"At least he has some sense."
In the tavern to the east, Zhou Peide let out a sigh of relief.
He shook his head slightly and said, "He could have won with ease, yet he insisted on showing off. Had he brought out his true specialties earlier, how could he have ended up in such an unsightly state?"
Another black-bearded, middle-aged man spoke in praise, "Zhou Bai has already grasped the monkey form. After this battle, he is bound to reach new heights. His talent far outstrips ours."
His name was Wang Yao, one of the Eight Great Vajras. He had followed Zhou Pan from an early age to learn martial arts, though on ordinary days he primarily practiced medicine at his family clinic.
Among the Eight Great Vajras, he possessed the finest reputation.
"Junior Brother Wang flatters him too much."
Zhou Peide stroked his beard and nodded, his eyes brimming with gratification.
Beside them, Yuan Qu could no longer be bothered to speak. Listening to their conversation, a sneer touched his gaze…
……
In the tavern to the west, the atmosphere was somewhat stifling.
"It seems Old Zhang is going to lose his wager."
An elder of a martial arts hall shook his head slightly, speaking with bitter reluctance. "He has attained the monkey form, and what's more, the monkey spirit. The talent of the Zhou family's boy is truly extraordinary. That old monkey has found a worthy successor…"
"What is everyone rushing to conclude!"
Zhang Yuanshang snorted, his face dark as he took several rapid pulls from his water pipe.
……
Setting aside what each faction thought, the battle above grew increasingly ferocious.
Upon the wooden stage, Li Yan took another clawing blow.
Three bloody furrows scored his left shoulder, crimson spilling freely.
Yet he paid it no heed, fixing an unblinking gaze upon Zhou Bai.
Trading injuries with the Daluo Dharma Body was pointless right now. This was a life-and-death match; even if he recovered, failing to shatter the opponent's rounded defense meant he would simply be injured again.
He had to admit that Zhou Bai was genuinely ferocious.
The Monkey Fist he wielded had captured the true essence, nimble and completely unconstrained.
Li Yan could even feel that what stood before him was no longer a human being, but a vicious ape roaming through mountain forests.
*Not human?*
Staring at the boy's savage, beastly eyes, Li Yan felt a sudden jolt in his mind. As he stepped back to evade, his hand formed a Yang Seal and he drew a deep breath.
Sure enough, something was amiss about Zhou Bai.
A faint, rank musk continually lingered around him.
This stench was entirely distinct from that of a cold-altar rampaging soldier or the Xianjia worshipped by Widow Wang. Devoid of any chilling sha qi, it smelled far more like the scent of a living beast.
*Well, well—this brat is playing tricks!*
Though he did not understand the exact cause, Li Yan was certain that the boy had relied on some sort of sorcerous empowerment to evoke such vivid monkey spirit.
A flare of anger rose in Li Yan's chest, yet it only made him colder and more collected.
According to Zhang Shitong, this bout had official witnesses from the yamen and an overseer requested from the City God Temple to ensure no sorcery was used.
Now it seemed whoever had been invited was completely irresponsible.
Or worse, they might simply be turning a blind eye for the sake of the Zhou family.
Moreover, the scent was exceptionally faint. Even if he called it out, the practitioner casting the spell could dismiss it with a flick of a sleeve, rendering an accusation useless…
A pity his Three Powers Demon-Suppressing Coins saber tassel was not on him.
*Whoosh!*
Right as he pondered this, Zhou Bai darted forward once more. Crouching low, his right claw dug toward Li Yan's ribs, a hissing sound escaping his lips.
This was the Red Fist hidden jin secret method: Thread-Piercing Sound.
With every breath, the qi became like a fine thread, piercing the belly and guts to rouse the sinews and fascia.
Zhou Bai's mastery was still shallow after all. Drawing upon hidden jin repeatedly had begun to strain him; by now, he had to rely on the Thread-Piercing Sound to successfully channel his power.
