Inner Disciple! Blood Claw Hand

"Disciple Zhang Lingshan greets Master."

Zhang Lingshan entered the room and paid his respects. Several people were already standing inside, while Hong Zhengdao lay half-reclined on the bed, his face sickly.

His entire right arm, shoulder included, was wrapped in white bandages. Looking closely, one could even see blood seeping through.

"Xiao Shan is here. Why did you bring something too? Heh heh, find a place to stand and wait for the others."

Hong Zhengdao smiled faintly, but his voice was no longer as booming as before.

"Yes."

Zhang Lingshan immediately moved to one side.

Sitting was out of the question. No one else was seated—how could he dare sit wherever he pleased?

As he stood there, he secretly sized everyone up.

Besides Hong Zhengdao and himself, there were four others in the room.

Sitting beside Hong Zhengdao's bed and tending to him was a tall woman with broad shoulders. Her back faced Zhang Lingshan, so he could not see her features, only the high ponytail tied behind her head.

However, among the Hong Clan Martial Hall's six Inner Disciples, there was only one woman: Hong Zhengdao's daughter, Hong Wenjuan. This had to be her.

Of the remaining three, one was a scholarly-looking young man, one was a dark-skinned fellow who looked like a farmer, and nearest Zhang Lingshan stood a kind-faced man who appeared middle-aged.

Noticing Zhang Lingshan watching him, the man offered a friendly smile.

Zhang Lingshan politely returned it.

At that moment, two people rushed into the room. One immediately dropped to his knees and wailed, "Master! You finally agreed to see us! These past days, without seeing you, you have no idea how worried we were."

The other was not quite so dramatic, but he also hurriedly knelt and echoed, "Yes."

Zhang Lingshan looked closely.

The crying man was Pan Mingzhong, his shoulders heaving with particular agitation.

The other man with the huge, fat body was naturally Zhu Wei.

"Get up, all of you. I'm not dead yet. What are you crying for?" Hong Zhengdao snapped in feigned anger.

"Yes, Master. This disciple was wrong."

Pan Mingzhong hurriedly stopped crying. He rose alongside Zhu Wei, then stood beside Zhang Lingshan.

Only then did he notice Zhang Lingshan was here as well. Surprise and confusion surfaced in his eyes, and he exchanged a look with Zhu Wei, his mood inexplicably unsettled.

"Master, this disciple arrived late."

Someone suddenly called loudly from outside the door.

Delight immediately appeared on Hong Zhengdao's face. "Qing'er is here. Come in quickly."

"Yes."

A handsome man with an imposing build strode inside.

It was Zhao Qing, the Hong Clan Martial Hall's Senior Disciple!

During Hong Zhengdao's absence, this was the man who had held the fort and maintained everything at the Hong Clan Martial Hall.

It was said that his parents had died early, and after beginning martial arts training, he had followed Hong Zhengdao ever since. They were as close as father and son, so calling him the Young Hall Master of the Hong Clan Martial Hall would not have been excessive.

He had not come alone.

Looking closely, there was a pockmarked young man a head shorter than him following behind. The instant he entered, he bowed and said, "Disciple Tian Fei greets Master."

"Mhm."

Hong Zhengdao nodded. "Qing'er, come sit over here. Everyone sit. Don't remain standing.

"I called you here today because there are some matters on which I want to hear your opinions.

"First, Qing'er, you are not getting any younger. It is time for you to marry.

"I said before that once I returned, I would arrange your wedding with Xiao Juan. I think it can be put on the agenda now."

Hong Zhengdao said this with a chuckle.

"Father!"

Hong Wenjuan, beside the bed, lowered her head shyly.

But Zhao Qing suddenly rose to his feet and said in a deep voice, "Master, this is not the time to discuss such things, is it? You are injured and need everyone to care for you. How could you have the energy to arrange a wedding? I think you should focus on recovering from your injuries. As for any wedding, it would be best not to mention it again!"

"What did you say!?"

Hong Zhengdao's expression changed. He had not expected Zhao Qing to dare speak to him like this. Fury surged into his blood, and his aura erupted with a boom.

In an instant, the temperature throughout the room rose by several degrees. The air pressure sank to its lowest point, and everyone stared at the scene in shock, holding their breath and not daring to make a sound.

The Senior Disciple had publicly defied Master. What was he trying to do?

