That evening, the Eight Immortals table in the main hall was piled high with dishes, most of them pork. There was braised pork, poached pork, steamed pork, and sliced pork.
"Junior Brother, you're pretty good at this," Yang Xuan said. He picked up a piece of pork and put it in his mouth. After chewing a few times, his eyes lit up.
"One good thing about my disciple is that he's a decent cook. As for everything else... tsk, tsk, tsk." Four Eyes shook his head.
"Brother Xuan, I've already eaten two big bowls. I never used to have such a big appetite." Ren Tingting rubbed her flat stomach as she spoke.
"That's why you don't need to worry about eating too much and harming yourself. Those of us who practice the National Arts expend a great deal of energy. Otherwise, why would people say that scholars are poor while martial artists are rich? In ancient times, anyone without some assets absolutely couldn't afford to practice the National Arts. Even if they forced themselves to train, if their nutrition couldn't keep up with what their bodies needed, they would be crippled at best and die at worst. Uncle-Master, if you and Jiale are going to train together, you'll need to calculate things carefully." Yang Xuan gave them a brief lesson.
What Yang Xuan meant was that Four Eyes needed to calculate whether he had enough money to buy supplies. He could save the money for hiring a master, since Yang Xuan could teach them. They would still need medicinal herbs, meat, and the like.
"Master, what are you talking about? What National Arts? What training?" Jiale asked, looking confused.
"Jiale, do you know? This time, when I went out to transport corpses, I met an incredible man on the road. He directly fought a hopping corpse with his bare body. Later, when that man realized there were people nearby, he finished things quickly and split the hopping corpse in half with a single axe." Even now, Four Eyes still looked shaken when he recalled it.
Jiale had studied under the Maoshan Sect, so of course he knew what level of zombie a hopping corpse was. His eyes widened. "Master, didn't you encounter a hopping corpse when you were young?"
"Nonsense. My cultivation was still shallow back then, so I ran away directly. I nearly didn't make it back." Four Eyes couldn't help reminiscing.
"Master, do you know that incredible man? What happened to him afterward?" Jiale asked curiously. Young people were always fond of hearing about people with formidable martial skills.
"Heh heh, that incredible man? He's far away in the horizon, yet right before your eyes." Four Eyes glanced at Yang Xuan.
"Senior Brother, you're that amazing? I remember Master saying that ordinary peach-wood swords only feel like an itch to a hopping corpse." Jiale looked at him with undisguised admiration.
"Hehe, I'm all right. I got lost at the time and encountered a figure. I thought it was a person and planned to ask for directions, but it turned out to be a zombie. It scared me half to death." Yang Xuan spoke with an air of modesty.
"Jiale, A-Xuan is one of the few geniuses in the Maoshan Sect who cultivates both martial arts and the arts of magic. What we're discussing tonight is having both you and me practice the National Arts. Your Grand-Uncle-Master and his two disciples have already started training, and the results are pretty good." Four Eyes took a sip of beer.
Everyone ate and drank together. Yang Xuan also began explaining the principles of the National Arts and sharing his own insights. He even took out a handwritten copy of Baji Quan and gave it to the master and disciple, telling them to study it themselves and ask him later if they had questions. In truth, Yang Xuan intended to have Tingting teach them. He was simply too lazy to do it himself.
"Jiale can handle what's left. We'll go rest first. Good night, Uncle-Master." Yang Xuan put his arm around Tingting and staggered back to the side room. Once they returned, he took an enormous wooden tub out of his storage space. It was already filled with hot water. Yang Xuan was slow-paced by nature, but he had one good habit: no matter what he did, he liked to prepare several contingencies and keep everything fully stocked, even things he might not need.
Yang Xuan firmly believed that it was better not to need something than to lack it when it was needed.
His telekinesis activated and covered the entire room. Its defenses were mediocre, but its soundproofing was excellent. He quickly stripped off all his clothes, floated into the tub, and turned his head toward her. "Tingting, come take a bath." Tingting, who had already been eaten countless times, didn't hold back either. She stripped completely and climbed into the tub. What followed was another vigorous battle. (10,000 words omitted.)
The next day.
Damn, he was still sleeping. "Uncle-Master, get up! The sun's already shining on your butt!"
