Chapter 6

Translated by Oedon Edited by Phantom0408

“The way of fighting is the way to defeat others. The key is to hit the vital point; it should be done fast, with sufficient strength, and precision.”

In the Mountain Fist courtyard, Old Man Zheng walked around with his hands behind his back, wandering between pairs of men practicing together, and from time to time he chanted the essence of Mountain Fist.

It was past noon, and the sound of chirping cicadas filled the trees.

But it couldn’t cover up the shouts of the men in the courtyard.

Wei He and Cheng Shaojiu faced each other.

Old Man Zheng’s voice came into his ears.

“The Mountain Fist has three fundamental moves; they are defensive moves, offensive moves, and killing moves. You’ll now practice the defensive moves, which are divided into two parts, blocking and dodging.”

“It’s better to dodge than to block, and it’s better to attack first than to dodge, remember that.“

“You must think about how to defeat your enemy, defeat them first, and you shall not have the need to block or dodge.”

“Blocking is the simplest, but one with many variations, for example, raise your forearm and clench your fist, keep your head down and tuck your chin in, remember to keep your fist close to face to protect it, use your elbows for further support…”

The more Wei He listened, the more familiar it sounds.

When he did it one by one according to the instruction and then went to face Cheng Shaojiu on the opposite side.

He was speechless.

Wasn’t this the stance used by those kickboxers in his past life? Body arched, with face and chest covered with his forearm. The only difference was that there isn’t any jumping around.

Cheng Shaojiu got into his fighting stance and looked at Wei He provocatively.

“Come on, wanna try punching me?” He grinned.

Wei He ignored him and carefully followed Old Man Zheng’s instruction, adjusting his stance while comprehending it.

There are five variations for these defensive moves, each made specifically to deal against five different attacks.

The next one was dodging, which was mainly used against an armed opponent.

Which way to dodge, how to do it perfectly, what should you pay attention to after dodging, how to counterattack, how do you find your enemy’s weakness?

And so forth.

Various kinds of practical tactics were all taught to these novices by Old Man Zheng.

Wei He’s task is to practice these tactics until it becomes a reflex to him and to be able to use them when needed at lightning speed.

Then contribute in one fell swoop.

At this time, a small fellow suddenly appeared and asked, “Master, I heard that Mountain Fist has an Internal Arts technique, I wonder if you’ll pass it on me.”

Old Man Zheng who was wandering around, suddenly stopped his footsteps and fiercely kicked the small fellow’s ass.

“Internal Arts technique? Only when you have trained your body to the extreme can you be qualified to practice it. What you’re just shouting is from hearsay, you know my fart! That’s it for today’s strength training!”

He shook his head, and then went back to his chair and stopped talking.

Wei Ying on the side hurriedly served the tea and refreshments.

After Old Man Zheng discovered that Wei Ying was able to do work more thoroughly, he replaced the servant in the courtyard with Wei Ying.

And he had an even better attitude towards Wei He.

Wei He was also worried about whether Wei Ying would be harassed, but after careful inquiry and observation; this old man seemed to not really care for the opposite sex and only valued money.

He felt relieved after knowing that.

Throughout the day, Wei He and the others have been practicing various tactics.

The blocking and dodging tactics included inside the defensive moves.

Then, the next day, it was the offensive moves turn.

And there was still not even a silhouette of the ultimate moves, it seemed like Old Man Zheng didn’t have the slightest intention of teaching them those at all.

The systems of defense and offense alone are enough for these inferior men to practice for a long, long time.

While Wei He was also among them, he belonged between the middle and lower talents even if he started at the same period. Right now, most people who have paid were not able to adapt to the rigorous training, causing them to leave.

Some people had much better talent than him. Now, they have already finished the offensive and defensive moves tactics; and have begun tempering their fist and their Qi and Blood. Way faster compared to Wei He.

Originally, he thought that life would go on like this, no illnesses, no disasters, and peace…

But soon, Mountain Fist and another Martial Art School intended to have a simple competition.

This competition is commonly known as fist duel.

It’s a common event that’s regularly held by the Martial Artists in Feiye City.

The rules themselves aren’t complicated, the Martial Artists themselves will not fight on the stage, instead, it’s their disciples who will fight and compare their skills, many rich merchants and clans will be invited to be the spectators.

This was meant to show the teaching ability of the Martial Artist.

“Our opponent will be the Bat Fist’s disciples.” As the Third Senior Brother, Cheng Shaojiu had already practiced the offensive and defensive system. Now, he has been tempering his fist toughness which is now already at the level of Ox Skin.

“Bat Fist?” Wei He asked in a low voice while practicing the offensive moves with Cheng Shaojiu. “Have you ever fought them before?”

“They are our old rival whom we will spar with once every six months, both sides have gained wins against each other. Well, the fight can be considered to be a competition for the reputation around the towns,” Cheng Shaojiu said in a relaxed manner.

“Anyway, what are you afraid of? You will not fight there, only us, the seniors will.”

He turned his head towards Eldest Senior Brother Zhao Hong.

“Well, Eldest Senior Brother had already reached the Stone Skin level, his punch is comparable to a large boulder bearing down on a person, it can easily break people’s bones.”

“Then there is Second Senior Sister Zheng Hongxiu, the granddaughter of Old Man Zheng. She had also reached the Stone Skin level but her innate physique made her slightly weaker. Though, she’s still stronger than me.”

“It seems that Second Senior Sister rarely comes here?” asked Wei He.

“Well, very rarely. She has been living inside another courtyard, one with many female disciples in it.” Cheng Shaojiu nodded.

He grasped Wei He’s incoming fist when suddenly he remembered something and motioned Wei He to stop.

