Chapter 100

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Chapter 100: Borrowing Books

The remaining Yu Deyi was puzzled and asked: “Uncle Qu, why are you being so kind to him? You even let him freely borrow martial arts manuals from the academy?”

Third Master Qu smiled and asked: “Have you ever looked at the manuals in the Martial Arts Hall?”

Yu Deyi replied: “No, I haven’t.”

Third Master Qu asked again: “Then why haven’t you looked at them?”

Yu Deyi said, puzzled: “Why should I read the manuals? Isn’t there a master at the martial arts hall to teach us? If I read the manuals myself and make a mistake, it could be a life-or-death matter in a duel. Ah, I understand now, Uncle Qu, ‘Ginger gets spicier as it gets older’. You gave Zhang Xiaohu a useless manual to gain favor.”

Third Master Qu said with a smile: “Yes, Deyi, you must always think things through and not just look at the surface. By bringing Zhang Xiaohu from the side to the Martial Arts Hall, I intend to draw him closer. By giving his brother a favor, he will surely feel indebted to me. What’s more, how can someone like him, with no foundation, learn the profound internal energy cultivation method on his own when he enters the Martial Arts Hall? Doesn’t he have to follow me to learn anything substantial?”

Yu Deyi also laughed and said: “I understand now, Uncle Qu. If he listens to you, you will teach him advanced internal techniques. Otherwise, you’ll have someone teach him an ordinary inner energy cultivation method. In any case, any internal technique is beyond his reach.”

Third Master Qu smiled proudly and praised him, saying: “You’re teachable, but you still missed two points. First, whether it’s advanced or basic internal techniques, Xiaohu will never truly master them. He will always be under our control in the escort agency. Second, his younger brother’s hand is crippled. Even if we showed him our martial arts hall’s inner energy techniques, he couldn’t practice them, not to mention ordinary martial arts manuals.”

Yu Deyi had a face full of regret and said: “Uncle Qu, this little nephew couldn’t have thought of this. You truly are extraordinarily talented.”

Third Master Qu stroked his beard and chuckled, looking rather pleased with himself, as if his name should have been “Pride”.

[TL_Note: Pride sounds like Deyi]

How could Zhang Xiaohu know any of this? He was only concerned with making his younger brother happy, giving him something to do so that he wouldn’t dwell on his injuries.

The martial arts hall’s collection was indeed rich, with numerous manuals on swordsmanship and saber techniques, but most abundant were the fist technique manuals. One entire shelf was filled with them. Zhang Xiaohu scanned the shelf and estimated there were at least a hundred books. He was both shocked and delighted. Shocked because there were so many fist techniques. If the Lotus Escort Agency had such a collection, what about the ones circulating in the martial world? He realized he had been like a frog at the bottom of a well. Although it was good to specialize, the stones from other mountains can polish jade. He decided that he should make time to read them. Delighted because there were so many manuals, enough for his younger brother to read while he was recovering, and even after his recovery, it will be enough to read for a while. However, he was immediately saddened by the thought. After his younger brother recovered, would he still be interested in reading these manuals if he knew he couldn’t practice martial arts anymore?

Looking at the numerous martial arts manuals, Zhang Xiaohu didn’t know which one to choose. After some thought, he took the first one from the top. It didn’t really matter, as it was just to pass the time for Xiaohua. Any book would do, and if it didn’t, he could give him one after another. However, seeing the shelf full of books made Zhang Xiaohu himself feel a bit overwhelmed. He shook his head involuntarily, thinking, how could this be possible?

After taking the martial arts manual, the person in charge casually flipped through it, registered it in a booklet without asking many questions, and allowed Zhang Xiaohu to take it away.

With the manual tucked in his chest, Zhang Xiaohu hummed a countryside tune and walked back to his small room at a relaxed pace.

As soon as he pushed open the door, he heard Li Jinfeng talking to Zhang Xiaohua: “Xiaohua, I’m not exaggerating, you are incredibly smart. I advise you to abandon martial arts and pursue literature instead. What’s so good about martial arts? It’s all about fighting and killing every day, with no peace. But with literature, you can read books, write poetry, and stay safe from wind and rain. How wonderful is that.”

Zhang Xiaohu felt confused and asked: “Young Master Li, what’s going on?”

