Over the next few days, Zhang Qingyuan made money like mad while Zhang Junbao studied diligently.
They got up early every morning to exercise, went about their own business during the day, then returned at night to continue studying martial arts.
After seven days of this, Zhang Qingyuan and Auntie Li had become friends despite their age gap, with nothing they could not discuss.
Like a friend to all women, Zhang Qingyuan moved among the various aunties, helping them resolve their troubles.
Happily, Auntie Li's grandson had been born, and she specifically invited Zhang Qingyuan to name him.
Arriving at Zhao Pengju's home, Zhang Qingyuan looked at the newborn child.
"This child has a full forehead and a broad, well-shaped chin, the marks of someone who will sway the martial world. Like a dragon swimming through water, he will soar straight into the clouds and survey the universe. Call him Zhao Yun, with the courtesy name Zilong."
Zhao Pengju had little interest in Zhang Qingyuan. He only knew that the man had told his mother's fortune, got along well with her, and had earned her considerable trust.
He knew Zhang Qingyuan was a fraud, but as long as his mother was happy, he would let him be.
Yet today, his mother had invited the man home to name his newborn son.
He had already settled on a name himself: Zhao Jian. In the future, the boy would follow in his footsteps and join the Cangshan Sword Sect to study martial arts.
He had initially been somewhat displeased with Zhang Qingyuan usurping the host's place in his own home, but that name really did sound imposing.
Zhao Yun, Zhao Zilong. Hmm, that would do.
Once the boy joined the Cangshan Sword Sect and ventured into the martial world, introducing himself as Zhao Zilong of Cangshan would indeed sound better than Zhao Jian of Cangshan.
Zhang Qingyuan nodded to Zhao Pengju. Zhao Pengju wanted nothing to do with a wandering swindler like him, but on an occasion like this, he could hardly say much, so he responded politely.
He wanted to remain mere nodding acquaintances with Zhang Qingyuan, but Zhang Qingyuan wanted to draw him into his inner circle.
Well now, still looking? I'm coming to reel you in!
From that day onward, Zhang Qingyuan had been thinking about having Junbao study martial arts.
There was no need to worry about fighting moves. Junbao's understanding and creation of techniques galloped through the heavens, utterly unrestrained.
But moves alone were useless. To advance further, he needed internal cultivation as his foundation.
What were moves?
Moves were like a Type 95 rifle. No matter how keenly its triangular bayonet was sharpened, its power was limited.
What was internal power?
Internal power was like 5.56 mm rifle ammunition. Only by making the bullets could one bring out the rifle's full power.
Without internal power supporting their moves, even the greatest genius would have a limited ceiling.
In The Smiling, Proud Wanderer, Linghu Chong could indeed kill with the Nine Swords of Dugu without any internal power, and kill plenty of people at that. Some people said, wasn't that precisely because his swordsmanship was so exquisite?
But the people Linghu Chong killed were all rank-and-file fighters.
Put him up against an established master and see whether he could still handle things with such ease.
Besides, the ceiling for martial arts in this world was considerably higher than in The Smiling, Proud Wanderer. The higher a world's martial power, the greater the role of internal power.
Think of those thirty-meter blades, Three Parts Return to Origin Qi, or opening the heavenly gate with a single sword strike...
Without internal power to sustain them, how could moves alone possibly contend with those?
Although Zhang Junbao already possessed internal power, it did not belong to any internal cultivation method. Having never studied internal cultivation, he did not even know the course his own internal power took.
He could eventually work out a supreme internal cultivation method on his own, but what about the time that would take?
The Zhang Junbao of every world had one problem: he made his name too late.
In The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber, Zhang Junbao had already been in his thirties by the time he figured things out.
After holding the martial world in check for sixty years, he was already eighty or ninety.
I'm seventeen now. If I don't make a splash while I'm young, am I really supposed to wait until thirty to start my enterprise?
So the best approach was to find a teacher who knew internal cultivation.
He would not need to divulge his sect's martial arts, only offer a few pointers.
As long as Zhang Junbao understood the principles of internal cultivation and the paths of the meridians, he could use the ideas in the scriptures as his guide and his extraordinary imagination to create countless martial arts.
It sounded like a tale from the Arabian Nights, but the boy really was that monstrous a genius.
In The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber, he had created the entire Wudang Sect from just one-third of the Nine Yang Divine Skill!
Some people had a gift for learning martial arts, like Zhang Wuji. After mastering the Nine Yang Divine Skill, he could quickly reach great mastery in whatever martial art he learned.
