Chapter 98

Chapter Ninety-Eight: Fist Manual

Zhang Xiaohua said slyly, "Having expectations gives one motivation. Big Brother, you only had the motivation to marry Big Sister, and that's why things turned out well in the end. Second Brother, you must have something to strive for."

"Clunk!" Zhang Xiaohu gave Zhang Xiaohua a light tap on the head and said, "You're a little imp. Don't worry, your Second Brother has his heart set on the entire world and will definitely save the people."

"By the way, the real reason I want to go to the martial arts hall to learn is that I might be able to learn internal cultivation techniques. This might be my only chance."

"Really, Second Brother, if you can learn internal cultivation techniques at the martial arts hall, can you teach me?" Zhang Xiaohua asked happily, looking at Zhang Xiaohu with great anticipation.

Zhang Xiaohu, not wanting to disappoint Zhang Xiaohua, promised, "Of course, Xiaohua. If Second Brother learns it and can teach you, I definitely will. Why would I keep it from you?"

"But," Zhang Xiaohu warned, "Although the martial arts hall can teach internal cultivation techniques, it's selective. I've heard that not only do you need talent, but also a good background and a close relationship with the security bureau. Only those who meet both criteria are considered for instruction. Even if I can enter, whether I have the opportunity to learn internal cultivation techniques is still a question."

Zhang Xiaohua was unconvinced, "Second Brother, your talent is so good, and our family background is clean. Although we don't have a close relationship with the security bureau, we can build one after training. Maybe Old Master Li saw your potential and spoke well of you."

Zhang Xiaohu, with a clear understanding, said, "I've heard that the talent for internal cultivation is different from that for martial arts. Everyone can learn martial arts, but internal cultivation is different. Some people practice for years without any progress, while others achieve great success right away. I can only prove whether I have this talent through practice."

"I think you'll be fine, Second Brother. I believe in you!" Zhang Xiaohua said with a smile. "Moreover, the internal cultivation techniques of the Lotus Security Bureau must be good. Otherwise, why would someone like Yu Deyi, who is already so skilled, come here to learn? And Shangguan Yun, who probably knows internal cultivation, also sneaks to the security bureau. Even Yu Lun, who hasn't learned internal cultivation, comes to the martial arts hall to learn the internal cultivation techniques. Look at how he flattered Yu Deyi yesterday, as if he were meeting his master. It must be because of the internal cultivation techniques."

Zhang Xiaohu sighed, "Yes, he's a pitiful person. For something others can't achieve, he abandoned his dignity. It's hard for him."

Zhang Xiaohua mocked, "Dignity? Pitiful? When we were on the carriage, I saw how he flattered Shangguan Yun. Yesterday, he seemed very familiar with the place. Maybe he didn't abandon it himself."

Zhang Xiaohu scolded, "Xiaohua, don't talk about others like that. Everyone has their own life and their own path. Just focus on yourself. Why look at others?"

Zhang Xiaohua lowered his head and said, "Amitabha, I understand, Brother."

After saying this, he laughed heartily.

Zhang Xiaohu also laughed happily.

Days with family are always short. Soon it was noon, and Yu Lun arrived as promised, bringing delicious food, just as Zhang Xiaohua had hoped. At this moment, Zhang Xiaohua felt like he was blessed, and with Zhang Xiaohu's help, he ate everything, his appetite surprisingly good. Even Zhang Xiaohu was surprised; was this really the appetite of an injured person?

After eating, Zhang Xiaohua, who hadn't rested in the morning, felt a bit sleepy. Zhang Xiaohu arranged for him to sleep.

When Zhang Xiaohua fell asleep, Zhang Xiaohu slowly practiced his Six Harmonies Fist in the room, sometimes fast, sometimes slow, carefully savoring its essence. Watching Zhang Xiaohua's closed eyes and contented expression, it seemed as if he were savoring a fine wine, truly entering a wonderful realm.

As Zhang Xiaohua slept, he entered the same state as in the morning. The more than thirty moves he had learned flowed through his mind, and it seemed as if a small Zhang Xiaohua was performing different poses in the water, like a series of illusions flashing by. After a while, the illusions became chaotic, but occasionally two poses linked perfectly, instantly causing a surge in Zhang Xiaohua's heart. He was immediately startled awake. Thinking about the dream, just like in the morning, he couldn't find any trace of it. However, there were only about thirty moves, so he could try them one by one. Since he had to lie in bed for half a year, he had plenty of time. With no more drowsiness, he decided to think about it.

At this moment, Zhang Xiaohua noticed that Zhang Xiaohu was also practicing his martial arts slowly in the empty space of the room. As he watched, a thought crossed his mind: Could the more than thirty moves he remembered be part of a complete set of martial arts?

The more he thought about it, the less likely it seemed. This idea was too absurd. Who would break down a complete set of martial arts and scatter it among countless other sets? It was like someone had too much time on their hands.

However, this thought, like a seed planted in his heart, wouldn't go away no matter how hard he tried. He couldn't focus on watching Zhang Xiaohu practice anymore.

Suddenly, he thought, since he couldn't learn a complete set of martial arts, why not compile the moves he could remember into his own set?

