chsdbacks Chapter 4 King's Eight Fists
Chapter 4 King's Eight Fists
That evening, the aroma of roasted rabbit meat wafted through the cave dwelling.
Lin Yan placed the remaining half of the wild rabbit on the fire and slowly roasted it.
The grease dripped down, making a sizzling sound.
Lin Xiu, the little girl next to him, kept swallowing as she watched this scene.
"Brother, it smells so good..."
She squatted by the fire, her eyes glued to the rabbit meat, her mouth practically watering.
Chen leaned against the kang (a heated brick bed), watching her son skillfully flip the roasting meat, and said softly, "Yan'er, why did you roast all of it today?"
"Save half for tomorrow."
Lin Yan smiled at Chen Shi and then spoke.
He cut off most of the rabbit meat, wrapped it in oil paper, and put it in his pocket.
The remaining half was torn into several pieces.
He handed them to his mother and sister respectively.
"Brother, aren't you going to eat?"
Lin Xiu held the rabbit meat and looked at Lin Yan with some confusion, then spoke.
"I've already eaten."
Lin Yan patted her head and said softly, "You guys eat, I'm going out for a bit, I'll be back later."
Chen's eyes flickered, and she looked up at Lin Yan, but in the end she only said softly, "Be careful."
Lin Yan nodded, then pushed open the door and walked straight outside.
Under the old tree at the village entrance, Wang Agou was already getting impatient.
He looked up and saw Lin Yan walking towards him, and immediately stood up, eagerly rushing towards Lin Yan:
"Hey kid, you're finally here! Where's the meat?"
Lin Yan took out an oil paper package from his pocket and opened one corner.
In that instant, the aroma of roasted rabbit meat wafted out, and Wang Agou's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
"Hey! You've got some real talent!"
He snatched it away, tore off a rabbit leg, and started gnawing on it. His mouth greasy, he exclaimed to Lin Yan, "Mmm! Good! You're a real shrew!"
Several of his followers surrounded Wang Agou, pleading for his guidance.
"Brother, can I have some soup?"
"Yeah, brother, it smells really good..."
Wang Agou waved his hand impatiently, tore off a few pieces of meat and gave them to them, while he squatted down and happily gnawed on most of a rabbit.
Lin Yan squatted down to the side and waited until they had almost finished eating before slowly speaking, "Brother Wang, what about the martial arts matter..."
"What's the rush?"
Wang Agou wiped his mouth, let out a burp, then stood up, clapped his hands, and said, "Alright, I'm in a good mood today, so I'll show you something!"
After saying this, Wang Agou took two steps back and assumed a horse stance.
"Watch closely!"
Wang Agou threw a punch with great force.
Then he swept his leg, kicking up a cloud of dust, and then swung his fist twice.
They were putting on quite a show, but Lin Yan next to them looked awkward no matter how you looked at it.
"How is it?"
He stopped his stance, and said smugly to Lin Yan, "This set of punches was taught by the master at the town's martial arts school; ordinary people can't learn it!"
Lin Yan's eyes twitched as she watched.
What kind of martial arts is this?
It was clearly a haphazard street fight, completely lacking any semblance of discipline.
But he still forced a smile and, despite his discomfort, gently patted Wang Agou's stinky feet.
"Brother Wang, you're really skilled! Could you demonstrate it again? I'd like to see it more closely."
Wang Agou became even more smug and did it again, this time deliberately slowing down his movements.
Lin Yan stood to the side watching Wang Agou's appearance, and unconsciously started gesturing with his hands.
He imitated Wang Agou, assuming a horse stance, throwing punches, and sweeping kicks.
Although the movements were clumsy, they unexpectedly captured a resemblance to the original form.
Just as Lin Yan was imitating, the message "[Skill: Crude Imitation (Not Yet an Expert) (3/100)] quietly appeared on the panel.
[Function: Imitates and analyzes the body movements of others, and can learn basic martial arts techniques (the effect increases with proficiency)]
Lin Yan was startled.
really!
Any focused action will be recorded as a skill on the panel.
This form imitation may seem useless now, but what if it could mimic a martial artist's moves?
He suppressed his excitement and continued to mimic Wang Agou's gestures.
"Yes, that's it!"
Seeing Lin Yan's earnestness, Wang Agou became even more enthusiastic and began to instruct him: "Clench your fists tightly, punch fast, don't hesitate!"
"Thank you for your guidance, Brother Wang."
Lin Yan wiped his sweat and thanked Wang Agou.
"It's nothing!"
Wang Agou patted his chest and said with feigned magnanimity, "Follow me from now on, and you'll have plenty of benefits!"
Just as Lin Yan was about to say something more, he suddenly heard the sound of horses' hooves and footsteps coming from afar.
A group of people, about a dozen in number, came from the official road carrying torches.
The man in the lead was the middle-aged man, Manager Zhao, whom we had met in town during the day.
He was riding a horse, with guards following behind him, heading in this direction.
Wang Agou was still boasting:
"See that? If this punch lands on their face, I guarantee they'll be..."
"Shut up."
Lin Yan interrupted him in a low voice.
Wang Agou was taken aback and followed Lin Yan's gaze.
Manager Zhao and his group were getting closer and closer.
One of the guards, who was walking on the side of the group, heard Wang Agou's shouts and glanced at him.
His gaze was as indifferent as if he were looking at a stray dog on the roadside.
Wang Agou subconsciously shrank his neck and muttered under his breath, "What are you looking at..."
The guard paused.
He turned around, picked up a fist-sized stone from the roadside, and held it in his palm.
There were no signs whatsoever.
He clenched his fist slightly, and the stone turned into powder right in front of Lin Yan, falling through his fingers.
The night wind blew, and stone dust was scattered by the wind.
Wang Agou opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a single word.
His henchmen were terrified.
Lin Yan was also stunned.
This is internal strength.
What alarmed him even more was that the moment the guard exerted his strength, his [Mountain Viewing] skill automatically reacted.
[Guanshan]'s ability to perceive the environment clearly captured the presence of the aura at this moment.
Although it was only for a moment before the guard stopped and turned to leave, Lin Yan's back was already covered in a layer of cold sweat.
This is what a true martial artist is.
Compared to them, Wang Agou's fancy skills are nothing but a joke.
As Manager Zhao and his entourage walked past, no one was willing to give them even a second glance.
Wang Agou slumped to the ground, his lips trembling as he stammered, "What...what kind of monster is that..."
But no one around him answered him.
Lin Yan stared at the guard's back, a mix of indescribable emotions churning within him.
Just then, he caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye that something at Steward Zhao's waist had come loose.
It was a small brocade pouch, no bigger than the palm of a hand. It swayed with the horse's movements, then silently slipped off and fell into the roadside bushes.
Manager Zhao and his group walked away.
The sound of horses' hooves gradually faded into the night.
Wang Agou was still lying on the ground, his eyes fixed on the direction the guard had left.
"Big...Big Brother..."
The skinny, monkey-like henchman was the first to recover, and with a trembling voice, he asked Wang Agou, "Is that person a human or a ghost...?"
"Stone...stone..." another henchman swallowed hard. "Such a big stone, it would crumble with a single squeeze..."
"What if you were to hold that weight on a person..."
No one responded.
The night wind blew, and the withered grass rustled.