Shooting the Eagle: Starting from Iron Palm Peak

In the middle of the night, Lin Qi was awakened by a commotion.

The sounds came from outside the inn, a mixture of footsteps, voices, and the clanging of weapons. He sat up abruptly, fumbled for his clothes in the dark, and opened the window to look out. In the moonlight, five or six figures stood at the inn's entrance. The one in the lead was burly, with a protruding fleshy growth on his forehead—it was none other than Hou Tonghai, the Three-Headed Dragon. Behind him followed four men of varying heights and builds—the Four Devils of the Yellow River. A waiter huddled by the door, trembling with fear.

Hou Tonghai was shouting, "Which room is Guo Jing staying in? Tell him to come out!"

The waiter pointed tremblingly to the second floor. Hou Tonghai looked up and met Lin Qi's gaze. He snorted coldly, ignored Lin Qi, and shouted, "Guo Jing! Come out here!"

There was a noise coming from the next room. Guo Jing pushed open the door and came out, his clothes disheveled, clearly having been woken up as well. He walked to the railing in the corridor, looked down, and frowned: "Master Hou? What's wrong so late?"

Hou Tonghai clasped his hands in a fist salute and said in a gruff voice, "Guo Jing, we have some old scores to settle with your masters. Tomorrow at noon, at the Black Pine Forest ten miles west of the city, summon them. If they dare not come, they can forget about ever showing their faces in the Central Plains martial arts world again!"

One of the Four Demons of the Yellow River behind him—Shen Qinggang, the Soul-Severing Blade—whispered a reminder: "Uncle-Master, what if the Seven Heroes of Jiangnan aren't here?"

Hou Tonghai snorted, "Not here? Then let this brat come by himself. Anyway, I've delivered the message." He looked up at Guo Jing and said fiercely, "Tomorrow at noon, Black Pine Forest. If your masters don't come, you can come and die by yourself! Don't say I'm bullying the weak then!"

With that, he waved his hand, and led the Four Demons of the Yellow River away in a long stride. The sound of their footsteps faded into the distance, and the street returned to silence. The waiter, relieved, closed the door and retreated back inside.

Guo Jing stood in the corridor, his expression grave. He had wanted to tell Hou Tonghai that his masters had gone to Zhongdu, but the latter hadn't given him a chance to speak. Now he neither knew where his masters were nor how to inform them.

Lin Qi walked into the corridor and asked, "Brother Guo, who are those people?"

Guo Jing sighed, "They are men under Wanyan Honglie's command. They were taught a lesson by my masters in Mongolia before. This time they came to seek revenge on my masters. But my masters aren't here..."

"Where did your masters go?"

Guo Jing shook his head: "I only know that they went south before me, but I don't know exactly where they went."

Lin Qi knew in his heart that the Seven Heroes of Jiangnan had gone to Zhongdu, but Guo Jing did not know.

These people are probably Hou Tonghai and the Four Ghosts of the Yellow River.

He didn't point it out, but simply said, "Brother Guo, it's too dangerous for you to go alone tomorrow. I'll go with you."

Guo Jing shook his head: "Brother Lin, this is a matter between me and my masters, and I can't involve you."

"What do you mean by 'implicate'?" Lin Qi smiled. "We're friends. How could I stand idly by when a friend is in trouble?"

Guo Jing looked at him gratefully, about to speak, when suddenly they heard a very soft sound from downstairs, as if someone had climbed over the wall and landed. The two of them peered down, and in the moonlight, a small, thin figure emerged from the shadows at the base of the wall, looked up, grinned at them, revealing a set of white teeth.

It was that little beggar—Huang Rong.

Guo Jing was both surprised and delighted: "Young man? What are you doing here?"

Huang Rong lowered her voice and chuckled, "I live in the inn next door. I heard the commotion and came to check. I overheard those guys challenging you to a fight. I'm going tomorrow too."

Guo Jing quickly said, "Young brother, this has nothing to do with you, you don't need to—"

"How can it be alright?" Huang Rong interrupted him. "We're friends. How can I stand idly by when a friend is in trouble?" She mimicked Lin Qi's tone from earlier, smiling broadly.

Lin Qi couldn't help but laugh. Guo Jing also laughed and stopped refusing.

