Between the vast mountains, amidst the waves of the green sea, two figures leaned against a tree, gasping for breath. They were Lin Shan and Master Pu.
What left Lin Shan speechless was that for the first half hour, they were both running for their lives, but for the second half hour, he was helping Master Pu escape.
Yes, that's right! He originally thought Master Pu was experienced, familiar with escaping in the forest, and a Viscera Training expert, so he could just follow along and rely on him.
He didn't expect that while Master Pu was indeed a Viscera Training expert, his age meant his stamina couldn't keep up! He ran for half an hour and couldn't run anymore, needing the young man to lend a hand.
"The bandits shouldn't be able to chase us now, we've run so far."
Lin Shan estimated they had run about thirty to forty li in this hour. Fortunately, as Martial Artists, they could still run after resting.
Master Pu panted heavily, took off the water skin from his waist, drank several large gulps, and wiped his mouth.
"That should be about right. I didn't expect you kid to be able to run so well. Get up the tree and keep watch!"
Lin Shan pursed his lips, climbed the tree in a few steps, and looked into the distance. Before his eyes was an endless sea of forest, with undulating mountains and lush greenery. It was impossible to tell where anyone was, but for safety, he diligently kept an eye on what was behind them.
...
About a quarter of an hour later, amidst the rustling of autumn leaves in the forest, a faint scream could be heard about a hundred steps to their right.
"Ah! You... are... so cruel..."
After all, Lin Shan was a Martial Artist with decent eyesight. He turned his head to look to the right, where not far into the forest, two black-clothed figures were searching a corpse.
As expected, they had caught up!
Master Pu, who was under the tree, also climbed up, looking at that direction with a solemn expression.
"What should we do? Which way should we run?" Lin Shan asked in a low voice.
"We can't run, they've already found our tracks."
Master Pu shook his head, seeing the two people opposite finishing with the corpse and slowly following their tracks towards them.
Lin Shan and Master Pu had just been running wildly all the way; how could they have time to clear their tracks? The black-clothed figures they encountered were clearly an organized group, experienced and following their trail.
"Then let's fight! We might not be without a chance fighting two against two."
Lin Shan licked his lips. The previous battle seemed to have ignited the hot blood within him. If Chief Wang hadn't been defeated and the escorts scattered, he would definitely have been able to cut Scarface down with his saber.
Of course, this was just what he thought.
In Lin Shan's understanding, although Scarface losing his weapon was a lucky hit for him, in a life-or-death struggle, no one talks about fairness. When you're down, they'll naturally take your life!
Losing the initiative in one move naturally leads to being passive step by step, and defending for too long will inevitably lead to loss. Although the outcome of that one-on-one fight just now was hard to predict, Lin Shan believed his chances of winning were not small.
Master Pu naturally didn't know what he was thinking and didn't answer him. Instead, he carefully watched the black-clothed figures getting closer and closer to their hiding place. When they were twenty steps away, he suddenly spoke.
"The tall one should be in the Qi Exchange realm, and the short, stout one walking in front of him is a Viscera Training expert."
Lin Shan didn't know how Master Pu could tell, but trusting the old man's judgment, he quickly offered a plan:
"Then when they get under the tree, we'll work together to ambush them and take care of the short, stout one first. The remaining thin, tall one in the Qi Exchange realm won't he be at our mercy?"
"No!" Master Pu directly rejected his suggestion. "First, ambush and take out the weaker one, then work together to deal with the stronger one."
Lin Shan couldn't help but murmur to himself. He highly doubted Master Pu's combat strength. After all, he was a sixty-year-old man who panted just from running. Could he still defeat a Viscera Training expert? If he couldn't, both of them would be finished!
"What kind of look are you giving me, you brat?"
Master Pu looked displeased. "I've traveled north and south for forty years, old man! When I was young, I was a renowned expert in Clear River County! The souls claimed by my saber are countless!"
'Ah, yes, yes, yes! If I'm not mistaken, when we were escaping in the valley just now, weren't you the one running at the very front, old sir?'
Of course, Lin Shan only dared to inwardly complain about this. After all, he still had to rely on this old man in a bit.
"You'll understand when you have more experience. Always choose to do things you are confident about."
Ambushing and killing the weaker one first has a high success rate. Afterwards, we can advance or retreat two against one, and even if we can't win, we can still run.
If we try to kill the stronger one first and fail, it becomes a two-on-two situation, and the situation will be uncontrollable!"
