The little mute girl was not born mute; she still remembered that when she was very small, she seemed to have spoken before...
The memories from that time were already very hazy, only vague shadows remained, as if there was a bridge, as if there were sweet, red candies, as if there was a temple where she was led to see the Buddha statue.
That was not a wooden or clay Buddha statue, but one that seemed to be made of gold, and the temple was also resplendent and magnificent...
The Buddha statue smiled, benevolent and kind...
But shouldn’t the Buddha be protecting people?
Then why was she taken away from her family, fed that bitter medicine, unable to utter a single word?
Beatings, hunger, forced kneeling...
So cold, so painful...
The little mute girl slowly moved towards the Buddha statue, her small body covered in blood, her flesh scraped raw on the gravel ground, blood and shredded meat scattered everywhere...
At the same time, in the burning, collapsed inn, Wu Piwu was engaged in a frenzied struggle with the nightmarish brute.
At this moment, Wu Piwu's remaining arm was half-destroyed, his palm shattered, and his body was covered in bruises and contusions.
The nightmarish brute was not faring any better; half of his face was rotten, and his back had several tendons torn by Wu Piwu's tiger claws.
Just moments ago, he had attempted a powerful grapple, but Wu Piwu twisted his neck with both hands, reversing the situation.
The force was so immense that it bent the brute's neck bone, causing him to emit strange sounds with each breath.
However, he seemed oblivious to the pain, still striking with great force.
Though his movements were chaotic, this ignorance of pain and fear of death, combined with the close-range brawling, was terrifying to anyone.
Wu Piwu's mind was now a chaotic mess, filled with various distracting thoughts, yet his body seemed to instinctively find opportunities to counterattack.
In the center of the inn, the nightmarish brute roared as he swung a fist towards Wu Piwu's head, while his other hand aimed to choke him.
Wu Piwu lowered his head and bent his body, dodging the punch and the choke, while simultaneously kicking the brute's calf with one foot and stabbing at his wrist with the bone spur that had emerged from his wrist.
In an instant, the bone spur pierced the nightmarish brute's arm vein, while his foot struck the brute's calf, causing the brute to lurch forward.
The bone spur sliced upward along his arm, nearly tearing the muscle off one side of his arm.
If it were a normal person, they would be rolling on the ground, clutching their arm in agony, but the nightmarish brute ignored the injury and reached down to grab Wu Piwu's hair.
With a sinister grin, he yanked upward, and then that injured arm, now clenched into a fist, swung down towards Wu Piwu's face.
With three dull thuds, Wu Piwu's entire face was smashed inward, several teeth knocked out.
The nightmarish brute, grinning wickedly, lifted Wu Piwu and charged towards a collapsed beam, intending to impale him.
Three punches struck Wu Piwu's face, causing his consciousness to begin to fade, but at that moment, he was operating the Qi Blood Transport Method of the Tiger Demon Technique.
Amidst the chaos of distracting thoughts, a glimmer of clarity began to emerge.
Whether it was a moment of enlightenment or a turn of fortune, in that life-and-death instant, Wu Piwu's Tiger Demon Technique advanced from the threshold to a more profound level, maintaining a thread of clarity amidst the chaotic thoughts, allowing him to preserve a clear consciousness and reflect upon himself.
National martial arts are both killing techniques and cultivation methods, so there is naturally a concept of progression and strengthening.
The introduction to the Tiger Demon Technique mentions three external powers: Bright Strength, Dark Strength, and Transformative Strength.
When Transformative Strength reaches great mastery, it transitions from the external to the internal, leading to Golden Core, Qi Energy, and Indestructible Spirit, with the latter allowing one to be called a terrestrial immortal.
The most crucial aspect is self-reflection on one's spirit and body.
The hidden injuries of the body need to be healed, and the Qi Blood Transport must be refined to perfectly align with oneself, triggering the body's re-evolution and development, ultimately reaching the state of Indestructible Spirit, where the body can attain the pinnacle of life and maintain that peak until the end of one's lifespan.
Self-reflection on the spirit can maintain clarity, unclouded by external factors, dangers, or the fear of life and death.
The highest realm is said to be like the cicada sensing the autumn breeze before it stirs, even achieving a premonition of danger.
This self-reflection is the core of national martial arts.
According to the general hierarchy of national martial arts, the transition from Bright Strength to Dark Strength is a significant threshold.
Once crossed, one gains initial self-reflection, and during the Transformative Strength phase, self-reflection is further enhanced.
Each subsequent level can greatly improve self-reflection, and when one reaches Indestructible Spirit, even the tiniest cells and every distracting thought can be clearly observed.
