Chapter 8

How much money did Second Brother give?

Li Yuan was shocked, his worry overshadowing his joy. The Li family had been in decline for many years; how could they have the means to give this fatty Sun so much money?

It must have all been borrowed...

Taking a deep breath, Li Yuan focused his mind, unwilling to waste this hard-earned opportunity to learn martial arts.

These days, even learning a blacksmith's craft is so difficult, let alone martial arts?

"Don't be ungrateful. The White Ape Cloak Hammer is such a precious martial art. Who else would be willing to teach you besides me?"

Sun Fatty snorted and said,

"Stand with the hammer!"

As he spoke, he kicked a prepared iron hammer over.

Li Yuan was startled, picked up the hammer, and subconsciously glanced at the gray glow on it before stepping into the White Ape Stance.

"The eighteen hammer techniques and the stances you've learned are not fake, but they lack something..."

Just as Li Yuan heard the voice, Sun Fatty was already in front of him, his obese body leaning forward, exerting a powerful pressure:

"White Ape Breathing Technique!"

The large hand like a fan pressed on Li Yuan's shoulder, making him feel a warmth in his shoulder and arm:

"Watch carefully and remember, I will only demonstrate once!"

Li Yuan quickly focused his mind.

Sun Fatty took a deep breath, and when he exhaled, his breathing rhythm had changed.

It was an extremely unconventional breathing technique. Li Yuan subconsciously tried it and almost fainted.

But at this moment, he dared not be distracted for a moment, focusing all his attention on memorizing the six breathing methods Sun Hao demonstrated.

"Raise and inhale, lower and exhale, three short and six long, one inhale and nine exhales..."

...

"When you can maintain the Six Breaths of the Ape while standing in the stance and practicing the Cloak Hammer, you will have entered the gate!"

As before, after teaching, Sun Fatty kept his word and turned to go back inside. But after a while, he came out again and threw a booklet over:

"Besides the breathing technique, the origins of the White Ape Cloak Hammer, the stances, and the hammer techniques are all in this booklet. I remember you can read, right? So read it yourself, but only here, no taking it out!"

"Thank you, Chef Sun!"

Li Yuan quickly took the booklet and then realized:

"What about the combat techniques?"

"You want to learn combat techniques too?"

Sun Fatty sneered and turned back inside:

"Another ten taels of silver, and I'll teach you the combat techniques!"

"Another ten taels? Second Brother actually gave him ten taels?"

Li Yuan drew a sharp breath.

Middle Courtyard apprentices earn thirty copper coins a month, and three months don't even amount to one tael of silver. Giving ten taels of silver to send someone in, if not for learning martial arts, would be a huge loss!

Even the two-story house where his Second Brother now lives, renting the whole thing for a year costs only four taels of silver...

"Six Breaths of the Ape!"

Li Yuan's heart ached, and he dared not be distracted for a moment, memorizing the six breathing methods Sun Fatty taught.

If he forgot even one, he would really be spitting blood.

Under the moonlight, Li Yuan was drenched in sweat, repeatedly familiarizing himself with and recalling Sun Fatty's breathing technique.

After a good half an hour, he finally let out a long breath, and the chill of late autumn instantly enveloped him.

"I've memorized the breathing technique; I'll try it out later."

Without the intention of going inside, taking advantage of the moonlight, Li Yuan found a sheltered corner in the yard, practiced the breathing technique a few more times, and then squatted down to take out the booklet Sun Fatty gave him.

"Indeed, someone who can be the Middle Courtyard chef is not as simple as those apprentices say..."

Rubbing his cold hands, Li Yuan felt a chill in his heart.

After tonight, he dared not underestimate this Sun Fatty anymore.

His Second Brother had given ten taels of silver, but in the past month, he hadn't felt any special treatment.

He even suspected that if he hadn't shown some talent these days, this fatty wouldn't have even taught him the breathing technique!

"White Ape Cloak Hammer!"

Taking a deep breath and suppressing his杂念, Li Yuan carefully opened the small booklet.

Thanks to Li Lin's insistence, the previous body could read.

"Inside is the stance, outside is the hammer, breathing is the core! Using the breathing technique to connect the stance and the hammer is the entry point!"

Li Yuan recited each word in his heart.

In the booklet, there were the stances and hammer techniques he had learned in the past few days, without any omissions, but in more detail.

For example, the inner and outer three harmonies mentioned by Qin Xiong, as well as the origins of the Ape Form Cloak Hammer.

The outer three harmonies emphasize the coordination of hands and feet, elbows and knees, shoulders and hips. The inner three harmonies emphasize the coordination of heart and mind, mind and qi, qi and strength.

The qi in the inner three harmonies refers to the breathing technique. Without the breathing technique, even with this booklet, it would be very difficult to practice.

Not to mention the great accomplishment of the six harmonies, even the inner three harmonies would be impossible to achieve.

"Entry, Proficiency, Minor Accomplishment, Major Accomplishment! The four realms of the White Ape Cloak Hammer, I wonder what realm Qin Xiong and Sun Fatty are in?"

Li Yuan was somewhat absorbed, suddenly he was startled and saw something he was very interested in:

"Practice until your body resembles a white ape, then you can cultivate internal strength!"

Internal strength!

Li Yuan flipped through, there was only one more page, which didn't mention combat techniques or internal strength, leaving him quite disappointed.

