Fist Manual

Mountain Shaking?

The black-clothed girl frowned and reached out to grab the ancient book.

Unexpectedly, Chen Ping'an shifted backward.

At this moment, the black-clothed girl's body stiffened, and she was furious, as if she had never been so insulted before.

To think that the dignified Ning Yao, whose parents were both Great Sword Immortals above the Twelve Floors, and who herself had been hailed as the most exceptional sword immortal embryo since birth, had traveled for so many years only to lose sword duels or magical combat. No one had ever insulted her character like this. A mere broken book, requiring her, Ning Yao, to resort to underhanded means to flip through, peek at, or possess it?

Ning Yao tightened her grip on the saber hilt, narrowing her exceptionally striking, slender eyebrows.

Slender eyes, rosy lips.

This was probably a fitting description for the young lady.

In fact, upon closer inspection, Ning Yao was extremely beautiful, but the sheer heroic aura radiating from her completely overshadowed any hint of vanity.

However, the straw-sandaled youth's next sentence had a magical effect, turning dross into gold, almost causing the girl to suffer internal injuries from suppressed rage.

"Miss Ning, I got this book from Gu Can's house. While I don't think it's stealing, we'll have to return it to him later. But since we're friends now, whatever this book says, I hope you'll just keep it to yourself after reading it."

The girl took a deep breath, slammed her hand on the table, and glared, "Read what? Read it yourself, I don't care for it!"

Chen Ping'an's next sentence made the girl want to laugh and cry at the same time, "Miss Ning, I can't read. Can you teach me?"

The black-clothed girl's mind raced, and she sneered, "Aren't you afraid I'll take advantage of you? Think about it, Gu Can is clearly someone who benefits greatly from his ancestors' legacy. Even Liu Xianyang, who has a natural sword embryo, can't compare. In this small town, few people in a thousand years could match him. So, how could his carefully treasured family heirloom be ordinary? Aren't you afraid I'll get greedy and claim this priceless secret manual for myself?"

Under the dim, flickering light of a slightly swaying oil lamp, the straw-sandaled youth smiled faintly, offering no explanation.

The girl snorted coldly, shifted her position, and gestured for the straw-sandaled youth to sit beside her. However, Chen Ping'an remained seated opposite for a long time. The girl laughed in exasperation, "Ning Yao can beat a hundred of you with one hand..."

As she said this, the girl chuckled to herself, "Are you perhaps afraid I'll take advantage of you?"

Chen Ping'an sat down beside the girl, feeling a mix of trepidation and nervousness.

The girl, Ning Yao, was still immersed in the context of her previous statement, sinking deeper and deeper. She muttered to herself, "One hand beating a hundred Chen Ping'ans, hmm, that statement has a very wide range of application. When I meet someone, after a spar, if they lose to me, they can say, 'You only have the strength of three thousand Chen Ping'ans, and you dare to fight me?' That sounds good. If I encounter a primordial fierce beast or a great marsh evil flood dragon, I can tell myself, 'This monstrous beast is equivalent to thirty thousand Chen Ping'ans, run!' Haha, that works..."

Chen Ping'an found it utterly baffling. The black-clothed girl sitting beside him suddenly started giggling like an idiot.

The girl's laughter made the impoverished young man, whose home was as bare as bare could be, suddenly feel like a rich man.

And at this moment, neither the young man nor the young woman could have realized the weight and force that the joking remark, "one hand beating a hundred Chen Ping'ans," would carry in the long years to come.

Especially when the straw-sandaled youth was no longer a youth.

It would become even more so as time went on.

Ning Yao finally came back to her senses, coughed, straightened her back, took the ancient book, flipped through a few pages quickly, then closed it. She tapped the cover twice with a finger and turned to Chen Ping'an, saying calmly, "This is a fist manual. The fist technique is called Mountain Shaking. If we follow the rules of the martial world, you can call it the 'Mountain Shaking Manual'."

Chen Ping'an's face was full of anticipation, "And then?"

The black-clothed girl suppressed the urge to roll her eyes, trying her best to look solemn as she opened a page. Her slender finger, as tender as green onion, pointed to the preface on the title page, sliding down as she read, "In my hometown, there are small insects called ants. Throughout their lives, they differ from their kin elsewhere by carrying stones into the water."

"My fist technique distinguishes between life and death, not victory and defeat. It emphasizes divine will, not mere moves. When these six forms of the fist are practiced to perfection, the killing power is immense, capable of deeply wounding the viscera..."

"Although the 'Mountain Shaking Manual' has never ranked among the esteemed and high-quality fist manuals of this era, I have always firmly believed that among all martial arts in the world, this fist technique deserves a place. I hope that those who are fated will carry it forward and make it flourish..."

Ning Yao patiently read the preface word by word to Chen Ping'an.

It was a thin booklet, and the entire fist manual only contained six forms. The preface, however, was quite lengthy.

After finishing the preface, Ning Yao pushed the fist manual to Chen Ping'an's side, patted his shoulder perfunctorily, and said, "Take good care of it. Don't let it get stolen."

Chen Ping'an nodded and carefully extended both hands to hold the ancient fist manual.

