"The older my master gets, the deeper his cultivation becomes... but his body can't keep up with his cultivation after all. He can only unleash three or five punches at his peak, but under heaven, I fear there are few who can withstand these three or five punches..."

The middle-aged man's words landed by his ear. In his sight, Hong Ti's body rolled several times on the ground, blood mixed with dust, the color dark red. Ning Yi walked towards her, his gaze grim, pressing his palm against his slightly aching forehead. He ran to Hong Ti and knelt down, reaching out to help her, but afraid of making things worse. Zhou Tong said, "You'd better not touch her carelessly."

Ning Yi glanced at Zhou Tong, his expression devoid of joy or anger. Not far away, Zhou Tong retracted his energy with both hands, placing them behind his back: "Oh? You want to kill me?"

Ning Yi didn't speak. Hong Ti's gaze flickered, and she reached out to grab Ning Yi's arm. She struggled to get up and vomited another mouthful of blood. Ning Yi quickly supported her back. No matter how skilled Hong Ti was in martial arts, she was, after all, a woman in her twenties, and her body seemed particularly fragile in her injured state. Ning Yi almost held her as carefully as possible. Hong Ti simply clutched his sleeve. After a long while, she finally spoke: "Master Zhou doesn't want to kill... I, I'm fine..."

"You took these three punches yourself, so it's hard to say I didn't want to kill you." Zhou Tong looked over, paused slightly, and then said, "You learned this fighting style on the battlefield, but you're holding back against an old man like me, which is good. At your age, to have such cultivation, you must have had some fortuitous encounters, which is not easy."

Ning Yi didn't quite understand what he was saying, but Hong Ti turned her head to look at Ning Yi. Zhou Tong noticed her movement, let out an "Oh?" sound, somewhat surprised.

At this time, the middle-aged man had also walked over. Hong Ti struggled to sit up, adjusting her breathing. She looked quite serious when she was knocked to the ground, but now her condition was getting better and better. Zhou Tong waited for a moment and said, "I don't know why you offended Grand Commandant Gao, but I used to teach at the Imperial Fist Academy and had a subordinate relationship with the Grand Commandant's mansion, so there was some goodwill between us. I also promised them that I would handle some necessary things for them when needed. This time, the Grand Commandant's mansion asked me to take action, using this relationship, but I only promised the Grand Commandant's mansion, not necessarily any Grand Commandant. Gao Qiu underestimates me. Let's leave it at that. You also need to be careful. I'm staying at an inn in the county town ahead. If your injury isn't too serious, we can go together."

Ning Yi didn't speak beside Hong Ti. After Zhou Tong finished speaking, Hong Ti exhaled and slowly stood up, arching her hand with Ning Yi's support, saying: "Senior's three punches have greatly enlightened Hong Ti. If I achieve anything in the future, I must thank Senior for his guidance."

"I hit you, you were injured but didn't die. If you can break through, that's your skill, no need to pay attention to me." Zhou Tong put his hands behind his back and was about to leave, but remembered something. He turned his head to look at Ning Yi, "By the way, Young Master Ning is actually working under the Right Minister, right?"

"More or less." Ning Yi's tone was indifferent.

Zhou Tong nodded: "The Right Minister is a capable man. It's no wonder you can do these things with his favor..." His voice was low, with a hint of sigh in his words.

When he became famous throughout the world, it was also the peak period of Qin Si Yuan. The Imperial Fist Academy was subordinate to the royal family and the Ministry of War, and Qin Si Yuan, at that time, was the Minister of War. In a sense, he was once one of his direct superiors. Zhou Tong devoted his life to martial arts and serving the country. When he was teaching at the Imperial Fist Academy, he had repeatedly written to request leading an army, but Qin Si Yuan was a practical person and was not interested in being the best martial artist in the world. That was the attitude of the old man when Ning Yi wanted to study martial arts in Hangzhou.

Even if a person who is focused on martial arts has strong martial arts skills, he may not be good at training soldiers, just like Li Bai's poetry is magnificent, but he himself is not necessarily a capable official. Qin Si Yuan was busy with official duties all day long, so he would pay attention to an Imperial Fist Academy instructor if he wanted to, and ignore him if he didn't. Zhou Tong was not successful in his official ambitions in his life, and Qin Si Yuan was partly responsible for that. But at this time, when talking about Qin Si Yuan, he had to praise him as "a capable man." Ning Yi's appreciation from Qin Si Yuan made his mood somewhat complicated. Ning Yi would soon be able to figure out these reasons.

The other party ultimately did not seem to kill him, but Ning Yi's mood was not necessarily good. But in the current situation, the Liangshan people had not yet appeared, and Hong Ti was also injured, so he would not be arrogant. Since the other party invited him, Ning Yi helped Hong Ti and quickly followed him into the city.

