Chapter 47. Is it just about lifting the heels?

A short while later, Sim Yanggak, the master of acupuncture, unblocked the acupoints of the Taoist and the monk that were previously sealed.

"Phew! Thank you! Gentlemen!"

"Ha, ha! I, I take refuge in Amitabha. Thank you, thank you. May you be blessed."

Feng Yanchao nodded indifferently.

He hadn't intended to save them from the beginning, and he didn't want to take credit for something that happened by chance. In the past, he might have demanded money, but after pretending to be from the Flying Dragon Sect for so long, he felt less enthusiastic.

Once the excitement subsided, the Taoist and the monk showed interest in the Five Peaks Heroes.

"I am Xianzhang of Wulun Temple. May I know the honorable names of my benefactors?"

Xianzhang asked, and Feng Yanchao briefly replied.

"We are people of Wufeng Mountain."

"Ah! You are the heroes of Wufeng Mountain. Thank you once again."

Xianzhang did not ask further.

Knowing they were heroes of the green forest, he was cautious with his words.

"I am Wang He of Wuliang Daoist Temple."

Wang He also greeted the Five Peaks Heroes.

Zhuo Goming, the fan master, looked at Xianzhang and Wang He alternately and asked.

"But how did the two of you end up being kidnapped? Did you offend someone?"

Xianzhang and Wang He waved their hands.

"No, nothing like that."

"I haven't done anything to offend anyone."

"Then, do you mean you don't know who might have tried to kidnap you? No one comes to mind?"

"Yes."

Xianzhang and Wang He answered in unison.

Feng Yanchao, who had been watching from the side, interjected.

"Are both of you wealthy?"

"Not at all."

"No."

Xianzhang and Wang He shook their heads vigorously.

In fact, both were just one of many monks and Taoists in their respective temples. Unless they were the abbot or the head of the temple, it was unlikely that ordinary monks or Taoists would have any wealth.

"Ah! It's a mystery even when you think you know."

Feng Yanchao sighed, and Zhuo Goming added.

"Big brother, what does it matter? We are not officials. Let's just be content with doing a good deed."

"Sure, let's do that."

Feng Yanchao shrugged it off.

At that moment, Xianzhang cautiously began.

"Well, I've heard that many monks have been disappearing quietly. I thought it might be something like that... but now that I've experienced this, it's quite unsettling."

"Ah! Now that you mention it, there are similar stories in the Daoist temple. I thought they had moved to other regions..."

Wang He trailed off.

However, the Five Peaks Heroes showed little interest.

Xianzhang, who hadn't yet grasped the mood, responded with a tense face.

"About twenty-five years ago, something similar happened. Could it be the same people?"

"Ah! You mean the Mingjiao? They caused a lot of trouble in Jiangnan, didn't they?"

"Mingjiao, yes. It was said that the Seven Sects Alliance launched a large-scale crackdown and resolved the issue."

"Could it be the remnants of the Mingjiao causing this?"

The two discussed the matter seriously.

The Five Peaks Heroes listened to their conversation while lighting a fire, but only half-heartedly.

After a while, the two stopped talking.

The conversation would have continued if the Five Peaks Heroes had responded, but since they didn't, it fizzled out. Only then did the two realize that the heroes of the green forest were not interested in such matters.

In the morning, the rain had slightly weakened.

Xianzhang and Wang He bowed deeply and left the shrine.

However, the Five Peaks Heroes, having no urgent reason to leave, remained in the shrine.

The Five Peaks Heroes practiced the Flying Dragon Ascension all day in the shrine.

Around noon, while practicing with his sword, Han Chayan glanced at Lian Jieha.

It had been half a year since he learned the Flying Dragon Ascension. He now wanted to learn other techniques. Of course, he knew that the Flying Dragon Ascension alone was already impressive. But human desire knows no bounds.

Han Chayan approached Lian Jieha, who was sitting on the window frame, hesitantly.

"Brother."

"Hmm?"

Lian Jieha, who had been lost in thought while staring at the rain, turned his gaze.

"Well, I've gotten the hang of the Flying Dragon Ascension. Can you teach me something else?"

After a moment's thought, Lian Jieha nodded readily.

Since he had to make a living with his sword, it was right to help him a bit more.

"Alright. I'll teach you the Dragon Dance Ascension. Gather everyone."

"Hehe! Thank you."

Han Chayan went around the shrine to gather the Five Peaks Heroes.

Once the Five Peaks Heroes were assembled, Lian Jieha stood up.

"Practicing only the Flying Dragon Ascension must have been boring. This time, I'll teach you the Dragon Dance Ascension. If the Flying Dragon Ascension starts from the lower stance, this one starts from the upper stance."

As he spoke, Lian Jieha raised his saber above his head.

He then lightly stepped and swung the saber.

Even without using internal energy, the saber wind from the tip of the saber swept in all directions.

"Finally, while thrusting the saber forward, slightly lift the heel of the back foot."

Instantly, a powerful saber wind burst from the tip of the saber, extending in a straight line.

Thud.

Dust fell from the wall where the saber wind struck.

Lian Jieha sheathed his saber and continued.

"Lifting the heel by about two chi (about 6 cm) is important."

The detailed reason is explained in the Xian Nü Jing.

The Nine Heaven Stances use the circulation of the eight meridians in the body. Among them, the Dragon Dance Ascension draws power from the Yang Qiao and Yin Qiao meridians.

Lee Cholsan, who was listening with bright eyes, asked.

"Brother, is there a specific reason for lifting the heel?"

"That's to stimulate the Yang Qiao and Yin Qiao meridians. Did you see the hole in the wall just now?"

"Yes."

"I didn't use internal energy. I did it just with the correct posture."

"Ah! So, do I just lift my heel?"