When Li Jinfeng saw Zhang Xiaohu enter the room, he happily came over and grabbed his hand, saying: “Zhang Xiaohu, help me persuade your younger brother. He’s still a child. Why should he endure such hardship to learn martial arts? With his intelligence, if he dedicates himself to studying for just two years, he could easily gain some recognition Wouldn’t it be better to pursue an official career by then?”

Zhang Xiaohu was still confused and said: “Is Xiaohua really that smart? How come I didn’t know? I’ve watched him grow up since he was little, and I’ve never heard he was a prodigy. If he were that smart, my father would have sent him to school long ago, rather than just letting him spend time there.”

After hearing this, Li Jinfeng frowned and said: “I don’t know what Xiaohua was like when he was little, but now that he’s grown, he might have had an epiphany.”

Zhang Xiaohu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He said: “You should explain clearly what’s going on. How can I persuade him if I don’t know what’s happening?”

Li Jinfeng laughed and said: “I was too hasty and a bit impatient. Haha, you’ve not been in the house often these days, so let me explain. I’ve been teaching Xiaohua to read. At first, he learned at a normal pace, like anyone else. But later, he started learning faster and faster. Recently, he’s been able to read this martial arts manual. Moreover, look at his handwriting. Even though he’s sitting on the kang and writing with his left hand, it’s actually quite good and his progress is astonishingly fast. His talent is hundreds of times better than mine. It’s a pity if he doesn’t go to school to study.”

Zhang Xiaohu’s heart was moved. He picked up the writing that Zhang Xiaohua had done. Indeed, he remembered the words written by him at home before. They were uneven, like crabs crawling. But the characters on this paper were uniform and neatly arranged. So he said to Zhang Xiaohua, who was sitting on the kang: “Xiaohua, it seems you have great talent for studying literature. Maybe we didn’t notice it when you were younger. Luckily, you’re still young, so why not study literature? If you could become a top scholar in the future, you can bring honor to our family. Father and mother would be very happy.”

Zhang Xiaohua seriously replied: “No way, Second Brother. Mr. Liu and Liu Kai are very knowledgeable, right? But when our sister-in-law was bullied, could they help? Since I’ve chosen the path of martial arts, there’s no turning back halfway. Don’t you agree, Big Brother Li? If one constantly changes their mind, how can one achieve greatness?”

Seeing that he was determined, Zhang Xiaohu didn’t press the issue further. Li Jinfeng, on the other hand, was clearly excited and thought to himself: “This is clearly a rare talent. Even his refusal is so resolute. How can I let him go? The doctor said Zhang Xiaohua can’t practice martial arts in the future, so I won’t push too hard. I’ll just gently persuade him, and once he realizes martial arts is no longer an option, won’t he come around to studying literature with me?”

With this in mind, he rolled his eyes and said: “Well, Xiaohua’s points are valid. However, martial arts should be for strengthening the body. Fighting and killing in the Jianghu disrupt harmony. If you want to study literature, you must definitely inform Big Brother Li.”

Zhang Xiaohua smiled and said: “Alright when the time comes, I’ll definitely learn from Big Brother Li. But I think Big Brother Li will be disappointed.”

Li Jinfeng laughed and said: “Disappointment leads to disappointment. The greater the expectations, the greater the disappointment. It doesn’t matter. Now that you’ve already learned many characters and can read the martial arts manuals, tomorrow I’ll show you some of the classical books we’ve studied. Even if you don’t pursue literature, reading these will be beneficial to your martial arts practice.”

“Really? Thank you so much, Big Brother Li. Please bring them to me early tomorrow. I’ve been looking at this martial arts manual these past few days and it’s not very interesting.” Zhang Xiaohua said, very pleased.

Li Jinfeng, as if he had caught a fish on the hook, said: “Since you find the martial arts manual boring, I’m sure the classical texts I’ll bring you tomorrow will make you read with relish. You won’t want to put them down. Haha!”

Afterward, he glanced at the sky, packed up his things, and took his leave.

Once Li Jinfeng had left, Zhang Xiaohu looked at Zhang Xiaohua with affection and said: “Xiaohua, I didn’t expect you to have such a good aptitude for reading and writing. You should seriously consider Young Master Li’s suggestion. Living a peaceful life might also be a good choice.”

Zhang Xiaohua frowned and said: “Second brother, why are you being so nagging today? I’ve never been very smart since young. The teachers always said so. Who knows what’s going on now? Maybe Big Brother Li is just joking. I never thought about going to school. Is something wrong, Second Brother?”

