Chinese Martial Arts: My Super Beast Clone

As Lin Hai watched the incoming fist, he keenly noticed that Zhou Tong's shoulder paused slightly the instant he exerted force.

That moment of awkwardness disrupted the continuity of the internal energy.

That's where Zhou Tong was injured before!

Seizing this fleeting opening, Lin Hai suddenly ducked low, narrowly avoiding the attack of two fists. At the same time, he stepped forward with his right foot, squeezing into Zhou Tong's inner circle.

With his right hand bent into an elbow, he thrust it towards Zhou Tong's wide-open ribs.

The moment Zhou Tong unleashed "Two Tigers Fighting for Food," he knew he was in trouble. His wound slowed his movements, and by the time he tried to change his move to defend, Lin Hai's elbow was already an inch in front of his ribs.

The strong wind pierced through his clothes, and Zhou Tong knew that if he were hit hard, he would probably break two more of the bones that had just recovered.

The courtyard fell silent. The disciples watching stared wide-eyed, none of them expecting that Zhou Tong would be at a disadvantage after only ten or so moves.

Lin Hai retracted his elbow, took a step back, and clasped his hands in a fist salute, saying, "Thank you for your concession."

Zhou Tong's face stiffened. He stood there silently for two seconds, then gave a wry smile and shook his head.

"Junior brother's boxing technique is thoroughly mastered. If that move had been used in a real fight, I would be on the ground by now."

"Senior Brother Zhou is joking." Lin Hai stepped forward, his tone sincere. "I noticed that you swayed slightly when you exerted your strength, which must have aggravated your old injuries. If you were fully recovered and your blood and qi were flowing smoothly, I would not have been able to dodge that move, 'Two Tigers Fighting for Food,' no matter what, and I would have had to admit defeat in a sorry state."

This gave Zhou Tong a way out.

Upon hearing this, the surrounding disciples suddenly realized what had happened. It turned out that an old injury had flared up, which allowed Lin Hai to take advantage of the situation.

Zhou Tong's expression softened considerably. He patted Lin Hai on the shoulder, his eyes showing more approval: "A loss is a loss. Junior brother's insight and reaction are truly impressive."

"You can't deny talent." Zhou Tong sighed, grabbed a towel from the weapon rack and wiped his face. "Alright, that's enough for today. I need to go back and apply some more medicated wine and massage that wound properly."

Lin Hai cupped his hands in greeting: "Take care, senior brother."

According to the veterans at the martial arts school, a fully grown wild tiger has a strength of only seven or eight hundred jin (350-400 kg), and if it hasn't become a demon, it won't exceed a thousand jin. He now possesses a strength of eight hundred and sixty jin, plus the combined power of seven or eight out of ten punches, concentrating his strength into a single burst. Facing that male tiger, he is by no means without a chance of victory.

Moreover, dealing with wild beasts in the wilderness is never about brute force alone.

Lin Hai left the Fuhu Martial Arts School. Instead of going straight home, he went to the blacksmith shop and general store in the market.

At the blacksmith's shop, he first picked out a finely forged brass knuckles, then bought five finely forged animal traps. These traps had extremely hard springs, and even an adult man using both hands might not be able to break them open. Next, at the general store, he bought two coarse hemp nets soaked in tung oil, along with several bundles of sturdy hemp rope. Finally, when he passed by the pharmacy, he went in and bought several kilograms of lime powder.

Carrying large and small bags, Lin Hai went home.

"Why did you buy so many things?" Lin Wan was mending clothes in the yard when she saw him carrying so many things and felt a little strange.

"I need it at the martial arts school, I'll have to deliver it later," Lin Hai casually made up an excuse. He repacked the items securely in his room, slung them over his shoulder, and headed out the door.

After navigating through the streets and alleys, Lin Hai arrived at a carriage and horse shop in the northern part of the city.

The carriage and horse shop was located on a wide street near the city gate. The storefront was not large, but the stables inside were quite spacious, housing thirty or forty horses for rent by merchants and traveling travelers in the city.

When Lin Hai arrived, several shop assistants from the carriage shop were gathered around the counter eating peanuts and chatting enthusiastically.

"...He was killed instantly, his head nearly severed, hanging precariously around his neck, which terrified the police officer so much that he vomited on the spot."

"People from the Black Dragon Society?"

"Yes, I heard it was a master from the Black Dragon Society, a Ming Jin stage cultivator, who was cleaved to death in an alley with a single blow."

Who did it?

"Who knows? But I heard from Liu Ermazi that the Jingwu Association and the Black Dragon Society have been having a fierce fight lately."

"Do the Jingwu Association really have that kind of skill? To kill a Ming Jin stage master with a single strike?"

"That's hard to say. There are plenty of experts in the Jingwu Association. Besides, so what if you're at the Ming Jin stage? If someone sneaks up on you at night, one slash and you're dead."

"Too……"

Lin Hai listened for a few minutes and then walked to the counter.

"Hey buddy, rent a horse."

The waiter put away the peanuts, stood up, and sized him up.

"Sir, what kind would you like?"

"Those who can run long distances are stronger."

"A deposit of eight silver dollars is required, with a minimum rental period of three days. If the horse is injured or disabled, compensation will be provided at the original price."

Lin Hai took out his money, and the shop assistant led him to the stable to choose a chestnut-colored sturdy horse. The horse wasn't very tall, but it had strong limbs and sturdy hooves, and looked like a horse with good endurance.

"This one's called Big Red. It's fast and has a gentle temperament," the waiter said, patting the horse's neck.

Lin Hai tied the things to the horse's back and mounted it.

Once outside the city gate, the official road stretches northward, and the farmland on both sides gradually thins out. The distant mountain outlines gleam with a bluish-gray hue in the afternoon sunlight.

Lin Hai spurred the horse's belly, and Da Hong galloped off.

The wind blew into my collar, carrying the unique scent of grass and trees from outside the city.

After riding for about an hour, the mountain road became narrower and the forest became denser.

Following the location of the dragon-snake-lizard he sensed, Lin Hai arrived at the forest where the jade-horned deer roamed.

This forest is vast, with ancient trees reaching for the sky and lush foliage. Sunlight struggles to penetrate the thick canopy, and the forest is filled with a dampness and the smell of decaying leaves.

At dusk, Lin Hai arrived near a pool of water.

After several days of tracking by the dragon lizard, Lin Hai discovered that the jade-horned deer had repeatedly tried to approach the pool. If there were any secrets in this forest, this pool was highly likely to be the cause.

Therefore, Lin Hai chose this pool as the location to set the trap.

He didn't approach rashly, but instead crouched behind a bush, carefully observing his surroundings. The pool wasn't large, and it was surrounded by water plants as tall as a person. There was a row of messy hoof prints on the soft mud of the bank, interspersed with several large, plum blossom-shaped paw prints.

Lin Hai's gaze swept across the surroundings. This place was low-lying, with only three paths leading to the water source. One was a rocky beach to the north, another was a shallow beach overgrown with aquatic plants, and the third was a shrub forest to the west.

Lin Hai quickly unpacked the cloth bag and used the items he had brought to set several traps by the pool.

After making the arrangements, Lin Hai chose a century-old camphor tree with the most lush foliage, located a few dozen meters away from the pool. Using both hands and feet, he nimbly climbed up a thick branch seven or eight meters above the ground. From here, he had a wide view and could clearly see the movements around the pool, while the thick canopy perfectly concealed his figure.

Lin Hai sat cross-legged on a branch, his back against the tree trunk, and adjusted his breathing.

Lin Hai wasn't a hunter, but he knew a basic truth: hunting is a test of patience.