"To be precise, they're clearing out the disobedient aristocratic families and replacing them with fresh blood. Perhaps Deng Guang has a faction behind him too, and plans to use his troops to carve out power for himself."
Xu Da spoke helplessly.
Chen Tie fell silent. In troubled times, minor factions that rashly chose sides could only become cannon fodder.
"Let's not talk about that," Shen Yan hurriedly changed the subject. "Junior Brother Chen is an independent martial artist. Though he has no lineage backing him, at least he's free and unfettered."
Chen Tie also changed the subject. "Speaking of which, I don't think we've seen Junior Brother Zhang for a while."
"Junior Brother Zhang seems to have been sent out of the city by Master Mo to suppress bandits. As Master Mo puts it, fist techniques are forged through fighting. You can't become a true martial artist without drawing blood," Xu Da explained.
Chen Tie nodded slightly as well.
"Senior brothers, let me offer you a toast."
The three raised their cups again, and amid the passing cups and clinking goblets, the meal soon ended.
Chen Tie led Chen Xi home by the hand.
Halfway there, Chen Xi suddenly looked up and said, "Brother, I want to practice martial arts too!"
Taken aback, Chen Tie bent down and picked her up. He saw an unwavering resolve in her young eyes.
"Why do you want to practice martial arts?"
"Brother, you all say these are troubled times, and everyone needs the ability to protect themselves. You take me to the martial hall every day because you're afraid it isn't safe for me to stay home alone, don't you? I understand all that."
Seeing how serious Chen Xi looked, Chen Tie could only agree.
"All right. I'll ask Junior Sister Mo tomorrow and see what she says."
The next day, Chen Tie brought Chen Xi to the martial hall and found Mo Fang busy in the medicine hall.
"May I ask, Junior Sister Mo, is there an age restriction for taking disciples at the White Crane Martial Arts Hall?"
"Senior Brother Chen, you want Chen Xi to practice martial arts too, don't you? There isn't an age restriction. The White Crane Martial Arts Hall has young disciples who are ten years old too." Mo Fang stopped what she was doing. "But she's still young, so she can only do simple martial training, mainly learning techniques and movements. As for her Qi and blood, she'll have to wait for them to grow gradually as her body develops."
Chen Tie nodded slightly at that. At least she could get an early introduction to the martial path.
"Then sorry for the trouble, Junior Sister Mo. Please take Chen Xi to the White Crane Martial Arts Hall."
Chen Tie hurriedly took out the required silver and handed it to Mo Fang, who took Chen Xi to the White Crane Martial Arts Hall that morning.
Chen Tie practiced in the martial hall as usual. Even among the veteran disciples, he was known as a training fanatic.
"Senior Brother Chen is incredible. He comes a little later than he used to, but he never slacks off in training!"
"Senior Brother Chen is a true role model for us all. I need to learn from him!"
"What are you still standing around for? Go train!"
The sky gradually darkened, and the day's training was drawing to an end.
Chen Tie exhaled a breath of stale air. He could feel the Qi and blood throughout his body gradually boiling, as though his flesh were slowly burning, with force continually being born within it.
"I'm not far from breaking through!"
Just then, Mo Fang returned to the Fierce Tiger Martial Hall with Chen Xi.
Chen Xi skipped over and hugged Chen Tie's thigh.
"Brother, practicing martial arts really is interesting!"
Mo Fang couldn't help smiling either. "In that respect, she does take after you. The White Crane Martial Arts Hall has quite a few young disciples sent there by wealthy households. Most are at an age when they only want to play, and making them train is like driving ducks onto a perch. But Chen Xi is clearly different. Though her aptitude is average, she seems very interested in martial arts."
Chen Tie couldn't help feeling surprised. This little girl actually liked practicing martial arts.
Though martial training cost money, given his current circumstances, supporting one more person wasn't much of a problem. Besides, Chen Xi didn't need to break through in a short time. She could simply build her foundation slowly.
