"Fuck, that punk is utterly lawless! He actually dared to come back to Cangzhou?"
"You have no idea. The disciples from Eagle Claw Sect were all crippled by Xue Hen. Ao Zhen from Quan Sect and the Xu brothers from Yanqing Sect were beaten and injured, and supposedly he stole something from them."
"To dare act so brazenly at Baji Sect—who does he think he is?!"
Inside the brightly lit hall of Baji Sect, a crowd of disciples was genuinely furious. Young and old packed together in a tight throng, their clamor deafening.
Lian Youming and Xie Ruomei sat off to the side. The young girl held a needle and thread, carefully mending his torn sleeve. Standing before them was a round-faced, tiger-headed little boy—the very child Xue Hen had abducted earlier. Held by the hand by a female pugilist, the boy gripped a chicken drumstick in one hand, his eyes brimming with tears and his mouth smeared with grease as he stammered out his thanks to Lian Youming.
Lian Youming felt embarrassed to accept his gratitude. Xue Hen had come tonight specifically for him, and the child had merely been caught in the crossfire.
Wu Jiu examined the injuries on Lian Youming's hands. Only when he saw nothing serious did he breathe a sigh of relief. But turning around, the endless chattering from the crowd frayed his patience. "All right, shut your damn mouths! That punk learned the tendon-altering and bone-shrinking methods of the White Lotus Sect. He can alter his appearance at will. Once he slips into a crowd, finding him is like fishing for a needle in the sea. Unless an expert beyond the three forces steps up, sending anyone else is just throwing lives away. Three of the twelve core disciples from Xingyi Sect are already dead!"
Just then, the old man who had gone out during the day returned. His hands were clasped behind his back, his shoulders dusted with snow. Seeing everyone turn toward him, he waved a hand and said softly, "Go on back to bed, all of you. Someone from Xingyi Sect has moved out. But in my view, it's still a long shot—at best, they'll only manage to drive Xue Hen out of Cangzhou. Unless Xingyi Sect's young master returns from the military region, that kid will keep running wild for a while yet."
Sighing and shaking their heads, the crowd dispersed in moments.
Once most of them had gone, the old man sat beneath the lamp, turned, and said, "The date for the street-breaking trial has been settled. It's set for five days from now. Do you have any objections? I wanted to buy you a few more days, but Yanqing Sect seems quite hostile toward you. They want to use you as a stepping stone to build their own reputation."
Lian Youming looked puzzled. "I don't have any objections. Hostility I can understand, but what fame could they possibly gain by trampling me? I'm just an unknown kid."
Wu Jiu grabbed a cup of hot tea beside him and took a huge gulp. "Things are different now. You fought four to one and killed Tan Fei. Even if he was only a vice sect master, he was still somebody, so naturally his reputation passes to you. Besides, you've just come out of a brutal battle. In the eyes of outsiders, you're badly drained. Of course everyone wants to take a kick at you."
Lian Youming realized the logic. But the mention of Tan Fei brought something else to mind, and he hurriedly said, "Earlier, when I fought Xue Hen, I heard him say that Eagle Claw Sect's sect master was murdered by Tan Fei, and that Xie Laosan was driven away because of it."
The old man fell silent for a long while. He looked at Lian Youming, then glanced at Xie Ruomei, who had lifted her head. "Actually, we already know about this," the old man said quietly. "Xie Laosan's pride was simply too high, and he refused to accept defeat. Joining the White Lotus Sect back then was likely his way to elevate his martial arts so he could return for vengeance. Yet whatever the reason, wrong is wrong. A single misstep, and there's no turning back."
Xie Ruomei made no sound at his words. She merely kept her head bowed, stitching Lian Youming's sleeve, but large tears fell from her eyes, one after another.
The old man sighed. "Xie Laosan didn't just throw his lot in with the White Lotus Sect. When he left back then, unable to swallow his humiliation, he wounded and killed many people in a bloody slaughter. That was what forged bitter blood feuds with all the various sects. Ruomei's father was secretly struck down by an enemy and died early of his ailments. Her mother feared meeting the same fate, so after remarrying, she left without a word."
*So that's how it happened.* Lian Youming thought.
Noticing the awkward atmosphere in the room, Lian Youming gently comforted Xie Ruomei, then changed the subject to ask about something that had puzzled him for a long time.
"Senior, I often hear you all speak of experts beyond the three forces. What realm is that?"
The old man pondered for a moment, then smiled faintly and countered, "When you move, do you think before you act, or do you act before you think?"
"Why is it this question again?"
Lian Youming paused, remembering that Li Da had once asked him the exact same thing.
How strange.
"Naturally, the thought comes first, and then the action."
The old man nodded. "You're right. Whenever an ordinary person does anything, the intention arises before the body moves. Yet there is one exception: kung fu. When ordinary people fight, they have to go through a process—from thought to execution, then lifting the hand, clenching the fist, anticipating the point of impact, and finally throwing the punch to strike the enemy."
Lian Youming furrowed his thick brows, not quite understanding. "Shouldn't it be like that?"
The old man gave a gentle smile. "It is not like that beyond the three forces. Overt force, hidden force, and neutralizing force are, in the end, merely three methods of cultivation. None comes before the other, and none is higher or lower, but the power they forge differs. Different forces mean that different parts of the body's hundred bones are tempered, and naturally, the degree to which essence, qi, and spirit are condensed varies as well."