“By the way, back then you asked me to inquire about some matter, there is some news. Last year some sculptors went missing outside the city, it’s unclear if they died or are still alive since no bodies were found.”

“Missing… is this a common occurrence?” Wei He’s face remained calm, but his eyes darkened.

“Occasionally, after all, it’s very chaotic outside. There are bandits, robbers, beasts, and gangs. A slight oversight could easily cost your life there.” Speaking of this, Cheng Shaojiu also sighed.

Outside of the city; this was a topic that most people daren’t talk about, a taboo. The high walls had isolated the common folk of the dangers, and chaos, those soldiers outside faced every day.

Although the inside of the city was also very chaotic, there was still a way to survive, but outside? It was too dangerous.

“Also, about Chen Biao, whom you asked me to keep an eye for, didn’t he join the Horned Serpent Gang recently? My cousin told me that yesterday, the Horned Serpent Gang and the Green Bamboo Gang fought for territory at Nanshan Town, and a lot of people were injured. Chen Biao is also amongst the injured, you should pay attention to it.”

Cheng Shaojiu’s cousin was a small leader in the Green Bamboo Gang. So, although he likes to brag, he is still a very reliable source of news.

“Nanshan Town? Thank you!” Wei He nodded solemnly.

Cheng Shaojiu has honestly helped him a lot over this period of time. Although he did also help him with his homework, it was nothing in comparison.

“It’s nothing.” Cheng Shaojiu waved his hand. “To be honest, I know my situation very well. I had always liked and wanted to learn everything, but my talent is limited.

“The only advantage I had is that I loved to make friends, and whenever a friend is in need, I will always help them!” He patted his chest.

“Of course, to tell you the truth, it depends on the person. I will not bother paying attention to a tedious person.” He laughed while glancing at a corner intentionally.

There was a thin and dark-skinned boy there, a religious person whom Old Man Zheng personally brought back.

His name was Xiao Ran. [1]

This name was completely different from other people, whether in style or class; it has a scholarly flavor.

That’s not important, the thing was that his aptitude and comprehension ability far surpasses them.

Teaching him once was enough for him to understand, and he was able to become proficient in a technique very quickly.

As if he had received a treasure, Old Man Zheng gave special favor to Xiao Ran, completely treating him as his personal disciple.

Compared to them, ordinary disciples, the treatment is way different.

“Junior Brother Xiao Ran is different from us.” Wei He shook his head.

When he had just started, he had also imagined that he was a genius, but unfortunately, reality gave him a heavy slap.

His aptitude was no different than Cheng Shaojiu’s, and everyone carried on as if it was normal.

“This brat, I had once asked him to drink wine together before, but he actually reprimanded me in public for not training properly, wasting money and energy. I almost slapped him in front of everyone out of anger.” Cheng Shaojiu is still angry thinking about it.

“He’s only fifteen, right? Maybe he is too young,” Wei He persuaded.

“Fifteen is not too young, I was already engaged when I was fifteen!” Cheng Shaojiu fired off rapidly. “Forget about him, do you want to go for a drink together after training?”

“No, I have something to do.” Wei He shook his head.

“Something? Do you not know that we both are free today, today is not the day to collect homework and I’m always free, what else can I do? To be honest, I can’t stand those hypocritical people who act like they are busy and want to train. But in fact, they actually went outside for a drink.”

“In our courtyard, there’s many of those.” Cheng Shaojiu fired off again.

“I truly have something to do.” Wei He shook his head.

“Tell me, what is it? While I can’t help with something big, but if it’s something small I’ll gladly help!” Cheng Shaojiu promised with a big wave of his hand.

“It’s not a big deal”—Wei He smiled—”I’m planning to go to Nanshan Town.”

“Uh…” Cheng Shaojiu was stunned.

He just gave the news of Nanshan Town, and yet this guy already plans to go there. What was the purpose? it was self-evident.

After all, he was asked to keep an eye on Chen Biao’s movements before, and now, he was going there as soon as Chen Biao was injured…

For the very first time, he carefully looked at his Junior Brother.

He had always regarded him as his little follower before, because Wei He was taciturn and tight-lipped, he also never gossips, nor did he discuss other people’s right and wrong behind their back.

So whenever he wants to complain, he would always seek out Wei He.

For a long time, his impression of Wei He was of silence, tenacity, and self-control.

But now.

Cheng Shaojiu’s entire impression of Wei He crumbled, he felt a trace of unfamiliarity.

The two stopped talking for a while and continued to practice in silence.

Cheng Shaojiu obviously had some scruples toward Wei He in his heart.

The originally harmless Junior Brother suddenly showed his claws and fangs, which made him uncomfortable.

Wei He, on the other hand, was the same as always—silent.

Silently training, silently understanding the tactics, silently and carefully learning how to exert his strength and how to counterattack.

After the offensive and defensive training, it was time to formally begin tempering the fist. The three realms of Ox Skin, Stone Skin, and Iron Skin were the fundamentals, and also the root of Mountain Fist’s fame.

The very foundation itself.

The sky was getting darker and soon, it was time to rest.

Cheng Shaojiu wiped his sweat with the towel on his neck, looking towards Wei He who was changing his clothes.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but then stopped.

Although he had been practicing in Mountain Fist for a long time, it was the first time he saw someone like Wei He.

The ruthlessness in the silence, like a viper in a dark corner, quietly waiting for the right moment.

And then there was a fierce strike.

For most others, they will just strike openly.

Cheng Shaojiu hurriedly returned to his senses. Even though he was only distracted for a while, Wei He was already nowhere to be seen.

1. Xiao Ran (萧然) means the grievous one, the mournful, the sorrowful, and so on.

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