Hebei Branch Lineage, Xingyi Dragon and Tiger

Qin Geng stood rooted to the spot, staring at the man whose back was turned to him. Shock surged through him like towering waves.

The man before him was the Su Family's chief House Guard, Zhou Yonghe.

His back was as broad as a thick wall. As he wiped down his weapon, the muscles beneath his clothes shifted and rippled like living things.

Qin Geng remembered clearly what Li Gou had told him a month ago: "House Guard Zhou was shot full of holes by Westerners' guns. He was covered in blood."

For an ordinary man, a dozen bullet holes through his body would have left him at the mercy of the King of Hell. Forget being hale and hearty—he might not have survived the month.

Even if he had been lucky enough to live, he would probably have been crippled and bedridden for life.

But did Zhou Yonghe look anything like a man who had been gravely wounded?

Was this what a martial artist's body could become?

Qin Geng swallowed. His longing to learn those so-called fighting arts soared to its peak.

If I could train to that level, why would I ever fear Yi He Shantytown again?

Why would I fear Western guns?

In these chaotic times, that was what it meant to have an Indestructible Diamond Body!

"Chief House Guard!"

Xiao Hong's clear voice broke the silence of the courtyard.

She dipped in a small curtsy. He might be a rough man, but propriety still had to be observed.

"I'm Xiao Hong, from Seventh Madam's household. Madam said her nephew wants to learn some fighting arts and asked you to teach him a thing or two."

"Fine. Leave him here. You can go."

Zhou Yonghe did not turn around. The oiled cloth in his hand rasped against the blade.

Xiao Hong glanced at Qin Geng, her eyes seeming to say, You're on your own. Then she turned and left the courtyard.

Only Qin Geng and Zhou Yonghe remained in the vast stable yard.

Qin Geng did not dare speak. He stood quietly to one side.

Experts had their tempers. Speaking out of turn now would show a lack of sense and only earn the man's dislike.

So he waited in silence.

A quarter of an hour passed before Zhou Yonghe finally polished the cold, gleaming short blade to a shine and slid it into its sheath.

Clang!

With that crisp sound, Zhou Yonghe turned around.

His face was hard as rock, his brow prominent and his eyes sharp as knives. One glance made Qin Geng feel like a lone wolf in the wilderness had fixed its gaze on him. Every hair on his body stood on end.

"You're from Seventh Madam's family?"

Zhou Yonghe looked him up and down, his gaze pausing for a moment on Qin Geng's calves, thickened by years of pulling a cart.

"Seventh Madam is my aunt."

Qin Geng answered without servility or arrogance.

"What do you do?"

"I pull a cart in Ping'an County Town."

"Got beaten trying to claim a spot, so now you want to learn martial arts?"

Zhou Yonghe smiled.

"Yes."

Qin Geng neither denied it nor made excuses.

He had been beaten. There was nothing to hide.

A man should know shame, then find his courage.

Seeing his forthright answer, Zhou Yonghe gave a slight nod.

"How old?"

"Sixteen."

"A little late."

Zhou Yonghe shook his head. "Your bones and sinews are already set. Starting now, you're unlikely to achieve much."

Qin Geng's heart sank, but he did not dare interrupt.

"Can you read?"

Zhou Yonghe asked the question out of nowhere.

"Yes!"

Qin Geng answered at once, afraid a moment's hesitation would get him thrown out. "My family was fairly well-off when I was young. I spent a few years at a private school. I can read the characters used in the Great Xin Dynasty."

That was also why people around Xu Jin's Shanty were willing to address him respectfully as "Brother Xiao Wu."

In an age where illiteracy was everywhere, being able to read and write was a skill that lent a man dignity.

Unfortunately, his good-for-nothing father had taken to gambling and lost every last bit of the family fortune. Qin Geng, once a young master, had been reduced to begging.

"If you can read, that's enough."

Zhou Yonghe nodded.

He made no move to get up and teach Qin Geng a stance. He did not even look at him properly again.

Instead, he walked straight into a small room nearby. After rummaging around, he came out with a yellowed, thread-bound booklet.

