Chapter 30: Ambush |
"Hmm!?"
Suddenly, Chen Qing's brow furrowed slightly, his steps pausing momentarily.
Having achieved his second breakthrough, his five senses were extremely sharp, able to hear clearly any movement within five zhang.
Originally, nights were extremely unsafe, with desperate criminals frequently robbing passersby before brutally murdering them. Such incidents were commonplace.
"Meow~!"
Just then, a wild cat darted from the eaves, causing a roof tile to slide down to the ground.
"Crack!"
With a crisp sound, the tile shattered on impact.
In that split second, a black shadow charged directly at him, with fierce wind and vicious malice.
Grappling was an extremely formidable martial art, specifically targeting weak points in human joints, acupoints, and vital areas. It was divided into many schools, all including techniques like kicking the groin, deflecting arms, hip blocking, wrist carrying, small entangling, large entangling, lamp holding, sheep leading, leg coiling, wrist rolling, and arm breaking.
It mainly consisted of three fighting methods: bone grappling, tendon grappling, and meridian grappling. The core principle was using skill against brute force, softness overcoming hardness.
Once grappling took hold, tendons and meridians would snap, and arms could be torn apart.
The former chief of Gaolin County's greatest gang, the Canal Gang, had integrated this grappling technique to create the Tendon-Splitting Bone-Displacing Hand, which was renowned far and wide.
Chen Qing executed a 'Clever Ape Escapes Underground' move, directly avoiding this grappling attack.
The attacker's moves were exceptionally fierce, his offensive like a tide, five fingers formed into claws like five steel spears, locking toward Chen Qing's throat.
Whoosh whoosh!
The air carried sharp whistling sounds.
Chen Qing's body paused slightly, then his arms and spine simultaneously exerted force, avoiding this fierce claw while ruthlessly ramming toward the attacker.
Bang!
This 'Clever Ape Presents Longevity' move was exquisitely executed, not only avoiding the attacker's offensive but also counterattacking.
Chen Qing grunted, his body using the collision's force to slide back half a step, dissipating the rebound force.
His eyes were sharp as an eagle's, instantly locking onto the opponent.
A stocky man wearing black night clothes, his face covered with black cloth, only revealing a pair of eyes flickering with cruelty and greed.
The opponent clearly hadn't expected Chen Qing's reaction to be so swift, his move connections so masterful. After that collision, his chest was in severe pain, his breathing even momentarily stopped.
"Encountered a tough mark!?"
Chen Qing's heart stirred, his brow furrowing darkly.
"The target's skilled! Brothers, attack together!" the stocky man roared in a low voice.
Before his words finished, two more fierce winds shot out from the darkness like venomous snakes!
From the left, a thin tall figure swept along the ground, cold light flashing in his hand. A foot-long short blade silently stabbed directly at Chen Qing's waist and ribs.
This stab was insidiously cunning, its angle vicious, clearly aimed at crippling Chen Qing's mobility.
From the right, a relatively sturdy figure charged out like a wild bull, his arms muscled and knotted, carrying a dull wind sound with a powerful 'Double Peaks Pierce Ears' move.
Two fists the size of bowls hammered fiercely toward Chen Qing's left and right temples! If this hit landed solidly, even an iron head would crack open.
Three people!
Just as Chen Qing had suspected, this was a group operation, and they coordinated skillfully, clearly habitual criminals.
The three formed a deadly net, instantly enveloping Chen Qing within.
In that split second, Chen Qing's left foot stamped fiercely on a broken tile piece on the ground. The tile shot out under force, carrying a sharp breaking-air sound straight at the thin tall man's face.
Simultaneously, instead of retreating, he advanced toward the sturdy man's double fists. His spine arched and sprung like a great dragon, his upper body leaning backward at an incredible angle, narrowly avoiding the heavy punches aimed at his temples.
"Puff—!"
Though the tile fragment was small, under Chen Qing's kick it moved extremely fast.
The thin tall man clearly hadn't expected this and hastily abandoned his stab, using his short blade to block in front of his chest.
"Clang—!"
The tile shattered instantly, but it also created a gap in the three-person net.
Chen Qing's backward lean not only dodged the Double Peaks Pierce Ears but also caused the sturdy man's fists to miss, the huge inertia causing him to stumble forward.
At the instant when his body was almost parallel to the ground, Chen Qing's right foot struck like a scorpion's tail that had been lying in wait, lightning-fast sweeping upward from below!
"Ugh—!"
