Red Line Fist

At noon the next day, the warm sun hung high in the sky.

Chu He wore a sleeveless training vest, hips lowered back in a unified waist-and-horse stance. His arms were raised level, his ten fingers spread apart, with several bricks tied to each fingertip by hemp rope.

A peculiar sensation of qi flowed around his fingers. Every time it brushed past his fingertips, it brought an unbearable, itchy numbness that nearly made his fingers curl back, causing the bricks hanging from them to sway.

The Red Line Fist primarily trained the bones and tendons of both hands. Once mastered, the bones would be like steel and stone, the tendons like great bows; one punch could erupt with an awe-inspiring force.

Smack!

The qi sensation circulated through his palms once. Chu He immediately straightened his back, shook off the weights hanging from his hands, and let out a long breath through his flushed cheeks as he rubbed his ten swollen, aching fingers.

To gain entry into the Red Line Fist, red lines had to emerge on the skin of the backs of one's hands. Ten fingers required ten red lines.

Chu He had an extraordinary physique as his foundation and could sense that peculiar qi. It was only a matter of time before he gained entry into the Red Line Fist.

"It's noon. Time to patrol."

After exhaling, Chu He walked out through the courtyard gate.

The information Han Zhong had revealed last night was like a massive boulder crashing into still water. The highly disputed matter of patrol defenses had instantly been resolved. During the discussion, some had even felt that the defensive force was insufficient and that patrols ought to be strengthened.

As a newcomer, Chu He naturally had little say in the matter. Nor could he be bothered to speak, watching them make their arrangements from beginning to end.

In the end, everyone left with thoughts of their own.

Perhaps because an onlooker saw more clearly, he had caught a hint of ulterior motives in Han Zhong's unnecessary actions.

Then again, perhaps he was overthinking it.

Leaving his residence and crossing the pebble path, Chu He found the training ground two hundred meters away. That was where the patrol squad gathered.

Four or five disciples leaned lazily against the training posts, gesturing with their fingers and exchanging idle chatter. Upon seeing Chu He approach, they immediately stood straight and greeted him with broad smiles.

"Good afternoon, Senior Brother Chu."

Chu He waved a hand in response.

"Where is Senior Brother Liu? Hasn't he arrived yet?"

"Uh..." One disciple hesitated. "We haven't seen him since we got here. Maybe something delayed him?"

"Fine. We'll wait for him a while."

Seeing nothing suspicious, Chu He walked over to a stone weight used for training. He gripped its handle, tensed his arm, and slowly lifted it with a calm expression. After weighing it in his hand, he slowly set it down again.

"Between five and six hundred jin, but probably closer to six hundred..." Chu He looked down at his rough palm and estimated the limit of strength he could unleash when fully circulating the Golden Bell Shield.

After the time it took for an incense stick to burn, Chu He glanced at the sky, his face impassive. "Forget it. We won't wait any longer. If he doesn't want to come, then he doesn't have to."

"Yes, Senior Brother Chu."

The others followed closely behind Chu He.

Earthhead Village lay in the western part of the Misty Forest, where the terrain was flat.

A three-meter-high wall stood around the village. Every section had been built from fine azure steel stone, completely encircling it.

A stone spike had been planted every two hundred meters along the wall. Their surfaces looked utterly ordinary, yet they were the key to keeping the strange horrors at bay.

Rumor had it that these stone spikes were weapons of the Land God, capable of blocking the eerie mist and the harassment of those filthy things.

Yet while the stone spikes could block the mist and monsters, plenty of people still died in strange and bizarre ways beside the walls. Over time, the village outskirts had become mostly farmland and abandoned houses.

Chu He's group walked along the field ridges, their expressions vigilant. Their daily patrol consisted of making a circuit around the wall, then checking whether the stone spikes were intact and whether the wall had been damaged.

"Another kilometer, and this patrol will be over." Just as a disciple in the group smiled, he suddenly saw a stone spike atop the wall leaning to one side, ready to fall at any moment.

"Senior Brother Chu..."

"Mm. I see it."

Chu He nodded and stamped his foot. Grass clippings flew as he lightly leaped over the three-meter wall like a swallow in flight.

After glancing at the deep, oppressive boundary of dense mist, Chu He gripped the short staff at his waist and bent down to pick up the stone spike, which had snapped at its base.

