Shooting the Eagle: Starting from Iron Palm Peak

On the fifth day after Lynch returned to the Iron Palm Clan, he did something.

He didn't consult anyone about this. Early in the morning, Zhao Tieshan came to the side courtyard, where Lin Qi handed him a note with only four words written on it: "Bring Han Duanyue."

Zhao Tieshan glanced at the note, didn't ask why, put it in his pocket, and turned to leave.

Half an hour later, Han Duanyue was led to a side courtyard. Zhao Tieshan didn't say why the gang leader wanted to see him, and Han Duanyue didn't ask. He had been in the Iron Palm Gang for twenty-three years and had seen many storms; he didn't think a young man in his early twenties could do anything to him. As he entered the courtyard, he even dusted off the dust from his robes, his expression calm.

Lin Qi was the only one in the courtyard. Mu Nianci didn't come out. Zhao Tieshan saw her off and then left, closing the courtyard gate behind him.

Han Duanyue glanced around, a slight smile playing on his lips, and clasped his hands in a fist salute, saying, "Chief, is there something you need?"

Lin Qi did not return the greeting. He stood in the middle of the courtyard, his hands hanging naturally at his sides, looking calmly at Han Duanyue.

"You've been with the Iron Palm Clan for twenty-three years. When my master was alive, you didn't dare to cause trouble. After I took over as the leader, you first confiscated my medicinal herbs, then sent people to monitor my residence, and even spread rumors within the clan."

Han Duanyue's smile froze.

"Your nephew Han Biao forcibly abducted a woman in Zhongdu, but I stopped him. Instead of thanking me, you made things difficult for me at every turn. After you expelled him from the gang, he defected to the Jin people and became Wanyan Honglie's lackey. You secretly colluded with the Jin envoys, bribed seven core disciples of the Iron Palm Hall, and even promised Qiu Qianzhang that once he won over the Jin forces, you would help him get rid of me and make him the gang leader."

Han Duanyue's expression changed completely. He took a step back, secretly gathering power in his right hand, the force of the Iron Sand Palm already channeled into his palm.

"Boss, what are you talking about—"

Lin Qi didn't give him a chance to continue. He took a step forward, striking out with his right palm using the first stance of the Iron Palm Technique, "Pushing the Mountain Stance." Han Duanyue raised his palm to meet it, their palms clashed, and each took a step back.

Han Duanyue felt certain. Although the palm strike was powerful, his internal strength was not inferior. He didn't know that Lin Qi had only used seven-tenths of his strength in this palm strike, and had deliberately dispersed the force to create an illusion for him.

Lin Qi's second palm strike followed immediately, the tip aimed at Han Duanyue's neck. Han Duanyue dodged to the side and countered with a palm strike of his own. The two exchanged seven or eight blows in the courtyard. Han Duanyue found himself increasingly comfortable with the fight, realizing that Lin Qi's palm technique was nothing special and hadn't improved much compared to a few months ago.

Unbeknownst to him, Lin Qi was testing his moves. He was testing each of Hong Qigong's techniques on Han Duan Yue. He left room for maneuver—each palm strike using only seven-tenths of his strength, allowing for a change of move at any moment. His waist was the central pivot—his turns were as fast as a ghost, Han Duan Yue couldn't keep up with his pace at all. He was observant—while striking, he observed Han Duan Yue's shoulders and eyes; before the opponent even made a move, he already knew where the next strike would land.

After a dozen or so moves, Han Duanyue gradually realized something was wrong. Lin Qi's palm techniques seemed conventional, but each palm strike perfectly blocked his path. As he fought, he was unknowingly forced into a corner.

Lin Qi struck again and again, and Han Duanyue could only take the blows head-on.

At first, he didn't feel it, but after receiving seven or eight blows, he realized that Lin Qi's palms were getting heavier and heavier, like an iron hammer, hitting his palms again and again, making his entire arm go numb.

He received five or six more blows, but the force changed. It was no longer just heavy, but sharp and powerful, like a giant axe with a sharpened edge, each blow causing his palm to sting.

Han Duanyue was greatly alarmed. He couldn't understand why Lin Qi's Iron Palm technique produced two completely different sensations.

"How is that possible? This kid's martial arts skills are almost as good as the gang leader's."

Thinking of this, a sense of powerlessness suddenly swept over my whole body.

Unbeknownst to him, Lin Qi had incorporated the internal energy manipulation techniques he had gleaned from the Nine Yin Manual into his Iron Palm Kung Fu, achieving a balance of strength and gentleness, with each strike capable of variation. This was not the original approach of the Iron Palm Kung Fu, but rather Lin Qi's own unique path.

