Observing Wanfa from the martial arts school servants

Chapter 13 Blood Cage

The one-eyed old man stuffed the silver into his pocket and shouted:

"A new customer has arrived! Eagle Head! He's betting one tael on himself!"

His voice echoed in the basement. A few onlookers turned their heads, glanced at the thin figure in the cage, and then turned back to continue placing their bets.

"A newbie? Skinny arms and legs, how many hits can he get?"

"Bet on Black Impermanence! Black Impermanence has already won two matches today!"

"Exactly, they're just giving away money."

The one-eyed old man walked over to Black Impermanence and shouted at the burly man wearing a boar-head mask:

"Black Impermanence, someone bets on themselves to win against you, should you accept?"

Black Impermanence snorted, his voice booming, "Yes. Money delivered to our doorstep is free, so why not take it?"

The one-eyed old man struck while the iron was hot, walking back and forth between the three cages, the horn blaring louder and louder.

"Ordinary Cage! Newcomer vs. Black Impermanence! Black Impermanence has won two in a row, the newcomer bets one or two! Place your bets now, place your bets now!"

The onlookers threw copper coins into the basin, almost without exception, all betting on the Black Impermanence.

Several merchants dressed in silk robes even took out small amounts of silver and bet on Black Impermanence to win.

The money in the copper basin was piled up in a small heap, dark and dense, like bloodthirsty ants.

"Open the cage!" The one-eyed old man commanded, and the iron gate closed.

Only Lin Mu and Hei Wuchang remained in the cage. The flame of the oil lamp seeped in through the gaps in the iron pillars, casting long, distorted shadows of the two men onto the blood-stained wooden planks.

Without wasting words, Hei Wuchang strode forward and punched Lin Mu in the face.

Lin Mu did not dodge.

When the body-strengthening technique is pushed to its limit, the blood and qi in half of the body are filled with energy throughout the whole body, and the itching under the skin feels like ants gnawing at bones.

The Black Impermanence's fist slammed into his shoulder with a dull thud.

It hurts, but not badly; it feels like I was patted on the shoulder.

The itch didn't subside at all; on the contrary, the vibration from that punch made it throb in my bones, making it even more unbearable.

Seeing that Lin Mu hadn't fallen, Hei Wuji was stunned for a moment, then unleashed a barrage of punches, landing one after another on Lin Mu's chest, abdomen, and arms.

Lin Mu staggered backward, crashing into an iron pillar and bouncing back, continuing to be beaten. His body swayed under the fists like a paper doll in the wind, but he never fell.

The onlookers were in an uproar.

"Kill him! Kill him!"

"Black Impermanence, hit him in the face!"

"Is this newbie a punching bag? He just takes the hits without fighting back?"

Lin Mu gritted his teeth, enduring the itching all over his body.

Although Black Impermanence's fists were heavy, they were only the brute force of an ordinary person, without the propulsion of qi and blood, so they were like scratching an itch through a boot.

The itching not only didn't subside, but because of the accelerated blood flow, it spread from the skin's surface to deep into the muscles, feeling like millions of ants were gnawing at the bones.

No, Black Impermanence's punches are too weak; he'll be itchy to death if this continues.

Lin Mu adjusted his breathing, concealing the footwork of the Long Wind Fist beneath his feet, allowing Hei Wuchang to deliver dozens of punches while he panted heavily.

Then, seizing an opening, he suddenly stopped retreating, stepped his left foot between Black Impermanence's legs, and swung his right fist from his waist, smashing it into Black Impermanence's chin.

This punch didn't use the power generation method of the Long Wind Fist; it was just a very ordinary straight punch.

But he concentrated his energy and blood on his fist, which exploded the moment it hit the target.

Black Impermanence's head snapped back, and his entire body fell straight backward like a felled tree, his head hitting the wooden board with a dull thud.

There was a moment of silence in the cage.

"They won? The newcomers won?"

"Damn it, what's going on with Black Impermanence?!"

The one-eyed old man squeezed to the edge of the cage, bent down to look at Black Impermanence, then at Lin Mu, and raised his megaphone: "Eagle Head Wins!"