"Ha ha! No way. If that were true, all martial artists would walk on their heels. Only the correct posture of the Dragon Dance Ascension can draw power from the Yang Qiao and Yin Qiao meridians."

"Ah!"

The Five Peaks Heroes let out exclamations of amazement.

The Bai Zi Gou Jue is impressive, but the Nine Heaven Stances are even more fascinating, no matter how many times you hear about them.

"By the way, don't use internal energy when practicing the Dragon Dance Ascension, or you might destroy the shrine."

After hearing the precautions, the Five Peaks Heroes dispersed.

Shim Yanggak, in a corner, tried to learn the Dragon Dance Ascension by watching. Although he couldn't learn the Bai Zi Gou Jue, the Dragon Dance Ascension itself was quite profound.

'I have to get it right before I forget... '

He was frustrated that he couldn't practice openly like the others.

The rain stopped after three days.

During this time, the Five Peaks Heroes practiced the Dragon Dance Ascension intensely in the shrine. By the time they left, their sword tips were emitting sharp sword winds.

***

In the eastern part of Luoyang, Yanshi.

Walong Hall.

Li Sechan, the leader of the Bai Shangfang, kept his promise like a great merchant.

Two months after assigning the task, he increased the monthly salary of the Walong Hall's martial artists to three silver taels. This was due to the excellent performance of the Qinglong and Baihu teams.

The name of the Walong Hall began to spread beyond Yanshi to Luoyang.

Although the official martial halls of Luoyang started to monitor the Walong Hall, it did not shrink.

In fact, there is no place where skill alone determines success as much as the merchant guilds. Martial artists had to fight bandits every day, and many died. Naturally, the achievements of martial artists were highly regarded, just as their reputation was.

The person who was most pleased with the rapid success was Bai Miu.

She immediately accepted fifty more new members.

This time, half of them were young children, not immediately capable like wandering martial artists. The twenty-five wandering martial artists were grouped into the Rising Dragon Team, and the children into the Hidden Dragon Team.

The new members were not organized into the Heaven, Earth, and Man teams as before, due to the lack of numbers. The Rising Dragon Team was assigned to Lian Wubai, and the Hidden Dragon Team to Lian Shengbai.

With the number of disciples, the Walong Hall could be called a major martial family.

The elders of the Lian family now paid attention to Bai Miu. Since the Walong Hall was financially independent, no one could interfere with its operations.

With an abundance of money and disciples, the Walong Hall was bustling from morning to night.

Thanks to the success of the disciples, Lian Wubai also earned a nickname.

The martial artists of Kaifeng, who had never met him, called him the Walong Swordsman. This was out of respect for being the grandmaster of the Walong Hall's martial artists.

Lian Wubai, standing in the center of the training ground, looked at the Rising Dragon Team disciples.

"Today, I will teach you the Dragon Dance Ascension, the second stance of the Nine Heaven Stances. While the first stance starts from the lower stance, this one starts from the upper stance."

Lian Wubai then slowly demonstrated the Dragon Dance Ascension.

The demonstration ended with a thrust of the sword.

While the sword was still thrust forward, Lian Wubai said.

"Observe the final posture carefully. What does the heel of the supporting foot look like?"

A sharp-eyed man answered loudly.

"The heel is about two chi off the ground!"

"You observed well. This allows the tip of the sword to extend more than four chi forward. This increases the range of attack. In swordsmanship, a difference of one chi can determine life or death. You should understand how important it is to increase the range by more than four chi."

"Yes!"

"I understand!"

The disciples answered confidently, and a satisfied smile appeared on Lian Wubai's face.

"Practice this a hundred times to get it into your muscle memory. Chief Bai, come and guide them."

Bai Nanying, the most skilled among the wandering martial artists, stepped forward.

With a small, pale face and long hair tied back, she was quite beautiful.

Lian Wubai nodded to her and then left the training ground.

Lian Wubai headed straight for the inner chambers.

On the way, he met Lian Shuju, who was loitering in the courtyard, and frowned slightly.

"I hear you've been hanging out with strange people lately. Be careful. If Mother finds out, you'll be in trouble."

Lian Shuju had recently been meeting young martial artists in Luoyang frequently. While she didn't leave Yanshi when she was young, her activities have expanded to the point where she now lives in Luoyang.

Bai Miu, who is sensitive to reputation, would not let it go if she found out.

"Hey! Strange people? What do you think of the Five Heroes of Luoyang?"

"Ha! Five Heroes? Who calls you that?"

"Right now, no one recognizes us, but they will someday."

"Sure, if Mother finds out, she'll recognize it too. Then you'll probably be the Four Heroes of Luoyang, with your head shaved and sent out."

"Tch! Don't underestimate me just because I'm doing well. I'll make a name for myself soon."

"Tsk tsk!"

Lian Wubai clicked his tongue and looked at his younger sister.

The second, Shengbai, is diligently practicing martial arts, but the third is a problem for always going out.

"Ha! Fool! You're just a show-off."

Lian Shuju stuck out her tongue at Lian Wubai and ran out.

Shaking his head at his sister's back, Lian Wubai walked into the inner chambers.

After a long time, the mother and son sat face to face in the guest room.

After a while, Lian Wubai, who had been fiddling with his teacup, spoke cautiously.

"Yesterday, Uncle Lian told me that you plan to accept more disciples."

Bai Miu closed the ledger she was looking at.

"Tsk tsk, Uncle Lian misunderstood. I plan to accept new disciples after sending the Rising Dragon Team out."

"They are not ready yet. Besides, weren't they originally accepted to fill the vacancies in the Qinglong and Baihu teams?"

Lian Wubai looked at his mother with a discontented expression.

Sending them out means sending them to be bodyguards for the merchant guild. It was not something to discuss with new disciples who had only been there for a month.