Chapter 22

Whoosh!

In the forest, a startled rabbit suddenly darted out from the snowy grass, fleeing like lightning.

"White Snake Lurking in the Grass!"

Suddenly, a low cry came from the side, and Yang Ji's body crouched down, leaping out with a swift movement. In one bound, he covered more than ten feet, and before he even landed, he slapped the ground with his right palm, propelling himself another ten feet.

The rabbit had not run more than thirty feet when a white wave surged from behind, and Yang Ji caught up in just a few bounds, snatching it in his hand.

"Ha ha ha, I succeeded!"

Yang Ji held the rabbit in the air, watching its legs flail and its body wriggle, and laughed heartily.

Since he had grasped the essence of "White Snake Lurking in the Grass," Yang Ji had been diligently practicing this move with Xiao Ji.

Yang Ji did not have the usual impatience of a beginner. He understood the principle that "too much is hard to digest," so he had been studying the move at a steady pace.

Indeed, hard work pays off, and now he had achieved results—

An ordinary person could never catch a fleeing rabbit, but with "White Snake Lurking in the Grass," Yang Ji hunted like a snake, catching the rabbit in just a few bounds with his bare hands.

This ability to "catch a rabbit with bare hands" was once unimaginable, achievable only by a few experts at the "Ninth Stage of Breathing" who were as swift as foxes.

Yang Ji was only at the Eighth Stage of Breathing, but he had managed to do what these experts could do thanks to his mastery of "White Snake Lurking in the Grass."

"Xiao Ji, let's go!"

A moment later, Yang Ji called out to Xiao Ji, and the two of them immediately leaped down the mountain like lightning.

Winter turned to spring, and before they knew it, February had passed. The snow on the ground gradually melted, and many branches that had been bare began to sprout new buds.

During this time, Yang Ji's "White Snake Lurking in the Grass" became increasingly proficient, and his daily practice of the "Divine Dragon Bone Strengthening Pile" technique also deepened. Now, his cultivation was firmly at the Eighth Stage of Breathing, approaching the Ninth Stage.

"My foundation is solid; I can start learning other moves."

Yang Ji thought to himself.

The "White Snake Martial Technique" consists of six moves, but apart from the first move, "White Snake Lurking in the Grass," the other moves require a great deal of physical strength and power. Forcing oneself to practice them would only result in a clumsy imitation, like Zhao Liang and Wen Meng, and could even damage the body.

Yang Ji had grasped the essence of the "White Snake Martial Technique," and with "White Snake Lurking in the Grass" as a foundation, learning the other moves would be a natural progression.

After that, Yang Ji began to focus on the second move, "White Snake Spitting Tongue." Over time, his room was filled with numerous sketches of Xiao Ji's tongue movements, and the number kept increasing.

Unlike before, all the sketches now depicted Xiao Ji's tongue movements: spitting tongue in the air, spitting tongue in mid-air, spitting tongue while coiling around a tree, spitting tongue while turning back, spitting tongue while raising the head, and so on, each one vividly detailed.

However, as the number of sketches increased, Yang Ji began to feel something was off.

"No, no, this isn't right, and neither is this..."

Late at night, a lamp burned brightly, and in the room, Yang Ji frowned, looking troubled, with a stack of Xiao Ji's sketches scattered in front of him.

"What's wrong? What's wrong?..."

Yang Ji suddenly stood up, tried to practice the "White Snake Spitting Tongue" move, but couldn't continue. He sat down, stood up again, tried again, and sat down again...

This repeated cycle left Yang Ji feeling frustrated, unable to complete the move.

He had grasped the essence of the "White Snake Martial Technique," but when he tried to practice "White Snake Spitting Tongue," it felt out of place, like a tall, thin person wearing a short, fat pair of pants.

"I've clearly mastered this move, so why does it feel so strange when I practice it?"

Yang Ji's brows furrowed into a "川" shape.

This wasn't the first time he had this feeling. Even when he was practicing the first move, "White Snake Lurking in the Grass," he had felt this way, but he hadn't paid much attention to it then. It only became obvious when he started practicing the second move, "White Snake Spitting Tongue."