Paired with his monkey form, it sounded like the howling of a wild beast.
Li Yan faced a similar predicament. With this gouging claw lunging straight for his ribs, he had nowhere left to retreat and could only muster his own hidden jin to deflect it.
At the same time, his chest swelled as he recited the incantation of the Divine Drum Cloud Thunder Sound.
*"Hum!"*
A muffled detonation resonated deep in his chest, rumbling like thunder.
The area beneath the platform was already a cacophony of noise. When the spectating common folk heard it, they thought nothing of it, for martial performers often grunted and shouted while executing their forms.
Yet to Zhou Bai at close range, it felt as though a muffled thunderclap had erupted right beside his ear. His head rang, darkness flashed before his eyes, and his breath instantly fell into disarray.
He was infused with the aura of a macaque through a secret technique, which sat upon him like oil mixed with water, the boundary between them sharply defined.
The Great Cloud Thunder Sound was originally a Buddhist mantra, emulating the shifts of yin and yang in natural thunder to cow and suppress evil. Though not a spell in itself, it caused the macaque aura clinging to him to freeze and stagnate.
The moment his breath faltered, his hidden jin naturally dispersed.
Li Yan, on the other hand, exhaled with thunderous resonance, channeling all his might.
With a sharp crack, Zhou Bai’s thrusting claw was shoved aside by Li Yan. The boy’s hand bent backward in a grotesque fracture, flesh splitting open until jagged white bone poked through the skin.
"Aaargh—!"
Although Zhou Bai sparred frequently and had masters feed him techniques, everyone feared Zhou Pan too much to ever strike to kill. As a result, he had never suffered a severe injury in his life.
The excruciating agony in his wrist was unbearable. Drenched in cold sweat, he stumbled backward in disarray.
*The Divine Drum Cloud Thunder Sound can break it!*
Li Yan could smell that the rank musk clinging to the boy had become erratic.
Though he did not understand why, he had no intention of letting such an opportunity slip. Driving off his calves in a crisscrossing stride, he closed the distance in an instant.
Red Fist was likewise renowned for its agility.
The moment Li Yan closed in, Zhou Bai had no time to dodge.
In his panic, his left hand lashed out like an iron rake, clawing directly at Li Yan’s face in a bid to force him back. Yet after tangling with him for so long, Li Yan was already intimately familiar with the boy's monkey routines. With a flick of his left hand, he batted the strike away; a right hook slammed into Zhou Bai's upper abdomen, followed by a left shove and a downward backfist that crashed like a war hammer.
Red Fist fast hands: Uncover, Wipe, Thrust, and Chop!
Each blow arrived faster than the last.
All the while, Li Yan voiced the "Hum" mantra without pause. Zhou Bai took several brutal impacts head-on, feeling as though he were an evil spirit undergoing punishment beneath heaven's wrathful lightning.
Thunder clattered incessantly in his ears, his skull buzzing violently, until a burst of crimson sprayed from his mouth.
The terror of death flared within him.
Zhou Bai knew that if he did not do something immediately, he would die on this stage today!
As Li Yan’s final chopping fist came crashing down, Zhou Bai jerked both elbows upward to form a block.
*Crack!*
The sound of both arms fracturing rang out in unison.
By now, Zhou Bai had been driven to the very corner of the platform. Under that tremendous force, he was launched backward through the air, vomiting blood.
With a heavy thud, he plummeted thirty feet from the high stage, his legs twitching a few times before falling completely still.
"You court death!"
A furious roar erupted from the eastern tavern.
A figure smashed through the window and leapt straight down from the upper floor.
It was none other than Zhou Bai’s father, Zhou Peide.
Though a rigid man who treated his son with harsh discipline and never spoke a gentle word, his love was as deep as his demands were severe.
This precious son had always been his greatest pride.
Seeing him gravely injured, his life hanging in the balance, Zhou Peide instantly lost all reason.
*Crash!*
At the same time, several figures leapt out from the western tavern.
