Before the arrival of winter each year, the blind bears would become unusually active, taking advantage of any food that came into their sight. Wang Anfeng had known this since he was young, but even in the stories meant to scare children, he had never heard of such a robust giant beast.
When it stood on all fours, it was already a head taller than Wang Anfeng. As it roared with its head held high, a foul stench mixed with the smell of blood rushed towards him. Its greedy eyes fixed on the youth as muscles bulged under its fur. Suddenly, the beast pounced, and Wang Anfeng's pupils contracted as he altered his footing.
The bear's claw grazed his clothes as his right fist, taking advantage of the opening, smashed into the bear's abdomen.
As his fist struck, the chain jingled but only emitted a dull, light sound. Wang Anfeng distinctly felt his fist strength almost instantly dissipated by the slick fur, the remaining force absorbed by the fat, disappearing without a trace, like a clay ox into the sea, his expression subtly changing.
The black bear let out a roar, balancing on three legs as it swung its right paw forward, bringing an evil wind towards Wang Anfeng's chest. The youth shifted his steps, trying to dodge, but in his eagerness to attack, he had gotten too close. Although the black bear was slow and clumsy, its attacks were incredibly swift. Barely retreating half a step, the bear's paw heavily swept across his body.
The collision between the bear's claws and the chain produced a piercing screech, and the young man was sent flying, smashing heavily into an old tree.
The tree instantly splintered. Wang Anfeng's face turned pale as he coughed up a mouthful of blood, feeling almost unable to withstand the immense force of the blow, his brain going blank for a moment.
However, the willpower honed through extreme limits now compelled his body to roll again, dodging what would have been a crushing blow—the very spot where he had been was where the old tree had been completely demolished.
Vigorous Qi exploded in all directions, the power of its palm strike no less formidable than that of martial arts experts found in the stories of "Biographies of Wandering Heroes."
The black bear seemed to confirm that the creature before it was no match, its demeanor becoming noticeably more relaxed as it ambled towards Wang Anfeng with an intimidating posture. The youth struggled to stand, his boiling blood yet to recover.
As the black bear closed in a few steps, it suddenly reared up on its hind legs. Amidst its fierce roar, it aimed a paw directly at Wang Anfeng's head, the force far more fearsome than the previous blows, causing him to break out in a cold sweat, his blood surging and adding a thrice-fold surge of power to his muscles. He ducked low, narrowly avoiding the strike.
Seeing the black bear's body momentarily stiffened due to its great force, Wang Anfeng gritted his teeth and, in a reckless leap, grabbed onto its right arm and, flirting with death, scrambled up to the nape of the black bear's neck, seizing its thick neck fur with both hands.
He had already noticed—the black bear's limbs couldn't reach behind it.
Exhaling softly, the youth's right arm shook, releasing the chain that had been wrapped around his arm to dangle freely before swiftly swinging it. Grasping the other end with his left hand in an instant, he yanked hard with both arms. The chain let out a loud crack, pulled taut straight across the black bear's throat.
His eyes bulged, the clarity within now filled with the gleam of someone pushed to the edge.
Theoretically at his physical limits, he now exhibited a burst of strength that was in no way inferior to his peak performance—the dark chain tightened in an instant, and in the dense forest, the painful and furious roars of the black bear echoed along with the young man's angry shouts.
.....................…
At that moment, in Great Liang Village, eight fine horses kicked up dust as they approached. Leading them was a large man dressed in brocade, accompanied by a youth of around twelve or thirteen on a small pony, looking around with curiosity and occasionally letting out light laughter, much to the brocade-clad man's growing displeasure.
He truly regretted letting that carpenter make something for his child...
He regretted even more agreeing to let his child go and personally receive the 'goods'.
What infuriated him the most was the carpenter's loose tongue. He truly wanted to chop it off and feed it to the dogs! Mentioning some 'interesting news' to amuse the young master—if it had not been for that, how would Xiujie have seen that broken piece of wood, all the cut marks shaped like fist impressions?
