Steward Lin proved to be a man of his word. Before long, he had someone deliver a small package.
Perhaps he felt guilty, or perhaps these basic introductory martial arts seemed like nothing to Steward Lin. Either way, he sent over three manuals at once, which came as a pleasant surprise to Fang Yuan.
At that moment, Fang Yuan sat cross-legged on a bluestone, with Flower Fox Ferret beside him. Carefully, he opened the cover of one of the manuals.
"Black Sand Palm?"
Fang Yuan first looked over the manual as a whole. The booklet was old, its characters vigorous and powerful, though a little blurred. The corners were worn and torn, clearly bearing the marks of generations of readers. It was steeped in antiquity—practically an antique.
"He actually sent the original. Looks like Steward Lin wasn't planning to swindle me after all..."
Fang Yuan saw this and secretly nodded to himself.
With a martial arts manual, even the slightest error could lead to a world of difference in the result. A fresh copy could hardly compare to the original.
Just by running his fingers over the old booklet, he could tell that the martial artist who had written it must have poured a great deal of effort into it.
"Fair enough... Even the most basic martial arts must have something distinctive about them to have been passed down so widely!"
He looked at the other two manuals. They were much the same, and Fang Yuan couldn't help feeling a little ashamed of his own suspicions.
He had specifically asked for the most widely circulated manuals, naturally because they would be easier to verify.
In any case, he hadn't planned to practice any of the manuals the other party gave him in the first place.
After all, martial arts were not like other things. Knowledge from another world had taught him just how terrifying it was to suffer cultivation deviation.
"Now that I look at it... I may have judged him too harshly..."
Fang Yuan pondered for a moment. "Besides, I have my Medical Skill to fall back on. If I study them without practicing, I should still be able to spot some problems. By comparison, External Energy is safer than internal energy. Even if there are traps in the manuals, it's less likely anything serious will happen..."
Though this was knowledge from another world, that didn't stop Fang Yuan from using it to make deductions.
Thinking this, he set down the manual in his hand and flipped through the other two.
"Eagle Claw Skill? It seems that Cold-faced Iron Eagle, the Gui Ling Sect's steward, knows this technique too. But the version he knows is probably a secret transmission, far superior to the ordinary version flooding the market..."
Two of the three manuals taught External Energy. The remaining one was an unnamed cultivation technique, also focused on tempering the body and increasing one's ability to withstand blows. It even included some breathing techniques. According to its author, once mastered, one could hold one's breath and withstand blows from ordinary blunt weapons.
There was also a small note inside the package, explaining where the three manuals had come from.
"Black Sand Palm, written by Kou Feng, a renowned fist master from Qinghe Commandery. It is the most widely circulated version; a retainer presented it."
"Eagle Claw Skill, contributed by the estate retainer Meng Yuan. This is the most ordinary, basic version. To practice it to a high level, one needs a specific internal cultivation method!"
"The last one is the most basic Qi skill—or rather, it's just a collection of breathing and impact-endurance techniques. Even the original author never gave it a name, so it's simply called Hard Qi Skill..."
By the time he finished reading, Fang Yuan had confirmed that these three martial arts manuals really were the most common fare on the market. Not one was a rare treasure.
Of course, even the most basic martial arts were still a lineage, refined through countless trials. An ordinary person who obtained even one could just about make a living, settle down, and pass it on to their family. They were still fairly valuable.
Trading a sixty-year-old Red Ginseng for these could only be called a fair deal.
"And... no stains, damage, or alterations... Steward Lin did seem sincere."
Fang Yuan let out a long breath and began carefully reading the manuals one by one.
Before he knew it, half the day had passed. The sun sank gradually, and its orange-red glow spread across the earth.
"Chitter!"
"Chitter?"
Flower Fox Ferret saw Fang Yuan staring intently at the manuals and curiously leaned its little head closer. But to it, the characters were as incomprehensible as the writing of heaven itself. Its head spun as it tried to make sense of them, and at last it gave up. With a nimble leap, it vanished into the woods. Before long, it came running back with a plump wild rabbit in its jaws. It dropped the rabbit at Fang Yuan's feet and gazed up at him eagerly, hooks seeming to glint in its black eyes.
"Haha... All you ever think about is food!"
Fang Yuan closed the last manual, the Hard Qi Skill, and saw Flower Fox Ferret in that state. He couldn't help bursting into laughter again.
Night gradually blurred into darkness.
By the fire, Fang Yuan skinned and washed the wild rabbit, brushed it with sauce, and roasted it. Then he tore off one of its forelegs and tossed the rest to the impatient Flower Fox Ferret. As he ate, he silently pondered what he had learned from the manuals that day.
Martial arts in this world seem far more advanced than those in the world of my dreams... They're also organized into a proper system. Black Sand Palm and Eagle Claw Skill, for example, are purely External Energy techniques that use medicine to stimulate the body. Internal cultivation, on the other hand, focuses on breathing methods and routes for circulating energy. More advanced techniques even involve preserving the spirit and visualization... And every martial art, no matter what kind, has a specific, consistent ranking system: the Twelve Gates of Golden Lock and Heavy Tower!