The spectators erupted in curses, and the loser kicked the coins away.

The one-eyed old man picked out two taels of silver from the copper basin—the winnings plus the return from the bet—and handed them to Lin Mu.

Lin Mu took the silver, but instead of leaving the cage, he turned and walked towards the Qi and Blood Cage.

"Wait, what are you doing?" The one-eyed old man frowned.

"Strike the Blood Cage." Lin Mu's voice came from behind the eagle-head mask, muffled but clear.

He took the two taels of silver he had just won, added the remaining loose silver on his person, making a total of four taels, and slapped it into the one-eyed old man's hand: "I'm betting everything on me to win."

The one-eyed old man was stunned for a moment, then looked him up and down.

This thin boy had just taken dozens of punches in the ordinary cage. Although he won, it was a hard-fought victory. His clothes were torn in several places, and his exposed skin was covered in bruises. Why would someone like this fight in the Qi and Blood Cage?

"Qi and Blood Cage, one tael per match. You get one tael if you win, and if you lose, you can't use the money." The one-eyed old man accepted the silver.

"If you want to fight, I'll arrange it for you. That dog over there is short of opponents." He gestured towards the direction of the Qi and Blood Cage.

Lin Mu walked towards the Qi and Blood Cage.

The bloodstains in the cage hadn't dried yet. Tiger Head had just finished fighting and left the arena. A man wearing a dog-head mask was leaning against an iron post, wiping his sweat.

The dog-head mask was crudely made, with drooping ears, but the exposed neck beneath it was thick and the veins were bulging, clearly indicating that the person had trained.

The onlookers gathered around again, this time even more than before.

The one-eyed old man raised his megaphone, his voice eight octaves higher than before: "Blood Cage! Rookie Eagle Head challenges Dog Head! Eagle Head bets three ounces on himself! Dog Head has won four consecutive matches! Place your bets now!"

"The eagle head? The one in the mortal cage just now?"

"Is he out of his mind? Does he think he can just walk into the Blood Cage like that?"

"Dog Head is from the Fierce Tiger Martial Arts School. Although he doesn't have Ming Jin (internal strength), his Qi and blood are very strong."

"Place your bet on the dog's head! Place your bet on the dog's head!"

Copper coins and silver fragments fell into the copper basin like raindrops.

Lin Mu crawled into the Qi and Blood Cage, and the iron door closed behind him.

The dog leaned its head against the iron pillar, not in a hurry to make a move, but tilted its head to look him over.

"I glanced at your fight just now. You took so many punches and you're still standing. That's interesting. But—" He straightened up, clasped his fists together in front of his chest, making a crisp sound, "The fists of the Qi and Blood Cage are different from those of the Mortal Cage."

Lin Mu did not answer, because the itching under his skin began to stir again, even more intensely than before, as if it would tear his flesh apart.

Just then, the dog's head moved.

He was twice as fast as Hei Wuchang, his fist whistling through the air as he delivered a straight punch aimed directly at Lin Mu's chest.

Lin Mu did not dodge and took the punch head-on.

"Bang!"

The force of the punch penetrated into Lin Mu's body, colliding and entangled with the qi and blood contained within him, before finally dissolving.

Not enough. Still not enough.

Seeing that he didn't react after being punched, Doghead frowned, quickened his pace, and attacked with both hands, each punch landing squarely.

Lin Mu swayed under the fists, his footwork remained steady, but the bruises on his body increased.

The Qi and blood from the Body Tempering Technique repeatedly vibrated during the beating, gradually dissipating throughout the body.

However, Lin Mu did not want to use the Long Wind Fist for the time being.

Changfeng Fist is a style of boxing from the Changfeng Martial Arts School; perhaps some of the spectators present recognized it.

Among the spectators at the Qi and Blood Cage were many people from martial arts schools, and some might even be enemies of the Changfeng Martial Arts School.

So for the time being, he only used the most basic punches—straight punches, hooks, and uppercuts—things that street thugs all know, combined with his qi and blood, waiting for the right opportunity to strike.