Chapter 44: Indoor Disciple! Blood Claw Hand

"Disciple Zhang Lingshan greets Master."

Entering the room to pay his respects, Zhang Lingshan saw several people already standing there, while Hong Zhengdao lay half-reclined on the bed, his face showing signs of illness.

His entire right arm and shoulder were wrapped in white cloth; if one looked closely, blood could even be seen seeping through.

"Xiao Shan is here. Why are you carrying things? Haha, find a place to sit and wait for the others to arrive."

Hong Zhengdao gave a slight smile, but his voice lacked its former resonance.

"Yes."

Zhang Lingshan immediately stood to the side.

Sitting was out of the question; he wouldn't dare sit down while the others were standing.

As he stood, he surreptitiously observed the crowd.

Aside from Hong Zhengdao and himself, there were four others in the room.

The person serving by Hong Zhengdao's bedside was a tall woman with a broad back. She remained facing Hong Zhengdao, so Zhang Lingshan couldn't see her face, only that her hair was tied in a high ponytail.

However, among the six inner disciples of the Hong Clan Martial Arts Hall, there was only one woman—Hong Wenjuan, Hong Zhengdao's daughter. This must be her.

Of the remaining three, one was a refined young man, one was a dark-skinned man who looked like a peasant, and the one closest to Zhang Lingshan was a kind-looking man who appeared to be middle-aged.

Noticing Zhang Lingshan observing him, the man offered a friendly smile.

Zhang Lingshan responded politely.

At that moment, two people rushed into the room. One knelt down and began to cry, "Master! You finally agreed to see us. You have no idea how worried we've been these past few days!"

The other was not as dramatic but also hurriedly knelt, echoing, "Indeed."

Zhang Lingshan looked closely.

The one crying was Pan Mingzhong, his shoulders heaving with intense emotion.

The other, with a large, stout build, was naturally Zhu Wei.

"Get up, all of you. I'm not dead yet, so why the crying?" Hong Zhengdao scolded with feigned anger.

"Yes, Master. This disciple was wrong."

Pan Mingzhong quickly stifled his sobs. He and Zhu Wei stood up and moved to stand beside Zhang Lingshan.

Only then did he notice Zhang Lingshan was also present. A look of surprise and confusion flashed in his eyes. He exchanged a glance with Zhu Wei, feeling a strange sense of unease.

"Master, this disciple is late."

A loud voice suddenly rang out from outside the door.

A look of joy immediately appeared on Hong Zhengdao's face. "Qing'er is here. Come in, quickly."

"Yes."

A man of imposing stature and handsome features strode into the room.

It was none other than the eldest disciple of the Hong Clan Martial Arts Hall, Zhao Qing!

During Hong Zhengdao's absences, it was he who maintained order and managed the affairs of the hall.

It was said that his parents had died early, and after beginning his martial arts training, he had followed Hong Zhengdao constantly, their bond akin to father and son. It was no exaggeration to call him the Young Hall Master of the Hong Clan.

He did not come alone.

Upon closer inspection, a pockmarked youth, a head shorter than him, followed behind. As soon as he entered, he bowed, "Disciple Tian Fei greets Master."

"Mhm."

Hong Zhengdao nodded and said, "Qing'er, come sit over here. Everyone, sit down, don't just stand there. I called you all here today because I want to ask for your opinions on a few matters.

"First, Qing'er, you are no longer a child; it is time for you to marry.

"As I said before, once I return, I will arrange the wedding for you and Xiaojuan. I think it's time to put it on the schedule."

Hong Zhengdao said with a chuckle.

"Father!"

By the bedside, Hong Wenjuan lowered her head shyly.

Suddenly, Zhao Qing stood up and said in a heavy voice, "Master, now is not the time to discuss this. You are injured and need everyone's care; how can you have the energy to arrange a wedding? I believe your priority should be focusing on your recovery. As for marriage, let us not speak of it again!"

"What did you say!?"

Hong Zhengdao's expression changed instantly. He hadn't expected Zhao Qing to dare speak to him this way. Anger surged through him, and his aura erupted violently.

