A Bei put on a pained expression, fighting the constant urge to vomit, and forced the remaining beef and eggs into his mouth.
With his mouth full of food that he couldn't swallow, I watched as my stomach reacted, food surging back up my throat. I suppressed the discomfort and quickly moved away from the table towards the punching bag.
A Bei ultimately couldn't hold it in and threw up with a cry.
The man in black lashed out at him with his whip. A Bei curled up, clutching his stomach with his hands, enduring the dense rain of blows upon his body.
The Daoist brothers were visibly distressed. They made a few impulsive movements, but I suppressed them with a look.
This was just the beginning; greater trials awaited us. If he couldn't endure a few whips, he would be useless for what was to come.
A Bei was only subjected to a few lashes. If he couldn't withstand even this, we couldn't rely on him for our subsequent actions.
I was also observing to see if A Bei had completely betrayed Brother Hui. If he capitulated now and exposed us, we would abandon any thought of waiting for the right moment and engage in a direct confrontation.
Fortunately, the man in black didn't linger with A Bei. After a few lashes, he cursed and walked towards us with his whip.
The man in black pointed at me and said, "Next, you'll shout the slogans. A Bei, you'll do push-ups beside him. You're not allowed to get up without my command."
Another half-hour of whipping training ensued. Even those of us who relied on physical strength found it difficult to endure. After half an hour, we felt like we had been drained of all energy. A Bei, more pitifully, endured the entire half-hour with tears in his eyes. He fell several times, was whipped again, and then forced himself back up.
Seeing that the time was up, the man in black ordered us to rest for two hours on the training grounds and then he left the room.
I hurried over to A Bei, who was sprawled on the ground, and asked him with concern how he was. He managed to utter a few words: "I can barely hold on."
"Why don't you find a way to go out and look for the seniors? We can endure here for a few more days."
A Bei looked at me painfully, then shook his head. He said with difficulty, "I want to go too, but what about you guys?"
"We'll find a way to cope. If you go out, you can tell the seniors what's happening inside. If the time is right, we can coordinate from the inside and out to take down Brother Hui."
"However, if I leave suddenly, and your identities are questioned, it might jeopardize the entire plan. I'll try to hold on a bit longer. If I really can't take it, I'll say something tonight."
Letting him go wasn't the best solution. I only thought of sending him out because I feared something might go wrong if he couldn't endure. Seeing how considerate he was of the overall situation, I said no more.
The Daoist brothers brought water and helped him sit on the ground, allowing him to rehydrate.
I told him not to drink too much at once, to take a few sips first and then drink more later.
After drinking a little water, A Bei sat on the ground for a while before starting to recover.
We weren't given any food at noon. We had to wait until the afternoon for something to replenish our energy.
In reality, we felt nauseous at the sight of food now. Even the best delicacies placed before us wouldn't tempt our appetites.
Although Brother Hui's training methods were somewhat perverse, they weren't necessarily a bad thing; they greatly helped improve our overall combat effectiveness. To be honest, we never had the time for such extensive physical training in our daily lives.
Our so-called combat effectiveness was honed through countless battles.
After chatting for a while, we lay down on the blankets to rest. At this point, regaining our strength was the most important thing.
Not long after I lay down, I drifted into a hazy sleep.
It felt like only a short while before I was awakened by shouting. Opening my eyes, I saw the man in black standing before us with his whip.
"Damn it, you bunch are quite comfortable, treating this place like home and even sleeping."
We quickly got to our feet and greeted the master.
He didn't make things difficult for us further. He instructed us to pair up and practice sparring on the blankets.
A Bei and I were paired together, and the two Daoist brothers were paired together.
The man in black first demonstrated a combat move and told us to practice only that one.
The attacker would deliver a straight punch to the center of the opponent's chest. Upon getting close, they would suddenly change direction and strike upwards towards the opponent's jaw.
It had to be said, this move was very practical. Most people, when attacked, would instinctively dodge. Those with quick reflexes would slightly bend their bodies, weakening the force of the opponent's punch. This very act of hunching over would cause their head and face to lean forward, presenting their jaw perfectly. A punch delivered at this moment would most likely knock out the opponent, or at the very least, temporarily incapacitate them from retaliating.
The man in black was truly a combat champion. This move was simple, practical, and easy to learn.
If only he knew that he was teaching it to Li Hua, who intended to end his life. What would he think?
What would Brother Hui think?
Whatever the case, the priority was to master the technique first.
The Daoist brothers were also practicing diligently, their movements precise.
A Bei was a novice, and he couldn't grasp the key points. Several times, he actually struck my jaw, though thankfully, I managed to dodge them all.
He didn't hold back; he threw genuine punches. I was coordinating my movements with him, completely unarmed, and was forced to dodge everywhere.
Actually, sparring training was mainly about mastering techniques. If one were to truly fight, they would miss the point and their punches would become chaotic.
It was rather like filming a martial arts movie, where punches seemed to land with full force, but in reality, none connected. It was merely the result of two people cooperating seamlessly, exchanging blows.
The limit was half an hour, after which the attacking roles would switch.
After an hour, our bodies ached all over.
We stopped to rest for ten minutes, then proceeded to do push-ups.
Unlike traditional push-ups, we had to support ourselves with one leg and two hands, or one hand and two legs. Each set lasted ten minutes, and then we would switch to the other variation.
This placed a tremendous demand on our stamina. The three of us could barely manage it, while A Bei fared much worse, collapsing to the ground several times.
Inevitably, he was whipped again. A Bei's tears and snot streamed down his face, but he endured without making a sound.
We couldn't help him, so we could only silently pray that he would persevere.
Another hour passed, and our food arrived: large prawns, eggs, and raw fish. This time, it was a large platter, estimated to be two catties.
The afternoon meal was much easier to swallow. Each person received a small dish of soy sauce.
Compared to the bland beef, this was simply delicious.
This time, we had twenty minutes, which was enough for us to finish the meal at our leisure.
After eating, the man in black instructed us to each carry a weight of ten kilograms, tied to our legs, and run laps on the outdoor track.
He drove his beat-up jeep, making us run to keep pace.
Even if he didn't accelerate, we had to run with all our might to keep up with the car.
This track was about one kilometer per lap. He made us run five laps continuously.
This time, A Bei didn't lag behind much. Although he was physically exhausted, he gritted his teeth and persevered.
After we finished, the man in black didn't let us stop. Instead, he slowed down and continued walking, only allowing us to rest on the spot after walking for more than two hundred meters.