Chapter 4

"I'll go!" A small, agile figure quickly rushed into the inner room and, after a short while, returned with a wooden box. Inside were many small compartments, each containing different snacks.

Chicken claws, sunflower seeds, grapes, chestnuts, malt sugar, and more. At this time of year, in this environment, to still be able to enjoy such good things.

It was clear that Old Man Zheng's life was far from ordinary.

He picked up a chicken claw and gnawed on it.

"A bit salty."

"Alright, let me explain the reason in detail."

He slowly put down the chicken claw, licked his lips.

"The reason, well, this..."

He looked around at the circle of people eagerly waiting for him to speak.

"What? You're not going to practice? Can you get stronger just by listening to me brag? You guys are really something, aren't you?!"

"Go, go, go! All of you, continue! Practice day and night, so you won't regret it when the time comes!"

He picked up a willow branch from the back of his chair and lashed out at a few people.

The willow branch made a loud cracking sound, and the circle of men winced and scattered.

Only Wei He remained.

"Alright, now, where were we?"

Old Man Zheng scratched his head.

"We were talking about the differences between us and ordinary people," Wei He quickly replied.

"Yes, that's right." The old man was deliberately slow, making people want to hit him.

He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.

"Why do we practice martial arts? Isn't it to be able to beat others?"

"Right, right." Wei He nodded. He was also very curious about whether the martial arts in this world were the same as in his previous life.

In his previous life, the martial arts of Huaxia had declined because they couldn't keep up with the times, to the point where they were easily defeated by a group of sanda practitioners.

They were utterly routed.

Wei He didn't believe that Huaxia's martial arts had always been ineffective. After all, throughout history, there had been countless masters, and among the vast population of over a billion, there were bound to be some who practiced diligently and weren't all trash.

The main reason they couldn't beat sanda practitioners was probably due to a lack of practical combat experience and being stuck in their ways.

So he was also very curious about the martial arts in this world.

After a long pause, Old Man Zheng finally stopped being mysterious.

"Practicing martial arts is all about being able to beat others. If you can beat others, you've achieved the purpose of practicing martial arts.

So, martial arts are the techniques of using various methods to defeat and even kill others."

He concluded.

"I don't know what others think, but this is the foundation of my Huishan Fist."

Old Man Zheng stroked his beard: "The most fundamental aspect of being able to beat others is who has the most strength, who is the fastest, who hits the most accurately, and who can take the most hits."

"Master, your insight is profound! Only a veteran master like you could summarize it so well." Wei He quickly praised.

Old Man Zheng smiled, "The principle is simple, but how do you make yourself stronger, faster, more accurate, and more resilient? That's what practice is for.

Our goal in practicing martial arts is these things. But..."

He changed his tone.

"Nobody can excel in everything." It was said that Old Man Zheng had once been a scholar in his youth, and his way of speaking was different from others.

He sighed.

"Human energy is extremely limited, and talent can't be equally distributed. So, being able to excel in one area is already very good."

He looked at Wei He.

"My Huishan Fist focuses on the hands and fists."

"Rich people can use good gloves to enhance their attacks and defenses. But you don't have money." Old Man Zheng said lazily.

"So, practice. Make your fists hard, make your strength greater, and you'll be able to beat others."

He stood up and pointed to a tall, wooden-faced man.

"Zhao Hong, you're responsible for your little junior brother. Start by making him stronger."

"Okay..." The man replied honestly.

Wei He looked at the man and compared his size to the others around him, feeling that Zhao Hong might be quite strong.

"Little junior brother, I'm Zhao Hong, the senior brother. I'll teach you how to get stronger. But getting stronger requires eating meat, so you need to find a way to improve your diet."

"I understand!" Wei He nodded seriously. "By the way, Senior Brother, have you heard of internal cultivation masters?"

"Internal cultivation? What's that? I don't know." Zhao Hong shook his head, clearly a straightforward person.

Tall and muscular, yet honest and obedient, he was probably often given tasks in the courtyard.

"Since you're new today, let's start with lifting stones."

"Lifting stones?" Wei He felt a bit cheated. Had he paid so much just to lift stones?

"Yes, but there's a technique to it. When you lift, do it slowly and smoothly. I also have a method of Huishan Fist for you to remember."

Zhao Hong led Wei He to a corner where stones of various sizes were piled.

"The method is: the body is like a floating willow, light as the wind, the feet are rooted and the force moves." Zhao Hong recited a mnemonic.

"..." Wei He was speechless; the mnemonic was different from what he had imagined.

"Try it out." Zhao Hong picked up a stone about as wide as his body, held it in the center of his arms, and lifted it up and down. The stone, weighing at least a hundred pounds, moved smoothly and gently in his hands.