Yang Ji sat back in his chair, took a sketch of Xiao Ji spitting tongue, and compared it with the sketches of the Yang family disciples practicing the "White Snake Martial Technique."

On the sketches, the movements of the Yang family disciples practicing "White Snake Spitting Tongue" and Xiao Ji's tongue movements gradually overlapped, and there seemed to be no significant differences in the movements.

"Could I be wrong?"

Yang Ji looked puzzled but quickly shook his head. Human intuition is very sensitive, and this feeling of something being off wouldn't arise without a reason.

"Could it be that when I was secretly learning, I was too far away and didn't see some of the movements clearly, which is why I have this feeling?"

Yang Ji thought to himself. Recalling the wall corner where he had hidden, it was indeed quite far from the training ground, so it was normal that he might have missed some details.

"As the saying goes, 'a small error can lead to a big mistake.' Perhaps I should get closer to the training ground and observe more carefully."

Yang Ji thought, but then frowned.

"The first snow has melted, and the clan's activities are becoming more frequent. If I get too close to the training ground and am noticed, and someone reports it to the matriarch, that would be disastrous."

Yang Ji had always practiced martial arts in secret, away from the matriarch's notice. Even after beating Yang Yong, there was no concrete evidence against him. The matriarch wouldn't believe that he could achieve such a feat in such a short time.

However, if Yang Ji were caught secretly learning martial arts at the training ground, it would be a different story. With the matriarch's methods, the consequences would be far more severe than just a reduction in allowance or a few lashes.

Yang Ji knew the risks were significant.

But then he thought:

"Ah! A man should not be hesitant and timid. If the matriarch is so ruthless, will she let me off just because I keep a low profile? Instead of waiting to be destroyed, I should take the initiative, learn more, and strengthen myself. Then, whether to advance or retreat, I will have options."

With this thought, Yang Ji steeled his resolve and decided to take the risk.

...

In the evening, Yang Ji returned from the deep mountains, passed through the gate, and instead of going directly to the woodshed, he took a detour toward the inner part of the clan's territory.

At the entrance, two guards of the Yang clan stood watch, their gazes fixed in the distance, unmoving.

"I wonder if they will notice me."

Yang Ji kept his head down, feeling nervous.

From the edge of the Yang residence to the inner part of the clan, one must pass through this entrance. If he were noticed once, the guards would become vigilant, and he would never be able to sneak into the inner part again.

Worse still, if this drew the matriarch's attention, it would be a huge loss.

Fifty steps, forty steps, thirty steps...

Yang Ji got closer and closer.

The two guards showed no reaction, still looking ahead, seemingly focused on something else.

Twenty steps, ten steps, five steps...

Yang Ji slowed his pace, his heart pounding. Suddenly, the guard on the left moved, and his gaze fell on Yang Ji.

Yang Ji's heart skipped a beat, but he continued forward, hoping they wouldn't recognize him.

"Stop! Do you think you can come here?"

A cold voice rang in his ear, like a thunderbolt striking Yang Ji.

"I've been noticed."

Yang Ji's heart sank, and he felt a moment of shock.

He had underestimated the guards' abilities. They were highly skilled and sharp-eyed, so how could they not recognize him?

This failure would likely prevent him from getting close to this area again.

Fortunately, Yang Ji had been through many "tests" in the clan, and his resolve was now very strong. Though disappointed, he remained calm.

Failing at the entrance was better than being caught inside. At least, if handled properly, it could be seen as an accident and wouldn't raise the matriarch's suspicions.

"Sorry, I took a wrong turn."

Before he could say this, a timid voice came from behind him:

"Sir, it's not my fault. My father said the ladies of the clan want to test me, so he sent me to check it out."

The voice was trembling, almost on the verge of tears.

"It's him!"

Hearing this voice, Yang Ji let out a deep breath, feeling a sense of relief. He had thought he was caught, but now he saw a glimmer of hope.

The voice belonged to the son of an old servant in the clan, who, like Yang Ji, lived on the edge of the clan's territory.

