Under the fist

Chapter 12 Peril, Escape

In an instant, the air seemed to freeze, as if it had solidified into an iceberg.

Lian Youming lay on the bed with his eyes closed and his breathing even. A thick quilt covered his body, with only his head sticking out.

That once slightly childish face had been hardened and roughened by the daily frost and cold winds. His ochre cheeks looked as if they were covered with a layer of dust, dull and dark, and even his tightly pursed thin lips were cracked from the dry air.

His current thoughts are strange; he is both afraid that Xie Laosan will notice something amiss, and yet he also hopes that the other party will discover it.

Faced with this kind of martial arts battle, Lian Youming, for some reason, felt an inexplicable urge to experience it firsthand, even to confront the opponent. Even though he was a novice in martial arts, and even though his opponent was a ruthless martial arts master, the more this was the case, the more anticipation Lian Youming felt.

But as a normal person, he felt uneasy and resistant when faced with a life-or-death crisis.

Amidst this conflicted and agonizing state of mind, Lian Youming silently sensed Xie Laosan's breathing.

He discovered that this person's breathing was terrifyingly long; one breath in and one breath out was equivalent to seven or eight breaths for an ordinary person, and it was so weak that it was almost silent.

Finally, after a few breaths, Lian Youming heard the sound of a wooden door opening and closing again. Feeling the chill that rushed into the dormitory, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief, as if a heavy weight had been lifted from his chest.

Did Xie Laosan just let himself off the hook like that?

It seems she's not completely heartless. Could it be that she's developed feelings for him after hiking with him these past few days and is intentionally letting her off the hook?
Lian Youming thought to himself.

But when he opened his eyes again, he heard a cold, hoarse laugh in his ear.

"Kid, you're still too green."

Unlike his usual taciturn self, Xie Laosan now exudes a fierce aura from within, even though he still wears the same clothes.

The color drained from Lian Youming's face instantly, and he stammered, "Don't...don't kill me."

Xie Laosan laughed and said, "Don't worry. I've taken a liking to you. You're quick-witted and cunning, a good prospect. Why don't you come back to the White Lotus Sect with me?"

Lian Youming wore a pained expression. "Can't we just not go?"

Xie Laosan snorted coldly, "Fine, then go to the Yellow Springs and keep Yang Laogui company... Oh, and that girl too."

Lian Youming shuddered, as if he was terrified. "What does this have to do with me? I'm just a child."

Xie Laosan narrowed his eyes, his gaze mocking, "You used to be quite the talker, didn't you? A tomb raider, haha."

As the man walked towards the kang (a heated brick bed), he chuckled and said, "Don't think I don't know you're trying to trick me. Trying to play mind games with me? Back when I was a wandering swordsman, your grandpa was still wearing open-crotch pants. If you know what's good for you, you'd better come down the mountain with me obediently, or I'll cut out your tongue that's full of nonsense."

As he spoke, Xie Laosan reached out with his right hand and grabbed Lian Youming's ankle.

Lian Youming suddenly sat up, "No, no, no, I'm going..."

Xie Laosan smiled with narrowed eyes, about to speak, but his pupils suddenly contracted sharply, and his expression changed slightly.

But Lian Youming's eyes instantly turned ferocious, and he uttered the unfinished words, "Fuck your mother!!!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a gunshot suddenly rang out from under the quilt.

"boom!"

As clumps of cotton flew up, it was revealed that Lian Youming was holding a Hanyang rifle, hidden under the bedding.

Unfortunately, the shot left a bullet hole in the wall, and Xie Laosan leaped away like a rabbit, leaving a clear bloodstain on his withered, sallow face.

Lian Youming reacted quickly. Seeing that his first shot had failed, he lifted the quilt over his shoulder with one hand and, taking advantage of the blinding cotton wool, leaped out of the door and plunged into the wind and snow.

A few people walked out quickly, one after the other. A gaunt figure covered in cotton wool rushed out.

A cold wind swept across his face, causing Xie Laosan's full head of gray hair to flutter in the wind, and his old eyes were filled with murderous intent, like those of a hawk.

Instead of fleeing towards the old man guarding the mountain, Lian Youming fled down the mountain, tumbling and scrambling into the snow-covered ravine.

Xie Laosan wanted to give chase, but then glanced in the direction of the canteen and withdrew his right foot, which had already taken half a step.

We cannot afford to be distracted in this battle; we must take down that old devil...

