Chapter 109

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Chapter 109: Combination

Unfortunately, Zhang Xiaohua was unaware that as he repeatedly practiced his punches over and over again, his movements were subtly changing bit by bit. Gradually, they began to deviate from the original techniques described in the martial arts manual. Moreover, the figure in his mind started to blur, as if he was slowly forgetting the deeply memorized moves from the manual.

After finishing his practice, Zhang Xiaohua felt very refreshed. He read a book under the oil lamp for a short while before going to bed early, smiling even in his sleep.

The next morning, Zhang Xiaohua woke up excitedly and ran to the training ground, filled with joy. He waited there like someone about to present a treasure, eager to surprise He Tianshu and Nie Xiao’er.

When He Tianshu and the others saw Zhang Xiaohua already standing there, they weren’t particularly surprised. This guy always got up early every day, they wondered where all the sleepiness of a young man had gone. Everyone greeted him as usual and then continued with their own training. Only He Tianshu smiled and asked: “Zhang Xiaohua, why did you go so far last night? Were you practicing some peerless martial arts? Trying to be all secretive and not let us see? But remember, any peerless martial art requires a good physical foundation. As the ancients wisely said, the body is the capital for roaming the martial world.”

After teasing him, He Tianshu was about to leave when Zhang Xiaohua said mysteriously: “Captain He, I really did practice an ultimate martial art last night. Want to take a look?”

He Tianshu stopped in his tracks, raised an eyebrow, and thought to himself: “Not bad, he’s actually learned to tease back. This kid is teachable. But if you think you can spar with me, you’re still too green.”

So, he decided to go along with it, crossing his arms over his chest and loudly shouting: “Everyone, come here! Zhang Xiaohua is going to demonstrate his peerless martial art for us.”

Upon hearing the captain’s call, Nie Xiao’er and the others immediately rushed over, using their agility to gather around.

Everyone was watching Zhang Xiaohua, their eyes filled with amusement.

The four of them were well aware of Zhang Xiaohua’s potential. Who would expect him to have mastered some ultimate martial art? They hadn’t seen him for just one night, what kind of extraordinary encounter could he have had? Their actions now were nothing more than adding some humor to their lives, treating Zhang Xiaohua as their lovable little brother.

Seeing that everyone was staring at him intently, Zhang Xiaohua, who had been brimming with confidence, started to feel a bit nervous. He murmured: “It’s not really some ultimate martial art. It’s just that I practiced two sets of fist routines yesterday, and I can now perform them completely.”

The others were surprised and said: “Really? Is that true? Then it must be some ultimate martial art! Our little Xiaohua wouldn’t remember an ordinary martial arts routine.”

Zhang Xiaohua ignored their teasing, calmed himself down, assumed a horse stance, and prepared to start with the opening move of the martial arts routine he had mastered the day before.

However, as he raised his arm, he suddenly didn’t know where to strike next. He had actually forgotten it!

His mind was completely blank. What was going on?

Zhang Xiaohua blushed with embarrassment. How could he have forgotten again? He had clearly practiced it so thoroughly yesterday.

Seeing Zhang Xiaohua raise his arm but hesitate to continue, the others, understanding the situation, smiled and said: “Zhang Xiaohua, hurry up! We can’t wait to see it!”

After his initial panic, Zhang Xiaohua felt a bit disappointed but could only say: “Hehe, I forgot that set. Let me show you the next one.”

He thought to himself: “Sigh, it’s not the first time I’ve been laughed at by you guys. Eventually, I’ll get used to it. But I really hope the gods and Buddhas passing by will bless me this time so that I don’t forget the next set of moves. Even if I can just remember one or two moves, that would be fine.”

Indeed, perhaps Zhang Xiaohua’s prayers were answered, as it seemed a deity happened to fly over his head at that moment. Somehow, Zhang Xiaohua managed to perform two moves from the martial technique routine in front of He Tianshu and the others, although these two moves were not connected.

He Tianshu watched Zhang Xiaohua’s two moves and thought for a long time before asking: “Zhang Xiaohua, these moves seem to be from the Nan Zhi Fist style, right? But the way you performed them doesn’t look quite like what I know.”

