TDU Chapter 189
Chapter 189 Sweeping The Globe
Qiao Jiajin’s face was ashen. He glanced at the void beside him, then at Xiao Xiao before him.
Why hadn’t this woman died?
Had she fallen and come back?
Could this also be some form of {Reverberation}?
Qiao Jiajin was more tormented than if he had sunk deeper into a pit. His limbs were shackled by enormous stones. He couldn’t break free; any forceful attempt only caused his skin to tear, blood spilling freely onto the ground.
How could he win this game?
"Thug, where's your bravado now?" Xiao Xiao stepped forward, crouching in front of Qiao Jiajin, her face twisted in an expression of mocking pride.
"Heh heh..." Qiao Jiajin gave a slight chuckle. "My bravado is still intact. What can you do about it?"
"What can I do?" Xiao Xiao sneered, rising to her feet. "I can kill you once, I can kill you again."
She reached out behind her and called to Ole Sun. "Give me a stone."
Ole Sun stared at Xiao Xiao vacantly, dazed for a long moment before finally responding, "Stop always bullyin’ folk..."
"Ole Sun!" Xiao Xiao snapped, her voice sharp. "Wake up! We’re here to kill them, all three of them!"
"As long as we win, that’s enough... don’t go bullyin’ folk..." Ole Sun muttered, shaking his head absentmindedly. "I won’t give it... no matter what yer sayin’."
"Hmph... I also can kill him with my fists." Xiao Xiao no longer regarded Ole Sun and slowly raised her clenched fist. "Thug, aren’t you quick on your feet? Think you can dodge this punch?"
"Dodge...?" Qiao Jiajin grinned. "Buff mui, you throw soft punches; I don’t even need to dodge."
"Hahaha! Fine!" Xiao Xiao laughed, her voice laced with amusement. "Then eat this!"
In that instant, her massive arm swung forward, sending a tremendous fist hurtling straight for Qiao Jiajin’s face.
Suddenly, a lithe figure soared through the air, landing a precise kick to deflect Xiao Xiao's punch. Without missing a beat, the figure leaped again, executing several swift kicks that forced Xiao Xiao back five paces.
When the figure finally touched the ground, they settled into a horse stance, right foot stepping forward in a diàomǎshì (稳马步). One hand rose in a crane-like bearing, while the other assumed a tiger-claw shape.
"Well, well?" Xiao Xiao flexed her arm, wincing from the pain, and scoffed, "I almost forgot about you. So, you plan to take down all three of us by yourself? Do you really think you stand a chance?"
Li Xiangling’s forehead began to bead with cold sweat. "I don’t know if I can win, but I will never surrender." She said, taking a deep breath. Her voice was low, as though speaking to an unseen presence. "Grandfather, I’m sorry. My mind is unsettled, but this time... I truly have no other choice."
Luo Eleven grinned, shaking his head. "Xiao Xiao, you don’t need to intervene. I’ll handle it." He stretched his limbs and stepped forward, positioning himself in front of Xiao Xiao.
"What? You’re finally interested?"
"I enjoy killing," Luo Eleven said with a sly grin, "especially women with delicate features."
Ole Sun stared blankly at him. "Don’t go bullyin’ others..."
"Shut up," Xiao Xiao snapped coldly.
Li Xiangling remained unfazed. She flexed her wrists, muttering to herself, "It’s just a shame I don’t even have a staff... all I can rely on now are these unfamiliar martial arts."
"Hah?" Luo Eleven chuckled. "What’s this? You’re not expecting us to produce a staff for you, are you?"
Produce…a staff?
Li Xiangling glanced at Ole Sun, and suddenly an idea struck her.
"Hey!" She shouted toward Ole Sun. "Watch carefully!"
Without a word, Li Xiangling quietly closed her eyes, abandoning the Tiger-Crane form[1]. Her hands slowly clenched as if grasping an invisible spear.
"Auntie Tong always said... To activate one’s {Reverberation}, the most important factor is {belief}…"
With that thought, she began to practice with the nonexistent spear, her movements fluid and deliberate.
"Eyes and heart in unison..." Her empty hands suddenly thrust forward as she shouted, "Qi and strength in harmony!" Her hands continued to shift and spin, as if wielding a rotating spear.
"Steps and strikes in sync!"
Drawing on her muscle memory, Li Xiangling’s eyes remained closed, her hands spinning the {spear} effortlessly. With a sudden flourish, she threw it high into the air and leaped to catch it again.
"Jing (essence), Qi (vitality), Shen (spirit) united as one!"
Soaring through the air, she brought the imaginary weapon down with a smooth, elegant motion, her posture impeccable, almost divine.
"Waist, Hands, Eyes—Outer Three Harmonies!"
"Kung fu gal... you..." Qiao Jiajin blinked rapidly, as if a sudden realization had struck him. If this really worked... it might be their key to triumph.
Ole Sun stood absentmindedly, a frown slowly forming on his face.
What is this woman doing?
What is she waving around?
Why does it look so out of place?
Her movements...it seemed as if...
"Not good..." Xiao Xiao finally reacted, quickly turning and reaching out to cover Ole Sun's eyes. "Ole Sun! Stop watching!" She knew that Ole Sun’s overuse of {Reverberation} had severely distorted his perception and cognition.
Despite her hands covering his eyes, Ole Sun slowly revealed a faint smile. "Ah... I see now... She’s got a staff, ain’t she!" Ole Sun chuckled, "It’s a staff... I knew it..."