Whoosh!

The booklet flew straight at Qin Geng, cutting through the air.

Qin Geng reacted quickly and caught it in one hand.

"This is what I trained with when I was young. It comes from the Zhou Family Xingyi Lineage of Hebei."

Zhou Yonghe sat back down on the long bench. "It contains the methods of training, nourishment, and killing—the real thing, all three joined as one. Ordinary people could knock their heads bloody and spend a thousand silver dollars without learning even a scrap of it. I'm giving it to you to repay Seventh Madam for asking for medicine on my behalf back then."

Qin Geng looked down. Four vigorous characters were written across the cover: Xingyi Dragon and Tiger.

"Take it home, read it, and train by what you see. I won't teach you. Whether you manage to learn it depends on your own fortune."

Zhou Yonghe continued, "Bring it back to me in a month, exactly as it is. If the book gets lost or damaged..."

"Come back with your head in your hands."

Qin Geng's heart jolted. A chill crept over the back of his neck.

That was no joke.

The man before him had seen blood and killed people.

"Rest assured. I'll guard the book with my life!"

Qin Geng carefully tucked the booklet inside his clothes against his chest. He pressed a hand over it through the fabric, as though afraid it might sprout wings and fly away.

"One more thing."

Zhou Yonghe lowered his head and resumed sharpening his knife. "Don't pass it on."

"I know the rules."

Qin Geng nodded firmly.

Zhou Yonghe waved a hand, dismissing him.

Qin Geng took the hint, bowed, and turned to leave the stable yard.

Though he had a thousand questions—how to practice the training method, how to use the killing method—he did not dare ask a single one.

He understood perfectly well that Zhou Yonghe had given him the booklet solely for his aunt's sake, to repay a favor.

As for teaching him personally? That was a dream.

The man was the chief House Guard, an honored guest of the Su Family. Why would he spend his time teaching a poor cart-puller?

Getting the booklet at all was already a heaven-sent opportunity.

Outside the Su residence, Qin Geng stood on bustling Ninggan Street and looked back at its imposing vermilion gates.

High walls and sprawling courtyards stretched away behind them.

This is how a man ought to live.

Qin Geng made a silent vow. One day, I'll make something of myself and live in a mansion grander than this. I'll marry a dozen or more concubines, too, and everyone in Tianjin Guard will have to call me "Fifth Master" with respect!

He touched Xingyi Dragon and Tiger again, his eyes burning.

That day won't be far off.

He turned, and his figure vanished into the crowded street.

The trip had been worth it.

His aunt had introduced him to House Guard Zhou and helped him obtain a martial arts manual worth more than gold. She had not even kept the five silver dollars; she had returned every one.

That kindness weighed as heavily as Mount Tai.

I have to make something of myself. I can't let Aunt suffer the slightest grievance.

By the time Qin Geng returned to Xu Jin's Shanty, the sun had not yet reached its peak.

The shantytown was quiet. The adults had all gone to work, leaving only a few bare-bottomed children playing in the mud.

Xu Chun and Uncle Jin were nowhere to be seen.

Qin Geng ducked into his shanty, shut the door tight, and braced it with a wooden stick.

On his way back, he had stopped at a stationery shop and spent a hefty sum on a thick stack of xuan paper, an inkstick, and a brush.

Paper and writing tools in the Great Xin Dynasty really were expensive. The prices were daylight robbery.

The Westerners' white paper and short sticks called "pencils" were cheaper, but Qin Geng was not used to them. Western paper was also too slick to absorb ink; brushstrokes tended to bleed across it. If the writing blurred and he trained the wrong way, that would be no laughing matter.

He spread paper across his rickety wooden table, ground the ink, and washed his hands. Only then did he solemnly take Xingyi Dragon and Tiger from inside his clothes.

He opened the first page.

An air of antiquity seemed to rise from it.

Qin Geng held his breath and focused, copying every word and diagram.

It was also his first close reading of the martial arts manual.

The more he copied, the greater his astonishment grew—and the more bitter his mouth felt.

This wasn't martial arts training. It was burning money!

