Chapter 29: I Will Bear This Banner

“Hiss, my leg...”

“My hand, my hand hurts!”

“Just wait until Brother Xiong comes back, and you’ll know what happens to people who cross us!” someone threatened viciously.

Crack—

When Kou Li, without the slightest hesitation, stepped on and broke the man’s other arm, the fellow finally fell silent, his eyes rolling back as he fainted dead away.

Looking around, except for the one who managed to escape, all thirteen of the Xu family apprentices now lay sprawled across the ground, their arms or legs twisted into unnatural angles. Those with simple fractures were lucky; for those whose joints had been shattered, in these times, it meant a life of incurable disability.

The remaining apprentices of the martial school watched the eighth senior brother with trembling fear, as if he were some vengeful spirit. With such skill, who could still claim he knew nothing of boxing? The grisly scene before them made it all too clear: this eighth brother was even more of a prodigy than the youngest, and far more ruthless—he had crippled over a dozen men in moments. Who could have imagined such ferocity?

“Eighth brother, what should we do now?” Shrimp-Head asked, his eyes flickering between fear and a hint of joy. After all, the eighth brother had promised to teach him stance techniques. He’d deliberately asked in front of everyone, just to make it clear whose man he was now.

“Have their families come fetch them. Before Master Lin returns, everyone else is to go home and reflect behind closed doors. To cause trouble in the Burning Body Martial School—bold indeed!”

No one had bolder guts than you, they all thought, daring to take down the school’s sign and discipline people as you please. Every onlooker cursed him in their hearts.

“Eighth brother, those Xu folk, when you pull up a radish you bring out the mud. Maybe you don’t know—these locals have quite a reputation,” Jiang Shuiyuan chimed in ingratiatingly. When it came to cunning, he was merely average, but when it came to reading the wind, he was a master.

“A bad reputation?” Kou Li replied with a half-smile. In this place, there were precious few good men; he hardly needed reminding.

“No, brother, I’ve heard rumors that those Xu and Egg folk have ties to pirates along the coast.”

Kou Li’s heart stirred. He recalled reading in the county annals: “...Bands of sea robbers often arise from among the Egg families. Their boats swarm the sea, their numbers uncertain—sometimes a dozen, sometimes three or four nets’ worth. Each group has several native boats for salting fish. When the opportunity arises, they raid, causing harm to merchants and travelers.”

The meaning was simple: these Xu folk lived by fishing and hunting, but when they had spare time and saw an easy mark, they weren’t above a bit of piracy to supplement their income. Such half-fisher, half-bandit behavior, with relatives and children to shield them, made them nearly impossible for the authorities to control—you couldn’t just behead a thousand families.

Indeed, if someone did, there’d be few innocents among them.

But that was the way of things: anyone who made a living from the sea—even the most reputable merchants—wouldn’t pass up an easy profit if fate brought them a suitable opportunity. Lingnan was a place of exile; the open sea, a land beyond the law. Show an ounce of kindness, and you’d find yourself devoured, flesh and bone.

Yet these occasional raids were a far cry from true pirates—those brazen enough to sink even official vessels.

Was this what Jiang Shuiyuan meant to imply?

Kou Li glanced at him with deeper meaning. These days, no one was simple—not even the renowned, seldom-seen Master Lin Xian, the great benefactor famed for watching the tides. Did he really not know about Lu Zhixiong’s background?

Perhaps, it was precisely that background which interested him.

The martial school apprentices watched Kou Li as he sat in the grand chair, face expressionless and silent. None dared even think of leaving; their fear now surpassed what they ever felt for Chief Instructor Yue Wuhuo.

The Chief was hot-tempered and quick to scold or strike, but everyone knew, deep down, he had a sharp tongue and a soft heart. His strict teaching was never a bad thing.

But this eighth brother—once he acted, over a dozen arms and legs were ruined. That was truly terrifying, enough to make the blood run cold.

Perhaps only Instructor Zhao’s return could curb his arrogance. According to rumors, the three instructors’ skills were not much inferior to the seven personal disciples of the school master.

If Instructor Zhao returned, at least he could keep this Kou Li in check—or at the very least, reclaim the school’s signboard, a treasured symbol that couldn’t be allowed to fall into disgrace.

