Second Aunt, I Was Wrong

Xu Qing's punch landed solidly.

Xu Qing gave a muffled grunt and flew backward. He hit the ground with a bang, skidding three or four feet away. Lying flat on his back, his chest throbbed with pain. Sweetness rose in his throat, and a thread of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.

The training ground fell deathly silent.

Everyone was dumbstruck.

Xu Yan stood at the edge of the grounds with her mouth open and her eyes wide as saucers. Just moments ago, she had been worried that Xu Qing would suffer a loss and had even wanted to rush over to pull them apart. Yet now, the one lying on the ground was Xu Qing.

Her nephew by marriage, who had practiced martial arts for two months, had been sent flying with one punch by her own nephew, who had only been here three days.

Chen Wang's mouth hung so wide open that an egg could have fit inside.

He subconsciously rubbed his eyes, wondering whether he had seen wrong.

How many days had Xu Qing been at the martial hall? Counting it all up, three and a half days.

He had mastered the basics of Stake Training in half an incense stick's time, and brought Five Elements Fist to minor mastery in three days. Was this really middling-to-poor talent? Wasn't this level of comprehension simply heaven-defying?

He suddenly recalled his master's reaction upon hearing the news that day, and everything now made sense.

The smile on Zhou Wen's face had long since frozen. Leaning against the weapon rack, he abruptly straightened up. He looked at Xu Qing lying on the ground, then at Xu Qing standing calmly in the center of the training ground, so shocked that he could not utter a word.

The watching senior and junior disciples erupted into an uproar.

"My heavens... Junior Brother Xu Qing won?"

"He's only been here for a few days, right? Three or four?"

"Xu Qing practiced for two months, and he lost just like that?"

"Did you see that? That set of punches Xu Qing used just now flowed move into move, like running water. Was that minor mastery?"

"It had to be minor mastery! I've seen Senior Brother Chen Wang use it before. It had exactly that flavor!"

"Minor mastery in three days? That comprehension is way too monstrous..."

"Didn't they say his talent was middling to poor? This comprehension is terrifying..."

The discussions buzzed like a swarm of bees circling above the training ground.

Xu Qing ignored the noise. He walked up to Xu Qing and looked down at him.

Xu Qing lay on the ground, his chest in agony, the blood at his mouth painfully glaring. He looked up at Xu Qing, his eyes filled with disbelief—and a trace of... deep humiliation.

A stinking fishmonger, a mud-legged peasant who had only been here three and a half days, had knocked him flat with one punch before every senior and junior disciple in the courtyard.

Xu Qing looked at him for two breaths, his gaze cold as death.

Xu Qing's whole body prickled beneath that stare. He had wanted to say something fierce, but after opening and closing his mouth, he shrank back and did not dare make a sound.

"Get up, clean up the food box, then go apologize to my aunt," Xu Qing said. His voice was calm, but to Xu Qing's ears, it was chilling to the bone.

Xu Qing instinctively wanted to refuse, but after another glance into Xu Qing's eyes, the words at his lips were swallowed back down.

Gritting his teeth, he wiped the blood from his mouth, silently climbed to his feet, picked up the food box, packed away all the dirt-stained buns and mutton, then walked step by step to Xu Yan. Lowering his head, he said through clenched teeth, "Second Aunt, I was wrong."

"Ah, it's fine. Are you hurt?" Xu Yan took the food box and wanted to reach out and brush the dirt from Xu Qing's clothes. His face full of humiliation, Xu Qing spun around and bolted from the martial hall like the wind.

"A-Qing..." Xu Yan tried to call after him, but before she could finish, he had already vanished.

She sighed, then turned to look at Xu Qing. Tears suddenly streamed down her face again, but this time they were tears of both heartache and pride.

She reached out and touched Xu Qing's face. Her lips trembled for a long while before she managed to force out, "Qing'er... y-you... are you all right?"

"I'm fine." Xu Qing smiled and took the food box from her. The buns and mutton were covered in dirt, but they could still be eaten after washing.

He turned toward Qin Liang, who was still standing there in a daze, and said with a smile, "Senior Brother Qin, it's almost lunchtime. You don't mind if the buns and mutton have dirt on them, do you?"

Before the fight, Xu Qing had swept his gaze over everyone's expressions. Apart from his aunt and Chen Wang, Qin Liang was the only one who had sincerely worried for him.

Qin Liang abruptly came to his senses and hurriedly replied, "I don't mind, I don't mind! I'll go to the kitchen and get bowls." Before long, he had loaded up some buns and mutton and headed gleefully toward the washroom.

Xu Qing handed the food box to Xu Yan. "Aunt, you should head back first. I'll come see you in a couple of days."

