Xu Nanzhi smiled. "Are you the only one allowed to have secrets? Can't your mother have secrets too?"
Wu Shuangren asked curiously, "Mother, are you an expert?"
Xu Nanzhi gently shook her head. "There are countless extraordinary people in this world, and plenty of them are stronger than me. I'm no expert."
Wu Shuangren asked, "What about compared to Father?"
Xu Nanzhi answered without hesitation. "I'm stronger than your father!"
"..."
Wu Shuangren wanted to laugh.
When Wu Dongrong had talked about the nine martial grades yesterday, he had worn an expression that said, "Your old man is impressive." Yet he couldn't even beat his own wife.
"All right, back to internal arts."
Xu Nanzhi grew serious. "Did the person who taught you explain what internal arts are?"
Wu Shuangren nodded and told Xu Nanzhi what Hou Huai had told him yesterday.
After listening, Xu Nanzhi said approvingly, "That's right. An internal art is an extreme way of exerting force. It requires essence to unite with Qi, Qi to unite with spirit, and finally the body to become one with essence, Qi, and spirit."
"To learn an internal art, one usually starts with a breathing method, fully incorporating the new breathing rhythm into every movement. This allows one to draw on the power of Qi and blood and unite essence with Qi."
"Next, special medicines are needed to make it easier to draw on one's mental strength and unite Qi with spirit."
"Finally, once the breathing method and the stimulation from the medicines have reached a certain point, one practices the corresponding stance exercises, allowing Qi and blood, mental strength, and the body to complement each other and form a seamless whole. That marks the initial mastery of an internal art."
Wu Shuangren listened with keen interest and finally understood that internal arts weren't something he could master simply by imitating a breathing rhythm.
Xu Nanzhi looked at him. "You said that expert never taught you an internal art. Did he teach you a breathing method or give you any medicine?"
Wu Shuangren hesitated, then shook his head. "No."
Xu Nanzhi said, "Then I'll teach you a breathing method first. Practice it for a while and get a feel for it. See if you can apply what you know."
"Okay!"
Wu Shuangren's face was full of anticipation.
He could finally begin learning the internal arts of this world!
A complex look appeared on Xu Nanzhi's usually serene face, and she said softly:
"This breathing method is called the Mountain-Moving Method."
"The Mountain-Moving Method..."
"Qi and blood flow through the human body, but there are innate obstructions that prevent strength from flowing smoothly. These obstructions are like invisible mountains blocking the way. The Mountain-Moving Method moves these invisible mountains aside, allowing Qi and blood to flow like rivers, perfectly and without obstruction."
Xu Nanzhi explained the essence of the breathing method in a few concise words.
Then she began teaching Wu Shuangren the Mountain-Moving Method.
15. A Poor Man Studies, a Rich Man Practices Martial Arts
Wu Shuangren didn't go to the constables' office that morning. He stayed home and studied the Mountain-Moving Method with Xu Nanzhi.
As it turned out, a breathing method wasn't as simple as he had thought: inhaling, holding one's breath, and exhaling, then rearranging the sequence and constantly changing the rhythm.
The main purpose of a breathing method was to let a person sense the flow of Qi and blood within the body and bring it under control.
The Mountain-Moving Method Xu Nanzhi taught him included not only a special breathing rhythm, but also a series of corresponding movements and meditation techniques.
"Imagine a river flowing through your body, from the Jugu acupoint to the Yangchi acupoint, passing through the Tianjing and Sidu acupoints..."
Xu Nanzhi held a chopstick in her hand and, as she explained, repeatedly pointed to the acupoints on Wu Shuangren's arm, from his shoulder to his palm.
He had to coordinate the movements of his hands with his meditation, and even adjust his breathing rhythm precisely at each acupoint. It was far more difficult than Wu Shuangren had imagined.
He studied all morning and still felt as though he were lost in clouds and fog.
"There's no rush."
Xu Nanzhi spoke gently. "The hardest part of this step is developing a sense of Qi. Since you've already managed to use an internal art, you'll certainly be able to get started as long as you proceed step by step."
Developing a "sense of Qi" depended on talent, so not everyone could practice internal arts. Ninety percent of people were stuck at this first step.
Wu Shuangren had been worried that he lacked talent, but hearing Xu Nanzhi say this immediately put his mind at ease.
Around noon, Xu Nanzhi went to cook, while Wu Shuangren continued pondering what he had just learned.
Wu Dongrong hadn't gone to the county office today either, because of his injured thigh, so the family ate lunch together.
That afternoon, Xu Nanzhi had to see patients at the clinic, while Wu Dongrong stayed home to recover.
So Wu Shuangren went to the county office alone.
When he arrived at the constables' office and entered the courtyard, a group of people gathered around him again.
"Little Brother Wu is here!"
"Little Brother Wu, I heard you killed Peng Tianlang yesterday!"
"Peng Tianlang was a notorious bandit on Yi Province's wanted list!"
"Little Brother Wu, you really hid your abilities well."
"..."
Everyone talked at once about last night's battle.
The scene was much like the one that had greeted Wu Shuangren when he entered the constables' office yesterday.
The difference was that today, Wu Shuangren could clearly see awe in their eyes.
In the past, they had been polite to him because they feared his family background, but deep down they had still considered him a second-generation young master and hadn't truly respected him.
Even when Wu Shuangren had cut off a bandit's hand with one stroke, they had merely thought him lucky.
But most of the people at the constables' office had taken part in last night's battle and experienced the bandits' ferocity firsthand.
Quite a few had also seen for themselves how formidable Peng Tianlang was, and in the end, they had even seen Wu Shuangren take Peng Tianlang's head off with a single stroke!
