From a tuberculosis patient to a martial arts master

The force of that punch recoiled violently into his internal organs.

Zhu Hong felt a tightness in his chest, staggered half a step, and plowed a deep furrow in the ground with his toes before dissipating the remaining force. His right arm trembled uncontrollably, his sleeve was torn to shreds by the fierce energy, and his entire arm was as red as if branded.

"Brother Lin!"

He abruptly turned to look at Lin Jizhi, who was standing there stunned. "This punch of mine is extremely powerful; it cannot be used lightly. You keep it occupied for me," he said, pausing for a moment before his eyes suddenly turned fierce.

"This beast is no matter how vicious it is—"

"If the two of us join forces, we might not necessarily lose!"

Hearing that shout, Lin Jizhi seemed to snap out of a daze. His throat bobbed a few times before he finally replied, "Okay...okay, done!" He grinned, revealing a row of stained red teeth, his smile ferocious: "Today, I'll risk my life to go crazy with you, kid." As he spoke, the veins on his hand gripping the hilt of his knife bulged.

"Cut this wretched creature into eight pieces!"

Before he finished speaking, he bent down and picked up the goose-feather knife that had fallen to the ground.

With a light touch of his toes, ignoring the bursting wounds all over his body, he darted away from the side, pouncing into a blind spot beyond the bear's sight.

The bear, recovering from the excruciating pain and dizziness of the punch, was about to tear apart the little creature that dared to injure it in its rage when it saw a cunning goose-feather blade slashing towards its unprotected eyeballs.

It had to turn its head to dodge, and the giant hand that was about to strike Zhu Hong was forced to retract halfway.

That was the opening in that instant.

"Again!"

Zhu Hong gave it no chance to catch its breath. He bent over, arching his back... the fierce blood and energy hidden in his muscles and bones surged out through his arms.

The second punch.

It was another hard-hitting, head-on blow.

It was still that spot on his chest, right in the center of that crescent-shaped patch of white hair.

"howl--!"

The bear howled and retreated, its claws lashing out wildly. Lin Jizhi, however, clung to it like a leech, his blade flashing as he ruthlessly slashed at its soft underbelly.

The bears hastily retreated to defend their position.

The central gate opened wide once again.

The third punch.

The fourth punch.

Lin Ji, knowing the danger, relentlessly pursued the beast, even when knocked back, making it unable to defend itself. Zhu Hong remained silent and still, focusing solely on ruthlessness.

No dodging, no shifting, no changing moves.

Punch after punch, repeatedly striking the same wound, regardless of whether the body could withstand it, he would throw as many punches as he could.

The fifth punch landed.

The bear's chest was torn open, revealing flesh and bones, and its internal organs were vaguely visible.

"It's time to end this."

Zhu Hong hissed, "This punch will send you to your grave!"

Using the last bit of strength within his muscles, this time he didn't rush or crash, but simply twisted his body slightly, his five fingers like hooks, and directly probed into the shattered chest, grabbing the still pulsating, fiery mass.

A single, sharp burst of force.

"Click."

The muffled thuds of cracking bones and shattering heart vessels overlapped. The bear's massive body suddenly stiffened, and the fierce light in its eyes vanished as quickly as it was extinguished.

Smoke and dust rose.

It collapsed like a mountain, crashing to the ground.

"Damn it!"

Having survived the ordeal, the two were on their last legs.

Almost simultaneously, they both collapsed onto the snow-covered ground, stained with hot blood, back to back, panting heavily.

"Damn it... they actually killed him..."

Lin Jizhi spoke first, still catching his breath, and muttered to himself in a hoarse voice, "I've been in this government office for so many years, and I don't have many tough guys. They all avoid this black bear. Today..." His laughter was full of disbelief and a hint of smugness:

"The two of us took down this adult bear with just our own."

He laughed for a long time before shakily raising the goose-feather saber in his hand, its blade already chipped and broken. He casually tossed it aside with a "clang" into the snow, then with great effort, stiffened his neck and turned his head to look at the boy behind him.

"Young man Hong, can you still hold on?"

Lin Jizhi raised his hand to wipe away the bloodstains on his chin, laughed loudly, and said with undisguised admiration: "You're really something. I've lived for decades and I've never seen such a ruthless character as you."

Zhu Hong's entire right arm hung limply at his side, and he didn't even have the strength to lift a single finger.

Between the shoulders and back:

It felt as if my muscles and bones had been dismantled and then reassembled, and a wave of soreness, numbness, and intense pain surged up all at once.

"fine……"

His face was deathly pale, yet he still managed a weak smile: "It's not too bad, though. This arm is practically useless; I can't use it at all. However," his eyes shone, and the smile on his lips couldn't be hidden:

"It was all worth it."

"Haha, yeah..." Lin Jizhi burst into laughter upon hearing this, "Worth it! It's fucking worth it!" He laughed so unrestrainedly that he accidentally aggravated his wounds, wincing in pain.

Waiting for the situation to calm down.

He then continued:

"We were able to return home fully loaded today, all thanks to you, kid."

As soon as he finished speaking, the smile on Lin Jizhi's face slowly faded, and a hint of barely suppressed doubt flashed in his eyes.

He had been working in the government office for over a decade; what hadn't he seen?

Today, however, I still find it eye-opening:

Zhu Hong's punches just now were like a tiger's roar, with a fierce and domineering force that shattered the bear's bones and muscles. They were genuine entry-level martial arts techniques.

The government office does have this kind of thing.

But those few standard-issue martial arts manuals are not something ordinary constables like them can get their hands on. Even if they have seniority, made great contributions, and been promoted to the rank of junior officer, they still need to report to their superiors and get their approval before they can have a chance to get their hands on them, let alone Zhu Hong, a newcomer who has just entered the profession.

Moreover, that tiger fist technique was something I had never seen before.

If he hadn't known that this kid was a poor, local resident, he would have thought he was a privileged son of some noble family from outside the region undergoing training.

……

A breeze rustled through the treetops, scattering a handful of cool snowflakes.

"Hey Hong," Lin Jizhi said, half-jokingly and half-seriously, after a moment of silence, "you better tell your older brother the truth," his tone brimming with barely concealed curiosity.

"Where did you get that powerful and deep Tiger Fist?"

"I'll go find one too."

Finding a bargain?

Zhu Hong chuckled and shook his head slightly: "Martial arts skills aren't something you can just find on the market." He paused, then casually lied:

"It was practically found."

He then straightened up and corrected himself:

"No, it was an old Taoist priest who was starving and almost died. He traded his martial arts skills for a bowl of rice. Nobody believed him, but I did."

That's how it was obtained.

"You brat." Lin Jizhi was taken aback for a moment, then resumed his nonchalant demeanor and muttered:

"You're lucky to have gotten away with this."

If you find any "junk" next time, don't forget to bring a few books back for us guys.

He didn't press the matter further about that lie.

Who doesn't have one or two secrets they don't want to tell others? Besides, he just asked casually without thinking, and never intended to dig deeper.

"No problem."

Zhu Hong smiled slightly, though his breathing was still unsteady, his smile was clear and bright, "I'll definitely do it next time."

……