Under the fist

Chapter 27 Dogs Fighting, Jianghu Battle

See the firelight, then smell the fragrance.

Lian Youming tensed up and tried his best to lower his body, using both hands and feet to crawl forward.

He only hid behind a birch tree when the firelight got closer and closer, about thirty paces away.

The moon had already risen in the east. Looking in the firelight, one could see the three people hanging upside down on a tree branch four or five meters above the ground, like a monkey swinging on a branch. They had their arms wrapped around their chests and their bodies were swaying from side to side, as if they were asleep.

The remaining two sat by the fire under the tree.

Lian Youming glanced at her and his eyes widened in shock. He saw a village woman lying at the old Russian's feet, her clothes tattered. Her hands and feet were broken, but her chest was still rising and falling, indicating that she was still alive. She was also making whimpering sounds, and even her tongue had been cut out.

The old Russian, perhaps annoyed by the noise, glared coldly, stomped his foot, and the village woman's head exploded with a "poof".

The scene was incredibly bloody.

Not far away, there were two children, about eleven or twelve years old, a boy and a girl, both bound hand and foot, already unconscious.

Judging from their clothing and appearance, they seem to be Oroqen people.

Old Maozi wasn't satisfied with stomping the village woman to death; he turned to grab the half-grown girl, but Xie Laosan shouted angrily, "What are you doing? Didn't we agree to let them live when we left?"

The old Russian chuckled strangely, "Let them live? So you can call people to arrest us? Xie Tianhong, you're supposed to be a江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the world of martial arts and chivalry) person, yet you don't understand the principle of eliminating the root of the problem? You're so old, have you wasted your life?"

Xie Laosan's face was ashen, and his tone was icy: "They are just ordinary people."

The old man's blue eyes widened slightly, his expression cold and cruel. "What I hate most is your stupid rules. If it weren't for you, those experts from the White Lotus Sect wouldn't be chasing us. Now we're stuck in this godforsaken place, where we never see the light of day. What's wrong with me wanting to find a few women to have some fun?"

Xie Laosan sneered, "Lei Hu, you two brothers still want the map of the Kwantung Army's underground fortress in the end. If you want it, then behave yourself. Since we're in the same boat, you'll naturally get your share of the benefits after it's done. But if you act recklessly and kill innocent people, then we'll go our separate ways."

Lian Youming, hiding in the shadows, overheard this conversation and a thought stirred within him: so these three weren't of one mind after all.

Moreover, judging from their conversation, it seems they are being hunted down by experts from the White Lotus Sect.

No wonder they had nowhere to go but to hide in these deep mountains and forests.

The Russian man called "Thunder Tiger" twitched at the words and slowly withdrew his outstretched right hand.

However, Lian Youming, as an observer, saw it clearly: the short man hanging upside down in mid-air had opened his eyes at some point, his eyes filled with murderous intent, and he seemed to be exchanging glances with Lei Hu.

What is this for?
Dogs fighting each other, fighting amongst themselves?
Lian Youming took in all of this.

But a surge of anger rose within him, spreading through his limbs and fueling his murderous intent. No matter the circumstances, he was determined to kill this old Russian today.

They were quite far apart, and it was unclear how Lei Hu would react. The short young man in the tree closed his eyes again, but spoke up, "I heard that Gong Wu'er and Xue Hen have both gone to Mount Lu."

Xie Laosan lowered his gaze to his lame leg, "Then they must have found some traces or clues."

Lei Hu asked, "Why did the White Lotus Sect make you hide your identity for so many years?"

Without even looking up, Xie Laosan said, "If I don't tell them, they'll only kill me. But if I do, all my bloodline descendants will die."

Lei Hu suddenly trembled and smiled meaningfully, "Old ghost, tell me the truth, do you have any maps of the fortresses under the Kwantung Army on you?"

"Sigh, I never thought I would end up like this."

Xie Laosan suddenly sighed. He wasn't stupid; he had long since become a shrewd man and could easily sense the murderous intent emanating from all directions.

Although he knew these two were no good people, in the past, he could have kept them in check with his skills. But now that he had lost a leg, these two bastards were already getting restless, and they were probing him in various ways, just like when he dealt with the old man guarding the mountain.

Hearing Xie Laosan sigh, Lei Hu grinned, his eyes flashing with murderous intent. "Are you lying to us?"

Xie Laosan chuckled softly, “Everyone says that martial artists need to suppress their anger, but I don’t think so. The word ‘kung fu’ is not only about fighting with fists and feet, but also about the clash of spirits. If you’re going to suppress your anger, you should at least suppress the arrogance of being invincible and number one. I’ve been holding back for so many years, and suddenly I don’t want to hold back anymore.”

