Chapter 21: Fighting Bravely

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  "A leopard's head" shouted out, the stick in his hand dancing rapidly. Shaolin sticks include Monkey Stick, Eyebrow Stick, Mountain-Subduing Stick, Coiling Dragon Stick, Six-Harmony Stick, Wind-Wave Stick, Mountain-Cleaving Stick, Wolf-Tooth Stick, Three-Section Stick, Willow-Leaf Stick, Small Plum Blossom Stick, Eight-Treasures Mixed-Yuan Stick, Yaksha Stick, Upper Sandy Beach Stick, Middle Sandy Beach Stick, Lower Sandy Beach Stick, and Five Tigers Herding Sheep Stick. Ying Tianlong carefully distinguished that this little guy's moves were somewhat like the Shaolin Big Yaksha Stick. The Shaolin Big Yaksha Stick is divided into three routes of stick techniques, with many variations, mainly using sweeping, brushing, clouding, framing, whipping, poking, cleaving, dancing flowers, challenging, and pointing as primary techniques, especially emphasizing the "three parts stick technique, seven parts spear technique" principle in the Shaolin stick spectrum, which is a rare and precious set of moves.

  However, his moves were not great, full of loopholes, and he only mastered the routine of the Big Dipper Stick, but didn't practice well and lacked momentum. Ying Tianlong thought to himself, "Since you've come, I'll return the favor with the same move." You use the Shaolin Big Dipper Stick, and I'll use the Shaolin Big Dipper Stick against you, making you lose without any regrets. Thinking of this, he let out a loud roar: "Come on!" He raised his stick and moved forward, and the two began to fight, with sticks flying and sweeping like autumn leaves, striking fiercely like a tiger descending a mountain. Every move was precise, every style had its own rhythm, and the structure was extremely compact.

  Back and forth for a dozen or so moves, "Leopard Head" was sweating. The stick in Ying Tianlong's hand was originally used to bind disobedient people, which was much heavier than the stick in his hand, plus Ying Tianlong's Shaolin Big Night Fork Stick Method was better than him, where could he hold on, and he insisted on being stubborn.

  Ying Tianlong saw that the timing was almost ripe, and with a fierce step forward, his staff made a false move. "Leopard Head" saw an opportunity to take advantage of, and came up to challenge him. Who knew that Ying Tianlong would turn around, and the two staffs would collide with a loud "crack"? "Leopard Head" felt his wrist crack, and was in so much pain that he scrunched up his eyebrows, wanting to jump out of the circle. But Ying Tianlong wouldn't let him off, and poked his staff forward, right at his chest. Luckily, the force wasn't too great, but it still sent "Leopard Head" stumbling backward several steps, unable to catch his footing, and he ended up sitting on the ground with a thud.

  Ying Tianlong didn't go all out, after all, it was his first time coming to the scene. "Baozi Tou" was also one of the Eight Great Golden Spears, killing him would not be beneficial to himself, so he decided to spare him for now and deal with him later.

  "Leopard Head" was completely red in the face, and he still wanted to go up. Suddenly, a loud roar was heard: "You lost, you really lost, do you want to die? Get down."

  This was Li Jiao Xian's shout. "Bao Zi Tou" did not dare disobey and immediately put down his sword and went down with his head lowered.

  "Sorry, I've troubled you."

  Li Jiao said with a smile, "Your Shaolin Big Dipper Kung Fu is pure and outstanding. Li Mou had an eye-opener today, a real eye-opener!"

  Ying Tianlong said: "A minor skill, the firefly's light dares not compete with the sun and moon for brilliance. I've heard that the Shaolin Great Power Vajra Fist of our master is the true kung fu, unbeatable in all the land. This humble one feels inferior."

  Li Jiao burst out laughing: "You're very eloquent and have a good sense of propriety, you're a rare talent. I didn't expect today's guest to be so outstanding, it's also a blessing for my humble abode. As you said, 'come as you are', I'll let you join the eight great heroes under me, how about becoming the ninth?"

  Xiang Tian Long knelt on one knee: "Obedience is better than respect, Xiang Tian Long thanks the master of the house."

  "Slowly, slowly." Li Jiao waved his hand: "Here is called 'Zhongyitang', worshipping the good men of Liangshan, my eight brothers just happened to match the names of the 108 generals, except for Old Three 'Leopard Head' Lin Wei, there are also Old One 'Walker' Wu Kui Long, Old Two 'Little Wenhou' Lü Shùn, Old Four 'Laughing Tiger' Zhu Chenggong, Old Five 'Double Gun General' Dong Liang, Old Six 'No Feather Arrow' Zhang Zijun, Old Seven 'Mother Big Bug' Gu Yonghui, 'Mother Big Bug' is a woman, but who made him surname Gu? In addition, Old Seven also has a feminine appearance."

  Someone in the crowd stepped forward and said, "Spare the master's face."

  He was about thirty years old, of medium build and average height. He had a round face with a small nose and mouth, and his eyes were not large. His whole demeanor was gentle and harmonious.

  Li Jiao continued, "Old Eight's surname is Qin, also known as Qin Ming. He has the most explosive temper and is called 'Thunderbolt'. As for me, I just so happen to have the surname Li, so I've been nicknamed 'Black Whirlwind' - please forgive me. You're surnamed Ying, but there isn't a single Ying among the 108 heroes. However, it's not a big deal, since there is a 'Heavenly Eagle' Li Ying, you can just use that nickname from now on."