Xu Yan took the food box and opened her mouth. Thinking of Xu Qing, she wanted to say something, but in the end, she said nothing. She merely touched Xu Qing's head again before turning away.

When she reached the entrance, she looked back. Xu Qing stood on the training ground watching her, his back ramrod straight. Sunlight fell over him, making him shine brilliantly.

The nephew she had once held in her arms had grown up.

She suddenly felt that if her eldest brother saw this scene from heaven, he would surely smile as well.

Inner courtyard.

Ning Yun was pouring tea for Zhao Yan. Zhao Yan reclined in a grand master's chair with his eyes half-closed, as though he were about to fall asleep.

Chen Wang came running over in a great flurry, his footsteps thudding against the blue bricks.

"Master!" He first bowed to Zhao Yan, then smiled at Ning Yun. "Senior Brother Ning."

Zhao Yan opened his eyes and glared at him, his tone carrying a hint of feigned anger. "So rash and restless. What kind of conduct is this?"

Chen Wang scratched his head and chuckled. He did not dare talk back.

"Speak. What is it?" Zhao Yan lifted his teacup and blew at the floating leaves.

"Master, it's Junior Brother Xu Qing!" Chen Wang leaned closer, unable to conceal the excitement in his voice. "Junior Brother Xu's Five Elements Fist has already reached minor mastery!"

Without pausing for breath, he recounted everything that had happened in the front courtyard from beginning to end. From Xu Yan bringing lunch, to Xu Qing kicking over the food box, to how Xu Qing had stepped forward and defeated Xu Qing in their spar.

The more Chen Wang spoke, the more excited he became, his voice rising several degrees. "How many days has he been at the martial hall? Three and a half days at most! He reached minor mastery in Five Elements Fist in three days. Xu Qing arrived two months before him, yet he hasn't even touched the threshold of minor mastery! And Stake Training too—after only a few days, Xu Qing is already nearly catching up to Xu Qing's two months of progress!"

He swallowed and cautiously studied Zhao Yan's expression. At last, he could no longer hold back his question. "Master, did... did you really not feel wrong? Junior Brother Xu's talent really is middling to poor?"

Zhao Yan said nothing.

The hand holding his teacup hung in midair, and his brows furrowed slightly.

Bone reading could not be wrong.

This unique skill had been personally passed down by his master. In several decades, it had never made a mistake.

He had personally examined Xu Qing's bone structure, sinews, channels, and blood vitality. He was undeniably of middling-to-poor aptitude. Under normal circumstances, Bright Force would be his limit; as for the threshold of Hidden Force... he was likely unable to cross it.

But how was he to explain what Chen Wang had said?

He had mastered the basics of Stake Training in half an incense stick's time, and reached minor mastery in Five Elements Fist in three days. Let alone someone with middling-to-poor talent, even disciples of excellent talent would struggle to achieve such progress.

Zhao Yan's brow furrowed tighter and tighter.

Unless...

A thought suddenly flashed through his mind—special constitution.

Some people appeared ordinary in talent, yet were born naturally suited to certain cultivation methods or fist arts. Once they found the right path, their early progress would advance a thousand miles in a single day, even faster than ordinary people with excellent talent.

Such people were rare, but they were recorded in books, and he had heard his master mention them before.

Could Xu Qing be one of them?

But upon further thought, Zhao Yan secretly shook his head.

His master had also said that even with a special constitution, it only meant "fast in the early stages."

Talent was still talent. It was the foundation of martial cultivation.

Unless one could find those treasured medicines capable of changing one's talent, middling to poor was still middling to poor. Breaking through to Bright Force would already be the limit.

After Bright Force, the benefits of compatibility with a martial art would become negligible. To still hope to break through Hidden Force through compatibility alone was unlikely. Beyond that, it would be even harder than climbing to heaven.

Talent was the true gift bestowed by the heavens.

At that thought, Zhao Yan raised his teacup and slowly took a sip, his expression returning to calm.

"His talent is middling to poor. There's no mistake." His voice was flat, as though that instant of hesitation had never existed. "His rapid progress is likely because Five Elements Fist suits him."

"Some people are simply born that way. They cannot learn other fist arts, yet pick up one particular style with exceptional speed. But that is only the early stage. Later on, when it is time to get stuck, they will still get stuck."

Chen Wang opened his mouth, wanting to say more, but Zhao Yan stopped him with a look.

"That's enough. I understand. Go back."

Chen Wang was somewhat unwilling, but his master had spoken. He did not dare say another word and could only answer, "Yes," before turning to leave.

"Wait."

It was Ning Yun who spoke.