Yi Shuyuan watched with keen interest as the constables of Yuanjiang County gradually grew serious amid their horseplay.
Yi Shuyuan would never look down on the martial skills of those at the Yuanjiang County Office. Even the most ordinary person had something that shone, and he could hardly claim any martial prowess himself. Once they truly began fighting, he discovered that even these constables struck with tremendous force, making for a splendid spectacle.
Everyone on the Training Ground put exceptional effort into every punch and kick that day. Constable Yang even brought out his signature skills, unwilling to lose face before the others.
Whenever something made Yi Shuyuan's eyes light up, he asked the Old Instructor beside him about the details.
"Haaah!"
Yang Pingzhong roared, power erupting throughout his body. His vigor crossed some threshold at that moment, and he sent the two constables clinging to his legs flying.
Thud! Thud!
Yi Shuyuan's eyes immediately lit up. He stared unblinkingly at Yang Pingzhong, able to see a certain aura manifesting around him, different from before.
"Hmph! Come on, you little brats!"
"Get him together!" Thud! Thud! Thud!
Yang Pingzhong fought with ever greater ferocity, while the constables refused to be outdone. Though none drew a blade, they all brought out their true skills. In Yi Shuyuan's eyes, the vigor radiating from each of them also changed.
Yi Shuyuan widened his eyes, unwilling to miss a single detail. Gradually, he discovered that the aura a martial artist exuded at certain moments, and the state they entered, fascinated him more than the finer points of their moves and techniques. It was a strange feeling.
Whenever Yi Shuyuan noticed something that caught his eye, whether a change in aura or technique, he immediately asked the Old Instructor about anything he did not understand. His gaze, however, never left the fighters on the Training Ground.
At first, the Old Instructor cheerfully helped Yi Shuyuan understand the martial skills of everyone at the County Office. Gradually, however, the old man grew increasingly astonished. His gaze frequently left the fighters, returning again and again to study Yi Shuyuan closely.
Though Mr. Yi knew no martial arts, his eye was extraordinarily sharp and discerning. Every detail he focused on belonged to the bailiffs' and constables' proudest skills. Some moments flashed past so quickly that even the Old Instructor missed them, yet Yi Shuyuan noticed.
After explaining another kicking technique, the Old Instructor secretly studied Yi Shuyuan's build and limbs, unable to keep a pang of regret from rising within him.
What a terrible pity!
If Mr. Yi were ten years younger, he would be a superb prospect for martial training. Ah, but he's so learned, he probably thinks little of martial men...
About a quarter of an hour later, everyone on the Training Ground was panting from exerting themselves too hard.
Yang Pingzhong stood alone in the center. Though his face was mottled with bruises, he remained firmly on his feet, hands on his hips, panting as he shouted.
"Hah, hah, hah... Come on! Why aren't you coming? Get up, all of you! Keep fighting!"
Five or six constables lay scattered here and there, with another two or three sprawled together in a heap.
"Hah, hah... No, no more!" "Can't... can't beat you..."
"Ah, Brother Yang's still the best. Hah, hah, hah..."
"G-good... good that you know!"
Panting, Yang Pingzhong looked toward Yi Shuyuan and the Old Instructor, sinking to the ground as he spoke.
"Mr. Yi, forgive our clumsy display..."
Yi Shuyuan could not suppress his amusement, while the Old Instructor mocked them with a smile.
"Already exhausted after that little bit? You're still not working hard enough day to day! Hah, you've made yourselves a laughingstock before Mr. Yi!"
The latter remark was addressed to Yi Shuyuan, but he had no intention of laughing at them. He hurriedly spoke with heartfelt sincerity.
"No, no! The brothers of the constabulary have outstanding martial skills. That splendid fight truly opened my eyes as an outsider. I already have some idea of how to put it into words!"
"That's wonderful!" "Ow... I'll need some ointment when I get back."
"Hah, hah... As long as Mr. Yi is satisfied!"
None of them could possibly train any more. After chatting with Yi Shuyuan a little longer, they left one after another, citing official duties. In Yi Shuyuan's view, however, they probably mainly wanted to apply medicine to their bruises.
And so the martial demonstration ended. Feeling that he had gained something from it, Yi Shuyuan also prepared to leave and bid the Old Instructor farewell.
"Instructor Lu, I've benefited greatly today. It's getting late, so I should take my leave."
"Mm. You're welcome to visit the Training Ground more often, Mr. Yi. Martial arts require plenty of practice. If you want a deeper understanding, you'll need to watch more, too!"
"Certainly! Then I'll take my leave!"
"Very well. Take care, Mr. Yi."
