Yuan Ci's New Request

"Brat, remember to deliver it to me on the morning of the fifteenth of August. Don't be late!"

The old man and the youth had a good meal together. When it was time to leave, Uncle Li still grabbed Wang Anfeng and lectured him for quite a while before finally letting him go. Watching the youth's figure gradually recede, the old man tipped back his head and took a swig of wine, sighing softly. His face bore a trace of desolation. After standing still for a moment, he shook his head and sighed.

"Forget it, forget it. Children and grandchildren have their own fortunes. The brat hasn't practiced martial arts for long; this time, he'll probably suffer a proper defeat... I ought to prepare a few words to comfort him. Pity my skill and internal force aren't enough even to get me through the door. Otherwise..." As he murmured, fallen leaves drifted down. Yet before they came within half a step of him, they silently turned to powder. Around that aged body, a streak of violet lightning twisted like a dragon, flashing past in an instant.

Meanwhile, Wang Anfeng returned to his room. As usual, he first spent a full three hours cultivating his internal force, only slowly ending his practice once the sky had completely darkened. Feeling the internal force within him gradually fill to fullness, he could not help feeling deeply satisfied. He rolled over and wolfed down some food, then sat by the bed, turning the letter over in his right hand as he considered how to get to the commandery city. After all, his last trip there had been two or three years ago. He still vaguely remembered the direction, but the city itself had become quite blurry in his mind. He only remembered that it had been exceptionally prosperous, like an immortal palace in the heavens.

Daily cultivation was exhausting, after all. As he pondered, Wang Anfeng simply leaned against the bed and fell asleep. He did not open his eyes until dawn glimmered faintly at the edge of the sky the next day. After washing up, he went to Shaolin, where, under Yuan Ci's supervision, he performed the Shaolin fist techniques he had already become highly proficient in several times.

Yuan Ci nodded rather satisfactorily at the side. Wang Anfeng withdrew his stance. Perhaps Shaolin Temple truly was a better place—even the trees on its mountain were far tougher than those on Great Liang Mountain. He had only struck one tree just now, yet his knuckles were already covered in bruises. He casually sat cross-legged atop a bluestone and skillfully applied medicine and bandages to himself.

Over these hundred days, he had first spent five hours practicing fist techniques at Shaolin Temple, then another five hours cultivating after returning to the real world. With medicinal pills replenishing him, the inner qi in his body had become full and abundant, no less than that of an ordinary person who had practiced internal force and fist techniques for one or two years. Moreover, his mind was pure. If he said he would smash trees with his fists, he would not use an axe. In Yuan Ci's eyes, he was already qualified to proceed to the next stage of training.

Just then, Wang Anfeng carefully spread the medicine over his wounds. Feeling the coolness suppress the pain, he let out a comfortable long breath. Then he suddenly recalled something, flipped himself upright, and first gave Yuan Ci a one-handed salute before saying somewhat embarrassedly, "Master, I'm afraid I won't be able to come train for a day or two soon. I promised Uncle Li that I'd deliver a letter for him."

Yuan Ci shook his head slightly and said mildly, "It's no matter. Just don't neglect your daily internal force cultivation..." Before his words had even fallen, he seemed to think of something. Looking at Wang Anfeng, who had turned around and was preparing to practice his fist techniques again, he slowly asked, "Delivering a letter... how far away is it going?"

"How far?"

Wang Anfeng paused, thought for a moment, then answered, "About... several hundred li, I suppose. I can take a carriage from the nearest county town. It should only take a day, so it won't have much impact..." As he spoke, he turned his body. His inner qi circulated, and a Reverse Elbow Break struck the tree from an extremely tricky angle. Borrowing the force, he rose up, then threw a solid Middle Straight Fist with a firm bridge and steady stance. At that very moment, Yuan Ci's mild voice sounded beside his ear.

"Several hundred li? Good, good. Then run there..."

The youth had only just gathered his internal force when his master's words nearly made his heart tremble. His fist struck empty air, producing a dull boom that tore through the air. He stood stunned for several seconds before turning to look at his master's mild yet solemn face, utterly devoid of jest. Like someone talking in his sleep, he asked in return,

"Run... run there?!"

Yuan Ci nodded, smiling.

"Indeed. Your One Zen Skill has completely entered the gate. It is time to teach you a lightness cultivation technique. Shaolin's Vigorous Step Technique may not excel at shifting and maneuvering in battle, but it has its own unique strengths in enduring stamina and long-distance raids. Moreover, as you run, your internal force circulates and your qi and blood boil to fullness, which is also greatly beneficial to cultivation."

"Come with your master. I shall teach you the breathing formula and the method of circulating internal force for the Vigorous Step Technique."

An hour later, Wang Anfeng was drenched in sweat. The force within his body had grown ever more vigorous, but his muscles ached unbearably. Still, he had firmly memorized the essential secrets of the Vigorous Step Technique. Just as he was rubbing his sore muscles, Yuan Ci drew out a scroll of paper from his sleeve and handed it to him. "Take it."

The youth froze for a moment, then accepted it with both hands and opened it. Inside, a line had been written in an elegant and refined hand. Slightly startled, he unconsciously read it aloud: "Shaolin Temple sect mission: Raid a thousand li. Use the Vigorous Step Technique to run a distance of one thousand li. Mission reward: refined equipment, Zen Heart Fist Guards."

"...Master, what is this?"

Yuan Ci's expression did not change. "Just as you see. If you can complete the cultivation mission I have given you, I will gift you the fist guards I first used back then. They are not some famed weapon or treasure of the martial world, but they are quite sturdy and have edges upon them. They can protect your hands and also wound your enemies."

Wang Anfeng's eyes brightened slightly at those words. As he carefully tucked away the scroll, he happily asked, "Master, has Shaolin always had this sort of tradition... Will there be things like this in the future too?"

Yuan Ci was startled. A stream of data flashed through his eyes, and only after a long while did he let out a somewhat melancholy sigh.

"Before... it wasn't like this before. It wasn't so troublesome."

"But there is no other way now. I can only give you missions like this... As for later, naturally there will be more. Don't overthink it. Go on, practice your fists first. Pity your cultivation is too low; otherwise, your master could spar with you."

"Yes, I understand, Master!"

Although Wang Anfeng was usually mature, he was still a youth. Now that his master seemed about to give him a reward, his heart leaped with joy. Even the mission to raid a thousand li seemed to fill him with anticipation. He answered happily, turned around, and opened his stance. His expression grew solemn. With a sharp cry, he launched into his fist techniques. Though they were merely beginner-level fist techniques, his expression was grave, his qi condensed like a mountain. There were still many shortcomings in the finer details, yet they already revealed a hint of upright grandeur and the bearing of a great school.

When Wang Anfeng returned that day, he did not go up the mountain to chop wood, making those carpenters come for nothing. Instead, he lit the stove at home and made plenty of dry provisions. He wrapped them in a blue bundle and slung it over his back, hung a wineskin from his waist, then first went to the Master of the Martial Arts School's house to ask whether there was anything that needed delivering. He also exchanged for some pork and grain to take to Uncle Li's courtyard. After calling out to him, he carried the bundle on his back and eagerly left the village while the sun was still high.

"Cultivation, rewards!"