But while his upper body moved, his feet remained firmly rooted in place.

Wei He seemed to understand.

"Is this strength training?" he asked.

"Yes, find a stone that suits you." Zhao Hong explained, "This strength training is followed by technique, skin toughening, footwork, and finally, practical combat. You need to practice until your qi and blood are thick, and your fists can break wooden posts without pain. Then you can move on to the next step."

"Senior Brother, what are the signs of thick qi and blood? How can I judge my level?" Wei He asked carefully.

"My Huishan Fist has several levels: cowhide, stone skin, and iron skin. These refer to the hardness of your fists. You can test yourself later. Once you reach cowhide, your qi and blood are sufficient." Zhao Hong introduced.

"Understood." Wei He nodded, "When can we start?"

"Right now." Zhao Hong didn't beat around the bush.

Without a word, Wei He stepped forward and, with Zhao Hong's help, picked a stone.

They practiced for the whole afternoon, and soon Wei He was sore and exhausted. But something magical happened.

In addition to teaching Huishan Fist, Old Man Zheng also provided a special medicinal soup called Xiaowan Soup.

Anyone who paid could get a bowl a day.

Zhao Hong gave him a bowl, and after drinking it, Wei He woke up the next morning without any soreness.

He immediately realized that although this world seemed similar to his previous one, it had its unique aspects.

Old Man Zheng, who had been teaching for so long and had such a good reputation and high fees, must have something special.

After all, the annual tuition was equivalent to a family of three's entire annual expenses.

These days, silver wasn't as valuable as before, and prices were soaring, yet the old man still lived comfortably, showing his earning ability.

From that day on, Wei He practiced diligently with Zhao Hong every day, taking a break every three days. On those days, he continued to do homework for the young masters and misses, learning to read in the process.

He earned money while spending it, and there was even a surplus.

His older sister, Wei Ying, also moved into a house near Old Man Zheng's.

The house belonged to Old Man Zheng, who let her stay for free since she didn't ask for a salary.

Although it was a bit dilapidated, it was better than being harassed by Chen Biao and his gang.

Everything was settled for the time being, and Wei He focused on his training.

He didn't have the strength to deal with Chen Biao and his gang in the short term, but that was fine.

There was plenty of time.

Days passed.

Wei He practiced diligently every day, getting up before dawn to train his body.

Although Old Man Zheng provided meals, he still prepared meat pies for himself to eat after training.

To ensure his body's growth and to supply nutrients to the breakthrough bead in his chest.

Spending a lot of money, Wei He's body became increasingly robust over time.

The breakthrough bead in his chest gradually turned black, but it still hadn't reached the pure black stage needed for use.

Seeing him settle in at the Zheng family courtyard, Chen Biao and his gang became slightly more restrained.

But every time he and his sister returned home, he could still see Chen Biao's sneaky and malicious gaze.

Three months passed in a flash.

Sigh...

It was still dark.

Wei He embraced a large stone, gathering his strength and moving it up and down continuously.

Around him, other men of the Huishan Fist were also training their strength.

After correcting his posture and techniques for a while, the senior brother stopped and went to teach a new student.

Wei He practiced strength every day, though it was monotonous and tedious, but feeling himself grow stronger day by day gave him a sense of satisfaction.

"Little Brother Wei, how are you today? Can you lift a hundred pounds yet?"

To his right, Third Brother Cheng Shaoyou took off his outer robe, revealing his short-sleeved shirt.

He then picked up a stone from the corner and started warming up.

Over the past few months, he had become closer to Wei He.

At first, he had approached Wei He to get closer to his sister.

But after interacting with him, he found that Wei He, though quiet, was resilient, trustworthy, and had unique insights.

Over time, Cheng Shaoyou developed an interest in befriending Wei He.

And Wei He had no ill feelings toward the somewhat mischievous Third Brother.

So they became friends.

"A hundred pounds is still too much for me. I haven't been practicing long enough." Wei He shook his head, gently putting down the seventy-pound stone and stretching his joints.

"Don't worry, don't worry. There's a music performance in the southern part of the city this afternoon. It's said that a famous lute player will be there. I plan to go listen. Do you want to come?"

Cheng Shaoyou's attitude toward Wei He was different from others. He liked to be cultured and quickly recognized Wei He, who could read and had unique insights, as one of his own.

So whenever there was such an event, he would inform Wei He first.

Although Wei He had never gone, Cheng Shaoyou's enthusiasm was probably more about showing off.

After all, in these times, only the wealthy could afford to listen to music.

"No, Third Brother, have you found out anything about the favor I asked you to do?" Wei He rested for a moment, picked up another stone, and continued practicing.