chsdbacks Chapter 26 Mountain Stronghold
Chapter 26 Mountain Stronghold
There's a problem with the swordsmanship in the military.
That's because it's too neat.
The angle, force, and transition of each cut are all prescribed in the manual.
No matter how well you practice, there are still patterns to follow.
After the seventh strike, Xiong Kuo's swordplay will pause for a very short time.
It wasn't exhaustion, it was just needing to breathe.
Lin Yan had been waiting for this moment.
As the seventh strike landed, in the brief moment Xiong Kuo inhaled, Lin Yan advanced instead of retreating, the broken blade slashing upwards, the tip aimed directly at Xiong Kuo's armpit. Xiong Kuo's blade was still descending, his armpit wide open; the strike came too suddenly, and he could only dodge to the side.
The knife tip sliced through his clothes, leaving a half-foot-long gash on his ribs.
Blood gushed out, staining half of his clothes red.
Xiong Kuo grunted and took two steps back.
The four bandits behind him all changed their expressions.
"Big Brother!" The skinny man drew his knife and tried to rush forward.
"Don't move!"
Xiong Kuo raised his hand to stop him, his eyes fixed on Lin Yan. "This kid is learning my knife skills."
Lin Yan stood on the gravel slope, his right hand covered in blood, but his grip on the knife was steady.
"Your swordsmanship is too rigid," Lin Yan said. "Every strike is within the manual; there's nothing of your own."
Xiong Kuo's face darkened.
These words struck a nerve.
He served in the border army for ten years, and his swordsmanship was honed through manual training, with every move executed meticulously.
But it was precisely this rule that prevented him from ever breaking through to the second rank.
To improve one's martial arts skills, simply following the manual is not enough; one must also have one's own insights.
"What do you know about martial arts, you vagrant?" Xiong Kuo said through gritted teeth.
"I don't understand."
Lin Yan said, "But I know you can't beat me."
He took a step forward with a limp.
The "Micro-Dust Step" has changed. It's no longer the light and silent movement it once was. Instead, it incorporates the expansive and powerful movements of Xiong Kuo's sword technique. The steps have become larger, and the landings are heavier. With each step, pebbles explode beneath the feet.
[Simple Sketching (Proficient) (376/800)]
He extracted the core power generation method of Xiong Kuo's military swordsmanship and incorporated it into his own footwork.
It's not imitation, it's disassembly and reassembly.
Xiong Kuo's pupils contracted slightly as he watched him approach.
"you--"
Lin Yan slashed down with his sword.
This strike used the same decapitation strike technique as Xiong Kuo had used earlier, but the way the force was applied was different.
The force doesn't start from the shoulders, but from the feet.
When your feet touch the ground, the force goes to your waist; when your waist twists, the force goes to your back; when your back straightens, the force goes to your shoulders; when your shoulders sink, the force goes to your arms; and when your arms extend, the force goes to your wrists.
Then, with a flick of the wrist, the blade's momentum changed from a straight slash to a diagonal cut.
Xiong Kuo parried with his sword.
The two swords clashed, and sparks flew.
Xiong Kuo's thick-backed knife was jolted out of his hand and flew into the mud three steps away.
He looked down at his empty right hand, then looked up at Lin Yan.
"You can't possibly be a first-rank martial artist." Xiong Kuo looked at Lin Yan and said seriously, "The purity of your blood and qi is stronger than most first-rank soldiers I've ever seen."
Lin Yan remained silent.
He was indeed still at the first-grade Body Tempering Realm, but his [Basic Body Forging] had reached (487/500), and the effect of strengthening his Qi and Blood was just one step away from advancing to the next stage. Moreover, after he had just disassembled and absorbed Xiong Kuo's military swordsmanship, his utilization of Qi and Blood had reached a new level.
"I have learned your swordsmanship."
Lin Yan sincerely said to Xiong Kuo, "Thank you."
Xiong Kuo's expression was complicated.
He had fought for ten years and seen many geniuses, but he had never seen anyone who could learn his opponent's martial arts skills while fighting.
"Who exactly are you?" Xiong Kuo asked.