However, before he could make up his mind, Xie Laosan suddenly frowned, because the boy who was fleeing down the mountain was actually holding his breath, and his heavy steps were noticeably lighter.

Upon hearing the toads croaking in the wind, the old man's face instantly turned ashen.

"The Tortoise-Catching Strength!"

Finally, amidst the howling wind, Lian Youming's strange, guttural scream echoed: "Third Brother Xie, I curse your ancestors for eight generations!"

"kill!"

Without saying a word, Xie Laosan lunged forward, letting out a sharp whistle, and charged towards the boy's back.

For an ordinary person, going down the mountain at this time would be tantamount to courting death, but Lian Youming actually mastered the "Toad Fishing Technique," and even if he was only a beginner, there was still a possibility of change.

Once their identities are exposed, they will face unimaginable danger.

Leaving aside the grudges and feuds in the martial arts world, before they even leave Tahe, they'll probably face dozens or even hundreds of machine guns chasing and blocking them. At that point, they'll truly have nowhere to go.

Besides, they have been lying low for so many years, and they are about to succeed. They have built a mountain nine ren high, how can they fail at the last step?

"You brat, you only have one spare bullet for your rifle, what else do you have to be so confident about? Just go and die."

Lian Youming's pace was not fast, but very steady. During this time, he had almost thoroughly explored the terrain around the forest farm. Although the mountains were blocked by heavy snow, he was able to slightly offset some of the cold with his half-baked "Toad Fishing Strength," and he could move much more lightly.

But when he turned around and looked at Xie Laosan, he was startled.

The old man's legs exerted tremendous force, like springs, bending and straightening in a single stride. He could run three or four meters in one step, his feet never touching the snow, but instead using the rocks and trees for leverage, as agile as a monkey.

The two were originally 20 or 30 meters apart, but in the blink of an eye, the distance was reduced to 4 or 5 meters.

This is too fast.

Seeing the other party getting closer, Lian Youming became anxious and hurriedly asked, "Speaking of which, what exactly are you two old men guarding this dilapidated place for?"

Xie Laosan did not respond, his face was ashen, and his eyes revealed murderous intent, clearly indicating that he had completely decided to kill.

Just as he was getting closer, Lian Youming suddenly turned around, holding a slingshot with pebbles in his hand, and shot it at the old man's eyes.

Xie Laosan's face twitched, his eyes blazing with fury. He grabbed the two pebbles in mid-air with his large hand, and with a squeeze and a grind from his five fingers, two streams of stone powder floated out from between his fingers and scattered in the wind.

Lian Youming was so shocked by what he witnessed that his jaw almost dropped.

Xie Laosan's face was as cold as ice, and he said sternly, "No matter what you say today, you will not escape death!"

But as he chased after him, he saw Lian Youming suddenly slow down his escape and reach into his robes as if he were hiding something.

Xie Laosan was cunning and subconsciously paused. As he steadied his feet, a noose suddenly sprang up from the ground and tightly bound his ankles.

There was a trap.

The other end of the lasso was tied to the tip of a bent tree. Once the trap was triggered, the tree tip immediately straightened out like a bowstring returning to its bow, and the rope tightened, about to lift Xie Laosan into the air.

But Xie Laosan just sneered, took a deep breath, and firmly planted himself on the ground, remaining completely still despite the rope being taut.

"Boy, you..."

Xie Laosan was about to speak when two bullets shot straight at him. He immediately raised his hand to grab them. But the moment his palm touched them, before his fingers could even grasp them, the bullets burst open with a "poof," scattering two clumps of lime powder that hit him squarely in the eyes.

"Wow!"

Xie Laosan's eyes suddenly widened, without flinching or dodging. He puffed out his cheeks and, with a shout and a gust of wind, blew away the two clumps of lime powder in front of him.

With another stomp, the noose around his ankle snapped from the force.

Watching Lian Youming's figure disappear into the wind and snow, Xie Laosan remained expressionless, but let out a sharp whistle.

"call out!!!"

As soon as the whistle blew, a yellow shadow flashed out from the forest, accompanied by a gust of fishy wind.

Lian Youming looked back and his heart skipped a beat.

The yellow shadow fell to the ground; it was a huge lynx with sharp claws and a fierce look in its eyes.

Lian Youming ran even faster.

"Xie Laosan, you're calling for backup when you're dealing with a kid like me? You're shameless!"

(End of this chapter)