Wu Jiu chimed in from the side. "You've crossed hands with Xue Hen. You should know just how fast his footwork is."
Lian Youming nodded. "How could it not be fast? That guy could dodge bullets from my submachine gun."
Wu Jiu grinned. "That proves he has already touched the threshold beyond the three forces. If you had to describe it, overt, hidden, and neutralizing forces hone a person's combat methods—tempering the flesh and spirit, condensing essence, qi, and spirit. What lies beyond the three forces is the shortening and compressing of that entire process from thought, to action, to striking the opponent."
Lian Youming seemed to grasp the concept. "Reflexes?"
"Reflexes are merely a superficial manifestation," the old man added. "How do you think Xue Hen dodged those bullets?"
Lian Youming considered it. "Probably by watching the direction the muzzle was pointing and the movement of my wrist."
Wu Jiu chuckled slyly. "More than that. His body anticipated the danger beforehand and reacted first. Combined with his sharp observation, he seized the upper hand. If that kind of perception is applied to combat, guess whether a step in that process can be skipped entirely?"
Lian Youming's expression tightened, finding it hard to imagine. "This sounds a bit mystical—almost like a sixth sense."
Wu Jiu's eyes lit up, and he slapped his thigh with a shout. "You're a clever kid! That answer took me quite a while to figure out back then. That's right! Beyond the three forces lies the awakening of a martial artist's sixth sense. This sense requires both spirit and flesh to be tempered to a terrifying degree. Thus, one must train all three forces, giving rise to a sixth sense beyond the five senses."
The old man sighed with feeling. "When all is said and done, humans are animals. Once a martial artist forms this sixth sense, they can subconsciously anticipate external crises to a certain extent, and their body reacts instinctively. The cicada senses the autumn wind before it stirs; before the earth dragon turns, insects and snakes always flee in advance. This is the Realm of Pre-awareness beyond the three forces."
Seeing Lian Youming deep in thought with furrowed brows, the old man elaborated, "Xue Hen has only touched a sliver of that threshold. A true master in that realm needs no conscious thought during that process. Raising fists and dropping feet are entirely guided by bodily instinct. That means by the time you think, their fist has already flown; by the time you throw a punch, your opponent has already dodged."
Lian Youming's eyes widened. "Striking before intention? Li Da!"
He recalled that Li Da was in such a realm—walking through a flurry of falling leaves without a single one touching him.
Wu Jiu chuckled. "Striking before intention? That's remarkably well put. When that process is compressed to the absolute limit, the body's instinctual reaction can manifest ahead of thought. Kung fu is the way of offense and defense. Can you guess what the supreme realm of offense and defense is?"
Lian Youming thought about it carefully, then ventured, "Could it be forging the strongest spear and forming the strongest shield?"
The old man's eyes flickered with admiration. "Good comprehension. But within the Realm of Pre-awareness, there is another saying: 'In attack, nothing misses; in defense, nothing hits.' That is the pinnacle of this realm."
Lian Youming felt a surge of excitement. "Is there another realm after Pre-awareness?"
The old man's expression grew solemn. "There is. But to break through the Realm of Pre-awareness, one must do something."
"What?" Lian Youming asked in bewilderment.
The old man said gravely, "What a martial artist perceives most deeply from the outside world is always mortal peril. Only through brutal, life-and-death battles, relentlessly tempering the flesh and stimulating the spirit, can Pre-awareness be honed to its absolute limit. That is what Xue Hen intends to do—test his fists against all under heaven, questioning the mortal realm."
Lian Youming fell into brief silence. "Is that what Gong Wu'er intends to do as well?"
Wu Jiu shook his head. "Miss Gong has no intention of entering the Dao through slaughter. She shuns joy and renounces desire, seeking an alternative path through heaven, earth, and nature for everyone to break through Pre-awareness."
Lian Youming let out a soft breath. "Astounding... Then wouldn't someone in the Realm of Pre-awareness be virtually invincible? Untouchable and inescapable."
The old man smiled. "Not necessarily. If five or six experts who have brought the three forces to full mastery join forces, coordinating properly, they can force out flaws in Pre-awareness and kill them together. In truth, there is no great difference in combat methods between the two sides; it is merely that the ability of Pre-awareness brings one closer to perfection."
The night had grown deep. Unnoticed, the snowfall grew heavier, swirling and drifting inside on the night wind.
Perhaps feeling he had spoken enough, the old man rose to his feet, brushed the dust from his clothes, and spoke warmly. "My surname is Xu, and my full name is Xu Tian. If you can resolve the grudge between the Xie family and the martial circles, I will accept Ruomei as a core disciple. I do not speak falsely."
Those words carried tremendous weight.
Lian Youming laughed heartily. "All right! When the time comes, I'll be sure to attend the ceremony."
Xu Tian smiled. "These next few days, let Ruomei show you around. Five days will pass in the blink of an eye, and there isn't much to prepare anyway. Well, the night is late. Go back and rest, both of you."
Lian Youming nodded and led Xie Ruomei toward their quarters.
"Did you hear that? Senior Xu will accept you as a core disciple in the future, so relax and don't be timid. Be bolder in everything! I'm definitely winning this battle."
With his arms pillowed behind his head, the boy strolled leisurely through the night snow, brimming with excitement and joy.
Yet Lian Youming did not realize that the girl behind him was gazing steadily at his back, lost in a wistful daydream.
Chapter 83