The next day, Liu Qiang brought a thin book to Huang Xiao.
After taking it, Huang Xiao looked at the words "Coiling Snake Hand" on the cover and could not help thinking, What sort of book is this? He had read quite a few books. Naturally, he had read Sage Kong's books the most, but he had read many others too. He did not seem to have heard of such a book, and its title was as far apart as heaven and earth from those of the books he had read.
Seeing Huang Xiao staring blankly at the book, Liu Qiang hurriedly asked, "Brother Huang, is something wrong with this book?"
"Oh, no. This is my first time seeing a book like this. It's different from all the books I've read before, so I got a little curious and lost myself for a moment," Huang Xiao said with a smile.
"Haha! Of course it's different, of course it is! This is-" At this point, Liu Qiang abruptly clamped his mouth shut.
"What is it?" Huang Xiao had not noticed the change in Liu Qiang. When he stopped, Huang Xiao could not help picking up the thread and asking.
Liu Qiang hesitated for a while. Although he did not know what this book was, he did know it was a martial arts manual, one he had obtained by chance. However, he could not read, so naturally he did not know what the book actually said, much less how to practice it. That was why he had always wanted to find someone literate to explain it to him. Yet he did not want others to know about this martial arts manual, especially people from Wulin. After all, he had obtained it himself. If someone else saw it, would that not simply let them reap the benefit? So he thought he ought to find someone who knew no martial arts to read it for him. Most literate people were probably licentiates, so he had instructed his brothers to invite any licentiates or other scholars they encountered down the mountain.
However, they were merely ordinary commoners who had gathered together. Relying on their strength in numbers, they only dared rob wealthy landlords of some of their property on secluded trails. They did not dare rob people on the main roads at all. If they did that and provoked the authorities into putting them on a wanted list, they would be in trouble. Thus, they had never found anyone literate until Huang Xiao appeared.
"Actually, this is a martial arts manual." In the end, Liu Qiang told him the truth. He knew that even if he said nothing, once Huang Xiao finished reading its contents, he would recognize it as a martial arts manual even though he knew no martial arts.
"Oh? So this is a martial arts manual?" Huang Xiao exclaimed in surprise. Although he was a licentiate who had previously read only the books of sages and worthies and had never met anyone from Jianghu, he still knew a little about it. For instance, books recorded assassins and wandering swordsmen from ancient times and the like. These were the so-called people of Jianghu.
"That's right. Brother Huang, once you understand it, could you tell me how to practice the martial arts in it?" Liu Qiang asked.
"I can't promise that. After all, I don't understand martial arts. Of course, if I do understand it, I'll naturally tell you everything." Huang Xiao was not deceiving Liu Qiang. He truly did not know whether he could understand a martial arts manual. He had never come into contact with such things.
With that, Huang Xiao opened the book and began reading it carefully.
"Coiling Snake Hand, an External Locking Art, takes the form of a long snake's nimble winding, its force like a long snake's coils locking around the body. A method of coiling, an art of locking others, trapping them in a state where they cannot move..."
Huang Xiao spent a full four hours reading through the Coiling Snake Hand manual, which had only eleven pages. As a licentiate, he naturally recognized every character in the book, and its wording was extremely simple and clear, unlike the profound and difficult books of sages and worthies he had read before.
Huang Xiao could read and understand the book's general meaning, and naturally grasped it in his mind as well. However, it also involved quite a few martial arts terms that he did not understand very well, so truly comprehending it was no easy matter. Even now, he was still somewhat muddled.
"Brother Huang, how is it?" Liu Qiang hurriedly asked when he saw Huang Xiao close the manual.
Huang Xiao let out a long breath and said apologetically, "Chief Liu, this book does indeed contain a martial art. It's called Coiling Snake Hand, and it's a seizing art."
"Coiling Snake Hand? A seizing art? Good! A fine name, a fine martial art!" After hearing this, Liu Qiang was immensely excited. He had studied martial arts as a child and knew a few moves. Bringing down three to five ordinary men was certainly no problem, but he also understood that he knew only the barest surface of martial arts and had no particular moves he excelled at.
Now that he heard Huang Xiao's words, he was naturally overjoyed. A seizing art-regardless of how good this martial art was, if he learned it, his strength would certainly improve greatly.
"Brother Huang, how do I practice it? Hurry and tell me," Liu Qiang asked urgently.
An embarrassed look appeared on Huang Xiao's face, and he answered quietly, "Chief Liu, don't be anxious. I don't know how to practice it either!"
"What? How could that be?" Liu Qiang's expression changed. This was undoubtedly a thunderbolt out of a clear sky. Just moments ago, Huang Xiao had given him tremendously good news, yet now he said he did not know how to practice it. This was an utterly crushing blow that plunged him into despair.
"Chief Liu, hear me out," Huang Xiao hurriedly said. "I mean I don't know how to practice it yet, because there are still some things in it I haven't grasped. As you know, I don't know martial arts, so I'll have to ponder some of it carefully. But I'm confident that, given a little time, I can tell you the method of practice."
After hearing Huang Xiao's explanation, Liu Qiang finally breathed a sigh of relief. Spending a little more time was nothing. After all, he had already waited so long; there was no need to rush this moment.
"Brother Huang, I was too impatient just now. But may I ask how much time you'll need?" Liu Qiang asked.
Huang Xiao considered it, then said, "Ten days to half a month at most."
As soon as he said this, Huang Xiao noticed Liu Qiang's expression change, so he hurriedly added, "Three to five days at the least. I imagine you know martial arts, Chief Liu, so it might be better if we studied some of the specialized martial arts terms together."
"Good, good, good! Although my martial arts aren't much, I do understand a little. Tell me what you don't understand. Let me hear it, and perhaps I can explain it to you," Liu Qiang said, nodding hurriedly.
During their exchange, Liu Qiang explained a few things to Huang Xiao, but the vast majority baffled Liu Qiang as well. Thus, they could only rely on Huang Xiao to help puzzle out the rest.
Only when Liu Qin came over to call them to eat did Huang Xiao and Liu Qiang emerge from their discussion. Huang Xiao discovered that, without realizing it, he seemed to have become immersed in it. This was different from studying the books of sages and worthies. That had been for the imperial examinations, and even if he did not understand something, he had to force himself to memorize it. This martial art, however, was different. He did not dare be the slightest bit careless. According to Liu Qiang, practicing martial arts was fraught with danger. Once one suffered cultivation deviation, the milder outcome was serious injury, while the worse was death. However, Liu Qiang also explained that this applied to people of Jianghu who had developed internal power. Someone like him, who had no internal cultivation method, did not need to worry about cultivation deviation.
Of course, even if cultivation deviation would not occur, mistakes in the method of practicing a martial art would still cause some harm to the body. In serious cases, they could even endanger one's life.