He felt a chill run down his spine and wanted to change his move, but Lin Qi didn't give him the chance. Palm after palm struck, like a tidal wave, without gaps or pauses. Han Duan Yue's Iron Sand Palm, with its fierce power, couldn't be unleashed in his hands; every strike was blocked by Lin Qi in advance.

Lin Qi struck again with his palm, and Han Duanyue raised his hand to meet it, only to find that this strike was a feint. Lin Qi twisted his wrist, and his palm slid under Han Duanyue's arm, striking his side with his own. The force was not great, but the angle was tricky, and Han Duanyue's body involuntarily tilted, revealing an opening under his feet.

It was in that very moment.

Lin Qi's left palm followed, his five fingers joined together, the edge of his palm like a knife, slicing into Han Duanyue's chest. This palm strike used the sixth move of the Iron Palm Kung Fu, "Throat Lock and Meridian Seal," but Lin Qi did not use the throat lock. Instead, he concentrated his internal energy at the edge of his palm and severed Han Duanyue's heart meridian with a single strike.

Han Duanyue's eyes widened as he looked down at his chest. There were no handprints on his clothes, no wounds on his skin, but he knew his heart meridian was severed. He tried to speak, but a trickle of black blood escaped from the corner of his mouth. He swayed, then collapsed to his knees with a thud.

Then, he fell forward and never got up again.

The courtyard was eerily quiet. Lin Qi withdrew his hand, looked down at Han Duanyue's corpse, his breathing steady, not even a bead of sweat on his forehead.

Mu Nianci came out of the house, stood under the eaves, glanced at Han Duanyue on the ground, and then at Lin Qi. Her gaze was calm.

Lin Qi bent down, took the token of the Iron Palm Hall's deputy leader from Han Duanyue's waist, and weighed it in his hand. He called Zhao Tieshan over and handed him the token.

"Take his body away and give him a proper burial. Tell the public that Deputy Hall Master Han suddenly fell ill and died suddenly."

Zhao Tieshan took the token, glanced at Han Duanyue on the ground, and then at Lin Qi. He noticed that Lin Qi's breathing was steady, and there were no signs of a fierce fight on the courtyard wall. He clasped his hands and said, "Yes."

He beckoned, and four disciples entered, lifted Han Duanyue's body, and left silently. Zhao Tieshan reached the door, suddenly stopped, turned back, and said, "Chief, there are still a few of his trusted men at the Iron Palm Hall."

Lin Qi said, "Let them come and claim the body. If anyone has any objections, tell them to come find me."

Zhao Tieshan nodded and strode away.

Mu Nianci brought over a cup of tea and handed it to Lin Qi. Lin Qi took it, took a sip, and sat down on the stone steps. Mu Nianci sat down beside him quietly without saying a word.

"Aren't you afraid?" Lin Qi suddenly asked.

Mu Nianci shook her head: "I'm not afraid."

Lin Qi didn't say anything more. He finished his tea, put the cup beside him, and looked at the clouds in the sky.

The news spread quickly throughout the Iron Palm Gang. The news of Han Duanyue's sudden death swept through every branch of the gang like a gust of wind. Some believed it, some didn't, but no one dared to question it. At the Iron Palm Hall, several of Han Duanyue's trusted disciples came to collect the body, arguing briefly at the entrance to the side courtyard. Zhao Tieshan, with men from the Jinghu Altar, stood at the gate; they didn't enter, but ultimately carried the body away.

Lin Qi did not go to the main council hall, nor did he summon anyone. He sat on the stone steps in the side courtyard and drank three cups of tea in a row. Mu Nianci sat beside him, keeping him company.

In the evening, Zhou Mingyuan arrived. He stood at the courtyard gate, not coming in, but looking at Lin Qi from afar, and then at the remaining bloodstains on the ground.

"Boss, about Han Duanyue..." Zhou Mingyuan's voice was very low.

Lynch said, "The evidence is irrefutable that he colluded with the Jurchens. Do you want to see it?"

Zhou Mingyuan was silent for a moment, then shook his head: "No need." He clasped his hands in a fist salute to Lin Qi, then turned and left.

Qian Sihai didn't come, nor did Mei Ruolan. But early the next morning, Lin Qi found an account list from the Foreign Affairs Department and a resource allocation register from the Internal Affairs Department on his desk. Qian Sihai had attached a note to the list that read, "Please review, Chief." Mei Ruolan hadn't attached a note, but she remembered every single entry in the register clearly.

Lin Qi flipped through it, closed the booklet, and put it aside.

Sunlight streamed in through the window, falling on Mu Nianci's face. She was arranging flowers by the window, wildflowers picked from the mountain that morning—yellow, white, and purple—crowded together in a ceramic jar, creating a lively scene.

Looking at her, Lin Qi suddenly felt that this courtyard felt more like a home than before.