A Long River Myth

.........

Half an hour later, at the end of Jinshui Street.

As per usual procedure, after receiving the peace money.

The henchman named Tiger said, "Brother Bin, do you think it's possible that Brother Qin was... by Li Hong..."

He gestured with his hand to his neck as he spoke.

Wang Bin weighed the money pouch in his hand, narrowing his eyes: "I've asked some people, and Qin Laosi did indeed offend the Li Fulin family before..."

"Then I think it's most likely him. What a coincidence! Fourth Brother has only been missing for less than half a month, and he's already developed such a strong physique..."

Tiger looked fierce and menacing, as if he was about to plead for Qin Si.

Wang Bin raised an eyebrow and sneered disdainfully:

"Ha! You've reached a conclusion? Then go and kill his entire family to avenge your fourth brother!"

"Huh? Then... then we're just going to ignore it? Didn't the boss tell us to investigate this?"

Tiger suddenly shrunk. He was powerless against the strong martial artists and could only resort to calling out the gang leader's name for a sense of security.

"Investigate? How can you investigate? What a load of rubbish!"

Wang Bin took a deep breath and said with keen insight, "He's just a strong-looking martial artist. We haven't made any deep enemies. Would you and I risk our lives to offend him?"

Moreover, Wang Bin knew that the gang leader, Piao, and Ya Kui were already at odds with each other openly and secretly, and a split was imminent.

Offending the outside warriors at this time would be incredibly foolish.

After saying that, Wang Bin was still worried that it might not be safe, so he specifically added:

"Listen up, you little brats! From now on, Fulin Grocery Store is off-limits. If you want to cause trouble, go ahead!"

But don't use the gang's name; the gang won't be responsible if something goes wrong.

Tiger and his friends nodded and fell silent, their chests puffed out with pride after an afternoon of bravado.

Seeing this, Wang Bin sighed inwardly. Huang Lin's gang of henchmen usually gathered together under the guise of "brotherhood."

They were all a bit stunned; not many of them were quick-witted or sharp-minded.

And Qin Si, he's blind to talent. Even if he really dies, he deserves it!

............

Several days later, in the west courtyard of the martial arts hall.

Li Hong stood in front of the boxing stance, and after performing several sets of Hundred Refinement Fist, he was soaked in sweat.

[Minor Success in Hundred-Refined Stance Training (51/500)]

[Introduction to Hundred-Refined Boxing (180/200)]

The front panel appeared in front of me.

Li Hong hadn't put in much effort into the Hundred Refinements Fist technique before, only practicing it in his spare time.

"Brother Li... what are you thinking about?"

While he was lost in thought, his senior disciple Shi Liang had already walked up to him.

Li Hong smiled and said, "Brother Shi, I've been thinking about the fighting techniques of the Hundred Refinements Fist. I've been too busy practicing stance training before."

"oh....."

Shi Liang nodded. Because he had been instructed by He Song, he had been taking care of Li Hong these past few days.

He paused slightly, and then said thoughtfully:

"According to Instructor He's guidance, boxing techniques... should focus more on actual combat and sparring. It's useless for you to just ponder it like this; that would just be practicing dead boxing techniques."

Shi Liang waved his hand, "Come on, let's spar today. I'll give you some pointers, and you'll be able to sense the difference. Maybe you'll understand it immediately."

Li Hong nodded, agreeing.

Even with the magical effects of a training board, practicing boxing stances will inevitably lead to improvement.

But since he had never sparred with a master, he felt uncertain about his own abilities.

Just now, while practicing, I made some progress and had some insights, but I couldn't verify them by looking at the dead wooden block.

"Energizing!"

As soon as Shi Liang finished speaking, he launched a forward strike. This punch was straightforward and without any fancy moves.

Li Hong instantly assumed a fighting stance, bending his right arm and striking Li Hong's throat with his left fist!