In an instant, the temperature in the room rose several degrees, and the air pressure dropped to an extreme. Everyone watched in shock, holding their breath, not daring to make a sound.

The eldest disciple was openly defying his master. What was he trying to do?

Zhao Qing remained calm, meeting Hong Zhengdao's gaze directly without evasion. He spoke indifferently, "Master, I came today thinking you would say something useful, but I didn't expect you to spout such nonsense. You truly disappoint me!

"You are good in many ways, but you are far too autocratic. You completely disregard whether others can endure your actions or not.

"In my heart, Sister Juan has always been my sister. I never thought of marrying her, nor did I ever promise you anything. Where is this marriage coming from?

"I advise you to focus on your recovery and not get angry over meaningless matters, lest you deplete your vital essence and worsen your injuries.

"I have said all I have to say. I hope you conduct yourself wisely.

"I have matters to attend to, so I won't stay here to listen to your monologue. Tian Fei, let's go!"

Having said his piece, Zhao Qing did not spare a single glance at Hong Wenjuan. With a flick of his sleeve, he strode out of the room.

Tian Fei immediately followed him.

In the blink of an eye, the two had vanished from sight, leaving no trace.

"Pfft!"

Hong Zhengdao spat out a mouthful of blood and cursed, "Beast! Beast! I knew he had ambitious, predatory intentions; I saw it long ago! Scoundrel! Ungrateful! I wasted so much effort raising him. The moment I am injured, he abandons me. What a white-eyed wolf!"

"Father, Brother Qing, he..."

"Shut up!"

Hong Zhengdao interrupted her sharply. "I did all this for you, and you're still defending him?

"If he hadn't already secured a way out, would he dare to oppose me like this?

"No wonder he's been missing for the past two days. It seems he had his path prepared long ago!"

With that, he looked at Hong Wenjuan with frustration, as if disappointed by her weakness. "I told you long ago to be more proactive, to have a child so everything would be settled. But you wouldn't listen, insisting on waiting for him to take the lead. Now look! He's gone! After all this time, he doesn't want you anymore."

"Wah!"

Feeling deeply humiliated, Hong Wenjuan burst into tears and ran out, covering her face.

Zhang Lingshan felt a blur before his eyes as the dark-skinned man beside him also rushed out, shouting, "Senior Sister!"

"Uh..."

Zhang Lingshan was speechless.

What was all this?

Shouldn't those in the martial world be focused on vengeance and justice? Why all this love and romance, and a love triangle at that? It left him truly at a loss for words.

"Run, run, everyone just run. Run if you want to."

Hong Zhengdao let out a long sigh, looking exhausted, as if he had aged ten years in an instant.

Zhu Wei kept his head down in silence and quickly left the premises, as if afraid he wouldn't make it if he didn't leave immediately.

Pan Mingzhong, however, did not leave.

Zhang Lingshan was secretly surprised. Wasn't it said that most loyal people were of the butcher class? How had this butcher, Zhu Wei, broken his stereotype?

He had assumed that a shrewd, experienced fellow like Pan Mingzhong would have sought another way out.

Reality was the complete opposite.

One truly cannot judge a person by their appearance.

"Since none of you are leaving, I will discuss the second matter."

Hong Zhengdao looked toward Zhang Lingshan and Pan Mingzhong. "Although you two have not yet broken through to the Flesh Refining stage, with your talent, it is only a matter of time. I am officially accepting you as inner disciples today. Are you willing?"

"This disciple is willing!" Pan Mingzhong immediately prostrated himself, saying excitedly, "This disciple has waited for this day for far too long."

Zhang Lingshan said, "This disciple is also willing."

A trace of a smile finally appeared on Hong Zhengdao's face. "Good, good, good. It seems my disciples are not all like Zhao Qing. Xu Liang."

"This disciple is here!"

The refined young man immediately stepped forward.

Hong Zhengdao said, "Zhao Qing has fled, and Xiaojuan is gone. You are now the eldest disciple. Act on my behalf to test their current progress in cultivation. If they are capable, you may proceed to transmit the techniques to them directly."

"Yes!"

