Chapter 177

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He Tianshu was surprised and asked, “How do you know there are rumors about the restricted area?”

Zhang Xiaohua, in a mysterious tone, said: “It’s all written in books. Anything that people are forbidden from exploring will always stir up curiosity. The more you block access, the more rumors will spread about it.”

He Tianshu laughed: “That’s quite an accurate observation from those books. However, it seems no one really dares to investigate this restricted area. Of course, there are indeed quite a few rumors.”

Zhang Xiaohua quickly perked up, eager to satisfy his curiosity. But, just as He Tianshu was about to continue, he changed his tone and said: “However, you’re not a Piaomiao Sect disciple, so I can’t tell you anything. Just forget about it.”

Zhang Xiaohua grumbled: “Captain He, if you didn’t want to tell me, you could’ve just said so. Now that you’ve mentioned it, I’m going to keep thinking about it, and how am I supposed to sleep tonight?”

He Tianshu shook his head and said: “Whether there’s something or not, I still can’t tell you. Besides, if you claim you can’t sleep, even ghosts won’t believe it.”

Zhang Xiaohu, seeing that He Tianshu wasn’t going to say anything, understood there must be serious reasons behind it, so he scolded Zhang Xiaohua: “Xiaohua, stop being mischievous. Since Captain He has said he can’t share, there must be a good reason. Why push him?”

Zhang Xiaohua, feeling a bit deflated, said: “I was just joking, testing Captain He’s resolve. I wanted to see if he’s trustworthy enough to be Sect Master Ou’s disciple.”

With that, the three of them moved away from the fork in the road. Zhang Xiaohua, still unwilling to let go, cast one last glance back at the mysterious path, which now seemed even more intriguing to him.

The trio continued along the small path, casually looking around for a while. Eventually, He Tianshu led them to a quaint little courtyard and said: “Here’s where the guest rooms of the Medicine Hall are. I’ll take you inside. It seems no one’s staying here at the moment, so feel free to pick any room. I think I’ll stay with you tonight too.”

Zhang Xiaohu, feeling a bit guilty, said: “Captain He, you should go back to your own place. We can manage on our own.”

He Tianshu shook his head and said: “It’s better if I don’t go back. You saw it yourself earlier—those guys weren’t happy after seeing me win today. They all want to challenge me. I’ve already knocked down a batch of them in the training room, and I bet a whole bunch of them are waiting for me back at my place. I can’t afford to provoke them, but can’t I hide? I’m definitely staying here tonight.”

Having witnessed the scene in the training room, Zhang Xiaohu knew that He Tianshu was telling the truth and nodded with a smile.

Zhang Xiaohua was naturally delighted.

There were quite a few rooms in the courtyard, so He Tianshu asked: “Do you two brothers want to stay together, or do you want separate rooms?”

Zhang Xiaohua quickly replied: “Of course we’ll stay together. It’s been so long since I last stayed with my second brother. I slept so well last night.”

Zhang Xiaohu, however, recalled Zhang Xiaohua’s questions from that morning and was worried about saying something in his sleep again. He said: “Forget it, Xiaohua. You’re grown up now. It’s better if you have your own room. Don’t you also stay alone at Huanxi Villa?”

Zhang Xiaohua wasn’t willing to part and kept refusing, while Zhang Xiaohu insisted. Suddenly, as if Zhang Xiaohua remembered something, he quickly said: “Second Brother, I was lying when I told you that you were calling out Changge’s name in your sleep. You didn’t say anything at all. Besides, how could I hear you when I sleep so deeply?”

But at this point, Zhang Xiaohu wasn’t going to believe him.

He Tianshu, hearing them mention Changge, found it strange.

In the end, under Zhang Xiaohu’s insistence, the three of them each chose a guest room and went to rest separately.

The night deepened, and the sounds of insects chirping outside the courtyard became more prominent, rising and falling in waves. Inside the quiet, empty guest rooms, the three of them each went about their own activities.

Let’s not dwell on Zhang Xiaohu, who lay on his bed with his hands behind his head, staring at the ceiling. His expression shifted between joy and sorrow, and his eyes were fixed on the roof, where the shadows danced and flickered with the wavering light. Who knows what he was thinking?