The Liangshan people ultimately did not appear.

Zhou Tong and his servant took care of Hong Ti's injuries, so they didn't walk fast. Soon after, the four of them, who had known each other not long ago, and whose atmosphere and mood may not have been harmonious, entered Yiyuan County. Ning Yi and Hong Ti stayed at the inn, and they even had a meal together at night. It was obvious that Zhou Tong didn't have much goodwill towards Ning Yi, but he was quite satisfied with Hong Ti's skills as a junior in martial arts. In his words, he pointed out a lot of martial arts experience to Hong Ti. And as this meal was about to end, Zhou Tong still said some words to Ning Yi.

"Young Master Ning, I have something I want to ask you."

His tone was calm, and Ning Yi was not necessarily enthusiastic: "Tell me, I'll listen."

Zhou Tong simply finished talking about what he wanted to ask, and Ning Yi nodded noncommittally. Soon after, he and Hong Ti left together and returned to their rooms. He didn't have much goodwill towards this world's number one master at the moment. Although he could rationally understand the various bad habits of this type of master, and it might be beneficial to Hong Ti, he was not in a good mood when he thought about Hong Ti's injuries just now. However, this kind of disgust was not enough to kill him. This type of master was really too powerful. When he reached Zhou Tong's cultivation, he could sense things before they happened. If he hated him but didn't plan to kill him, it was best not to deal with him in the future.

But he also had some opinions about Hong Ti in his heart. After sending Hong Ti back to her room, he grabbed some medicine according to the prescription she gave and boiled it, and then brought her hot water to wash her face and prepared a towel, etc. Only then was Ning Yi ready to speak. And Hong Ti seemed quite satisfied with this disciple's behavior of "respecting the teacher and valuing the Tao." She was sitting on the bed, her hands flat on her knees, watching Ning Yi busy settling her in, with a smile on her face, her face flushed, like a young wife. But then she was lectured.

And the first sentence people are often told is "It's not like I'm saying this."

"It's not like I'm saying this." Ning Yi frowned and said, "I couldn't help it a little this afternoon. He is the number one master in the world, Iron Arm Zhou Tong. I've said it many times. These old men, if they say they want to hit you, they will definitely hit you for the sake of face. You actually held back. The old man said you wanted to hold back, don't deny it. You're only in your twenties, not invincible in the world. If you think of holding back in front of Zhou Tong, everyone will say you deserve to be beaten to death. Do you think you are Fang La or Si Kongnan!"

Ning Yi had been thinking about this matter in his heart since the afternoon. With his ability to cultivate his Qi, he could certainly put all his emotions in his heart towards others, but he was more direct with his own people. But after saying this, Hong Ti was also looking at him over there, her smile becoming deeper, but her tone seemed aggrieved.

"You... really wanted me not to hold back and fight Senior Zhou?"

"You can't hold back... also, don't call him Senior Zhou, I don't have any goodwill towards him."

"But... you also heard, I practice a fighting style on the battlefield. Going all out is a fight to the death. It's okay to deal with those with lower martial arts skills. But against this Senior Zhou, if I don't hold back, he won't be able to hold back either. If we were to determine the winner today, it would be a fight to the death... In that case, I would definitely be dead today..."

Hong Ti's tone was gentle as she spoke to the end. Ning Yi frowned, his expression stiffened for a moment before waving his hand: "I see... then forget it, this guy's martial arts are indeed too high, he can beat you like that with three punches... he's really an old monster..."

Hong Ti shook her head and said, "It's not like that either. If he really wanted to kill me at that time, I could still get up immediately and protect you to escape..."

Speaking of this, her face turned slightly red, and Ning Yi was stunned: "Then... you... you're lying..."

The girl with a flushed face continued to shake her head vigorously: "No, it's not like that. I had to get up immediately and fight for my life at that time. It would be difficult to heal the injuries in the future. If I let it heal naturally, I would be fine after adjusting my breathing. Hmm... that's always better..."

After calmly saying this, Hong Ti's face returned to normal. She glanced at Ning Yi.

"However, the thing that Senior Zhou asked you to do... are you going to agree to it?"

Ning Yi's face became serious. After a moment, he shook his head indifferently: "Let's talk about it..."

*************

Since Ning Yi and the others stayed in the inn, soon after, people from the government and those scattered around the surrounding counties of Dulong Gang came to look for him. After Ning Yi settled Hong Ti, he contacted them one by one and made arrangements. Since he was already fine, and Hong Ti and Zhou Tong, as well as Zhou Tong's servant named "Fulu," were in the inn, next was a large-scale sweep of Zhuxi and Anping counties by the government soldiers and Dulong Gang. Ning Yi's side didn't have too much trouble afterward.