Yi Shuyuan nodded, bowed once more, and headed out of the Training Ground.
The Old Instructor, who had also been about to leave, watched Yi Shuyuan's retreating figure. After some hesitation, he called him back.
"Mr. Yi, a moment!"
Yi Shuyuan stopped and turned.
"Is there something else, Instructor Lu?"
The Old Instructor took several steps toward him. Hesitating, he rummaged inside his robe, then drew out a yellowed booklet and handed it over.
"Instructor, what is this?"
"Mr. Yi, I acquired this in my younger days. The martial art in it isn't particularly sophisticated, but I've also left a lifetime of painstaking work on its pages. Take it back and have a look. With your keen intelligence, understanding the words should pose little difficulty. If anything puzzles you, you can come ask me."
Yi Shuyuan accepted the booklet with a surprised expression. Before he could speak, the Old Instructor continued in an extremely sincere tone.
"If it interests you, you... you could also practice it yourself. But you'll need to buy some medical books and study the meridians and acupoints. If you truly mean to try, be sure to ask me first. I'll always be here to answer your questions."
This book carries considerable weight! Yi Shuyuan nodded and bowed solemnly in thanks.
"Thank you for your kindness, Instructor Lu. I'll study it carefully and strive to make the story vivid and complete!"
"Ah..."
The Old Instructor answered as though wanting to say more, then held his tongue. In the end, he had been unable to resist; Yi Shuyuan's sensitivity to martial arts was simply too astonishing.
Yi Shuyuan did not drag his feet at work that day. In just half a day, he swiftly transcribed and organized several thousand characters, making up for yesterday's work as well.
That afternoon, Yi Shuyuan finally took out the martial arts book he had received at the Training Ground that morning.
The book was made of excellent materials. Though somewhat yellowed, its pages had no obvious damage, and its cover bore neither pictures nor writing.
After examining it, Yi Shuyuan turned to the flyleaf. From this page onward, it was densely covered in rather untidy handwriting, presumably the Old Instructor's, recording all manner of insights and experiences.
Yi Shuyuan frowned as he read every word, yet failed to find a single useful sentence. Instead, it gave him a headache; many of the characters were even smudged together.
"Doesn't it have a name?"
Yi Shuyuan flipped back and forth between the flyleaf and the next few pages, but found no title for this supposed secret manual. He stopped dwelling on it and continued reading.
Fortunately, the Old Instructor's handwriting did not obscure the book's original text. Yi Shuyuan decided to read that through first, then examine the notes the Old Instructor had left.
The original volume contained not a single illustration from beginning to end. Ordinarily, learning martial arts from written descriptions alone was extremely difficult. As far as Yi Shuyuan knew, many martial arts were initially passed directly from master to disciple, requiring hands-on instruction.
Several loose sheets were tucked into the middle of the book, however, all depicting human figures in various stances. Judging by the paper, these had been added later, and were probably drawings the Old Instructor had worked out himself.
With Yi Shuyuan's rich imagination, however, simply understanding the meaning of the text posed little difficulty.
Gradually, Yi Shuyuan grasped the book's general contents. Strictly speaking, it was not a complete martial manual-not because it was a fragment or anything of that sort, but because the entire book essentially recorded a method of channeling force.
Clearly, its author might have lacked descriptive skill. He had written an entire volume at great length, yet much of it, summarized in Yi Shuyuan's own words, amounted to "this is very powerful" or "this makes you incredibly strong."
"Mobilizing all the body's meridians...?"
Yi Shuyuan muttered to himself. The book contained plenty of nonsense, but clearly still had considerable merit. Its author might have possessed impressive martial attainments, just somewhat limited schooling.
Next, Yi Shuyuan tried reading it alongside the Old Instructor's insights, and immediately felt his head swell. The Old Instructor's note-taking habits were clearly unusual, appearing rather chaotic to an outsider. Yi Shuyuan could only grit his teeth and decipher them.
By the time he finished reading it through again, the sun was slanting westward. Still, he now understood the Old Instructor's intentions.
Judging by the rather disordered notes, the Old Instructor also believed this manual had shortcomings, and had done everything possible to remedy them in his own way.
Often, after a long interval, something would suddenly occur to him, and he would add a new idea beside a particular sentence on a particular page, supplementing his earlier annotations. Thus, the whole book looked rather messy.
Fortunately, the Old Instructor had also included drawings.
By now, the Old Instructor probably felt his work was complete. It truly represented a lifetime of painstaking effort!
The greatest benefit of the martial art in this book was tempering the sinews and bones, remedying weaknesses in one's foundation while also generating internal energy, gradually leading into the realm of internal cultivation.
