activa-t Chapter 49: Individual Physical Conditions Cannot Be Generalized
Chapter 49: Individual Physical Conditions Cannot Be Generalized
The morning light was faint, and the window paper was tinged with blue.
Before dawn, the lights in the main courtyard of the Guo family were already on.
Guo Zhen, or rather the leader, changed into a brand-new navy blue outfit with silver-trimmed sleeves and copper buttons fastened all the way up to his neck.
He stood under the eaves, carefully straightening his collar in front of a full-length mirror with its mottled mercury.
The face in the mirror was rosy and composed, exactly the same as the forthright Xingyi Quan master of the past.
Two trusted disciples stood with their hands at their sides under the eaves, with red silk gift boxes at their feet.
Liu Yishou entered through the moon gate, wearing a gray cloth robe, his hands tucked into his sleeves, his face expressionless.
The leader heard footsteps, but without turning around, he rotated his wrist:
"The time has come. I'm going to the guild hall. The house is in your hands."
Liu Yishou walked three steps to his side and stopped, gazing at the bare old pomegranate tree in the yard:
"The things are ready. As for your wife, I have made the arrangements. Once the news of your death arrives, she will 'commit suicide in grief' to follow her husband to the afterlife. A beautiful story of deep love between husband and wife."
The leader turned his head and glanced at him. His face was indifferent, but a scrutinizing glint appeared in his eyes:
"You seem... really looking forward to it?"
Liu Yishou's lips twitched, a half-smile playing on his lips:
"We're just doing our jobs for money, striving for realism."
The leader said no more, and waved his hand to the disciples under the corridor:
"Walk."
The disciple picked up the gift box and followed closely behind. The footsteps echoed through the courtyard, fading into the distance until the gate creaked shut and the bolt was bolted.
The courtyard was completely quiet. Only the morning breeze blew through, making the weapon racks beside the training ground clang.
Liu Yishou stood there for a while before slowly turning around and strolling towards the main house. His steps were unhurried, as if he were taking a leisurely walk.
From the north gate where the Guo family lived, it would take at least 45 minutes to get to the Yue Family Guild Hall, even with the fastest carriages and horses.
In the ring, "accidentally killing" takes time: the exchange, the outburst, the fall, the chaos... it takes at least a quarter of an hour.
Even if someone were to rush the news back to the Guo family from the guild hall, it would still take half an hour.
In total, this gave him a "window" of nearly an hour.
Ample, but also urgent.
The main room was dimly lit, with only a small oil lamp on the dressing table.
Madam Guo, Wang Yun, dressed in a simple white dress, sat in front of the mirror, gazing at her reflection in a daze. Her long, black hair cascaded down, making her neck appear even whiter.
"Squeak."
The door was pushed open.
Liu Yishou walked in and closed the door behind him.
He didn't rush to speak. He walked to the table, picked up the teapot, poured a cup of cooled tea, gulped it down, and then turned to the dressing table.
"Sister-in-law," he called out, his throat dry.
Wang Yun paused, but didn't turn around.
Liu put down his teacup, walked three steps behind her, and looked at her profile in the mirror:
"Over the years, you've always called me 'Master Liu,' which is too polite and distant. Actually, according to seniority, you should call me 'Junior Brother.'"
Wang Yun remained silent, her eyelashes trembling slightly in the mirror.
I know you look down on me.
Liu Yishou continued speaking to himself, his tone gradually changing, tinged with sarcasm, "He thinks my kung fu is inferior to my senior brother's, and that I'm just a peasant who can't be brought up to the table."
He paused, then suddenly laughed, his laughter low and hoarse: "But do you know what? I wasn't originally a Xingyi disciple. I came here with my own skills, and I practiced Bagua."
My master... well, he was wary of me from the very beginning. He kept all his real skills and secret techniques for his most trusted and upright disciple.
Even this martial arts school, its signboard, the respect from the surrounding villages... all belong to him.
He took a step forward, his face in the mirror drawing near Wang Yun's temples:
"And what about me? What am I? A handyman? A doorman? Even you... I've called you 'sister-in-law' for so many years, have you ever given me a kind look?"
His voice was even lower, like a snake flicking its tongue:
"So, I killed my senior brother, and now, I am my senior brother."
Wang Yun finally turned her head slowly to look at the real him, not his reflection in the mirror.
Her eyes were calm, without the fear, anger, or even surprise that Liu Yishou had hoped for.
"The master left the martial arts school to Shoucheng."
She spoke, her voice hoarse, "It's because he had already seen that you have great talent, but you are also impulsive and prone to going astray. He was afraid that you would lead the martial arts school astray."
She took a breath and continued, "As for me, I've mentioned it to Shoucheng as well. I said that Junior Brother Liu's gaze towards me was not clean, and that he had ulterior motives."
Liu Yishou's cheek twitched suddenly.
Wang Yun looked at him, her eyes filled with a bottomless pool of sorrow:
"How did Shoucheng treat you? He always told me that you suffered a lot when you were young, so it's understandable that your temperament was a bit eccentric. But as you practice your boxing skills to a higher level, you can naturally temper your character."
