Chapter 124: Small Town (Leader: Johannes Vanderburg)

"Master, is this the ultimate in leather training?"

On horseback, Li Yi demonstrated the results of skin training to his master Zhao Ge. After a short period of adaptation, more and more skin and flesh in his body could vibrate, and in the end all the skin and flesh in his body could be mobilized, like a wild bull breathing in and out to exercise its strength. The mystery of the human body is truly incredible.

Zhao Ge was stunned for a moment, the surprise in his eyes was self-evident, he immediately said: "Meng De, try to punch without using muscles and bones, just rely on the pulling of skin and flesh, if you can do it, you have completely passed the stage of skin training."

"Not using muscles and bones, only using skin and flesh?" Li Yi pondered for a moment, then nodded, raised his hand and punched forward.

There was no real power in this punch, and the force was rather weak.

But Zhao Ge nodded and said, "Yes, that's right. It's normal for people to be weak without the support of bones and muscles. But Meng De, you have to learn to connect the skin and flesh of your body into one piece, then stretch and gather strength, and then burst out in an instant. This force-generating technique is the same as your fist strength, but this time the strength of bones and muscles is removed."

"I understand." Li Yi made another adjustment.

At the same time, he began to understand why Zhao Ge wanted him to punch on horseback.

Because your feet are off the ground and you have no leverage, there is very little you can do in this mid-air state. You can only rely on your own strength, so training on horseback makes it easier for people to experience the feeling of having no support from muscles and bones.

Zhao Ge's way of teaching Li Yi to train his skin is different from that of ordinary people. Ordinary disciples focus on methods, but when dealing with a person with extraordinary talent like Li Yi, what matters is the feeling.

Once you feel it, you will understand everything.

As for bottlenecks and thresholds, they do not exist at all.

Li Yi began to adjust his state at this moment. He tried to forget his most basic way of exerting force and only used his flesh to drive his body and condense his fist strength.

The practitioner's evolved body, when used to practice martial arts, is as terrifying as using a cheat.

I just tried it a few times, made some adjustments, and got some pointers from my master.

"boom!"

About a moment later, Li Yi raised his hand and punched out, and the force of the punch sounded.

The sound is not loud, but it is a beginning, just like when you first learned the boxing form.

"Done." This loud sound made Master Zhao Ge laugh happily.

Practice the skin and strengthen it.

This is the sign of great success.

Rong Niang, who was standing by, stared at Li Yi's fist. There was no more shock in her eyes, but bitterness and helplessness.

Watching such a person practicing martial arts nearby, she felt like she had been living a dog's life.

My confidence in practicing martial arts was almost destroyed.

"boom!"

Another burst of punching power erupted, this time louder than before, which meant that Li Yi was becoming more skilled in mobilizing his flesh and skin, and was able to tap into more power.

"Master, I've found the feeling. I just need to practice for a while and it will be almost there." Li Yi said as he threw a few more punches.

Each punch is louder than the last.

By the end, the strength that erupted from the mobilization of his entire body's flesh was already quite impressive.

"Okay, very good, Meng De, remember this feeling. This is the power brought by training your skin. Although this increase in strength is nothing to you now, it is only the first step in your retraining of martial arts. Once you train your tendons and bones well, and the tendons, bones and skin are combined into one, your strength will be able to truly twist into one, and you can deliver the strongest punch of your human body."

“That punch will be more terrifying than your normal full-strength punch.” Zhao Ge smiled and stroked his beard. At the same time, he was looking forward to it. He really wanted to see what kind of power the legendary dragon tendons and tiger bones could unleash once they were trained.

Li Yi said: "Master, then the next step is to cultivate the second realm, training the tendons?"

"That's right, but there's no rush now. We're just ahead of Youjiang Town, and we're going to stay there and recuperate for a few days. During these few days, I'll train your muscles and bones, and then I'll teach you some moves so that you'll have the confidence to fight against a martial artist who's trained. Only then will we be qualified to take revenge."

