Chapter 40

"Good! Good! Good!" Seeing Jiang Chen bow, Ye Wen, who had been waiting for so long, was overjoyed. He quickly helped Jiang Chen up and then seemed to remember something. He rubbed his hands, a bit embarrassed, and said with a smile, "Hehe, pay the tuition first, pay the tuition first."

Without a word, Jiang Chen immediately took out an envelope he had prepared in advance and said, "I came in a hurry and didn't have time to prepare a proper gift for the master. This is a small token of my respect, please accept it, Master."

As the saying goes, people learn at different rates and specialize in different fields. Although he was a master in ancient martial arts, he knew nothing about national martial arts. Since he wanted to learn the master's secret techniques, he naturally had to show his utmost sincerity. Moreover, Ye Wen was a true legendary master, so he had no resistance to becoming his disciple.

"Actually, there's no need to be in such a hurry..." Ye Wen politely declined, but his eyes couldn't leave the money in Jiang Chen's hand, revealing a complex expression. He was never a greedy person, but he desperately needed money now. Rent, utilities, food... his home was almost destitute. Even a master had been pushed to the corner by life.

Jiang Chen knew his situation and quickly said, "Master, I have some money on hand. Please accept this as a token of my respect."

"This... very well." Ye Wen thought for a moment and then took the envelope. Feeling its thickness, he subconsciously frowned but, seeing Jiang Chen's eager face, he didn't want to count the money in front of his new disciple. He put it away and said, "The conditions are simple, so we'll skip the formal ceremony. When we get inside, you can offer me a cup of tea, and you'll be my first indoor disciple." He then turned to the aunt and said, "Auntie San, please be a witness."

"That's great." Auntie San smiled and said, "I can tell this young man is serious about learning martial arts, and Master Ye is a capable person."

"Thank you, Auntie San." Ye Wen led Jiang Chen to a nearby room, and Auntie San enthusiastically helped with the water. For his first indoor disciple, he didn't say much but sincerely said, "From now on, study hard."

"Understood, Master." Jiang Chen nodded, took the glass from Auntie San, and offered Ye Wen a cup of tea, completing the simple ceremony. Wanting to learn all of Ye Wen's skills, he was very humble and respectful, showing his utmost sincerity.

As the saying goes, money can solve problems. Seeing Jiang Chen's sincerity, Ye Wen didn't hold back. He demonstrated the Wing Chun techniques, patiently explaining the key points and the essence of strength training. True skills and superficial techniques differ by just a few words. When truly explained, the legendary internal martial arts are not so mysterious.

Jiang Chen was a master of ancient martial arts, though a quick learner, he was still formidable. The Iron Palm, Buddha's Elephant Throwing, and Dragon Elephant Prajna techniques he practiced were all internal and external cultivation methods. Ignoring his fourth-stage complete internal strength, his body had been trained to a level that would shock people. With these advantages, learning Wing Chun was easy for him.

"Jiang Chen, you have a great talent, a true martial arts material!" Ye Wen's face was full of smiles. Clearly, he was satisfied with having a talented disciple.

"It's all thanks to Master's teaching." Despite his natural talent, Jiang Chen was just a beginner in internal martial arts and didn't dare to be overly arrogant.

"The master leads you to the door, but cultivation is up to you." Ye Wen smiled and said, "The worst thing in martial arts is laziness. Although you have outstanding talent, you must never slack off. Today, we'll practice like this. Tomorrow, I'll make a wooden dummy and teach you how to use it!"

"Thank you, Master." Jiang Chen responded and continued practicing under Ye Wen's guidance. Auntie San watched from the side, and the three of them spent the afternoon on the rooftop.

By evening, Auntie San had finished collecting clothes and went home, and Ye Wen was about to close up. Jiang Chen naturally bid farewell to his master. At this moment, hurried footsteps came from the stairs. The two of them turned to see Huang Liang leading three friends up to the rooftop. He pointed at Ye Wen and said, "It's him!"

"How can this old man be so skilled? He doesn't even look like he can hurt anyone. If you hadn't said, I would have thought he was doing laundry," one of the square-faced young men sneered.

Huang Liang glared at the square-faced young man and said, "Would I lie to you?!" He touched his lip, still feeling pain.

Ye Wen, having received a large sum of tuition from Jiang Chen, was no longer worried. He shook his head and laughed, "Hehe, you're not here to learn martial arts. Go away."

Ye Wen had excellent self-cultivation, so even with Huang Liang and his friends causing trouble, he didn't get angry. If it were Jiang Chen, he would have given them a lesson they would never forget. In the previous world, he had killed many people and still had some lingering aggression. Fortunately, he had embraced the concept of being a demon, and killing did him no harm.

Seeing his friends' disbelief, Huang Liang gestured for them to challenge Ye Wen to prove his words.

"Fine! The three of us will challenge you today!" They were all young and hot-blooded, easily provoked. They started to take off their clothes.

"No need to take them off." Ye Wen frowned, but seeing they had already taken off half, he didn't stop them. He waited quietly until they were fully undressed, then stepped forward, moved quickly to their front, and made a starting gesture, softly saying, "Ask Hand!"

As soon as Ye Wen spoke, his movements were like lightning. The Wing Chun techniques he demonstrated were seamless, and the three young men, even with six eyes, couldn't see his actions. They only saw a blur and heard a series of "cracks" before everything went black.

The onlookers, Jiang Chen and Huang Liang, saw clearly. Ye Wen used both hands and feet, his steps changing rapidly, and his techniques were exquisite. In just a moment, he had taken down all three.

"Hmm?" Jiang Chen thought to himself, "Although national martial arts lack true qi, they cannot be underestimated. They might be inferior to ancient martial arts in the first three stages, but at the Dan Qi stage, when the essence is generated and nourishes the body, they are equally powerful."

As for Huang Liang, he was stunned, staring at Ye Wen and his fallen friends with his mouth agape.

After finishing, Ye Wen glanced at Huang Liang and shook his head, sighing, "I said you didn't need to take off your clothes."

Jiang Chen gave him a thumbs-up and said, "Master, that was really impressive!"

Ye Wen smiled and said, "Follow me and learn well. With your natural talent, it won't take long for you to reach this level."

"Don't worry, Master. I'll work hard to surpass you soon!" Jiang Chen said, laughing, and they walked towards the stairs together.

At this moment, Huang Liang finally came to his senses. His eyes darted, and he immediately knelt down behind Ye Wen, saying, "Master! My name is Huang Liang! Please accept me as your disciple!"

The three friends followed suit, kneeling down. "Master, my name is Xu Shichang."

"Wei Guoqing."

"Wang Kun."

"Please accept us as your disciples."

Ye Wen turned around, saw Huang Liang kneeling, and was slightly surprised but then smiled. Having more disciples was a good thing, and he wouldn't mind having more.

"Hey, Brother Huang, I was the first to become a disciple. Remember to call me Big Brother!" Jiang Chen laughed.

"Brother Jiang, you—" Huang Liang and his friends were reluctant but, seeing Ye Wen nearby, they didn't want to miss this opportunity, so they reluctantly called him, "Big Brother."

"Hehe," Jiang Chen chuckled and extended his hand, saying, "Now that you've become disciples, pay the tuition first, pay the tuition first!"

As the saying goes, disciples should serve their master. Knowing Ye Wen's situation, Jiang Chen took on this face-saving task. Indeed, Ye Wen's gaze towards him became increasingly gentle...