The Primordial Chaos Was Laid Open, but Who Was Born of the Dao?

The people on the bank erupted in thunderous cheers.

Though they had no way of knowing whether he had truly missed none of them,

Zhong Jinqiu had maintained that whirlpool and had clearly struck every piece of bamboo caught in the surrounding currents.

He had kept it up for so long that everyone could tell the number must have far exceeded Wu Zewa's.

A Bang leaned closer to Stronghold Chief Wu and asked in amazement, "Was what that old uncle just did sorcery or martial arts?"

"That was martial arts, a fist technique."

Stronghold Chief Wu clapped, his gaze turning to Zhong Jinqiu. "What a marvelous fist technique!"

The fist technique Wu Zewa had used was indeed exceptionally well suited to contending against and piercing through flowing water.

But Taiji Fist was the technique best suited to borrowing the force of water.

Zhong Jinqiu had also reached the realm of Eating Makes an Immortal. His fine control over his force had sent each piece of bamboo veering through the water at just the right angle.

If the contest had not taken place in the river, but somewhere else, with a volley of arrows fired straight at the challengers so they could compete to see who could deflect the most with their bare hands,

then Zhong Jinqiu, whose hands had yet to fully heal, would most likely have been no match for Wu Zewa.

Wu Zewa had also realized this by now, and a trace of unwillingness showed in his eyes.

But on reflection, the rules had been set by Wu Clan Stronghold in the first place, so he could hardly claim the others had gained an advantage from them.

Wu Zewa sighed and began clapping for Zhong Jinqiu as well.

Under the rules for passing the three trials, only one contest was held each day.

Chu Tianshu stepped forward and inserted needles into Zhong Jinqiu's hands.

Although borrowing the water's force had spared his hands the kind of damage they would have suffered clashing with a powerful enemy, he had exerted force repeatedly as he broke the bamboo, and that had hindered the recovery of his injuries somewhat.

As he worked, the spectators gradually dispersed, and the ordinary clanspeople returned to the stronghold.

Only the dozen or so people Stronghold Chief Wu usually kept close to him remained.

"I didn't expect you to win the first contest so easily."

Stronghold Chief Wu said, "My feelings really are somewhat complicated. Are these all experts you brought back from the capital?"

Cai Shanjun replied frankly, "I met three of them by chance along the way, and they happened to be willing to lend me a hand."

Stronghold Chief Wu's eyes brightened a little. "It seems your luck hasn't deserted you, but the contests tomorrow and the day after will only be harder than today's."

Chu Tianshu turned to look at him. "After watching today's contest, I can hardly wait."

Wu Tugu called back, "Good! I'll eat five big meals today and sleep soundly through the night. Tomorrow, I'll show you myself at my strongest and most vigorous."

As soon as he finished speaking, he turned and left without lingering.

Stronghold Chief Wu and the others laughed. "Then we'll see you tomorrow."

Chu Tianshu looked at Cai Shanjun. "You should go back and rest too. And Old Yu, Little Huo, both of you were in pretty poor health before, so take these next few days to build your strength back up."

Shopkeeper Ma nodded as well. "That's right. Even if we do get the Rainbow Cloud Flute, we still have to cross the river. There's no telling how much that will take out of us."

Cai Shanjun said helplessly, "I wouldn't dare disobey the doctor."

He looked at the river, and in a fine mood, said in a leisurely voice, "The primordial chaos was laid open, but who was born to sleep in a daze? It seems I'll have to take on the role of the one born to sleep in a daze."

Shopkeeper Ma smiled knowingly. "From the prelude to the song in the fifth chapter of Dream of the Red Chamber: 'The primordial chaos was laid open, but who was born of love?'"

"As I see it, love only wounds young men and women. Sleeping in a daze is more reassuring."

Cai Shanjun looked delighted. "Brother Ma, you've studied Dream of the Red Chamber too?"

Shopkeeper Ma waved a hand. "I just like reading all sorts of books. I study magic, so compared with Dream of the Red Chamber, I prefer What the Master Would Not Discuss and Notes from the Thatched Cottage of Close Observations."

