Chapter 159

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In Zhang Xiaohua’s dream, the twinkling lights mirrored the stars in the night sky. The endless starry sky, countless star forces seemed to be summoned, rushing in an instant, as if they were piercing through time and space.

Before long, the area around Zhang Xiaohua’s body was enveloped and entwined with countless star powers. The hundreds of thousands of pores on his body, eager and waiting, opened wide as if they had seen a delicacy, savoring the energy.

After the star power and Yuan Qi were absorbed into his body through the pores, they became tiny and imperceptible. In his sleep, Zhang Xiaohua unconsciously ran the first layer of the <Carefree Heart Sutra>, pushing them to circulate through his meridians according to the cultivation route.

The star power behaved like before, slowly being refined into pure Yuan Qi, and the Yuan Qi absorbed along with it merged with the star-refined Yuan Qi. This was then further refined by the twinkling lights, leaving only an even purer form of Yuan Qi. This pure Yuan Qi was stored in Zhang Xiaohua’s middle dantian. Although a lot of star power and Yuan Qi entered his body, the degree of refinement under the twinkling lights was so extreme that most of it was removed, leaving only a minute amount of Yuan Qi. However, the purity of this remaining energy was… terrifying!

All of this happened silently and unconsciously for Zhang Xiaohua. The pure Yuan Qi was so scarce that Zhang Xiaohua couldn’t perceive it. Until dawn the next day, as the sun rose, Zhang Xiaohua opened his eyes, shook off his dew-soaked clothes, and still didn’t know what he had gained from his overnight efforts.

Zhang Xiaohua looked around and recalled the events of the previous day, giving a wry smile. He stood up and stretched a bit. Despite sitting in meditation all night, his body felt perfectly fine, even invigorated, without a trace of fatigue. Compared to lying on a bed, he felt even more energetic. Zhang Xiaohua couldn’t help but wonder, should he maybe stop sleeping, sell the bed in his small room for money, and just sit in meditation every day instead?

It was still early, with the sun just peeking over the horizon. Zhang Xiaohua mimicked a swallowing motion towards the rising sun, letting a warm current flow into his body. Suddenly, Zhang Xiaohua seemed to think of something but couldn’t quite make it clear. Tilting his head and pondering for a while, he still couldn’t figure it out, so he soon forgot about it.

Zhang Xiaohua intended to practice the Big Dipper Divine Fist next to the medicinal herb field, but unfortunately, there were no trees nearby to provide cover. Zhang Xiaohua had always avoided practicing in front of people, and now, in the open area, he felt quite uncomfortable. Thus, he decided to return to the forest to practice his fist technique and sword technique.

However, as soon as he reached the edge of the forest, another thought crossed his mind: sooner or later, he would have to demonstrate his fist technique. Not to mention that he only knew this martial technique. Whether in public or private, when it came to fighting, he would always use the Big Dipper Divine Fist. Although it was composed of various fist and leg techniques, it was still a martial art. There seemed to be no need to hide from others in the future. Moreover, he still wanted to participate in the Piaomiao Sect’s martial arts competition. If he didn’t use the Big Dipper Divine Fist, what would he use? It would be better to practice openly and not worry about what others might say.

As for the sword techniques taught by Elder Yu, he had been repeatedly instructed to keep them hidden from others, so he would just need to avoid people while practicing swordplay.

While thinking, Zhang Xiaohua entered the forest and suddenly heard a “thud”—the sound of someone falling. Zhang Xiaohua was alarmed. In broad daylight, was someone committing misdeeds in the forest?

Immediately, Zhang Xiaohua used the Piaomiao Step to swiftly make his way deeper into the forest.

To his surprise, after only a few steps, Zhang Xiaohua heard a burst of curses from somewhere deeper in the forest: “XXX, why is this Piaomiao Step so difficult? This footwork is clearly wrong!”

The voice was very familiar, it was Zhang Xiaohua’s cheap master, He Tianshu.

Zhang Xiaohua couldn’t help but cheerfully say: “Captain He, why are you up so early?”

