Chapter 81: Expectation

Having spent a long time with these young servants in blue robes and small hats, Zhang Xiaohua naturally understood their thoughts. Some of these people were born as servants of the Huaxi Manor, while others were children from nearby families in Pingyang City, sent to the manor to earn money for their families. Life in the manor was certainly leisurely, but it was also boring, and over time, their hearts inevitably felt empty. However, the rules of the manor were strict, and these people absolutely dared not make major mistakes. But they did engage in scheming and intrigue, as well as seeking pleasure, all done secretly.

Ma Jing was probably one of those who felt particularly empty. He was often bullied by others, and now seeing a fresher target like Zhang Xiaohua, how could he let the opportunity pass? Naturally, he tried every trick to bully and amuse himself. However, Zhang Xiaohua was focused on martial arts training and did not take their petty schemes to heart. He just smiled inwardly and muttered to himself, "How can sparrows understand the aspirations of swallows?" Unconsciously, Zhang Xiaohua had become very perceptive of these people's psychology, with a subtle sense of superiority.

Zhang Xiaohua was unaware of his own change. Generally, it is others who see one's changes more clearly. Self-reflection is the work of sages. Zhang Xiaohua only knew that he was not interested in playing these petty games with Ma Jing.

On this gloomy day, Zhang Xiaohua felt very fulfilled, busy with various tasks. The excitement from the previous day had subsided. Although it was just one night, the greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment. He never imagined that his long-awaited martial arts training would start with horse stance. He had guessed the process but not the beginning. However, the horse stance seemed too easy to be considered martial arts training.

Since he had seen the shadow of martial arts training, Zhang Xiaohua naturally let go of his mental burden and waited for He Tianshu's arrangements.

In contrast to Zhang Xiaohua's leisurely mood, He Tianshu was quite troubled. Yesterday, He Tianshu did not take Zhang Xiaohua's martial arts training seriously, thinking it was just a small ripple in life that would soon calm down. But after seeing Zhang Xiaohua's horse stance in the morning, He Tianshu's heart was in turmoil.

Although the young servants in blue robes and small hats envied the treatment and lifestyle of people like He Tianshu, He Tianshu himself had a lot of pent-up frustration, not knowing how to vent it. Where there are people, there are conflicts, and where there are conflicts, there is intrigue. The intrigue among the disciples of the Piaomiao Sect was not fundamentally different from that among the servants. He Tianshu seemed to be a victim of this struggle.

To put it simply, the top figures of the Piaomiao Sect aside, there were many disciples like He Tianshu who looked bright and shiny to outsiders. These people, based on their preferences, personality conflicts, and other reasons, formed countless private factions. In these factions, the most important thing was martial arts. With top-notch martial arts, one did not need to rely on others and could even make others rely on them. Without martial arts, one could only rely on interpersonal relationships. Do not think that martial artists are nobler than ordinary people; when it comes to interpersonal relationships, they are the same. Any relationship, whether in the martial world, a gang, or the secular world, has value.

He Tianshu's martial arts were average, and his personality was also average, with nothing outstanding. His skills in building relationships were even worse. He did not know how to flatter, how to speculate, or how to read the minds of superiors. In the gang, he only had a few drinking buddies, good for drinking and boasting, but otherwise, he was useless. This is why, when the Huaxi Manor needed someone to tend the medicinal fields, He Tianshu, who was neither loved by his uncle nor his grandmother, was chosen. It was said to be an important task for the sect, requiring elite members, but it was actually just farming, with a high hat placed on his head.

The medicinal fields had been planted for several months, and Zhang Chengyue and others had not come to check. How important could it be? The important elites were all fighting the Luoshui Gang. Thinking of others wielding swords and spears, commanding the winds and clouds, and then looking at his own exquisite little medicinal shovel, He Tianshu felt a wave of chest tightness.

However, the appearance of Zhang Xiaohua seemed to give him a glimmer of hope. What does a martial arts genius mean? Not only does it mean the possibility of creating a miracle, but it also means a rise in status within the sect, and the ability to avoid the life of a farmer in the medicinal fields. Just as a father's success brings honor to his son, a master's success brings honor to his disciple. Now, He Tianshu regretted letting Zhang Xiaohua call him "Captain He." If he had called him "Master" from the beginning, this genius disciple would have been firmly in his grasp.