When he was contacting these people, Zhou Tong also looked around nearby. Afterward, he could only sigh at this young man's ability. It seemed that a catastrophe for the Qilu Green Forest was inevitable. But with his current mood and thoughts, he was too lazy to stand up for these Green Forest people. In a sense, on Zhou Tong's side, there was probably a feeling of "pitiful people must have hateful points." Some things were truly self-inflicted and could not be blamed on others.

This day, in this inn in Yiyuan County, Ning Yi and Hong Ti were staying in two superior rooms. Zhou Tong, due to his relationship with the owner, was staying in a separate small courtyard at the back of the inn that originally belonged to the owner. Whether it was out of habit or something else, Zhou Tong didn't go to sleep as the night deepened. He slowly practiced a set of boxing in the courtyard, then sat and drank tea, lighting an oil lamp to write martial arts classics until late at night. After midnight, he took a wooden stick and practiced simple stick techniques in the courtyard. Soon, the night watchman rang the copper gong. Outside the back door of the courtyard, a figure hesitated on the dark road. He had been lingering for a long time. When he finally mustered a trace of courage, the courtyard door opened, and light seeped out from inside. Appearing at the door was Fulu, the middle-aged man who served as Zhou Tong's servant. He had a smile on his face and stretched out his hand to the man outside.

"Little brother Lin Chong, don't think too much, just come in."

"Senior Brother..." Standing on the street outside the door at this time was Lin Chong.

Tears welled up in his eyes, "I saw Master today... Master, the old man..."

"Shh, don't make a sound. The master knows everything."

Lin Chong nodded and walked inside. As he entered the courtyard door, he saw the old man standing in a corner of the courtyard, waving the stick in his hand with small movements. His eyes heated up, and he knelt down, kowtowing his head.

"Master..."

It was as if thousands of words were stuck in his throat. Lin Chong's voice choked, but he couldn't speak. He only kowtowed three times with a bang. The old man waved his stick in the corner and didn't speak. He remained kneeling on the ground.

Time passed by, second by second. In the courtyard, in the night, there was only the sound of Zhou Tong occasionally raising his stick. Under the eaves of this side, Fulu held his sleeves and stood there quietly watching. After nearly half a quarter of an hour, Zhou Tong stopped the stick in his hand, and his old voice rang out.

"You... what are you doing here?"

************

"...What are you doing here?"

The almost suffocating atmosphere in the courtyard at this time was relieved a little. Lin Chong knelt there, his body trembling slightly. He had been practicing martial arts since he was a child. Zhou Tong in front of him was not necessarily his closest master, but definitely the most important master. This was also because the Imperial Fist Academy was not a private martial arts hall. Even if Zhou Tong accepted disciples behind closed doors, the number was not small, and the relationship between master and disciple was not as close as that of a private martial arts hall.

Lin Chong respected Zhou Tong in his heart. But because of this reason, after Zhou Tong left the Imperial Fist Academy a few years ago, the master and disciple actually had no contact. Therefore, when something happened to him, he couldn't find or didn't think of finding this master to help. Later, when he fell into the grass, Lin Chong, who knew Zhou Tong's upright character, knew that there was no turning back. He had never thought that he would meet this master who had been living a leisurely life since he left, but now that he had seen him today, he had to come.

In fact, in his heart, why didn't he look forward to the understanding of these increasingly few relatives and friends?

"Disciple, disciple has no choice but to fall into the grass. I know that Master will definitely punish me, but..."

"Punish?" The old man over there laughed before Lin Chong could finish his words, "Punish... Why should I punish you? Lin Chong, I am old, and you have rebelled. What is rebellion? The world, the family, the country, the human relationship, and the teacher and disciple are no longer used to bind you. Why should I punish you, punish you... Is it still useful?"

Lin Chong's forehead kowtowed down: "Only Master's teachings, Lin Chong has never dared to forget, but... I really encountered a grievance that is difficult to tell..."

"I know!" The old man raised his voice and then nodded, "I know what you have experienced, I have heard of it! Your wife was taken a fancy by Gao Yanei, and you also offended Grand Commandant Gao because of this. The villains framed you and planted the blame! You have nowhere to go and fell into the grass to become a bandit. I have heard of all of these! But I just want to ask you one thing."

Zhou Tong stood in front of the courtyard, holding the stick on the ground. Lin Chong raised his head slightly: "Master..."

"I only ask you! Why do you fall into the grass to become a bandit!?"