The moment his words fell, a long, slender stone staff materialized in Li Xiangling's hands.
Her eyes snapped open. With a swift motion, she thrust the staff forward, gripping the end tightly as she angled it upward, aiming for Xiao Xiao’s neck with deadly precision.
"Azure Dragon Extends Its Claw!"
The strike was both rapid and precise, leaving Xiao Xiao no time to react. She felt something crash into her throat, and before she could catch her breath, she was sent sprawling to the ground.
"Group Blocking Strike(群拦式)!"
Li Xiangling swung the stone staff with lightning speed, knocking Ole Sun into the air. Xiao Xiao, still on the ground, immediately reached out and grabbed him.
Luo Eleven, sensing the danger, charged forward, but the range of the stone staff was too vast.
Li Xiangling quickly retracted the staff, spinning it around her waist before unleashing a devastating sweep at Luo Eleven’s legs.
"Locating the Snake In Grass!"
Luo Eleven felt no pain, but suddenly lost his balance, crashing heavily onto the steel surface with a loud {clang}.
"Motherfucker..." Luo Eleven immediately scrambled to his feet and charged at Li Xiangling again.
"Er Lang Lifts the Mountain (二郎担山)!"
As the massive stone staff came crashing down from above, Luo Eleven suddenly had an idea.
This time, he didn’t dodge. Instead, he braced himself and used his head to meet the blow head-on.
{Crack}!
With a sharp, bone-jarring sound, blood splattered from Luo Eleven’s forehead, and the stone staff snapped in half.
The staff's material was too brittle, and striking something so solid caused it to break apart easily.
"Not good... Kung Fu gal! Run!" Qiao Jiajin shouted, "Get off the bridge!"
He knew that while Li Xiangling’s spear technique was lethal, her lack of real combat experience made her vulnerable. Knowing that their opponent was about to risk everything, he feared for her safety.
"Oh no..." Li Xiangling's expression shifted, only to see Luo Eleven charging forward.
In a panic, she gripped the remaining piece of the stone staff and repositioned herself, aiming another thrust at his chest.
{Thud}!
With a dull sound, the staff struck Luo Eleven's chest.
He flashed a slight grin, blood spraying from his mouth as he continued forward without hesitation. In an instant, he seized her collar, slamming her to the ground with brute force.
"Kung Fu gal!" Qiao Jiajin twisted his body, only to realize he was completely immobilized.
At that moment, Li Xiangling saw just how terrifying the man holding her down was.
The blow that had struck his forehead earlier had torn away large chunks of skin, exposing a yellowish-white bone beneath. Blood poured down his face, turning it into a crimson mask.
He looked like some evil spirit who had just risen from the grave.
"I've got you now..." Luo Eleven smirked wickedly, "Shame though, even if you ran the staff through my chest, I won’t stop."
Li Xiangling's fear truly began to take hold.
Was the person in front of her... truly still human?
"The objective this time is to slaughter you all..." Luo Eleven laughed manically, "Whether I live or die doesn’t matter at all!"
Li Xiangling gritted her teeth, continuing to strike at him with the remaining piece of the stone staff, but it felt like she was attacking a lifeless corpse—nothing she did had any effect.
"Come on now... let's die together..." Luo Eleven’s grip tightening around her neck as he dragged her toward the edge of the bridge.
"You... you lunatic... let me go..." Li Xiangling struggled, her eyes filled with terror.
Qiao Jiajin, with great difficulty, turned his head, "Hey... don't do this... kill me first... after you kill me, you can kill her..."
"Don't worry, none of you are getting away..." Luo Eleven smiled at Xiao Xiao. "I'll take her first, and leave the rest to you."
Before Xiao Xiao could respond, Luo Eleven laughed and, with a swift motion, leaped off the bridge with Li Xiangling in tow.
TL Note: Man, Luo Eleven is just as crazy, Ole Sun seems pretty decent for an Adherent… Also some of Li Xiangling’s moves don’t have attached visuals because I couldn’t find any in google or baidu. Those are the ones with the Chinese names right beside them in parentheses in the chapter. The rest will be listed below:
Azure Dragon Extends Its Claw (青龙献爪) - basically a thrust out.
Locating the Snake In Grass (拨草寻蛇) - This one’s a little hard to understand as just picture, but basically they are sweeping close to the ground with the staff/spear.
Footnote:
[1] Tiger-Crane Form (虎鹤双形; Fu Hok Seung Ying Kuen) - The Tiger and Crane form is one of the most famous Hung Gar forms. Hung Gar, or otherwise known as Hung Ga Kuen (Cantonese) or Hongjiaquan (Mandarin), is a system derived from the southern Shaolin Monastery. It is best known for its low and stable positions, its powerful attacks mainly developed with the upper limbs, many blocks and also the work of internal energy. The style takes up postures that imitate the other five classic animals of Shaolin quan: the tiger, the crane, the leopard, the snake, the bear, and the dragon. Tiger-Crane form is a combination of two animes, and there are 108 forms which you can view here - https://www.scribd.com/document/358479894/Tiger-Crane-Paired-Form-Fist-%E8%99%8E%E9%B6%B4%E9%9B%99%E5%BD%A2%E6%8B%B3
Sources:
Tiger-Crane Form (虎鹤双形; Fu Hok Seung Ying Kuen) - More about this form in the footnotes
