Chapter 56

Finally, you've come? What does that mean? Does this golden dragon know me? Lu Zheng, taken aback, asked, "Who are you? Do you recognize me?"

The golden dragon coiled its massive body, floating in mid-air, and said to Lu Zheng, "I have been waiting for you for many years. Today, you have finally come!" His voice carried a strange resonance, making Lu Zheng's ears tingle and itch.

After waiting for so many years, am I not dreaming? How could a golden dragon wait for me in a dream for so many years? Lu Zheng found it amusing, but since it was a dream, playing with the golden dragon wouldn't hurt. So he said, "Alright, now that I'm here, do you have something to tell me?"

The golden dragon was silent for a moment and then said, "Hmm, it seems you haven't awakened yet. The time has not come."

Lu Zheng: "Awaken? What time? Who are you really!"

But the golden dragon ignored him, let out a roar, and turned to fly toward the other five golden dragons. The golden light suddenly dimmed, and everything around him turned dark. Lu Zheng, startled by the sudden roar, opened his eyes and woke up, still in the Zhongchun Pavilion of the Sun and Moon Cottage.

Seeing that it was already late, Lu Zheng quickly got up, washed up, dressed neatly, and tidied his bed. He then went to the Tianyuan Difang Pavilion for class.

On the second floor, the teacher and Xin'er had not yet arrived. Lu Zheng reviewed the book "All Things" and was about to start practicing calligraphy when a cough came from behind. Li Yi and Xin'er walked in.

Lu Zheng stood up and greeted the teacher with a bow. Li Yi nodded and said, "Mm," then walked straight to his desk. Lu Zheng also greeted Xin'er with a bow. Xin'er returned the bow, greeted Lu Zheng first, and then said, "Brother is diligent." This was a subtle way of saying she was late and not as diligent as Lu Zheng. Lu Zheng returned the bow and asked, "Sister, did you sleep well?" He was asking if Xin'er had not slept well the night before, which was why she was late. Xin'er replied, "All is well," indicating that it was simply because she had overslept.

Then, the two of them bowed to the teacher, signaling the start of the class. Li Yi said, "Today, Xin'er will review her lessons and practice calligraphy. Lu Zheng, starting today, after reviewing your lessons, you will follow me to learn the archery ritual."

The archery ritual is archery. In Li Yi's teachings, every movement is a ritual, so archery is naturally called the archery ritual. Over the past three months, Lu Zheng had learned to read and write very quickly and could read books on his own. His calligraphy had also improved, and he could write with a proper form. So last night, Li Yi had discussed with Mr. Le to start teaching Lu Zheng the archery ritual. Xin'er looked envious because Li Yi had said that women do not practice the archery ritual, so she would not have the chance to touch a bow and arrow.

Soon, Lu Zheng finished reviewing his lessons. Xin'er stayed to practice calligraphy, while Li Yi took Lu Zheng out of the Tianyuan Difang Pavilion. However, they did not go through the main gate with the inscription "Look up to observe the celestial phenomena, look down to observe the terrestrial laws," but through the left side door.

This was the first time Lu Zheng had gone through this door. As soon as he stepped out, he saw a vast, flat training ground in front of him. They crossed a water bridge and came to a table where two bows and two quivers full of arrows were already placed.

The two bows were one black and one white. Li Yi picked up the black bow and said, "Lu Zheng, starting today, you will learn the archery ritual. The key to the archery ritual is to keep your body straight. A straight body leads to a straight arrow, and then you can hit the target. Do you see the targets ahead?"

Lu Zheng looked into the distance and saw that a hundred steps away, two targets had been set up, which were two vertical wooden boards with strange animal patterns, resembling animal heads with noses and eyes. Lu Zheng bowed and said, "Teacher, I see them."

Li Yi nodded and said, "Watch my movements carefully." He then crouched, took a step forward, raised the bow, and nocked an arrow. Before Lu Zheng could react, he heard a "whoosh," and the arrow hit the nose of the animal head on the left target.

Li Yi straightened up and asked, "Did you see clearly?"

Lu Zheng said, "Please explain, teacher."

Li Yi said, "I just said, the key to the archery ritual is in the body. A straight body leads to a straight arrow. There are three aspects to a straight body. The first is a straight step. I stepped forward with my front foot and supported myself with my back foot, which is called a bow stance. The purpose of the bow stance is to make your body like a bow, storing power in your waist. The second is a straight waist. The power of the human body originates in the feet and is controlled by the waist. If the waist is not straight, the power will be scattered and can easily injure you. The third is a straight eye. Hold the bow steadily, focus on the target, and do not be distracted. If these three aspects are correct, your arrows will fly like magic." As he spoke, he had Lu Zheng perform the corresponding movements, correcting his posture from time to time.

Seeing that Lu Zheng's posture was correct, Li Yi said, "Good, remember these key points. Go and try the bow and arrow, and aim for the right target." Seeing that Lu Zheng was about to take the black bow, he added, "That's my bow. With your current arm strength, you can't draw it. Take the bamboo bow."

