“I…”
Zhou Family's Sister-in-law, whose surname was Liu and given name Yu, was from the village across the bridge to the west. She was known as Yu Niang.
She was about twenty years old, with a proper appearance, though her face was pale and she was very thin.
Twisting her calloused hands, she glanced at Liu Sheng and stammered, “That Er Ya…”
“Our Liu family will raise her, and when she grows up, we’ll find her a good family to marry into!”
Liu Apo readily gave her assurance, then pressed, “Yes or no, give me a definite answer!”
“…Yes.”
Yu Niang (Zhou Family's Sister-in-law) nodded, her voice barely a whisper, her cheeks already flushed crimson.
“Alright, it’s settled then. You can bring Er Ya to live here today, our house is big anyway.”
Liu Apo made the decision on the spot, cutting through the red tape swiftly, giving Liu Sheng no chance to speak.
Then, she, with the demeanor of a managing Grandma, directed Liu Sheng and the other person to work.
They were all poor families, without as many rules and formalities as in the city. The miscellaneous tasks were mostly finished by the afternoon.
Zhao Lei’s family, after learning about it, also came to help, bringing several good hides, over ten catties of cured meat, and so on.
Dinner was lavish, with eight substantial dishes. Er Ya and Gou Wa, the two little ones, ate until their faces were shiny with oil and their bellies were round and full.
After seeing Zhao Lei’s family off, just as dusk fell, Liu Apo took Er Ya to the East Wing.
After that, everything flowed naturally…
Soft and warm, like freshly peeled chicken head meat, smooth and moist, like the first taste of a frontier pastry.
A night of indulgence.
Gazing at Yu Niang, who was deeply asleep beside him, Liu Sheng slowly recovered from his earlier excitement.
“I suppose this means I’ve truly… taken root in this world.”
He muttered to himself, a mix of emotions swirling within him.
There was joy, loss, relief, anticipation…
The burden on his shoulders had grown heavier!
…
The next day, in the middle of the night, before the Yin hour.
Liu Sheng arrived in the forest behind the village and saw Wu Song, who was already waiting there.
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“Master, I’m late…”
“Not bad.”
Wu Song was still dressed in black monk robes, his entire being seemingly merged with the darkness, only his eyes shone brightly like light bulbs, and two sabers rested at his feet.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Wu Song formally began teaching martial arts.
“What is martial arts? The ‘Great Yu Martial Scripture’ says that martial arts means stopping violence and ending war.”
“To me, that’s nonsense! The character for ‘martial’ in seal script shows a person standing with a spear, holding a Sharp Weapon, with a killing intent arising…
“Therefore, martial arts is the Dao of survival and combat. To put it simply, it is about killing enemies and protecting oneself.”
“There are two methods: first, increasing the Foundation, improving the body’s strength, speed, agility, and other qualities. This is called ‘Cultivation Technique’.
Second, increasing efficiency, amplifying the power of the ‘Foundation’, making one part of the Foundation produce three parts of effect… This is called ‘Technique’.”
“But thousands of Cultivation Techniques and ten thousand methods all begin with stances. Do you know why?”
Liu Sheng, who was asked, raised his eyebrows and hesitated, “Qi and blood?”
“Exactly. A tall building rises from the ground. The Martial Dao begins with Qi and blood. Therefore, stance Cultivation Techniques that can generate Qi and blood are the Foundation of all Cultivation Techniques.”
Wu Song nodded, picked up his Ring Knife saber, spread his legs and squatted down, extended his arm and saber, striking a stance.
It was somewhat similar to the Black Tiger Stance, but much more exquisite and profound!
“This is the Black Tiger Stance, remember it!”
This is the Black Tiger Stance?
Then what were you teaching at the Tong Family martial arts training ground?
Don’t think I didn’t see it!
“…Or rather, Master, did you hold back a hand when you taught martial arts at the Tong Family?”
Liu Sheng’s mouth twitched. He hadn’t expected his Master to have such a meticulous mind beneath his rough exterior.
“This Black Tiger Rending Wind Saber I’m going to teach you has an inner and outer aspect. The inner is the stance, the outer is the saber, connected by breathing methods!
Stance Cultivation Technique, saber technique, and breathing method, when practiced together, combining movement and stillness, complement each other and will help you get started faster.”
