Vier Discovers Blood, Locust Throwing Technique First Glimpse

The night wind brushed against the window lattice, making a whistling sound, like the low sobs of a ghost.

Ye Qingxuan pushed open the courtyard gate, his movements as light as a falling leaf. He didn't want to disturb his sleeping sister inside.

The room was very dark, with only the dying embers in the stove, flickering unstably. Using that faint light, he took off his shoes by the door and was about to put them in the corner when a soft, childish voice came from behind him.

"Brother?"

Ye Qingxuan froze and turned his head. Ye Caiwei had gotten out of bed at some point. She was only wearing a thin garment and stood barefoot by the threshold, her large eyes exceptionally clear in the darkness.

"Why are you awake? It's cold at night, go back to bed quickly." He lowered his voice and walked towards her.

Ye Caiwei didn't move. Her gaze fell on the pair of shoes Ye Qingxuan was holding. The edges of the soles were stained with a dark mark. In the dim light, it looked like wet mud, but it was darker than mud, with a hint of dark red.

"Brother, your shoes..." She pointed to the spot with her small hand, her voice filled with uncertainty.

Ye Qingxuan followed her fingertip and his heart tightened. It was a spot of blood that remained after he had wiped them clean, mixed with the dirt from the alley. He had thought it was inconspicuous.

"Oh, on my way back just now, I accidentally stepped on a stray cat's tail and it scratched me a little. It's nothing," he casually made up a reason, then walked over, picked up his sister, and wrapped her tightly in a blanket.

Ye Caiwei nuzzled his chest in his arms but didn't say anything else.

Ye Qingxuan put her back on the bed and tucked her in. He turned and walked to the stove, squatting down to slowly push the blood-stained shoes into the still-glowing embers.

The worn shoe uppers quickly curled up, emitting a choking black smoke. The flames licked up again, devouring the dark red mark along with the shoe itself.

Ye Caiwei poked her head out from the bed, watching the fire. The light reflected in her clear pupils, flickering incessantly.

"Brother, the shoes are burned. What will you wear tomorrow?"

"Brother has money now. Tomorrow I'll buy you a new jacket and a new pair of shoes for myself," Ye Qingxuan said, poking the fire in the stove without looking back.

He took out the money bag he had found on the man in the bamboo hat, weighed it in his hand, then walked to the bedside and put the entire bag into Ye Caiwei's bedding.

"Nannan, feel this. What is it?"

Ye Caiwei's small hands fumbled in the bedding and touched the bulging money bag. It felt hard inside, and there was a crisp clinking sound of metal colliding.

"Is it money?" Her little face showed a hint of surprise.

"It's money." Ye Qingxuan took out the short dagger with the sharkskin sheath from his bosom. He drew it out halfway, its blade gleaming coldly in the firelight. He didn't let his sister touch it, just waved it in front of her.

"Look, and this too."

Ye Caiwei looked at the beautiful dagger, then at the heavy money bag in her bedding, and finally looked up at her brother. She didn't ask where these things came from, but just nodded vigorously.

"Brother, you're so amazing."

These four words soothed the ripples in Ye Qingxuan's heart, stirred by his first kill, better than any words in the world. He ruffled his sister's hair and coaxed her to sleep.

After confirming that Ye Caiwei was breathing evenly and had fallen asleep, Ye Qingxuan returned to the outer room. He poured the silver from the money bag onto the table and carefully counted it by the light of the stove.

A piece of broken silver weighing about one tael, and more than half a string of copper coins, totaling fifty-two wen. Coupled with the sharp blade that could cut hair, this night's excursion had been quite fruitful. He carefully put away the money, and kept the short dagger hidden close to his body.

After doing all this, he felt no desire to sleep. The crisp sound of bone breaking in the narrow alley, the warm, sticky sensation spreading beneath the corpse, still lingered in his senses.

He walked to the table and sat down, taking out the handwritten copy of Locust Throwing Technique from his怀.

The booklet was not thick, and the paper was rough. He opened the first page and, by the flickering light of the stove, read intently.

The very first sentence was not some profound statement, but plain language: "What is a locust? Something that can be taken at will, found everywhere, like a swarm of locusts passing through, endless, that is the true meaning."

Ye Qingxuan's spirits lifted. The intent of this martial art coincided perfectly with his current situation. He had no prominent family background, no famous master to guide him, and certainly no divine weapons. These four words, "taken at will," struck a chord with him.

The booklet went on to explain in detail the selection of materials for "locust stones."

