"Take this to him. By the way, what's your younger brother's name?" Jing Yuxing flicked his hand in a signal. Twang! Twang! Twang! "Of course, Marquis Wuwen's Falling Star Bow has a fine-steel body, and its string is made from a giant python's sinew, soaked in glue broth a thousand times over the course of ten years. It has a draw weight of nine stone and can shoot a thousand paces. Only someone whose martial arts and fists have reached the realm of 'marrow like frost, blood like mercury,' where the body becomes sacred, can draw it to a full moon and fire in quick succession. There are probably only a handful of people in the world whose fist arts have reached the Martial Saint realm." "Young miss..." Just as Hong Xuejiao was mulling things over, her maid Xiao Ning hurried over. "A fox hunt at West Mountain? Of course I'm going." "Wait." "Our Great Gan Dynasty founded the nation through martial prowess and secured the realm by force. Though sixty years have passed since its founding and the literary arts now flourish among the people while martial traditions gradually decline, His Majesty still places great importance on martial skills. Otherwise, why would he go hunting in the spring and autumn? Does he really do it for fun? I suspect the hunts are a chance to stage military drills, to remind the princes, nobles, and imperial clansmen not to forget the art of war." Jing Yuxing clapped his hands, and a middle-aged man soon came over from a distance. His arms reached past his knees, his steps were steady and penetrating, and his eyes seemed dull and lifeless, though keen sharpness lay hidden beneath. He was clearly a master. "All right, enough of that." Hong Xuejiao smiled. "But then again, you say it's improper for a girl to spend all day riding, shooting, and practicing with fists and staves. Do you know what happened to those noblemen and young ladies who couldn't even lift a chicken when our Great Gan Dynasty destroyed the Great Zhou Dynasty and entered Yujing sixty years ago? Some were violated, some were killed, and those who barely survived were dragged off to military camps... They couldn't even run away. Though our Great Gan is now the most honored dynasty under heaven, to the east lie the Cloud Dream Empire's grasslands, to the west the Huoluo Dynasty's deserts, and to the south, across the sea, are numerous island empires. To the north lies the Yuantu Dynasty. Twenty years ago, the Cloud Dream Empire's iron cavalry reached the outskirts of Yujing. Though they were driven back, it was a close thing. As for those civil officials and scholars, the court only wants them to pacify the people. Li Yan, the former chancellor, wielded power over all under heaven, yet he wasn't even granted a title after his death, and his descendants received no hereditary privilege." "Hm? This man's no ordinary fellow. Since when did the Duke of Li's residence have a master like him?" Hong Xuejiao thought to herself. At the training ground. In the Great Gan Dynasty, the ranks of nobility were duke, marquis, and earl. A duke's title stood above a marquis's. But noble rank was one thing, and official rank another. Marquis Wuwen, Hong Xuanji, had placed third in the imperial examinations and entered the court; his influence was no less than the Duke of Li's. "Young Master Jing, what can I do for you?" Seeing that Jing Yuxing was speaking, Xiao Ning immediately became respectful. At the same time, the iron arrow pierced the bull's-eye and emerged from the other side, demonstrating the archer's tremendous strength, sharp eyesight, and quick reflexes. "He really thinks he's a young master now." "You can't put it that way. Your family already holds a lofty title. One more step, and you'd be a prince of a different surname. If you also took part in court affairs, I doubt even the imperial family would feel at ease." Hong Xuejiao smiled. "Just another sour, musty scholar. Once he's a little older, Lady Zhao will deal with him sooner or later." "Martial arts under heaven take many forms, but all follow the same path: training the flesh, sinews, skin and membranes, bones, organs, and marrow, then changing the blood. Step by step, the body is reborn until it reaches the Martial Saint realm, where the body becomes sacred. Miss Xuejiao can fire arrows in succession with a hundred-pound Ox-Sinew Bow. She's already perfected her sinews, muscles, skin, and membranes. Next comes hardening the bones, making them strong enough to pierce through anything. The Tiger Demon Bone-Refining Fist is just what she needs. But I've heard Marquis Wuwen is one of the few Grandmasters in the world. Though he abandoned martial arts for literature twenty years ago, his skills must only have grown more profound. Truly, he's worthy of admiration." Three explosive twangs tore through the air. The arrow shot like a meteor and struck the bull's-eye two hundred paces away. This book was worth more than a thousand gold pieces. "Young miss, why are you giving him money? If Lady Zhao finds out, I'm afraid it won't go well." Xiao Ning pressed her lips together, looking deeply reluctant. "His name is Hong Yi." Hong Xuejiao looked at Jing Yuxing and suddenly smiled. "They say the young Duke of Li is courteous to men of talent and quick to help those in need. Today, I've finally seen it for myself. These writing treasures are all valuable things, worth at least several hundred taels—enough to buy the property of a middle-class family in Yujing." "What