Chapter 90

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Chapter 90: Sparring

The celebratory banquet reached its first climax with Sect Master Ou’s grand vision for the future. The people in the council hall were as excited as if they’d been injected with chicken blood, constantly raising their glasses to each other, as if the entire martial world had already fallen under the banner of the Piaomiao Sect.

Of course, there were still some clear-headed individuals in the hall, such as Ou Peng, the instigator surrounded by the crowd, the Piaomiao Six Tigers competing in drinking with other elders, and Ou Yan, who was laughing and chatting with the female disciples but only drinking lightly. The Jianghu had never lacked smart people, it just lacked great leaders who could command the thoughts and actions of the ignorant. Perhaps they knew that some words couldn’t be fully believed, but looking at the blood-stained martial world, why not indulge in the present joy and revelry, and share this moment with everyone?

Outside the council hall, the evening was like a song.

A few days after the celebratory banquet, Shui Yupeng rushed to Luo River to take charge of the Luo River Gang again. At Shui Yupeng’s repeated request, Ou Peng reluctantly sent Shangguan Fengliu and a group of elite sect members to accompany him, assisting Shui Yupeng in handling the affairs of the Luo River Gang.

[TL_Note: It turns out I missed a character on Shangguan’s name, Shangguan Feng = Shangguan Fengliu]

The fierce battle and subsequent merger between the Piaomiao Sect and the Luo River Gang were but small ripples in the sea of sect conflict within the Jianghu, attracting little attention. However, in some places, the reactions were different.

At Ten Thousand Swords Peak, in the council hall, Wan Chengjiu listened to the report from below with a gloomy face. He slapped the armrest of his chair and said: “If the Piaomiao Sect continues to develop like this, how should our Ten Thousand Swords Peak respond? Does anyone have any good, reasonable suggestions? If not, go to the grassroots and find some representatives to come up with a proposal for us to discuss.”

At Incense-Spreading Cult, in a flower pavilion, the fragrance was intoxicating. A pair of jade-like hands held a flowery piece of Xuan paper, and a melodious voice said: “Sect Master Ou is truly extraordinary. My judgment was not wrong, but I wonder to what extent you can develop. Let’s wait and see.”

At a secluded hut in Daling Temple, under the dim candlelight, a withered hand held a small piece of paper. After reading it, the fingers pinched together, actually igniting the paper, which turned to ash and drifted to the ground. A raspy voice said: “How stupid. Such a tempting bait right in front of them, and they couldn’t eat it. Instead, they were completely taken over. All my efforts were wasted. It seems I need to come up with another plan. This Piaomiao Sect, even a skinny camel is bigger than a horse.”

In a mysterious place, a mysterious person spoke in a mysterious voice: “The Jianghu is really lively. The Piaomiao Sect, why hasn’t it been destroyed yet?”

These were things beyond Ou Peng’s knowledge. He and his Piaomiao Sect were developing steadily.

Unaware of the broader happenings in the martial world, Zhang Xiaohua was also oblivious to the developments within the Piaomiao Sect. He was entirely focused on his martial arts practice, which had reached a bottleneck.

Calling it a bottleneck might be overstating Zhang Xiaohua’s abilities. After the Piaomiao Sect’s four disciples haphazardly taught Zhang Xiaohua some basic martial arts, they began teaching him various family styles like the Liu Family Fist, the Cai Family Fist, the Li Family Fist, the Mo Family Fist, the Wu Family Fist, and the Xue Family Fist. However, a peculiar phenomenon occurred. Although Zhang Xiaohua initially remembered parts of the techniques he was taught, whether it was three or four moves, by the next day, he had forgotten them entirely. Even if he continued to practice, he would forget everything by the following day. He Tianchu was thoroughly puzzled.

In He Tianchu’s eyes, Zhang Xiaohua was a prodigy, able to lift a 500-jin weight with one arm without any prior training. While this might not be astonishing to seasoned martial artists, if you think about the effect after Zhang Xiaohua practiced martial arts, you would be moved. Though Zhang Xiaohua had passed the prime age for martial arts training and could not become famous like Shi Niu in the future, it was more than enough to change He Tianshu current situation. However, Zhang Xiaohua’s brain? There’s really nothing to say, looking at the child, he didn’t seem stupid, but how come he couldn’t seem to grasp even the most basic techniques? He can’t practice the most basic fist techniques, not to mention the internal energy method that Zhang Xiaohua doesn’t even know exists. A few days ago, although Zhang Xiaohua couldn’t remember all the fist techniques taught by the instructor, he could at least learn a little. He Tianshu thought if Zhang Xiaohua continued learning, he might be able to be enlightened, but now? He Tianshu was completely disheartened. Zhang Xiaohua, this rotten wood, was completely rotten and unable to be carved.