The words echoed in the courtyard, and there was some hesitation and confusion in Lin Chong's eyes: "Disciple... I have nowhere to go..."

"Why do you fall into the grass to become a bandit if you have nowhere to go!?"

"Is there a relationship between having nowhere to go and falling into the grass to become a bandit!?"

"Do you still remember my words!?"

These three questions echoed in the courtyard, ringing in Lin Chong's ears. Lin Chong's eyes were confused: "Disciple... I don't know which sentence Master is talking about..."

Zhou Tong laughed: "You've already forgotten, that's okay, stand up for me! Draw your spear! You remember the martial arts I taught you, right?"

"Disciple dare not forget..." Lin Chong stood up, swaying. He took out the steel spear behind him. Zhou Tong said: "Show me a stance!" Lin Chong posed with a spear. Zhou Tong said, "The tip of the spear is forward!" Lin Chong pointed the spear tip at the front. Zhou Tong strode over: "Okay! You kill me!"

Lin Chong's body shook, and the spear almost fell down. Zhou Tong held the wooden stick in one hand, without any defensive moves: "Come on! Come and kill me! What are you hesitating about!"

"Disciple..."

"Stop talking nonsense! Stop hesitating! You are a rebel! You have rebelled against this country and its emperor! You should shoot anyone! Think about your wife! Think about the grievances you have suffered! You have nowhere to go but to fall into the grass to become a bandit! You survive only by robbing others! Eating other people's meat and drinking other people's blood! A person like you should let go of all taboos! Since you have already fallen into the grass, you should kill everyone who is in front of you. I am stubborn and will definitely not allow you to fall into the grass and mess around. What does it matter if you kill a master! Come on! Kill me, stab me here! Here—"

Zhou Tong shouted loudly, stepping forward step by step. Although he was holding the stick with one hand, he did not take any defensive stance. He grabbed the tip of Lin Chong's spear, pointed it at his throat, and then pointed it at his heart. Lin Chong hesitated and retreated, almost unable to hold the spear. In fact, if Zhou Tong said he wanted to test his martial arts, he might dare to attack, but Zhou Tong said "kill me." He did not dare to attack the master no matter what.

Zhou Tong let go of the spear tip and sneered: "Arrogant fool! Your master was the best in the world a few years ago. I let you attack, but you can kill me? You don't even dare to shoot? Are you really afraid of killing me!?"

Lin Chong let go of the steel spear and knelt on the ground with a bang.

In the past, the master and disciple were not considered close. In the Imperial Fist Academy, Zhou Tong's martial arts teaching was strict, but there was not too much intimacy between the master and disciple. He only knew Zhou Tong's seriousness and uprightness. He had thought about the various treatments he would receive tonight, whether it was blaming him, punishing him, scolding him, understanding him, or even killing him, all of which matched his perception of this master. However, after arriving, everything that happened was beyond Lin Chong's expectations, such as if you fall into the grass, you should kill everything, and you actually think you can kill me. Every sentence was a heart-piercing argument. At this point, he could only kneel down with a bang, with a resolute expression in his eyes.

"Disciple knows that he has committed sins and it is difficult to wash away, and it is difficult to obtain Master's forgiveness. But although Lin Chong goes up the mountain and falls into the grass, he never forgets the righteousness in his heart. No matter what today, I dare not shoot at Master, even if Master wants to kill..."

With a decision in his heart, this passage became more decisive. He knelt there, his eyes clear and firm. However, Zhou Tong, who was tall and standing not far in front of him, had already laughed, as if he had heard some ironic nonsense.

"Hahahaha... Hahahaha—righteousness in my heart, I never forget, hahahaha... I'll go to your mother's—"

The number one person in the world stepped forward and kicked Lin Chong hard in the chest the moment Lin Chong raised his head in astonishment. The strength of this kick was so great that it kicked Lin Chong backward like a cannonball, smashing open the wooden door of the courtyard, and his body rolled out into the dark street outside the courtyard, not knowing how far he was kicked.

Zhou Tong's voice came out from the courtyard, with a kind of discouragement after discovering that rotten wood could not be carved.

"I, Zhou Tong, will have no such disciple as you from now on, coward."

The sound of the wind wailed across the long street, and the night was as dark as ink. In that darkness, there was only the sound of blood dripping down...

Soon after, someone stood up staggeringly, stood there staggeringly, and walked staggeringly...

In the back room of the inn, someone secretly listened to the movement here, but shook his head with some emotion at this time.

"Tch, he really has a good master..."

At the entrance of the courtyard, Fulu stood there quietly for a long time, until he watched the figure in the darkness leave like a homeless dog coughing up blood, then he silently closed the courtyard door.

**********

Just got home, a little late...