink: "The Turbulent Leg".

"This is actually a martial art?"

Yang Jing was taken aback, then a strong sense of surprise rose in his heart.

He is no longer the novice he was when he first transmigrated. With continuous practice, he has gained a deeper understanding of martial arts.

Yang Jingke knew very well that a martial arts technique was extremely rare.

Just like the Sun Family Martial Arts School, the reason why it has achieved its current reputation in the entire Yuhe County is because of its "Crushing Mountain Fist".

Of course, the complete version of "Crushing Mountain Fist" was only in the hands of Sun Yong, and only Sun Yong had mastered it to the level of a Transformation Realm expert. It can be said that in Yuhe County, Sun Yong represented "Crushing Mountain Fist".

Mentioning "Crushing Mountain Fist" brings to mind Sun Yong, and mentioning Sun Yong brings to mind "Crushing Mountain Fist".

Yang Jing glanced at the booklet in his hand. The pages were yellowed and the edges were worn, indicating that it was quite old. Although Yang Jing did not know what level of martial arts this "Surging Waves Leg" was, the fact that Xu Tai kept it close to him meant that it was probably not some fake or deceptive item.

Having just committed murder, the situation was tense. Yang Jing didn't have time to look through the booklet. He folded it in half twice and stuffed it into his pocket, hiding it tightly against his chest.

He then quickly scanned the room and searched around. On the table were scattered medicines and empty bowls, under the bed were several empty wooden boxes, and in the cabinet in the corner were only a few old clothes.

Yang Jing shook his head; it seemed there was nothing else of value in the room.

Without further delay, Yang Jing bent down, grabbed Xu Tai's corpse by the arm, and threw him onto the bed.

The corpse was heavy, but Yang Jing was now a martial artist who had reached the level of internal strength, and his strength far exceeded that of ordinary people, so moving the corpse was not difficult for him.

Yang Jing then casually arranged Xu Tai's body in a position that made it look like he had been trapped in the fire and burned to death while unconscious from severe injuries.

After doing all this, he turned around and walked to the octagonal table, picked up the oil lamp, walked to the bedside, and held the wick close to the bed curtains.

The dry fabric ignited instantly upon contact with fire, and with a "whoosh," flames quickly leaped up, licking at the bed frame and bedding.

Yang Jing immediately stepped back, turned around, and rushed out of the room.

He dared not linger, climbed over the wall, and his figure instantly disappeared into the darkness at the alley entrance.

After running several dozen feet, he looked back and saw that the secluded courtyard was already ablaze with fire, illuminating half of the night sky.

Many people were already gathering towards the fire, shouts and the clanging of buckets filled the air, clearly indicating that nearby residents were rushing to help put out the fire.

Looking at the raging fire, Yang Jing knew that Xu Tai's body would soon be engulfed by the flames and burned to a charred, unrecognizable state.

The scars on his fists, the broken bones, and the marks on his body would all vanish in the high temperature, and no one would be able to tell that he died from the Mountain-Crushing Fist.

Yang Jing didn't look back, quickening his pace as he walked through the alley, the "Surging Waves Leg" in his arms rising and falling gently with each step.

The firelight behind him grew brighter and the noise grew louder, but none of that mattered to him anymore.

The karmic ties between the Dayun Gang and him came to an end with the death of Xu Tai, the leader of the Dayun Gang.

Under the cover of night, Yang Jing circled back to the garbage dump in Fenglefang.

Pushing aside the withered branches, fallen leaves, and other trash, Yang Jing found the sack that Scarface Li had taken from the Dayun Gang headquarters was still there. The clattering sounds coming from inside put Yang Jing's mind at ease.

He immediately picked up the sack; it was quite heavy, and Yang Jing couldn't help but feel a strong sense of anticipation for what was inside.

Next, Yang Jing retrieved the sack and immediately headed towards Datongfang.

Along the way, he became increasingly cautious, deliberately choosing to walk in the shadows of eaves and alleyways, and hiding in corners to avoid night watchmen or drunkards.

Reaching the depths of a narrow alley, Yang Jing, seeing no one around, quickly hid in the shadows, took off his night clothes and mask, and stuffed them, along with his blood-stained dagger, into a sack.

After handling the situation properly, he carried the sack and continued walking towards Datongfang.

It was nearly midnight, and Datongfang was deathly silent, with almost everyone asleep. Only a few lanterns were still lit in front of the courtyard gates, but they looked like they would soon be extinguished.

The firelight and hustle and bustle of Xinghua Ward are too far away here; at this moment, only a slumbering silence prevails in Datong Ward.

Yang Jing arrived at the rented courtyard and gently pushed open the half-closed gate, his footsteps extremely light.

The lights in the other tenants' rooms in the courtyard were already off. Yang Jing quickly returned to his own room and fastened the door latch behind him.

Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief, leaning against the door and listening to his own somewhat rapid heartbeat.

"Tonight's going to be exciting."

Yang Jing let out a long breath, his gaze falling on the sack on the ground. His eyes were bright and alert, flashing with a hint of tension and anticipation. "Whether I can break through to the Dark Force realm as soon as possible depends on this blind box opening."

(End of this chapter)