Cai Shanjun said, "If you enjoy tales of gods and monsters, you could also read Chronicles of the Eastern Zhou Kingdoms. It has both the sweeping grandeur of history and the strangeness of supernatural tales, enough to steal a little chill into the daytime."

Chatting as they went, the two of them headed toward the stronghold together.

Old Yu and Little Huo exchanged a glance. "Was the commander in a good mood because his health had improved a little and he won the contest today, or was he in an even better mood because someone could follow what he was saying?"

Little Huo hesitated. "When the commander talks to us, we can follow what he says too."

Old Yu said, "Then how do we respond?"

Both fell silent. They couldn't even tell where phrases like "the primordial chaos was laid open" came from.

So when they responded to him normally, had they actually been missing a lot?

Zhong Jinqiu stared at Shopkeeper Ma's back. "I was the one who wanted to repay a kindness in the first place, wasn't I? How come that old fellow is chatting away so happily now?"

"Oh, Uncle Zhong, don't think so much about it. We can talk about fist manuals, and they won't understand us either."

Chu Tianshu watched the flowing water and recited a few lines of a Taiji Fist mnemonic.

At first, Zhong Jinqiu paid it little mind, but after listening to a few lines, he suddenly sensed something was different, and his expression grew serious.

Standing on the bank with his hands behind his back, Chu Tianshu recited as though chanting scripture for a full quarter of an hour.

Only then did Zhong Jinqiu come back to his senses. He asked in astonishment, "What is that?!"

Others who did not practice Golden Toad Sect Taiji Fist probably would not have grasped the deeper meaning in the mnemonic.

What Chu Tianshu had just recited had clearly used Golden Toad Sect Taiji Fist as a starting point, mixing in a great deal of material from fist manuals that Zhong Jinqiu had never heard before.

Yet it was so exquisite, and it matched Golden Toad Sect Taiji Fist remarkably well.

"Could it be that, besides that Tongbei Fist manual, you've also seen some incomplete Taiji manual?"

Zhong Jinqiu wore a strange expression. "Just what is your back-forget it, that isn't important either."

Chu Tianshu smiled. "Exactly. What matters most right now is that we can gain real, tangible benefits from practicing it."

Zhong Jinqiu pondered it. "Judging by the conception behind this fist technique, I'm confident I can master it to the fullest, but I reckon it will take several months. For now, it can only give me some inspiration for my fighting methods."

Some inspiration for his fighting methods was already quite good.

Although Zhong Jinqiu had attained Eating Makes an Immortal, he was limited by the fist techniques he had learned before and could not fully bring out the physical qualities of his realm in combat.

If he could puzzle out some of the fighting methods in Toad Art Palm Thunder, the benefits should be immediate.

Chu Tianshu, however, still felt some regret. He could relay the fist manual to others, but he could not convey the "correct" feeling he had gained in his mind.

That meant he could receive instruction from a truly top-tier master, but he could not become such a master himself.

It was simply too difficult to describe that feeling precisely.

As Chu Tianshu pondered this, he inserted needles into himself as well.

Zhong Jinqiu saw him place a needle between his waist and ribs and asked in surprise, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I'm working out a new way to train."

Chu Tianshu explained, "The needling technique I learned comes from the arts of witch doctors. When I was practicing Tongbei Fist, there wasn't much overlap between the two."

"But the Golden Toad Sect Taiji Fist manual has many methods for revitalizing the internal organs by massaging and stimulating acupoints."

Toad Art Palm Thunder was, of course, even more detailed and thorough in that respect.

"But I was thinking, keeping force as fine as a needle is difficult. So would it be more effective if I drew directly on my foundation in needling to compare and verify it?"

Chu Tianshu smiled. "I started thinking about it last night, and it seems workable."

When the token performed its deductions, it did not take manuals of magical arts into account.

But Chu Tianshu could look for the similarities and differences himself and try to further increase his cultivation speed in certain respects.