Martial Dao · Body

After finishing lunch.

Chen Yi brought over a reclining chair and had Xiao Die prepare the tea set. Sitting in the little pavilion, he sipped tea and enjoyed the breeze of freedom.

The sunlight on the cusp of summer was not glaring, and the gentle breeze left him feeling wonderfully comfortable and at ease.

"Mountains, water, flowers, grass-and tea to go with the scenery. Now this is living."

A smile appeared on Chen Yi's face at the thought.

Even Xiao Die beside him could not help stealing a couple more looks at his carefree, sunny profile.

In her eyes, the son-in-law was exceptionally handsome-a pure white scholar's robe, long black hair tied back and reaching his waist, and two loose locks at his forehead that lent his finely featured face a scholarly gentleness.

In short, he was very, very special, quite unlike the talented scholars she had seen before.

Perhaps this was what the Eldest Miss meant by "a man of profound learning."

"Sir, the Eldest Miss said earlier that the master who will teach you martial cultivation will arrive this afternoon."

Without turning his head, Chen Yi said, "So soon?"

He was staring at a patch of purple bamboo by the pond, pondering how to make a fishing rod from it. A few tactless goldfish had splashed water all over him when they jumped earlier, and he would not scratch that itch until he fished them out.

Recalling what Xiao Wan'er had said, Xiao Die lowered her head. "Sir, this is all-all my fault..."

Chen Yi turned to look at her and asked with a smile, "What's your fault?"

"A few days ago, the Eldest Miss asked me how you had been doing, and I told-told her everything."

"Oh, that." Chen Yi looked away and continued gazing at the bamboo grove. "You told her, then. It's fine," he said with a smile.

Now that he was living in Xiao Manor, his every word and deed would reach the ears of those in charge.

Even if Xiao Die said nothing, someone else would tell them.

"But the Eldest Miss said the Old Master arranged for you to study martial arts after hearing about that poem you composed."

Originally, Xiao Die had not thought she had done anything wrong. She had only been following the Eldest Miss's orders to keep a close eye on him.

But after learning that she had become Chen Yi's personal maid, she had inexplicably begun to feel a little guilty.

If not for her, he should have been able to rest now.

"It doesn't matter."

"Sir, you aren't angry?" Xiao Die raised her head slightly, looking at his profile through the wisps of hair over her forehead.

Chen Yi said indifferently, "I'll just treat it as exercise."

"Stop thinking about that. Help me find some tools before they get here."

"What do you need, sir?" Xiao Die breathed a sigh of relief, a smile appearing on her little face.

"A small knife, some string, and an iron nail."

"Well..."

Seeing Chen Yi's mysterious air, Xiao Die was utterly puzzled, but she found them for him in the end.

Soon, she understood what Chen Yi intended.

"A fishing rod?"

"That's right."

Chen Yi looked at the fishing rod in his hands, which even "rudimentary" failed to adequately describe. "Xiao Die, it might not look like much, but believe it or not, I can use it to fish every last fish out of that pond."

With limited resources, he could only use what was at hand.

The rod was made from slender bamboo by the pond, the line was wool yarn, which he had specially wound into a ball, and the hook was a thin iron nail he had bent and polished.

In less than an hour, this crude fishing rod was freshly finished.

"Sir, the Second Miss specially had someone fetch those fish from Guangyue Prefecture. Their varieties are said to be very valuable," Xiao Die reminded him quietly.

Chen Yi stroked the fishing rod like a treasure. "Don't worry, don't worry. I'm only fishing. I don't plan to eat them."

What an angler enjoyed was the sense of achievement from landing a fish, and the astonished looks of others when he carried his catch through the streets and markets.

Others simply could not understand that immense satisfaction.

Not eating them? Xiao Die first breathed a sigh of relief, then wondered, Why fish if you aren't going to eat them?

Clearly, she was one of those "others" Chen Yi had in mind, unable to understand an angler's joy.

But before Chen Yi could cast his line to test the waters, a rumbling sound like rolling wheels came from outside the garden.

He looked toward the sound.

The tall, powerfully built Wang Lixing was carefully pushing over a middle-aged man sitting upright in a wheelchair.

The man had regular features, thick brows, and large eyes, with the decisiveness and tenacity of a soldier.

