Leg Techniques

Gao Manor handled matters with decisive efficiency.

Since they had agreed to provide an escort, they assembled the necessary personnel at dawn the next day.

The man leading the group was Xu Rusong, a retainer of Gao Manor known as the "Blue-Robed Sword," and also a Blood-Tempering martial artist at great completion.

Xu Rusong wore a blue robe and carried a sword at his waist. His face was lean and refined; unlike the rough, burly martial men common in the jianghu, he possessed something of a scholar's tranquil composure.

Twenty Gao Manor martial artists stood behind him as well.

At the sight, Wang Qinian finally felt much more at ease.

Several large carts were packed to the brim with medicinal herbs, carefully covered with oilcloth and secured with hemp rope.

The twenty Gao Manor martial artists took positions at the front, rear, and both sides in a strict formation. Xu Rusong held the center, clad in blue with his longsword at his side, his expression solemn. With such a lineup, no insignificant bandit or mountain brigand would dare come looking for trouble.

The journey passed without incident.

A day later, the convoy finally arrived in Scarlet Cloud County.

When Wang Qinian saw the distant walls of Scarlet Cloud County, he let out a long breath.

"We're finally back."

After entering the city, the several carts of medicinal herbs slowly made their way down the long street toward Wang's Ginseng Shop.

Wang Shouyi stood personally at the entrance, with Zhao Yiting, several shop hands, and courtyard guards beside him.

Seeing the convoy arrive, Wang Shouyi immediately broke into a smile and hurried forward.

"Master Ge, Steward Wang, you've worked hard."

He first glanced at the carts. Seeing that the several loads of medicinal herbs had arrived unharmed, relief was plainly visible in his eyes.

Then he turned to Xu Rusong, cupped his hands in salute, and spoke with utmost solemnity.

"Retainer Xu, thank you for having Gao Manor escort us all the way."

Xu Rusong returned the salute calmly. "Shopkeeper Wang, you are too courteous. This was Gao Manor's duty to begin with."

One cart after another was pushed into the rear courtyard. The hemp ropes were untied, the oilcloth lifted, and a rich medicinal fragrance immediately spread through the air.

Zhao Yiting walked over to Lu Chen and looked him over for a while. When he saw the faint bloodstain on Lu Chen's neck, he patted him on the shoulder. "You did well. When Senior Qiao returned, he specifically praised you!"

"He also specifically instructed that, once you returned, you were to visit his courtyard."

Lu Chen paused slightly. "Understood, Captain Zhao."

He did not know what important matter Qiao Yuan had for him, but he hurried over without delay.

When Lu Chen reached the courtyard gate, he straightened his collar slightly and raised a hand to knock.

"Senior Qiao, Lu Chen requests an audience."

After waiting a moment, Qiao Yuan's deep, calm voice came from inside.

"Come in."

In the courtyard, Qiao Yuan stood like a mountain ape. As he looked at Lu Chen, admiration showed between his brows.

Lu Chen cupped his hands in salute. "Senior Qiao."

Seeing Lu Chen arrive, Qiao Yuan did not waste words and went straight to the point. "I have observed that your fist techniques have taken shape. They are nimble and ever-changing, and you are also skilled in a few grappling techniques."

"But your leg techniques are a weakness. You lack explosive power and means of attack."

"When martial artists fight to the death, having no skill below the waist is like a fierce tiger with its claws severed."

"I possess two supreme arts."

"One is the Great Strength Vajra Palm, and the other is the Golden Ape Piercing-the-Forest Leg."

"Today, I will teach you the Golden Ape Piercing-the-Forest Leg. Do you wish to learn it?"

Lu Chen was first stunned, then delight rose in his eyes.

"Senior Qiao, do you mean that?"

"Of course this junior wishes to learn!"

Qiao Yuan was a Blood-Tempering martial artist at great completion and a retainer of Wang's Ginseng Shop. Lu Chen had not the slightest reason to refuse when someone like him was willing to impart his martial arts.

Yet after his delight, several doubts arose in Lu Chen's heart.

Why did Qiao Yuan suddenly want to teach him martial arts?

Could it be that Lu Chen's fight with the man in black that night had given Qiao Yuan the thought of taking him as a disciple?

Or had Qiao Yuan's failed breakthrough changed his state of mind, making him want to find an inheritor for all his martial arts?

At this moment, Qiao Yuan smiled faintly. A trace of the desolation that came with recalling old days appeared on his face as he spoke slowly.

"This old man has roamed the jianghu for thirty years. Since I was eighteen, I have traveled across three mountains, four rivers, and eighteen counties."

"When I was young, I too was high-spirited and full of ambition, believing that beneath the vast heavens, there was nowhere I could not go."

"At that time, this old man had no patron, no sect—only these two hands and these two legs."

