The Way of Restraint

Chapter 141: A Toothpick Can Take a Life

“Coach, what did you do before?” Su Jie wanted to ask for specifics. “Your brother is too dangerous; he could take my life at any moment. If your intention is to train me, then I’ll accept this task. But knowing myself and my enemy ensures victory in every battle. You at least have to tell me what his characteristics are. If he uses any poison or hidden weapons, I won’t be able to defend myself.”

In the war-torn land, Su Jie had witnessed an officer under Awasi being assassinated.

The opponent used a poisoned blow dart, invisible and formless; just a slight touch would mean certain death.

Moreover, truly formidable individuals could kill with a mere piece of paper.

When Su Jie was a child, he often cut his fingers on the pristine pages of books. Now, with his strength and skills, he could definitely slice an enemy’s throat.

Although Su Jie had never learned these killing techniques, he had to understand them; otherwise, being targeted would be terrifying.

“Of course, I will teach you to guard against some killing techniques,” Gu Yang said. “This is also part of Martial Arts; just watch.”

Upon hearing this, Su Jie suddenly felt a wave of danger approaching, sending chills down his spine.

Instinctively, he shrank back, like a little monkey, moving to the other side.

Trrrrnnn!

A toothpick was embedded in the wooden door behind him.

The toothpick had pierced deeply, going three inches into the wood.

It turned out that while they were talking, Gu Yang had somehow launched the hidden weapon toothpick. If Su Jie hadn’t honed his Martial Arts skills, that toothpick would have likely pierced his skin and blood vessels.

“Coach, I clearly didn’t see you move just now. How did that toothpick come out?” Su Jie asked, his mind flashing back to the scene. “I guess you hid it in your palm and suddenly flicked it out.”

“Your observation skills are quite strong,” Gu Yang stepped forward and pulled the toothpick from the door. “In fact, a true assassin can kill with anything around them; a toothpick is a lethal weapon.”

“A wooden toothpick has such power? What if it were a metal needle?” Su Jie exclaimed. He picked up the toothpick, weighing it in his hand; it was just an ordinary toothpick, nothing special.

Bang!

He held it in his hand and mimicked Gu Yang, suddenly flicking it out.

Swoosh!

The toothpick hit the wooden door and bounced off, not piercing it.

“Your technique is right, but you didn’t control the angle well,” Gu Yang took the toothpick back and flicked it again, not even showing any movement in his hand. It was much faster than some magic tricks; only a high-speed camera slowed down could capture it.

Pfft!

The toothpick again pierced into the wooden door.

“This is actually an angle issue. Your strength is already sufficient; it’s just that your technique and angle need refinement,” Gu Yang said. “It’s like in acrobatics, where a needle must be perfectly vertical to the glass to release energy at that point for an instant strike. An ordinary person can achieve this with long-term training and intuition, but using a toothpick to kill is different; it requires great personal strength and precision. Because a toothpick is lightweight, it will drift in air resistance.”

“Your hand speed is really fast,” Su Jie watched it twice before he had an impression in his mind.

“This is a technique of force application; you can think of it as a lethal magic trick,” Gu Yang said. “Of course, hidden weapons also require the unity of spirit, energy, and essence. At the moment of flicking, all your focus must be on the hidden weapon itself, exploding suddenly, like gunpowder boiling inside, propelling your own launch. This is the principle of Martial Arts; you should understand.”

Su Jie nodded.

“Look,” Gu Yang held the toothpick, flipped his palm, hiding it behind, then flipped again, revealing it in his palm. Then, with his middle finger, index finger, ring finger, and thumb, he pinched it, building up force with incredible speed, then buzzed it out, the toothpick again sticking into the wooden door.

“The reason you chose a toothpick is that it’s not metal, making it easy to hide. For example, bringing a few toothpicks on a plane is no problem, but if you brought a few metal needles, they would definitely be checked,” Su Jie said. “If it were a metal needle, how much more powerful would it be?”

“Killing would be no problem,” Gu Yang said. “Do you want to learn this hidden weapon technique?”

While speaking, he poured out a dozen toothpicks from a nearby table, hiding them in his hand, and moved again.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…

In just a few seconds, all the toothpicks were embedded in the wooden door, each one driven in like nails. If one hadn’t seen it with their own eyes, they would never believe such magic.

“Using fists to kill is simply too slow,” Gu Yang said. “Look, even if I faced more than ten people, I could instantly take them all out. In ancient times, there were forest bandits known for their golden blades and three golden darts that overwhelmed countless heroes from both land and sea; it’s not impossible.”

Su Jie already knew that hidden weapons were the true kings of combat.

Zhang Jinchuan was good with hidden weapons, but compared to Gu Yang, he was just a small fry.

If even a toothpick could be wielded so skillfully, how much more powerful would flying knives or blades be?

