Training the Sinews, Bones, and Skin

"I know him too?"

Lin Zheyu was somewhat surprised.

He had not been in Songyi City long and knew only a handful of people. As far as he remembered, none of them practiced martial arts.

"Mm."

"He's a regular at our tea house. He used to come here often to listen to storytelling and pass the time."

"Ever since you began telling stories at our tea house, he's been here almost every day."

"Whenever I saw him listening, he'd often laugh heartily. He clearly likes the stories you tell," Steward Wu said.

"Would he be willing to teach me?"

Lin Zheyu asked nervously.

He had heard that many martial arts were passed down only to men, never to women—let alone outsiders.

"Well, he probably would."

"I've seen quite a few people learn martial arts from him."

"He likes your storytelling so much that he should be willing to teach you a few skills," Steward Wu said.

Without keeping him in suspense, he continued, "His name is Liang Song. He looks to be around fifty, and he's a cripple. He often sits by the window," Wu Yinghe said.

"The one who gives such generous tips?!"

Lin Zheyu exclaimed in surprise.

He remembered the man. The fellow tipped extravagantly and was currently his number one patron.

Yet Liang Song looked utterly ordinary, with a lame leg besides. He did not look like someone exceptionally skilled at all.

"That's him."

"Don't let Liang Song's lame leg fool you. He's incredibly strong."

"A few years ago, someone in the tea house was harassing a woman. Without even raising his head, Liang Song flicked his hand, and his chopsticks pierced through the palms of three burly men like sharp arrows."

Steward Wu took a sip of tea as he spoke.

"Impressive!"

Lin Zheyu praised him.

Without even looking up, he had casually used chopsticks to pierce the palms of three burly men. That required extraordinarily sharp perception and tremendous strength.

The two ate and chatted, and time slipped away in the blink of an eye.

It was time for storytelling.

Over the past dozen days, the stories Lin Zheyu told had spread farther and farther through the customers' word of mouth.

As his reputation spread, more and more young masters came to Bidan Tea House to hear him tell stories.

Young masters tipped far more generously than ordinary patrons.

Today, Lin Zheyu earned more than three hundred copper coins, much more than before.

His pay remained one hundred copper coins for a two-hour session, but his tips had reached over two hundred copper coins.

Mostly because whenever he reached an exciting climax, the customers grew so thrilled that they howled and threw tips at him.

Seeing how enthusiastically the patrons tipped, Lin Zheyu himself became fired up as he spoke and went on for more than ten extra minutes.

"There, Liang Song came today too."

Wu Yinghe pointed at Liang Song, who was sitting alone by the window.

He was a man who looked to be in his fifties. His shoulder-length hair was fluffy and disheveled, and his face was covered in an unkempt beard. He looked utterly slovenly.

Having finished listening to the story, the man's mood seemed rather good.

He drank a few cups of wine, looked out the window at the scenery, and wore a faint smile.

After straightening his clothes, Lin Zheyu picked up a jug of wine and walked over.

The wine was called General's Tears and was extremely famous.

General's Tears was not particularly strong, but it went down fiery and hit hard.

Steward Wu had said it was Liang Song's favorite wine to order.

"Greetings, Master Liang. I am Lin Zheyu, the storyteller at Bidan Tea House."

"This is some wine I brought. Please give it a taste."

Lin Zheyu filled Liang Song's cup and spoke with great courtesy.

Liang Song glanced at him with a smile but said nothing, continuing to admire the view outside.

Lin Zheyu did not wish to spoil Liang Song's elegant mood. After instructing a waiter to bring several small dishes, he silently accompanied him in watching the scenery.

Other than storytelling, he had nothing important to do at the moment.

After a long while.

The two watched the scenery for over two hours. By the time the sky had darkened, Liang Song finally spoke.

"Speak. What do you want?"

Having seemingly had his fill of the view, Liang Song looked at Lin Zheyu.

He raised his cup and drained it in one gulp, the burning sensation flowing down his throat into his stomach.

Ah~~

Liang Song let out a satisfied sound, every inch the bold and uninhibited man.

"I am Lin Zheyu. I fled here from Jiunan City, and on the journey, I became separated from my parents and relatives. Now I am alone in Songyi City, with no one to rely on."

