Little Mute wasn't born mute; she still remembered that when she was very, very young, it seemed she had spoken...
The memories from back then were already very hazy, only vague phantoms remained, as if there was a bridge, as if there were sweet, red candies, as if there was a temple where she was led by the hand to see a Buddha statue.
That wasn't a wooden Buddha statue; it looked as if it was made of gold, and the temple was also resplendent and magnificent...
The Buddha statue was smiling, benevolent, and kind...
But shouldn't the Buddha protect people?
Then why was she snatched away from her loved ones, and then given that bitter medicine, unable to even say a word?
Beatings, starvation, forced kneeling...
So cold, so painful...
Little Mute moved towards the Buddha statue little by little, her small frame covered in blood, her muscles torn open on the sandy ground, the ground covered in blood and torn flesh...
At the same time, in the burning, collapsed inn, Wu Pifu and this Yaksha strongman were locked in a desperate struggle.
At this moment, Wu Pifu's remaining arm was already half-crippled, his palm was shattered, and his body was covered in bruises and contusions.
And the Yaksha strongman wasn't faring well either; half of his face was torn, and several muscles on his back had been torn by Wu Pifu's Tiger Claw earlier. At the same time, his attempt at a sumo throw was twisted back by Wu Pifu grabbing his neck with both hands. The force was so immense that it bent a section of the Yaksha strongman's neck bone, causing a great wheezing sound with every breath.
But he seemed to be unaware of pain; his strikes were still extremely powerful. Although they lacked technique, this lack of pain awareness, fearlessness of Death, and close-quarters chaotic grappling and striking were terrifying to anyone.
Wu Pifu's mind was now filled with Chaos and confusion; various distracting and demonic thoughts almost completely filled his mind, but his body seemed to have some kind of instinct that always found an opportunity to overcome the enemy.
In the main hall of the inn, the Yaksha strongman roared and punched towards Wu Pifu's head, while his other hand reached to grab his neck.
Wu Pifu lowered his head and bent his body, dodging the punch and grab. At the same time, he kicked the Yaksha strongman's calf with one foot and used the bone spur that flipped out from the side of his wrist to stab at the hand that was reaching for him.
In a flash, the bone spur on Wu Pifu's wrist stabbed the Yaksha strongman's arm near the vein. At the same time, his foot kicked the Yaksha strongman's calf. This force caused the Yaksha strongman to tilt forward, and the bone spur slid up his arm, almost completely slicing open the muscles on one side of his arm.
If he were a normal person, he would only be able to hold his arm and howl, rolling around. But this Yaksha strongman completely ignored it, and instead reached down and pulled, grabbing Wu Pifu's hair. He grinned ferociously and yanked upwards, then clenched the arm with the sliced muscles into a fist and smashed it towards his face.
With three muffled thuds, Wu Pifu's entire face was smashed inwards, and several teeth were knocked out. The Yaksha strongman grinned hideously, lifted Wu Pifu, and then charged towards a broken section of a collapsed roof beam, intending to impale Wu Pifu on it.
After three punches to the face, Wu Pifu's entire consciousness began to scatter. But at this moment, he was circulating the Qi and Blood Circulation Method of the Tiger Demon Skill. Distracting thoughts surged in his mind, but at this critical juncture of life and Death, a sliver of clarity actually began to emerge within his chaotic Chaos of thoughts.
Whether it was a final burst of energy before Death or reaching the Peak after hitting rock bottom, in that instant of life and Death, Wu Pifu's Tiger Demon Skill actually advanced from the initial threshold to the Realm of mastery. Amidst the chaotic demonic thoughts, he maintained a sliver of clarity, allowing his conscious mind to remain unbroken and enabling him to reflect inward and observe himself in various aspects.
National Arts is a killing art, and also a cultivation method, so naturally there is a concept of advancement and becoming stronger. It is mentioned in the general introduction of the Tiger Demon Skill, divided into three external skills: Bright Force, Dark Strength, and Transforming Strength. Upon achieving great success in Transforming Strength, it transitions from external to internal, with three Internal Skills: Golden Core, Gang Qi, and Guoshu Realm of Reaching God and Not Decaying. By the time one reaches Guoshu Realm of Reaching God and Not Decaying, they can already be called a terrestrial immortal.
The most important aspect of this is actually the self-reflection on one's own spirit and physical body.
Hidden physical injuries need to be repaired, and Qi and Blood Circulation needs to be improved to perfectly fit one's body, thereby triggering the body's re-evolution and re-development. Upon finally reaching Guoshu Realm of Reaching God and Not Decaying, the body can reach the Peak of life and maintain that Peak until the end of its lifespan.
And the reflection on the spirit can maintain mental clarity, not being lost to external things, danger, or life and Death. Its highest Realm is known as the cicada sensing the autumn wind before it blows, and it can even achieve precognition of danger.
And this self-reflection is the core of the core for National Arts.
According to the general ranks of National Arts, Bright Force to Dark Strength is a hurdle. After passing it, one gains initial self-reflection. Then, during Transforming Strength, self-reflection is further enhanced. After that, each rank can significantly improve self-reflection. By the time one reaches Guoshu Realm of Reaching God and Not Decaying, they can even clearly perceive the most minute cells and every single distracting thought in their mind.
