The next day was rainy. An autumn rain brought a spell of cold, and the weather had already turned chilly.
There was not much work to do in the medicinal fields on a rainy day. He Tianshu led Nie Xiao Er and the others around the fields for a brief circuit before returning.
Zhang Xiaohua was preoccupied with his fist techniques. Once He Tianshu returned, he impatiently asked where Old Yu lived, took up an umbrella, and headed toward the rear courtyard.
Old Yu's residence was some distance from the small courtyard where Zhang Xiaohua and the others lived, though it was quite close to the dining hall. Zhang Xiaohua could not help maliciously wondering whether it had been arranged that way because Old Yu was advanced in years, had trouble walking, and might miss meals otherwise.
Even with martial skills like Old Yu's, he had not reached the realm of strolling through the rain without a drop touching him. Thus, he was staying indoors rather than going out. Zhang Xiaohua knocked on the door and entered.
Old Yu's room was very plain, even tidier than Zhang Xiaohua's little room, save for several extra cabinets. When Zhang Xiaohua entered, Old Yu was sitting cross-legged on the heated brick bed, meditating. Seeing that it was Zhang Xiaohua, he slowly climbed down. Looking at the rain-soaked shoulders of Zhang Xiaohua's clothes, he said, "Zhang Xiaohua, with rain this heavy, why aren't you staying in your room to ponder that sword move? What are you doing here? Could it be that after just one night, you've improved again?"
Zhang Xiaohua gave a bitter smile. "Old Yu, do you think I'm some genius who appears once every fifty years? Those sixteen variations alone would take me a lifetime to figure out, and even then