“Ahem,” Zhang Xiaohu coughed and quickly changed the subject, saying: “There’s actually something I need to tell you.”

Zhang Xiaohua was taken aback and asked: “What is it, Second Brother? Are you trying to keep me in suspense now?”

Zhang Xiaohu mysteriously pulled the martial arts manual from his pocket and said: “Look, what is this?”

Zhang Xiaohua took it and looked carefully: “Isn’t this the manual for Erlang Fist? Second Brother, where did you get this manual?”

“Erlang Fist?” Zhang Xiaohu was surprised, quickly taking back the manual to examine it. Indeed, the large character “Er” (two) was prominently displayed on the cover. He had been so focused on just grabbing a manual that he hadn’t carefully looked at it. Not recognizing the other two characters was one thing, but missing the character “Er” was quite embarrassing. He felt that his lack of education was truly frightening.

The person in charge of the library should have mentioned it, Zhang Xiaohu thought, feeling a bit embarrassed.

Seeing Zhang Xiaohua’s curious expression, Zhang Xiaohu mumbled about the events of the afternoon. Upon hearing that his brother had found such a great opportunity for him, Zhang Xiaohua’s eyes shone brightly like they could release countless stars. He exclaimed: “Second Brother, I really admire you. You are my lifelong idol. Thank you!”

Seeing Zhang Xiaohua’s excitement as he had hoped, Zhang Xiaohu felt happy from the bottom of his heart. However, he still said: “Let’s forget about this first one. I’ll go and exchange it for another one right away.”

Zhang Xiaohua hurriedly stopped him, saying: “Don’t change it just yet, Second Brother. If we just borrowed it and then immediately exchanged it, people might talk. If they think we’re going to keep borrowing, they might stop letting us. Let’s just keep it here for now and exchange it tomorrow.”

Zhang Xiaohu had no choice but to agree, saying: “Alright, I’ll go first thing tomorrow morning.”

Then, Zhang Xiaohua enthusiastically asked about the library’s situation. Zhang Xiaohu detailed everything, and Zhang Xiaohua was extremely happy, saying: “That’s great, Second Brother! I must read through all the martial arts manuals in there.”

Remembering the shelf full of books, Zhang Xiaohu couldn’t bring himself to dampen his brother’s enthusiasm. He said: “Alright, I support you, Xiaohua.”

Suddenly, Zhang Xiaohua asked: “Second Brother, did you see any books about inner energy?”

Zhang Xiaohu scratched his head and said: “I don’t know much about characters, so how would I know which ones are about inner energy cultivation? The martial arts manuals were found for me with someone’s help. However, I think internal energy cultivation manuals are probably not something they would let me see or borrow. They must keep those very secret.”

Zhang Xiaohua nodded in agreement. If they could easily be borrowed, then how valuable could they really be?

Zhang Xiaohu casually tossed the Erlang Fist manual onto the kang.

After dinner, Zhang Xiaohu continued practicing his Six Harmonies Fist under the oil lamp. Zhang Xiaohua, feeling bored, watched him. He found it very strange. Isn’t it just a set of Six Harmonies Fist? There were only so many moves to use, what was there to practice so much? His Second Brother treated it as if it were a treasure, performing it repeatedly, sometimes fast, sometimes slow. Did it really have any effect? He was skeptical.

In his extreme boredom, he picked up the martial arts manual from the edge of the kang and, by the dim light, began flipping through it. As he was flipping, he suddenly exclaimed, “Huh”, and stopped at a page in the manual. Zhang Xiaohu, hearing the noise, quickly asked: “What’s wrong, Xiaohua?”

“Oh, Second Brother, I’ve found something strange.” Zhang Xiaohua explained. “Can you bring the oil lamp over here?”

Following his instructions, Zhang Xiaohu moved the oil lamp closer. Zhang Xiaohua carefully examined the page in front of him and then took the other martial arts manual that Li Jinfeng had brought and compared the same page. After a detailed comparison, he nodded and confirmed with Zhang Xiaohu: “Second Brother, look at this. This is the book you borrowed from the library. This page shows the move I’ve learned. Comparing this manual with the one Big Brother Li brought, the body positioning in this stance is a bit more pronounced, and the punching position is slightly lower, which matches the mistake I made. However, what I remember is slightly more refined than the book you brought.”

Zhang Xiaohu rubbed his chin and frowned, saying, “What does this mean? Martial arts manuals can be copied incorrectly, and even taught by a master, mistakes can also occur. So, the Erlang Fist circulated in the Jianghu might all be different?”