Xu Liang responded solemnly, then turned to Zhang Lingshan and Pan Mingzhong. "Junior brothers, come out and spar with me."

The two hurriedly followed him out.

"I'll go first."

Pan Mingzhong stepped forward excitedly and took a starting stance. "Junior brother Pan Mingzhong requests instruction from Senior Brother."

"Use your full strength against me," Xu Liang said indifferently, stepping back with his left foot, lifting his sleeve with his left hand, and keeping his right foot and right hand in front.

"Fine! Then I won't hold back!"

Pan Mingzhong immediately charged, his fists like heavy hammers, slamming toward Xu Liang's chest.

He was indignant at Xu Liang's perceived arrogance in daring to face him with only one hand and one foot. He was determined to show his worth so that Master Hong would know he, Pan Mingzhong, was also a fine talent.

*Bang!*

With a dull thud, Xu Liang caught Pan Mingzhong's punch with his palm. Then, his hand moved like a large fan, sweeping against Pan Mingzhong's torrential barrage of punches.

A miraculous scene unfolded.

Even though Pan Mingzhong was the aggressor, Xu Liang remained seemingly unmoved.

Yet, in that moment, Pan Mingzhong felt as if he were trapped by Xu Liang's palm techniques. No matter how he maneuvered or shifted, he could not move a single step away from Xu Liang; every movement was within Xu Liang's control.

The more Pan Mingzhong fought, the more frustrated he became. Finally, with a great roar, his bloodline surged to the back of his knuckles, and he struck at Xu Liang with sheer, violent force.

He refused to believe that even with his full strength, he couldn't push Xu Liang back even half a step!

*Swish!*

Suddenly, Xu Liang changed his technique. He pressed his five fingers together like a bird's beak, striking twice like lightning at Pan Mingzhong's wrists.

"Ah!"

Pan Mingzhong let out a cry of pain. His hands felt like they were on fire; the bloodline immediately receded, leaving two red dots on his wrists that stung at the slightest touch.

He stood there dazed, unable to understand what had happened.

"This is called the Blood Claw Hand," Xu Liang explained. "It is the grappling technique that follows our Red Line Fist. The 'claw' can point or grab, and the 'hand' can palm or seize. Your Red Line Fist is practiced quite well; your strength has reached the base of your knuckles. You have passed the test. I will teach you the Blood Claw Hand shortly."

Hearing this, Pan Mingzhong snapped out of his defeat and cried out in joy, "Thank you, Senior Brother!"

"Mhm. Step aside for now. Next, I will test Junior Brother Shan. Junior Brother Shan, please."

Xu Liang remained in place and made a gesturing motion.

Zhang Lingshan cupped his hands. "Zhang Lingshan requests instruction from Senior Brother."

*Swish!*

He lunged forward. Like Pan Mingzhong, he went through over a dozen rounds with Xu Liang before letting out a roar, successfully driving his bloodline to the back of his knuckles.

"This kid!"

Pan Mingzhong was startled.

He had assumed Master Hong called Zhang Lingshan because of his future potential, but he hadn't expected the boy to have silently reached the Copper Skin stage.

Although his bloodline wasn't as vivid as his own—clearly forced to the knuckles—it was still impressive.

How long had it been since he successfully completed the Skin Grinding stage? To have reached this level already...

How on earth did this kid train? It was simply incredible!

What Pan Mingzhong did not know was that Zhang Lingshan had not actually broken through to Copper Skin, nor had he mastered the Red Line Fist.

The reason he could drive the bloodline to his knuckles was simply because his flesh had been forcibly tempered once by the Mountain-Splitting Axe technique.

In fact, after dozens of rounds with Xu Liang, Zhang Lingshan had gauged Xu Liang's strength. He believed that if he unleashed his full power, he would be confident in pushing Xu Liang back.

However, there was no need for that.

Since Pan Mingzhong's demonstrated strength was enough to learn the Blood Claw Hand, Zhang Lingshan only needed to match him; there was no need to reveal too much.

It was always safest to keep a card up one's sleeve.

Even so, everyone looked at him as if he were a ghost, terrified by this junior brother whose talent seemed leagues ahead of the rest.