When Zhang Xiaohua arrived at the scene, He Tianshu was getting up from the ground, dusting himself off, and looking quite embarrassed. He said: “Zhang Xiaohua? What are you doing here? How come I didn’t hear your footsteps?”

Zhang Xiaohua smiled and replied: “I usually practice my fist technique in this forest. I heard some unusual noise just now, so I came to check it out. Maybe Captain He was so focused on practicing that you didn’t hear me coming.”

He Tianshu frowned and said: “Unusual noise? Hmm, I heard it too. It seemed like a small bird broke a branch. Let’s not worry about it.”

Zhang Xiaohua couldn’t help but chuckle: “Yes, that’s probably it. But Captain He, why are you up so early today?”

He Tianshu took out a few sheets of paper from his pocket, waving them casually as he said: “These are just some pages on the Piaomiao Step. After you left yesterday, I went over them carefully. I couldn’t figure out how the footwork should be performed, so I didn’t sleep well all night. That’s why I came here to practice before dawn. However, the footwork still isn’t working as I imagined. There are many places where it just doesn’t work, and I’m not sure if the instructions are wrong.”

Not only did Zhang Xiaohua find this hard to believe, but even He Tianshu seemed somewhat unconvinced by his own words. Perhaps he was just trying to come up with an excuse for the little bird who had broken a branch.

Curiosity piqued, Zhang Xiaohua asked: “Captain He, is it really that mysterious? Even you can’t understand it? You’re like a deity to me; you must keep trying and not let me down.”

He Tianshu snorted: “Really, don’t you believe it. If only I were Zhang Xiaohu.”

Zhang Xiaohua asked in surprise: “Why would you want to be my second brother?”

He Tianshu replied enviously: “If I were Zhang Xiaohu, I could take this Piaomiao Step to my master. He would surely be able to explain the mysteries to me. You don’t understand, Zhang Xiaohua, exploring things on your own is very different from having a master guiding you. As the saying goes, ‘The ancients planted trees, and later generations enjoy the shade’. That’s exactly the principle here.”

When Zhang Xiaohua heard this, he nodded like a chicken pecking at rice. That was true, having a master around would certainly make things easier. He could just ask and get the answer, wouldn’t that be great?

However, if he had accepted this master, his second brother would still have to face the dangers of working at the escort agency. Compared to that, Zhang Xiaohua was quite satisfied with his current situation. As the ancients said, “Fighting endlessly against heaven is a joy, fighting endlessly against earth is a joy”, so perhaps fighting against oneself is also a joy?

Despite his thoughts, he knew he had to keep pondering about this footwork. He Tianshu told Zhang Xiaohua: “Zhang Xiaohua, you continue practicing your fist technique on the side. Don’t disturb me. I’ll give this another try. I refuse to believe that I can’t master this basic footwork with my aptitude for sensing qi within two days.”

After speaking, he waved his hand to signal Zhang Xiaohua to do his own thing and went back to studying the thin stack of papers. Zhang Xiaohua considered that he might not be able to help further and prepared to leave.

But at that moment, as He Tianshu continued to examine the step, he started moving around in a small area. This naturally caught Zhang Xiaohua’s attention. Although he had mastered the first layer of the Piaomiao Step, he lacked the fundamental inner energy to use it effectively. Zhang Xiaohua had never learned this footwork combat, and He Tianshu’s demonstration intrigued him. He wanted to see the true nature of this so-called signature technique of the Piaomiao Sect.

Zhang Xiaohua observed He Tianshu’s footwork, occasionally stepping east and then west, sometimes taking large steps and other times simply tapping his foot in place. Zhang Xiaohua was puzzled. Suddenly, He Tianshu’s feet landed on the same spot, causing him to lose balance and almost fall. Fortunately, He Tianshu seemed to have anticipated this, adjusting his stance and ending the demonstration.

Zhang Xiaohua understood that He Tianshu was likely struggling with how to execute the footwork at this particular spot, which had caused his recent stumble. While he was thinking, He Tianshu continued to practice relentlessly.