"Without anyone to rely on while making one's way alone, it's easy to be bullied. I heard your martial arts are excellent, and I wish to learn a martial art from you."

"Please teach me, Master Liang!"

Lin Zheyu filled Liang Song's cup again and clasped his fists as he earnestly pleaded.

"Learning martial arts is hard—far harder than studying. Your literary talent is quite good. Why not continue studying and seek official honors?" Liang Song said blandly.

"Great chaos is about to descend. If I cannot even protect myself, how can I study for official honors with peace of mind?" Lin Zheyu shook his head.

Liang Song looked Lin Zheyu over from head to toe and shook his head slightly.

"It's not impossible for me to teach you, but you're already too old. Starting martial arts now is somewhat late."

"On the path of martial arts, one trains the sinews, bones, and skin externally, and cultivates a breath of qi internally."

"Training the sinews, bones, and skin must begin in childhood, and it places high demands on one's natural physical constitution. One must soak in medicinal baths from a young age, tempering the sinews and bones to lay down a solid foundation."

"Once you are older, your body has grown out and your bones have set. Tempering the sinews and bones becomes more than a hundred times harder, and a single misstep may leave lasting hidden injuries."

Liang Song said, "If you begin martial arts now, you'll get half the result for twice the effort. More likely than not, you won't achieve much. Are you sure you want to learn?"

"It's fine. I'm not afraid of hardship, and I can endure suffering well. As long as I can learn martial arts, that's enough!" Lin Zheyu hurriedly said.

"I have nothing better to do, so I'll teach you."

"I like the character Yan Chixia from your stories very much. Tell more stories about people like him in the future," Liang Song said with a smile.

"All right, thank you, Master Liang!"

"I'll write a story especially for you in the future!"

Lin Zheyu was overjoyed.

With a broad wave of his hand, he summoned a waiter and ordered several more dishes.

"Now that you've said your piece, hurry up and leave. Don't sit across from me and be an eyesore. Come find me at No. 33 Jin Dong Street tomorrow morning."

Liang Song shooed Lin Zheyu away as though chasing off a fly.

"All right. I won't disturb your enjoyment, Master Liang. Please take your time!"

Lin Zheyu rose to his feet.

As he turned away, he excitedly clenched his fist, his face blooming with joy.

Things had gone even more smoothly than he imagined. Master Liang had agreed straightaway and had not even mentioned money.

Then again, it made sense.

Liang Song was a wealthy patron who often tipped him, giving more than twenty copper coins at a time. He probably did not lack money.

On his way back, Lin Zheyu bought some meat and vegetables to nourish his body properly.

When he had lived in Baishan District, he had not dared buy much meat or vegetables, afraid someone would set their sights on him.

This time, Lin Zheyu bought half a jin of pork belly, intending to braise it when he returned. It had been a long time since he had eaten braised meat.

Slurp—

Early morning.

The sky was only beginning to brighten when Lin Zheyu woke up early.

After moving into his new home, he discovered that the neighboring family's rooster had crowed itself hoarse. Its voice was raspy and unpleasant, lacking the clear ring of other roosters, and it was rather grating to hear.

After washing up, he ate a hearty meal of the braised meat cooked the night before with rice porridge.

He would begin learning martial arts today, so he had to make sure his body received enough nourishment.

Having endured hunger and slept rough in the open, this body was extremely weak, so thin that it was nearly skin and bones.

Over the past dozen days, he had earned quite a bit from storytelling and was willing to spend money on food. His body had recovered somewhat.

But he was still rather weak. After running only a few li, he had to stop and rest.

Changing into fitted clothes suitable for martial arts training, he tied up his long hair. Lin Zheyu looked exceptionally capable, with much of his usual scholarly air gone.

Once he stepped outside, there were already quite a few pedestrians on the streets.

Because there was little entertainment in this world, people went to bed early and rose early.

Lin Zheyu had been somewhat unaccustomed to it when he first arrived, but after a few days, boredom had driven him to bed early every night.

The old habit from his previous life—insomnia at night and wanting to sleep while working during the day—had also disappeared.

He had developed the good habit of going to bed early and rising early.