Clearly, the guards had made a mistake.

Sure enough, Yang Ji heard the guards wave him in, telling him to hurry inside.

"Thank goodness it worked."

Yang Ji didn't linger, quickening his pace and leaving quickly.

Compared to winter, the inner part of the clan was now bustling with maids and servants, but no one paid attention to Yang Ji. They all moved quickly, their steps swift.

Yang Ji breathed a sigh of relief and soon reached the vicinity of the training ground.

The large training ground was crowded with people, and there were more Yang clan disciples practicing than before, including some younger than Yang Ji.

Yang Ji slowed his pace, avoiding drawing attention, and slowly approached the training ground. His gaze scanned the area and soon landed on a Yang clan disciple.

"The second move, 'White Snake Spitting Tongue,' refers to the snake's tongue movement. The 'tongue' is the snake's tongue, but when we humans use this move, we don't actually stick out our tongues; we use our palms. This is the power of human wisdom. Watch carefully—"

The disciple then demonstrated the move, leaning forward and darting out, his palm moving swiftly, creating a whistling sound as it cut through the air, as if striking a wall.

The crowd around him immediately burst into applause.

However, Yang Ji frowned. Something still felt off. The "White Snake Spitting Tongue" move he saw here was no different from what he had secretly learned and recorded.

Yang Ji had hoped that by coming to the training ground and observing closely, his doubts would be resolved. But after seeing it, his doubts only deepened.

"Could I really be wrong?"

Yang Ji felt a sense of loss.

When it was time for dinner, the crowd on the square quickly dispersed, and Yang Ji had to leave the inner part and return to the woodshed.

In the following days, Yang Ji secretly watched the training at the training ground every day. At first, he gained nothing and felt confused.

But gradually, he began to notice something. The Yang clan disciples' practice of the "White Snake Martial Technique" looked good in form, but the essence was missing, giving it a "form without spirit" feel.

However, Yang Ji had no experience and wasn't sure if his intuition was correct. If he was right, then all the Yang clan disciples were wrong.

The Yang clan was a major clan in Pingchuan County, and among the many disciples, there were many talented individuals. Could it be that only he noticed something was wrong, while they all missed it?

The disciples at the Breathing Stage might be less experienced, but what about those at the Martial Stage? Their cultivation was much higher than his. Could they all be wrong?

Or could it be that he was the one who was completely wrong?

Yang Ji was puzzled.

This doubt gnawed at him, preventing him from advancing in his cultivation.

...

"No, no!... The body is so stiff, the move so forced, how can it hit the enemy... The White Snake Martial Technique shouldn't be like this!"

Yang Ji muttered to himself, passing by the training ground as usual. His mind was preoccupied, and he spoke his thoughts aloud without realizing it.

If it were before, Yang Ji would have been safe hiding in a corner, watching from a distance. But in recent days, to see the moves more clearly, he had unknowingly gotten closer to the training ground, forgetting to be cautious.

As the saying goes, "the speaker is unaware, but the listener is attentive." Yang Ji's words, born from his doubts, sounded very different to another person, who immediately turned cold.

Yang Meng was one of the most outstanding young disciples of the Yang clan, known as one of the "Five Tigers of the Yang Clan" along with four other disciples.

The Yang clan appeared to be equal, but in reality, the hierarchy was strict.

Yang Meng, being the youngest and having just reached the First Stage of Martial Arts, had the lowest status among the "Five Tigers of the Yang Clan." Therefore, he was assigned the most arduous task—teaching other Yang clan disciples at the training ground.

This job was already frustrating, and now he had to deal with a presumptuous person pointing out flaws and criticizing everything, acting as if he knew better and looking down on everyone. The thought of it made him furious.

The senior Martial Stage disciples might look down on them, but who was Yang Ji to do so? A nobody in the clan, with mediocre martial skills, dared to look down on him!

Just thinking about being belittled by such a person made Yang Meng extremely angry.

"I need to find a way to make him suffer."

Yang Meng thought fiercely. He had no other intention; he just wanted to teach Yang Ji a lesson, make him suffer a bit, and show him his place.