Chapter 13

Not long after lunch, Qin Fengming arrived on time at the right side hall of the main hall. At this moment, many young people were already sitting on the wooden chairs in the side hall. |www..com|

Qin Fengming looked at the crowd, most of whom were young people like him. There were a few older boys whom he had never seen before, and he assumed they must be disciples from previous years.

After a while, an old man in a brown robe walked into the hall. He looked at the young people sitting below and said in a steady voice, "I am surnamed Shi. From now on, you will follow me to learn to read and write. I hope you all study diligently and remember carefully."

All the children stood up and bowed to the old man. Then they sat down to listen to his teachings.

Thus, Qin Fengming and the others spent their mornings refining stone locks, and their afternoons and evenings learning to read and write. The days passed one by one.

After half a month, the old man brought out a human anatomy chart, and the group, who had already laid some foundation, began to study the human skeleton, meridians, and acupoint locations in earnest.

Although he had been away from home for a long time, Qin Fengming, who was only ten years old, did not feel homesick due to the busy schedule.

One day, after finishing the morning stone lock training and seeing no other tasks, Qin Fengming decided to take a walk around Dan Yun Peak. He informed Duan Meng and the others and then set off alone to the back of Dan Yun Peak.

The back of Dan Yun Peak was lush with trees, and a winding path led deep into the forest. Admiring the scenery along the way, Qin Fengming was so engrossed that he walked a long distance without realizing it.

Just as Qin Fengming was lost in the beauty around him, he suddenly heard the sound of swords slicing through the air from ahead.

Curious, Qin Fengming quickly ran forward. Climbing onto a large rock, he focused his gaze on the source of the sound. To his surprise, he was immediately stunned.

About twenty to thirty zhang ahead, in a small valley, a young girl in colorful clothing was gracefully wielding a long sword. She looked like a fairy descended from heaven, her movements were incredibly graceful, and the sword in her hand seemed to have a life of its own.

Qin Fengming had never seen such a beautiful and skilled girl before. He was so amazed that he involuntarily exclaimed, "Wow!"

As soon as Qin Fengming's exclamation was heard, the beautiful girl immediately stopped her practice and looked at him with her sword in hand.

With a light movement, she seemed to float like a fairy, leaping from tree to tree, and in a few bounds, she was already in front of Qin Fengming.

Seeing the situation, Qin Fengming was so shocked that he stood there, dumbfounded, not knowing what to do.

He was greatly puzzled by the fact that a person could leap through the air on tree branches, something he had never imagined.

The beautiful girl glared at Qin Fengming. Seeing that he was wearing gray clothes and was about ten years old, she already knew his identity. She bared her teeth slightly and said coldly, "Are you a new disciple this year? Why are you spying on my practice?"

Qin Fengming, though nervous, quickly regained his composure. He bowed and said, "I am a new disciple who just joined Luoxia Valley. I didn't know you were practicing here. I was just bored and came for a walk. I accidentally saw you, please forgive me, sister."

The girl looked at Qin Fengming and saw that he seemed calm and not lying. She then said indifferently, "Whether you meant to or not, there are many snakes and wild beasts here. You should leave quickly. Otherwise, you might be in danger."

With that, she turned and leaped away, disappearing into the forest after a few bounds.

Qin Fengming stood there, staring at the direction the girl had gone, lost in thought for a long time. He was filled with admiration for the girl's movements and sword skills. He decided that he would learn sword techniques in the future.

The next day, Qin Fengming found Hall Master Zhang and told him that he wanted to learn sword techniques and the leaping method. Hall Master Zhang did not say much, only telling him to continue practicing his strength and reading.

At the beginning, it took Qin Fengming more than an hour to complete his stone lock training each day. By the end of the first month, he could finish the task in half an hour. By the end of six months, he could refine the stone lock as if it were a mere pebble, completing the task in just a few minutes.

Hall Master Zhang secretly observed the three of them and was very pleased with their progress, especially with Qin Fengming's performance. He was puzzled by how a ten-year-old child could have such strength. Even he, when he was young, did not practice as easily as Qin Fengming.

After six months of learning to read and write, the children had learned many characters related to martial arts, human acupoints, and the body's meridians, bones, and acupoint locations. They were now ready to learn advanced martial arts.

One day, after breakfast, just as Qin Fengming and the others were about to go to the courtyard to practice their stone lock training as usual, a figure flashed, and Hall Master Zhang suddenly appeared in front of them.

The three young men were slightly surprised but immediately bowed, "Greetings, Hall Master Zhang."

"Today, I will teach you formal martial arts. Here are three manuals; you should study them carefully," Hall Master Zhang said without much explanation, handing each of them a book.

Qin Fengming took the book and looked at the cover, which read "Willow Drift Thirteen Forms." He did not open it but carefully tucked it away.

"Also, I will teach you a set of light body techniques. Follow me now," Hall Master Zhang continued, turning and walking out of the courtyard.

Qin Fengming and the others did not dare to delay and followed closely behind. After a short while, they arrived at a quiet place. Hall Master Zhang stopped and turned to face them.

"This set of techniques, though not the ultimate light body skill, is well-known in the martial arts world. You must memorize it carefully and keep it secret. Do you understand?"

Hearing this, Qin Fengming and the others nodded vigorously and answered in unison, "We will certainly follow Hall Master's instructions, memorize it carefully, and not tell anyone else."

Seeing their response, Hall Master Zhang nodded and began to recite the technique, teaching it to them line by line.

Qin Fengming could not understand it all at once but focused on memorizing the words, planning to study it in detail later.

The technique was not very long, only a few hundred characters. By the time Hall Master Zhang had recited it eight times, Qin Fengming and the others had memorized it completely.

"Every five days, I will come to your residence to guide you. If you have any questions, you can ask me then. Now, go and practice on your own," Hall Master Zhang said, turning and leaping into the dense forest, disappearing from sight.