Chapter 10

The next day, as the sky brightened, Ji Aojian entered the back garden, where his younger sister in green was already waiting.

Ji Xiaosu said, "Brother, after all these days of practicing the horse stance, do you feel that your lower body is now stable enough?"

Ji Aojian looked at the ground, where two faint footprints had formed, and his confidence surged. "Now, as soon as I stand in the horse stance, I feel rooted to the ground. I think even ten people couldn't push me over."

Ji Xiaosu turned to Xiao Xun and said, "Xiao Xun, go and push the young master with all your strength."

Xiao Xun agreed and ran over, pushing Ji Aojian with all her might. It was like she had hit a wall and was bounced back.

Ji Aojian felt that her body was soft and fragrant when she hit him. He said seriously, "Xiao Xun, I think you didn't use your full strength. You can push me a few more times."

Xiao Xun looked puzzled, "Really?" She was a bit不服气 (unwilling to admit defeat) and wanted to push him again.

Ji Xiaosu waved her hand to stop her. She called over a group of servants to push her brother together. Ji Aojian could only sigh in disappointment.

When one or two servants pushed, Ji Aojian felt fine. With three servants, he started to struggle. With four, he could barely hold his ground. By the time the fifth servant pushed, Ji Aojian finally took a few steps back.

Xiao Xun laughed, "Young master, you said even ten people couldn't push you over, and now it's just five."

Ji Aojian coughed, "That's called confidence. Do you understand confidence? With confidence, hope can be realized."

Ji Xiaosu nodded, "Four people can't push you over, brother. You are indeed very stable. You can start practicing the Floating Cloud Stance now."

She pointed to a wooden platform in the back garden. "Brother, this wooden platform is where you will practice the Floating Cloud Stance."

At this moment, the morning sun had just risen above the horizon, and the back garden was bathed in golden light, making the platform shine brightly.

Ji Aojian looked at the platform, which was much taller than the tallest gate in the compound, and his throat made a gulping sound. "I didn't see this platform yesterday. How did it appear overnight?"

Ji Xiaosu said calmly, "This was built while you were practicing archery in the training ground yesterday. The compound has pre-prepared wooden frames, with all the necessary joints and fittings, so it didn't take long to set up."

Ji Aojian asked, "How high is this platform?"

Ji Xiaosu replied, "It's not very high, only nine zhang nine chi nine cun (about 33 meters)."

Is this not high? It's already more than ten stories tall.

Ji Aojian thought, I felt great just standing on a wall that was one zhang high. I didn't expect the family to have such an extreme method, making people stand on a ten-story building to overcome their fear of heights.

Wait, at this height, even people who don't have a fear of heights would feel scared. This is a natural physiological reaction.

Practicing the spirit is indeed a dangerous path. If you can't control your mind, you might end up with a mental illness.

Ji Xiaosu said, "Brother, your lower body is very stable. When you stand in the horse stance, four people can't push you over. Unless your mind is disturbed, you won't fall from the platform."

Ji Aojian nodded, "That's true."

If I stand firmly, I am rooted to the ground. If I don't panic, how could I fall? And as long as I don't fall, standing on the platform is no different from standing on the ground.

Thinking about the results of his recent practice, his confidence grew, and he stepped towards the platform.

Just as he was about to climb up, Ji Xiaosu called him, handing him a large bowl of water. "Brother, remember to keep the sky above your head and practice your mind."

This...

Ji Aojian held the bowl in his left hand and climbed the wooden steps. Soon, he reached the top of the triangular platform.

The top of the platform was just a thin wooden board, about as wide as a small stool, but a bit longer, just enough for him to stand in the horse stance with his feet apart.

At this height of nearly ten zhang, a cool breeze blew in his face, making him feel cold and uneasy.

Ji Aojian firmly planted his feet in a horse stance, almost leaving footprints. He slowly lifted the bowl of water and placed it on his head, starting to practice the Floating Cloud Stance.