Unfortunately, from morning till noon, Instructor Li never appeared. A group of Xu folk did arrive to retrieve the injured, their eyes burning with undisguised hatred and murderous intent as they glanced at Kou Li.

There’s a clever mind behind this, Kou Li thought. If they had attacked him now, matters would be simple. But by restraining themselves, the entire affair remained an internal dispute within the school.

As an internal matter, the authority to resolve it rested solely with one person—the unseen master, Lin Xian.

According to Shrimp-Head, Master Lin had returned five days ago and immediately summoned several disciples for a talk. What was said remained unknown, but in the following days, all the personal disciples and the three instructors left the school one after another. Had any of them been present, that earlier farce likely would never have happened.

Avenge Zheng Bao’er? That was easy—killing the culprit, not hard. The difficulty lay in knowing the right measure. They still needed to study here; making enemies was inevitable, but antagonizing everyone was folly.

Of course, all this assumed Zheng Bao’er awoke unharmed. If anything went wrong, Kou Li’s methods would not be so gentle.

Now that he’d mastered the basics of boxing, he had no need to cling to this place. His living depended on his own skills, not on his master.

As Kou Li pondered the possible futures, a loud crash echoed from outside. In was thrown a “dead pig” with a battered face—none other than the long-absent Instructor Li the Xu clan had been waiting for.

“What’s going on? This piece of trash can’t really be from your school, can he? The Li master I met before was a gentle soul,” a woman said, brushing mud from her deerskin boots as she stepped over him.

Brother Bai, who entered behind her, wore a look of helplessness. This junior sister of his was the darling of the elders at Wuxiang School, spoiled and unruly, always the bully. But this time, it truly wasn’t her fault.

Who would have thought the path to Guanchao was so remote and confusing? They’d wandered for hours and, upon finally meeting a local and asking directions, were met with rudeness and a fistfight. You could hardly blame them.

“You’ve got nerve—smashing the sign of our Burning Body School. That takes guts—” Instructor Li started to shout, but stopped short. Wasn’t that the school’s signboard in the man’s hands?

Not only he, but all three newcomers paused in surprise. The junior sister even whispered, “Are we too late? Has the sign already been smashed?”

“Don’t talk nonsense,” Brother Bai replied irritably, then bowed and said, “Bai He of Wuxiang School, here to see an old friend, Luo Yanzong. Is Brother Luo present?”

“Bai He? Isn’t that the senior disciple of Wuxiang School?”

“The Snake-Crane Twin Practitioner Bai He—one of the finest fighters in all of Guangdong!”

“The one whose boxing draws a hundred cranes to watch?”

A flurry of whispers passed through the crowd, all eyes turning to Kou Li—the sole senior brother remaining.

“The senior is not here, nor are any of the others. If you wish to visit, perhaps return another day,” Kou Li said calmly.

“I see. Then it seems we’ve made this trip for nothing. Sister, let’s head back—we’ll come another time,” Bai He said with an air of relief, gently persuading the woman beside him.

“Hmph, next time? If I ever get to come out again, I’ll be damned. As for that old incident, do you all plan to let it go? Fine, but let me make this clear: when it comes to Tiger Boxing, our Wuxiang School is the true orthodox lineage. Burning Body School should stop claiming it as their own!”

Bai He’s face changed dramatically, but it was too late to stop her. Seeing this, the junior sister added, “After all, your Master Lin is known as the Hundred-Handed Master, versed in so many styles. One more or less makes little difference.”

Kou Li felt nothing at these words, but the older apprentices’ faces turned ashen. They well remembered that old affair.

Jiang Shuiyuan, seeing this, hurried to share what he knew as the three guests exited the doorway.

“Wait a moment,” Kou Li called out suddenly.

“My sister was just angry—please, don’t take it to heart. Next time I see Brother Luo, I’ll apologize to him myself,” Bai He said apologetically.

“That’s not it,” Kou Li shook his head, carefully setting the signboard on the table. “Since I was the one who took down the Burning Body School’s sign, until I put it back up, no one will disgrace it. Today, you must give me an explanation.”

“Because I’m the one carrying this sign!”

“Interesting,” the junior sister turned back, eyes shining with excitement. “Looks like coming here was the right choice after all. See? There are still real men in Burning Body School!”