"The White Ape Cloak Hammer is easy to learn but hard to master. With inferior bones, practicing the stance for three hours a day and the hammer techniques twelve times, it might take two years to enter the gate, and seven years to become proficient...

With average bones, it should take half a year to enter the gate, and with superior bones, a month or so to enter the gate!"

Li Yuan closed the small booklet.

Eighteen hammer techniques, practicing twelve times takes more than an hour, and standing in the stance for three hours, Middle Courtyard apprentices simply don't have that much free time.

"Practicing like this, with the previous diet in the Middle Courtyard, the body can't take it, and it would be ruined before it's even practiced..."

Li Yuan sighed, his desire to leave the Middle Courtyard became even more urgent.

Knowing that the Front Courtyard apprentices practice for four hours a day, which is equivalent to three days of his practice, he felt he was wasting time.

Without quitting his job, it's impossible to practice martial arts.

The three taels of silver given by his Second Brother can't withstand the consumption of practicing martial arts.

"Practicing martial arts is too difficult. Even a White Ape Cloak Hammer without combat techniques has to be taught in so many steps,

But this is just the foundation.

Not to mention medicinal supplements, without enough meat, the progress will be too slow..."

Li Yuan muttered to himself, but his eyes were on the small house that still had its lights on, where Sun Fatty's large figure could be seen through the window paper.

"Shouldn't the basic knife skills be enough?"

...

...

After sleeping for less than six hours, Li Yuan got up from the large dormitory bed. He had slept in his clothes, and when he got up, he was quiet, but as soon as he stood up, a voice came from behind.

"Do you always get up this early?"

Niu Gui's low voice came.

"Occasionally."

Li Yuan didn't turn around and walked out the door.

The early morning of late autumn was getting colder day by day. Li Yuan first warmed up, stretched his muscles, and then began to stand in the stance, consciously adjusting his breathing.

The Six Breaths of the Ape were not complicated, but changing the breathing habits formed over the years, or even reversing them, was far from easy.

Li Yuan tried many times, feeling chest tightness, and couldn't even stand for half an hour before he couldn't hold on.

"How can a normal person breathe like this?"

Pressing his chest, Li Yuan took a while to recover before trying again, afraid of getting a cramp.

After several attempts, the sky was already bright, and the sounds of other apprentices getting dressed and getting up came from inside the house.

"Where are you going?"

Seeing Li Yuan leave the courtyard, Niu Gui, who hadn't finished his practice, couldn't help but ask.

"Taking a leave!"

Li Yuan answered and, holding the hammer, came to the front of Sun Fatty's small courtyard.

After the third rooster crow, Sun Fatty yawned and pushed the door open, seeing Li Yuan, he was slightly stunned:

"What are you doing here? You don't think that just because I taught you the Six Breaths of the Ape, you don't have to work, do you?"

"Chef Sun, your disciple wants to learn cooking from you."

Li Yuan lowered his head and bowed.

As a Middle Courtyard apprentice, to improve the diet and treatment, he naturally had to go through Sun Fatty, the chef.

He had been preparing for this for several days, buying the butcher's cleaver for this purpose.

Originally, he was thinking of building a relationship first, but after last night's incident, he felt he could try.

Even if it didn't work, the worst he could get was a scolding or a beating. If it did work, it would solve his urgent needs.

If his body wasn't well-nourished, even with proficient hammer techniques, he couldn't fully utilize them.

"Want to be my apprentice? You sure know how to climb the ladder!"

Sun Fatty wanted to scold but also wanted to laugh. But thinking of Li Lin's generosity, he left some room:

"The money your Second Brother gave isn't enough for you to be my apprentice. That's a different price..."

Li Yuan didn't speak, but his hand reached for his waist.

"Still not leaving?"

Sun Fatty, full of impatience, waved his hand to shoo him away, but suddenly paused, his anger rising:

"Good boy, daring to take my cleaver? Are you asking for a beating?"

Tsk!

Pulling out the large cleaver from his waist, before Sun Fatty's anger rose, Li Yuan raised his hand and made a knife flower.

On the way, he had gone to the kitchen to get Sun Fatty's cleaver, which was a weapon no less impressive than the practice hammer.

"Huh?"

Sun Fatty stopped in his tracks. Having been a chef for twenty years, his eyes were sharp:

"Have you practiced knife skills for a few years?"

Sun Fatty was somewhat surprised.

The Middle Courtyard kitchen was responsible for the meals of a hundred or so people, and the knives were far from delicate. His meat cleaver was half a meter long and as wide as a face, not something an ordinary person could handle easily.

But that boy Li Yuan, with a casual knife flower, seemed as familiar with it as his own hand?

"Chef, I have practiced for a few years."

Li Yuan lowered his head and answered.

In his previous life, serving the old man, he naturally knew some knife skills and cooking, but to handle it so smoothly, it was because he had mastered the butcher's cleaver.

This was his confidence in coming here.

"Good boy, this skill must have taken at least three or four years of hard work, right?"

Looking Li Yuan up and down, Sun Fatty's anger gradually subsided, and he narrowed his eyes:

"You did take my words to heart yesterday? With your knife skills, I might not mind taking you as a helper, but..."

"Thank you, Chef Sun..."

Li Yuan knew what he was going to say and immediately presented the meat cleaver with both hands:

"Your disciple only asks for enough to eat, the rest is up to Chef's command!"