"The essence of Xingyi lies in three methods. The killing method is its application, the training method its foundation, and the nourishing method its source."

"The killing method consists of moves for wounding and killing. This book records the Three Dragon Fists: Coiling Dragon, Clawing Strike, and Earth Dragon Turns Over; the Three Tiger Fists: Pouncing Strike, Tail Scissor, and Tiger Guards the Cave; and the final killing move—Dragon-Tiger Combined Strike."

But a line of small print beneath the killing method made it plain: those who had not attained Bright Force must not train these moves by force. Otherwise, the power would turn back upon them, snapping tendons and breaking bones at best, rupturing their organs at worst.

"The heart of the training method is the Three-Body Stance standing practice, combining the three external harmonies and three internal harmonies with the Six Harmonies Breathing Method."

"When standing, one must be like a coiled dragon and a crouching tiger, sinking the breath to the lower abdomen, tempering sinews and bones, and circulating energy through the body."

Qin Geng read this part with keen interest.

It was work worn smooth by patient effort. It called for diligence and perseverance, and he had no shortage of either.

But when he reached the final nourishing method, his hand trembled so badly he nearly dripped ink onto the paper.

Scholarship Is Cheap, Martial Arts Are Expensive. The ancients weren't lying.

The book stated plainly that martial artists consumed enormous amounts of blood and vital energy.

If one did nothing but train without knowing how to nourish the body, one was spending one's life away. The harder one trained, the faster one died.

"When first beginning, eat a pound of meat daily to replenish blood and vital energy."

"After mastering the basics of standing practice, supplement it daily with Bone-Strengthening Powder. Formula: angelica root, astragalus root, tiger bone (cattle bone may be substituted), deer antler..."

"To break through to Bright Force, bathe in a medicinal bath called Dragon-Tiger Decoction once every three days, tempering the body with a hundred herbs..."

Qin Geng silently worked out the cost.

Just the pound of meat a day would cost nearly a hundred copper coins at current prices, even if he bought the cheapest pork offal.

As for the tonics and medicinal baths that came later...

By his rough estimate, a single dose of medicine would cost at least one silver dollar!

"A silver dollar a day... I'd be eating silver dollars!"

Qin Geng stared at the densely written prescriptions, his teeth aching at the thought.

No wonder Zhou Yonghe had said ordinary people could not learn this. Even if they got hold of it, they could not train without money.

This was not martial arts training. It was swallowing gold!

But if I can master it, the money will be worth it!

The level described in the book set his heart racing: "Temper the sinews and bones through standing practice until the blood and vital energy within grow heavy as lead and mercury and roar like thunder when they surge. When a punch cracks like a whip, that is Bright Force—also called 'reaching the next level.'"

At that point, Lai Tou would be nothing more than a single punch.

Qin Geng steadied himself and copied the text stroke by stroke.

He kept writing until dusk, when the light in the shanty grew so dim he could barely see the words. At last, he finished copying all of Xingyi Dragon and Tiger.

Qin Geng compared the copies carefully, confirming that he had made no mistakes or omissions.

Then he fetched the large wooden chest where he hid his money, wrapped Zhou Yonghe's original booklet in oiled paper, and locked it at the very bottom.

He tucked his handwritten copy beneath the straw mat at the head of his bed, where he could reach it at any time.

Once he had finished, a fierce hunger struck. It felt as though a hand were clawing at his stomach.

"I'm starving... Using my head is more exhausting than pulling a cart."

Qin Geng rubbed his belly. "I won't take the cart out today. I'll eat my fill first, then come back and see what this Three-Body Stance feels like."

He glanced at the sky outside, pocketed some money, and headed straight for the familiar braised offal stall.

"Boss, a big bowl of braised offal, with extra sausage ends! And ten large griddle breads!"

Qin Geng called out as soon as he sat down.

Seeing a customer who spent freely, the stallkeeper grinned from ear to ear and brought him a bowl filled to the brim.

Qin Geng bent over the food and ate ravenously. As the hot braised offal filled his stomach, the frantic hunger slowly eased.