Nor on He Tianshu, who sat cross-legged on the bed with his five hearts facing the sky, attempting to calm his mind and circulate his internal energy. Despite his efforts to concentrate, the thrill of his daytime victory kept disrupting his focus. After several unsuccessful attempts, he finally gave up, lying on the bed with a smile, probably reminiscing about his earlier triumphs.

As for Zhang Xiaohua, he paced around the room a few times before climbing onto the bed, sitting cross-legged, and beginning to practice the Carefree Heart Sutra.

At first, Zhang Xiaohua didn’t guide any Qi into his body, simply refining the True Qi within his meridians. Since he had only ever encountered the Yuan Qi of Heaven and Earth near the herb fields of Huanxi Villa, he hadn’t found it anywhere else. Naturally, Zhang Xiaohua had no expectations of finding any here either.

However, after circulating his True Qi through several cycles, Zhang Xiaohua habitually performed the motions to guide external Qi into his body. As soon as his senses extended to the outside world, he was suddenly overjoyed to discover that the Yuan Qi of Heaven and Earth here was shockingly abundant—several times more than what he had found near the herb fields of Huanxi Villa.

Without hesitation, Zhang Xiaohua opened every pore in his body and began drawing in the rare and precious Yuan Qi with all his might. In no time, the surrounding Yuan Qi was absorbed into his body like a black hole, but soon after, he felt an endless stream of Yuan Qi continuously replenishing itself from all directions. Zhang Xiaohua was ecstatic. He calmed his mind, his emotions tranquil as a still lake, and steadily guided the Qi into his body, refining it as it flowed through his meridians.

Midnight arrived as expected, and Zhang Xiaohua swiftly fell into a deep sleep. His breathing fell into a strange rhythm, perfectly synchronized with the frequency of the night sky’s stars. Immediately, an endless stream of starlight gathered around Zhang Xiaohua’s body, slowly and systematically being drawn into him and gradually refined.

Zhang Xiaohua had always encountered many difficulties while practicing the [Carefree Heart Sutra]. Even the simplest task of guiding Qi into his body had proven to be a struggle. At first, he thought it was due to his poor aptitude, believing he simply couldn’t sense the flow of Qi. However, after his training near the herb fields and in the forest, where the experiences were drastically different, he began to harbor some doubts. Perhaps the presence of Yuan Qi varied depending on the location?

Although he had considered this possibility, he had also encountered dense Yuan Qi during that rainy night, the Carefree Heart Sutra had no mention of this phenomenon, which only deepened his confusion. This heart sutra was supposed to be the culmination of ancient wisdom. If such an obvious and basic aspect of cultivation wasn’t recorded, how could anyone follow its guidance to train? At the very least, there should have been some footnotes or explanations!

Now, in the guest room of the Medicine Hall, Zhang Xiaohua once again faced this issue. He reaffirmed his conclusion that the Carefree Heart Sutra wasn’t an all-encompassing manual. The availability of Yuan Qi was, in fact, location-dependent and not as the sutra had described: omnipresent and inexhaustible throughout the heavens and earth.

Even though the Yuan Qi in the guest room of the Medicine Hall was several times more than in the herb fields of Huanxi Villa, the base amount in the herb fields was so minuscule, just a few wisps. The Yuan Qi here, although more abundant, could still only be measured in “wisps”. Compared to the idealized description in the sutra, it was still far… far off!

Having reached this conclusion, Zhang Xiaohua’s first thought upon waking in the morning was to get his hands on He Tianshu’s token! With that token, wouldn’t his daily cultivation here be far more effective than at Huanxi Villa?

Today was already the third day of the Martial Arts Competition. Apart from the group of children at Young Eagle Hall, whose numbers were too many, the competitions in other areas had concluded. He Tianshu naturally had no other options. Although Zhang Xiaohua had not formally become his disciple, it was a close thing—just a nod away from being accepted. Zhang Xiaohua was competing, so He Tianshu, as the cheap master, still felt obliged to watch. Yesterday, when He Tianshu saw Zhang Xiaohua, he didn’t ask about the results of the competition. Like Zhang Xiaohu, he understood the strength of the Young Eagle Hall’s children well, knowing Zhang Xiaohua was far from being their equal. He figured Zhang Xiaohua was participating in the Martial Arts Competition for the fun of it. Although Zhang Xiaohua had learned a bit of Piaomiao Step’s qinggong techniques and some of its movements, in He Tianshu’s mind, Zhang Xiaohua had only grasped the most basic concepts of Piaomiao Step. Naturally, he had no high expectations for him.