The three agreed to meet at the inn entrance at noon the next day and then go back to their rooms to rest.

Lin Qi lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. Moonlight streamed in through the cracks in the window, casting a thin white line on the floor. He touched the Iron Palm Token in his pocket, silently thinking about the Black Pine Forest rendezvous tomorrow. Hou Tonghai and the Four Ghosts of the Yellow River weren't particularly skilled, but it was still five against one—no, three. He, Guo Jing, and Huang Rong should be able to hold their own. But he couldn't reveal the origin of his Iron Palm technique, nor could he let Huang Rong see any weakness. He had to carefully control the timing of his attacks.

The next day at noon, the sun shone brightly, casting a dazzling white light on the official road. Lin Qi had changed into a neat set of short clothes, carefully concealing the Iron Palm Token on his body, and a short knife hung at his waist. Guo Jing was still wearing his Mongolian robe, with a short knife at his waist, his expression serious. Huang Rong was still dressed as a beggar, in a tattered leather hat and a gray short robe, holding a tree branch in her hand—she said she used it as a weapon.

The three rode out of the city and headed towards the western suburbs.

The ten-mile journey wasn't far; it took less than half an hour to reach it. The Black Pine Forest was a dense, dark pine forest with tall trees and thick foliage. The light inside was dim, and the wind rustled through the pine needles, making a sound like countless people whispering to each other.

The three men tied their horses to trees outside the woods and walked in.

In the clearing in the woods, five people were already waiting. Hou Tonghai stood in the middle, with the Four Ghosts of the Yellow River standing on either side, each carrying a weapon—a large ghost-headed sword, an iron oar, a copper hammer, a long spear, and a short fork, all complete.

When Hou Tonghai saw Guo Jing arrive, he glanced at Lin Qi and Huang Rong beside him and frowned: "Guo Jing, where are your masters?"

Guo Jing said, "My masters aren't here. These two are my friends, here to help me."

Hou Tonghai snorted: "Your masters don't dare to come, so you send a few kids to their deaths?"

Lin Qi stepped forward, clasped his hands in a fist and palm salute: "My lord, I am Lin Qi, a friend of Brother Guo. If you're looking for a fight, I'll fight with you."

Hou Tonghai sized him up, noting that he was in his early twenties, not particularly burly, and had clean, white hands that didn't seem to indicate he'd practiced martial arts. He sneered, "Who do you think you are? You think you're worthy to fight me?"

Lin Qi wasn't angry; he just smiled and said, "Whether you're worthy or not, we'll only know after we fight."

Hou Tonghai was furious. He raised his broadsword and brought it down on Hou's head. The blow was powerful and heavy, the wind whistling through the air; it was clearly a deadly strike.

Lin Qi dodged to the side, the blade grazing his shoulder. Instead of retreating, he advanced, his right palm shooting out with the first stance of the Iron Palm Technique, "Pushing the Mountain," the power contained yet not revealed, striking the back of Hou Tonghai's blade. Hou Tonghai felt a surge of force, his tiger's mouth went numb, and the ghost-headed broadsword nearly flew from his hand. He was greatly alarmed and quickly took two steps back to steady himself.

The Four Demons of the Yellow River were also taken aback. They had thought Guo Jing was already a skilled fighter among the younger generation, but they never expected that this young man who appeared out of nowhere was even more skilled than Guo Jing.

Shen Qinggang whispered, "Uncle-Master, this person's palm technique is strange and not easy to deal with."

Lin Qi did not pursue, withdrew his hand, and stood still: "My lord, shall we continue the fight?"

Hou Tonghai's face turned ashen. He gritted his teeth and was about to attack again when Huang Rong suddenly darted out from the side, flicking a branch in her hand and aiming it at Hou Tonghai's wrist. Hou Tonghai quickly dodged, but Huang Rong didn't pursue him. Instead, she smiled and retreated back to Lin Qi's side.

"Brother Lin, what excellent palm technique!" Huang Rong gave a thumbs up.

Lin Qi smiled and said, "Young man, you flatter me. Your finger technique is also very exquisite."

Huang Rong's movements just now were indeed her family's Orchid Acupressure Technique. Although she used a tree branch instead of her fingers, they were still exquisite.