So, He Tianchu finally said: “Zhang Xiaohua, you’ve hit a bottleneck in your training. Overcoming it will require a stroke of luck. For now, I won’t teach you any new techniques. Focus on practicing what you’ve already learned. Once you break through this bottleneck, I’ll teach you more.” With that, he sent Zhang Xiaohua away, leaving Zhang Xiaohua to do the horse stance while thinking about those fragmented fist techniques over and over again.

Despite this setback, Zhang Xiaohua remained diligent and hardworking. He woke up at dawn every day and trained until late at night. He practiced martial arts in that place whether there was wind or rain, and he would not move even if struck by thunder. His perseverance impressed He Tianchu, but thinking about Zhang Xiaohua’s intellectual limitations, He Tianchu ultimately abandoned any further expectations.

Not only was He Tianshu moved, but the one-armed Old Yu also came to watch Zhang Xiaohua’s practice almost every day. He was fully aware of Zhang Xiaohua’s situation, nodding frequently. However, his nods acknowledged Zhang Xiaohua’s hard work and had nothing to do with his talent.

One evening, under a clear sky with few stars, He Tianshu was in a good mood. Watching Zhang Xiaohua repeatedly practice the same moves over and over, he had a sudden idea and called for a break. He said: “Zhang Xiaohua, you’ve been practicing for quite a while now and have learned some techniques. How about letting you spar with a real martial artist today?”

Zhang Xiaohua looked at He Tianshu and asked: “Captain He, do you think I can do it?”

He Tianshu smiled and replied: “Why not? Even martial arts masters start with basic moves. Don’t worry, I’ll ask Xiao’er to go easy on you and just teach you some moves.”

Then, he called out to a nearby Piaomiao Sect disciple practicing his punches: “Nie Xiao’er, come over here and spar with Zhang Xiaohua. Just practice the moves with him, don’t take it too seriously.”

Nie Xiao’er stopped his practice and walked over, saying: “Okay, Captain He, I understand.”

He then stood with his feet together and his palms forward, assuming a starting stance. Zhang Xiaohua recognized it immediately, and thought, hey, this is familiar, isn’t it the starting stance for the Arhat Fist? Although this was his first time sparring with someone, and his palms were already sweaty, he mimicked Nie Xiao’er’s stance. Nie Xiao’er called out: “Zhang Xiaohua, you make the first move.”

Zhang Xiaohua responded: “Alright, Brother Nie, be careful.”

After saying that, he took a step forward and thrust his right fist toward Nie Xiao’er. As Nie Xiao’er saw Zhang Xiaohua’s fist grow larger in his vision, he waited until it was right in front of him before dodging. He then grabbed Zhang Xiaohua’s wrist with his left hand and delivered a punch with his right hand straight to Zhang Xiaohua’s nose.

The nose is a sensitive area, and although Nie Xiao’er held back, Zhang Xiaohua’s eyes immediately teared up, blinding him. He forgot all about the sparring and instinctively used his sleeve to wipe away his tears.

When Zhang Xiaohua finished wiping his tears and looked at Nie Xiao’er, his expression was resolute. “Come on, Brother Nie, let’s continue.”

They assumed their stances again. This round was a replay of the first, but Zhang Xiaohua charged forward too quickly. Nie Xiao’er couldn’t retract his punch in time, and it landed squarely on Zhang Xiaohua’s nose, causing blood to flow.

Zhang Xiaohua jumped out of the circle, wiping his nose and shouting: “No more, no more! You’re cheating! Why aren’t you following the routine?”

Everyone was stunned. If their nerves hadn’t been toughened up by their time with Zhang Xiaohua, his comment would have left them speechless.

Poor Zhang Xiaohua thought they were supposed to follow a set routine. The crowd sighed collectively, thinking: “Self-taught really doesn’t compare. It’s still better to have a formal education with a teacher.”

After Zhang Xiaohua cleaned himself up, He Tianshu explained the purpose of the sparring to him. Zhang Xiaohua finally understood. If it were just about routines, each person would simply demonstrate their best fist techniques to the side, where would the blood come from, and where would the life be gambled?

