Chapter 98

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Chapter 98: Martial Arts Manual

Zhang Xiaohua said slyly: “Having expectations gives you motivation, right? Just like how Big Brother wanted to marry Sister-in-Law, that gave him the drive to succeed. Second Brother, you should definitely have some goals too.”

Zhang Xiaohu playfully tapped Zhang Xiaohua on the head and said: “You’re quite the little rascal. Don’t worry, your second brother has his sights set on the entire Jianghu and will definitely save the common people.”

“By the way, one of the main reasons I want to go to the Martial Arts Hall is that there might be a chance to learn internal energy cultivation methods there. This might be my only opportunity.” Zhang Xiaohua continued to explain to Zhang Xiaohua.

“Really, Second Brother? If you can learn internal energy techniques at the Martial Arts Hall, will you teach me?” Zhang Xiaohua’s face lit up with excitement and looked at Zhang Xiaohu with expectation.

Zhang Xiaohu, not wanting to disappoint his brother, readily promised; “Of course, Xiaohua. If your second brother learns it and can teach you, I’ll definitely do so. Why would I hide it from you?”

“However,” Zhang Xiaohu added as a precaution, “even though the Martial Arts Hall can teach internal energy cultivation techniques, it also depends on the person. I’ve heard that not only must you have talent, but your background and connections also matter. They prefer students who have strong ties with the escort agency or have an influential background. Even if I manage to get in and practice, whether I’ll have the chance to come in contact with internal energy cultivation techniques is still uncertain.”

Zhang Xiaohua disagreed and said: “With your talent, Second Brother, and our family’s clean background, even though we don’t have close ties with the escort agency, we could develop one through your studies. Maybe Sixth Master Li is praising you because he sees your potential.”

Zhang Xiaohu was more realistic: “I’ve heard that the talent needed for internal energy techniques is different from that for practicing martial arts. While anyone can learn basic techniques, internal energy requires something more. Some people may practice for years without progress, while others might achieve great results quickly. Whether I have this talent, I’ll only know through practice.”

“Second Brother, I think you’ll be fine. I’m rooting for you!” Zhang Xiaohua said with a smile. “Besides, the internal energy cultivation methods of the Lotus Escort Agency should be pretty good. Otherwise, why would someone at Yu Deyi’s level need to come here to learn? His Purple Sand Palm technique that he demonstrated yesterday was already impressive. And then there’s Shangguan Yun, who probably also knows about internal energy cultivation methods, otherwise, why would he sneak into the escort agency? Hmm, and Yu Lun too, probably hasn’t learned internal energy techniques before. His purpose in coming to the Martial Arts Hall is probably for the internal energy cultivation method. Didn’t you see how he was flattering Yu Deyi yesterday, as if he were meeting his own master? It’s all for the internal energy techniques.”

Zhang Xiaohu sighed and said: “Yes, he’s also a pitiful person. For the sake of something unattainable, he abandoned his dignity. It’s hard on him.”

Zhang Xiaohua mocked, “Dignity? Hard on him? When we were traveling together in the carriage, he was already fawning over Shangguan Yun. And yesterday, he looked like he was quite accustomed to it. Maybe he didn’t really abandon his dignity.”

Zhang Xiaohu sternly said: “Xiaohua, don’t speak ill of others like that. Everyone has their own life and their own path to follow. Just focus on walking your own path, why look at others?”

Zhang Xiaohua bowed his head and said obediently: “Amitabha, your little brother understands.”

Then, he burst out laughing.

Zhang Xiaohu also laughed heartily.

The days spent with family are always short, and soon it was noon. As expected, Yu Lun arrived on time, fulfilling Zhang Xiaohua’s expectations and bringing delicious food. At that moment, Zhang Xiaohua seemed to be divinely aided, with Zhang Xiaohu’s help, he ate every last bit of food. His appetite was surprisingly good, even Zhang Xiaohu was amazed. Was this really the appetite of an injured person?

After eating, Zhang Xiaohua, who hadn’t rested all morning, felt a bit sleepy, so Zhang Xiaohu settled him down for a nap.

