Under the fist

Chapter 41 The Origin of the Manchu Dynasty
"That kid can really jump around."

Looking at the still lively figure in front of him, Lian Youming took a cooked deer leg and tore off a large piece of meat.

The meat was cold, but the fishy smell was even stronger than when it was cooked.

Despite having no seasoning, Lian Youming remained expressionless, like a starving ghost, his face taut with muscles and his canine teeth bared. He didn't care about the taste at all, just chewing bite by bite.

He is too hungry.

For three whole days and four nights, who knows how I survived? If it weren't for that box of Solomon's Seal, I probably would have died of exhaustion long ago.

Li Da was always ahead of him, always a step behind. No matter how hard he tried to catch up, he could never close the gap between them.

Lian Youming simply slowed down the pursuit. When he got hungry, he would hunt and roast food. After he was full, he would continue the pursuit. When he got hungry again, he would eat again. He repeated this process over and over again, and managed to cover more than two thousand miles.

However, the gains were also enormous. His originally burly figure seemed to have shrunk inward, gradually becoming slender, and his legs also became much more agile.

Lian Youming even felt that if he walked for another two days, his Golden Bell Shield would be able to break through to the third level.

The mountain wind was biting, and a chill swept over us.

Li Da's gentle voice finally brought the long journey to a close, "We've arrived."

Lian Youming felt a great weight lifted off his shoulders, stopped in his tracks, and looked around.

Before me lay still a vast expanse of mountains, utterly deserted.

Strangely, even though it's only a little past August, a chill was already emanating from the mountain, and there was a faint frost carried by the wind, like broken ears of corn.

Autumn snow.

Lian Youming asked, "Couldn't you have called a few more people? What if those White Lotus Sect members come too?"

Li Da said with great certainty, "It's not a matter of what if, it's certain that they will come. Or perhaps it won't just be the White Lotus Sect that comes. This martial world isn't just about one force... If they don't come, wouldn't it be meaningless?"

Lian Youming's expression froze, but the speed of his tearing and chewing increased. "Are you kidding me? Just the two of us?"

Li Da remained calm and continued walking up the mountain. "No one knows what's in those underground fortresses. If they're hiding poison gas or bombs, having too many people will only get in the way. Besides, it's hard to tell if your map is real or fake. If it's bait thrown out by the White Lotus Sect, ordinary people will just lose their lives in vain."

Hearing these words, Lian Youming suddenly regretted coming over.

Looking at the rolling mountains before him, Li Da's smile faded somewhat, and his tone became more serious. "Perhaps it's not just the White Lotus Sect and other martial arts figures. After Japan's defeat and surrender, many Japanese soldiers fled here, but unfortunately, they have never been found. If this map is genuine, perhaps it can reveal a corner of the truth."

Upon hearing this, Lian Youming immediately perked up. "You mean there might be Japanese devils hiding in these mountains?"

The Northeast is full of treacherous mountains and rivers, and numerous forests. After the Japanese were defeated, many of them refused to surrender and hid in the deep mountains and forests. Some lived like wild men, while others lived in seclusion in remote corners of the country.

Li Da said calmly, "You'd better be prepared, or you might be scared to death."

Lian Youming raised an eyebrow, broke the deer bone in half, and sucked on the marrow inside. "My father has mentioned this kind of thing before."

Li Da gave him a meaningful look. "Did he tell you that those Japanese soldiers not only fled into the mountains themselves, but also abducted many women and children? Why don't you guess why? I saw some indescribable scenes when I traveled to the north with my master, and they are still vivid in my mind... If there are really Japanese devils on this mountain, don't leave any alive."

Seeing Li Da staring intently at the bone in his hand, Lian Youming's expression suddenly froze, then his pupils contracted sharply, "You mean..."

Before the other party could respond, he took a deep breath, his fierce eyes turning cold, and said, "I understand."

Li Da turned around and resumed his calm and gentle expression, speaking eloquently: "This is a wonderful place. It is said to be the birthplace of the Manchu Qing dynasty. The mountains are full of natural treasures and rare animals. There are also rumors that there are earth-shattering treasures and immortal corpses buried here... I'll go take a look. You should also take a look and see if you can find anything good."

Before Lian Youming could react, Li Da's figure flashed, his spine contracted and extended, and he strode into the forest like a soaring dragon.

"Meet at the second entrance of the fortress before dark. If you encounter enemies, fight if you can win, and run if you can't."

Lian Youming froze on the spot, and before he could open his mouth, Li Da raised his hand and tossed an object that flew over in a spinning motion.

It turned out to be a Type 54 pistol.

Lian Youming took it without hesitation, muttering under his breath, "They say wisdom comes from within, but their actions speak louder than words!"