The Tiger Demon Skill, however, carves a different path. Its entry is extremely difficult. Once one practices or circulates its energy, distracting thoughts will surge. Without a cultivation method for the mind, even the initial threshold can lead to Death. With a mind full of distracting thoughts during Qi and Blood Circulation, a single deviation in Qi and blood flow can lead to instant Death.
But once the Tiger Demon Skill is mastered, the first qualitative change occurs immediately. Self-reflection instantly becomes comparable to the Transforming Strength stage of other cultivation methods, and with a sliver of the conscious mind remaining unbroken, its true power is revealed!
At this moment, Wu Pifu's eyes were completely red. The broken beam behind him was only a meter away from his back, and in front of him was the ferocious face of the Yaksha strongman.
In this instant, everything around him seemed to slow down. Only a thread of Wu Pifu's conscious mind, amidst the distracting thoughts, remained unbroken and undisturbed. All the external scenery was reflected in his mind. As he was lifted and pushed backward, he twisted his foot forcefully on a raised piece of burning wood, causing the Yaksha strongman to be slightly pulled off balance as well. Then, Wu Pifu violently twisted his upper body. In that critical moment, the broken beam did not stab his back, but instead grazed his underarm muscles and pierced through, stabbing the Yaksha strongman in the chest.
With the Yaksha strongman's chest pierced, the strength in his two arms weakened. Seizing this opportunity, Wu Pifu suddenly opened his mouth and bit down hard on the tiger's mouth area of the hand that was gripping his neck.
Although the Yaksha strongman couldn't feel pain or fear, as a physical body with torn muscles and dislocated bones, he naturally couldn't exert force. One hand was bitten by Wu Pifu on the tiger's mouth, and as they struggled, his palm naturally loosened. His other hand, due to his chest being pierced, couldn't be lifted for a moment. In a flash, Wu Pifu escaped his grasp.
Yet, Wu Pifu did not retreat but advanced. Twisting his feet, he darted to the side of the Yaksha strongman, stepped on the Yaksha strongman's instep, and lunged onto the Yaksha strongman's body. He opened his mouth and bit down on the Yaksha strongman's neck and Adam's apple. His mouth, missing several teeth, couldn't get a firm grip. Just then, the Yaksha strongman's other leg, the one not stepped on, kicked out forcefully, directly hitting Wu Pifu in the stomach. With a tearing sound, Wu Pifu, still biting half of the throat, was kicked into the fire.
The Yaksha strongman hissed and wheezed for a moment. Mud surged out from his throat, chest, and tiger's mouth, filling the wounds. At the same time, his muscles swelled further. His height was at least around 2.3 meters, and his body was wide and bulky, easily twice the width and thickness of Wu Pifu. The skin on his body had almost completely ruptured, revealing the black and red mixed muscles underneath. He looked like some kind of black and red aberration, almost no longer human.
The Yaksha strongman's eyes were pure black, and the pointed horns on his head were already about two inches long. Its arm bones and ribs began to extend outwards, forming growths resembling bone spurs. At this moment, it was roaring unintelligibly from its mouth and was about to continue pursuing Wu Pifu into the fire.
But just as it was about to charge into the fire, it suddenly stopped. Because... in that fire, some kind of darkness, some kind of terror, was lurking. It was something that made even it, who was ignorant of pain and fear, and didn't even know what Death was, feel fear.
At the same time, Little Mute had already crawled beneath the Buddha's pedestal. She looked up at the clay Buddha statue, gritting her teeth, and propped herself up to push the statue with both hands.
But even though it was a clay sculpture, not made of gold or bronze, the weight of this Buddha statue was not something she could push. No matter how hard she tried, the statue remained completely still.
Little Mute made sounds like "ah ah". She pushed with all her might, dislocating and tearing the bones in her fingers. Just then, a Qiū Qiū sound suddenly came from the sky. A small emerald-green bird descended from the sky, wanting to land on Little Mute's shoulder, but finally stopped by her feet.
The little bird was very anxious. It wanted to peck Little Mute, but Little Mute had no skin left and was naked. The little bird didn't dare to touch her, so it could only anxiously keep making Qiū Qiū sounds.
Little Mute, while pushing the Buddha statue with all her might, looked at the little bird. At the same time, she also anxiously made "ah ah" sounds and kicked the little bird with her foot, wanting to drive it away.
The little bird hopped back and forth on the offering table, continuously making Qiū Qiū sounds.
Little Mute looked at the little bird, then at the offering table. She paused for a few seconds, then suddenly rolled off the offering table and knelt, looking at the table leg of the offering table.
She didn't have the strength to push the Buddha statue, but she could destroy the offering table, causing the clay Buddha statue to fall...
Even if it fell on her!
She, who had been homeless since she could remember, she who had become mute, she who was thin and ugly due to malnutrition, actually also longed for happiness. Even if it was just simple clothes and a humble room, even if it was just a rough man who would hit her when he was annoyed, even if...
He said it, he said it, he would take her away!
Little Mute used all her strength to break off one leg of the offering table. The offering table tilted towards her, and the hideously smiling Buddha statue moved with it, a weight of a thousand jun pressing down on Little Mute...
Those red, sweet, sour candies, strung one by one on a stick...
So delicious...