From a humble farmer to a great martial arts master

33, Gambling Battle

Ren Qingshan followed his nephew and walked quickly toward the clan chief's house.

Upon arriving at the gate, they saw two groups of people facing off in front of his house.

One group consisted of villagers from the village, each carrying a hoe and a sickle.

Another group, consisting of five people, came from Yangjiayu.

The leader was dressed in a tight-fitting outfit, with a straight back and a fierce demeanor. His temples were bulging, and his fists were flattened, clearly indicating that he was a martial artist.

The other three, though burly, stood loosely and slouchingly, suggesting they were hooligans.

The last one was Li Tianci, who only had three fingers left on his left hand, two of which had probably been chopped off. Even so, he stood with the four of them with a sheepish look in his eyes, as if he had completely surrendered to them.

This guy... he really has no shame.

The leading martial artist swiped a stack of land deeds in his hand and said calmly with a smile, "I know you have three capable sons, but I, Yang Zhen, am not an unknown person either."

"Did you really have to tear off all pretenses and make things so unpleasant?"

Ren Zhengwei's expression was serious.

Today, Li Tianci led these people into the village, shouting and yelling all the way, saying that the clan chief wanted to seize their family's land and was preventing the transfer of ownership... He managed to escalate the situation to this point.

Yang Zhen is a disciple of the county's martial arts school and has a well-known reputation. Today, he is clearly going to use his martial arts to intimidate others.

"When did I say I wouldn't cooperate?"

"But as the village chief, I care about the villagers and want to give them more time to make up for their losses."

"If we're talking about fairness... you gamble away money, causing families to be ruined and people to die, and you still think you're right?"

Ren Zhengwei spoke slowly, with a calm and dignified air about him.

"A bet's a bet; he lost, so who can he blame?"

The two remained locked in a stalemate.

The villagers and the hooligans also hurled insults and argued incessantly at each other.

When they saw Ren Qingshan arrive, everyone looked over.

Nowadays, Ren Qingshan is a prominent figure in the village, with close ties to the Lu family. The Lu family even sends people to do the farm work for him.

The morale of the people from Renjia Village was immediately boosted.

Ren Qingshan glanced at him and waved to Li Tianci.

"Li Tianci, come here, did they hit you?"

In the village, according to seniority, I am considered an elder.

Li Tianci licked his lips, his Adam's apple bobbing, but he didn't dare to come closer. He just shook his head with a forced smile and said, "No, no. I just tripped and fell. Don't worry about me."

Seeing that he was stubborn and unwilling to listen, Ren Qingshan turned to Yang Zhen.

"Yang Zhen, a direct disciple of the Eight Directions Martial Arts School?"

"Does your master, Zhang Haolei, know about today's events? Does he know that you set up a betting scheme and forcibly seized someone else's land?"

Previously, when chatting with Hu Xiaofeng, Ren Yaohui and Ren Yaokang in the county town, Ren Qingshan had heard of most of the famous masters in Huaiyin County.

Zhang Haolei is a Silver Blood Warrior who runs the Bafang Martial Arts School, but he's not considered top-tier in the county; he's barely second-tier.

Yang Zhen was his disciple, ranked high, and held a position at a gambling den, commonly known as a "gatekeeper".

Seeing Ren Qingshan's steady steps, Yang Zhen narrowed his eyes slightly and asked, "Who are you?"

"This is my sixth brother, Ren Qingshan, who works for the Lu family, a salt merchant family."

Ren Zhengwei introduced in a deep voice.

Yang Zhen frowned slightly. The Lu family was quite powerful.

However, thinking of the land deed worth two hundred taels, Yang Zhen steadied himself and said fiercely, "Let alone the Lu family, no matter where this matter is, we are in the right. The land deed is in my hands, and we won it fairly and squarely!"

Ren Zhengwei wanted to say something more...

Then Ren Qingshan smiled and said, "This matter is simple; a fight will suffice."

"You won the land deed by gambling, so I'll gamble with you in return."

"If you beat me, I will cooperate with you in transferring the property. If you lose, you will leave the land deed behind."

Buy at a discount?

I'm getting it for free!

Having come to this point, you won't be able to take away a single tael of silver!

"Fine, you said it yourself. If you kill him, no questions asked!"

Yang Zhen also couldn't get what he wanted.

