Thunder Technique Fist Techniques

Thunder Technique Fist was a martial art that lay ahead of the Immortal Qi Body Control Art Haoxuen and Seiran were learning. The feature of this martial art was its skillful use of Heavy Yin Qi and Floating Yang Qi. I decided to have them focus on practicing the basic punches and kicks. At first, because the movements were unfamiliar, their bodies did not seem to move the way they wanted.

The basic punches were the straight punch, hook punch, elbow strike, and the like. The straight punch corresponded to a straight, and the hook punch corresponded to a hook. There was also a striking method corresponding to an uppercut, but it was not used much. There were also few types of kicks, with only front kicks and side kicks being used. And what characterized Thunder Technique Fist were three techniques: Hammer Strike, Cross Strike, and Breaking Elbow.

Hammer Strike involved deflecting or dodging the enemy’s attack while driving a straight punch into them. Cross Strike was a technique that changed Hammer Strike from a straight punch to a hook punch. However, the hook could also change into a palm-heel strike.

The last one, Breaking Elbow, was a technique where one stepped in while dodging the enemy’s attack and drove an elbow into them. When I thought it looked familiar, I realized it resembled the elbow strike from Bajiquan in my previous life.

After Haoxuen and Seiran spent about two months practicing only the basics of Thunder Technique Fist, they started to look the part when I had them practice sparring. At first, it had felt like children fighting, but now it had become martial artists sparring.

“Senior Brother Kou, you sometimes use a strange kick, don’t you?”

Seiran asked me.

“A strange kick? Ah, you mean the low kick.”

Since saying “low kick” would not get through in this world, I called it a low-level kick.

“Will you not teach us that?”

“The low kick is not a Thunder Technique Fist technique. It is a technique I devised and started using myself.”

“But I think it is quite effective in actual combat.”

“I do not mind teaching you, but it is not Thunder Technique Fist, so you must think carefully about how to use it.”

“Understood.”

I taught them two kinds of low kicks. One was an ordinary low kick, where one kicked with the top of the foot. The other was a method where one stepped in and kicked with the hard bone in the shin.

“I will kick with about ten percent strength for both, so feel the difference in power.”

For the time being, I decided to let the two of them actually taste the power.

“First is the ordinary low kick.”

Saying that, I attacked with a low kick using the top of my foot. When it struck their thighs with a smack and sank in, both of them grimaced.

“Was that really ten percent?”

Seiran asked while rubbing his leg.

“You could tell I did not use Floating Yang Qi or Heavy Yin Qi, right? It really was ten percent.”

“Next is the low kick with the shin. Who wants to go first?”

“Big Brother Haoxuen, please go ahead.”

Haoxuen, who had been told to go first, looked at Seiran with narrowed eyes.

“Only at times like this do you call me big brother…… Well, fine. Please start with me.”

I stepped in and lightly kicked Haoxuen’s thigh with the shin of my right leg.

“Hih.”

After saying that, Haoxuen clutched his leg and crouched down.

“Oh, come on. Senior Brother Kou did not kick that hard.”

Seiran approached Haoxuen and tapped his shoulder. But when he saw Haoxuen’s tearful face, he understood. The shin low kick had terrifying power.

“Is it that painful?”

Haoxuen nodded while rubbing his leg.

“Senior Brother Kou probably thinks he kicked lightly, but it was not light at all.”

Seiran swallowed hard.

“Next is Seiran.”

Seiran stepped forward with the face of a criminal being taken to the execution grounds.

“It is ten percent, right?”

“I know.”

I struck Seiran’s thigh with my shin with about the same strength as when I kicked Haoxuen.

“Ow! My bone broke!”

I smiled wryly.

“I only tapped you. There is no way your bone broke.”

Seiran was crouching down just like Haoxuen. I had received it in my previous life too, so I understood that pain. I had once been impressed, thinking that people who did karate endured kicks like this while fighting matches.

Of course, I taught them not only low kick attacks, but also defensive methods. Unlike karate or kickboxing matches in my previous life, in matches between Taoist practitioners, they used qi to raise their physical abilities. When that happened, the power of strikes rose by several levels. If they did not know proper defensive methods, their bones really would break.

The human body was a strange thing, and if one received low kicks many times, one got used to them. Moreover, when qi was circulating inside the body, durability increased. Minor blows stopped having much effect.

Even while I was teaching Thunder Technique Fist to Seiran and the others, Xinni and the others, who had become assistant instructors, came to consult me several times. Their consultations covered a wide range, from qi training methods to how to fight yōma, but I explained everything carefully. As for martial arts, it seemed Haoxuen and the others were instructing the new disciples and Xinni’s group.

One day, I went to the commercial city Boushin together with Haoxuen and the others. Our purposes were to sell Iron-Hard Wolf thread spun from Iron-Hard Wolf fur and to place an order for tarps and ponchos made from waterproof and sturdy Iron-Hard Goat thread.

The tarps were for Haoxuen and Seiran to use, but the ponchos were for the two of them, Elder Mon, and Elder Min, four people in total. They apparently wanted them before winter came and snow started falling.

When we sold the Iron-Hard Wolf thread, it came to exactly thirty gold coins. We divided this into three equal shares. Most of this Iron-Hard Wolf thread had been refined by Haoxuen and Seiran, but Haoxuen and the others insisted on splitting it three ways. It seemed to be their feeling of gratitude toward me.

After ordering the tarps and ponchos, we strolled around the town and enjoyed shopping. At that moment, I noticed a commotion up ahead. When we approached to check, two men were committing violence against an older man who seemed to be the owner of a dining hall.