This term had been mentioned repeatedly in all three manuals. After studying them carefully, Fang Yuan had finally managed to grasp its meaning.
"According to this world's martial arts theory, the human body is a great treasure with limitless potential, but it also contains many barriers that restrict the use of its strength. The path of martial arts begins by breaking through those barriers one by one, continually digging deeper into one's potential!"
According to the manuals, there were twelve such barriers within the human body, collectively known as the Twelve Gates of Golden Lock and Heavy Tower.
Every time a martial artist broke through a gate, their strength increased to some degree. The further they advanced, the more astonishing the results became.
And once all twelve gates had been broken through, one entered the realm of Martial Ancestor!
Even within the Gui Ling Sect, there was only one person of that level.
"Twelve barriers inside the body... They sound rather similar to the twelve regular meridians, the eight extraordinary meridians, and the like in Medical Skill. So, beginning martial arts training is actually a process of opening the meridians?"
"The twelve barriers are twelve stages. Only by breaking through them one by one can someone become a Martial Ancestor! That girl Lei Yue... Is she really so extraordinarily gifted?"
After gaining a slight understanding of how difficult it was, Fang Yuan was immediately puzzled.
In his impression, did that girl really have such terrifying talent in martial arts?
"But I couldn't tell at the time. Master must have noticed something. That marriage arrangement was rather suspicious..."
Thinking of Heart-Questioning Hermit, Fang Yuan couldn't help letting out a wistful sigh.
The old man had truly treated him well, thinking of everything on his behalf. It was just a shame he had passed away too soon.
If he were still alive now and saw Steward Lin's true face, he wondered what expression he would make.
At the thought, even the rich flavor of the roasted rabbit in Fang Yuan's mouth suddenly disappeared.
Fang Yuan rose, his mood dampened, and tidied up before brewing tea by moonlight.
Through the Sitting-Forgetting Tea Ceremony, he remembered Heart-Questioning Hermit. It was his own special way of honoring him.
"Chitter?"
Flower Fox Ferret watched from beside him, understanding little. Yet somehow, it seemed to sense the sorrow in Fang Yuan's heart and didn't frolic as it usually did.
The valley lay deep in the mountains, where days and months slipped by unnoticed. Before long, another morning arrived.
As usual, Fang Yuan rose early. After finishing his morning tea, he headed out to work the fields.
In the Crimson Jade Rice Field, the rice seedlings had grown to waist height. Heavy ears of grain had even formed at their tips, bending the stalks down.
Fang Yuan diluted the Spiritual Fertilizer and mixed it into the spring water, then poured it into the paddy. At once, ripples gleamed across the water, carrying a fragrant aroma.
"Chitter!"
"Chitter!"
Beside him, Flower Fox Ferret bounced around excitedly.
It hadn't cared for the newly sprouted rice seedlings, but the Red Jade Rice that was nearly ripe had it thrilled.
"Remember, no stealing a bite!"
Fang Yuan had to sternly warn it. He promised again and again to increase its daily share of tea before he finally managed to placate it.
"There wasn't much seed rice last time. If I harvest a few dozen pounds this time, that'll already be quite good. But after this harvest, I can plant the seeds again, and expand the fields next time..."
Fang Yuan was delighted.
In fact, the Crimson Jade Rice Grain had grown far better than he'd expected, and its growing cycle was astonishingly short.
First and foremost, this was thanks to the Spiritual Fertilizer Flower Fox Ferret had brought him. Second, his Planting Skill had helped as well, creating this incredible miracle.
"Don't worry, Flower Fox Ferret. Once the harvest comes in, I'll make sure you get one good, full meal! You've earned your share of the credit, after all!"
Fang Yuan stroked Flower Fox Ferret's fluffy head and comforted it. "And the spirit tea will be growing another batch of leaves soon..."
He smiled, his heart filled with the joy of a bountiful harvest.
After his daily patrol, Fang Yuan returned to the Spirit Cottage and looked at the three manuals laid side by side on the table.
"I've memorized all three cultivation techniques backwards and forwards, and cross-checked them against my medical knowledge and memories of the world in my dreams. There don't seem to be any problems... Should I give them a try?"
A flicker of eagerness passed through Fang Yuan's eyes, but he immediately shook his head. "No! It's not safe enough! I really am a coward. At this point, I can only go to the county seat again, pay the price to buy another manual and take a look, or find someone to practice one..."
Martial arts manuals were no ordinary things. Fang Yuan didn't have much confidence in putting them into practice.
"That little thief is inside!"
"Surround the place! Don't let him escape!"
"Quick, get him!"
A sudden commotion came from outside the valley, making Fang Yuan frown.
"What's going on?"
He opened the courtyard gate and saw a group of people striding into the valley, all looking menacing. At their head was none other than Zhou Wenxin, the haughty Eldest Daughter.
"You little thief!"
The sight of Fang Yuan brought Zhou Wenxin's old and new grievances surging to the surface. Her voice turned shrill. "You insulted me first, then used fake medicine to harm my father! I won't let you off today. Get him!"
With a wave of her hand, several burly servants surged forward and surrounded Fang Yuan.
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