"Sorry for the trouble, Junior Sister Mo."
After bidding Mo Fang farewell, Chen Tie took Chen Xi home.
After dinner, Chen Xi eagerly took out a book and began reading it, looking very serious.
Chen Tie leaned over for a look and found several drawings of the human body, accompanied by extensive written annotations. The handwriting was graceful and neat, probably a woman's. He couldn't help exclaiming softly.
"This is the White Crane Stance Art?!"
"Yes, brother. Sister Mo was afraid I wouldn't remember, so she drew these especially for me and added the writing too. This is what I practiced today."
Having read through the book once, Chen Xi immediately assumed a White Crane Stance Art posture in the courtyard.
One foot was planted firmly, like a crane's foot taking root, while the other touched down lightly, like a crane testing the water. Her shoulders sank without hunching, and her arms were half raised, like crane wings poised to spread but not yet extended. Her back was slightly drawn in and lifted, her neck upright, like a white crane stretching its neck.
Though Chen Xi's movements were unpracticed, they already clearly had the proper form.
Chen Tie's eyes immediately lit up. Outwardly, this White Crane Stance Art resembled a standing crane, concealing supple force within the body. It was a stance art focused on internal accumulation.
He picked up the book on the table and examined it. Finding that it contained not only the White Crane Stance Art but its corresponding techniques as well, a bold idea arose in his mind.
He might as well practice the White Crane Stance Art too!
After all, a ready-made martial art was right before his eyes. With Proficiency at his disposal, practicing another art would be no problem at all.
Besides, in this era, people didn't particularly mind martial arts being passed on to outsiders. After all, the major martial halls themselves accepted disciples from outside.
With that thought, Chen Tie read the book several times to make sure he had missed nothing. After Chen Xi went to sleep, he immediately assumed the White Crane Stance Art posture as described in the book.
He slowly raised both arms, like a white crane spreading its wings. His posture was leisurely, without the slightest ferocity, his skin and flesh relaxed as though they held no strength at all.
At that moment, Chen Tie was like a crane standing among chickens, gazing ahead with a calm expression.
The White Crane Stance Art did not train fierce, explosive power, instead focusing on storing force and penetrating force. As he held the stance, Chen Tie could feel his Qi and blood slowly circulating through his limbs and bones, keeping his strength chiefly inside his body rather than readily displaying it in his flesh. When facing an enemy, what seemed like a light brush would instantly unleash the force stored within. It was a form of surprise-attack force, and the damage from a hit could not be underestimated.
Chen Tie couldn't help thinking that the White Crane Stance Art did have its own unique merits. Compared with the Fierce Tiger Stance Art, one was hard and the other soft. Combining the two might produce remarkable results.
[White Crane Stance Art: beginner (1/100)]
Seeing this, Chen Tie nodded in satisfaction, looking forward to finding out how much his strength would increase once he mastered it.
"Having another martial art at my disposal is never a bad thing!"
But another art meant spending more time training. Moreover, this art wasn't suitable for practice at the Fierce Tiger Martial Hall. He could only practice it at home.
With no other choice, Chen Tie rearranged his training schedule to spend more time practicing the White Crane Stance Art after returning home at night.
Seeing that it was getting late, Chen Tie hurried to the patrol station. It happened to be his turn to patrol that day.
"Brother Chen, you're finally here."
He Liang immediately spoke with delight.
"Brother He, how did your face get banged up?"
As Chen Tie approached, he saw the injuries on He Liang's face and asked about them.
He Liang hastily waved a hand. "What rotten luck. I went on patrol yesterday too, hoping to earn a little more silver for the wife back home. But I ran into some people conducting their business. If I hadn't had a few skills, I might not have made it back."
Chen Tie frowned slightly at that, inwardly sighing that the world was growing more chaotic by the day.
During their patrol that night, the two could clearly see more people moving about than before. Even the docks were handling considerably more cargo than they used to.