After breakfast, Lin Xun went to stand in an open area in the courtyard, drew a deep breath and said to Xia Zhi, “Let’s start.”
Fighting with physical strength alone was the most direct and effective way to strengthen a person’s body?
Lin Xun needed to see whether the little girl was right.
Xia Zhi leisurely got up and came to stand exactly ten feet before Lin Xun. She calmly and unhurriedly rolled up her sleeves and revealed her fair and spotless arms.
Then, she lifted her little face, and her bright jewel-like eyes sparkled as she looked at Lin Xun. “You attack.”
Lin Xun looked a little taken aback. In truth, he couldn’t bring himself to attack an exceptionally beautiful little girl who was only five to six years old and who barely reached his chest.
Even if he knew what sort of unbelievable strength Xia Zhi possessed, it felt wrong to bully a little girl.
However, when Lin Xun saw the serious and solemn look on Xia Zhi’s face, he clenched his teeth and gathered power to his hand. He slammed his fist forward like a roaring tiger.
Hu—
The physical strength from his fist generated wind blasts that shook the air, and the force was so tremendous that it felt like a fierce tiger emerging from the mountains.
This clearly demonstrated that Lin Xun’s mastery of the Marching Army Fist had reached the Precise realm. He could precisely exhibit the essence and wonders of the fist art.
However, Xia Zhi didn’t move or dodge as the punch flew towards her. She simply lifted her slender and fair arm and clutched Lin Xun’s wrist like a pair of iron tongs.
Shocked, Lin Xun frantically struggled to break free but Xia Zhi simply flicked her wrist.
With a loud thud, Lin Xun’s entire body violently quivered like a flapping cloth and he dropped to the ground. It was so painful that he thought his bones were crushed. He grimaced as he inhaled sharply.
The shock in Lin Xun’s heart was far greater than the pain in his body. Xia Zhi’s attack was so quick that he was already blasted to the ground before he had time to react!
Lin Xun could distinctly feel that Xia Zhi didn’t circulate any aeth power earlier, which meant she defeated him with a simple flick of her wrist.
Lin Xun pulled himself up and looked at Xia Zhi with embarrassment. The hint of leniency in his eyes had faded and was replaced by utmost solemness.
However, Xia Zhi furrowed her delicate eyebrows and said in puzzlement, “Your control of physical strength is very bad. The fire mane boars in the mountains are better than you.”
Lin Xun's face immediately darkened. A five to six year old little girl dared to compare him to a pig!
What an insult!
Boom!
Lin Xun exhaled, expelling the rage. Then, he balled his hands into fists and charged over with the move “a mountain crushing the moon”.
That move was both offensive and defensive. Lin Xun believed that he wouldn’t lose to the little girl again.
However, his vision suddenly blurred and his wrist was being held in a tight grip again. WIth a loud thud, he again slammed into the ground like a meteorite and whipped up a cloud of dust. His face was bruised and swollen.
So embarrassing!
Regardless of how shrewd Lin Xun was, he was still only thirteen years old. How could a youngster full of potential endure such humiliation?
“Again!”
Lin Xun didn’t care about anything anymore. WIth a thunderous roar, he charged forward again.
He had learned his lesson. This time, he lifted his arms and his fists were akin to a stretched bow. It was the Iron Bridge Across the River move from the Marching Army Fist.
Given Xia Zhi’s height, she couldn’t touch Lin Xun’s wrist anymore.
As he expected, Xia Zhi frowned. Then, she suddenly trotted forward and charged into Lin Xun’s line of defense like a rising dragon. Like a drill, she kicked Lin Xun’s knee.
Lin Xun suddenly felt his right leg go numb and immediately lost sensation there. Then, he stumbled forward and almost planted his face in the ground.
At the same time, Xia Zhi tightly gripped his wrist once again. She gently flicked it again.
The familiar scene happened again. Lin Xun once again embraced the ground head-on. The ground shook and dust and dirt whirled into the air.
Lin Xun got up. His face was dirtied, his hair disheveled, his nose bruised, his face swollen, and his clothes were covered with dirt and dust. He looked extremely miserable.
His eyes were fixed intently on Xia Zhi and his heart was a vortex of complex emotions— shock, disbelief, confusion, anger, and humiliation.
Xia Zhi seemed totally unaware of what Lin Xun was feeling. She frowned, perplexed. “Lin Xun, you really are worse than the fire mane boar. I wonder if you’re more stupid than them too.”
Boom!
Her words made Lin Xun’s blood boil and rush to his forehead. An indescribable sense of shame and humiliation spread all over his body like fire.
She said I’m worse than a pig!
She said I’m more stupid than a pig!
Lin Xun was seething with rage that smoke almost rose from his seven orifices. Then, his eyes widened, and with an enraged roar, he charged forward again.
Bang!
Xia Zhi curled her lips, unenthusiastically raised her hand and blasted Lin Xun to the ground once again.
“Again!”
Lin Xun looked like a cockroach that couldn’t be killed. He pushed himself up and charged at Xia Zhi without any hesitation.
The strong feeling of humiliation had ignited his fighting spirit. He had completely forgotten everything and put aside all the distractions and restraints in his heart.
He was like a youngster refusing to admit defeat.
It was also only then that Lin Xun resembled a real thirteen-year-old. All his emotions were revealed in his facial expression—passion, resentment, bitterness, joy and anger.
Bang!
He was beaten to the ground again.