As your senior, he should be more tolerant and mentoring... He even planned to give you half of the martial arts school once you've settled down and started a family.
She gently shook her head, tears silently streaming down her face.
"He was completely open and honest with you. Little did he know, he had let a wolf into his house."
"Wolf?"
Liu Yishou froze for a moment, then his shoulders suddenly twitched, and a low, guttural laugh escaped his throat. The laugh grew louder and louder until it became a wild, unrestrained roar.
"Hahahaha! Well said! I am the wolf! I'm not just a wolf, I've actually ripped your man's heart and lungs out and looked at them!"
His laughter stopped abruptly, all expression vanished from his face, leaving only a chilling malice.
He stared at Wang, speaking slowly and deliberately:
"You say he treats me well? Then he'd be willing to do anything for me."
He reached out and, with his fingertips, touched the top button of Wang Yun's dress and gently lifted it.
The button is undone.
Then came the second, then the third. The movements were slow, but resolute, like unpacking an exquisite gift box.
The plain white shirt silently slid open to both sides, revealing the moon-white undergarment underneath and a dazzling expanse of skin on the shoulders and neck.
Wang Yun closed her eyes, her body began to tremble, and tears flowed even more fiercely, but she stubbornly refused to make a sound.
The fire in Liu Yishou's eyes grew stronger and stronger, and he was about to bend down...
"Tsk."
A clear smacking sound came from the window, full of impatience.
Liu Yishou froze, then abruptly turned his head!
The window, which should have been bolted shut from the inside, was now wide open.
A figure crouched on the windowsill, backlit by the morning light, making it impossible to see the face clearly, only outlining a sharp and capable silhouette.
A dark black short-sleeved top with tightly cinched cuffs, revealing a section of muscular forearm.
A morning breeze blew in through the window, ruffling a few stray hairs on his forehead, beneath which were a pair of calm eyes.
It is precisely the time of Zhou Xing.
He jumped off the windowsill, landing silently, and then spoke:
"Busy?"
Liu Yishou's pupils contracted sharply. He slowly released his grip, letting Wang Yun's clothes hang loose, his face filled with surprise and uncertainty.
"Zhou Xing..."
He ground his back teeth. "The leader was right, you do have some skills. That day I used a hidden force to penetrate your internal organs, and you're still alive and kicking?"
Zhou Xing raised an eyebrow:
"I'm in good health."
Liu Yishou laughed, as if he had heard something amusing: "Good constitution? What a wonderful constitution! Did you take some kind of miraculous elixir, or did you use some kind of life-extending sorcery?"
He sized Zhou Xing up and down, his eyes icy. "Since you've escaped with your life, why aren't you hiding properly? Why are you coming here to die?"
Zhou Xing didn't reply. His gaze swept over Wang Yun's disheveled clothes, pale face, and tightly closed eyes, and his brows furrowed.
Seeing the look in his eyes, Liu Yishou suddenly understood something, and his laughter became shrill:
"What, playing the hero to save the damsel in distress? I didn't realize, Officer Zhou... Heh, Officer Zhou, with your thick eyebrows and big eyes, you've got your eye on this kind of thing? You've got your eye on a pretty widow?"
Before he finished speaking, Zhou took action.
Without warning, he moved swiftly and was already in front of Liu Yishou!
With his right hand fingers together like a knife, he thrust straight at the opponent's throat, as fast as lightning!
Liu Yishou's eyes flashed with a sharp look. Without flinching or dodging, his left hand moved like a snake emerging from its hole, grabbing at Zhou Xing's wrist. His right hand, palm together, silently struck at Zhou Xing's heart. The attack came before the movement!
The two men's arms collided.
"Snapped!"
A crisp sound, like the tip of a whip piercing the air.
They parted at the slightest touch, in the blink of an eye.
The two turned and walked, and when their feet landed, they had already switched places.
Zhou Xing stood steadily in front of Wang Yun, his back to her, completely shielding her behind him.
Liu flicked his wrist and grinned:
"Who gave you the audacity to stand before me? Turns out... you've broken through my hidden power?"
He tilted his head, feigning curiosity, and asked, "Did Ip Man tell you how big the difference is between different levels of internal strength?"
Zhou Xing remained silent.
He raised his hand and began to unbutton the buttons on his black short jacket.
One, two, at a leisurely pace.
Liu Yishou squinted, wondering what trick he was up to.
Zhou Xing took off his outer garment, stretched out his arm, and gently draped the garment over Wang Yun's bare shoulders, carefully tucking it in.
Wang Yun's taut spine trembled almost imperceptibly, and she gripped the still-warm collar of her clothes tightly with her fingers until her knuckles turned white.
Zhou Xing then turned around, looked up, and truly began to examine Liu Yishou.
"I have experienced the difference in internal strength."
He chuckled softly, his neck shifted slightly, and his joints cracked softly, like a python coiling around its body.
"Now, let me show you how big the difference is between people's physical constitutions."