Zhang Xiaohua stood there with his hands clasped, looking pitiful, unsure of what to say or do. He desperately wanted to prove that he wasn’t worthless, and he very much wanted to demonstrate all the martial techniques he had memorized from the martial arts manuals in his mind. But he feared that like “yesterday’s memories”, he would forget them again tomorrow. So, he hesitated, thinking it might be better not to let them know that he had memorized many martial techniques.

Seeing Zhang Xiaohua in this state, He Tianshu felt a bit sorry for him. He walked over, patted Zhang Xiaohua on the head, and said: “Zhang Xiaohua, I know that while you were at the escort agency, even though you were recovering from injuries, you must have been thinking about practicing your martial arts. These two moves you performed must be what you learned there, and now you’re trying to show them to us. I didn’t see all of your moves today, but I believe you’ve worked hard and that you have learned them before. So, Zhang Xiaohua, you need to keep your spirits up. If others can master it after practicing once, you can do it after practicing ten or even a hundred times. I believe you can learn it, really.”

Tears welled up in Zhang Xiaohua’s eyes. Hearing He Tianshu’s words, he felt a jolt in his heart. He wiped his tears with his sleeve and, still unsure of himself, asked: “Captain He, can I really do it?”

He Tianshu nodded firmly: “You really can!”

However, in his heart, he silently prayed: “To the gods and Buddhas above, please forgive my lie. I only said it for Zhang Xiaohua’s sake. Only you know if it’s really true, right?”

Zhang Xiaohua seemed truly encouraged, the look of dejection disappearing from his face. He smiled and said: “Alright, I will definitely work hard. I won’t let Captain He down.”

He Tianshu smiled and said: “I’m sure you won’t. I really believe in you.” But inwardly, he thought: “I don’t have any expectations, so there’s no way you can disappoint me.”

The other three also chimed in, saying: “Xiaohua, you have to work hard! We’re all rooting for you~”

After breakfast, He Tianshu prepared to lead the three others to work in the medicinal fields. However, Zhang Xiaohua requested a day off, wanting to rest. He Tianshu, without a second thought, agreed. After all, Zhang Xiaohua had just recently recovered from his injuries and was still in the recovery phase. Over the past few days, Zhang Xiaohua had insisted on working, and seeing him struggle with his somewhat disabled right hand had pained He Tianshu. So today, when Zhang Xiaohua asked for a break, He Tianshu was more than happy to oblige and even suggested that he take a few more days off.

Left alone in the room, Zhang Xiaohua carefully reflected. The memory of the two martial arts routines he had practiced yesterday was now gone, but he noticed that two more moves had been added to his memory of moves like the Arhat Fist. Zhang Xiaohua began to understand that there wasn’t much difference between the techniques he learned from He Tianshu and those he learned from the martial arts manual. It wasn’t that he had suddenly become enlightened, he would still forget the moves. The techniques imprinted in his mind were merely memories, he hadn’t truly mastered them. As he practiced, he would forget the complete routines, just as he did when learning from He Tianshu. Alas, he really wasn’t cut out for martial arts.

However, Zhang Xiaohua soon had another realization, everyone’s path in martial arts is different. While recovering from his injuries, he had already thought about this, but his clear memory of the martial arts manuals had clouded his judgment, making him believe he could learn entire routines perfectly. Now, he found himself back at square one, but this wasn’t necessarily a failure. He decided to focus on combining the moves he remembered honestly and would continue until he could link together a complete set.

Still, the fact that he could vividly remember the martial arts manuals was quite remarkable. It was like having a master in his mind, sparing him the need to seek out others to learn from and providing him with excellent materials for creating his own martial technique. He wondered whether, after practicing all 100-plus martial arts in his mind, he would be able to piece together a full set of moves for his martial technique.

With a sigh, Zhang Xiaohua stopped thinking, opened the door, and returned to the spot where he had practiced the night before. He calmed his mind and, relying on his memory, began to “recreate yesterday”.