“Again!”
Bang!
“Again!”
Bang!
On that afternoon, the same noises repeatedly rang from Lin Xun’s courtyard in the east of the village. The noises not only made people panic but scared away the skylarks perched on the willow tree.
Village Chief Xiao Tianren hurried to Lin Xun’s house and saw Xia Zhi lift Lin Xun up like a sack and tossed to the ground.
Dumbfounded, Xiao Tianren repeatedly rubbed his eyes, thinking it was an illusion.
However, he quickly realized it wasn’t an illusion. The youngster who saved Feiyun Village from the abyss of suffering and was respected by all villagers was miserably beaten beyond recognition by a five to six-year-old girl. Xiao Tianren uncontrollably fell into a trance. This is too crazy. When did the world become like this…?
I don’t understand anything anymore!
Xiao Tianren came to discuss with Lian Xun about the matters regarding the Feiyun Fire Copper mine but he unhesitatingly left after seeing that scene.
He felt that he needed to first calm down. The scene was so shocking that anyone’s eyes would glaze over in a hypnotic trance.
It wasn’t until the sun had set that the courtyard returned to its usual peaceful state.
Lin Xun gritted his teeth and hobbled over to the wooden bathtub. He took off his tattered and dirty clothes and jumped into the prepared bath.
Various aeth ingredients with significant body-repairing effects had been prepared into the wooden barrel.
Hu—
Feeling the warmth from the medicinal bath caress the numerous scars all over his body, Lin Xun couldn’t help exhaling a long breath of turbid air.
But when he saw Xia Zhi, he unconsciously twitched and a look of shame and bitterness washed over his face.
Lin Xun had lost count of how many times he was defeated that afternoon. Every time his bones almost broke apart like he was being crushed by Mount Tai.
His body had long become numb and his strength was almost exhausted. Every inch of his skin, flesh, muscles and bones throbbed with unbearable pain.
He could have endured if it was only pain that he suffered.
However, he couldn’t accept the fact that he lost so many times to the same trick!
It made Lin Xun begin to wonder if he really was more stupid that the fire mane boar.
Lin Xun firmly shook his head, unwilling to admit that he was worse than an animal.
“I’m going to sleep.”
Xia Zhi got up and walked into the room. “Oh, yes, I’ll be very hungry when I wake up. Don’t forget to cook for me.”
Lin Xun was stumped for words. He was so angry that he almost cursed out loud. I have become like this and you still want me to cook! Do you not have any sympathy?!
Immediately afterwards, Lin Xun smiled bitterly and sighed like he was accepting his fate. Resting in the wooden barrel bathtub, he raised his head and watched night descend on the village. His eyes gradually restored their usual clearness as all emotions faded from them.
He reflected on the battle in the afternoon. He thought over every little detail and gradually immersed himself in it.
Xia Zhi adopted a very simple fighting method. She simply grabbed him and tossed him to the ground.
Her grip was unbreakable like an iron hoop.
Her flick was as swift and direct as an experienced hand sifting chaff from wheat.
But upon a deeper thought, there was a lot to learn from it. For example, her grip was lightning fast, precise and flawless. Like a goshawk catching a rabbit, her every move directly struck its target!
That ability required remarkable eyesight and speed. It wasn’t considered particularly profound and could be achieved by anyone with painstaking practice.
What truly amazed Lin Xun was the power of her flick. The flicking motion of her wrist produced a tidal-like force that shook and almost shattered every muscle and bone in the body.
It was too terrifying!
How did Xia Zhi achieve that with mere physical strength?
Lin Xun fell into deep thought.
……
Night fell and stars dotted the vast and boundless sky.
Lin Xun had soaked up the medicinal effect of the bath and his numbness and exhaustion had been swept away. Without any hesitation, he put on some clean clothes and began to prepare dinner.
His battle with Xia Zhi in the afternoon wasn’t as simple as it seemed. He appeared to be miserably beaten, but he had only suffered superficial wounds and his internal tissues were undamaged.
When Lin Xun thought of this, he knew Xia Zhi held back her strength. But he didn’t know what fraction of her powers she had used.
Xia Zhi appeared immediately when dinner was prepared and served on the table.
Lin Xun smiled as he ladled rice into the little girl’s bowl. “I roughly understand now.”
Xia Zhi looked surprised. While chewing on a chunk of meat that was as thick as an arm, she remarked, “It’s so simple. If you don't understand, you really are stupid.”
Lin Xun: “…”
Lin Xun took a deep breath, trying to ignore Xia Zhi’s inadvertent insult. He then changed his tone of voice to a serious and firm one. “Let’s continue tomorrow!”
His words were resounding, but Xia Zhi felt a hint of resentment and bitterness in his voice. She couldn’t help but raise her eyes to look at Lin Xun. She tilted her head and said ruminatively, “Diligence can make up for one’s lack of talent. A dumb sparrow needs to make an early start. I just learned these two sentences. I think they fit you very well.”
Lin Xun’s face suddenly darkened. Is this little girl addicted to abusing me now?
What do you mean by lack of talent?
What do you mean by dumb sparrow?
Do I have such a bad image in her mind?
“Let’s eat dinner!”
Lin Xun gritted his teeth and glared at Xia Zhi. He sullenly ate dinner, venting all his emotions on his food. He ended the conversation that made him feel crushed.
The night was calm as usual, but when they recalled the night in the future, they would understand the preciousness of it.
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