Ning Yao couldn't help but want to laugh watching him. Was this book going to grow legs and run away if left on the table? Or was Chen Ping'an afraid it would trip and fall?

Chen Ping'an vigorously rubbed his right hand on his clothes before opening the book. He read the preface word by word, and then looked at the illustrations. In any case, the straw-sandaled youth was completely bewildered.

Ning Yao sat sideways, resting her elbow on the table, gazing at the youth's profile, and teased, "Do you feel like you've struck it rich? Will you be chopping firewood with a golden axe and eating from a golden bowl from now on?"

The youth didn't look up, carefully pondering the illustrations and the heavenly-script-like text. He said frankly, "Actually, when I saw your eyes just now, I knew this fist manual wouldn't be too good. But it's okay, for me, it's already good enough."

Ning Yao raised an eyebrow and got straight to the point, "The things I've seen or heard of are indeed very good things. But beyond that, I can only distinguish between good and bad things. As for how good the good things are, or how bad the bad things are, it's hard to say?"

Chen Ping'an looked up, "So, this Mountain Shaking Manual belongs to the 'good, but not too good' category?"

Ning Yao said irritably, "I have no idea how to describe how terrible this broken fist manual is!"

The straw-sandaled youth blinked, a slight smile playing on his lips.

It was clear he already knew what he was doing and was just teasing the girl.

Ning Yao reached out and drew her saber about an inch from its scabbard, threateningly, "Do you want to be chopped?"

Chen Ping'an looked down at the green-sheathed long saber at her waist and praised sincerely, "It's very beautiful."

Ning Yao accepted the compliment gracefully, "Of course, the sabers and swords I, Ning Yao, personally select are not inferior!"

Chen Ping'an looked at her, admiring and envying her confidence. Even though she was the same age as him and in an unfamiliar land, no matter what, no matter the situation, she was like a rising sun, unstoppable. Chen Ping'an could sense this from Daoist Master Lu's cautious demeanor when interacting with her, being the perceptive young man he was.

Chen Ping'an couldn't help but say, "If only sunshine could be exchanged for copper coins!"

Ning Yao, not understanding, asked in surprise, "Chen Ping'an, have you gone mad from thinking about money?"

Chen Ping'an quickly changed the subject, flipping to the first illustration of the fist technique, "Miss Ning, could you help me read the text accompanying this illustration?"

Ning Yao thought for a moment and didn't refuse, merely asking, "Do you know why I immediately judged this fist manual to be not very good?"

Chen Ping'an shook his head and said, "I'm also very curious."

The girl smiled, then sat cross-legged on the bench facing the youth. She pointed to the open fist manual and patiently explained, "For martial artists' martial arts manuals and cultivators' Qi refining methods, there are generally three ways of recording them. The first is like this Mountain Shaking Manual, written on ordinary paper. How many years it can be preserved depends on luck. Not to mention wars and disasters, even with long periods of dampness, ant infestations, and so on, it will gradually be damaged and disappear, right?"

Chen Ping'an suddenly understood and nodded.

The girl continued, "Therefore, in this method of carrying text through physical objects, there's an unwritten rule: the rarity of the material is emphasized. That is, the object carrying the text should match the value of the text itself. It's like you wouldn't use a box made of elm wood to hold a family heirloom that protects the nation."

Chen Ping'an pondered this.

Ning Yao hesitated slightly, but still spoke frankly to the youth, "The next method is not to rely on writing, but to emphasize oral transmission and practical teaching. These are often the most guarded secrets of sects and factions, usually kept hidden from outsiders, or with complicated rules like 'passed down to sons but not daughters.' Many so-called direct disciples and indoor disciples may not even receive the true transmission. The true transmission lies precisely in this."

Ning Yao sighed, "As for the last method, it's something that can only be intuitively understood, not conveyed through words. You can't even speak of it, and even if you try, you can't explain it. For example, the two forces that entered the small town this time: Cai Jinjian from Cloud Mist Mountain, her sect has the 'Cloud Sea Gazing.' The vast cloud sea, with its particularly special mist and radiant light, contains spiritual energy. It's hailed by the Qi refiners of your East Treasure Bottle Continent as a 'heavenly marvel.' Some clouds can spontaneously transform into past sect leaders. If one is fortunate, they can meet and communicate with them. And the dense sword energy at the peak of Zhengyang Mountain is said to, by chance and circumstance, manifest the sword spirits of past ancestors of Zhengyang's peaks, evolving the Sword Dao. Whether one can see this depends only on one's fortune, not on status or cultivation level."

Ning Yao finally said, "Of course, these three methods are not absolutely ranked. For the first method, if the text were carved onto a jade tablet, or if it were in the Bamboo Sea Blessed Land, one of the seventy-two blessed lands that specially produces a profoundly mysterious 'word-washing bamboo,' then it would be a different matter. Besides these, there are countless strange items. As long as you travel far enough, you will always encounter surprises. The world is vast and full of wonders. In the future, you should really go out and explore. Even if you don't expect to leave the East Treasure Bottle Continent or this world, at least try to reach the borders of the Great Li Dynasty."

Chen Ping'an hummed in agreement, his mind clearly still on the fist manual. He pointed to a character and asked, "Miss Ning, what does this one say?"

The girl's annoyance flared, "Scram!"