Therefore, he didn’t believe Zhang Xiaohua would have achieved anything impressive in his matches.

Of course, a result of six consecutive draws wasn’t exactly a stellar performance, and Zhang Xiaohua certainly wouldn’t boast about it to He Tianshu.

So when He Tianshu came over in the morning and told Zhang Xiaohua that he and Zhang Xiaohu would come to watch his match, Zhang Xiaohua awkwardly said: “Captain He, you have a lot going on at the Medicine Hall. You should focus on your duties. My matches really aren’t anything worth watching, so there’s no need for you to come.”

Hearing this, He Tianshu became even more certain of his suspicions, thinking to himself: “This kid must have been thoroughly beaten. If he had even a thirty percent chance of winning, wouldn’t he have bragged about it and dragged me along?”

With this in mind, He Tianshu replied earnestly: “That won’t do, Zhang Xiaohua. I’m your first teacher, even if just a little. I can’t miss your matches. Even if I just get to see your progress, it will make me feel that my efforts haven’t been in vain. If there are any shortcomings, I can always give you guidance afterward. Don’t you agree?”

Zhang Xiaohua secretly thought to himself: “What efforts? Not to mention the fist techniques, even that Piaomiao Step technique is only half-finished.”

However, seeing that He Tianshu was determined, Zhang Xiaohua could only say: “Alright then.”

But He Tianshu wasn’t done yet. With a grin, he raised his eyebrows and said: “Oh, I almost forgot. Nie Xiao’er and the others seem to be free today. How about I get them to come and cheer for you as well?”

Zhang Xiaohua was startled and quickly said: “There’s no need for that, Captain He. It’d be such a hassle for them!”

Just as Zhang Xiaohua was about to grab He Tianshu’s sleeve, he found that He Tianshu was already prepared. With a quick tap of his toes, he used the Piaomiao Step qinggong technique and vanished in a flash, leaving behind only a voice echoing in the air: “It’s no trouble, they’re happy to come!”

As a result, when they left the Medicine Hall, it wasn’t just Zhang Xiaohua, the competitor, heading out. He was accompanied by Zhang Xiaohu, He Tianshu, Nie Xiao’er, and four others—a total of seven people—marching mightily toward the Young Eagle Hall. Along the way, many Piaomiao Sect disciples were astonished. The competitions were over, so who were they looking for trouble with?

All of the disciples from the Piaomiao Sect had gone through Young Eagle Hall, so they knew that the Young Eagle Hall competition still had one last day to go. However, these competitions were something that every disciple had experienced, and no one was particularly interested in them anymore. For decades, no senior disciples had ever come to watch Young Eagle Hall’s matches. Yesterday, when Zhang Xiaohua had three people—Zhang Xiaohu, Chang Ge, and Chen Chen—watching from below, it wasn’t just Zhang Xiaohua’s two Group Leaders who were surprised. Even the nearby rings, along with their Group Leaders and disciples, were taken aback.

Today, before the match had even begun, Zhang Xiaohua was seen leading a group of six burly adult disciples behind him. The Young Eagle Hall disciples, unaware of the truth, began whispering to one another. Zhang Xiaohua, with his keen hearing, easily caught on to what they were saying: “See? I told you, be lenient when possible. Don’t keep treating people like punching bags. Look, this is what happens when you push someone too far. Yesterday, someone must have lost, and now they’ve brought backup to settle the score.”

“I know what you mean. You can’t just kick someone without knowing their background. You see, if he has someone backing him in the sect, isn’t that bad?.”

“Look at that kid up front. He must have been beaten terribly yesterday, and today he’s brought people to back him up, afraid of getting beaten again.”

“Quick, go tell Manager Xu that someone’s here to cause trouble.”

“Xiao Erzi, yesterday you snuck a chicken leg from the kitchen. Look, they’ve come to catch you.”

Ugh~ What nonsense are they talking about? Zhang Xiaohua didn’t know whether to laugh or cry!

Even Group Leader Chang was dumbfounded. What was going on? Yesterday, three people came to watch, and today it’s six. You’re almost outnumbering the competitors! What is this, haven’t you seen enough Young Eagle Hall matches?

Sigh~ How could he have known that these people weren’t coming out of goodwill? They were all here to see how Zhang Xiaohua would get knocked off the ring!

