Chapter 8 6 Yang
Chapter 8 Six Suns
The next morning, Chen Yuan got up early and practiced the Tiger Subduing Fist three times under the guidance of Zhao Shan.
Zhao Shan taught Chen Yuan some martial arts experience before leaving, leaving Chen Yuan to practice boxing alone.
Near noon, Zhao Shan returned to the courtyard and went to the kitchen with Chen Yuan to get food. Steward Sun happened to be there too.
Zhao Shan asked for another food box for Chen Yuan, saying it was for a midnight snack to replenish the energy consumed during martial arts training. Manager Sun readily agreed.
Chen Yuan thanked him repeatedly and felt relieved.
With this food box, he can draw starlight into his body.
The hunger after the starlight infusion was too unbearable. It was impossible to wait until the next day to replenish the energy. I had to eat at least half full, so this second food box was a necessity.
After lunch, Chen Yuan and Zhao Shan went to Li's house together.
Manager Li was still as friendly as yesterday and asked Chen Yuan about his progress in martial arts training.
Naturally, Chen Yuan also cooperated and staged a drama of deep affection between master and disciple.
When he was leaving Li's house, he happened to meet a pretty girl coming into the main hall and hurriedly avoided her.
The girl ignored Chen Yuan and walked straight to Manager Li, holding his right arm, and said in a tender voice:
"Dad, just promise me, I want to learn martial arts, please teach me..."
Manager Li let the girl hold his arm and said helplessly:
"Ying'er, what's so good about learning martial arts?"
"I don't care, I want to learn martial arts!"
"Hey, you girl..."
Manager Li shook his head, but saw Chen Yuan standing beside him, and said with a pleasant face:
"Erniu, you go back first and practice martial arts well. Don't slack off."
"Yes, Master."
Chen Yuan clasped his fists in salute, then turned and left.
"Dad, who is this?"
"Haha, this is my new apprentice, his name is Chen Erniu..."
"Humph! You have accepted so many disciples, even a peasant like this, but you won't teach me martial arts, wuwu..."
"Don't cry, Ying'er. Can you be the same as them..."
Chen Yuan deliberately slowed down his pace, but the words he heard became increasingly unclear. When he reached the gate of Li's residence, he could no longer hear anything.
……
In the afternoon, Chen Yuan continued to practice boxing, feeling the rapid growth of the internal energy in his body, and felt confused and uncertain.
According to Zhao Shan, after a warrior develops a sense of Qi, the growth rate of his physical Qi is extremely slow.
But when Chen Yuan was practicing martial arts, he could feel a clear increase in his physical energy, and the speed was more than a hundred times faster than what Zhao Shan described.
Chen Yuan was puzzled and could only attribute the cause to the infusion of starlight.
Since starlight infusion can enhance physical strength, the meridians and acupoints should also be included in it. It is not surprising that the speed of Qi increase becomes faster.
……
Chen Yuan practiced boxing until dusk, indulging in the pleasure of the growth of his true energy.
He did not stop until he was so hungry that he could no longer bear it. He took off his linen clothes, put on a yellow cloth short coat, took two food boxes, and walked out of the yard.
After arriving at the kitchen, Chen Yuan ordered two portions of rice, and for one of them he specifically asked for five extra white flour pancakes and a bowl of stewed meat.
For some reason, Manager Sun and Xiaoliu were not in the kitchen today.
But Manager Sun must have reminded everyone, and the servant who served the rice did not raise any objections and readily agreed to Chen Yuan's request.
Chen Yuan carried two food boxes and returned to the courtyard. He ate dinner in a flash, rested for fifteen minutes, changed into linen clothes, and continued practicing martial arts.
An hour later, Zhao Shan returned to the courtyard and Chen Yuan stopped.
Zhao Shan smiled and said:
"Why did you stop? Just continue practicing your boxing skills and ignore me."
Chen Yuan picked up the white towel, wiped the sweat off his face, and said with a silly smile:
"Brother, I have something I would like to ask for your help."
"what's up?"
"I've been away from home for several days and have settled down in the county town. I want to write a letter to my parents to let them know I'm safe, but I can't read. Can you help me write a letter?"
Zhao Shan met Chen Yuan's expectant gaze and said with a wry smile:
"You've got the wrong person. I can't read."
Chen Yuan was surprised:
"Brother, can't you read?"
Zhao Shan nodded:
"After I was accepted as a disciple by the master, I concentrated on practicing martial arts. Later, I served as an errand boy for the master and joined the guard team. I never had time to learn to read. Moreover, the master said that martial artists only need to know martial arts and do not need to know how to read. The accountant will handle the paperwork."
Chen Yuan said disappointedly:
"I saw that you spoke as elegantly as a scholar, and I thought you could read and understand words like a scholar..."
Zhao Shan smiled and said:
"I used to be clumsy at speaking, but after two years with Master, I have gained a lot of experience and gained the ability to speak. You will also be able to speak like this one day."
Chen Yuan's eyes flashed and he asked:
"Brother Wang, can't you read?"
Zhao Shan shook his head:
"Wang Cong was born into a merchant family. He attended a private school when he was young. Later, his family fell into poverty, so he came to the hall to be an apprentice. He was accepted as a disciple by the master and did learn some characters."
"Oh...then why don't I ask Senior Brother Wang to write a letter and send it to my parents?"
Zhao Shan sneered:
"He thinks highly of himself, how could he write letters for others?"
Chen Yuan's eyes widened: "Then I won't be able to write to my parents to let them know I'm safe?"
Zhao Shan hesitated for a moment and said:
"The accountants in the hall are very busy and probably don't have time to do such a small thing... There are people in the county who specialize in writing letters, but they have to pay."