Yet perhaps because of his disability, an indelible sorrow lingered between his brows.

Xiao Die took one look and hurriedly reminded him in a low voice, "Sir, that is the young lady's second uncle, Xiao Xuanshuo."

With that, she moved to the edge of the pavilion and bowed respectfully.

Chen Yi nodded slightly and handed the fishing rod to Xiao Die. Before the two men reached him, he went forward and bowed slightly. "Chen Yi pays his respects to Second Uncle."

He had heard Xiao Die speak of Xiao Xuanshuo. Apparently, he had been ambushed by the Barbarian Tribe while inspecting a military garrison some years ago, and only escaped after hundreds of his personal guards fought desperately.

But Xiao Xuanshuo had also suffered severe injuries, and ever since, he had been confined to a wheelchair.

Xiao Xuanshuo raised his head slightly. Seeing the fishing rod in Xiao Die's hands, a sharp glint flashed through his eyes, and he said flatly:

"On the old man's orders, I will teach you the Martial Path."

"But let me make this clear beforehand. You are merely a matrilocal son-in-law of our Xiao Family, so what you practice and learn will be limited to the fundamentals."

"If you achieve something in your studies someday, or render service to our Xiao Family, someone will naturally teach you more advanced cultivation techniques."

Before Chen Yi could speak, Xiao Xuanshuo's tone grew sterner:

"I don't care how you behaved in the Chen Family, and I can let bygones be bygones regarding your attempt to flee the marriage. But if you do anything else to damage our Xiao Family's reputation, don't blame me for showing you no consideration!"

Chen Yi nodded calmly. "I will follow your arrangements, Second Uncle."

He could hear Xiao Xuanshuo's displeasure, and knew that he was the one who had proposed expelling him from the family back in the Disciplinary Hall, but...

That was all there was to it.

He had ample food and clothing now. Living peacefully as a matrilocal son-in-law in the Marquis's mansion was quite nice.

Before Xiao Xuanshuo had finished speaking, Xiao Die had already quietly withdrawn from Chunhe Garden and stationed herself outside the corridor leading to Jiaxing Garden.

The Xiao Family treated its servants well, but when it came to martial cultivation techniques and the like, ordinary maids and servants were not qualified to watch.

Before long.

The three found a spacious clearing beside the pond.

Xiao Xuanshuo glanced at Chen Yi, then instructed Wang Lixing, "Stance training. Great Spear."

Wang Lixing answered in a ringing voice, then stood before Chen Yi and said solemnly, "All martial arts under heaven share the same roots and origin. They all begin with honing the body, tempering the tendons, bones, and skin..."

As he spoke, he slowly demonstrated.

In the opening posture, he stood ramrod straight, like a long spear planted upright. Then he pushed both hands forward horizontally and drew a deep breath. His chest swelled by two full sizes, as though a rock had been stuffed inside it.

After several repetitions, Wang Lixing exhaled and said:

"Great Spear Stance Cultivation must be paired with a specific breathing method to gradually temper the body and strengthen the physique."

"Once the tendons, bones, and skin have been thoroughly trained and Qi arises within the body, you can proceed to the next step, using Dantian Qi to jointly refine the five viscera and the meridians. Once you have opened four main meridians, you will reach the perfection of the Martial Dao Ninth Rank Realm..."

Although Wang Lixing looked like a rough brute, he was meticulous in his instruction.

After demonstrating several times, he had Chen Yi practice the Great Spear stance.

There was no need to act.

Chen Yi knew his performance was terrible. His posture was slack, and not only did he lack strength, even his movements were incorrect.

As though he had expected this, Wang Lixing struck several times with his palm-leaf-fan-sized hands, each blow landing on a flaw in Chen Yi's posture.

"Waist. Tighten it."

"Chest out, stomach in."

"Left leg, half a step forward... hold this posture. Inhale, exhale..."

Enduring the pain in his body and the aching distension in the meridians of his limbs, Chen Yi inhaled and exhaled to Wang Lixing's rhythm.

At once, he felt heat from some unknown source make his body burn. Even the blood inside him seemed to boil, driving his heart to pound rapidly.

[Successfully practiced Great Spear Stance Training (Mystic grade), level: initial glimpse]

[Martial Dao · Body: not initiated 0/1 (points can be added)]