Zhao Qing's face remained calm. Without avoiding Hong Zhengdao's gaze, he met it directly and said coolly, "Master, when I came today, I thought you would say something useful. I never imagined you would only spout this nonsense. You have truly disappointed me!

"There is nothing wrong with you except that you are far too arbitrary in what you do. You never consider whether others can bear it or not.

"In my heart, Juanmei has always been my younger sister. I have never considered marrying her, nor have I ever agreed to anything with you. What wedding is there to speak of?

"I advise you to recover properly now. Do not get angry over meaningless matters and harm your Vital Qi, worsening your injuries.

"That is all I have to say. I hope you will take care of yourself.

"I still have matters to attend to, so I will not stay here and listen to you talk to yourself. Tian Fei, let's go!"

After saying this, Zhao Qing did not look at Hong Wenjuan even once. With a sweep of his sleeve, he strode away.

Tian Fei immediately followed behind him.

In the blink of an eye, the two vanished from everyone's sight, leaving not a trace of sound behind.

Pfft!

Hong Zhengdao spat out a mouthful of blood and cursed, "Beast, beast! I knew he harbored the heart of a wolf and the ambition of a wild beast. I saw through him long ago! Bastard, ungrateful and faithless—I raised him for nothing. The moment I was injured, he abandoned me. What an Ungrateful Wretch!"

"Father, Brother Qing, he..."

"Shut up!"

Hong Zhengdao cut her off sharply. "I did all this for you, and you are still speaking for him?

"If he had not already found another way out, would he dare oppose me like this?

"No wonder he has been running around without a trace these past two days. It seems he found his path long ago!"

After saying this, he looked at Hong Wenjuan with the frustration of one who hated iron for not becoming steel. "I told you long ago to be more proactive. Have a child, and everything would reach Perfection. But you would not listen. You insisted on waiting for him to take the initiative. Well, look what happened now. He ran away! After keeping him around for so long, he does not want you anymore."

"Waaah!"

Hong Wenjuan felt deeply humiliated. She burst into tears, covered her face, and ran out.

Zhang Lingshan saw a blur before his eyes. The dark-skinned man beside him also rushed out, shouting, "Senior Sister!"

"Uh..."

Zhang Lingshan felt rather speechless.

What was all this?

Shouldn't children of the martial world be living freely, settling grudges and debts with swift vengeance? Why were they tangled up in all this love nonsense too—and a love triangle at that? It truly left him at a loss for words.

"Run, then. Run, all of you. If you want to run, then run too."

Hong Zhengdao let out a long sigh, exhaustion written across his face. He seemed to have aged ten years in an instant.

Zhu Wei merely hung his head in silence, then swiftly left, as though he feared it would be too late if he did not leave immediately.

Pan Mingzhong, however, did not leave.

Zhang Lingshan was secretly astonished. Was it not said that righteousness was often found among butchers and dog-slaughterers? How had Zhu Wei, this fat butcher, shattered his stereotype?

He had originally guessed that Pan Mingzhong, this worldly and slick fellow, would be the one to seek another way out.

Reality had turned out to be completely the opposite.

One truly could not judge a person by appearance.

"Since neither of you is leaving, I will speak of the second matter."

Hong Zhengdao looked at Zhang Lingshan and Pan Mingzhong. "Though the two of you have not yet broken through to Flesh Refining, given your talent, it is only a matter of time. Today, I will accept you as Inner Disciples ahead of schedule. Are you willing?"

"This disciple is willing!" Pan Mingzhong immediately bowed down, saying excitedly, "This disciple has waited far too long for this day."

"This disciple is willing as well," Zhang Lingshan said.

At last, a hint of a smile appeared on Hong Zhengdao's face. "Good, good, good. It seems my disciples are not all cut from the same cloth as Zhao Qing. Xu Liang."

"This disciple is here!"

The scholarly young man immediately stepped forward.

Hong Zhengdao said, "Zhao Qing has run off, and Xiao Juan is not here. You are now the Senior Disciple. Test their current progress in cultivation on my behalf. If they qualify, pass down the Cultivation Method for me."

"Yes!"

Xu Liang answered solemnly, then said to Zhang Lingshan and Pan Mingzhong, "Two Junior Brothers, come out and exchange a few moves with me."

The two hurriedly followed him outside.