However, considering Zhang Xiaohua's martial arts training, He Tianshu felt at a loss. Martial arts are divided into internal and external skills. As the saying goes, "Internal skills focus on cultivating qi, while external skills focus on strengthening the body." No matter which skill one practices, there are conditions. For internal skills, one must have the correct incantations and methods to practice. Even if He Tianshu's own internal skills were average, the methods he knew were also very ordinary in the Piaomiao Sect. Even so, these methods were only for internal disciples, and teaching them to Zhang Xiaohua privately was strictly forbidden. If he did, the elders of the law enforcement hall would not only take back Zhang Xiaohua's skills but also make He Tianshu's life worse than in the Huaxi Manor. At least here, he had decent meals. At that time, he would only have coarse tea and simple meals. Moreover, internal skills are generally cultivated from a young age, when the body's meridians are not fully formed, making it easier to stabilize them and lay a foundation for future development. Zhang Xiaohua's meridians were already formed, making it difficult to achieve great success in internal skills.

Therefore, He Tianshu did not consider internal skills for the time being. The only option left was external skills. When external skills are practiced to a certain level, they can achieve an effect from the outside to the inside, and one can even match internal experts. For example, the Piaomiao Sect's external expert, Shi Niu, was younger than He Tianshu but had achieved much more. However, practicing external skills also requires conditions. When Shi Niu was young, he was tall and muscular, far surpassing ordinary people. Zhang Xiaohua, on the other hand, did not seem to have such a physique. Moreover, the most critical point was that practicing external skills required the assistance of medicinal herbs. After all, external skills involve using external forces to stimulate the body and make it stronger. After stimulation, the body needs to be nourished and healed with medicinal herbs. Without this, one would not survive, let alone enter the martial world.

Do not think that Shi Niu's strength came easily; it was built on a mountain of medicinal herbs. This is why it is said that "poor scholars and rich martial artists." There is a reason for this.

Thinking about this, He Tianshu felt a headache. The Huaxi Manor had a mountain of medicinal herbs, but they belonged to the Piaomiao Sect, not to He Tianshu. He did not have the courage to use them. Moreover, if a pile of herbs could do the job, he could secretly use them, but this was not a one-time or two-time affair. He could not keep stealing herbs every day.

With so many worries and so much anxiety, could He Tianshu calm down?

It was not until after dinner that He Tianshu came to the usual place, and he still had not decided what to do next.

However, he still had time to think, as Zhang Xiaohua was not waiting for him. He Tianshu was somewhat surprised. What was wrong with this kid? He was so interested yesterday, but today he was so lazy. No, he was the guarantee of my future good life, and I must seize this opportunity. He turned to look for Zhang Xiaohua and heard the sound of running. Looking up, he saw Zhang Xiaohua.

When Zhang Xiaohua ran up, He Tianshu put on a stern face and asked, "Zhang Xiaohua, why are you so late today? Is it because you think martial arts training is easy? Or do you think the horse stance is too easy?"

Seeing He Tianshu angry, Zhang Xiaohua quickly explained, "Captain He, it's not like that. I didn't mean to, but Brother Xi called me for something else, and I got delayed."

He Tianshu's frown eased, and he nodded, saying, "I see. In the future, if there's nothing important, come earlier. As the saying goes, 'an inch of time is worth an inch of gold.' The more time you spend on martial arts, the more progress you will make."

Zhang Xiaohua nodded seriously, saying, "I understand, Captain He."

He Tianshu continued, "Let's start now. First, let's practice the horse stance."

With that, He Tianshu led the way, assuming the horse stance. Zhang Xiaohua did not hesitate, spreading his legs, placing his fists at his waist, and squatting down into a stable horse stance.

Seeing Zhang Xiaohua in the horse stance, He Tianshu did not waste time and began explaining the key points and benefits of the horse stance. After finishing, he asked, "Do you understand? Do you feel your lower body is stable?"

Zhang Xiaohua nodded, and He Tianshu asked, "Your waist isn't sore, and your legs aren't painful, right?"

Zhang Xiaohua replied, "No, they feel the same as usual."

He Tianshu nodded inwardly, indeed a genius.

He then said, "Good, stand up."

Zhang Xiaohua stood up naturally, as if getting up from a chair, and He Tianshu nodded again.

He Tianshu then asked, "Have you learned any boxing techniques?"

Zhang Xiaohua replied, "No, but I have seen people practicing the Six Harmonies Fist at the Lotus Dart Bureau."

He Tianshu nodded and asked, "Do you remember? Can you show me?"

Zhang Xiaohua said, "No problem."

With that, he assumed the starting stance of the Six Harmonies Fist and began to demonstrate.