"Why open the Opening Acupoints? To nurture True Qi."
"What use does True Qi have? And how should it resonate with saber techniques, sword techniques, fist and palm arts?"
"Eight words: Qi and strength as one; intent and Qi as one."
"The former means True Qi can swiftly and precisely reach a particular acupoint. When paired with a move, its power becomes greater. The Gale Wind Saber Technique draws strength from the arms and waist; the lower stance must be steady, yet light and agile. That requires True Qi as support."
"The latter means that when the heart stirs, True Qi and strength can immediately bolster one another. The two must reach the finest detail; only then can hardness and softness be blended, lifting heavy things as lightly as feathers, complete and seamless as one."
"The reason you could defeat those two stupid sheep was that you roughly understood this principle in your heart. But you knew it happened without knowing why. In the end, you still won through strategy."
"Therefore, among us martial artists, even those of the same realm and rank can differ enormously. It lies in this principle of Qi and strength as one, intent and Qi as one—some people cannot grasp it or understand it even in a lifetime. This is the Way; saber techniques are technique. One is an inner transformation, the other its outward manifestation. With technique alone, you merely have fancy flourishes. Only when the Way governs technique, when the two join together and Way and technique aid one another, can one's might double!"
Nie Yannian drank as he rambled on, while Meng Yuan felt that hearing his words was better than reading ten years' worth of books.
"I told you before that even someone who had not entered a rank could use the Gale Wind Saber Technique. But when a Ninth Rank martial artist used it, it changed; when an Eighth Rank martial artist used it, it changed again. The difference lies in the Lower Thirty-Three Heavens: when the circulation of True Qi aligns with the method of wielding the saber, each strike becomes faster and fiercer." Nie Yannian smiled and clapped his hands. The waiter promptly cleared away the hot dishes and set out fruits, candied preserves, and dried fruit.
Meng Yuan was completely engrossed and paid no heed to the bill. He instead asked for guidance on the knack of circulating True Qi when a Ninth Rank martial artist wielded the Gale Wind Saber Technique.
Nie Yannian did not hold anything back and immediately began explaining the method.
An hour passed, and the two had nearly finished four jars of wine before Nie Yannian finally ran out of things to say. Though Meng Yuan's head spun and his vision blurred, he forced himself to remember it all, feeling as though the clouds had parted and the moon had emerged.
If he could thoroughly master both the Way and technique of the Gale Wind Saber Technique, then against Black Mian and White Mian's disorderly staff techniques, victory would surely come with ease.
Meng Yuan also discovered that drinking wine could nourish his essence-fire, though it was ultimately not as good as meat.
"Your bowl of water is still shallow, kid!" Nie Yannian belched, rose to his feet, and headed outside. "I'm going to take a piss. You'd better think it over properly!"
"Master Nie, I'll help you there!" Meng Yuan respected the elderly and cared for the young, immediately stepping forward to support him. This time, I'm going to keep an eye on you so you can't run off.
"I'm not that old yet!" Nie Yannian shoved Meng Yuan away and briskly left.
Seeing this, Meng Yuan did not insist. He had no appetite for the table full of food, nor any interest in the fine wine. He merely tapped the tabletop lightly with his knuckles, pondering Master Nie's words.
A long while later, he had nearly thought it through and committed everything to memory. Just as he was considering asking for another fierce saber technique, he realized that Master Nie still had not returned.
"Did he run away, or did he fall into the latrine?"
Meng Yuan went out to look for him. After asking around, he learned that Master Nie had already left!
With a previous lesson to draw upon, Meng Yuan remained utterly unruffled.
Money did not matter! He had learned something real, so what if he spent some money? He had started with three hundred taels—could they really spend it all?
Money was but an external thing!
"Sister Qingqing." After descending the stairs, Meng Yuan smiled and bowed to the beautiful proprietress.
"How did you know my name?" the beautiful woman asked with a smile.
How could I not know? You father and daughter joined hands to cheat me out of my money—did you think I had no memory?
"Master Nie told me." In truth, Meng Yuan had heard it from Zhang Guinian.
"So that was it." Nie Qingqing was of average height, with a face like peach blossoms and an alluring charm. She looked nothing like Nie Yannian.
She was somewhat plump, and even her loose robes could not conceal the ravines beneath them. Meng Yuan felt he could wash his face if he put it there.
The moonlight was thin at night, and beneath the bright candlelight, she appeared all the more enchanting.
Meng Yuan had only saber formulas in his heart and dismissed beauty with utter disdain. He merely said, "Sister Qingqing, I'm here to settle the bill."
Nie Qingqing folded her hands and smiled. "Four jars of Dream Lake Spring, assorted dishes, candied preserves, and dried fruit, for a total of three hundred and twenty taels."
That was unreasonable. I only had three hundred and thirty taels on me. Your price was too high, wasn't it?
Xiang Ling and her mother had merely collected a month's worth of eggs in advance. They had not dared claim that Great Tail Venerable owed them money. Yet you father-and-daughter wine touts wanted to squeeze me dry?
"Sister Qingqing, it should be three hundred taels this time." Meng Yuan's budget had been three hundred taels at most.
Nie Qingqing smiled sweetly. "This time, it really is three hundred and twenty taels."
"This time, it can be three hundred taels," Meng Yuan said.
"This time, it really is three hundred and twenty taels."