In such a short time, he had transformed from a martial arts novice directly into a Copper Skin warrior.

"Junior Brother Shan, you..."

Xu Liang was stunned for a long time before saying, "You have also passed the test. You may learn the Blood Claw Hand directly. I will demonstrate the training method once; memorize it carefully."

"Yes!"

Zhang Lingshan was delighted.

Not long ago, he had been thinking about practicing a grappling technique, and here was the Blood Claw Hand—and it was the follow-up technique to the Red Line Fist.

As the name implied, the Blood Claw Hand extended the "red lines" of the Red Line Fist to the very tips of the fingers, turning every claw into a blood claw.

The advantage of the Red Line Fist was its overwhelming, unyielding power, with force originating from the knuckles for massive striking power.

The Blood Claw Hand shifted that strength to the fingertips. If one were to grab an enemy's joints, kidneys, or throat, how terrifying would the lethality be?

One had to note that even though Zhang Lingshan knew the technique, he still hadn't been able to dodge Xu Liang's strike earlier.

This showed just how fast the Blood Claw Hand would be once mastered.

Red Line Fist was about ferocity; it relied on strength.

Blood Claw Hand was about speed; it relied on technique.

Combined, they provided both power and skill, causing combat effectiveness to soar. It was no wonder Hong Zhengdao was renowned in the outer city; this was his signature!

"Fast, fast, fast! You must be fast!

"You already have the strength. The Blood Claw Hand is only about speed—using speed to overcome slowness, and strength to strike weakness. You must target the enemy's thinnest defenses.

"The fighting style is like this, and the training is the same.

"Remember to find the 'weak points' in the air.

"Where the hand passes, there is wind; where the wind passes, there is a distinction between high and low air pressure.

"Where the wind is strong, resistance is high, and the hand slows; where the wind is weak, resistance is low, and the hand moves fast.

"Once you can find those weak points in the air every single time, then the Blood Claw Hand is truly mastered."

Xu Liang taught earnestly, offering profound guidance.

Zhang Lingshan said, "Yes, Junior Brother has noted it."

"Mhm. Both of your memories are good and you are familiar with the routines. As long as you practice daily, reaching the entry level is only a matter of time. If there is anything you don't understand, you can come to me. I will be staying at the hall for the time being."

"Understood, Junior Brother," Zhang Lingshan and Pan Mingzhong said in unison.

By now, it was nearly evening; they had been practicing for a long time without realizing it.

"Let's eat dinner together," Hong Zhengdao called from inside the room.

The disciples all complied.

At the table, Zhang Lingshan learned that the dark-skinned man who had run out to chase Hong Wenjuan was the fourth senior brother, Wu Yuanqing.

The kind middle-aged man who had smiled at him earlier was the fifth senior brother, Xiao Ming.

The Tian Fei who had been following Zhao Qing was the sixth senior brother.

However, since Zhao Qing and Tian Fei had abandoned the Hong Clan Martial Arts Hall, the seating order would have to be rearranged.

Calculating it, Zhang Lingshan realized he was now technically the sixth senior brother—the "Old Six"—the last of the inner disciples.

After the meal, Hong Zhengdao felt somewhat fatigued and told everyone to go home and rest.

However, before they left, he had Xu Liang announce the acceptance of the two new inner disciples so that everyone would know.

Firstly, it formalized the status of Zhang Lingshan and Pan Mingzhong.

Secondly, once outsiders knew they were inner disciples, they would stop trying to recruit them.

Even if someone ignorant of the rules tried to poach them, the two would have to consider their reputation.

In the martial world, a person's name is like a shadow—it follows you forever and cannot be shaken off.

If your reputation becomes foul and you are looked down upon, the road ahead becomes very difficult.

Not everyone could be like Zhao Qing.

Zhao Qing had the confidence to leave because his strength had reached the peak of Flesh Refining, just one step away from the Tendon Changing stage.

Furthermore, he had already paved his future path, which was why he could pull such a stunt on Hong Zhengdao today.

"It is late. You don't need to stay with me, but Xiao Shan, stay behind for a moment."

Hong Zhengdao said to the disciples.