Once Zhang Xiaohua fell asleep, Zhang Xiaohu began to slowly practice his set of Six Harmonies Fist moves, one by one, in the room. Sometimes he moved quickly, sometimes slowly, savoring the essence of each move. Watching Zhang Xiaohu squint his eyes and enjoy himself was like seeing someone savoring a fine wine, he had truly entered a wonderful state.

In his sleep, Zhang Xiaohua hazily reentered the state he had been in that morning.

The more than thirty moves he had learned flowed through his mind as if there was a  tiny Zhang Xiaohua in the water, posing in different stances within a stream, flashing like illusions. After a long while, the illusions became somewhat chaotic. Occasionally, two moves connected perfectly, instantly triggering a huge wave in Zhang Xiaohua’s heart, waking him up with a start. Thinking about the dream he just had, it was like the morning again, no trace could be found. However, since there were only about thirty moves, he figured he could try them one by one. Anyway, he had to lie in bed for the next six months, so he had plenty of time. With no more drowsiness, he decided to ponder it first.

At this moment, Zhang Xiaohua noticed Zhang Xiaohu was also slowly practicing his martial technique in the open space of the room. Watching him, he couldn’t help but feel something in his heart and a thought suddenly crossed his mind. Could the more than thirty moves he remembered be part of a complete set of martial arts?

The more he thought about it, the less likely it seemed. The idea was too far-fetched, a complete set of a martial technique broken up and scattered into countless other techniques. Who would do something such a boring thing? Someone who had too much time on their hands, perhaps.

Nevertheless, this thought was like a seed planted in his mind. He thought about it repetitively and couldn’t drive the thought away no matter how hard he tried. He could no longer focus on watching Zhang Xiaohu practice.

Suddenly, he had another thought. Since he couldn’t learn a complete set of martial arts, why couldn’t he create his own set using the moves he could remember?

Walk your own path, and practice your own martial arts!

But can this really work?

Immediately, he was captivated by his own bold idea. Why wouldn’t it work?

Hadn’t he just, in his half-awake state, connected two moves together? There were only a little over thirty moves anyway. Since he had nothing better to do, why not give it a try?

Maybe, I can succeed?

Zhang Xiaohua felt a restless excitement, his heart pounding fiercely. Despite the hot weather and the thin blanket covering him, he felt a bit cold, was it due to his excitement?

A newborn calf is not afraid of a tiger. Only someone like Zhang Xiaohua, a self-taught martial artist without a proper master, could entertain such a startling idea. If He Tianshu knew about this, his first reaction would likely be to feel Zhang Xiaohua’s forehead to see if he had a fever, then he would run to Ou Yan, crying out for her to send Zhang Xiaohua to the Piaomiao Sect’s martial arts hall to start learning martial arts basics alongside four- and five-year-old children. He Tianshu would often use this saying to teach his juniors: “Self-study is really dangerous. You must receive a formal education, there is no future in expanding enrollment.”

Martial techniques like the Six Harmonies Fist and Arhat Fist, which were widely circulated in the martial world, were refined through countless years of practice by numerous experts. Modifying even one move was extremely difficult. For Zhang Xiaohua to whimsically pick parts of them and reorganize them into a completely new set of martial arts was laughable to anyone in the martial world.

It was a pity that Zhang Xiaohua didn’t know any of this. At that moment, he was thoroughly engrossed in the challenge of playing with his ‘move blocks’, trying to connect unrelated moves.

What seemed like a simple task, just over thirty moves, became complicated once he started. Before long, Zhang Xiaohua felt dizzy and overwhelmed. He had never studied combinatorial mathematics, so he had no idea that even with just thirty moves, the task of combining them was an enormous project.

Gradually, he felt like giving up. But when he saw Zhang Xiaohu practicing diligently, repeating a couple of moves and pondering them carefully, he became stubborn. They were brothers, after all, and he refused to believe he wasn’t as smart as his second brother. Driven by determination, he tackled the challenge with renewed vigor. If he couldn’t link all the moves together at once, he’d start by linking them two by two. Sure enough, before long, Zhang Xiaohua found two moves that connected perfectly. This first glimmer of hope reinvigorated Zhang Xiaohua, and he eagerly started his second attempt. Unfortunately, this time he wasn’t as lucky. He went through the moves several times but couldn’t find a third and fourth move that linked seamlessly.