However, the Tiger Demon Technique is unique; it is extremely difficult to enter.
Once one begins to practice, distracting thoughts can overwhelm, and without proper nurturing methods, even the initial threshold can lead to death.
If one's mind is filled with distractions during Qi Blood Transport, a single misstep can result in immediate death.
Yet, once the Tiger Demon Technique is mastered to a profound level, it undergoes a qualitative transformation, and self-reflection immediately rivals that of other techniques at the Transformative Strength stage, with a thread of clear consciousness that does not perish, revealing its true power!
At this moment, Wu Piwu's eyes were blood-red, the broken beam behind him was only a meter away, and in front of him was the nightmarish brute's ferocious face.
In that instant, everything around seemed to slow down, and only Wu Piwu's undying and unconfused consciousness remained.
The external scenery reflected in his heart.
As he was being pushed backward, he forcefully twisted his foot on a protruding burning log, causing the nightmarish brute to be slightly misaligned.
Then, Wu Piwu twisted his upper body with all his might, and at that critical moment, the beam missed his back, instead grazing his armpit and piercing through the brute's chest.
The nightmarish brute's chest was pierced, and the strength in his arms weakened.
Seizing the opportunity, Wu Piwu opened his mouth wide and bit down hard on the nightmarish brute's hand that was choking him.
Though the brute felt no pain or fear, as a physical being, with muscles tearing and bones misaligned, he could not exert his strength.
One of his hands was bitten by Wu Piwu at the tiger's mouth, and as they struggled, his grip naturally loosened.
The other hand, unable to lift due to the chest wound, momentarily faltered, and in a flash, Wu Piwu escaped his grasp.
But instead of retreating, Wu Piwu advanced.
As he twisted his foot, he darted to the side of the nightmarish brute, stepping on the back of the brute's foot, and lunged at him, biting into the brute's throat.
His mouth, missing several teeth, could not secure a firm grip, and at that moment, the brute kicked out with his other leg, striking Wu Piwu in the stomach, sending him tumbling into the fire.
The nightmarish brute gasped for breath for a moment; his throat, chest, and tiger's mouth oozed mud, filling the wounds.
Meanwhile, his muscles swelled even more, towering at least two meters three in height, his body broad, nearly two times the width and thickness of Wu Piwu.
His skin was almost completely torn, revealing the black and red muscles beneath, making him appear almost like a black-red monstrosity, barely retaining human form.
The nightmarish brute's eyes were pure black, and the horns on his head had grown to two inches long.
His arm bones and ribs began to extend outward, forming bony protrusions.
At this moment, he roared incoherently, preparing to chase Wu Piwu into the fire.
However, just as he was about to charge into the flames, he suddenly stopped, for... there was a darkness, a terror lurking within the fire, something that even he, who felt no pain or fear, sensed as frightening.
Meanwhile, the little mute girl had crawled beneath the Buddha's pedestal.
She looked up at the clay Buddha statue, gritting her teeth to support her body, and used both hands to push against the statue.
But even though it was a clay sculpture, not made of gold or bronze, the weight of the Buddha statue was beyond her ability to move.
No matter how hard she tried, the statue remained unmoved.
The little mute girl emitted sounds of distress, exerting all her strength to push, her finger bones dislocating and tearing.
Just then, a chirping sound suddenly came from the sky, and a small green bird descended, attempting to land on the little mute girl's shoulder, but ultimately settled at her feet.
The little bird was very anxious, wanting to peck at the mute girl, but she was completely bare, her skin gone, and the bird did not dare to touch her, only able to chirp incessantly in agitation.
The little mute girl continued to push against the Buddha statue while glancing at the bird, also emitting anxious sounds, and even kicked at the bird, trying to shoo it away.
The bird hopped back and forth on the offering table, still chirping continuously.
The little mute girl looked at the bird, then at the offering table.
She froze for a few seconds, then suddenly rolled off the offering table, kneeling to look at the corner of the table.
She had no strength to push the Buddha statue, but she could destroy the offering table, causing the clay Buddha statue to fall...
Even if it fell towards her!
Since she could remember, she had been alone and helpless, mute and malnourished, weak and unattractive, yet she still longed for happiness, even if it was just a simple dwelling, or even a rough man who would hit her when he was annoyed, even if it was...
He said it, he said it, he would take her away!
The little mute girl exerted all her strength to break off a corner of the offering table, causing the table to tilt.
The grinning Buddha statue also began to shift, the immense weight pressing down on the little mute girl...
Those red, sweet, and sour candies, strung on wooden sticks...
So delicious...
(End of Chapter)