This is the kind of business I'm after!

If he hadn't been wary of Ren Zhengwei having a son who was a constable working in the yamen, and his other two sons who were also quite powerful, he would have made his move long ago.

"Chief Ren, do you agree?"

He looked at Ren Zhengwei and asked confidently, lest they try to renege on their promise again.

"I……"

Ren Zhengwei felt worried.

Yang Zhen has practiced martial arts for at least ten years. Qingshan is very tight-lipped and has not revealed his cultivation level, but at most he has only practiced for a year. How could he be his opponent?

Turning my head, I saw Ren Qingshan with a determined look in his eyes.

"I...I agree."

Ren Zhengwei sighed and said helplessly.

He was also a martial artist, so of course he knew that once things had come to this point, there was no way to stop him.

In martial arts, where fame is sought, neither side can back down, or they will become a laughingstock.

However... Aoyama was indeed a bit reckless.

……

Unrelated people stepped aside and formed a large circle, watching nervously and anxiously.

Such a duel between martial artists is truly rare in the village.

The older folks had seen it once, more than ten years ago during a severe drought. The two villages fought over the limited water resources. At that time, the pillar of Renjia Village was Ren Zhengwei, the current clan leader.

However, that time, the Ren family lost; people in the village had starved to death during the famine.

Nowadays, Ren Zhengwei, who was injured in his early years, is no longer in good health, and Ren Qingshan has risen to prominence.

Within the circle.

Yang Zhen stood firmly on his feet, his hands forming a circle, adopting a precise and disciplined starting stance that could be both offensive and defensive, as he leaned against his horse to inquire about the way.

Ren Qingshan had taken off his outer pants and shoes early on, and stood barefoot, wearing only a pair of shorts, opposite him.

Take a deep breath, and the blood and qi circulate in your legs, causing the muscles to swell. Your leg circumference almost doubles, and the veins bulge out, which is quite alarming.

Yang Zhen narrowed his eyes.

This Ren Qingshan is actually a leg-training practitioner?

There's a saying in boxing: "It takes three years to learn boxing, and ten years to learn legwork."

Leg techniques, whether in terms of difficulty or the requirements for qi and blood, are more challenging and therefore more lethal, but they are also more dangerous.

Even if your fists and palms are held, you still have a lower body.

The lower body is suspended in mid-air, with no roots to anchor it.

Attack its genitals!

The best way to defeat a martial artist who specializes in leg techniques is to attack their groin; it never fails!

There are quite a few leg techniques masters whose genitals have been crushed.

Having made up his mind, Yang Zhen immediately moved forward and engaged in close combat to wear down Ren Qingshan's strength.

With a single move that seemed to clear the clouds and reveal the sun, he clenched his fingers into a claw and aimed at Ren Qingshan's face, but then suddenly changed his attack, aiming straight for Ren's eyes.

Since it's a fight, there's no room for holding back!

He's fast.

Ren Qingshan was not slow either.

The "Mountain Opening Palm" technique contains the word "Block," where the left hand blocks in an instant, while the right hand circulates all the energy and blood, exerting force throughout the body, clenching the palm into a fist, and striking the opponent's side waist from under the ribs.

This move, however, is also insidious and vicious.

It targets the kidneys; once you're infected, being ruined is the least of your worries.

In battles between martial artists, the outcome can be decided in an instant, and life and death can be at stake.

Yang Zhen took a half step back, changed his fist into a palm, and used a soft force to try to block the punch. At the same time, he secretly exerted force with his feet to guard against Ren Qingshan's leg skills.

but……

He didn't expect that this punch would be completely unavoidable by Mianli.

A tremendous force struck his hands. Even though these hands were made of iron and had been soaked in a secret medicine for nearly ten years, making them harder than steel, it was as if a mountain had hit them, and the bones in his hands snapped!

That irresistible force, passing through his palm, struck his right kidney, sending him flying high into the air before crashing to the ground.

One punch!

It not only distinguishes between superior and inferior, but also reveals life and death!

The crowd gasped in surprise.

When he came to his senses, he saw Yang Zhen's right hand hanging limply, with sharp bone fragments piercing through the muscle, and blood gushing out.

He coughed up blood, convulsed twice, and then remained motionless.

Dead...dead?

……

……