Otherwise, how could those five people’s wretched smiles not have given Group Leader Chang the wrong impression?

Fortunately, He Tianshu, being more experienced, quickly noticed Group Leader Chang’s displeased expression and hastened to explain, saying that he was from the Medicine Hall and had taught Zhang Xiaohua some martial arts. He claimed that he was just there to observe, and the others were merely friends who had practiced martial arts alongside Zhang Xiaohua.

However, how could Leader Chang believe that? He thought to himself: “Who are you trying to fool? I don’t know Zhang Xiaohua’s footwork technique. How could someone from the Medicine Hall have taught him all that?”

Nevertheless, watching the martial arts competition was not prohibited, so Group Leader Chang couldn’t object. He merely nodded.

Shortly after, the time arrived, and the final day of the Young Eagle Hall Martial Arts Competition officially began.

On the stage, two young boys engaged in a spirited exchange of punches and kicks, their attacks and defenses perfectly coordinated. The crowd below was fully absorbed in the spectacle, except for Zhang Xiaohu, who was somewhat distracted. He kept glancing toward the entrance, his mind racing with thoughts: “This, that, why hasn’t she come yet? She didn’t say she wasn’t coming today. Did I say something yesterday that upset her? Was I too forward when I invited her to dinner? Maybe she thinks poorly of me because I can’t perform internal martial arts. Could that be why she’s not coming?”

Alas, in short, strange thoughts filled his mind, all trying to explain why Changge hadn’t shown up at Young Eagle Hall today.

While Zhang Xiaohu was lost in his thoughts, several matches had already taken place on the stage, though he could not recall how many.

As he watched one match end, where a child was kicked off the stage by his opponent, Group Leader Chang announced the result. Two more contestants then leaped onto the stage with graceful movements, causing the crowd to murmur in admiration. Zhang Xiaohu finally managed to focus on the competition when, from a distance, he heard a beautiful female voice: “Hall Master, it’s over there, where the crowd is the thickest. Yes, over there, with all the tall disciples. And there’s also that silly one watching the competition, lost in thought!”

Zhang Xiaohu immediately felt as though the world had brightened and his spirits had been lifted. He wanted to turn around and step forward, but his face flushed deep red with embarrassment. He resisted the urge for what felt like eons, and after a few moments that seemed like millennia, he pretended to casually glance and suddenly saw Chang Ge walking over not far away, accompanied by a middle-aged woman as thick as a water bucket. And, oh, there was no ‘and’; even if there was, Zhang Xiaohu could not see it. He immediately put on a happy expression, took a few steps forward, and respectfully said: “Zhang Xiaohu respectfully greets Hall Master Qin.”

The stout middle-aged woman accompanying Chang Ge was none other than Great Aunt Qin, the Hall Master of Ming Cui Hall!

Great Aunt Qin returned the bow slightly and smiled, saying: “Zhang Xiaohu, it’s good to see you. We’ve met before, at the Council Hall and your apprenticeship ceremony. No need for formalities. I’m just here to watch Zhang Xiaohua’s match. After hearing about it from Changge yesterday, I became curious and decided to see for myself.”

Zhang Xiaohu, smiling, made a gesture of invitation and said: “Xiaohua is only participating for fun. I apologize for disturbing Hall Master Qin’s time.”

Great Aunt Qin waved her hand and said: “No problem. The early stages of the Martial Arts Competition are over, and there’s nothing much going on in the hall right now, so I came to watch. I also think highly of Zhang Xiaohua, so I came to cheer him on.”

After she finished speaking, she began walking toward the arena. However, as she passed by Zhang Xiaohu, she smiled and added: “By the way, I quite enjoyed that story you told yesterday about stealing bird eggs.”

Zhang Xiaohu was just about to formally greet Changge, but after hearing this, his face flushed a bit red, and his gesture of cupping his hands felt awkward.

Changge, on the other hand, was more relaxed. She cupped her hands and smiled: “Zhang Xiaohu, your story was very entertaining. If you have time, can you tell me more in the future?”

Zhang Xiaohu had no reason to refuse and was overjoyed. Even his mouth twisted into a smile as he replied: “Of course, if Changge wants to hear, I’d be more than happy to share.”

Changge found this strange and asked: “Zhang Xiaohu, you seemed fine just a moment ago, but now your mouth looks a bit crooked. Are you smiling too hard?”

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