After reading for so long, Yi Shuyuan wanted to try it himself. Though the book had no original illustrations, its descriptions combined with the Old Instructor's drawings were sufficient. For someone with his rich imagination, it posed little difficulty.
Yi Shuyuan set the book down and stood, adopting a stance right there in the Library. This martial art likewise lacked anything that could be called an internal cultivation method. Its internal power arose from several standing stances that transformed the energy of the five grains.
Yi Shuyuan remained standing until the sky darkened. The internal energy already present in his meridians also circulated slowly, so he had no need to undergo some of the complicated stages described in the book. Soon, he could feel changes in his internal energy.
Quite naturally, Yi Shuyuan shifted into another stance. Within moments, he sensed something wrong and moved straight into the next. His internal energy immediately flowed more smoothly.
Then came the third stance, and Yi Shuyuan again frowned slightly. He could sense the tiniest changes in his meridians and acupoints throughout his body. Drawing on the earlier stances and his understanding of the book, he followed his instincts to adjust whatever felt wrong, sometimes guiding his intent with his internal energy, sometimes shifting his posture, and sometimes letting his body tremble gently to disperse stagnant energy.
Before he knew it, night had deepened. Yi Shuyuan had tried or modified all twelve stances in the book. At midnight, his eyes closed as he savored the sensations, he held his arms around empty space and followed his instincts into a thirteenth stance.
"Wuh-roar... guh-roar..."
At that moment, a faint, low roar actually arose from the meridians and organs within Yi Shuyuan's body. His internal energy quivered ceaselessly along with it.
With every breath Yi Shuyuan took, that faint roar sounded again-the vibration of his organs and meridians.
"Grrr..."
This time, it was not a roar, but Yi Shuyuan's stomach growling. He opened his eyes and rubbed his belly. Not only was he hungry, his body felt exhausted.
"This martial art has its merits, but practicing like this is a little too rigid for me."
As he murmured, Yi Shuyuan sat straight down cross-legged. Though he adopted none of the stances, the internal energy in his meridians actually vibrated and circulated just as it had before.
The next moment, a change unlike anything in ordinary martial arts occurred within Yi Shuyuan. Streams of spiritual energy seeped out from every corner of his body, merging into his meridians.
A faint smile appeared on Yi Shuyuan's lips. It really works. I don't need the energy of the five grains or rich medicinal nourishment!
Slowly, the smile faded from Yi Shuyuan's face, leaving it tranquil. Through this method of martial practice, he actually sensed changes in his Inner Scenery. Because of that roaring sound, thunder even rumbled within it.
Daylight gradually faded, then slowly brightened again as time passed...
When the east turned its white belly upward, Yi Shuyuan's eyelids trembled slightly, and he slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air.
"Whew..."
That single breath felt like a gust of wind, stirring dust across the Library floor. It took quite a while to settle.
The book stated that the longer one practiced, the stronger the effects, but prolonged practice would damage the sinews and bones. Too much was as bad as too little; gradually progressing until one could maintain it for two hours represented an excellent attainment. Yet Yi Shuyuan had practiced without interruption from yesterday evening until dawn.
Moreover, Yi Shuyuan now drew parallels between martial arts and the Immortal Dao. He realized that everything in his Inner Scenery was illusory, merely a manifestation reflecting his body. Yet everything in that Inner Scenery was also real, for perhaps cultivating immortality was precisely this process of turning illusion into reality.
Perhaps neither illusion nor reality truly mattered. Yet there was something counterintuitive about it: stirring a thought made it illusory, while leaving it untouched made it real.
Yi Shuyuan opened his eyes, his gaze unfocused, as though he were still observing everything within himself. Last night's insights also accorded with his own path. So it was with martial arts, and so it was with the Immortal Dao. The Dao was everywhere, yet when one tried to see it, a single leaf often blinded the eye to Mount Tai.
Clarity returned to his eyes, and his gaze focused on the doorway. Yi Shuyuan smiled. Day had broken again. Before, he had "cultivated immortality" by staying up at his computer; now, here, he truly was cultivating immortality!
Yi Shuyuan stood and briefly turned his awareness inward. He could tell that what lay within him was no ordinary internal energy. Having arisen from refined spiritual energy, it was more like a combination of spiritual energy and his previous internal energy.
What realm does this count as? What rank would my martial arts hold in the martial world?
"I'd better practice a while longer. I mustn't underestimate the people of this world. I'll ask the Old Instructor another day."
After murmuring this to himself, Yi Shuyuan's thoughts shifted, and a smile appeared on his lips. Today's payday!
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