A rainy-night chat
Grandpa recalled, "That's also why I've never let you go too deep into the old forest. You have to maintain a sense of reverence for primeval forests like that."
Ye Huan nodded. He really had feared neither heaven nor earth before, but ever since he had obtained the Spirit Spring Space, his worldview had collapsed. The crucial thing was that he now knew the space had come from the stone he had worn for over ten years.
And he had found that stone deep in the mountains while roaming them with Grandpa in his teens. He had liked its shape, so he had threaded a cord through it and worn it for over ten years.
"Grandpa, do you think it could've been a dragon?" Ye Huan asked on a sudden whim.
"I thought that back then too, but later I figured it wasn't very likely. If my eyes weren't playing tricks on me, I reckon it was either a huge python or a flood dragon. It couldn't have been a dragon. The environment no longer has the conditions for that."
Grandpa said this because he liked having his grandson keep him company and chat. He also liked telling his grandson about his days roaming the mountains. It was that feeling of wanting to pour his entire lifetime's experience into his grandson's head.
"Oh, why? People online often ask this too: if there are no dragons in the world, why is there a dragon in the zodiac? Isn't that strange?"
"There definitely used to be dragons. There must have been some great upheaval in heaven and earth later, and then they disappeared. So many people cultivated in ancient times. How many have you seen nowadays?" Grandpa said with certainty.
"Grandpa, are those ancient martial arts and qi refiners in Huaxia real?"
"Of course they're real. Strictly speaking, what I taught you is our Ye Family's ancient martial arts. As far as I know, the lineage goes back over six hundred years. Our ancestors produced martial champions in the imperial examinations during the Great Ming Dynasty, and more than one at that," Grandpa said seriously.
"That badass? Grandpa, have you ever used your full strength?" Ye Huan was curious.
"I probably went all out when I fought that tiger, but I wasn't pushed to the brink of life and death. In my generation, your great-grandfather had a nominal disciple who counted as my senior martial brother. But times were bad then. There was war in those years, and people often starved to death. So after learning a few basics from your great-grandfather, he went off to make his way in the world. There's been no news of him all these years. He's probably kicked the bucket."
"Huh?? Grandpa, you even have a senior martial brother?" Ye Huan grew even more curious. "Didn't you say Great-grandpa died during the War of Resistance against Japan? You told me our family had an irreconcilable blood feud with the Japanese devils."
"Yes. Your great-grandfather hadn't wanted to leave the mountains at first either. Later, he heard that the Japanese devils had ravaged your great-grandmother's family. He couldn't bear to see her cry, so he went down the mountain alone. When he returned, he brought over a hundred Japanese devils' heads to offer in tribute to her family," Grandpa said with a sigh.
"Later, for some reason, he started going down the mountain often. I heard he'd made a good friend, and the two killed Japanese devils together. Later, a traitor sold that man out. Your great-grandfather rushed over to rescue him and never came back. I was still little then. Your great-grandfather's younger brother, my second uncle, slipped down the mountain to investigate. A whole Japanese regiment had been deployed just to deal with your great-grandfather and that friend of his, who was someone of great importance."
"Alas, individual valor couldn't overcome thousands upon thousands of guns and cannons in the end. My second uncle heard from the locals in town that your great-grandfather killed at least five hundred Japanese devils single-handedly. In the end, the high-ranking enemy officer who wanted to bring him into his service was forced to order an artillery bombardment that killed him. If he hadn't been trying to save that man, he probably could've escaped himself. Alas."
Grandpa finished with a sigh. Ye Huan had never imagined his family had a story like this. His great-grandfather sounded pretty fierce, didn't he?
"Great-grandpa was that fierce?" Ye Huan asked in surprise.
"Yes. During the Republican era, your great-grandfather traveled around. He faced experts in Guangdong Province, the Capital, and Cangzhou. According to him, none could last three exchanges against him. He took down that Mr. Sun's bodyguard in just three moves." Grandpa nodded.