This kick was cunning and vicious, precisely a variation of 'Clever Ape Kicks Branch,' targeting the sturdy man's vital lower region!
"Damn!"
The sturdy man's move had missed, his center of gravity unstable. Watching this deadly kick coming, he was scared witless, crying out strangely while forcibly twisting to dodge.
"Rip!"
Chen Qing's shoe tip grazed past the sturdy man's crotch, tearing his trouser crotch and bringing up fabric scraps, instantly soaking the man's back with cold sweat.
"Third Brother, be careful!"
The stocky man reacted extremely quickly. As Chen Qing swept his leg, despite the chest pain, he pounced again.
This time he no longer used pure grappling, but his five fingers formed hooks, fingertips fierce, directly clawing at Chen Qing's left ankle supporting his body.
If this claw caught hold, the Tendon-Splitting Bone-Displacing Hand would activate, immediately crippling one of Chen Qing's legs.
Chen Qing was still in a backward-leaning state, old strength exhausted and new strength not yet generated, his left foot serving as the support point, seemingly with no way to avoid.
At this critical moment, Chen Qing's waist and abdominal core strength exploded, his body twisting like boneless, his supporting left foot instantly leaving the ground.
Whoosh whoosh-!
His entire body completed an unbelievable aerial rotation, not only avoiding the stocky man's poisonous hand grabbing at his ankle, but the wind from his rotation forced the opponent to dodge sideways.
This was precisely 'Clever Ape Flips Body' from through-arm boxing.
The instant Chen Qing landed, he rolled once, creating some distance from the three men, finally gaining a moment's breathing space.
He quickly rose, assuming the starting stance of Clever Ape Boxing, 'Monkey Gazes at Moon.'
"Attack together! Kill him!"
The sturdy man also recovered from his shock, embarrassed and angry, roaring as he charged again.
This time he learned his lesson, no longer using the wide-open Double Peaks Pierce Ears, but clenched both fists tight like two heavy hammers, blocking Chen Qing's left and right dodging space.
The stocky man nearby stared closely at Chen Qing's lower body and joints, his ten fingers slightly curved, clearly ready to strike, waiting for Chen Qing to show an opening before unleashing the Tendon-Splitting Bone-Displacing Hand's killing move.
The three surrounded him again, their offensive more fierce than before, and more cautious.
They knew this young man was not easy to deal with and must fight quickly to avoid attracting others.
Chen Qing narrowed his eyes, his mind tense.
Just as the blade was about to reach his body, he suddenly crouched down, his right arm like a clever ape extending its arm, quickly and accurately pecking toward the opponent's wrist's inner 'Spirit Gate' acupoint.
This move 'Clever Ape Picks Fruit' changed fist to finger, specifically targeting acupoints, fast as lightning.
The thin tall man only felt his wrist go numb, as if stung by a venomous bee. His short blade nearly slipped from his hand, his offensive immediately stuttering.
Chen Qing pressed his advantage, his left leg like a whip, a low sweep 'Clever Ape Wags Tail' viciously striking the opponent's supporting leg's shinbone.
"Crack—!"
The sound of bone fracturing rang out! The thin tall man screamed, his body losing balance and falling forward.
Chen Qing's kick contained hidden strength. Though the thin tall man's calf looked fine, the bone was already fractured.
"Second Brother!"
The stocky man's eyes were about to split with rage. He never expected Chen Qing's counterattack to be so swift and precise.
Taking advantage of the moment when Chen Qing's center of gravity shifted during the kick, he pounced like a predatory wolf, both hands striking out. One hand grabbed toward Chen Qing's extended left leg's knee joint, the other like a venomous snake's tongue, directly stabbing at Chen Qing's waist's 'Life Gate' acupoint.
This was the extremely vicious 'Lock Knee Break Waist' from the Tendon-Splitting Bone-Displacing Hand!
If this claw caught hold, Chen Qing would be dead or crippled!
However, Chen Qing seemed to have anticipated this. His extended left leg didn't retract but suddenly sank downward, stamping on the ground like an iron post. Simultaneously, his body used this sinking force to forcibly stop his forward momentum, his waist and abdomen again exploding with flexible rotational power.
This move was precisely one of the through-arm boxing variations, Clever Ape Coils Roots.
His entire person spun rapidly in place like a top, his right elbow tip using the centrifugal force from rotation, carrying a sharp breaking-air sound, hammering backward like a heavy mallet.
The target was precisely the stocky man's wrist stabbing toward his Life Gate acupoint!
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