In the third round, Zhang Xiaohua was more cautious. He began to follow Nie Xiao’er’s movements and slowly started to apply his techniques. Though awkward and unpolished, he finally took the first step in real sparring.

But his movements, his hands, arms, and legs, were clumsy and stiff, like a novice in a flower garden, focusing on one side and neglecting the other, or attending to the upper part and forgetting the lower. He moved awkwardly, like a cumbersome bear. In contrast, Nie Xiao’er was playing with him, his punches and kicks as elegant as a butterfly flitting about. Zhang Xiaohua’s strikes couldn’t touch him, while his own body, face, and legs were constantly hit by Nie Xiao’er.

Eventually, Zhang Xiaohua became infuriated. Seeing Nie Xiao’er use a particular move, he decided to respond with a technique from Erlang Fist, summoning all his strength for a punch aimed at Nie Xiao’er. With a whooshing sound, the punch, backed by five hundred jin of force, arrived in front of Nie Xiao’er’s eyes. This fist was not inferior to the one used against He Tianshu and seemed destined to send Nie Xiao’er flying, or so Zhang Xiaohua thought.

But the truth was beyond Zhang Xiaohua’s expectations. Seeing the fist coming, Nie Xiao’er calmly responded. Transforming his fist into a palm, he used the Golden Silk Coils Around the Bowl Technique to capture Zhang Xiaohua’s punch. With his other hand, he grabbed Zhang Xiaohua’s collar, and with a twist of his foot, he applied the Four Ounces to Move a Thousand Pounds Technique. In an instant, Zhang Xiaohua’s small frame, like an arrow leaving the bow, was lifted off the ground and sent flying. Fortunately, he landed in the soft soil of the medicinal field, which was filled with ordinary herbs, so He Tianshu didn’t intervene.

In fact, He Tianshu’s loss of faith in Zhang Xiaohua was also due to this. Although Zhang Xiaohua had strength, he didn’t know how to use it. It was like a three-year-old playing with a thousand-pound meteor hammer, impressive but potentially dangerous, with a high chance of hitting his head, causing the loss of his life.

Despite Zhang Xiaohua’s thousand jin strength, he was as unrefined as rotten wood when it came to martial arts. Even a low-ranking disciple of the Piaomiao Sect like Nie Xiao’er could easily subdue him with a simple Four Ounces to Move a Thousand Pounds Technique, let alone more skilled opponents.

Not long after, a dusty and disheveled Zhang Xiaohua returned, covered in dirt on his clothes and grass on his hair. However, instead of the frustration and despair that He Tianshu anticipated, Zhang Xiaohua seemed extraordinarily delighted. He hurried to Nie Xiao’er, eagerly asking about the technique he used and why it hadn’t been taught to him earlier.

Nie Xiao’er looked at him innocently and pitifully pointed to He Tianshu, saying: “Little Brother, you’ll have to ask Captain He about that.”

Zhang Xiaohua hurried over, pleading with He Tianshu to teach him the technique. He Tianshu, both amused and exasperated, said: “Zhang Xiaohua, your enthusiasm for learning martial arts is commendable, but everything must be done step by step. Without a solid foundation, you can’t successfully learn advanced techniques. What Xiao’er used isn’t a specific style of martial arts but an application of various fist techniques. You haven’t even fully learned the most basic martial techniques yet, so how can I teach you more advanced ones? Furthermore, the ‘Four Ounces to Move a Thousand Pounds’ technique isn’t just about the stance, it’s also about the precise use of strength. This includes unique methods specific to the Piaomiao Sect. Since you’re not a disciple of the Piaomaio Sect, I’m not allowed to teach you. Even if you want to learn, I would need to ask the villa owner for instructions, and wait for the higher-up’s decision, and only then could I consider it.”

Afterwards, He Tianshu smiled apologetically and said: “Let me tell you a little secret. The approval process involves several layers of review, and by the time it reaches me, who knows when that will be? The higher-ups tend to be quite slow with these things. So, just focus on your basic techniques for now, break through your current bottleneck, and then you can make plans.”

Zhang Xiaohua felt a bit disappointed by He Tianshu’s refusal, but he understood that he only got a little favor from the villa owner. Just having the opportunity to learn martial arts was already a privilege. He could see that He Tianshu was not holding back knowledge from him and that he had indeed learned a lot during this period. He realized that his martial arts skills were still very basic and incomplete, so before he learned everything and got He Tianshu’s approval, he knew he had no right to complain.