Zhao Ge said calmly, "Although you have powerful firearms in your hands that can shoot and kill people, external objects are always external objects, not your real strength. So firearms can be used as a trump card, but not as a key hand. Otherwise, if you make a mistake, you will lose everything. This is the only capital I have, and I can't afford to lose."

"Master is right. Only when you are strong enough can you control the whole situation. External objects can only be auxiliary. We cannot tie everyone's life to a weapon." Li Yi listened to the advice and did not refute. At the same time, he decided to take a few days to calm down.

The increase in strength brought about by resuming martial arts is visible to the naked eye.

But Li Yi, a young man, loves to make progress the most.

"Brother, the clothes you are wearing are too flashy. I will buy you a coat in town to cover you up. Wearing a five-clawed black dragon suit is a serious crime in our country and may easily cause some unnecessary trouble." Seeing that they were about to go to the town, Rong Niang was more careful and noticed some problems, so she spoke up to remind him.

"Okay, then I'll trouble you, sister." Li Yi said.

Rong Niang blushed: "Brother, don't call me sister, just call me by my name Rong Niang."

If it was someone else, she would definitely kick him/her away if he/she called her sister, but when Li Yi called her like that, her heart started beating wildly and her face turned red. This had never happened before.

"Brother, my name is Skinny Monkey. If you have any requests, just tell me. From now on, I will follow your lead and do whatever you ask me to do." Upon hearing this, the Skinny Monkey at the back quickly expressed his loyalty.

"Okay, Skinny Monkey, Senior Brother will protect you if you have any problems in the future." Li Yi said with a smile.

When the skinny monkey heard this, his brows immediately lit up with joy.

At this moment, Zhao Ge ordered, "After we get to the town, we will act separately, just as we discussed before. Rong Niang, you and Shou Hou should sell the goods. Forget it, I will go with you. Your arm is injured, and you are a girl, so it is not suitable for you to show your face in public. If you fight with others, you will suffer. Although Master's injury is not healed, he can move well, and he has a foundation in training, so he can handle things when they happen."

He originally wanted to ask his two apprentices to do the job, but then he hesitated.

He was afraid that the remaining two disciples would encounter some unexpected events.

"Xiao Qian, take some money and find a pawnbroker to rent a courtyard in a remote area. I need a place to teach Meng De to train his muscles. It's not suitable for him to stay in an inn. Remember, pay the pawnbroker money to keep his mouth shut. Once you give him the money, he will at least help us keep the news secret for a few days. Otherwise, the enemies of Sanyang City will soon smell the scent and come here. After I'm done, I'll go find you."

Zhao Ge gave another order.

"Okay, Daddy, I understand." Zhao Qian said.

"Then let's separate here." Zhao Ge said.

At this moment, everyone has entered the Youshui Town on horseback. The town is not big, built by the water, and the ground is paved with bluestone. The bluestone is a few years old, and there are several gullies on it caused by wheels. There are houses and shops on the left and right, and there are many pedestrians coming and going. When these pedestrians see Zhao Ge and others riding tall horses, they subconsciously avoid them. In a small town, most people can't afford to offend warriors, especially a group of warriors.

The few people separated at the intersection of the small town.

It seemed that Zhao Ge had been here before. He brought Shouhou and Rong Niang, pulled the remaining horses, and carried a batch of strong bows, crossbows and steel knives, and went to find a place to sell the stolen goods.

Zhao Qian dismounted, found a vendor selling herbal tea on the roadside, and asked directly for the location of the dental clinic.

The hawker didn't dare to offend him and had to obediently give directions.

"Brother Yi, follow me." Zhao Qian knew the location and set off immediately.

Li Yi was still looking around this quaint town like a tourist, observing the structure of the houses, the unfamiliar words on the plaques, and the clothes worn by passers-by. He was like a curious baby, without the feeling of being on the run at all.

"It's not bad here, it's quite peaceful, probably because it's in a remote location. The environment is also good, with green mountains and clear waters, and fresh air. But the lives of ordinary people are not that good."

He noticed it very carefully.

Most of the people here are rather thin, and it is obvious that they have not eaten much nutrition. They seem like they will fall down if the wind blows. There is no happiness in their eyes, only a feeling of tiredness and numbness from struggling for survival.

really.