"What are you yelling about? It's so early in the morning—can't you let people sleep?" An unwilling reply came from inside the room. After a rustling sound, Four Eyes emerged with a dark expression.
"Uncle-Master, this won't do. Training requires practicing in the bitter cold of winter and sweltering heat of summer. Being this lazy won't do." Yang Xuan pretended to be heartbroken.
Just then, Jiale suddenly said, "Grand-Uncle-Master next door, they're here." Four Eyes' expression darkened even further. He turned to Jiale and said, "Tell them I'm not feeling well."
"These two are always like this whenever they meet." Jiale sighed helplessly. Yang Xuan understood. The plot had begun again. He still hadn't asked Uncle-Master for the Corpse Control Technique manual. Sigh.
Jiale enthusiastically ushered the two inside. "Master, Qingqing, come in and sit down."
"I heard that your place was very lively yesterday, but it was too late, so I didn't come over. Your master has returned, hasn't he?" the monk asked.
"He's already back. He said he's feeling a little unwell." Jiale answered foolishly.
"Then I'll go take a look at him," the monk said with concern.
The monk walked to the door and was just about to knock when Four Eyes' irritated voice came from inside. "No need."
The monk walked back helplessly. That Taoist was pretending to be delicate again.
At that moment, he noticed two young people sitting on bamboo chairs and couldn't help asking Jiale, "Who are these two?"
"Master, let me introduce you. This is my Grand-Uncle-Master's disciple, my senior brother. This lady is my senior brother's wife. They're staying here for a while to recuperate."
"Senior Brother, Senior Sister-in-Law, this is Master Yixiu, and this is the Master's disciple, Qingqing." Jiale introduced them to one another. The four of them were now acquainted.
"Since Master Yixiu and Qingqing happen to be here, let's have breakfast together. I made plenty anyway." Jiale warmly invited them.
"Then let's eat together. Master Yixiu, Qingqing, don't be shy." Yang Xuan acted as if they were old friends.
"How could we impose?" Master Yixiu said.
Jiale didn't give them a chance to refuse and dragged them both toward the dining hall.
Just then, the pretentious old man opened the door and came out.
"Didn't you say you weren't feeling well?" Master Yixiu asked curiously.
"Can't someone who feels unwell eat breakfast?" Four Eyes said arrogantly. The moment he saw Master Yixiu, his entire demeanor changed. He now looked exactly like a rebellious problem child.
"You can eat, you can eat, you can eat." Master Yixiu answered helplessly.
"Tingting, let's go help Jiale. Let those two talk among themselves." Yang Xuan spoke up.
Four Eyes' butt was probably going to be punished by a cactus soon. As his nephew-disciple, Yang Xuan couldn't simply refuse to help. Better not to see it. He had found the old fellow's timid, shrinking behavior irritating for a long time.
"Tingting, let's be in charge of eating." Yang Xuan watched helplessly as Jiale and Qingqing busied themselves chopping firewood and tending the fire.
Yang Xuan had grown up in a small town, but his family lived in a commercial apartment. He had never burned firewood before and had no idea how to do it. Ren Tingting knew even less—a delicate young lady from a wealthy family.
"Senior Brother, could you chop some firewood for me? We used it all up cooking pork yesterday, and I forgot to chop more this morning." Halfway through tending the fire, Jiale reached into the empty woodpile.
"No problem," Yang Xuan replied. Yang Xuan chopped the firewood while Tingting carried it over. It counted as training for both of them.
"Jiale, your sister-in-law is incredible. The firewood is so heavy, and she's made so many trips, yet she hasn't broken a sweat." Qingqing nudged Jiale.
"I heard Senior Brother say that Sister-in-Law only started practicing martial arts recently. Her family is also extremely wealthy. Because she has such a good relationship with Senior Brother, she gave up being a pampered young lady and came out with him to train and recuperate." Jiale told Qingqing everything he knew in one breath.
"No wonder. She has the air of a rich young lady." Qingqing sounded a little envious. Gradually, the fire couldn't keep up with the speed at which Yang Xuan chopped wood. By the time breakfast was ready, the kitchen was piled high with firewood. Every piece was the same thickness, its split surface perfectly smooth and free of splinters, showing that the person who had chopped it possessed exquisite control over his strength.
Before you continue