Under the fist

Chapter 61 Feud, Returning Home

……

"Passengers, we are about to arrive at Xijing Station..."

Listening to the announcements inside the carriage, Lian Youming, carrying his luggage, led Yan Tao towards the flow of people getting off the train.

A year later, as he looked out the window at the approaching station, he had a strange feeling of being in another world, and his mind was filled with countless thoughts.

Lian Youming originally wanted to ask about the whereabouts of the grandfather and grandson, but in the blink of an eye, the two disappeared without a trace.

Without a second thought, as the train pulled into the station, a dense, dark mass of people surged off the train and then rushed toward the exit.

However, at this moment.

Suddenly, someone in the crowd exclaimed, "Oh no, there's a thief!"

In an instant, everyone's attention was drawn to it.

Lian Youming glanced over subconsciously, but just then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a man walking towards him—a man with a mustache wearing a melon-shaped hat and a vest, who seemed to have suddenly emerged from the crowd. His eyes were downcast, his hands were in his sleeves, and in the blink of an eye, he was right in front of him.

Lian Youming's eyelids twitched. He was about to make a move, but suddenly realized that he was trapped in the crowd. The surrounding area was terrifyingly crowded. There were not only people getting off the bus, but also people rushing to get on. In the sea of ​​people, if he made a move, the burst of force might accidentally injure others.

That was a really cunning and ruthless move.

The other person was as slippery as an eel. Despite being squeezed in the crowd, he swayed his shoulders and squeezed in front of Lian Youming as if he could find a gap in the crowd. Coincidentally, there was a woman holding a child between them.

In an instant, a cold, dark light emerged from the opponent's sleeve. Not only was the angle of attack concealed, but it was also incredibly fast, so fast that it was completely undetectable. Taking advantage of the commotion, it silently slashed towards Lian Youming's neck.

Lian Youming frowned, his aura rising slightly. He wasn't about to offer himself up for execution and was about to fight back when a sudden exclamation came from beside him, "Ouch!"

A scream, sharp and piercing, came out of nowhere. No one knew what had happened to the person who screamed, and everyone was startled.

But Lian Youming saw the person who screamed, and it turned out to be Zhao Xiaozhi, the female educated youth from Beijing who had been sent to the countryside with him.

The girl mustered all her strength, clenched her fists, and shouted until her face turned red and her voice became hoarse.

The man with the mustache trembled slightly in his right hand as he swung the knife because of the scream.

not only that.

Lian Youming also saw a disheveled little girl who had somehow squeezed through the crowd, holding a short knife, and pushing towards the man with the mustache. It was none other than the little girl from the train.

What is this for?
Lian Youming saw this and was even more determined not to miss this golden opportunity. He quietly clenched his right fist, squeezed his arm through the gap in the crowd, and stabbed the man with the mustache hard in the chest. Then he grabbed the girl's right hand, which was about to stab him, and pulled her aside.

After a moment's hesitation, the man with the mustache was a beat too slow in slashing. The knife narrowly grazed Lian Youming's neck, severing a strand of hair and tearing the pocket of his coat with its remaining force.

Such a fast and ruthless stab.

Neither of them stopped; they kept walking. From their eyes meeting to a sudden murderous glint, and then passing each other, it was only a matter of three or four seconds.

Everything happened so fast that even Yan Tao, who was standing to the side, didn't realize the danger involved.

After walking only a few steps, Lian Youming hurriedly felt his pockets and realized something was missing, so he turned around abruptly to look for it.

After passing through the crowd, they saw a novel lying on the ground, which was none other than Journey to the West.

He took it out and looked at it twice last night, then casually put it in his pocket.

Just as I was about to bend down to pick it up, a gust of wind suddenly came, whipping the pages around and making them flip rapidly, still turning from back to front.

Lian Youming suddenly stopped picking up the book, his eyes fixed on the ever-turning pages. A subtle change gradually appeared in his expression, because the Monkey King in the small paintings was jumping and leaping, kicking his legs and raising his palms, and his movements seemed to be connected.

"What's the trick to this?"

It wasn't until he heard the station's announcement that Lian Youming snapped out of his daze. He picked up the novel from the ground, turned around, grabbed the little girl, and led Yan Tao to a less crowded area.

"At such a young age, he's already learning to stab people in the back."

The little girl tilted her head back and said, "My grandma said that we should repay kindness with kindness and avenge wrongs with wrongs. You saved us, and this is all I can do."

Lian Youming listened in silence, then reached into his bag and pulled out three silver coins.

He found these in the fortress, just seven or eight of them, and originally wanted to keep them as souvenirs.

