Chapter 30: Alley Encounter with Kong Ben Musashi

Days were like a rubber band about to snap, yet I forced myself to hold on for two more days. Li Ping'an performed the sick leper's act flawlessly, coughing thunderously while pulling the cart by day, and sneaking back to the house at night to drink Spiritual Spring and chew herbs. Yan Bu Gui's side had temporarily quieted; whether it was because a bun had blocked his mouth or Old Fox was holding a big move, he didn't know.

That afternoon, the sky grew as dark as a pot's bottom. Li Ping'an pulled an empty cart, hoping to pack up early. Just as he turned into a quiet Alley, a half‑grown child stumbled toward him, as skinny as a reed pole, his face mottled with bruises, clutching a torn Cloth Bag tightly to his chest.

The child panicked wildly, slammed into Li Ping'an's cart handle, and let out an "Ow!" as he fell onto a dung heap. The Cloth Bag burst open, revealing several cracked mixed‑flour pancakes and a small lump of pickled vegetables.

"S‑sorry…" the child's face turned white with fear, his hands fumbling for the food, his eyes darting back in terror.

From the Alley entrance, a string of curses came running: "You brat! You stole from your grandpa's head! I'll break your legs!"

Three Japanese Soldiers swaggered in, the leader tilting his hat, showing a gapped tooth, his face a scowl.

The child trembled so hard he couldn't even hold the pancakes.

Li Ping'an sighed inwardly; in these times even half‑grown kids have to fight for their lives. He instinctively tried to step aside, thinking fewer troubles were better.

But the gap‑toothed man complained that Li was blocking his way, barked "Get out of the way! Dead leper!", and gave him a shove.

The push wasn't strong, but it struck his left rib wound. Li Ping'an was caught off guard, letting out a muffled groan as he staggered, nearly falling. The fire he had barely suppressed flared up with a "whoosh".

The three Japanese Soldiers ignored him, sneering as they closed in on the child. "Run! Keep running for me!"

The child curled up in the corner in despair, clutching the meager food, tears carving two streaks down his sallow face.

Li Ping'an straightened up, his gaze cold beneath the cracked hat brim. He patted the spot where he'd been pushed, croaked, "Boss… a few pancakes… is it worth chasing the child?"

The gap‑toothed man twisted his head, spat, "None of your business! This stinky beggar stole my dinner! Looking for death!" and raised his foot to kick the child.

Just as the foot was about to strike, Li Ping'an moved. Not with the brute force of Ba Ji, but with the circular softness of Tai Chi. He feigned weakness, stumbling forward, his arm "accidentally" hooking and redirecting, employing the power of the "Wild Horse Separating the Mane" technique, his fingertips swiftly pressing and releasing the side of the Japanese Soldier's thigh.

The gap‑toothed man felt his kicking leg hit like a cushion of cotton; a strange force tugged him, and he couldn't steady himself, letting out an "Ow!" as he spun in place, nearly toppling over.

"Damn! Dead leper! What the hell are you doing!" the other two Japanese Soldiers were startled, cursing as they closed in.

Li Ping'an immediately coughed desperately, bending over, looking as if he were about to gasp his last breath, his voice ragged: "S‑sorry… boss… my foot slipped… I couldn't stand…"

The knocked‑down gap‑toothed man scrambled to his feet, shocked and angry, staring at Li Ping'an with a bewildered gaze. That move was too uncanny! Yet seeing this man cough so painfully, barely able to stand, he thought perhaps he was overreacting.

"Get lost! Don't get in the way!" he shouted irritably, his attention snapping back to the child.

The child seized the opportunity, grabbed a pancake, and like a startled rabbit, bolted as if to run.

"How dare you run!" the gap‑toothed man fumed, reaching out to grab.

Li Ping'an's gaze hardened. He couldn't let the child be caught! He shifted his foot as if floating, subtly employing a bit of the "Clasped Knee Stagger Step" tripping force, his toe covertly hooking the gap‑toothed man's heel.

The gap‑toothed man felt his foot catch, "Thump!" and his mouth hit the mud solidly, his front tooth clacking against the stone slab, a crisp crack, instantly filling his mouth with blood as he howled miserably.

The other two Japanese Soldiers were completely bewildered, looking at their comrade writhing on the ground, then at the coughing‑to‑death Li Ping'an, unable to make sense of what was happening.

The child quickly slipped into an even narrower side alley, disappearing from sight.