The spike was crudely made, as thick as a wrist and as long as a forearm. There was a groove around its middle, tied with a black thread.

"This is a strand of hair?"

Inspecting the stone spikes involved two things: checking whether the spike itself was secure and whether the black thread was intact. If either was missing, it had to be reported to the village.

Chu He had patrolled near the wall before, but he had never had a chance to inspect one up close. Now that he did, the black thread tied around it looked inexplicably like hair.

His thumb lightly pressed against the black thread.

"Ding dong! Absorbed eerie qi. Energy +1!"

A cold, mechanical voice abruptly rang out in his mind.

A sharp gleam flashed in Chu He's eyes, and he nearly crushed the stone spike in his grip.

This thin black thread could actually provide energy!?

"Senior Brother Chu, how is it?"

Seeing Chu He remain motionless, the disciples below called out anxiously.

Chu He immediately snapped awake. Looking down, he saw that after the energy had been absorbed, the long black thread on the stone spike had turned to ashes in the blink of an eye. A light breeze blew, leaving nothing behind.

"The situation isn't good. Both the spike and the black thread are damaged."

Chu He replied as he looked toward the boundary of mist. With the black thread gone, the mist six meters away slowly crept another meter toward the wall.

Thoughtful, he lightly jumped down from the high wall.

"Finish the patrol quickly and report this to the village chief."

Chu He spoke after a moment's contemplation.

The others nodded. The group prepared to quickly patrol the remaining area, only to encounter Liu Ci, who had arrived late, in the final stretch.

He squatted by the edge of a field, one hand gently stroking his chest, a faint smile at the corner of his lips. He seemed to be in quite a good mood.

But upon seeing Chu He and the others, Liu Ci's expression immediately turned stern. His sharp gaze swept across them before finally fixing on Chu He like a spear.

"Why didn't you wait for me? You took people with you without authorization..."

"You were late!"

Chu He cut him off, then stared at him coldly.

Because the original owner had been dull and inflexible by nature, his actions had displeased Liu Ci on many occasions. There had long been bad blood between them.

Liu Ci, however, placed great importance on status and cherished his pride. Naturally, he was unwilling to admit that he had been late. Nor did he want to lose his authority before the junior disciples, so he could only take another route.

The moment Liu Ci opened his mouth, Chu He knew what nonsense this fellow was about to spout. He could even guess much of what he would say.

"What do you mean, late? I merely arrived a little later. You took the team out on patrol on your own. If something had happened, wouldn't Eldest Senior Brother have blamed me?"

Chu He's earlier words had made him lose face.

"As you can see now, nothing happened, and no one will blame you."

Chu He did not want to waste time with this fool. He turned and was about to walk past him, but Liu Ci stepped forward and blocked his path.

Chu He raised his eyes and stared at him icily.

"Move. I have things to do."

"Heh heh, Chu He. Your breakthrough in cultivation seems to have made you forget your own weight."

Liu Ci's face darkened as he sneered coldly.

Seeing the two of them at swords' points, the disciples beside them wanted to explain on Chu He's behalf, yet they did not dare offend Liu Ci.

Still, someone took a deep breath and stepped forward.

"Senior Brother Liu, we waited for you. It was you—"

"Shut up! Is there any place for you to speak here?" Liu Ci suddenly turned his head and snarled viciously. "And this is a private matter between Chu He and me. If you lot know what's good for you, get lost!"

"You should leave. We do have a private matter to discuss."

At that moment, Chu He suddenly turned to the others.

"Senior Brother Chu, you..."

"Hey, hey, let's go. Why are you sticking your noses into this?"

The others pushed that disciple away and hurried off.

"Oh, right. Remember to report to the village that the spike needs replacing." Chu He looked toward them and did not forget to remind them.

"Understood, Senior Brother Chu. We'll take care of it right away." The last disciple immediately turned back to answer, then quickly left the area.

"Fine. Say whatever you have to say." Chu He's eyelids twitched as he sensed that Liu Ci had another reason for making things difficult for him.

"Heh heh, at least you know what's good for you." Once the others had gone, Liu Ci became even more brazen. He held out a large hand before Chu He and said coldly, "Give me that thing Eldest Senior Brother gave you!"

Please add it to your collection, brothers. Don't let it sit unread—recommendations during the new-book period all depend on continued reading.

.