"Keep it safe, your grandma will definitely recognize what it is."

The little girl refused, saying, "That man had a lot of money in his pocket, and that thumb ring, enough for my grandma's medical treatment. My name is Xiaoyun, big brother, I will definitely repay you in the future."

After saying that, the man turned and ran away as fast as he could.

At this moment, Zhao Xiaozhi caught up, panting. Seeing that Lian Youming was safe and sound, she bent over, supporting her knees and catching her breath. "You scared me to death! I secretly watched him half the night last night. How did it go? Did you catch him?"

After catching her breath, Zhao Xiaozhi said excitedly, "Lian, was that kung fu you used last night? Can you teach me? It was amazing! I want to learn it too!"

Lian Youming looked at him strangely, then turned and walked out, saying, "Student Zhao, you've mistaken me for someone else."

Zhao Xiaozhi pressed on, "Stop being so stingy! I saved you, so at least treat me to a meal, I'm starving. Also, when you were locked up in Kaoshantun by the old Party Secretary, it was I who comforted you."

The group talked as they walked, gradually disappearing into the distance.

……

On the train.

The man with the mustache had already squeezed through the crowd and slumped into a corner of the carriage. Feeling a dull pain in his chest and abdomen, he suddenly felt a burning sensation in his nostrils. He instinctively wiped his hand and saw that his palm was covered in bright red blood.

"What a powerful punch!"

He murmured something, then leaned back in his chair and slowly sat up straight.

"Do you remember what that kid looked like?"

A dirty little child stood beside the man, and upon hearing this, he nodded hurriedly, "I remember."

"Just remember that. Tell my master I need that brat's head to die in peace. You must avenge me... cough cough... um..."

The man was speaking when he suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood, his heart and lungs injured by the punch Lian Youming had just delivered.

After only a few breaths, the man with the mustache went limp and died.

"Oh dear, someone here is vomiting blood."

……

Outside the station.

Lian Youming first took Yan Tao to the post office and made a phone call to Sun Duhe.

Upon hearing Yan Tao's voice on the other end of the phone, Sun Duhe burst into tears, sobbing uncontrollably. It wasn't until the two had talked for a while and explained the whole situation that the matter finally ended. Of course, Yan Tao remained tight-lipped about Lian Youming's methods, not uttering a single word.

Zhao Xiaozhi also called home to let them know she was safe. She didn't plan to stay long, just to have a meal and then head home later.

Both of them had finished their business, but Lian Youming was still facing a dilemma.

We can't just bring these two people home like that, or all the neighbors will probably gossip about them for half a year, and who knows what they'll say behind their backs.

But after thinking about it, he decided to bite the bullet and go home first. His parents both worked at the state-owned cotton mill; one was in the security department and the other was a textile worker. Before they got married, they were both entitled to an apartment, but considering that they were going to start a family, they exchanged their two apartments for one larger one-story house with a courtyard. It had four rooms in total, and they even built a small stove in the back and raised a few hens.

The neighbors were mostly employees of state-owned enterprises in the "Textile City," scattered and living in a mixed manner, some in large courtyards shared together, others in separate small courtyards. Nowadays, there are very few young people; many have gradually moved into apartment buildings and individual dormitories, leaving mostly older employees who are too lazy to move around.

Before he even got home, Lian Youming could smell a strong odor of meat from afar, which made a group of old men playing chess mutter that this woman really didn't know how to manage a household.

He chuckled, and after passing a supply and marketing cooperative hidden around a corner and entering a crooked alley, he saw two people standing at the gate of his own courtyard at the end.

One was Lian Youming's mother, Zhao Lanxiang, and the other was a village woman wearing a thick coat and cotton shoes, leading a donkey cart.

This is Lian Youming's third aunt.

He has many aunts.

His father grew up in a village at the foot of the Qinling Mountains, where he was fed by many families. Every household had someone he knew, whether male or female, either an uncle or an aunt.

Looking at the contents of the vehicle, it's highly likely they've come to deliver New Year's goods to the city.

Speaking of which, there are many good things in the Qinling Mountains. People live off the mountains and rivers. In addition to growing grains and crops, people at the foot of the mountains often go down into the mountains to set traps and know some hunting skills.

Lian Youming learned his trap-setting techniques from the villagers.

The further he went in, the stranger Lian Youming's expression became. He saw two people at the courtyard gate chatting and looking around, but no one recognized him.

Third Aunt glanced at him twice, and when she saw that Lian Youming was followed by two girls, she spat under her breath, "At such a young age, he's already doing bad things, flirting with young girls, and even flirting with two at once. He's shameless and disrespectful."