As he spoke, he raised his broad, thick hands.

Layer upon layer of calluses covered his palms, and his knuckles were as thick and hard as iron.

"Deep in the old forests of remote mountains, this old man was once pursued by enemies for three days and three nights. In a gorge of jagged rocks, I once relied on a single breath to scale seven cliff faces in succession, then turned and killed the pursuers..."

"These two arts have accompanied this old man until today."

Lu Chen listened quietly.

Those had been Qiao Yuan's youthful years, when he had traveled north and south and fought his way through the jianghu.

Qiao Yuan continued, "But time spares no one. This old man has grown old and no longer possesses the sharpness of his former days. After failing to break through some days ago, I understood something even more clearly."

His voice lowered slightly as he reached this point.

"Human strength has its limits."

For a moment, even the wind in the courtyard seemed to fall silent.

Looking at Qiao Yuan's figure, Lu Chen suddenly felt that this Blood-Tempering martial artist at great completion carried an indescribable desolation about him.

Qiao Yuan's gaze settled on Lu Chen once more.

"This old man does not wish to carry all his skills into the coffin."

"There are many courtyard guards at Wang's Ginseng Shop, but few truly catch my eye."

"But you, this newly arrived lad, have made me see you in a new light."

"I have no intention of taking you as a disciple, but teaching you a leg technique to forge a bond of goodwill would not be bad."

"Perhaps one day, you may even pass this leg technique on."

Warmth rose in Lu Chen's heart, and he bowed deeply in solemn salute.

"Thank you for your high regard, Senior Qiao."

Qiao Yuan's expression turned serious once more. "I will teach you only once."

"How much you learn and how far you master it will depend entirely on your own ability!"

Lu Chen's expression sharpened. "This junior understands."

Qiao Yuan nodded and walked to the center of the courtyard.

"The Golden Ape Piercing-the-Forest Leg draws upon the intent of a mountain ape weaving through dense woods."

"A mountain ape does not travel in straight lines through the forest."

"It borrows trees, borrows rocks, borrows vines, borrows cliff walls. Its advance and retreat carry momentum; every leap has a foundation."

"Thus, this leg technique is not merely about running fast."

"It trains the waist and hips, the ankles, and the strength of the legs..."

Once he finished speaking, he suddenly bent his knees slightly and sank downward.

Lu Chen's gaze narrowed.

Qiao Yuan's stance was unlike ordinary stance training.

His feet stood one before the other, his toes lightly gripping the ground, his knees drawn inward, his waist and hips lowered, while his back arched slightly. His arms hung naturally before him.

From afar, he resembled an old ape crouched atop a mountain rock, ready at any moment to burst forth and pierce through the forest.

Then his feet trembled faintly, and his entire body sprang into the air.

Lu Chen's vision blurred, and Qiao Yuan had already swept away from where he stood.

Qiao Yuan's strides were not large, yet his stepping frequency was incredibly fast.

He darted among several wooden posts in the courtyard, his figure shifting left and right, forward and back. Though every step landed lightly, his speed was as swift as a gray shadow.

More remarkably, he did not simply charge straight ahead.

At times, a tap of his toe against the edge of a post sent him shooting off at an angle. At times, a light hook of his heel against the bluestone made his whole body whirl abruptly. At times, he seemed about to rush forward, only to circle behind a wooden post in the next instant.

The wind was stirred by his movements, and fallen leaves swirled through the courtyard.

Lu Chen's pupils contracted slightly.

This was not ordinary lightness skill meant only to make one run quickly.

It was a footwork technique that could constantly shift one's position in close combat.

At that moment, Qiao Yuan suddenly stopped.

He stood beside a wooden post, his breathing sinking slightly.

"Golden Ape Leap."

The instant the words fell, he stomped down fiercely.

Like a mountain ape leaping across a ravine, his body shot upward in an instant. His toe tapped against the wooden post, and his body swept sideways half a zhang. As he landed, one leg lashed out in a horizontal sweep.

Bang!

The wooden post cracked apart with a sharp snap, and splinters exploded up from the ground.

That kick was fast, fierce, and heavy.

One moment he had been like an ape's shadow piercing the forest; the next, he was like an iron staff sweeping across a mountain.

Lu Chen felt even his chest tremble with the impact.

Qiao Yuan withdrew his leg and stood upright, explaining to Lu Chen, "The Golden Ape Piercing-the-Forest Leg has three forms: the Mountain Ape Stance nurtures the root, the Forest-Piercing Steps seek change, and the Golden Ape Leap trains explosive power."

"Did you see clearly?"

Lu Chen nodded. A translucent screen quietly appeared before his eyes:

[Golden Ape Piercing-the-Forest Leg: Not Initiated]

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