Lu Zheng took the white bamboo bow as instructed, tested the bowstring, and found that he could just draw it with all his strength. He then drew an arrow, adjusted his posture, drew the bow, and released the arrow.

The arrow flew far and fell to the ground, not even touching the target. Lu Zheng's face turned red, and he stood straight, putting away the bow. Li Yi, who had been silent while Lu Zheng was shooting, now said, "Do you know where you went wrong?"

Lu Zheng carefully recalled his movements. He had adjusted his body as the teacher had taught him. Could it be that his hands were trembling when he shot the arrow? He had clearly aimed at the target, but it didn't even touch it.

Li Yi looked at him and said, "I have taught you the key points. The bow and arrow are in your hands, and you are the one who shot them. Whether you hit the target or not is entirely up to you. If you miss, it's not someone else's fault; the problem must be with you. This morning, shoot two hundred arrows." With that, he turned and left.

Lu Zheng was used to his teacher's style and knew he wouldn't easily tell him where he went wrong. He had to think for himself. So he said, "I understand, teacher. I will see you off." He then picked up the bow and arrow and started practicing.

After shooting a hundred arrows, Lu Zheng's arms were already sore and swollen, and his hands were trembling uncontrollably, making it hard to hold the bow steady. But he had grown up enduring hardships and never easily complained. His character naturally developed a sense of perseverance, and he gritted his teeth and persisted. Each time he hit the target, it gave him a great boost, and he became even more focused.

However, despite strictly following the teacher's instructions, out of the two hundred arrows he shot, half missed the target, and the rest barely touched it, none hitting the nose of the animal head. This made him quite discouraged. After careful reflection, he couldn't find the reason, but he thought that with more practice, he would naturally become more accurate.

While Lu Zheng was diligently shooting arrows, in the first floor of the Tianyuan Difang Pavilion, Mr. Le and Li Yi were savoring tea. Mr. Le took a few sips, savoring the aroma, and then drank it all in one gulp, which made it look more like he was drinking alcohol. Li Yi, on the other hand, sat upright and drank his tea slowly and calmly.

Mr. Le took another sip and glanced at the left side door, chuckling, "This silly boy, he's really clumsy! It seems that everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. He can remember everything he reads, but when it comes to archery, ha, out of a hundred arrows, only three hit the target."

Li Yi put down his teacup and said, "He has grown up in the wild, lacking in blood and qi. Although he has been here for three months, his strength is still insufficient. Holding the bow, his hands are still trembling. How can he hit the target?"

Mr. Le kept his eyes on the door, counting aloud, "One hundred and ten, still a miss. One hundred and eleven, another miss. One hundred and twelve, oh, almost hit your target, hahaha."

Li Yi couldn't help but look back, frowned, and said, "I taught him to keep his body straight, but he is leaning and stiff. Is this what you call being straight? Truly, he is unteachable!"

Mr. Le looked away and waved his hand, "Forget it, forget it. You just wanted him to build his strength. Missing the target is fine. He will get stronger eventually. This boy is already quite good. I didn't expect Xin'er's words to help him resolve his inner conflicts and achieve a state of clarity."

Li Yi said, "It was just a coincidence. To truly achieve a state of clarity is not that simple. Teaching him the archery ritual is also to help him integrate his body and mind and understand the concept of 'straightness.'"

Mr. Le said, "Mm, you are the most thoughtful. Come, come, let me make you some tea as a reward."

Li Yi rolled his eyes and said, "The tea is made by me. Why should you do this as a favor... Hmm, there's something happening by the fence!"

Before he finished speaking, both of them vanished.

A strong wind swept across the land, breaking everything in its path. On the ground, a black line ran through it. As they approached, they saw that the black line was a wall of black mist, which was not static but swirling, giving it a mysterious feel. This was the fence planted by the Sage of the Holy Sect, a marvel that had stood for ages, dividing the two worlds.

A hundred miles away from the Sun and Moon Cottage, by the fence, three strange-looking men, wrapped in animal skins, were having an intense discussion.

One of them, a large man with a prominent forehead that looked like a horn, had a loud voice and seemed very rough. He said, "Didn't they say that if we transform into human form, we can pass through this rotten fence? We have transformed into human form, so why can't we pass through?"

The man on his left was thin, with a pointed face and a goat beard. He said, "I think we were tricked. That person is not in the human world. He wanted to trick us so he could have everything to himself. Fortunately, we have already eaten him."

The last man, tall and thin, spoke with a呆气 (dull tone): "Why would he trick us? We are so smart, how could we be tricked?"

The rough man said, "Why are you still guessing? This news has spread throughout the Duan Ci Mountain. The most important thing now is to find a way to pass through. Otherwise, someone else will get there first."

The thin man said, "We tried to walk through, but we were bounced back. You jumped over, but when you landed, you were still on this side. This fence is too strange. It looks like we won't be able to eat that Three Teachings Child and achieve immortality!"

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