The party dismounted their steeds in the middle of the village. The youth, unable to wait, eagerly leapt off his horse. A towering and powerful man followed suit, holding a fellow in a short jacket. The latter was quite well-built, but after being jostled on the journey and handled like luggage, he nearly stumbled and knelt upon touching the ground.
Meanwhile, the young man had already run over, his eyes bright as he said:
"The person you mentioned before, the one who could carry a tree and walk, is he right here?"
At this time, the man's stomach was still churning, but upon hearing the young man's question, he still forced a flattering smile, saying:
"Yes, yes, yes, a month ago, while I was looking for timber, I collected that wood right here."
"At that time, I felt so elated for finally finding good wood for the young master that I thought it was a universal celebration, and even gave the tea shop owner a tael of silver."
The more the young man heard, the more delighted he became, yet the strongman slightly furrowed his brow, lifted the hunched-over man by the collar, threw him to the side, and strode towards the tea shop. It was already October, the weather was cold, but the strongman wore only a thin garment and bared both arms. His muscles bulged, so terrifying that they cast a shadow over the tea stand attendant.
He appeared fierce, yet he was extremely polite, first giving a fist salute, then asked:
"Excuse me, shopkeeper, I have a question to inquire. If it causes any inconvenience, please forgive me."
The tea stand attendant glanced at the strongman's arms, which were as thick as his own thighs, and swallowed nervously with a forced chuckle, saying:
"Please, go ahead..."
"May I ask if what that man said earlier is true."
Upon hearing the question, the attendant breathed a sigh of relief, saying, "If you're referring to the young man who carried the tree, indeed, there is one... Named Wang Anfeng, he grew up right here in our Great Liang Village."
While speaking, he also complained, "But that tael of silver is really a blatant lie..." He suddenly realized that by calling that man a liar, he indirectly insulted the young man too, and his face turned pale. However, the strongman only smiled mildly, laid down a silver coin, and said:
"Now, the words are truthful..."
Having said that, he nodded slightly and walked to the splendidly dressed man. In a low voice, he reported back, the splendidly dressed man slightly frowned, saying:
"You did well, but to think there is actually such a person... Xiujie has been absorbed in 'Biographies of Wandering Heroes' these days, showing no interest in the martial artists around him and obsessing over those rural rumors... This is already the seventh one, I've spent money to bring in a bunch of charlatans to the residence.
If they weren't somewhat honest, I'd really want to break their legs and throw them out of the house."
Saying this, he seemed rather angry, clenching his teeth, but since the young man was not far off, he could only speak in a low voice, looking extremely frustrated.
The strongman smiled slightly and said:
"That tea stand attendant is only seventeen or eighteen years old, he said he watched that young man grow up, so the boy must only be thirteen or fourteen years old. I have inspected the marks of the punches; even if he wanted to fake it, he must possess some skill in boxing. Let's not do it like us... Perhaps we can provoke the young master's 'masters' a bit and have them spar with the youth."
"If the young man is indeed a fraud, it can expose his deceit to the young master, who can then wake up to reality in the future. If he really has the ability, first, we can rid ourselves of these charlatans of Jianghu, and second, if there really is such a young man, I shall apologize on the spot for any disrespect, and the young master should then sincerely invite him. This is an opportunity."
Upon hearing this, the splendidly dressed man rolled his eyes and said:
"You don't need to tell me... Although those worthless things have no real skill, we have still used that child. Apologizing and offering compensation is only right and proper, isn't it?"
"Even if he turns out to be a fraudster, we should still apologize. If he is a swindler, that's his business, but if we owe an apology, it is our business. How can one walk the Jianghu without upholding moral integrity? Furthermore, if he really has such martial arts at just thirteen or fourteen years of age, I'd convey him back home in a grand sedan chair if I have to..."