Both of them are characterized by their bold and expansive style, using offense as defense, which is the standard style of the Hundred Refinements Fist lineage.

However, although the moves may seem similar, the techniques and timing of applying force vary.

These differences are the standards by which differentiators in Bailianquan (a style of Chinese martial arts) are distinguished, given equal physical abilities.

After all, the timing and force of a punch are crucial to breaking the opponent's move without revealing any weaknesses.

These all require real-world experience and constant practice to gain insights.

Bang bang bang!

Soon, after a flurry of punches and kicks, the sparring session ended. Li Hong was knocked back more than ten steps by Shi Liang's punch before he could dissipate the force.

Naturally, he was no match for Shi Liang.

The opponent's Hundred Refinements Fist Technique is at least close to mastery, not to mention he is an old disciple who has already passed the Inner Strength Gate.

The martial arts students are about to be evaluated. They are among the top three in the West Courtyard, and usually have a bunch of strong disciples trying to curry favor with them.

"Brother, you're being a bit too modest."

Shi Liang frowned slightly after withdrawing his fist; Li Hong's fist technique was quite impressive.

Some of the power generation techniques that he had not fully mastered even when he was in the middle stage of the Outer Strength realm, Li Hong in front of him had already grasped.

This is somewhat different from the rumors he heard from others.

The person in front of me is definitely not as incompetent as the rumors suggest...

Li Hong was also secretly shocked; the opponent's internally strong body... had condensed blood into energy!

He clearly felt that although Shi Liang suppressed his qi and blood and restrained his strength, when his fist made contact with him, three-tenths of his strength was like a mud ox sinking into the sea, leaving no trace.

This was not something Shi Liang did intentionally; it was a natural manifestation of his body after breaking through the inner barrier.

The blood plasma, when condensed, becomes powerful and involuntarily dissipates external forces!

Behind them, Yang Chen, who had been silently watching, had been observing them for quite some time.

I was surprised.

Li Hong... He's only been here a few days and he's already exchanged more than ten blows with Shi Liang?

Two months ago, when he first entered the West Campus, Shi Liang was the one who was in charge of training him.

He was deeply impressed when the latter taught him boxing techniques, and he couldn't even last three moves.

After several attempts, he could only manage six or seven moves.

Therefore, he was scolded by Shi Liang several times, who called him stubborn...

........

Half a month later, the summer solstice arrives.

Nothing happened that afternoon.

Li Hong, dressed in new clothes, arrived at Xitai Street, located in the south-central part of the outer city.

Carrying tea, snacks, and a jar of wine, all that money was worth a few hundred coins, Li Hong felt a pang of heartache.

After being pestered by Li Fulin and Yao for several days, and after making excuses for half a month, he could no longer keep up and came to visit his aunt's house.

I'm short on cash lately, and since starting work outside the home, I can no longer get enough of the usual meat supplements.

The disciples in the West Courtyard who received financial assistance from wealthy families were all taking medicinal supplements.

A single dose of a common, low-grade Qi-tonifying powder or blood-regulating pill would cost half an ounce of silver.

Because he was only seven months old when he was born, he was not well-known in the West Courtyard, and naturally no one in the main hall recommended him.

"We're short of money... and we still have to come here to find relatives and give gifts."

After a moment of internal monologue, Li Hong looked up and surveyed the streets on both sides.

This place is closer to the inner city of Muyang County.

Not only does it appear more prosperous, but its security is also significantly better than that of the northern part of the outer city.

Gangs have disappeared here; you can see tall horses passing by every now and then.

Soon, he stopped in front of a two-courtyard house, carrying his things.

In Xitai Street, the minimum requirement for a residence is two courtyards; some residences don't even have a single courtyard visible.

Passersby could also tell that their clothing and appearance were much better than those on the outskirts of the city.

Further south, you get closer to the inner city, where property prices are ridiculously high.

The families who can live here are all moderately wealthy or even upper-middle class, and there are even some people from government offices...