Zhang Xiaohua nodded: “Second Brother, you’re right. Also, this martial art has been passed down from the past to the present, it’s likely changed over time.”

Zhang Xiaohu said: “Hmm, yes. Although the core concepts won’t change, many small details definitely have.”

“Hahaha!” Zhang Xiaohua laughed heartily and looked up at the sky.

Zhang Xiaohu was taken aback and said: “What’s gotten into you, laughing so lewdly like that?” (Ignore it, it’s a joke)

Zhang Xiaohua smiled and said: “Second Brother, Captain He always says my moves are wrong and keeps correcting me here and there, but I just can’t seem to change them. Now it seems that as long as the essential movements are correct, the details don’t matter so much. In fact, who’s to say that what Captain He learned is the most accurate? What do you think?”

Zhang Xiaohu nodded and said: “You have a point. Then, you are ready to…”

Zhang Xiaohua said: “From now on, I’m going to rely on my memory for practicing martial arts. I will remember what I remember, and the moves I remember will be the ones I practice. I’m not going to worry too much about correcting them.”

Zhang Xiaohu patted him on the head and teased: “Yeah, right. You can’t change them even if you want to. If you don’t do it this way, how can you do it? You’re just finding an excuse for yourself.”

Zhang Xiaohua grinned and said: “Maybe so.”

With his heart knot resolved, Zhang Xiaohua slowly flipped through the martial arts manual, trying to memorize more moves in his mind. In fact, he had already tried to do this when Li Jinfeng brought the manual, but although he remembered it clearly at the time, the next day he couldn’t recall anything other than two moves, there was no trace of the others, just like when he practiced martial arts at Huanxi Villa. So when Li Jinfeng praised him for being smart, he didn’t dare to accept it. Such memory is one in a million, and calling himself talented would be a stretch. If someone exposed his lack of real ability one day, it would be quite embarrassing.

However, when it came to the literacy lessons that Professor Li Jinfeng taught, Zhang Xiaohua did feel quite proud. Just as Li Jinfeng had said, he did remember things clearly, and his left hand was becoming increasingly adept. Still, as Zhang Xiaohu pointed out, being a teenager learning basic children’s lessons wasn’t something to boast about.

As Zhang Xiaohua was deep in thought, he suddenly heard a loud “thud”. He looked up and saw Zhang Xiaohu lying on the ground. Alarmed, he shouted: “Second Brother, what happened?”

Collapsing while practicing martial arts was no trivial matter, could it be that he had suffered a qi deviation?

To his surprise, Zhang Xiaohu sprang back up like a carp, his posture still graceful. He brushed off the dust and said: “It’s nothing, Xiaohua.”

Zhang Xiaohua sighed in relief.

Zhang Xiaohu explained: “Just now, I reached a point in the routine where there was a gap in front of my fist. I suddenly thought about what you said earlier, that the technique might be wrong. So, I extended my fist a bit further, but my stance wasn’t prepared for it. My body leaned too far forward while my footwork was still preparing to transition to the next move. My waist didn’t turn correctly, so I lost my balance and fell. Haha.”

After hearing this, Zhang Xiaohua raised his thumb and said: “Second Brother, you truly are a genius. From ancient times until now, you must be the first to knock yourself down while practicing martial arts. Although there may be others who come after you, you are definitely the first.”

Zhang Xiaohu spat and said: “Stop being so glib.”

Then, Zhang Xiaohua stopped smiling and said: “Second Brother, what I said earlier was just a guess and can’t be taken as truth. You shouldn’t take it to heart. The Six Harmonies Fist and Erlang Fist have been passed down for many years, and many people have practiced them, so they must have their merits. Recklessly changing moves could be fatal in a real fight. Moreover, everyone’s path in martial arts is different. At first, I saw you mastering just one set of Six Harmonies Fist, and became so powerful that I wanted to learn from you. I bet others in the escort agency are also learning from you. But you see, I can’t even remember the Arhat Fist completely, so how can I focus on just one set of techniques?”

Zhang Xiaohu listened and nodded slightly.

Zhang Xiaohua continued: “So, your path is not my path, and my path is not your path. I change the moves because I can’t remember them clearly, you don’t have to do the same. You’ve practiced the Six Harmonies Fist for so long, how can you change it? Besides, you wouldn’t even know where to start with the changes!”