Lin Yan did not answer.
He walked up to the four bandits, and all four of them took a step back at the same time.
"Put the knife down," Lin Yan said.
The four men looked at each other, then at Xiong Kuo kneeling on the ground.
"Put it down," Xiong Kuo said.
The four men threw the knife on the ground.
"Help him up," Lin Yan said, pointing at Xiong Kuo.
The skinny man and another bandit stepped forward and helped Xiong Kuo up.
At this moment, Xiong Kuo's right arm was still trembling, and the injury to his tiger's mouth was more serious than Lin Yan's; his entire hand was swollen.
"You win."
Xiong Kuo said, "Kill me or torture me, it's up to you."
Lin Yan glanced at Xiong Kuo, then at the four bandits.
"I won't kill you," he said. "Take me to Chicken Ridge."
Xiong Kuo was stunned. "What did you say?"
"Take me to your mountain stronghold."
Why?
Lin Yan turned to look at the teahouse.
Lin Xiu was peeking out through the crack in the door, her face pale as she watched the scene unfold before her, but she didn't cry.
Chen leaned against the corner of the wall, covering her mouth and coughing violently.
"I need a place to stay," Lin Yan said. "Is your mountain stronghold secluded enough?"
Xiong Kuo stared at him for a long time; his cloudy right eye looked particularly strange in the sunlight.
"You were being chased by the authorities." Xiong Kuo remembered. "The portrait posted at the city gate was of you."
"Yes."
"You killed the official."
Government officials? Although Manager Zhao was a martial arts instructor hired by Qingfengxiang, judging from Zhou Dahu's flattering attitude, this Manager Zhao was probably connected with the government.
I guess so.
Xiong Kuo was silent for a moment, then grinned, revealing a smile that was even uglier than a grimace.
"Okay. I'll take you there."
Jimingling is located forty miles southwest of Qingyuan County, hidden between two mountains, and accessible only by one road.
The road is flanked by steep cliffs, with a narrow valley in the middle. At the end of the valley is a stone gate, behind which lies the mountain stronghold.
Lin Yan led a mule, with his mother and younger sister on its back.
Xiong Kuo led the way, with four bandits following behind, looking at Lin Yan with complicated expressions.
Upon entering the stone gate, the scene inside the village was better than Lin Yan had expected.
It wasn't a filthy, chaotic bandit den, but a well-organized mountain stronghold.
The village is built against the mountain, with more than 30 wooden houses scattered around. In the middle is a flat area where grains and medicinal herbs are dried.
Behind the village, there is a mountain spring. The water flows down from the cliff and forms a small pool.
There were a dozen or so bandits in the village at that moment. When they saw Xiong Kuo bring a stranger back, they all gathered around.
"Big brother, who is this?"
A young bandit asked.
Xiong Kuo didn't answer, but looked at Lin Yan, "What do you want to do with me?"
Lin Yan handed the mule to Lin Xiu, who then helped her mother to rest in a wooden hut.
Then he came out.
Standing on the flat ground, he looked at Xiong Kuo and the dozen or so bandits.
"I need to see your sincerity. I need a place to stay right now. I killed Ma Laoliu before because he was going to attack me. I didn't have any ill intentions towards him."
Lin Yan said.
Xiong Kuo paused for a moment, then knelt down on one knee without hesitation, placed his right hand on his chest, and said in a deep voice, "I, Xiong Kuo, swear to heaven that from this day forward, my life belongs to you. If I break this oath, may I be struck by lightning and die a horrible death."
Xiong Kuo could tell that Lin Yan was just someone who had been forced into this situation by the world.
If there's even the slightest chance of survival, they won't take the risk.
In addition, Lin Yan's talent truly surprised Xiong Kuo, which is why he swore such a vow so readily.
As for Ma Laoliu, he was just a newcomer to the village and was always disobedient. Xiong Kuo only attacked Lin Yan because of face.
Lin Yan is clearly stronger now, and Xiong Kuo won't be foolish enough to keep harping on Ma Laoliu's matter.
Lin Yan walked over and reached out to help him up.