This time, Zhang Xiaohua focused his attention and carefully observed He Tianshu’s footwork. The technique was quite complex, and even though Zhang Xiaohua’s understanding had improved, he could only remember about 30-40% of it. Same as before, He Tianshu made mistakes at the same spot, almost falling again.

“Bah.” He Tianshu spat on the ground in frustration, carefully putting the sheets of paper back into his pocket. He muttered fiercely: “I refuse to believe I can’t master this.”

He then looked up and noticed Zhang Xiaohua watching from the side, surprised: “Zhang Xiaohua, why aren’t you practicing your fist technique?”

Zhang Xiaohua smiled and said: “Captain He, I noticed that you were practicing really well just now. How about I also learn a bit with you?”

He Tianshu frowned and said: “I haven’t even mastered it myself, how can I teach you? You should wait a bit longer.”

Just then, He Tianshu suddenly rolled his eyes and said: “Alright, since you’re so eager to learn, I’ll teach you some of the footwork I’ve just figured out.”

He then struck a stance and instructed: “You stand behind me and practice step by step according to my movements.”

Zhang Xiaohua happily moved behind He Tianshu and said; “Okay, Captain He, you can start.”

He Tianshu smiled and said: “Alright, I’m starting now. Follow along.”

He proceeded to demonstrate the footwork he had just practiced, moving at a slow pace.

Behind him, Zhang Xiaohua followed diligently, and because he had already seen the movements twice, Zhang Xiaohua didn’t have much trouble executing them. Seeing this, He Tianshu increased his speed gradually. When they reached the difficult point, He Tianshu’s feet landed on the same spot but only as a gesture. Then, with a turn and a leap to the side, he stared at Zhang Xiaohua with a playful smile in his eyes.

Focused on learning, Zhang Xiaohua had no other thoughts in his mind. When practicing this difficult point with He Tianshu, he was suddenly surprised to see He Tianshu stop and stand aside. Yet, without knowing why, Zhang Xiaohua’s feet naturally followed the same movements he had just observed from He Tianshu, stepping towards the same spot simultaneously.

He Tianshu was hoping for exactly this outcome, silently waiting for Zhang Xiaohua to stumble and fall!

At this moment, Zhang Xiaohua’s body had already tilted to one side, just like He Tianshu did earlier. However, Zhang Xiaohua was staring blankly at He Tianshu, who was standing by and watching the excitement, without deliberately trying to control his falling posture. At this moment, his right foot, which was about to step down, naturally tried to move forward slightly, almost missing the step. Immediately, his right leg followed the movement of his body, sweeping to the side. This action helped to stabilize her unbalanced body and shift his position to a different spot.

This natural adjustment left He Tianshu, who was hoping to see Zhang Xiaohua embarrass himself, completely astonished. His eyes widened in disbelief. This, what was going on?

He Tianshu stepped forward excitedly and asked: “Zhang Xiaohua, did you see this footwork in advance?”

Zhang Xiaohua stood there, puzzled, and replied: “Captain He, of course I haven’t seen it before. I don’t understand it.”

He Tianshu pulled out the thin sheets of paper and pointed to a specific part, saying: “If you haven’t seen it before, how did you execute this footwork so accurately? With the final step exactly as written in the manual? I’ve practiced this posture and angle many times without success, and even ended up falling to the ground!”

At this point, He Tianshu was so flustered that he couldn’t care less about his own dignity and expressed his frustration.

Zhang Xiaohua frowned and said: “I don’t know. I just followed the steps you taught me.”

He Tianshu didn’t believe it and asked: “Zhang Xiaohua, can you show it again?”

Zhang Xiaohua thought for a moment and said: “I’ll give it a try. It should be doable.”

He then performed the footwork again, based on his memory and the impression from following He Tianshu. Although Zhang Xiaohua hadn’t reached the difficult point, just performing the previous steps caused He Tianshu to blush from shame. The Piaomiao Step was complex, and it had taken him several days of intense practice to get a rough understanding. Just now, he had needed to refer to the manual to perform it smoothly. Yet, Zhang Xiaohua, who had only seen him demonstrate a few times, was able to learn and execute it so perfectly?