"I'll go first."

Pan Mingzhong stepped forward eagerly and assumed an opening stance. "Junior Brother Pan Mingzhong requests Senior Brother's instruction."

"Use your full strength to attack me."

Xu Liang placed his left foot behind him, lifted his robe hem with his left hand, and stood with his right foot and right hand forward as he spoke calmly.

"Good! Then Junior Brother will not hold back!"

Pan Mingzhong immediately charged forward, his fist like a cannon hammer as it smashed fiercely toward Xu Liang's chest.

He resented Xu Liang's arrogance. The man actually dared deal with him using only one hand and one foot. He swore to make Xu Liang pay and let Hong Master know that Pan Mingzhong was good material too.

Bang!

With a dull thud, Xu Liang caught Pan Mingzhong's punch in his palm. Then his hand, broad as a giant cattail fan, swept over Pan Mingzhong's storm-like barrage of punches.

A miraculous scene unfolded.

Pan Mingzhong was clearly the attacker, while Xu Liang did not move an inch.

Yet at this moment, Pan Mingzhong seemed trapped by Xu Liang's palm technique. No matter how he shifted and darted about, he could not get more than half a step away from Xu Liang. Every movement was under Xu Liang's control.

The longer Pan Mingzhong fought, the more frustrated he became. Finally, with a roar, blood lines spread across the backs of his fists, and his fierce power smashed hard toward Xu Liang.

He refused to believe that even an all-out burst could not force Xu Liang back a single step.

Whoosh!

Xu Liang suddenly changed moves. His five fingers came together like a bird's beak, striking down twice like lightning with two sharp taps at Pan Mingzhong's wrists.

"Ah!"

Pan Mingzhong cried out miserably. Both hands burned with searing pain, and the blood lines immediately receded. Two red dots were left on his wrists, and even the slightest touch sent pain shooting through them.

He stood there blankly, unable to understand what had happened.

"This is the Blood Claw Hand."

Xu Liang explained, "It is the grappling technique after our Red Thread Fist. The claw can jab or seize; the hand can strike with the palm or capture. Your Red Thread Fist is trained fairly well. Your strength has reached the backs of your hands and the bases of your fingers, so you have passed the test. Later, I will teach you the Blood Claw Hand."

Hearing this, Pan Mingzhong immediately snapped out of his dejection and shouted joyfully, "Many thanks, Senior Disciple!"

"Mhm. Step aside for now. Next, I will test Junior Brother Shan. Junior Brother Shan, please."

Xu Liang remained where he was and made a gesture of invitation.

Zhang Lingshan cupped his fists. "Zhang Lingshan requests Senior Brother's instruction."

Whoosh!

He pounced like a tiger. Just like Pan Mingzhong, he exchanged more than ten moves beneath Xu Liang's hands. Then, with a wild roar, he likewise forced the blood lines onto the backs of his fists.

This kid!

Pan Mingzhong was startled inwardly.

He had thought Hong Master had summoned Zhang Lingshan because he valued Zhang Lingshan's future potential. Yet he had never imagined that this kid had quietly trained all the way to Copper Hide.

Though his blood lines were not as vivid as Pan Mingzhong's, meaning he had clearly forced them to reach the backs of his hands—

How long had it even been since he completed Skin Grinding? Yet he had already reached such a level.

How exactly had this kid trained? It was simply unbelievable!

Pan Mingzhong did not know that Zhang Lingshan had not actually broken through to Copper Hide, nor had his Red Thread Fist reached Greater Accomplishment.

The only reason he could force the blood lines to the backs of his hands was that the Mountain Splitting Axe Technique had forcibly refined his flesh once.

In truth, after exchanging these several dozen moves with Xu Liang, Zhang Lingshan had already tested Xu Liang's strength. He believed that if he erupted with his full power, he was absolutely confident he could force Xu Liang back.

But there was no need to do that.

Since the strength Pan Mingzhong had displayed was already enough to learn the Blood Claw Hand, Zhang Lingshan merely needed to remain on par with Pan Mingzhong. There was no need to reveal too much.

Keeping a card up one's sleeve in all matters was the safest approach.

Yet even so, everyone looked at him as though they had seen a ghost, frightened by this Junior Brother whose talent far surpassed theirs.

How long had it been? He had transformed directly from a newcomer to martial arts into a Copper Hide martial artist.