In truth, when doing anything, the most important thing is to find a goal, not to get caught up in the twists and turns of the process. Zhang Xiaohua’s experience with martial arts illustrated this point well. What Zhang Xiaohua didn’t lack was diligence and the tenacity unique to people from the countryside. What he did lack was a lofty, strategic vision, and he had no one to guide or mentor him, nor anyone to tailor a training plan specifically for him. Even though He Tianshu was quite fond of the young man and was willing to teach him martial arts, there were limits. After all, Zhang Xiaohua was neither his disciple nor a blood relative, so He Tianshu wouldn’t devote himself entirely to Zhang Xiaohua’s training.

He Tianshu had already done quite well by teaching Zhang Xiaohua so much and introducing him to martial arts. Without this guidance, the young rural boy would still be wielding his small herbal hoe, dreaming of a life in the martial world.

The same could be said for Nie Xiao’er.

Now that Zhang Xiaohua had found a path that suited him, it was as if a tiger had grown wings, naturally unstoppable.

He practiced one of the martial arts routines from his memory over and over, trying to understand the changes in his recollections. But to his surprise, no matter how much he practiced, the memory in his mind remained clear and did not fade despite his increasing familiarity with the moves. This truly puzzled him.

So, he began practicing a second routine. This time, he only practiced it twice to become familiar with the martial technique before moving on to a third routine, which he practiced about ten times to ensure he had practiced it very skillfully.

Zhang Xiaohua spent his entire day off practicing, from morning until night, working through about a dozen sets of martial techniques. Except for the ones he focused on in the morning, where he paid close attention to the martial arts manuals in his memory, he didn’t bother to scrutinize the others too closely.

The next morning, Zhang Xiaohua approached the tree with a mix of nervousness and anticipation. He took his stance, and sure enough, as he had expected, the martial techniques he had familiarized himself with the previous day had vanished from his memory. What remained were fragmented moves, deeply ingrained in his mind, impossible to forget. As for whether these moves matched the original manuals, it was obvious that they didn’t.

Rather than being disappointed by this, Zhang Xiaohua felt a subtle excitement. It seemed he had discovered an unusual path. Whether this path was correct remained to be seen, and it would require continued effort and exploration. However, as the saying goes, everyone has to cross the river by feeling for stones. Isn’t making mistakes just paying the tuition for learning? Zhang Xiaohua was still young, and if he made a mistake even heaven would forgive him.

Since a complete set of a martial technique would be forgotten or altered whether practiced three times, ten times, or even dozens of times, Zhang Xiaohua wasn’t foolish enough to keep practicing each routine dozens of times. By the end of the morning, he had successfully practiced three different martial arts.

During the day, Zhang Xiaohua didn’t officially start working in the medicinal fields, so he simply followed behind Nie Xiao’er. In his spare moments, he continued to piece together the fragmented moves in his mind, just as he had done while recovering at the escort agency. However, perhaps due to the limited number of moves he had so far, only the two moves from before could be connected, leaving Zhang Xiaohua slightly uneasy, unsure if his chosen path was the right one.

In the evening, Zhang Xiaohua continued practicing his martial arts, just as he had in the morning, keeping a distance from He Tianshu and the others. 

But Zhang Xiaohua made an interesting discovery, he could still recall and perform the martial techniques he had practiced in the morning. It seemed as though the techniques only lasted for a day, disappearing by the next morning.

Could something be happening overnight? 

Or was his brain simply too dull to retain the techniques during a deep rest?

For the first time, Zhang Xiaohua began to doubt himself.

Morning and evening practice, and combining moves during the day, this was the routine of Zhang Xiaohua’s happy life.

As Zhang Xiaohua enjoyed this comfortable life, someone was constantly watching him, Elder Yu, the one-armed master. With his exceptional skill in lightness techniques, even He Tianshu might not be able to notice his presence, let alone Zhang Xiaohua.

Elder Yu was puzzled by Zhang Xiaohua’s diligent practice of various common martial arts techniques. He couldn’t understand where this kid had learned so much “garbage”. Didn’t he know that it was better to savor a single bite of a fresh peach than to eat a basket of rotten apricots? What was the point of practicing so much junk?

I really don’t understand, Elder Yu shook his head in confusion.

But when he saw the chaotic, incomplete, and full of mistakes in his eyes, moves that Zhang Xiaohua practiced the next morning, he was so shocked that he almost fell off the wall he was standing on. This…What kind of talent was this? It was an absolute rarity in the human world.