Even though he had joined forces with someone else, the strength Wu Shuangren had displayed far exceeded what they knew of him.
Most importantly, despite possessing such strength, Wu Shuangren had never revealed it before. How deep were his schemes?
How could they not regard such a person with awe?
The crowd surrounded Wu Shuangren and showered him with praise, humbling themselves even further.
Wu Shuangren didn't put on airs. He remained easygoing, chatting and joking with everyone, and modestly said that he had merely been lucky. Peng Tianlang had already been wounded by Constable Liao and the others, allowing him to swoop in at the end.
But the more he behaved this way, the less anyone dared underestimate him.
After chatting for a while, Wu Shuangren told everyone to get back to their work. He found Hou Huai, and the two of them went to the empty back courtyard again.
"Uncle Hou, this is my tuition."
Wu Shuangren handed him a heavy pouch containing a thousand copper coins, or one string of cash.
It was his own private savings, all given to him by his parents.
Hou Huai didn't take the pouch. Instead, he looked surprised. "Little Brother Wu, you still want to learn martial arts from me?"
He hadn't taken part in the operation last night, but he had heard about Wu Shuangren's feat.
So he couldn't understand why Wu Shuangren still wanted to learn martial arts from him.
Wu Shuangren didn't withdraw the pouch. He said seriously, "Of course. I'm not joking. Learning martial arts from you has helped me a great deal, Uncle Hou. From now on, I hope you can spar with me using your internal art every day."
When he had fought Peng Tianlang, the difference in their strength had been so great that [Match for One Person] had given him an internal art as well.
In that case, Wu Shuangren could use the same method to temporarily gain an internal art, allowing him to grow increasingly familiar with this internal art that had no hidden drawbacks, until he learned it.
So he needed a sparring partner with decent skills.
Although Xu Nanzhi could also be his sparring partner, Wu Shuangren instinctively didn't want to trouble his parents.
Besides, this old constable had real skills, and using this opportunity to build a closer relationship with him was a good choice too.
Hou Huai looked at Wu Shuangren for a long while, then hesitated before accepting the pouch.
"Sorry for the trouble from now on, Uncle Hou."
Wu Shuangren smiled and cupped his fists in salute.
Hou Huai looked at Wu Shuangren with a complex expression and returned the salute. "You're too polite, Little Brother Wu."
That afternoon, the two sparred in the back courtyard.
Hou Huai no longer deliberately held back and used his internal art.
With [Match for One Person] active, Wu Shuangren indeed gained an internal art again.
After defeating Hou Huai in their spar, he immediately checked the change in his entry's color-
There was a little more green around its edges.
Just as I thought! As long as I use [Match for One Person] to defeat more experts, the entry will level up!
Wu Shuangren was delighted to have confirmed his guess.
This was another reason he still wanted to learn martial arts from Hou Huai.
Wu Shuangren then defeated Hou Huai a second time and checked the entry again, only to find that its color hadn't changed any further.
In other words, I can't repeatedly farm the same person. Defeating one person can only change the entry's color once.
Wu Shuangren felt a little disappointed.
If he could repeatedly farm the same person and keep leveling up the entry, he could have stayed in Bo County until he became the "Sword God of Ten-Mile Slope." It wouldn't have been too late to venture out then.
After confirming that defeating Hou Huai multiple times wouldn't level up the entry, Wu Shuangren entered practice mode.
Sometimes he equipped the entry, and sometimes he didn't, using the "momentum" to familiarize himself with and memorize the internal art's method of exerting force as quickly as possible...
At the hour of the rooster, the sun sank in the west.
Wu Shuangren ended his sparring session with Hou Huai, and an overwhelming hunger struck him.
The internal arts of this world didn't involve special energies such as internal force or True Qi. If a martial artist frequently used an internal art, it would consume a great deal of physical strength, which had to be replenished with food in a timely manner.
His fight with Peng Tianlang last night had been very short, and he hadn't used his internal art for long, so Wu Shuangren hadn't felt very hungry after the battle.
But this afternoon, he had used an internal art for a long time while sparring with Hou Huai. Now his face had turned green with hunger, and he felt as though he could eat a whole ox!
This made Wu Shuangren reflect even more on how lucky he was.
A poor man studied, while a rich man practiced martial arts. In this era, if you wanted to practice martial arts but had no money, you'd starve to death after practicing an internal art!
The Wu family had Wu Dongrong, a prison official, while Xu Nanzhi ran a clinic. Both husband and wife earned good incomes, and the family was well-off enough to support Wu Shuangren's martial training.
Otherwise, if he had transmigrated into an ordinary family and wanted to practice martial arts, he probably would have had no choice but to take to the hills as a bandit...
Wu Shuangren hurried home.
As soon as he entered the house, he smelled food, and his stomach immediately growled.
"You're back! Come and eat."
Xu Nanzhi called to him from the dining hall.
Wu Shuangren practically ran over. He didn't care about manners and began eating as soon as he sat down.
Seeing him look like a starving ghost, Wu Dongrong and Xu Nanzhi exchanged a glance. Xu Nanzhi asked softly, "Shuangren, did you use an internal art today?"
Wu Shuangren nodded as he stuffed steamed buns into his mouth.
Xu Nanzhi asked no more. She simply rose in silence and went into the kitchen to make more food for her son.
16. Watching the Sun
The meal lasted almost half a shichen.
Wu Shuangren ate two jin of rice, more than thirty steamed buns, and over a jin of pork all by himself!
After eating, his whole body felt warm and comfortable, as though he were soaking in a hot spring.