Chapter 42

The old man with white hair, though his knowledge was not insignificant, was after all just a village elder. There were many questions that Ning Yue asked which he could not answer. However, even so, it was enough to give Ning Yue some understanding of the Da Qian Dynasty.

Ning Yue conversed with the old man for a long time, secretly pondering in his heart: "Although the Da Qian Dynasty is a vassal of the Great Xia, their relationship is somewhat delicate, not entirely adversarial like the Hun Tian bandits. Even if the soldiers of the Cavalry Temple come to pursue me, they might still have some reservations. I can rest here for a few days and recover from my injuries before leaving."

Ning Yue was already at his limit. Even if he wanted to continue his journey, he lacked the strength. Although he knew this place was not safe, he had no other choice. In his current state, if he continued to flee, his injuries might worsen, and any ordinary soldier from the Imperial Guard could easily deal with him. It would be safer to recover some of his martial arts skills before setting off again.

Ning Yue was a man of decisive action. He laughed heartily and cast all his worries aside.

Old Master Hu did not know why he was laughing. However, since Ning Yue was young and endearing, he gently stroked Ning Yue's hair and smiled, saying, "You have so many questions at such a young age. Would you like to learn something from me? Everyone in the village loves martial arts, but no one likes reading. No one else can read, and I have always regretted this."

Since Ning Yue was not in a hurry to leave Hu Family Village, he needed to find a way to get closer to the people of the village. Although he did not want to learn about the Nine Heavens, and he had once ascended to the heavens and become a deity, making any text a secret to him, he still agreed with a smile, "Since that's the case, I'll learn to recognize a few characters from Old Master Hu. I don't want to be illiterate and be laughed at by those with knowledge."

Old Master Hu chuckled and said, "I have no children, and I live alone. Since you are willing to learn from me, you can stay with me. I see that you and your sister haven't eaten. I just prepared some food at home. Let's go and have some together."

Old Master Hu was highly respected in the village, and no one questioned his arrangements. Moreover, Ning Yue and Bai Luolu combined were not even twenty-five years old, so no one suspected the origins of this young couple.

Ning Yue and Bai Luolu followed Old Master Hu for a meal. Ning Yue had a large appetite, even eating twice as much as Old Master Hu. After eating, he felt a surge of energy, dispelling his previous confusion and once again pondering how to recover his martial arts skills.

Old Master Hu was old, though still robust. After eating, he needed to take a nap. He only gave a few instructions to Ning Yue and Bai Luolu, warning them not to leave the village easily, as there were fierce beasts roaming outside recently, before going to sleep in the back of the house.

From Old Master Hu's words, Ning Yue learned that Hu Family Village had ancestral martial arts, and they did not prohibit outsiders from learning. This piqued his curiosity. He was a man obsessed with martial arts, which was why he became an unparalleled grandmaster. Ordinary martial artists would think, "What I have learned is already a high-level skill. Why should I seek more from others, especially from third or fourth-rate martial arts?" But in the eyes of a grandmaster like Ning Yue, it was true that "a wise man may make a mistake, but a fool may have a good idea." Many third or fourth-rate, or even lower-level martial arts, might have a move or two that made sense and could be integrated into his own martial arts.

When Ning Yue roamed the world as Yan Jifeng, he used various means—拜师学友, exchanging benefits, or forcibly taking—to master countless martial arts from different schools. These martial arts later became the foundation for his ascent to the pinnacle of grandmasters.

Although he did not expect Hu Family Village to have any remarkable martial arts, he still could not resist the urge to take a look, or he would not feel at ease.

Ning Yue did not seek out the adults but found a few children of his age playing in the village and joined them.

The children were playing with mud. They did not act reserved when they saw him but smiled and asked, "Do you want to build a mud house with us?"

Ning Yue shook his head and smiled, "Playing with mud is too boring. Why don't we play marbles instead?"

Having traveled extensively, Ning Yue was skilled in socializing. Having lived for seven hundred years, his experience far exceeded that of these children from the Nine Heavens.

In the main world, boys his age had already had several girlfriends. In the Nine Heavens, thirteen or fourteen-year-old boys had probably never even touched a woman's hand, let alone compare with Ning Yue.

Ning Yue did not suggest any high-end games. He explained the rules of playing marbles in a few words, attracting the children to gather around.

Under Ning Yue's guidance, the children rolled mud into balls and dug a dozen small pits in the ground, competing to see whose mud ball would enter the pit first. In no time, they were all having a great time, and Ning Yue blended in with them as if they had been playmates for years.

Seeing the right moment, Ning Yue casually asked, "Our Xiong'er Village has the Twelve Postures of Heaven. What martial arts do you have in Hu Family Village?"

The children, being naive, did not see through his cunning. A child named Hu Dongge jumped up and shouted, "Our Hu Family Village's martial art is called the Primordial Pile. It greatly increases strength. I'll demonstrate it for you!"

Ning Yue did not expect the children to be so easily deceived. He watched Hu Dongge demonstrate the Primordial Pile with a smile, feeling somewhat excited.

The Primordial Pile had only three postures, and the framework was quite simple. The mnemonic was not complicated. Ning Yue carefully analyzed these three postures, from the stance, the method of channeling energy, to the secrets of cultivation, all of which were similar to ordinary external martial arts in the Central Plains. He felt somewhat disappointed.

After Hu Dongge finished demonstrating the Primordial Pile, he could not help but say, "Now it's your turn to show us the Twelve Postures of Heaven." As he said this, he could not hide his pride, looking around with a pleased expression.

Ning Yue immediately understood. These children were not stupid; they just wanted to take the opportunity to learn the secret martial arts of "Xiong'er Village." However, these children were too simple and did not consider what would happen if they demonstrated the Primordial Pile, but he refused to show the Twelve Postures of Heaven.

Fortunately, Ning Yue was not that kind of person. He did not want to deceive these children. Besides, the Twelve Postures of Heaven were just ordinary techniques to him, not worth keeping as a treasure. He chuckled and set up his stance, demonstrating the Twelve Postures of Heaven.

The Twelve Postures of Heaven were not the ancestral martial arts of Xiong'er Village but the secret martial arts of the Tuo Tian Sect, a heretical sect from the Western Regions during the late Yuan Dynasty.

When he roamed the world, he saw this sect engage in human trafficking, burning, killing, and looting, and he killed six of the Tuo Tian Sect's top experts, almost wiping out the sect. After this battle, the Tuo Tian Sect was severely weakened and had to retreat from the Western Regions, moving further west.

It was then that Ning Yue obtained the secret martial arts of the Tuo Tian Sect. The Twelve Postures of Heaven were just the introductory techniques of the Tuo Tian Sect's supreme skill, the Tuo Tian Art.

PS: Brothers, can you still vote with red tickets and monthly tickets?

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