Of course, there was something Master Pu kept to himself: if they couldn't win two against two, you kid might be able to run, but where could I, this old bag of bones, run to?
But Lin Shan, being new to the martial world, felt it made a lot of sense upon hearing it. "That's right, it's better to break one finger than injure ten. Master Pu is indeed brilliant!"
At this moment, the two black-clothed figures below were already ten steps away. The two on the tree quickly held their breath and focused their eyes intently.
Finally, when the black-clothed figures followed the tracks to the tree, Master Pu scattered a handful of lime from the tree and then let out a loud shout! The two below heard the sound, looked up, and were instantly covered in a shower of lime.
The lime blinded them instantly upon entering their eyes!
Master Pu drew his saber with a backhand motion, leaped down from the tree like flowing clouds and water, and slashed at the short, stout one.
Lin Shan secretly praised him in his heart. This set of moves was smooth and seamless, clearly honed over a long time. In his heart, he even called him an old schemer.
'But? Didn't we agree to kill the weaker one first? Did you old sir slash the wrong person?'
But at this point, the arrow was on the string and had to be shot. There was no time for further hesitation. Lin Shan had no choice but to jump down according to the original plan and slash at the thin, tall one with his saber.
The tall, thin black-clothed figure was now in tears, desperately rubbing his eyes with both hands. But at the same time, he heard the sound of wind and quickly dodged left and right. However, just as Master Pu had guessed, being in the same Qi Exchange realm, without his eyes, he was naturally no match for Lin Shan.
After a few rounds, he still couldn't escape and was knocked to the ground by Lin Shan's saber, constantly wailing.
Lin Shan went forward and delivered the finishing blow, and the tall, thin one's head was directly removed.
"Having an elder at home is like having a treasure! Old ginger is spicier!" Lin Shan secretly praised Master Pu's brilliance in his heart.
Turning around, he raised his saber and looked to the side. The short, stout black-clothed figure was indeed a Viscera Training expert. At this moment, his eyes were red, and he had already regained his vision. He was fighting fiercely with Master Pu. But a cut on his chest was bleeding, clearly indicating the ambush had been successful!
Master Pu swung his two sabers, panting heavily, while the short, stout one used his fleshy palms, striking with fierce power. Although he had suffered a major wound on his chest, he was still suppressing the old escort.
"What are you looking at, you brat! Hurry up and come help me!"
Lin Shan quickly swung his saber and joined the fight. But he didn't know until he fought. Only when he truly engaged with this person did Lin Shan feel how much pressure Master Pu was under.
The short, stout one before him had an aura like an ox, his whole body's strength surging like thunder. His palms struck with wide, sweeping movements, exhibiting considerable technique.
Unlike Lin Shan's wild hacking and slashing, the short, stout one clearly had considerable attainment in palm techniques. He must possess a ranked palm technique secret skill. Moreover, he must have practiced it to a high degree of perfection, otherwise, it would be impossible for him to still suppress the two of them after suffering a heavy injury.
You should know that there are many martial arts in the Jianghu, such as Iron Sand Palm, Eagle Claw Fist, Iron Cloth Shirt, and the like. But these martial arts are all external techniques, which are simply put, unranked.
True internal martial arts are used in conjunction with internal force and True Qi. They have unique meridian routes and methods for circulating True Qi, which are all closely guarded secrets of various major families and sects.
Unless they are direct descendants of famous and large sects, Martial Artists like Master Pu, who make a living in the Jianghu, simply cannot learn profound internal martial arts.
The Lin Family behind Lin Shan has an Innate expert in charge, so they naturally have profound martial arts. But he is not a direct Disciple, so it's good enough for them to teach him some Qingfeng Swordplay to practice.
...
The three exchanged blows for over a hundred rounds. Master Pu finally found a gap to catch his breath, while continuing to thrust his saber towards his opponent's vital points and urging Lin Shan.
"What kind of ultimate skill do you have, kid? Hurry up and use it! With this half-baked saber technique, can you even injure half a hair on him or what?"
Lin Shan cursed inwardly, 'What kind of ultimate skill do I have, you chicken! In my previous life, at most, I only practiced basketball for two and a half years.'
After transmigrating, in these ten years at the Lin Family, does practicing some calisthenics count? 'Hmm? How was the Qingfeng Swordplay used? Damn it, I forget every time I get nervous!'
The miserable Lin Shan found that although he had become a Martial Artist, he had never had the chance to learn any decent skills.
'Huh? That's not right! I seem to have an Innate secret technique.
Broken palm!'