Chen Yuan said happily:
"It's okay. I'm not afraid of spending money. As long as I can tell my parents that I'm safe, that's all!"
Zhao Shan smiled and said:
"Then I'll take you there tomorrow and ask someone to write a letter for you."
Chen Yuan waved his hands repeatedly:
"Brother is so busy, how can I trouble you again? I can go by myself."
Zhao Shan nodded:
"Okay, that street is called Wenchang Street. All the bookstores in the county are on that street. There are many people writing letters, couplets, and visiting cards for others. Go out from Xingyefang, walk west through two alleys, and then go south..."
He explained the location and route clearly, and finally gave another reminder:
"It costs five cents to write a letter for someone else. If someone asks for a high price, don't agree."
Chen Yuan smiled and said:
"Don't worry, Brother. I've bought things from peddlers in the countryside and I won't be ripped off."
Zhao Shan smiled and said:
"That's right. You're already thirteen years old, which makes you half an adult. When I was your age, I had already run the noodle stall for my family for a year..."
Afterwards, the two started chatting, and Chen Yuan subtly asked about the pretty girl he met at Li's house during the day.
Zhao Shan smiled and said:
"You are talking about Junior Sister Li Ying, right? She is Master's only daughter. She is only sixteen years old this year. Master loves her very much."
Chen Yuan wondered:
"Senior sister wants to learn martial arts, why doesn't Master teach her?"
Zhao Shan shook his head:
"I don't know either. Master is a highly skilled martial artist. The family-inherited Six Yang Kung is a second-rate martial art, but he doesn't teach his younger sister martial arts. It's really puzzling."
Chen Yuan's eyes flashed, and he asked:
"Six Yang Kung? Isn't that the Tiger Subduing Force that Master practices?"
Zhao Shan explained:
"Master was born in a martial arts family from another state, but later fell into decline and drifted to Yuzhou, where he joined the Fuhu Gang. Naturally, he practiced the family's unique martial arts, and traveled the world with a Bailian Qiushui sword. He also earned the name of Liuyang Sword in the world."
Chen Yuan exclaimed:
"Master's ancestors were so powerful!"
Zhao Shan smiled and said:
"Master has a long family tradition and is highly skilled in martial arts. It is a blessing that we have been accepted as his disciples. If you respect your master well in the future, you may even be able to learn the Six Yang Gong."
Chen Yuan shook his head repeatedly:
"I dare not think about it. As long as I can have enough food, I will be content. Regardless of whether Master teaches me the Six Yang Skill or not, I will repay Master's kindness!"
Zhao Shan was stunned, and his smile widened:
"Brother, you are right to think so. As disciples, we should help our master to share his worries and solve his problems in order to repay his kindness!"
……
After asking about the letter, Chen Yuan practiced the Subduing Tiger Fist for another hour before stopping.
He tiptoed to the door of the main house and listened to the light snoring coming from inside the house. After a quarter of an hour, he was finally sure that Zhao Shan had fallen asleep.
When it comes to jade, we must act with caution.
Chen Yuan felt relieved. He went back to the house, took out the jade pendant, and went to the yard.
It is a sunny night tonight, with the Milky Way stretching across the night sky. The jade beads emit a faint green light under the shining stars.
Suddenly, the stars in the sky all flashed together, and the starlight gathered into a thin beam of white light, which fell from the sky and landed on Chen Yuan's head. It circulated around his body, and after ten breaths, it suddenly disappeared.
Chen Yuan closed his eyes slightly, feeling the cool and numbness on his body, and then an unbearable feeling of hunger surged up.
He returned to the house, opened the second food box and began to devour it.
Soon, after three bowls of stewed meat and fifteen white flour cakes, Chen Yuan was seven-tenths full, and the feeling of hunger in his stomach dissipated a lot.
If you eat two more white flour pancakes with each meal tomorrow, you will be able to fully digest the gains from this starlight infusion.
Chen Yuan lay on the bed, clenched his fists, felt his strength obviously increased, and slowly closed his eyes.
……
The next morning, Chen Yuan accepted Zhao Shan's instruction for the last time. From then on, he could only practice boxing alone.
As the leader of the guard team, Zhao Shan needs to supervise the more than 20 guards under his command, and he also needs to practice martial arts.
It was not easy for him to spare three days to teach Chen Yuan the Subduing Tiger Power.
However, Chen Yuan has a strong ability to control his body, and he doesn't really need Zhao Shan's guidance in martial arts training.
His biggest gain was that he got a lot of experience in fighting with others from Zhao Shan.
The world of martial arts is treacherous. After Zhao Shan joined the guard team, he experienced more than a dozen battles, big and small, and became very experienced.
Chen Yuan listened carefully to Zhao Shan's experience. Even if he didn't understand it now, he kept it in mind. This way, he could avoid many detours in the future.
After lunch, Chen Yuan went to visit Manager Li on time.
Manager Li was kind and always showed great concern for Chen Yuan. Before leaving, Wang Cong once again instilled in him the principle of "repaying the teacher's kindness".
After three days, Chen Yuan realized that this was how Manager Li cultivated his disciples' loyalty.
It is no wonder that Zhao Shan is loyal to Manager Li. He is a young man with an unstable mind and comes from a poor family. After becoming his apprentice, he no longer has to worry about food and clothing and receives monthly wages. He is brainwashed like this every day. Over time, his ideas become deeply rooted and naturally difficult to change.
But Chen Yuan was mature and didn't buy it at all.
He was just cooperating with Manager Li and Wang Cong in acting, but his mind was extremely clear.
(End of this chapter)