This seemed very different from the Zhang Xiaohua he remembered, who had been so clumsy with his martial arts training!

However, the final result was another blow to He Tianshu’s confidence. Zhang Xiaohua executed the difficult part perfectly, performing a smooth and elegant turn. He then stopped and asked with a smile: “Captain He, is this the correct way to do it?”

He Tianshu stammered a little and said in disbelief: “Yes, yes, yes that’s right.”

He immediately threw Zhang Xiaohua aside and practiced the movement again, but unfortunately, he stumbled at the same difficult spot and nearly fell.

He Tianshu was puzzled—why couldn’t he get it right? How did this Xiaohua manage it on his first try?

So, He Tianshu approached Zhang Xiaohua, rubbing his hands together, and asked: “Zhang Xiaohua, how did you manage to do that? You stepped out so effortlessly, and your sliding step looked quite graceful. You really have my style. Can you tell me how you controlled your falling posture?”

Zhang Xiaohua tilted his head and thought for a moment before replying: “Captain He, I’m not exactly sure how I did it. As for controlling my posture, I didn’t really control it; I just naturally extended my foot, and the sliding step was something I did casually. It just felt like the right way to move.”

He Tianshu was confused. “Your posture was already leaning to one side, how could you just ignore it? Were you just letting yourself fall?”

Zhang Xiaohua nodded. “Yes, that’s how it was.”

He Tianshu pondered and said: “I understand now. As long as you go with the flow, your left foot will naturally over your right foot, and you’ll be able to execute the sliding step.”

Zhang Xiaohua couldn’t offer much insight and simply said: “I guess so. Anyway, I didn’t do anything special.”

He Tianshu nodded and continued his practice, but it only got worse for our Captain He. He ended up falling to the ground, landing hard.

He Tianshu sprang up from the ground like a carp, exasperatedly shouting: “You said you didn’t do anything! Why is it that I keep falling while you don’t?”

Zhang Xiaohua scratched his head and replied, “Maybe it’s just a matter of luck, Captain He. Yesterday, when I was coming back from the Piaomiao Manor, I even helped an old lady across the street.”

How could He Tianshu believe this? He gestured while explaining: “First, place your left foot here, then your right foot here. Even if your posture is off, since you say to step according to your body’s alignment, I naturally tried to apply force in that direction. But my posture still tilted. The more I tried to exert force, the more my posture tilted. What’s going on?”

Seeing He Tianshu muttering almost obsessively, Zhang Xiaohua was puzzled and asked: “Captain He, why are you applying force forward? What kind of force are you using?”

He Tianshu, somewhat impatient, said: “Of course, it’s internal energy. Without internal energy, how can your steps be swift and graceful?”

Zhang Xiaohua pouted and replied: “Captain He, when did I ever have internal energy? I haven’t even found my qi sense yet!”

Upon hearing this, He Tianshu’s expression changed. He slapped his forehead, realizing that his cheap disciple didn’t have any inner energy—how could he apply force to his steps?

Understanding the reason, He Tianshu eagerly practiced again and, indeed, succeeded smoothly this time. He Tianshy felt not only joy but also a strange sense of surprise. Did this step actually repel internal energy?

“Ha,” He Tianshu sighed, not sure what to make of it, and then prepared to leave.

Zhang Xiaohua hurriedly caught up and asked: “Captain He, aren’t we going to continue practicing? It’s still early, and breakfast isn’t ready yet.”

He Tianshu with no enthusiasm said: “I’ve been contemplating for a long time and can only do this much. What else can we practice? How about I give you this manual, and you study and practice it yourself first?”

He started to reach into his pocket.

When Zhang Xiaohua heard this, quickly waved his hand, joking: “Just from a brief look, the manual is filled with tiny footnotes. It’s confusing to me. I know the difficulties of self-learning; since someone is willing to teach, why would I insist on taking the hard path?”

Zhang Xiaohua laughed and said, “I’m just concerned about Captain He’s health. It’s still early for breakfast, so why not continue practicing? As the ancients said, ‘Work is for the manor, but health is personal’. We must take care of our health.”

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