He closed his eyes, intending to ignore everything, but heard Ji Xiaosu say from below, "Brother, you can't practice your mind with your eyes closed."

Ji Aojian sighed and opened his eyes. From this height, everything below looked much smaller: people, houses, rock formations, and ponds. The entire Tianqingshan Compound looked like a map, which was truly shocking and made his heart race.

He stopped looking down and looked straight ahead, but saw the rising sun. The fiery red light was so intense that it hurt his eyes.

How unfortunate, why did I choose this angle?

He couldn't close his eyes or look down. If he turned his back to the sun, how could he turn around on the platform with the sky above his head?

Ji Aojian had to squint and try to look out of the corners of his eyes.

After a while, the cool breeze seemed to grow stronger, and Ji Aojian felt his body swaying.

That's not right. Even four servants couldn't push me over. How could a little wind make me sway?

Ji Aojian couldn't help but think: Although I stand very firmly on the platform, how solid is this wooden platform? It's no wonder it sways in the wind.

It's not that I'm unstable; it's the platform itself that's unstable!

As time passed, Ji Aojian felt the platform swaying more and more. Suddenly, he felt a lightness on his head, and the sky above him seemed to collapse.

If he were standing on the ground, Ji Aojian could easily catch the bowl. But on the platform, feeling his whole body swaying, he didn't dare move.

So the bowl fell from the ten-zhang platform and shattered on the ground.

Ji Xiaosu sighed sadly, "Brother, the sky has collapsed."

Xiao Xun also shouted excitedly, "Young master, the sky has collapsed."

Ji Aojian's face twitched: Why do you two sound so satisfied?

"Brother," Ji Xiaosu climbed up the platform and handed him another bowl of water, "Don't drop it again. This bowl is very expensive."

Ji Aojian was speechless, took the bowl, and placed it on his head silently.

After that, he felt the swaying of the platform and became numb to it. When Ji Xiaosu told him he could come down, his feet were already numb, and he stumbled and rolled down the platform.

At that moment, Ji Aojian's mind became clear. After rolling halfway, he saw the steps of the platform and grabbed them to steady himself, then slowly climbed down.

But the second bowl on his head also couldn't be saved.

Ji Xiaosu saw him come down with a pale face, "Brother, how do you feel about the effect of practicing the Floating Cloud Stance on your mind?"

Ji Aojian sighed, "I think it consumes more mental energy than the first day of practicing the horse stance."

Ji Xiaosu said, "Brother, now practicing the Floating Cloud Stance is tiring, but once you get used to it, it will nourish your mind."

Ji Aojian was surprised, "Is that true?"

Ji Xiaosu said, "When you stand firmly on the platform and no longer worry about falling, you will find that the sky is clear and the sun is bright. The clouds will float around you, the wind will caress your face, and the view of the Jiangnan countryside will spread out below you. Looking around, this scene will make you feel refreshed and at ease."

Ji Aojian was impressed, "What you say makes sense."

Ji Xiaosu added, "In the future, if you fight with an enemy on a cliff, a high wall, or a tall building, you will be calm and move freely because you have practiced the Floating Cloud Stance. Your opponent will be nervous and hesitant. One will feel like walking on flat ground, the other like walking on thin ice. It will be very easy for you to win."

The next day, Ji Aojian was no longer as afraid of practicing the Floating Cloud Stance.

Although he had accidentally fallen from the platform the previous day, he realized that with his skills, he could easily grab the wooden steps and avoid injury.

With this confidence, the swaying of the platform felt less severe than the previous day, and he even started to find it comfortable.

It felt like he was really standing in the clouds, practicing the horse stance in the floating clouds.

Today, without the worry, he calmly enjoyed the beautiful scenery from the platform. He found the floating clouds and the bright sun in the spring season particularly charming.

Ji Aojian's gaze extended beyond the Tianqingshan Compound, where the fields stretched out, the green wheat waves undulated, forming a vast green ocean, and the scent of ripening wheat filled the air.