Before he could finish speaking, Li Da's voice drifted back like a ghost from afar, "That was prepared for you."

Lian Youming shuddered. "How did you train your ears? They're like radar!"

But once Li Da had completely gone far away and disappeared from sight, the casual smile on Lian Youming's face vanished, replaced by a solemn expression and a thoughtful look.

"An old medicine to prolong life, Japanese devils, the White Lotus Sect... Ha, this trip is going to be quite lively."

The reason Li Da acted alone is easy to understand: this person was definitely hiding something and had designated an entrance, so he probably wanted to sneak in from somewhere else first. However, since the other party didn't want others to get involved, Lian Youming was too lazy to bother.

He quickly went through a few marks on the map in his mind, tested the pistol, and found that there was no problem before walking to the other side.

According to the map, the underground fortress should be on the northwest slope of Changbai Mountain, almost to the North Korean side. Lian Youming decided to head in the opposite direction. Since there was danger, he would stay away from it and find a place to recover his strength first.

"If that girl knew there were old medicines here to prolong life, I wonder if she'd faint from joy..."

Without a master like Li Da by his side, Lian Youming became more cautious. He wandered around the forest for a long time and spotted many weasels and roe deer, as well as golden eagles and sika deer.

Everything that flies in the sky, swims in the water, or runs on the ground is edible.

Lian Youming hadn't eaten enough, and now his eyes were gleaming with greed; he was practically ready to pounce and devour it raw.

But after thinking about it, he walked a little further into the mountains, and only went inside when he saw a lonely wooden house.

It looked like a place where hikers would rest. The room was covered in dust and animal droppings, and it seemed to have been abandoned for a long time.

Only then did Lian Youming take off his dirty pants. He glanced down and saw that the insides of his legs were covered in bruises, with bulging veins and blood throbbing in his calves.

Without much thought, he exhaled softly, secretly channeling his energy into his hands, and gently massaged his legs, guiding the flow of qi and blood from top to bottom along the meridians.

The sky outside grew darker and darker, and a mountain wind began to rise, causing frost to fall even in August and September.

After a while, Lian Youming felt it was about time, so he put on his pants and was about to go out when he glanced out the window and saw a figure nimbly catching up from the bottom of the hill. Coincidentally, the figure was heading straight for the wooden house.

"This is weird! I never get any good things, but all the bad things happen to me?"

Lian Youming's lips twitched, and his eyes quickly scanned the surroundings. Seeing a pile of straw in the corner, he hurriedly lifted it up and crawled inside.

But as soon as he entered, a fishy, ​​pungent smell instantly made him dizzy and lightheaded. It must have been the den of wild animals in the mountains, and it smelled like it had been soaked in urine. It was so smelly and pungent that Lian Youming almost vomited up everything he had just eaten.

But it was too late to change locations, and there was nowhere else to hide.

Lian Youming could only hold his breath, listening to the footsteps outside getting closer and closer.

The wooden door was pushed open, and a middle-aged, rough-looking man strode in, chuckling, "Heh heh, I never thought I'd meet a girl like this on this mountain. Heaven has really been kind to me."

Lian Youming seemed to have even lowered his gaze at this moment, looking through the gaps in the crisscrossing withered grass as he watched the person put a figure down from his shoulder.

A girl whose hands and feet are bound.

The girl was wearing a shirt and trousers, her long hair was loose, her eyes were filled with tears, and her beautiful face was deathly pale.

The burly man was impatiently taking off his clothes.

Witnessing this scene, Lian Youming frowned deeply as he watched from the shadows.

As luck would have it, the girl turned her head, her eyes filled with despair, and her watery eyes met his directly. Her pleading, desperate gaze was heartbreaking.

Save or not?
Lian Youming's thoughts raced as he decided whether to make a move, when suddenly two more footsteps echoed from the mountains outside.

The middle-aged man's expression changed, and he quickly straightened his clothes and went out.

"Damn it, what time is it? You're still thinking about things in bed."

An angry female voice reached Lian Youming's ears.

“Li Da has already entered the mountains. How was it when I told you to follow him? We’ve been chasing him all the way. If you ruin the Vice Leader’s important plans, I’ll castrate you first.”

"Vice Leader?"

Lian Youming listened to the conversation outside, winked at the girl, then took a deep breath, grabbed the girl by the waist with his large hand, and smashed a hole in the wall of the wooden house while holding her, before running wildly into the forest.

Almost simultaneously with the practice of Youming's Qi cultivation, the noise outside quietly disappeared.

next second.

The wooden door shattered with a loud crash. Just as the three figures rushed in, all they saw was Lian Youming carrying the girl away.

"A bunch of scum from the White Lotus Cult, bullying a young girl, they're utterly shameless!"

"Chase!"

(End of this chapter)