It wasn't some specially made iron caltrops or money darts, but ordinary pebbles, broken tiles, or even hard fruit pits. The text specifically noted that the best ones were flat, round pebbles that had been washed by flowing water for many years on a riverbank. These had moderate weight, were smooth to the touch, made the least sound when breaking through the air, and were the easiest to control.

Further down was the method of carrying them. It emphasized placing the stones in a specially made cloth bag, tied to the most convenient spot on the waist, and when taking them out, it should be done in one smooth motion, without hesitation.

Ye Qingxuan saw this and a picture formed in his mind. A martial artist, walking through the marketplace, with an unremarkable cloth bag at his waist. Who would have thought that inside it were weapons that could take a life at any moment?

He turned a page, and there was the core of this technique: the art of throwing.

Locust Throwing Technique was unlike the stances of ordinary镖局 guards, which required standing firm like a horse and drawing a bow. The methods described were only two: "yin hand" and "shuai pie."

The so-called "yin hand" was to hide the stone in the palm, concealing it with a wide sleeve or body movement when striking. Fingers, wrist, and arm exerted force simultaneously, emphasizing "concealment" and "suddenness." This method was mostly used for close-quarters surprise attacks, in noisy places, or during conversations, launching a sudden assault, often achieving remarkable results.

As for "shuai pie," it was a more dominant method of exerting force. Its posture was like a villager throwing mud, or a fisherman casting a net. When striking, it wasn't just the strength of the wrist, but required sinking the qi to the dantian, twisting the waist and turning the hips, channeling the full body's strength from the soles of the feet, up through the spine, through the arm, and finally "throwing" or "casting" it from the fingertips.

The booklet contained several simple human figures, with red ink indicating the rotation and direction of the muscles and bones in the body during exertion. The route of force transmission was winding but integrated, completely different from the rigid force-channeling method when he practiced Indestructible Vajra Body.

"Using the strength of the entire body, channeled between the fingers and palms, one can turn stones into blades, penetrate wood and armor."

Ye Qingxuan extended his right hand, mimicking the posture in the diagram, forming a fist, and slowly performed a "shuai pie" motion in the empty air. He could clearly feel the muscles in his waist and abdomen tighten instantly, and a surge of power flowed upward along his spine.

This method was extremely physically demanding, but its power was likely far beyond ordinary wrist-strength throws.

The end of the booklet described three uses for "locust stones."

The first was, naturally, as "hidden weapons." Striking people with stones, specifically targeting vital points like the eyes, throat, temples, and the back. The text also included a simplified diagram of human acupoints, marking thirty-six deadly points and seventy-two pressure points.

The second was the "pathfinding stone." When traveling at night or entering dangerous territory with an unclear path ahead, one could throw stones to scout the way. Listening to the sound to determine the location, and discerning whether the path ahead led to a deep pit, a pond, or concealed ambushes.

The third was the "startled bird tactic." Creating a diversion, striking distant objects with stones to create noise, drawing the enemy's attention, allowing oneself to escape, or launching a surprise attack from another direction.

Ye Qingxuan read the entire booklet from beginning to end, then pondered it repeatedly, until every word and every diagram was firmly imprinted in his mind.

The fire in the stove had gradually died down. The sky outside the window had also taken on a fish-belly white hue.

A new day was about to dawn.

Ye Qingxuan closed the booklet and let out a long breath. The lingering smell of blood seemed to dissipate with his exhale, and his mind returned to clarity.

This Locust Throwing Technique was practically tailor-made for him.

With his Indestructible Vajra Body reaching completion, he had the confidence to charge headfirst into any situation, his physical body serving as his strongest shield. Now, the Locust Throwing Technique filled the gap in his long-range offense, giving him a sharp spear to wound enemies from ten paces away.

One offense and one defense, one long-range and one close-range, his strength would no longer have any obvious weaknesses.

Ye Qingxuan walked into the courtyard and looked at the bluestone water vat. He then glanced down at the broken stones and rubble scattered at the foot of the wall.

From this day forward, these ordinary objects would become the deadliest weapons in his hands.

His gaze pierced through the pre-dawn mist, looking towards the direction of Linyuan Prefecture city. Zhang Lingxiao, Tan Zhenglong, Chief Constable Zhang... their faces flashed through his mind one by one.

He would no longer go to seek justice empty-handed like last time.

Next time, he would use the pebbles in his hands to reason with them.

Alright, he would start practicing the locust stones tomorrow!