Pine Listening Courtyard

The other two thugs followed Li He and surrounded him.

Li He stopped, puzzled. "What is it?"

"Hehehe, obviously we're robbing you. Get down!"

Tiger couldn't be bothered with nonsense. His right fist shot toward Li He's chest with a fierce gust of wind, using the Federation Body Forging Fist.

The instant the force of the punch reached him.

Li He's gaze sharpened. He lowered and slightly shifted his center of gravity. His left arm stretched out lightly like an ape's extended limb, his wrist turning as his fingertips clung to the incoming fist. A supple guiding force carried it aside.

Old Ape Stretches Arms, Spirit Ape Guides Branch!

"Hm?" Tiger felt as though his fist had plunged into a deep pool. The soft force pulled his center of gravity off balance, and he stumbled forward.

Li He spun slightly and swept low with his right leg, precisely hooking Tiger's ankle.

Thud!

Tiger hit the ground hard, face-first, biting into the bluestone pavement.

"Tiger!" The two thugs were shocked.

"Ancient Martial Arts? Just flashy nonsense!" Tiger was both startled and furious as he lay on the ground. Spitting out dirt and grass, the vicious gleam in his eyes intensified.

At that moment, Wang Hao, who had been cowering in the corner, shuddered and raised his head, seeming unable to believe what he had seen.

The instant Tiger lunged at him, Li He struck after yet arrived first. His waist and hips twisted like a drawn bowstring, power flowing through him in successive waves as his right fist smashed into Tiger's chest.

Federation Body Forging Fist, Crushing Fist.

"Waaah—!" Tiger screamed as he was sent flying. He landed on the ground twitching, unable to get back up.

The other two thugs turned deathly pale.

Li He swept his gaze over them. "Get lost."

Terrified out of their wits, the two thugs helped up the screaming Tiger. "Easy, easy! My ribs are broken!" The three of them scrambled and fled the alley.

Only Li He and the dumbfounded, yellow-haired Wang Hao remained in the alley.

Li He straightened his clothes and prepared to continue onward.

"Wait!" Wang Hao gathered his courage and stepped forward. "Th-thank you."

"No need. They were blocking my way." He paused. "So are you. Don't block the road."

Wang Hao stood with his mouth open, watching Li He's back vanish quickly around the corner. His eyes were complicated, and in the end, he slumped down against the moss-covered wall.

Following the address, Li He passed through several more old streets and alleys.

At last, beside an old wall, he saw a dark wooden door. There was no sign above it, only a small ebony plaque hanging beside the lintel.

Four vigorous characters were carved upon it: Pine Listening Courtyard.

The door was ajar.

Li He pushed it open and stepped inside, and the view before him suddenly opened up.

A small courtyard in the traditional four-sided style came into view.

Several ancient pines with gnarled, intertwined branches cast broad patches of cool shade. Bamboo and orchids grew in the corners, while flecks of moss sprouted from the gaps between the bluestone slabs.

In sharp contrast to the tranquil setting was the lively noise coming from beside a stone table in the middle of the courtyard.

Four elderly men with white hair and beards, dressed in loose training clothes, sat around a plain stone table. They were not practicing martial arts, but playing mahjong.

"Pong!"

"Three bamboo!"

"Hehe, Old Zhou, your luck's no good today!"

Li He stood at the entrance, momentarily stunned by the scene. It was rather different from his imagined image of Ancient Martial Arts masters meditating and training in quiet seclusion.

While he was still staring, an elderly man with a ruddy complexion and a slightly plump build, seated facing the entrance, spotted him.

He immediately set down the tile he had just drawn and waved vigorously at Li He.

"Oh, you're here, you're here! Come over, hurry up!" His voice was booming and full of vigor. "You're that Little He Old Zhang has been praising to the skies, right? Come on, don't just stand there. Come sit!"

He warmly patted the empty stone stool beside him.

Li He steadied himself, walked over, and respectfully bowed to the elders. "Greetings, seniors. This junior is Li He. Grandpa Zhang referred me here."

"Good, good, good. No need to be so formal!" The slightly plump elder examined him with a smile. "That stubborn mule Old Zhang rarely praises anyone. Come, sit down. Do you know how to play mahjong?"

Li He answered honestly, "No, Senior, I do not."

"Tsk!" The slightly plump elder shook his head. "Look at that! Young people these days don't even know the national treasure passed down by our ancestors. How can that do? Can your mind turn quickly like that? Can your hands stay nimble like that? This..."

As he lamented, the corner of his eye swept over the tiles before him, then glanced at the tile pool in the center of the stone table.

The instant his rambling drew everyone's attention, his left hand beneath the table moved with lightning speed and extreme secrecy. His fingertips gave a light pinch and switch within his sleeve.

The movement was so fast it was nearly impossible to see. An eight-dot tile that had originally been hidden in his sleeve instantly replaced the tile he had just drawn from the stone table.

Still talking, he was about to discard the eight-dot tile.

"Ahem!"

The elder seated opposite him, whose brows and eyes were sharp as an eagle's, coughed lightly.

The slightly plump elder froze.

The third elder did not even lift his eyelids. Taking a sip of tea, he said, "That eight-dot tile... looks a little unfamiliar. Was that the one you just drew?"

The slightly plump elder sheepishly took the eight-dot tile back.

Then, the fourth elder, who had kept an unremarkable presence until now, suddenly pushed forward his tiles. "Mahjong!" A pure straight flush, the tiles laid out neat and clean.

The other three elders were all startled and examined the tiles carefully.

"Old Wang, you..." The slightly plump elder clicked his tongue.

The eagle-browed elder's sharp gaze moved back and forth between the tiles and Old Wang's face.

The tea-drinking elder gave a wry smile and shook his head. "I concede, Brother Wang."

These four men were the core figures of Pine Listening Courtyard.

The slightly plump elder, Master Zhou, specialized in the Cloud Hand Eighteen Forms.

The eagle-browed elder, Master Yin, specialized in the Wild Goose Eight Steps.

The tea-drinking elder, Master Sun, specialized in the Turtle-Crane Health Stance.

The elder who had declared mahjong was the head of the courtyard, Master Wang, Wang Zhengyang, who specialized in Silk-Reeling Power.

"Why are you looking at me?" Wang Zhengyang said. "At the mahjong table, a win is a win and a loss is a loss. The sooner we finish, the sooner we can make room to receive this young friend who has come from afar."

The three men turned their eyes toward Li He.

"Young friend," Wang Zhengyang said, "Old Zhang told us over the phone that your natural foundation has flaws, but your intellect, perseverance, and martial intuition make you an unparalleled piece of uncut jade. You were born with an affinity for Ancient Martial Arts."

"Hearing is empty; seeing is believing. What we old men teach places importance on comprehension, but even more on faith. Only by believing in the path can one enter its gate. Do you truly wish to learn these slow, temperament-grinding Ancient Martial Arts from us old men, arts that are slow to show results?"

"Yes. This junior has come sincerely to seek instruction."

"Good. Let me first see your foundation. Go over there and assume a horse stance. Do not rise until I tell you to stop."

No emotion showed on Wang Zhengyang's face as he pointed to a level patch of bluestone in the center of the courtyard.

Without another word, Li He walked over to the open space as instructed.

Recalling the requirements for a horse stance from the Federation Body Forging Fist, he slowly lowered his waist, bent his knees, and assumed a standard horse stance.