There were countless geniuses like that, each capable of being a protagonist.
But few could create supreme martial arts of their own. Across all of Jin Yong's martial arts novels, only a handful were famous for it.
The legendary Damo, the legendary Dugu Qiubai, the legendary Huang Chang, the legendary Xiaoyaozi, and Zhang Sanfeng.
People of their caliber might not be the male lead, but they were more important than the male lead.
Because they were fortuitous opportunities!
And Zhang Qingyuan had set his sights on Zhao Pengju mainly because he wanted him to help Zhang Junbao take that first step from zero to one.
But so far, his relationship with Zhao Pengju had not reached that point. The man would not accept his invitation, especially when internal cultivation was involved.
So the best way to break the ice was still through Auntie Li.
Through their interactions over the past few days, Zhang Qingyuan had learned that Zhao Pengju was a filial son.
As luck would have it, coaxing old ladies was Zhang Qingyuan's greatest specialty.
In his previous life, he had set his branch's record by selling eighteen homes in a month. Seventeen of those had been sold to elderly men and women.
Although the last home had not been sold to an old lady, the seller had also been forced into it by his mother.
There was a reason swindlers always liked targeting older people. They were easy to hoodwink.
For the time being, Zhang Qingyuan held his position, but over the next few days, he grew even closer to Auntie Li.
"Morning, Auntie."
"Here, here, let me carry that. At your age, you're still doing this heavy work?"
"Your grandson's doing well, isn't he...? I told you he was blessed. When he grows up, if he studies letters, he'll be the top scholar; if he studies martial arts, he'll be the martial alliance leader."
"A carpenter? Why look for a carpenter? I know how to repair houses!"
"Oh my, you made this? It smells wonderful. Ah, eating your cooking makes me think of my mother. Sob..."
"Yes, Auntie, I have a junior brother too. He's a martial arts fanatic, so obsessed with learning that he's practically possessed. He shuts himself indoors all day studying martial arts. But tell me, he knows nothing and has never learned a thing. What the hell can he possibly learn from his imagination alone?"
"My junior brother? Still the same. When I came out today, I saw him practicing from a meridian chart again."
In five days, Zhang Qingyuan and Auntie Li had grown closer still. All that remained was to make her his godmother.
Of course, he had also successfully let Auntie Li know that he had a martial arts fanatic for a junior brother.
And in Zhang Qingyuan's telling, this junior brother became a dim-witted martial arts fanatic who did no work, lived off his senior brother, and behaved as though possessed every day.
Auntie Li felt terribly sorry for him and packed up her stall early that day to go home.
Sure enough, an hour later, Zhao Pengju came toward him with a sword in hand and murder on his face.
"Big brother, big brother, don't attack! Let's talk this through. Have you forgotten? I even named your son!"
Zhang Qingyuan retreated repeatedly. Barely restraining his anger, Zhao Pengju shouted at him, "What have you been telling my mother?"
Backed into a corner, Zhang Qingyuan wore an innocent expression. "I haven't said anything!"
"Could you stay away from my mother?"
"Brother Ju, I don't know anything! Even if I have to die, at least let me know why!"
"My mother went to the escort agency looking for me and insisted that I teach you two martial arts. She doesn't understand, but surely you people who roam the martial world do?
A sect's martial arts are its public face. Teaching them privately without permission is betraying your sect!
You're still young. If you want to learn martial arts, go find yourself a master. If I catch you fooling my mother again, don't blame me for showing no mercy with my sword!"
Zhao Pengju was irritated. He had long suspected that Zhang Qingyuan was up to no good.
Previously, he had thought Zhang Qingyuan only wanted to swindle his mother out of some money, so seeing how happy she was, he had let him be.
Only today had he learned that this bastard had actually set his sights on his martial arts!
Damn it, this was intolerable!
Looking at the chilling sword blade, Zhang Qingyuan cautiously shifted a step and explained, "I wasn't coveting your martial arts. Auntie Li misunderstood."
"Hah, still trying to argue? This martial arts fanatic junior brother is just your excuse."
Zhang Qingyuan looked distressed. "Ah, it's true. I really do have a martial arts fanatic for a junior brother. If you don't believe me, come and see."
Zhao Pengju was suspicious. He thought it over. They're just two youngsters, after all. I might as well go. What could they possibly do to me?
"Move." Zhao Pengju grabbed his collar. "If you're lying, I'll get rid of you both, even if it breaks my mother's heart."
"Heh heh, surely you're joking."