No matter in which world, life is not easy for people at the bottom of society.

When Li Yi passed by a ferry, he couldn't help but stop. He saw on the opposite side, many people were pulling hemp ropes, desperately pulling a cargo ship upstream.

boat tracker?

After all, Li Yi had received some education, and this word immediately popped up in his mind.

All of the trackers were pale and thin, wearing only shorts to cover their modesty, but most of them were naked. Moreover, among the trackers there were not only men, but also women. However, they all looked roughly the same and it was difficult to tell them apart. They worked like old oxen, selling their strength just to have a meal to eat.

For some reason, Li Yi suddenly felt that he was not looking at the boat trackers, but a group of miserable people who were about to die.

Although those skinny bodies could move, they were no different from the corpses in the coffins.

Although Li Yi felt pity, he was powerless to change anything. He just sighed helplessly and turned away.

Keep going.

Li Yi saw three or five ragged children gathered together on the roadside, playing and laughing happily, but there was a piece of grass stuck on the top of these children's heads, and an elderly couple stood aside, looking at every passerby with hopeful eyes.

Maybe the couple are not old, but they have experienced a lot of hardships, so they look old.

"They are selling children, right?" Li Yi stopped and took a look.

He still knew what it meant to sell one's head by putting up a stake, after all, he was Li Mengde.

Li Yi's pause made the old couple kneel down tremblingly immediately. Then, without saying a word, they kowtowed to Li Yi. They kowtowed very hard, and bloodstains appeared on the bluestone road surface after a few kowtows.

In their view.

Li Yi was tall, dressed in gorgeous clothes, holding a horse in his hand. He was a first-class nobleman. If he could stop and look at them, it would be a blessing and opportunity that they would never ask for in this lifetime. If he could buy their child, it would be a great fortune.

As a result, the couple knocked harder.

The child next to them didn't know why his parents were kowtowed to Li Yi, but he stopped playing around and also knelt down like his parents and kowtowed to Li Yi.

There is no reason, it seems natural and reasonable.

Even passers-by thought it was normal.

Some even saw this opportunity and mustered up the courage to come over, hunched over and said timidly: "My daughter is already fourteen years old and quite pretty. If you are in need of a maid to wash your feet, why not buy my daughter?"

After saying this, he continued to bend over and wait, not daring to say another word.

Li Yi was silent for a moment, then slowly said: "Stop kowtowing. I am not worthy of your kowtowing, and I will not buy your children."

But his words were of no use.

The other party remained silent and continued to kowtow.

"Zhao Qian." Li Yi shouted.

"What's wrong, Brother Yi?" Zhao Qian, who was walking in front, immediately turned around and said.

She had long noticed some of Brother Yi's actions on the street, but she just didn't ask any further questions.

"Give them some money." Li Yi did not stop and continued to lead the horse forward.

Zhao Qian nodded, took out a silver coin, then pinched off a piece and threw it over.

When the elderly couple saw the silver piece falling in front of them, they hurriedly picked it up, shouted words of gratitude, and bowed in the direction where Li Yi and Zhao Qian left. But soon, the man quickly pulled his wife and children away as if escaping, and did not dare to stay in the town any longer.

"We can't give them too much money, otherwise they will be murdered. That amount of money is already the maximum they can afford." Zhao Qian explained at this moment.

"I see." Li Yi was just wondering why Zhao Qian broke off a small piece from a silver ingot.

Zhao Qian added: "There are too many poor people in Xingzhou to save them all, but with Brother Yi's help this time, they can survive for another three years without having to sell their children. After three years, maybe they can find a way to survive."

"Can that little bit of money allow a family like this to survive for another three years?" Li Yi asked.

Zhao Qian nodded: "This is how it is for poor families. They spend very little and it's good enough to eat half full."

"It's really not easy to live like that." Li Yi's voice was very calm, and no one knew what he was thinking.

Just after Li Yi and Zhao Qian walked away, the man who had been bending over to sell his daughter raised his head. He sighed, feeling that he had missed an opportunity, and left in a depressed mood.

(End of this chapter)