Chapter 79: Horse Stance

He Tianshu brought Zhang Xiaohua to an open place and asked, "Xiaohua, I heard you haven't learned martial arts before, right?"

Zhang Xiaohua nodded and said, "Yes, I've never learned."

He Tianshu asked again, "You're quite strong, aren't you?"

Zhang Xiaohua nodded again, "Yes, I didn't notice it before, but since the New Year, I've felt my strength growing. A while ago, I lifted a stone lock at the Lotus Dart Agency, and I heard it weighed five hundred pounds."

He Tianshu said, "Alright, hit me with all your strength and see how it goes."

Zhang Xiaohua thought for a moment and asked, "With all my strength?"

He Tianshu said, "Yes, it's fine. Hit me with all your strength, don't worry about hurting me."

Zhang Xiaohua said, "Alright, be careful."

After saying that, Zhang Xiaohua took a deep breath, gathered all his strength, and raised his right fist to strike He Tianshu. He Tianshu, seeing the fist coming, raised his right palm to meet it, but only used about twenty percent of his strength, thinking it would be more than enough.

When their fists and palm met, He Tianshu realized he was wrong and immediately increased his strength to fifty percent to barely withstand Zhang Xiaohua's punch. His body swayed slightly, and his right arm felt numb and sore. He thought to himself, "This Xiaohua really has the strength of five hundred pounds, truly a born powerhouse."

Zhang Xiaohua was even more astonished, thinking, "Goodness, Captain He is really amazing. My punch only made him sway a little. The difference between those who know martial arts and those who don't is huge. I must learn martial arts well."

He Tianshu's right arm was sore and hard to lift. He wanted to rub it with his left hand but felt embarrassed to do so in front of Zhang Xiaohua's admiring gaze. He could only frown and praise Zhang Xiaohua, "Not bad, Xiaohua, you really have a lot of strength."

Then he patted Zhang Xiaohua's shoulder, subtly moving his own shoulder, and said, "Now I'll start teaching you martial arts."

Zhang Xiaohua nodded excitedly, "Thank you, Captain He."

He Tianshu smiled, then took a horse stance and said, "Watch my posture and follow me. This is called the horse stance. Come, take one too."

Zhang Xiaohua carefully observed He Tianshu's posture and imitated it. He Tianshu stood up, pointed out a few mistakes, and said, "Good, you've taken it well. Keep it like this. From now on, practice the horse stance every morning and evening for an hour. Today, you start with this, and I'll come back to check later."

After saying that, he patted his buttocks and walked away.

Zhang Xiaohua was completely confused, thinking, "Martial arts, martial arts, I want to learn martial arts, I want to punch, but why did you just leave me in this posture?"

As He Tianshu walked through the outer gate, he looked back at Zhang Xiaohua, who was still in the horse stance. He took a quick step into the shadow by the wall, vigorously shaking his arm and sucking in cold air, thinking, "This kid, where does he get such strength? It's more than five hundred pounds. Ah, I was careless, almost made a fool of myself. As the ancients say, even in a ditch, a ship can capsize. Truly insightful. Next time, I must be more careful. Ah, what careful? Next time, I won't give him this chance. I need to find a way to teach this kid a lesson. Let him stand there for now, to humble him and make him feel sore."

He hesitated, then peeked at Zhang Xiaohua, and finally gathered his spirit to walk back to his small room.

Under the lamp, He Tianshu looked at the bruise on the lower part of his palm and was somewhat taken aback. He took some medicinal wine and slowly rubbed it, while also thinking to himself, "To be honest, when Miss Ou told me, I didn't take it seriously. I've known Zhang Xiaohua since the first day he arrived. He's a simple and honest child, inexperienced, often teased by the servants in the manor. I felt sympathy, but that's human nature. I didn't think much of it. Teaching a servant martial arts is unprecedented in Huaxi Manor, but the master said it was fine, just a formality. Anyone can show some moves, and it satisfies the teacher's vanity. But Miss Ou seemed to see through my thoughts, though she didn't say it outright. She only told me that Zhang Xiaohua has the strength of five hundred pounds. Thinking back to my dismissive attitude then, I feel a bit ashamed. Even though hearsay is unreliable, my narrow-mindedness was also not right."

After some consideration, He Tianshu decided to cancel the idea of directly teaching Zhang Xiaohua martial arts and instead have him start with the horse stance to build a solid foundation. He thought this was probably the master's true intention, otherwise, he would have just assigned a subordinate to teach him, rather than doing it himself.