Huang Rong smiled gently and didn't say anything more.

Hou Tonghai and the Four Ghosts of the Yellow River exchanged glances, knowing they were doomed. Guo Jing alone was already difficult to deal with, not to mention Lin Qi with his strange palm techniques, and the little beggar with his unpredictable movements and the unusually tricky pressure point techniques he used with tree branches. The five of them might not be able to win.

Shen Qinggang said in a low voice, "Uncle-Master, let's retreat. The Seven Heroes of Jiangnan aren't here. It wouldn't be honorable for us to win against these juniors. Let's find another opportunity another day."

Hou Tonghai gritted his teeth, sheathed his sword, and pointed at Guo Jing, saying, "Guo Jing, you're lucky today. Tell your masters that this score will be settled sooner or later!"

With a wave of his hand, he led the Four Ghosts of the Yellow River into the depths of the Black Pine Forest, quickly disappearing into the darkness.

The forest fell silent. The pines rustled in the breeze, and sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled shadows on the ground.

Guo Jing stepped forward, clasped his hands in thanks, and said, "Brother Lin, young brother, thank you both. If it weren't for you today, I'm afraid I wouldn't have been able to handle this alone."

Lin Qi waved his hand: "Brother Guo, you don't need to be so polite."

Huang Rong stuck the branch into the ground, clapped her hands, tilted her head and looked at Lin Qi with a hint of curiosity in her eyes: "Brother Lin, your palm technique is amazing. What kind of skill was that palm strike just now?"

Lin Qi's heart skipped a beat. He knew Huang Rong was exceptionally intelligent and couldn't be kept in the dark, but he couldn't tell her everything either. He thought for a moment and said, "It's a martial art from my hometown, something I've practiced for several years. It's nothing special."

Huang Rong simply said "Oh," without pressing further. She turned to Guo Jing and said, "Brother Guo, those people won't let this go. It's too dangerous for you to travel alone. Since I'm free anyway, why don't we go together?"

Guo Jing said gratefully, "Okay. Thank you, young man."

Huang Rong smiled, then looked at Lin Qi: "Brother Lin, what about you? Where are you going?"

Lin Qi said, "I was originally going south. Since Brother Guo is going to find our master, I'll go with you. It's not far anyway."

Huang Rong clapped her hands and laughed, "Great! The three of us together will make the journey more lively."

Guo Jing smiled too, his smile honest and sincere.

The three men emerged from the black pine forest, unharnessed their horses, and rode back to the city. The sunlight was bright, illuminating the official road like a layer of gold. The three horses rode side by side, their hooves making a crisp, clear sound.

As Lin Qi rode his horse, looking at Guo Jing and Huang Rong beside him, an indescribable feeling welled up inside him. He had finally stepped into the plot of the original story, standing shoulder to shoulder with these two people.

Huang Rong suddenly turned her head to look at Lin Qi and asked, "Brother Lin, your martial arts are so good, why don't you join a major sect? It's so boring to travel around alone."

Lin Qi thought for a moment and said, "Major sects have their own rules. I'm used to being carefree and can't stand being restrained."

Huang Rong hummed in agreement and didn't ask any more questions. She turned her head and started talking to Guo Jing about other things.

Lin Qi rode behind her, watching her retreating figure, thinking to himself: Huang Rong is already curious about him, but hasn't become suspicious yet. This is a good sign. As long as he doesn't reveal any flaws, she will gradually treat him as a true friend.

Back at the inn, the three of them went to their respective rooms to rest.

Lin Qi lay in bed, reviewing the day's events once more. Although the Four Ghosts of the Yellow River and Hou Tonghai had retreated, they wouldn't give up so easily. Even greater trouble awaited them in Zhongdu.

But at least he showed off his skills in front of Huang Rong today without revealing his identity. Huang Rong's curiosity about him has increased, but she hasn't become suspicious yet. This is a good thing.

Outside the window, the sun gradually slanted westward, and the clouds on the horizon were dyed golden-red.

Lin Qi turned over, closed his eyes, and silently thought about the road ahead.

Zhongdu, the Prince of Zhao's residence.

That's where the real show begins.