Zhang Xiaohua fell into deep thought again. Was his approach wrong? Still, the fact that he could link two moves suggested that his method was viable. What was he missing?

Suddenly, another strange yet reasonable thought came to him, the moves he had learned were just part of a complete set of martial arts. There were many moves he hadn’t learned yet. To link all the moves together, he needed to learn the rest.

Based on Zhang Xiaohua’s brief martial arts experience over the past month, finding the remaining moves meant learning more martial techniques. Each new technique he learned would add to his repertoire. His memory was the evidence, how many moves he remembered indicated the moves he needed, but how many moves were there in this martial art?

Zhang Xiaohua naturally didn’t know, but this problem was easy to solve. When all the moves were perfectly linked, he would have reached mastery of this martial art. That number would be the number of moves.

But then, Zhang Xiaohua encountered another dilemma, how would he learn the remaining moves? Judging from He Tianshu’s expression, he seemed to be disappointed in him and likely wouldn’t teach him any more martial arts. Even if he asked, Zhang Xiaohua felt embarrassed about his own aptitude. He often forgot the moves he was taught, leaving them disjointed and incomplete. How could he muster the courage to ask for more lessons?

Even if He Tianshu was willing to teach him, would He Tianshu’s martial arts be enough to satisfy his needs? Could they withstand the challenge of his dreadful memory?

It seemed he needed to find another way. But what way? Zhang Xiaohua could only smile bitterly. He had struggled so hard to come to Pingyang City and went through so much trouble before he was lucky enough to get He Tianshu to teach him. Wasn’t finding someone else to teach him like a fool’s dream?

Of course, he could ask his second brother to teach him. However, as soon as this idea came to mind, Zhang Xiaohua dismissed it. Zhang Xiaohu had his own path to follow, and his dedication was his virtue. Zhang Xiaohua couldn’t compromise his brother’s “purity” for his own desires, even though he knew that if he asked, Zhang Xiaohu would likely give up his single-minded dedication to one martial technique.

Sigh, learning, though it was a kind of faith, was indeed a difficult task.

Forget it. Zhang Xiaohua shook his head, and a phrase flashed in his mind, “The carriage will find its way around the mountain before long; where there’s a road, there’s bound to be a Jichi carriage”. It was an advertisement for the “Jichi” Carriage Company. He decided to focus on healing his injuries first; maybe by then, he would find his way.

Lying on the bed, Zhang Xiaohua stared idly at the ceiling. His right hand still hurt and couldn’t move at all. The days of recovering from his injury were really tough, except for the delicious food.

On the ground, Zhang Xiaohu continued to focus intently on practicing his Six Harmonies Fist. Zhang Xiaohua couldn’t help but marvel. His second brother had been practicing this set of moves for more than a month, how come today he still seemed to be fully engaged and finding new insights? If it were him, he would have lost interest by now. Perhaps that was the difference between people.

At this moment, there was a knock on the door. Zhang Xiaohu stopped his practice and went to answer it. It turned out to be Li Jinfeng, Scholar Li, coming to visit Zhang Xiaohua.

As soon as Li Jinfeng entered, he said: “Sorry, Xiaohua, I had classwork this morning and couldn’t take leave. I only managed to come over this afternoon. How are you feeling today?”

Zhang Xiaohua was quite touched and replied: “Big Brother Li, if you’re busy, you don’t need to come see me. My injury won’t heal quickly, and I still feel the same today, it just hurts.”

Li Jinfeng sat down by the bed, looked at Zhang Xiaohu, and said: “We all came to Pingyang City together, so we do have a connection. To be honest, although my family is better off than yours, it’s not by much. I am just a few years older and studied literature, unlike you two who practice martial arts and enjoy the freedom of the Jianghu, which I envy greatly. Besides, I’m an only child at home, with no siblings. Seeing the strong bond between you two brothers makes me even more envious. That’s why I wanted to get closer to you, Brother Xiaohu, I hope you don’t mind.”

Zhang Xiaohu was taken aback but quickly replied: “Young Master Li, you’re being too formal. As a scholar with a promising future, how can we compare? We would be more than happy if you wanted to visit more often. How could we possibly mind?”