does this say?" Hong Xuejiao looked at the poem in her hands. "Xiao Ning, take ten silver ingots from my private funds and give them to Hong Yi. He's preparing for the imperial examinations, and his monthly allowance probably won't cover his expenses." "It's nothing." Jing Yuxing smiled. "Accepting a gift without having earned it? Xuejiao, your younger brother certainly has a proud and unyielding spirit." Jing Yuxing saw that Hong Yi hadn't accepted the things, but didn't mind. He only smiled faintly and suddenly changed the subject. "Hmph!" Hearing Hong Yi's words, Xiao Ning's face turned slightly green. She immediately gathered up the things and turned to leave. After she was out, her voice drifted back faintly: "What a stuck-up wretch!" "This is the most detailed bone-training manual in the world. It has two hundred and six forms in total, training all two hundred and six bones in the body. Of all the martial arts under heaven, only this book describes bone training in such detail. Other bone-training arts don't have as many as two hundred and six forms." "I found this secret manual while searching through Pine and Crane Chamber in the imperial library with Prince Cheng. I copied it in secret. Don't let anyone else see it." Jing Yuxing clasped his hands behind his back. "Great Zen Temple in Central Province—the sacred ground of martial arts, the ancestral seat of Chan Buddhism. Alas, it colluded with the remnants of the previous dynasty and plotted rebellion, so our army wiped it out. I've heard that temple was magnificent, its halls grand and its masters countless. Now it's vanished like smoke and scattered clouds. They say your father took part in the campaign to encircle Great Zen Temple. I've heard that battle was terribly bloody: several of the court's great generals died, and many masters from the Fangxian Dao, Zhengyi Dao, and Taishang Dao were killed as well." Hong Xuejiao tested the bowstring again and drew it easily to a full moon. "This White Ox Bow is a fine bow, with a draw weight of about a hundred and forty or fifty pounds, but it's still nowhere near my father's Falling Star Bow." The middle-aged man smiled and withdrew, saying no more. "Right, it is indeed the Great Zen Temple's Tiger Demon Bone-Refining Fist." Jing Yuxing smiled. "What gift?" Hong Xuejiao asked. "The Tiger Demon Bone-Refining Fist?" Hong Xuejiao took one look, and delighted light shone in her eyes. "This is a secret manual of Great Zen Temple in Central Province. After our dynasty destroyed the temple twenty years ago, countless martial arts manuals were scattered far and wide. They're all peerless fist techniques!" "Mm." Hong Xuejiao eagerly leafed through the book. "The Tiger Demon Bone-Refining forms loosen the joints, harden the bones, and temper them until they're like steel. It's the finest bone-training method in the world." The middle-aged man left. Jing Yuxing took a bundle from behind him and pulled a book out of it. "At the Marquis Mansion, no one dared mention Marquis Hong Xuanji's youth. Yet this young man in fine clothes brought it up so casually. He clearly had an extraordinary background." "Uncle Yun, ride to my home at once and bring me a hundred sheets of snow paper from Pine and Bamboo Studio, along with that purple inkstone, the Pure Fox Clan hairbrush, and the musk ink." Jing Yuxing said. The book's cover bore the words Tiger Demon Bone-Refining Fist. "Little sister Xuejiao, you can draw a powerful bow of a hundred and twenty pounds and fire arrows in quick succession. That exceeds a hundred and twenty pounds, which the Martial Classic calls the strength of a tiger. Even the military officers in the army don't have such skill, strength, or marksmanship. It seems your martial arts have reached the stage of training your membranes and strengthening your bones. You can be called a Martial Master. But you're a girl, and spending all day riding, shooting, and practicing with fists and staves is a little improper." The middle-aged man returned with a bundle of brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones. In Marquis Wuwen's residence, no one dared speak of Marquis Hong Xuanji's youth, yet this young man in fine clothes had mentioned it with such ease. Clearly, his status was extraordinary. "Uncle Yun." Jing Yuxing raised a hand. Hong Yi heard their discussion and sneered inwardly. He let out a long breath. "It's getting harder and harder to stay in this mansion. Forget it. Before the examinations, I won't stoop to arguing with these young ladies. I'll go stay at Qiuyue Temple on West Mountain for a while and keep watch over Mother's grave." "Uncle Yun." Jing Yuxing lifted his hand. "Mm." The man called Uncle Yun had no questions about Jing Yuxing's order. He answered, then strode away, quickly reached the training ground's edge, mounted a black horse as fierce as a dragon, and galloped off. The young man in fine clothes smiled. "But you know that literary culture flourishes among the people in our Great Gan Dynasty, and scholars hold the reins of government. Even Marquis Wuwen, with all his martial prowess, was once reprimanded by Li Yan, the scholar and chancellor, when he was young. In the end, he angrily abandoned martial arts, took the imperial examinations, and placed third. Only then could he rise to the highest ranks of the court. Otherwise, he'd have had to stay home and live quietly as a Duke of Li, like my father."
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