With her hands tucked into her sleeves, she smiled and explained, "One pot of Dream Lake Spring costs ten taels. A jar contains seven pots, so that comes to seventy taels. You ordered four jars, which is two hundred and eighty taels. Then there were the wine dishes, candied preserves, dried fruit, and the singers entertaining the guests."
So I really had eaten over budget this time? Wine was this expensive? You people truly did not cheat the poor!
"I'll owe you the twenty taels for now." Meng Yuan did not haggle further. He immediately took out three hundred taels in banknotes and handed them over in one go, without feeling the slightest heartache.
He had only obtained these three hundred taels thanks to Master Nie's support. So what if he gave it all away?
Besides, this trip had truly broadened his horizons and taught him something.
In Meng Yuan's eyes, the method of combining the Gale Wind Saber Technique with True Qi alone was worth more than three hundred taels.
And he had also gained the eight-word true formula: Qi and strength as one, intent and Qi as one. That was enough to benefit him for a lifetime.
Money was certainly important, but at present, it was not quite so important.
He still had thirty taels in cash, though it was an advance on his monthly wages. He also owed Master Nie ten taels and owed Nie Qingqing twenty taels. Yet Meng Yuan was no longer as panicked as before; instead, he felt remarkably at ease.
"Young Master Meng must be joking. Three hundred taels will do; forget about the other twenty." Nie Qingqing accepted the banknotes and rounded down a large sum. Seeing that Meng Yuan was no longer as pained as he had been last time, she said, "Young Master Meng is as bright and open as the wind and moon, and exceptionally generous. You must come often in the future."
"I can't." Meng Yuan spread his hands. "I'm out of money."
Seeing that the youth's face was red from drinking, yet his expression was sincere and helpless, as though some unscrupulous swindler had cheated him out of his entire family fortune, Nie Qingqing could not help laughing. She held her forehead and waved a hand, smiling as she advised him, "Ask my father for some. If he brought you here, that means he is willing to lend you money."
Meng Yuan had been thinking the same thing. He had learned the True Qi circulation method for the Gale Wind Saber Technique, and he had handed over the money, but that did not stop him from borrowing it back again.
A thicker skin always had its benefits.
"If I can't get any from him, can I come eat here with you, Sister?" Meng Yuan asked earnestly.
Nie Qingqing laughed so hard that she swayed like a flower in the wind. "Of course you can."
Not daring to continue teasing her, Meng Yuan returned to the Training Field, where the students were still training at night.
Meng Yuan did not disturb them. He first washed his face with cold water, then washed his inner garment, and finally drew his saber to practice the Gale Wind Saber Technique.
It was the same saber technique, but after a real battle and Nie Yannian's guidance, Meng Yuan had gained a different understanding.
Following Master Nie's instructions, when using the Gale Wind Saber Technique, supporting it with the method of circulating True Qi would allow him to do twice the work with half the effort.
However, circulating True Qi required the acupoints in the limbs and torso to work in tandem. Meng Yuan had yet to open the acupoints in his limbs, so he still could not experience the Gale Wind Saber Technique's true might.
After practicing the saber technique twice, the youths all finished their training. Meng Yuan called Tie Niu over, and Wu Changsheng and Hu Qian also came forward.
Nie Yannian had ordered Meng Yuan to oversee the youths, but Meng Yuan did not want to involve himself in too many affairs, so he had Wu Changsheng and Hu Qian each manage the male and female youths.
Meng Yuan had left the Training Field yesterday morning and only returned today. After briefly asking Wu Changsheng and Hu Qian about matters, he learned that nothing had happened at the Training Field and relaxed.
"Tomorrow, I'm going to the livestock estate to bring my family back. I'm afraid I'll have many distractions from now on. I'll have to trouble Brother Wu and Sister Qian with the Training Field's affairs." Meng Yuan smiled sincerely. "Once I bring them back tomorrow, let's have dinner together tonight."
Tie Niu was honest and simple, and had not even realized that Meng Yuan had rendered merit. Hu Qian and Wu Changsheng, however, were sharp. The two immediately guessed that Meng Yuan had gained something, and that the smell of wine on him might well have come from a celebration banquet.
They said nothing more. After exchanging a few words, they dispersed.
Meng Yuan returned to his private room. He first sat quietly for a while to dispel the effects of the wine, then emptied his mind and visualized the flowing waters of a great river.
At a stir of his thoughts, True Qi surged from his dantian, filling every acupoint he had already opened before slowly gathering toward his right arm.
By midnight, after repeated impacts, the loosened acupoint finally opened.
From then on, the first acupoint in his limbs had opened, leaving only fifteen unopened acupoints in the Lower Thirty-Three Heavens.
Meng Yuan tested his strength a little, steadied his breathing, and only then fell into a deep sleep.
The next morning, after completing his morning practice, Meng Yuan did not eat in the dining hall. Instead, he indulged himself extravagantly and decadently, eating a bowl of hot tofu outside along with seven large steamed buns.
But the moment he ate the hot tofu, Meng Yuan recalled the secret prostitute named Sister Hua whom he had encountered when he first arrived in Songhe Prefecture.
He still remembered the gift of a meal and the kindness of a single flatbread.
Of course, perhaps she had long forgotten that youth in the snow. But he could not forget; that was simply the principle of being human.
"Once I'm done with this busy spell, I'll borrow some money from Master Nie and at least repay that kindness." Meng Yuan made up his mind.
Before you continue