Elder Yu shook his head so much that it nearly swayed like a pendulum clock.

The only thing that brought him some comfort was Zhang Xiaohua’s relentless dedication to practicing under the tree whenever he had a free moment. His hard work was commendable.

But how much was hard work really worth?

Zhang Xiaohua’s enthusiasm finally ignited at noon one day. As he was walking back, his mind constantly churned over the seemingly unrelated moves he knew. Suddenly, two of these moves connected perfectly in his mind. Zhang Xiaohua was so overjoyed that he almost jumped for joy. What did this mean?

This indicated that the path he had chosen was indeed the right one and was the martial arts path that suited him.

In the evenings, Zhang Xiaohua worked even harder, practicing several sets of techniques in a row. While he wasn’t exhausted, his right hand fingers were quite painful, and he could no longer continue practicing. If he couldn’t tightly clench his fist, he could only use palm techniques. A mistake could result in real injury, so Zhang Xiaohua didn’t dare to risk it.

Day after day, the martial techniques in Zhang Xiaohua’s memory gradually faded, while a new river of more fragmented moves flowed into his memory. The number of moves he could connect increased steadily, reflecting his continuous accumulation and improvement.

He Tianshu and the others observed Zhang Xiaohua practicing alone under the distant tree every day and were curious. However, when they thought of his extraordinary memory, they hesitated to intervene. Since Zhang Xiaohua was merely practicing martial arts and not going to extremes, they decided to let him be.

In truth, He Tianshu had no other intentions. He was aware of Zhang Xiaohua’s right-hand injury. Although not a doctor, most martial artists have a certain understanding. His right hand was useless due to such a serious injury.

Why?

A fist is meant for striking. If only one bone were fractured, it could still be manageable. Once healed, the fist could use the other bones for support, protecting the fractured area. But Zhang Xiaohua’s fracture was across the entire palm. Imagine if such a fist were used to strike, where would the force come from?

The ancient saying goes, “To kill a thousand enemies, one suffers eight hundred losses”.

If Zhang Xiaohua’s fist couldn’t generate force, how could he deliver power to his opponent?

Moreover, considering Zhang Xiaohua’s natural divine strength, five hundred jin in one arm, if he were to use that force, it might not even reach the opponent before the rebound force could shatter Zhang Xiaohua’s already injured right hand further.

Therefore, He Tianshu had subtly tried to discourage Zhang Xiaohua from advancing further in his martial arts practice.

What could Zhang Xiaohua practice alone? It was only a few moves repeated over and over, which couldn’t lead to major errors. He Tianshu had decided to let him be, allowing Zhang Xiaohua to continue his own way.

Everything has an end. That night, Zhang Xiaohua finally practiced all the techniques from his memory. He quietly sighed with relief, finding significant progress in combining the moves. Many moves connected, and even some sets of four, five, or ten moves were seamlessly integrated. However, while practicing was a simulated process, combining moves was a real mental challenge that gave Zhang Xiaohua quite a headache. Luckily, tonight was the final night. At this time, he wondered, could these moves really be combined into a complete set of martial arts?

That night, Zhang Xiaohua went to bed with a mix of anticipation and apprehension.

Early the next morning, Zhang Xiaohua arrived under the tree, eager to see the results of his practice. He already turned a blind eye to the results of his martial arts practice. Of the moves he had practiced yesterday, most were forgotten except for five that remained clear in his memory. Seeing from the sky that it was still early, Zhang Xiaohua took this opportunity to attempt to integrate these five moves into the already partially assembled martial technique.

The outcome surprised and delighted Zhang Xiaohua. The five moves were seamlessly incorporated, but the set of moves still wasn’t fully linked.

Zhang Xiaohua carefully considered the situation. He found that his martial technique was comprised of one hundred and one moves, with seven points that weren’t connected. He wasn’t sure if these gaps were due to missing seven moves or if there were even more missing elements.

Zhang Xiaohua practiced the one hundred and one moves twice over, with only random links in the gaps. He was sure he had memorized them, but whether he truly remembered them would only be clear the next day.

For now, he needed to focus on finding more martial arts manuals to learn additional techniques that could supplement his combined set of moves.