  Ying Tianlong replied: "Thanks, boss."

  Li Jiao turned his head to glance at the others who had come with Ying Tianlong, and his gaze was no longer as friendly. He waved his hand: "Boss, take them down, according to the old rules, training starts tomorrow."

  "Yes." The boss "Xingzhe" Wu Kui Long walked over.

  Ying Tianlong said, "I have something to ask of you, Master Ninth, but I don't know if it's suitable to mention."

  Li Jiao said: "You speak."

  "He is my uncle, Ying Wangqing. He's getting old and I want to keep him by my side so he can take care of me."

  This was also the result of a private discussion between Tianlong and Wang Qing. Wang Qing would not submit to Li Jiao, but on someone else's turf, you can't help it. Tianlong feared that Wang Qing would get into trouble and the plan would fall through, so he lied and said that Wang Qing was his uncle, also in order to protect and control him. Wang Qing thought about it and agreed that this was the best solution, with Tianlong by his side, the two of them could discuss and plan their next move together.

  So he pretended to be ill and looked listless, which really fooled Li Jiao at first.

  Li Jiao thought for a moment and nodded in agreement.

  As for the remaining brothers, Tian Long couldn't possibly meet them all, but seeing that he had become the oldest here, Cui Da Hong and the others also had a bottom line, didn't say much and followed Wu Kui Dragon to leave.

  Li Jiao first let his men clean up a room for Ying Tianlong to live in.

  Li Jiao and his men lived in a mountain cave, with guards stationed at the entrance to prevent anyone from sneaking up and attacking their camp. They were all ruthless villains who would kill without batting an eye, living under the brutal rule of the Eight Great Heroes. Their lives hung by a thread, with no guarantee of survival. Among the prisoners, there were those who refused to give up, constantly thinking of revenge and waiting for an opportunity to strike back and slaughter them in a bloodbath. Could Li Jiao and his men not be on their guard?

  Ying Tianlong was arranged to stay in the outermost house, which was actually a natural cave with a width of over three meters and a depth of over five meters. There were oil lamps, tables, chairs, and a bed inside, covered with straw mats. The cave was quite dry and not damp. Ying Tianlong and Wang Qing lived together, which could also be considered as Li Jiao's special care for them.

  Lying on such a bed, people would not feel comfortable. There was no big gate and the cave was often patrolled by people. Everything that happened in the cave was under someone else's eyes. Tian Long and Wang Qing exchanged a look, tacitly lying down, and they were really too tired to sleep.

  In the evening, someone came to call for dinner. Ying Tianlong got up and called out to wake up Wang Qing: "Uncle, dinner is ready."

  Someone brought a tray of food, and Tian Long took a look. The rice was two black steamed buns, and the dish was a bowl of fish soup. Needless to say, it must be shark meat, only a few pieces, also floating on top in a dark color. Eat up, having such food on the island of death is not bad, I wonder what Cui Da Hong and others are eating now, definitely won't be better than this.

  The air in the cave is stagnant, and there's a stench of human odor everywhere. Water is more precious than gold here. The only water source is controlled by Luo Guoyong's "Black Wind Camp", and you have to exchange items for it. Each person in the cave can only get a small cup of water per day. As for the prisoners outside, it's hard to imagine what they drink or how much they get.

  Wang Qing said, "Ying Xiong, when we first arrived, you were able to keep me here and live with you. This kindness I, Wang Mou, will never forget for the rest of my life. In the future, I will repay your kindness. Now, our first step should be to figure out how many people Li Jiao has under his command, how many prisoners are being controlled by them, as well as their defensive strength, so that we can take action accordingly."

  He glanced at Tian Long and thought, "You're also too impatient. You can't even bear to eat this meal for a day. It's too early. If you don't stay here honestly for one or two months, you'll be no different from looking for death." He replied, "Let's observe first, think of ways to get close to Li Jiao and gain his absolute trust before finding an opportunity to make our move."

  After dinner, Lao San "Leopard Head" Lin Wei arrived and saw Ying Tianlong first with both hands clasped in a fist: "Lao Jiu, Lin Wei has come to his senses."

  Ying Tianlong also smiled and returned the courtesy: "Where, where, today has been a great offense, I hope Old Three will forgive me."

  Lin Wei said he was not skilled enough and lost with a humble heart, wanting to make friends and learn from Ying Tianlong.

  Ying Tianlong said, "Alright, alright, we're not going to fight and make a deal, we're already good brothers. Old Three's Shaolin Big Dipper Formation is also incredibly powerful, with just a bit of guidance, it can be unbeatable in the world."

  Lin Wei was overjoyed by what he had just said, and stepped forward to grab his hand: "Master, please accept your disciple's bow." He then prepared to kneel down.

  Ying Tianlong hastily helped him up: "No need to be polite, we are all brothers. In the future, we will live together and I hope Eldest Three will take care of me more. If there's anything wrong with me, please feel free to point it out or scold me, I won't mind."

  "Leopard Head" Lin Weiman beamed with a smile, saying that today was the day to pay respects to his master. He couldn't just go empty-handed, so he invited him out for drinks. Finishing his sentence, he grabbed his hand and started walking outside without giving him a chance to refuse. Ying Tianlong didn't decline either, thinking it would be a good opportunity to get familiar with the island's environment.

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