"Damn! Seeing a living ghost!" one Japanese Soldier cursed, going to help the groaning gap‑toothed man on the ground.

The other stared at Li Ping'an suspiciously, hand on his gun holster: "You damn…"

Li Ping'an's heart tightened, muttering "Bad luck!" He realized he had overplayed his hand! His mind raced, preparing to brace the internal injury's surge and dash down the alley.

At that moment, a cold, low shout came from the Alley entrance: "What's going on?"

The voice wasn't loud, but carried an unseen pressure that instantly froze the curses and cries in the Alley.

Li Ping'an felt the blood in his body nearly chill.

That voice… even if he became a ghost, he would remember!

Kong Ben Musashi!

How is he here?! Is it a coincidence? Or…

Li Ping'an forced down the nearly exploding terror and murderous intent, burying his head even lower, coughing even more thunderously, curling into a ball to minimize his presence.

The two Japanese Soldiers looked up to see someone in a kimono and wooden clogs, an imposing aura; especially those dead eyes swept over them, making the muscles in their calves twitch, and they quickly stood at attention: "Lord Tai! There's a little thief stealing, and this leper… has a strange aura…"

Kong Ben Musashi didn't even look at the groaning gap‑toothed man on the ground; his hollow yet knife‑sharp gaze swept over the two Japanese Soldiers and settled on the crouching, coughing Li Ping'an.

The alley fell dead silent, leaving only Li Ping'an's feigned, as‑if‑about‑to‑die‑from‑coughing ragged breathing and the suppressed groan of the gap‑toothed man on the ground.

Kong Ben Musashi slowly stepped forward, the sound of his wooden clogs striking the stone slabs echoing eerily in the dead‑silent Alley. He advanced step by step toward Li Ping'an.

Li Ping'an could feel that gaze like a blade scraping over him, lingering especially on his slightly bruised shoulders and back, and on his arms that seemed limp yet subtly poised for defense. Cold sweat instantly soaked his back.

He frantically cycled the Tai Chi mental method, "Qi sinks to the dantian", "Relaxed and natural", pulling all his power and spirit inward, leaving only the outermost layer of feeble, sickly disguise. Even his breathing he tuned to mimic a genuine leper's shallow, rapid gasp.

Kong Ben Musashi stopped three steps away in front of him, surveying from a height.

Time seemed frozen. The air was so heavy it could bend a spine.

Li Ping'an's heart hammered wildly in his chest, nearly bursting out, yet his face showed only a sickly flush and pain, his gaze drifting to the ground, daring not to meet that abyssal stare.

After a long while, Kong Ben Musashi seemed to furrow his brows slightly. He did sense a faint discord, but this man before him… was too weak, as weak as a bug one could crush with a hand. That internal sickness and frailty didn't seem feigned. Moreover, the Evil Ghost he was after wielded fierce, violent skill, completely different from this yin‑soft weakness.

Could it be… that the earlier oddity was just the dying man's final spasms? Or perhaps he was too hasty and hallucinated?

He stared at Li Ping'an for a few more seconds, the terrifying pressure gradually receding.

In Japanese he coldly told the two stunned Japanese Soldiers, "Useless. Drag him away. Don't block the way." After speaking, he didn't glance at Li Ping'an again, turned, his wooden clogs clicking crisply as he walked straight toward the other end of the Alley, as if to patrol elsewhere.

Only when that intimidating footfall completely vanished at the Alley entrance did Li Ping'an dare to exhale a half‑breath he had been holding, his body nearly falling apart, his back icy cold.

The two Japanese Soldiers, as if pardoned, quickly helped the still groaning gap‑toothed man up, muttering curses as they left, no longer bothering Li Ping'an.

In the Alley, only Li Ping'an remained, leaning against the icy cart handle, truly gasping for breath—not an act, genuine terror. That brief brush with Kong Ben Musashi was even scarier than that night's desperate fight!

He lingered for a while before pulling the cart, his steps even more "floating" as he moved toward home.

Inside, his mind was a raging storm.

That old Japanese Soldier… his intuition was too poisonous!

And he never gave up the hunt!

That instinctive strike just now almost exposed him!

The Tai Chi "softness" and "concealment" still need more practice, must be deeper!

He returned to the desolate house, shut the door, leaned his back against the door panel and slipped onto the floor.

Outside the window, the sky had turned completely black.

Deadly danger has never been far away.