“There’s really too little teaching on hidden weapons; even searching online yields nothing,” Su Jie said. “I could learn this; if I encounter a dangerous situation, it could come in handy.”

Thinking about the war-torn land, unarmed, or facing thugs, a master of hidden weapons wouldn’t fear being surrounded.

Of course, hidden weapons were just tools; to enhance one’s own qualities, one still had to rely on physical training and mental fortitude. Su Jie wouldn’t lose sight of the fundamentals.

“I can teach you,” Gu Yang said. “It’s hard for ordinary people to learn, but with your comprehension and physical quality, as long as you master the techniques and practice a bit, you can wield great power. In fact, there are countless hidden weapon techniques; how to hide hidden weapons, make hidden weapons, utilize hidden weapons, find angles, and master mechanics all require continuous exploration and thought.”

Su Jie picked up a toothpick, learning Gu Yang’s technique, repeatedly flicking it out, trying to pierce the wooden door. At first, he didn’t succeed at all, but during practice, he gradually found the feeling.

“You should first practice with iron nails, then with sewing needles, and finally with toothpicks,” Gu Yang said. “Even if you’re talented and your Martial Arts are well-developed, mastering this technique won’t happen in just a few days.”

Gu Yang took iron nails out of a drawer.

The iron nails felt heavy in Su Jie’s hand, much easier to use than the toothpick.

He flicked his finger, and the iron nail flew out, pfft!

It deeply embedded itself in the door.

“Iron nails are definitely better,” Su Jie thought he could really kill someone instantly with an iron nail.

“Your speed is too slow, and the movements are too obvious, making it easy for others to dodge,” Gu Yang said. “The most important thing about launching hidden weapons is that your body must not move; you must strike suddenly, and in an instant, the hidden weapon has already penetrated the opponent’s body.”

“What’s the name of this technique?” Su Jie asked while connecting the dots. “I see many hidden weapon techniques have various names, like ‘Peacock Spreading Its Tail’ or ‘Rain of Flowers’ or ‘Pear Blossom in a Storm.’”

“Heart-Piercing Needle,” Gu Yang said. “Actually, the name doesn’t matter. What’s important is the technique—accuracy and force.”

“I found that the hoe head technique can also throw hidden weapons,” Su Jie suddenly slipped, his arm shooting up, and at that moment, the iron nail flew out.

It actually pierced through the wooden door, not knowing where it went.

“This technique is originally about building up force and the process of explosion. It’s best for throwing daggers; its power is much greater than flicking techniques, but the downside is that it’s easy to be discovered, allowing the enemy to dodge with a trace,” Gu Yang said. “Of course, using this technique to launch hidden weapons is far more powerful than using bare hands, and in close combat, it’s even scarier than a gun.”

“By the way, Coach, you need to tell me about your companion,” Su Jie said. “His code name is ‘Punishment,’ right? What’s his real name?”

“We belong to a multinational organization; you can think of us as elite agents, but we’re not from the Typhon Training Camp,” Gu Yang said. “My code name is ‘Judgment,’ his is ‘Punishment,’ and there are others like ‘Crush,’ ‘Subvert,’ ‘Profane,’ ‘Tear,’ and ‘Destroy.’ Our group has a total of seven members, with these code names. I’m their captain, but it’s not that meaningful; I’m not doing it anymore. They’re looking for me everywhere, wanting me to return to the team, that’s all.”

“Could it be the Honey Badger Training Camp?” Su Jie asked.

“You actually know about the Honey Badger?” Gu Yang was surprised. “But we’re not from there; our influence is similar to the Honey Badger, second only to Typhon. We were originally on par with Typhon, but they somehow created virtual currency, harvesting the international financial market, and now they have a lot of money, surpassing us. But you don’t need to know more about this; just help me straighten out my brother’s thoughts.”

As they chatted, Su Jie practiced and pondered the hidden weapon techniques while Gu Yang taught him how to dodge hidden weapons and even bullets.

Observing the trajectory and the opponent’s subtle movements, he had to make judgments in an instant about the angle from which they were launched.

“Anyway, you’ll be here for the next two months; I’ll find time to train you well,” Gu Yang said. “If you can dodge my hidden weapons, then no one will be able to hit you in the arena, including Feng Hengyi.”

“That would be great,” Su Jie said, overjoyed.

“Tonight, go find my old buddy; he’s staying at a hotel in town,” Gu Yang said.

“He’s not hiding and is actually staying at a hotel? That’s bold,” Su Jie said, surprised.

“That’s nothing; he doesn’t have a criminal record and has many identities. Generally, only our people know he is Punishment,” Gu Yang said. “His real name is Kong Dian; he’s ruthless. If you can make him lose his temper and dodge his various killing moves, then you’ll have truly trained well.”

“Coach, you really found me a good opponent,” Su Jie thought he was just lacking a formidable opponent for technical honing.

Once his technique was perfected, his mental fortitude would surely improve again.