"Junior Brother Shan, you..."

Xu Liang was stunned for a long while before finally saying, "You have passed the test as well. You can learn the Blood Claw Hand directly. All right, I will first demonstrate the cultivation method of the Blood Claw Hand once. Memorize it carefully."

"Yes!"

Delight rose in Zhang Lingshan's heart.

Not long ago, he had been thinking of finding a grappling technique to practice. Now the Blood Claw Hand had arrived, and it even paired with the Red Thread Fist as its follow-up Cultivation Method.

As its name suggested, the Blood Claw Hand trained the Red Thread Fist's blood lines to the fingertips, so every claw became a blood claw.

The Red Thread Fist's advantage was its unmatched ferocity. Power burst forth from the surface of the fist, making its attacks overwhelmingly strong.

Now the Blood Claw Hand sent force to the fingertips. If one seized an enemy's joints, kidneys, throat, or other such areas, how terrifying would its killing power be?

Xu Liang's earlier jab was proof. Even though Zhang Lingshan had seen through the technique and guarded against it with his full attention, he still had not managed to evade it.

That showed just how fast the Blood Claw Hand would be once trained to completion.

The Red Thread Fist was fierce; it competed in strength.

The Blood Claw Hand was fast; it competed in skill.

Combined, the two provided both strength and technique. Combat power would surely soar. No wonder Hong Zhengdao was famed throughout the Outer City—this was his signature!

"Fast, fast, fast! It must be fast!

"You already have the strength. The Blood Claw Hand trains only speed: use speed to defeat slowness, use strength to strike weakness, and target the weak points in the enemy's defense.

"This is true of the Combat Technique, and it is equally true of the cultivation method.

"Remember: seek out the weak points in the air.

"Where the hand passes, wind must follow. Where wind passes, the air has strong and weak points.

"When the wind is strong, resistance is strong and the hand is slow; when the wind wanes, resistance is small and the hand is fast."

"When you can find the weak points in the air every single time, the Blood Claw Hand will truly be mastered."

Xu Liang taught them earnestly, offering patient guidance.

Zhang Lingshan said, "Yes, Junior Brother, I'll remember that."

"Mhm. You two both have good memories and are already familiar with the forms. As long as you practice more every day, reaching Entry Level is only a matter of time. If there's anything you still don't understand, you can come find me. I'll be staying at the martial hall from now on."

"Understood, Junior Brother."

Zhang Lingshan and Pan Mingzhong answered in unison.

By then, evening had already fallen. Without realizing it, they had practiced for so long.

"Have dinner together."

Hong Zhengdao called from inside the room.

The disciples all answered in agreement.

At the table, Zhang Lingshan learned that the dark-skinned man who had run out to chase after Hong Wenjuan was Fourth Senior Brother Wu Yuanqing.

The kind-looking middle-aged man who had smiled at him inside earlier was Fifth Senior Brother Xiao Ming.

Tian Fei, who had always followed behind Zhao Qing, was Sixth Senior Brother.

But now that Zhao Qing and Tian Fei had abandoned the Hong Clan Martial Hall, the seating order had to be rearranged.

Zhang Lingshan counted it over. He should now be Sixth Senior Brother—the so-called Old Six—and the last of the Inner Disciples.

After dinner, Hong Zhengdao was somewhat weary and told everyone to return home and rest.

But before they left, he had Xu Liang post a notice announcing that they had taken in two new Inner Disciples, so everyone would know.

First, it would establish Zhang Lingshan and Pan Mingzhong's standing.

Second, once outsiders knew they were Inner Disciples, they would no longer come to recruit them.

Even if someone truly came to recruit them without understanding the rules, the two would still have to consider their reputations.

When roaming the martial world, a person's name was like a tree's shadow—it followed them forever, impossible to shake off.

If their reputation turned foul and people looked down on them, the road ahead would be hard to walk.

Not everyone was like Zhao Qing.

Zhao Qing had the confidence to leave because his strength had reached that level. He was at the peak of Flesh Refining, only one step away from Tendon Changing.

Moreover, he had already paved the road ahead for himself. Otherwise, he would not have struck Hong Zhengdao like this today.

"It's late. You don't need to stay with me. Xiao Shan, remain behind."

Hong Zhengdao said to the disciples.

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