Chapter 37

"Over the past two days, we've been practicing the Five Elements Fist. Today, we will practice the Twelve Animal Forms of Xingyi."

Tang Zhendong had a good habit: no matter how late he slept, as long as he wanted to get up, he could. For a first-time drunk, the body might be drunk, but the mind was not. This was exactly how Tang Zhendong was.

Years of living habits had already made Tang Zhendong's biological clock extremely accurate. As soon as the time came, he would wake up immediately.

Today, Li Yuanshan was teaching Tang Zhendong the Twelve Animal Forms of Xingyi.

The reason Xingyi Quan is called Xingyi Quan is that it emphasizes both form and intention. Only by infusing intention into the form can the maximum power of the form be unleashed.

In the natural world, every existing species has its own advanced traits. According to the principle of natural selection, species without advantages cannot survive. Over the years, many species have become extinct, and many new ones have emerged. Was the giraffe's neck naturally so long? Probably not. It was because, in the long-term absence of food at lower levels, it always stretched its neck to reach the food above, thus elongating its neck. The hedgehog has spines, the weasel releases a stench, and the venomous snake is highly toxic. These are all survival skills of each animal.

The Twelve Animal Forms of Xingyi are based on the living habits and combat specialties of twelve animals: dragon, tiger, monkey, horse, alligator, chicken, swallow, hawk, snake, bird, eagle, and bear. These forms are summarized into imitative boxing. In fact, the Twelve Animal Forms cannot be simply explained as imitative boxing. Xingyi Quan places more emphasis on intention. By incorporating the ferocity of the tiger, the agility of the monkey, the lightness of the swallow, and the strength of the bear into the boxing, different opponents can be met with different variations.

"The Twelve Animal Forms of Xingyi are truly easy to learn but difficult to master. It's easy to learn all twelve forms, but it's very difficult to fully integrate the intentions of these twelve animals into the boxing. You learn very quickly. I originally thought that even the smartest person would need a month to learn Xingyi Quan completely, but I didn't expect you to master it in less than a week. Remember, what you learn is just the surface. To truly excel in Xingyi Quan, it takes a lifetime."

Tang Zhendong learned the Xingyi techniques, and he already had a deep internal skill, which he had cultivated through years of hard practice in prison. These years of hard practice were free from distractions, day and night, and were extremely pure. With his deep internal strength and exceptional intelligence, Tang Zhendong learned very quickly.

"Zhendong, although I haven't formally accepted you as a disciple, you are the fastest to enter the door among all my disciples, and the one I am most proud of. I can be proud, but you cannot. The path of martial arts is full of dangers. If you do not advance, you will retreat. Any hint of pride or self-satisfaction can prevent you from reaching the peak of martial arts. Besides, although you have learned the skills well, remember the saying, 'Practice makes perfect.' I will come back tomorrow to see how you are doing, and then I will leave. Practice well and show your skills."

Today, Tang Zhendong didn't need to set up his stall, so he had nothing to do. After Li Yuanshan left, Tang Zhendong practiced until about nine o'clock, until he had mastered the twelve forms perfectly, before heading to the small alley near the train station where he usually set up his stall.

"Xiaotang, I must say, this isn't right. Although you're not setting up your stall, since we're going into business together, you should at least show some commitment. It's already 9:30. If a customer comes, and I have to leave in a hurry, how can I call you?"

Old Ye smiled and scolded him as soon as he saw Tang Zhendong.

Tang Zhendong naturally laughed it off. "You know my phone number. Call me if you need me. Besides, you're a feng shui master and a physiognomy master. Whether I'm here or not doesn't affect your skills, Master Ye."

Old Ye nodded. "That's true, but wouldn't it look like I'm a limited master if I don't bring a helper when I go out?"

Tang Zhendong laughed. "Come on, whether there's business or not is another matter, and a helper!"

"With our cooperation, there's nothing we can't do if we have business." Old Ye spoke with great confidence, either in himself or in Tang Zhendong.

"How about it? Your wife is feeling much better today, right?"

"Hey, how did you know?" Old Ye then slapped his forehead. "You treated my wife, so of course you knew. But I'm curious, how did you know I was happy because my wife's condition improved?"

"Old Ye, you're not good at hiding your emotions. Your happiness is all over your face."

Old Ye immediately realized that he was indeed too happy today and had let his guard down. However, Old Ye did admire Tang Zhendong. Tang Zhendong, noticing he was more talkative today, immediately realized it was because his wife's condition had improved. Just this reaction alone made Old Ye admire him.

"I've been in the physiognomy business for so many years, studying expressions my whole life. You say I can't hide my emotions, which is really funny."

"When it comes to personal matters, one's judgment can be clouded. Even if you study physiognomy for another lifetime, as long as you are emotionally invested, you will still lose your composure when it comes to your loved ones."

"You, a fruit vendor, speak with such wisdom. Fine, I admit I'm emotionally invested! Sigh!"

Tang Zhendong laughed heartily.

"Old Ye, are you really going to take me on as your helper?" After laughing, Tang Zhendong looked at the only item Old Ye had set up on the ground, a 20x30 white cloth with a large yin-yang symbol and eight large brush-written characters on either side: "Iron Mouth, Direct Judgment, One Divination, Thousand Gold." At the top were four large characters: "Ma Yi Divine Physiognomy."

This was Old Ye's bread and butter.

"What? Don't you respect my flag?" In the underworld, people called their symbols "flags," and Old Ye was very familiar with underworld terminology, having been in the business for so long.

"Old Ye, modern feng shui and physiognomy masters are no longer bare-handed. This is the age of technology. People won't trust you if you're bare-handed. At the very least, you should have some tools to make people feel more at ease, right?"

Tang Zhendong's reminder made Old Ye realize why he couldn't elevate his business to a higher level and could only set up a small stall on the street. It was because he lacked equipment!

"Xiaotang, you're my lucky star. You've enlightened me. Yes, that's right. I lack equipment, which is why I've been stuck setting up stalls. By the way, Xiaotang, what equipment do you think we should buy to look more professional?"

"Well, that depends on our business focus. If we're doing feng shui for living spaces, we need a Lu Ban ruler. For burial sites, we need a Ding Lan ruler. Of course, a compass, another essential tool for feng shui and physiognomy, is a must-have, whether for living or burial sites. Other things can be prepared as needed."

Old Ye nodded. "Right, right. Xiaotang, you're absolutely right. Let's go and buy them right away."

Hearing Tang Zhendong's words, Old Ye didn't wait a moment and immediately set out to purchase the items Tang Zhendong mentioned.

On the way, Old Ye suddenly remembered something. "Right, Xiaotang, something doesn't seem right. I'm a fortune-teller, and you're a fruit vendor. How do you know so much? You know more than I do. Who's the master, and who's the helper here?"

"Of course, you're the master, and I'm the helper. Besides, at your age, it wouldn't make sense for you to be the helper!"

Tang Zhendong's initial words made sense to Old Ye, but the last part, "At your age, it wouldn't make sense for you to be the helper," made Old Ye quite upset. However, Old Ye had to admit that Tang Zhendong's knowledge of feng shui and physiognomy was on par with his, or even slightly better.

"Old Ye, since we're in this business, our tools should look the part. A small compass like this will just make people laugh."

"I'm not unwilling to buy a larger one; I just find a smaller one more convenient to carry." Old Ye held a palm-sized pure copper compass lovingly.