Looking at the time, He Tianshu prepared to get up and check on Zhang Xiaohua. He remembered his own first time practicing the horse stance, how awkward it was, and how he was still wary of it now. Just as he was about to get up, he hesitated and sat back down, rubbing his already recovered palm. He chuckled, "Let Zhang Xiaohua stand a bit longer. How dare he make me lose face? I need to get some satisfaction to be his teacher."

But then he thought, "Who asked him to use all his strength? I was overconfident, only using fifty percent of my strength."

After another while, He Tianshu felt somewhat ashamed. "Alright, I should go quickly. It's the child's first time practicing martial arts. I shouldn't discourage him. If Zhang Xiaohua gives up, I won't be able to explain to Master Ou."

When He Tianshu quickly walked to where Zhang Xiaohua was practicing the horse stance, he was surprised to see that Zhang Xiaohua was still standing steadily, just as he had left him.

He Tianshu couldn't help but feel a bit amused. "This kid, how can he be like me the first time I practiced the horse stance? He doesn't even know how to slack off properly. How can he stand for so long without feeling sore? At least he should look a bit worn out to give me some face."

But thinking back to his own experience and his master, He Tianshu didn't point out Zhang Xiaohua's supposed laziness.

Zhang Xiaohua, hearing He Tianshu return, turned and asked, "Captain He, why did it take so long to come back? Was there a problem with the dinner, did you get a stomachache?"

Then he said to himself, "Huaxi Manor is great in every way, except for the lack of toilets. Every day, we have to queue up to use the bathroom. I should suggest to Old Yu to improve our living conditions, which would also boost our work enthusiasm."

Then, Zhang Xiaohua seemed to remember something and said mysteriously to He Tianshu, "By the way, Captain He, if you encounter this problem again, just go to the fields. Don't stand in line foolishly. At home, I always did this. It's so dark, no one will see, and it's good for the crops. This is also a contribution to the manor."

"Thud," He Tianshu fell to the ground. Zhang Xiaohua quickly asked, "Captain He, Captain He, what's wrong?"

Zhang Xiaohua looked like he wanted to help He Tianshu up, but without He Tianshu's command, he remained in the horse stance, not daring to stand up.

He Tianshu sprang up with a fish leap and said irritably, "Nothing, I stepped on dog poop."

Zhang Xiaohua said, "Oh, I see. That dog, why didn't it know to poop in the fields? It would save people the trouble. By the way, Captain He, your move just now was so cool. When can you teach me that?"

He Tianshu smiled and said, "Sure, that's called a fish leap. I'll teach you one day."

Zhang Xiaohua was surprised, "I meant the way you fell. That's called a fish leap? What a strange name."

He Tianshu was also surprised.

He Tianshu walked up to Zhang Xiaohua, examined him from all angles, and said with a smile, "Xiaohua, your memory is good. After slacking off for so long, you can still take the horse stance exactly like me. Not bad, a natural talent. Alright, that's it for today. We'll continue tomorrow morning."

Without waiting for Zhang Xiaohua to respond, He Tianshu turned and walked away, yawning as he went.

Zhang Xiaohua, hearing this, quickly stood up and said, "Captain He, I didn't slack off, I really didn't."

He Tianshu thought, "This kid, his answer is just as cool as mine was back then. He has potential. Without turning around, he asked, "Are your legs sore? Can you walk now?"

After saying that, he quickened his pace and returned to his small room, thinking, "The feeling of being a teacher is really satisfying. Did my master also smile inwardly while returning to his room, leaving me blushing and slowly sneaking back to my room? Thinking back to my own laziness being exposed, I was so embarrassed I couldn't even look up, afraid of being seen by my master. When I got back to my room, I finally breathed a sigh of relief. My master must have noticed long ago but didn't punish me. That's why I worked hard and became successful. Yes, I did the right thing today. Tomorrow morning, Zhang Xiaohua will surely be as diligent as I was, no longer slacking off."

However, He Tianshu didn't hear Zhang Xiaohua's different response, "Sore legs? I'm not sore at all, Captain He. I'm not tired at all, of course I can walk. Hey, Captain He, don't run away. Didn't you say you would teach me martial arts? Teach me to punch, I'm not tired, I can still punch."

Unfortunately, He Tianshu didn't hear this. In Zhang Xiaohua's admiration, "What cool lightness skills," he slipped back to his small room, leaving Zhang Xiaohua puzzled as he returned to his own room, continuing his nightly battle with smelly feet.

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