Thus concluded Zhang Xiaohua’s first martial arts duel. For Nie Xiao’er, it was merely a playful exercise, but for Zhang Xiaohua, it opened up a whole new world. At the very least, he realized that martial arts sparring didn’t follow fixed routines. This realization led to a flash of inspiration, can’t he still spar without learning all the routines? But then why did He Tianshu insist on him learning all the martial arts techniques before advancing further?

This question lingered in Zhang Xiaohua’s mind for a long time, unanswered.

Nonetheless, his enthusiasm for practicing martial arts remained undiminished. Even after He Tianshu and the others of the Piaomiao Sect had retired for the night, Zhang Xiaohua continued to diligently practice his tattered fist techniques.

Zhang Xiaohua had been at Huanxi Villa for over a month. His daily tasks included leveling the herb fields, weeding, and watering, similar to the chores he used to do at Guo Village. In the mornings and evenings, he practiced martial arts. Life was quite pleasant for him, with plenty of good food, especially meat. To Zhang Xiaohua, this was a life of luxury, and he had long since forgotten any homesickness, even almost forgetting that his dear second brother was just in the nearby Pingyang City.

The servants at Huanxi Villa had a few days off each month. They could choose to either go out or rest in their rooms. Resting in the villa was very relaxing as they didn’t have to worry about things. However, going out was more complicated, it required applying to the steward for approval, getting registered at a designated place in the villa, receiving a waist token, and being assigned a return time before leaving.

One day, after finishing his martial arts practice, Zhang Xiaohua walked into his small room with a frown, only to find Ma Jing washing his feet in a copper basin. Zhang Xiaohua was shocked and quickly turned around, thinking strangely: “The sun is still rising from the east, but why is the usually sloppy Ma Jing washing his feet today?”

Thinking about it, he quickly stepped forward and touched Ma Jing’s forehead, then compared it to his own, puzzled: “Brother Ma, you don’t have a fever.”

Ma Jing replied angrily: “Of course, I’m not sick. Why would I have a fever? It’s such a good day to go out and breathe some fresh air. Why would I want to be sick?”

Zhang Xiaohua was confused. “Brother Ma, what do you mean? The air in the villa is fresh every day, except maybe in our room.”

Ma Jing sneered and said: “You country bumpkin, you don’t understand. No matter how fresh the air in the villa is, it can’t compare to the fragrant aroma of Drunken Fragrance House.”

Zhang Xiaohua suddenly understood. Although he had never been to such places, Ma Jing talked about their wonders every day, so he knew what kind of place it was.

With an idea in mind, Zhang Xiaohua asked: “Brother Ma, you often mention Drunken Fragrance House. Are you planning to go there today?”

Ma Jing looked around cautiously and whispered: “You little rascal, you know a lot for your age. Yes, your Brother Ma is going to patronize their business. Why, do you want to go too?”

Zhang Xiaohua, acting carefully, said: “Brother Ma, you misunderstand. I just wanted to ask if I could go to Pingyang City with you. I’ve been at the villa for a month and haven’t been out. I heard that we can go out every month. I’m not interested in Drunken Fragrance House, but it would be nice to wander around the city.”

Ma Jing tilted his head, considering it. Estimating that Zhang Xiaohua wouldn’t delay is important matter, he nodded in agreement. Zhang Xiaohua was overjoyed and thanked him profusely, quickly tidying himself up and sitting on the kang, waiting for Ma Jing.

He thought Ma Jing would be ready soon, but Ma Jing kept fussing over his appearance, meticulously cleaning and changing from head to toe. He looked so fresh and elegant that Zhang Xiaohua barely recognized him, he appeared more like a dashing young gentleman than the sloppy Ma Jing he knew.

Zhang Xiaohua watched in astonishment. The sun was already high in the sky, and time was running out. Ma Jing took longer to get ready than a bride preparing to get into the bridal sedan chair. Unable to hold back, Zhang Xiaohua urged: “Brother Ma, can you hurry up? It’s getting late.”

Unexpectedly, Ma Jing remained unhurried, continuously checking his reflection in the mirror. “No rush, no rush. The girls at Drunken Fragrance House are probably still dreaming. Why should I go so early?”

Zhang Xiaohua was so exasperated that he nearly fainted on the kang. Fortunately, his time spent with Ma Jing had broadened his experience. He quickly stabilized himself with a horse stance, managing to stay upright.