An elderly man bounded forward, blocking Zhou Peide's path.
"Get out of my way!"
Zhou Peide bellowed, thrusting out a palm strike aimed straight for the chest.
Yet the moment he struck, the figure before him vanished.
The one barring his path was none other than Luo Shihai, a senior master of Baguazhang.
Baguazhang footwork was like wading through mud, its arms like twisted rope, turning like a millstone, excelling beyond measure in close-range evasion.
With a sway and hook of his stance, Luo Shihai circled to Zhou Peide's flank. Executing a double-palm change, he swept the man's arm aside and dropped his shoulder heavily.
*Thud, thud, thud!*
Zhou Peide immediately lost his balance, stumbling several steps backward.
Only then did Luo Shihai stroke his long beard, his gaze icy as he said coolly, "A life-and-death match ends all grievances the moment victory is decided. No one may interfere or seek revenge."
"What, your son's life is precious, but my disciple was supposed to swallow her grievance?!"
The question was laced with undisguised fury.
His disciple, a promising young actress of the *qingyi* role, had hanged herself after being violated by a Zhou family disciple.
He had sought revenge, but had been no match for Zhou Pan in the ring, forced to let the matter drop for the time being and swallow his bitter wrath.
Now that an opportunity had presented itself, he naturally stepped up to reclaim that debt.
At that moment, Zhang Yuanshang and his faction also closed in, squaring off against the Eight Great Vajras at Zhou Peide's side.
The atmosphere grew suffocatingly tense.
Right then, Wang Yao stepped forward from among the Eight Great Vajras, pressed two fingers against Zhou Bai's wrist, and barked, "Eldest Brother, he hasn't drawn his last breath! Save him first!"
"Quick! Hurry!"
Zhou Peide had no mind for anything else. He hurriedly led his men forward, hoisted Zhou Bai onto a stretcher, and beat a hasty retreat.
In his rush, he did not even pause to leave behind a parting threat.
Meanwhile, Yuan Qu and the other Vajras cast a cold glance over the crowd before turning to depart.
Many Jianghu figures were present, and they watched the scene with varied expressions.
They were all seasoned veterans who knew Xianyang inside and out.
Everyone understood that with the conclusion of this duel, the two factions within the Divine Fist Association had thoroughly ruptured. From this day forth, Xianyang would know no peace!
"Brother Yan, are you all right?"
Wang Daoxuan and Sha Lifei naturally paid no mind to the crowd. Hurrying to the base of the platform, they called out anxiously to Li Yan as he crawled down.
Small wonder they were nervous; Li Yan was in terrible shape as well.
Before turning the tide, he had taken several solid claw strikes. His body was covered in gashes, his clothes soaked through with blood.
Li Yan parted his lips, then abruptly shut his eyes and collapsed, falling straight forward in a dead faint.
Sha Lifei and Wang Daoxuan panicked, rushing forward to catch him.
Yet as they caught him, Li Yan’s fingers gripped their arms, and a low voice reached their ears: "I'm fine. Get me back first!"
The two understood at once. Procuring a stretcher, they carried Li Yan away without delay.
"Bravo!"
Though both fighters had ended up battered and broken, the commoners of Xianyang had been treated to a magnificent spectacle. As Sha Lifei and Wang Daoxuan carried Li Yan through the streets, cheers followed them every step of the way.
Yet among the crowd, many watched with dark faces and eerie gleams in their eyes…
……
In the old street near Niangniang Temple, inside the puppet shop.
*Crack!*
The moment Li Yan shattered the sorcery upon Zhou Bai, a white porcelain doll painted with a red talisman on the altar suddenly split apart.
Chen Fakui, who had been carving a wooden puppet, stiffened. He rose slowly and retrieved a triangular folded yellow talisman from within the fractured porcelain doll.
The moment it rested in his palm, the yellow talisman rotted away, disintegrating into a scatter of drifting ash…
Chapter 48