Li Jinfeng smiled and said: “No need for formalities. Just call me by my name. I really do want to talk to you more in the future.”

Zhang Xiaohua happily said: “Great, Big Brother Li! I love having company, so please come by whenever you have time.”

Li Jinfeng cheerfully responded: “Sure, Xiaohua. It’s really rare to find a few people who are pleasant to the eye to talk to when you’re away from home.”

“By the way, I saw some snacks being sold on the street earlier and bought a few. I’m not sure if you can eat them with your injury, though.” Li Jinfeng then pulled out a small cloth bag from his arms and took out some snacks.

“Yes, I can eat, I can eat. Anything is fine.” Zhang Xiaohua said eagerly, seeing the delicious treats.

Zhang Xiaohu took the snacks and carefully fed them to Zhang Xiaohua. Zhang Xiaohua was delighted and said: “Thank you, Big Brother Li. These snacks are really delicious. I’ve never had anything like this before. I love them! Besides, I don’t think the doctor told me what not what to eat. A good appetite means good health!”

Seeing Zhang Xiaohua’s enjoyment, Li Jinfeng felt pleased, almost as if he were looking at his younger self.

Next, Li Jinfeng pulled out a worn book from his pocket and placed it on the bed. “This is a book about martial arts that I found while studying at the academy. It seems to be something someone forgot about. Since it’s of no use to me, I brought it for you. You’re recuperating and might be bored, so you can look at it to pass the time.”

Zhang Xiaohua initially thought it might be something valuable, but when he saw it was a book, he couldn’t help but frown. “Why is it a book? Big Brother Li, I don’t know how to read. I did learn a little before, but I probably won’t be able to read it.”

“Oh?” Li Jinfeng was taken aback and said: “I overlooked that. I didn’t think of this. Haha, but Xiaohua, this is a martial arts manual. I skimmed through it, and it’s not all text. There are many illustrations and only a few explanations. Maybe you can understand it?”

“A martial arts manual?” Zhang Xiaohua was puzzled and asked strangely: “What’s a martial arts manual?”

Hearing this, Li Jinfeng was also surprised. “You don’t know what a martial arts manual is?”

Zhang Xiaohua replied: “I don’t know. Why would I need to?”

Li Jinfeng smiled and said: “A martial arts manual is a book that records martial arts techniques. I assumed that you martial artists would know about them. I didn’t realize that wasn’t the case.”

Zhang Xiaohua’s face reddened as he said: “I just started practicing martial arts, and not everyone may know about martial arts manuals. There are always exceptions to everything. Do you know about them, Second Brother?”

Zhang Xiaohu, also a bit embarrassed, replied: “Well, I’ve heard about them, so I suppose I know a little.”

Li Jinfeng understood that these two brothers were from the countryside and unfamiliar with many things, so he didn’t mock them. He said: “Although I don’t practice martial arts myself, I’ve read quite a few unofficial records and historical anecdotes, so I know a bit. It’s said that martial arts were traditionally passed down orally, with secrecy being a key aspect. However, if a practitioner didn’t master it or learned it incorrectly, or if the successor didn’t learn it before the previous one passed away, the martial technique could be lost. That’s why clever people later began recording martial techniques in writing and illustrations to make it easier to pass on. This led to the creation of manuals like fist manuals, as well as manuals for swords, spears, legs, and whips, though I haven’t seen those.”

Zhang Xiaohua’s eyes lit up as he asked, “Brother Li, have you ever seen an inner energy manual?”

Li Jinfeng was taken aback. “What’s an inner energy manual’?”

Zhang Xiaohua explained: “It’s a book that records inner energy cultivation methods?”

Li Jinfeng shook his head. “I haven’t seen one, though it’s possible that such things exist.”

“Oh~,” Zhang Xiaohua shook his head in disappointment. Wouldn’t it have been wonderful to have an “inner energy manual” to follow along with his second brother to learn internal energy cultivation?

However, he quickly became ecstatic. Even if he couldn’t learn internal energy, learning martial arts techniques was still valuable. He had been wondering how to learn martial techniques, and now Li Jinfeng had brought a martial arts manual. This was incredibly fortuitous. With this manual, he could self-study and wouldn’t need to seek out a teacher. All his problems seemed to be resolved.