By the time he had eaten his fill and returned to the shanty, night had fallen completely.

Uncle Xu, Xu Chun, and the others had finished work too. They were gathered around a charcoal brazier, chatting.

When Qin Geng came in, Uncle Xu asked, "Xiao Wu, how come I didn't see you out with your cart today? You only just got that new one. Don't let it rust."

"Uncle Xu, I went into town today. I had something to see my aunt about."

Qin Geng did not go into detail about learning martial arts. Wealth was best kept out of sight, and before he had mastered any skills, it would be unwise to talk about them everywhere.

No one pressed him. After a tiring day, they chatted a little, then all lay down and fell asleep.

Soon, snores rose and fell throughout the shack.

But Qin Geng could not sleep.

He lay with his eyes open in the dark, listening to the wind outside.

After about half an hour, when he was sure everyone was fast asleep, he quietly got up, threw on his clothes, and slipped out of the shack like a cat.

He went to an empty patch of ground not far from the shacks.

It was an abandoned threshing ground overgrown with weeds. Usually, nothing living came there but stray dogs.

Clouds covered half the moon, leaving only a dim light.

Qin Geng took a deep breath. Following the instructions in Xingyi Dragon and Tiger, he set his feet apart, neither square nor angled.

"Hold your head as if suspended from above, and touch your tongue to the roof of your mouth."

"Sink your shoulders and drop your elbows; hollow your chest and extend your back."

"Sink your qi into your dantian, and keep your tailbone centered."

Slowly, he settled into the Three-Body Stance.

At first, it simply felt awkward.

The posture looked simple, but meeting the book's requirements—placing every muscle and every bone just right—was extremely difficult.

Still, he had pulled a cart for three years. In the past month especially, Divine Stride and Endless Breath had strengthened him. His footing was steadier than most people's, and his control over his body was far beyond theirs.

Little by little, Qin Geng found the feeling.

His legs seemed rooted in the earth, while his spine arched slightly like a great dragon.

Then he began to coordinate the stance with the Six Harmonies Breathing Method.

With each inhale, his abdomen drew in slightly, like a whale swallowing water.

With each exhale, his abdomen swelled, like a toad calling.

As he breathed, his body began to rise and fall almost imperceptibly, as though he had become a great bow being drawn inch by inch.

Time passed in the stillness.

An ordinary beginner standing in the Three-Body Stance would have legs shaking like grain in a sieve after the time it took to drink a cup of tea.

But Qin Geng stood there for a full half hour without moving a hair!

Just then, a familiar hum suddenly sounded in his mind.

The glowing panel of the Book of a Hundred Trades appeared silently in the dark, golden words flowing down it.

[Congratulations!]

[New profession unlocked: Martial Artist (Level 1)]

[Experience: 1/10]

[Hint: Raise the Martial Artist profession to Level 5 to choose to unlock the talent—Dragon Spine Through the Back (Level 1)]

[Dragon Spine Through the Back (Level 1):]

[The core of a Martial Artist lies in the waist and stance. Power begins at the heels, is governed by the waist, and is released through the back.]

[The great dragon of your spine will undergo a transformation, making it unlike that of ordinary people. Your vertebrae will be thick yet flexible, and your great tendons will snap with the force of bowstrings.]

[The muscles of your back will become taut with power. When you exert force, they will roll like a monstrous dragon turning over and snap into motion in an instant, greatly increasing your explosive power and resistance to blows.]

As Qin Geng read line after line, heat surged through his chest. His eyes shone brighter than the stars above.

It really worked!

He didn't need a master to teach him step by step. He didn't need to bow to anyone's moods!

As long as he had the Book of a Hundred Trades, as long as he was willing to work hard and grind for experience, he could find his way in martial arts and become a grandmaster on his own!

"Dragon Spine Through the Back..."

Qin Geng murmured, feeling a faint tingling along his spine.

Just from that description, he could tell it was an immensely powerful talent!

And if he paired it with the speed of Divine Stride...

Qin Geng clenched his fist and swung it sharply through the air.

"Whoosh—"

The wind whistled off his fist.