He looked at Lei Hu, who was slowly getting up, and said lightly, "Let's not even talk about whether I have that map or not. Even if I did, I would rather burn it than give it to you two bastards... White Ape, you can get down too."

"Then you must die today!"

A cold snort suddenly rang out, and the short man in the tree leaped to the ground.

The man spoke like a human being, but as soon as he regained his balance, he suddenly squatted down, kicked the ground with his feet, bared his teeth, scratched his ears and cheeks, made squeaking noises, and his eyes blazed with ferocity, just like a mad monkey that had become a spirit.

Xie Laosan's eyes showed fear, "Monkey-style fist." Lei Hu was also stretching his muscles and bones. He took a few steps and suddenly his body sank down. Both palms turned outward at the same time, and the tiger's mouth was closed in front of his chest. Although the posture was strange, all his clothes were scattered and made a "ripping" sound, revealing a very impactful and burly figure.

Xie Laosan limped around, and when he saw Lei Hu in this pose, his eyes narrowed slightly. "Is this the Leopard Form from the Shaolin Five Elements Fist? It's really rare."

Before the words were even finished, the short man named White Ape was already tumbling and leaping on the ground like an ape, grabbing and grabbing with both hands, attacking Xie Laosan's lower body.

Seeing this, Xie Laosan retreated repeatedly. Although he was lame in one leg, he used one foot to gain leverage and moved around quite quickly.

But to everyone's surprise, as the short man turned over, he suddenly raised his hand and threw a handful of fine sand at Xie Laosan's face. Then, he pushed off with both feet, shrunk his body, and jumped up about a meter high. He used both hands and feet to punch Xie Laosan's face and kick his chest, his face contorted and terrifying.

The old Russian also used both hands and feet, flipping over and leaping up, attacking Xie Laosan's lower body.

Xie Laosan's face was ashen. He used his sleeve to block the sand while simultaneously extending his claws to parry. He had to keep turning one leg around. After just one exchange, he was already at a disadvantage.

It's too cruel.

They specifically target the good leg of a cripple.

Lian Youming looked at the infighting in front of him with a gloomy expression, his mind racing as he considered whether or not to intervene.

Although Xie Laosan deserved to die, the other two deserved to die even more.

His mind raced, and he stood up as if he had made a decision. Suddenly, he turned and ran, deliberately snapping a dead branch in the process. "Murder!"

His running away immediately alerted the three people engaged in a fierce battle.

Lei Hu frowned slightly as he watched the staggering figure in the forest. "Second brother, go and take care of that guy."

Upon hearing this, the short man called "White Ape" immediately leaped up, his hands gripping tree branches, and soared through the air like wild monkeys in the mountains, chasing after the figure disappearing into the forest.

Xie Laosan saw it too, of course. He not only saw the departing figure, but also recognized the voice that was filled with hatred. His wrinkled old face twitched involuntarily, his eyes showing both surprise and astonishment. He glanced at the white ape's unguarded posture and suddenly squeezed out a strange smile.

In the birch forest, Lian Youming was shouting and looking flustered, as if he had lost his way, running around aimlessly like a headless fly. He hadn't run far when he suddenly heard a sharp whooshing sound coming rapidly from behind. His eyes narrowed, his legs went weak, and he seemed to have tripped over a tree root, tumbling and falling a short distance away.

Almost simultaneously, a pebble narrowly grazed Lian Youming's scalp before disappearing into a tree trunk in the darkness with a "thud".

In the eyes of the short man named White Ape, he saw the figure hurriedly getting up in the forest, leaping down from the air and kicking out.

Then a figure under the moonlight lunged forward and remained motionless.

The moonlight, like water, shines upon the earth.

The white ape couldn't help but sneer, "What an unlucky fellow."

After saying that, he was about to step forward and give him another kick.

No sooner had his right foot stepped out than a large hand shot out from mid-air, swift as lightning, and firmly gripped his ankle.

Before the short man could even register the terrifying, ghost-like expression, an indescribable force, mixed with a strange spiraling energy, suddenly surged from his ankles. In an instant, he lost his balance and was lifted upside down.

"Wow!"

Leaves fluttered and danced in the air.

In the blink of an eye, the two seemed to have been reversed. A tall and imposing figure rose from the ground, his eyes, slightly narrowed and smiling, yet filled with cruel malice, looking down directly at the white ape.

"Haven't you eaten?"

Seeing that he had succeeded, without the slightest hesitation, Lian Youming tightened his right hand's five fingers rapidly, steadied his feet, and suddenly took a deep breath, like a wrathful Vajra, and began to frantically swing and smash the short man's right leg.

"boom!"

"boom!"

"boom!"

……

(End of this chapter)