He couldn't help but exclaim, "The countryside scenery is truly beautiful."

Ji Xiaosu climbed up the platform and came to his feet, pointing to the fields below. "Brother, all the fields you can see from this platform belong to our Tianqingshan Compound."

"What?" Ji Aojian's heart skipped a beat. Looking at the fields, he felt even more satisfied. "Our family is indeed a large landowner."

"When Father built this nine-zhang nine-chi nine-cun high platform to practice the horse stance, he planned to buy all the fields he could see from here," Ji Aojian said. "This was to inspire future generations to strive for strength and protect the family's assets."

Ji Aojian was speechless, "… He was indeed far-sighted."

He suddenly thought of the poem "To see a thousand miles, one must climb to a higher floor" and had an idea. "If he had built the platform twice as high, wouldn't we have bought even more fields, making our family's assets even richer?"

Ji Xiaosu reminded him, "Brother, nine zhang nine chi nine cun is already the limit for buildings in the world. Any higher would be against the rules."

Against the rules? Ji Aojian realized that in ancient times, there were many restrictions on civilian buildings, including height, scale, color, and decoration, all of which had to follow the rules set by the royal family and could not be exceeded.

"As long as I can stand firmly at this height, I won't be afraid of any higher buildings in the world?"

Ji Xiaosu said, "To stand on a platform higher than nine zhang nine chi nine cun, Brother, you would have to go to a monk's temple and practice on the top of the pagoda."

Ji Aojian thought, do real experts really go to the top of a temple's pagoda to show off?

He muttered to himself, "I've heard that the Eiffel Tower is a hundred zhang high."

Ji Xiaosu was curious, "The Eiffel Tower, in which temple?"

Ji Aojian coughed, "It's a foreign building, and we rarely see it." He thought, the Eiffel Tower won't be built until 1889, and by then, we might not even be alive.

After practicing the Floating Cloud Stance for two days, Ji Aojian went to the training ground to practice archery in the afternoon.

Xiao Xun saw that he could now stand ten steps away, with the sky above his head, and shoot arrows, and was very impressed. "Young master, you've improved so quickly."

Ji Aojian said proudly, "As long as I'm not standing on that ten-zhang platform with the sky above my head, I feel as stable as a mountain on the ground. Carrying a bowl and shooting arrows is nothing."

After saying this, Xiao Xun just watched the young master practice, not as enthusiastic as before. Ji Aojian suddenly felt something was wrong and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Young master…" Xiao Xun hesitated, "My parents sent a message, saying it's farming season, and they want me to go home for a few days to help."

"Then go home," Ji Aojian said, not thinking much of it, and picked up his bow and arrow to continue shooting.

Xiao Xun was surprised, "Young master, you're letting me go home?"

Ji Aojian asked casually, "Your parents called you back because your family is short of labor, right?"

Xiao Xun said, "Yes, I heard that many people from Lujia Village have gone to Suzhou and Shanghai to find jobs in the city, earning more than working in the fields."

Ji Aojian thought about it. In the Ming and Qing dynasties, the commodity economy in the Jiangnan region was developed, and the consumption capacity of towns was particularly active. Many farmers left the fields to work in the cities, and there were fewer people doing farm work in the countryside.

He felt a sense of nostalgia. This is the sprout of capitalism, absorbing so many rural laborers that even girls have to come out to help.

"Since your family is short of labor, it's good for you to go home and help your parents. It's a way to show filial piety."

Xiao Xun stomped her foot, "Young master, it's actually not necessary…"

The young maid wanted to say more but stopped and finally left the compound.

Before going to bed that night, Ji Aojian suddenly thought of the beautiful countryside scenery he had seen from the platform that morning, the green wheat waves undulating in the wind.

"Since the wheat is still green, how can it be farming season?"

Ji Aojian muttered to himself, feeling something was not quite right.