After demonstrating, Wu Song flicked his right sleeve, picked up another long saber, and handed it to Liu Sheng, gesturing for him to imitate the Black Tiger Stance.
“This saber weighs at least thirty catties!”
Liu Sheng lifted the saber and swung it a few times, then skillfully wielded it.
It was as if he inherently knew how to use this saber, making it more effortless and more lethal.
It seems the talent “Heaven-Born Swordsman” applies to all saber-type weapons!
Seeing this, Wu Song’s eyes sparkled with admiration, and his demeanor became even more amiable:
“Power rises from the ground, passing through the hips and back, so your feet must be taut, your hips relaxed, breathe three short breaths and one long, hold six parts of fierce Qi in your chest…”
He patiently corrected Liu Sheng’s movements and postures, constantly pointing out the key aspects of the breathing method.
Compared to his rough and perfunctory teaching at the Tong Family’s martial arts training ground, he was like a completely different person.
“Good, you’ve mastered the basics of this stance Cultivation Technique. Next, I’ll teach you the Rending Wind Saber…”
Once Liu Sheng had properly assumed the true Black Tiger Stance and learned the breathing method, Wu Song slowly pushed the saber forward:
“This saber technique has eight forms in total. Today, I’ll teach you the first form… Fierce Tiger Sitting on the Slope, watch carefully!”
…
An hour later, Wu Song left, leaving Liu Sheng to continue his arduous practice.
This “Rending Wind Saber” is a fast saber technique, using a heavy saber for swift movements, powerful and quick, fierce and domineering.
Sweeping, chopping, cleaving, deflecting, cutting, and thrusting—the eight techniques combined, ancient and violent.
Liu Sheng had only learned six forms, but he was already performing them with precision, and the effect was quite noticeable. Combined with the breathing method, it was far better than merely practicing the stance alone.
He practiced for another hour, until his legs trembled, he was utterly exhausted, and sweat poured down like rain, before he sheathed his saber and headed home.
He still had to go to the county town today to choose an Incarnation and harvest spiritual essence points.
Back home, Liu Yu was already busy at the stove.
She had changed into clean, new clothes, her hair was coiled, and her face had a healthier blush.
Er Ya followed behind her, constantly circling, always feeling that her mother looked much prettier than usual.
Liu Sheng put down his saber, said a few words to them, then fetched a bucket of water to bathe.
After dinner, he said a quick goodbye and headed straight for the county town, eager to go.
Having learned from his last experience, Liu Sheng, upon arriving in the city, first went to a clothing store, spent two taels of silver, and bought a set of black satin long robes, then headed to his destination…
West Market!
The West Market covered about two wards. In addition to a dazzling array of shops, there were also many vendors selling goods.
Originally, due to insufficient funds, he only planned to upgrade his turtle to an ox.
But with the hundred taels of silver sponsored by his Master, he decided to upgrade one more level and go to the rare birds and exotic beasts area to take a look.
The birds and beasts sold in this area were basically of the exotic beast level, having shed their mundane status and developed divine peculiarities.
Ordinary people couldn’t deal with them at all; they were all captured by Martial Masters in the wild.
Copper Statue Turtle, Iron Feather Eagle, Unicornd Iron Ox, Fire Jade Fox…
Liu Sheng was dazzled, taking a liking to several kinds, but upon asking the price, he could only sigh.
Over a hundred taels of silver was simply not enough.
Any one of them would cost several hundred taels. For example, that Unicornd Iron Ox, with its Copper Skin Iron Bones and immense strength.
It was priced at four hundred taels of silver, leaving him to only sigh in admiration at the ox.
After wandering around, Liu Sheng finally stopped at a snake vendor’s stall.
This was one of the few stalls he could afford.
“I have six types of exotic snakes and thirty-eight types of common snakes. Which one would you like, esteemed customer?”
The stall owner was a man around fifty, with long, sharp eyes, dressed in short clothes, his muscles like iron, and his aura obscure.
He was clearly a Martial Master, and his strength was even above his own!
Liu Sheng perked up and stated his requirements:
“Do you have an exotic snake with hard scales, great strength, strong venom, and a small build?”
The stall owner’s eyelid twitched upon hearing this. He hesitated for a moment, then cautiously said:
“There is one… but that snake is almost dead.”