Chapter 14

Yang Zhen strode with the gait of a tiger, his imposing presence naturally commanding respect. His tiger-like eyes swept across the courtyard, and instantly, all noise ceased.

"You," Yang Zhen pointed at the formal disciples, his voice like a resounding bell, shaking the tiles of the roof, "quickly go and lead the horses. We are going to the training ground outside the city to test your martial skills today."

The group of young men scattered in a hurry. Qin Sang was still dazed, when a tall, slender youth pulled his arm and said, "Little brother, you can ride with me. My name is Huang Chen, what should I call you?"

Huang Chen was the oldest among the group. Seeing that the others were pairing up, Qin Sang followed Huang Chen, "I'm Qin Sang, Big Brother Huang, where are we going?"

"The training ground for martial arts is outside the city. We need to ride the horses from the security agency."

Wuwei Security Agency was located in the southern part of Sanwu City, and the training ground was built outside the southern city gate. Qin Sang did not know how to ride a horse, so Huang Chen led him.

The two horses galloped side by side towards the city gate. Just as they reached the southern city gate, they saw a group of well-armored soldiers standing guard. The soldiers blocked the gate, and no civilians were allowed to pass, causing a large crowd to be stuck at the entrance.

The crowd had to lead their horses and walk. After asking around, they learned that the Water Governor was going to Baoguo Temple to offer incense and pray for the emperor's well-being. The procession had already left the governor's residence.

Baoguo Temple was located on Luoma Mountain to the west of Sanwu City, about fifteen miles away. However, the southern city gate was the main entrance, and such a grand ceremony required the procession to leave from the south gate.

They waited patiently in the crowd. Soon, the sound of gongs and drums announced the arrival of the Water Governor's procession. The procession was guarded by elite soldiers at the front and back, and the middle section consisted of several beautifully decorated carriages, all covered with thick curtains, hiding the identities of the occupants.

Qin Sang, curious, stood on tiptoe to get a better look.

The luxurious procession passed through the city gate, and on both sides of the main road, shacks of refugees were densely packed.

At this moment, Qin Sang noticed that the guards of the governor's procession wore armor with the character 'Zhen' (镇) on the back. The color, style, and even the font were identical to those on the armor of Bai Jianglan and his men, except that Bai Jianglan and his men wore short armor with the character 'Dong' (东) on the back.

Seeing this, Qin Sang felt a slight stir in his heart and turned to Huang Chen for information.

Huang Chen, without any suspicion, whispered, "Brother Qin, you might not know, but they are not ordinary soldiers. They are the governor's personal guards. According to the ancestral laws of the Great Sui, a governor can form a private army of five hundred guards. These guards are either selected from the military or recruited from the martial arts world, all of them highly skilled. They usually guard the governor's residence, but when the governor, prince, or princess travels, they accompany them. Not only the Water Governor, but other governors also have similar personal guards. The ones you saw before were probably the personal guards of the Dongyang Governor."

Qin Sang pondered this information.

He remembered that Water Monkey had mentioned that the Great Sui had eight governors, one of whom was the Dongyang Governor, the emperor's brother. Despite Water Monkey's carefree appearance, he was very tight-lipped and did not reveal any secrets.

Bai Jianglan turned out to be the commander of the Dongyang Governor's personal guards, a position higher than Qin Sang had imagined. The mysterious young lady was likely either the governor's lover or his daughter.

After the governor's procession passed, the crowd was allowed to proceed. They rode out of the city and soon turned onto a small path leading into the mountains, arriving at a mountain villa, which Huang Chen said was also part of the security agency's property.

The villa had a large, flat training ground.

The group of young men lined up on the training ground. Yang Zhen divided them into groups. Qin Sang, who had only learned one martial skill, was grouped with three others.

Yang Zhen first tested the disciples and had them practice on their own, then came over to teach the four of them.

The other three were already practicing, and Qin Sang, being the weakest, felt that Yang Zhen did not pay much attention to him.

However, the silver was not wasted. Yang Zhen, living up to his reputation, taught the "Tiger Subduing Long Fist" diligently and told Qin Sang that he could come every day until he mastered it.

In one day, Qin Sang learned the last seven moves of the "Tiger Subduing Long Fist" from Yang Zhen.

What surprised him was that the first three moves of the "Tiger Subduing Long Fist" that Yang Zhen taught were quite different from those taught by Bai Jianglan. The moves were the same, but Yang Zhen lacked many of the fine details that Bai Jianglan had.

These fine details had a significant impact on the power of the moves.

Qin Sang, having practiced the first three moves for many days, felt this even more acutely.

Yang Zhen had an excellent reputation, and he would not withhold such a basic martial art. Therefore, the difference must lie in their individual abilities.

It was said that Yang Zhen's martial arts skills ranked among the top ten in Sanwu City. He might not have internal energy, but could Bai Jianglan be a top expert?

Regardless, the silver had been spent, and the martial art needed to be learned. Qin Sang decided to use the guidance Bai Jianglan had given him for the first three moves to try and understand the last seven moves.

The distance from Qingyang Temple to Wuwei Security Agency's mountain villa was not far. Qin Sang went to learn martial arts every day and quickly mastered the "Tiger Subduing Long Fist."

However, he still frequently visited the villa, listening to the disciples discuss martial arts and learning about various martial arts stories. He also learned how to ride and shoot.

In early spring, the grass was long and the orioles were singing.

In normal years, by this time, the refugees would have returned to their homes to plant crops. However, this year, the rebellion in the north had intensified, and refugees continued to migrate south.

Human disasters were even more severe than natural ones.

The "Yuming Scripture" had made no progress. Despite Qin Sang's repeated attempts to convince himself to be patient, he could no longer sit still. He blamed himself for not being diligent enough and began to meditate and practice day and night, almost to the point of madness.

During the day, he practiced martial arts, recited scriptures, and helped the old Taoist. This left him with almost no rest, but the meditation and cultivation also helped him recover his energy, so he did not feel tired.

The moonlight shone into the stone house, and Qin Sang stared blankly out the window. The full moon hung in the sky, and a meteor streaked across the desolate night, falling beyond the distant mountains, into the vast world.

After six months of effort and nearly four months of meditation, he finally felt the qi described in the scripture!

The most terrifying thing for a person is not persistence, but persistence without hope.

But when the moment of true achievement arrived, he knew that all the efforts were worth it.

When he truly felt that thin, cool qi, Qin Sang felt as if he were in a dream.

The qi was as fine as a hair, like a mischievous child darting around in his dantian. Qin Sang tried to "capture" it and feel it more closely but found it impossible.

The "Yuming Scripture" stated that one could only "look inward" after breaking through the second level of the cultivation method. For now, the only thing he could do was to guide the qi into his meridians and carefully follow the cultivation route.

After several cycles, nothing went wrong, and Qin Sang felt relieved. Just as he was about to relax and focus on cultivation, he suddenly felt a terrifying pain in his meridians.

Qin Sang's body trembled, and he curled up into a ball, letting out a low, agonized roar. His clothes were immediately drenched in cold sweat.