"Later, he also visited places like Shaolin and Wudang. Unable to find a single opponent to match him, he came home and never left the mountains again until the War of Resistance. Once he left and didn't return, he truly never returned. He did right by that sworn brother of his, but unfortunately, after that, I had to rely entirely on your second great-uncle and my own studies. Otherwise, I definitely could've become a great grandmaster before forty."
"Damn, Great-grandpa was that amazing." Ye Huan had never imagined it either.
Outside, the wind whipped and the rain lashed down. Inside, the fragrance of tea curled through the air as Ye Huan kept Grandpa company and listened to stories of their forebears.
"Then Grandpa, does lightness skill really exist?" Ye Huan had been studying it in the space lately, so he asked.
"Yes. Your great-grandfather knew it, and he was very good at it. I know it too, but I'm old now and can't fly anymore. At most, I can still perform something like Eight Steps to Catch a Cicada."
"Huh? Grandpa, you can't fly anymore, but you can still use Eight Steps to Catch a Cicada? Did you fly everywhere when you were young, then?" Ye Huan was genuinely startled. He knew about Eight Steps to Catch a Cicada, though he hadn't learned it yet. He was currently learning the Light Body Technique, the kind that let you fly up and down.
"Yes, I flew everywhere when I was young. Flying over Grass, Floating on Water, Treading on Snow without a Trace, that sort of thing. They were effortless. I'll teach you another day." Grandpa nodded. These were all family martial arts. If his grandson was interested, he would teach him.
"I taught you when you were little, but you wanted to learn the quick and easy stuff, so you're only half a bottle of water when it comes to many of our Ye Family's profound arts. Luckily, I made you jump out of pits every day back then. That was to prepare you for lightness skill."
"Ohh." Ye Huan understood. That was exactly how he was learning the Light Body Technique now, jumping from lower places to higher ones.
"Our Ye Family's most formidable art is called the Muscle-Dividing and Bone-Dislocating Hand. It's a grappling art. I'll teach you that along with the rest later, but don't use it on ordinary people. It'll break or snap something every time. One strike will cost you hundreds of thousands," Grandpa cautioned him.
"Yeah, I know. I'm out here in the mountains. Who would I use it on? Hehe." Ye Huan nodded. The Muscle-Dividing and Bone-Dislocating Hand? Our own family art? He had always thought it only existed in novels.
"When you go upstairs tonight, open that black wooden box. There's a book on the human body's meridians and acupoints inside. Study it carefully first. Whether you're treating illnesses and saving lives or practicing martial arts to defend yourself, you need to know all of that by heart. I also wrote down some of my insights in it. Make sure you memorize them," Grandpa said.
"Okay, Grandpa!" Ye Huan nodded. He really hadn't expected this. I sat bolt upright amid the storm, only to discover the big shot was me??
During today's storm, grandfather and grandson had nothing to do, so they drank tea and chatted. Only now did Ye Huan truly gain a deeper understanding of his own Ye Family and the Ye Family in the village.
According to his great-grandfather, ancient martial arts began at the unranked level, roughly equivalent to today's so-called ordinary elite soldiers. Those who had undergone professional training but lacked a systematic cultivation method and pursued only external martial arts were at the unranked level.
Next came martial artists, which his great-grandfather called yellow level. Entering this level meant that something called "internal qi" began to form in the body, strengthening muscles and improving health. A martial artist could easily take on three to five unranked-level opponents.
Above martial artists were martial warriors, also called mystic level. At this level, internal qi spread throughout the body and formed a complete circulation, sending individual fighting prowess soaring. No exaggeration, someone at mystic level could fight ten yellow-level opponents without breaking a sweat.
Above martial warriors were martial masters, at earth level. At this level, internal qi gradually broke through throughout the body, and the three flowers began to gather at the crown. Thus, top martial masters had another designation: half-step grandmaster level.