Yan Tao chuckled, and Zhao Xiaozhi laughed so hard she almost fell over.

Lian Youming's lips twitched. Meeting his mother's somewhat confused gaze, he said in a muffled voice, "Mom!"

Zhao Lanxiang, still wearing her apron, was taken aback when she heard the word "Mom." She then looked at Lian Youming closely, noticing the mole between her son's eyebrows, and said incredulously, "Son? What happened to you?"

Auntie San was also stunned for a moment, then slapped her thigh with joy and shouted, "Oh, Lanxiang, your son is back!"

When Lian Youming arrived, although he was robust, he still had some childishness, and his appearance was fair and clean, with a scholarly air about him.

Now look at him, he's dark-skinned, tall, and strong, with thick, short hair like spears. He's wearing a coat with cotton showing, broad shoulders and a wide back, and his hands are covered in calluses. He looks like a completely different person, and he's carrying a large bag of luggage on his back.

Third Aunt also came over and looked him over. "Goodness, this guy is strong. You can tell he's hardworking. He's even stronger than the big water buffalo that farms in our village. He's changed too. He's even more handsome than my brother. Who knows which girl will marry him in the future..."

Once she recognized him as her nephew, the aunt seemed to start talking non-stop.

Despite the compliments, Lian Youming couldn't feel happy at all for some reason.

"elder brother!"

Lian Shuang, the younger sister inside, also heard the commotion and came out carrying the third brother, Lian Lei.

But when they saw what their older brother looked like, the siblings couldn't stop grinning like idiots.

Seeing this, Lian Youming pulled his mother Zhao Lanxiang and his third aunt aside, saying that he had rescued Yan Tao from human traffickers on the train and that Zhao Xiaozhi was a brave and righteous Lei Feng.

After giving her instructions, Zhao Lanxiang led a group of people into the house.

Perhaps they had been waiting for Lian Youming to return home, for there was a pot of braised meat stewing on the stove, along with some braised tofu and braised eggs, all of which were his favorites. In Guanzhong, this is called "Lazhirou" (腊汁肉). In the dead of winter, a pot of this stew is made and can be enjoyed hot or cold with wine.

While his mother was entertaining the two girls, Lian Youming slipped into his room.

The bedding and sheets were all newly changed. He took a deep breath, put away his luggage, and took out Journey to the West.

Recalling the order in which the pages had been turned, Lian Youming pressed one side of the page with his fingertips, squinted, and slowly released the pressure, the pages swirling like waves with a rustling sound.

Lian Youming stared intently at the small paintings, his eyes growing brighter and his expression becoming increasingly strange as he looked at the Sun Wukong depicted in them.

After flipping through the book in one go, he flipped through it four more times until the cover was closed. Only then did Lian Youming close his eyes, calm his breathing, and keep recalling the monkeys' movements.

These seventy-two small paintings do indeed contain something.

The monkeys in each small painting are all in the same pose, and they can even be connected in sequence.

"Could it be yet another training method?"

But there was no joy on his face.

Boxing stances and stance training are merely ways to strengthen one's qi and blood. Now he has a method of dietary supplementation, which is many times better than those rudimentary stance training methods.

The main method is breathing.

Every extraordinary force originates from various mysterious and profound methods of absorbing qi.

Although the monkey in this painting has seventy-two different movements, if it doesn't know how to breathe, it's just useless.

After thinking for a while, Lian Youming carefully examined each of the small paintings again, wondering if he could glean any insights from them.

"Seventy-two paintings, surely they can't be some kind of 'Seventy-two Transformations of the Earthly Fiends'?"

With a slight shift in his thoughts, Lian Youming suddenly perked up, his brows furrowed, and although he denied it, he seemed to have grasped a glimmer of inspiration.

It's quite possible.

"Could the breathing techniques be hidden in these paintings?"

Some things are like unraveling a cocoon; once you pull out a thread, you can naturally unravel the whole story.

Lian Youming flipped through it again, but when he did, he was equally surprised to find that it worked the way it did.

"Are you kidding me? Do I have to do it the right way or the wrong way?"

In an instant, he felt a jumble of thoughts arising in his mind, all of them the various actions depicted in those small paintings. His expression was tense, his brows furrowed, as if he were caught in some kind of vortex of consciousness, feeling anxious and uncertain, his face becoming unpredictable.

When a throbbing pain came from his temples, Lian Youming was jolted awake. He quickly calmed his breathing and closed Journey to the West again.

This thing can actually disturb one's mind...

　Two chapters total about 10,000 words. I'll write another 5,000-word chapter this afternoon. That's all I can do. Please bear with me.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)