Walk your own path, practice your own martial arts!

But, would it work?

He was immediately convinced by this bold idea. Why wouldn't it work?

Didn't two moves link together in his drowsy state? There were only about thirty moves, and he had nothing else to do. Why not give it a try?

Maybe he could succeed?

Zhang Xiaohua felt a surge of excitement, his heart pounding. It was very hot, and he was covered with a thin blanket, but he still felt a bit cold. Was it because of the excitement?

Only a young bull, like Zhang Xiaohua, who was a half-trained martial artist without a true master, could have such a bold idea. If He Tianshu knew, his first reaction would be to feel Zhang Xiaohua's forehead to see if he had a fever, then cry and run to Ou Yan, asking her to send Zhang Xiaohua to the Piaomiao Sect's martial arts hall to learn the basics with four- and five-year-olds. He Tianshu would certainly often teach his juniors, "Self-study is really dangerous. You must receive formal education. Expanding enrollment has no future."

Basic martial arts like the Six Harmonies Fist and the Luohan Fist, which are widely spread in the martial world, are the essence of countless elites over countless years. Changing even one move is difficult. Zhang Xiaohua's idea of extracting parts and recompiling them into a new set of martial arts would be laughed at by the entire martial world if he said he could do it.

Unfortunately, Zhang Xiaohua didn't know this. At this moment, he was enthusiastically playing with the moves, trying to link the unrelated ones together.

He thought it would be simple, just about thirty moves, but the combinations were complex. Soon, Zhang Xiaohua felt dizzy and his head ached. Unfortunately, he hadn't learned combinatorial mathematics and didn't realize that combining just thirty moves was a huge project.

Gradually, he felt like giving up, but when he saw Zhang Xiaohu's focused and repeated practice of a couple of moves, he became stubborn. They were brothers, and he didn't believe he was less intelligent than his brother. He decided to tackle these moves head-on. If he couldn't link them all together, he would link them in pairs. Indeed, before long, Zhang Xiaohua found two moves that linked perfectly, seeing the first glimmer of hope. He was greatly encouraged and began his second attempt with renewed vigor. Unfortunately, this time he wasn't as lucky. He went through the moves several times but couldn't find a third and fourth move that linked perfectly.

Zhang Xiaohua fell into deep thought again. Was his approach wrong? However, since two moves could link, it meant the path was feasible. What was he missing?

Suddenly, another strange but reasonable thought came to him. The moves he had learned were only part of a complete set of martial arts. Many more moves were missing. To link all the moves together, he needed to learn the remaining moves.

However, from Zhang Xiaohua's short experience in martial arts, to find the remaining moves, he needed to learn more martial arts. Each set of martial arts he learned would depend on his memory. The number of moves he could remember would determine how many moves he needed. Adding these moves to the incomplete set of martial arts, but how many moves were in the complete set?

Zhang Xiaohua didn't know, but this problem was easy to solve. When all the moves were perfectly linked, the set would be complete, and the number of moves would be the number of moves.

However, Zhang Xiaohua was immediately faced with another problem. How could he learn the martial arts? From He Tianshu's attitude, it seemed he had already given up on Zhang Xiaohua and wouldn't teach him any more martial arts. Even if he asked, considering his talent, Zhang Xiaohua felt embarrassed. He always forgot the martial arts He Tianshu taught, so how could he ask him to continue teaching?

Even if He Tianshu was willing to teach him, would his knowledge of martial arts meet Zhang Xiaohua's needs? Could it withstand his terrifying memory?

It seemed he needed to find another way, but what other way? Zhang Xiaohua could only laugh bitterly. He had worked hard to come to Pingyang City and gone through great trouble to have He Tianshu teach him martial arts. Finding another teacher would be like a dream.

Of course, he could ask his brother to teach him, but this thought was quickly squashed. Zhang Xiaohu had his own path to follow, and dedication was his virtue. Zhang Xiaohua couldn't ruin his "purity" for his own desires, even though he knew that if he asked, Zhang Xiaohu would give up his single-minded focus on one set of martial arts.

Sigh, learning, though a belief, is truly a difficult thing.

Forget it, Zhang Xiaohua shook his head. A line appeared in his mind: "When the road meets a mountain, there must be a way; where there is a way, there must be a fast carriage." It was the advertisement for the "Fast Carriage" service. He would think about it after his injury healed. Maybe then he would find his way.

Zhang Xiaohua lay on the bed, bored, looking at the ceiling. His right hand still hurt and couldn't move at all. Healing was a long and difficult process, except for the delicious food.

Zhang Xiaohu on the floor was still focused on practicing his Six Harmonies Fist. Zhang Xiaohua was puzzled. His brother had been practicing for over a month, yet he still found it so enjoyable. He couldn't do that, maybe that was the difference between people.

At this moment, there was a knock on the door. Zhang Xiaohu stopped practicing and went to open it. It was Li Jinfeng, the scholar, who had come to visit Zhang Xiaohua.

Li Jinfeng said as he entered, "Sorry, Xiaohua, I had classes in the morning and couldn't take leave. I came as soon as I was free in the afternoon. How are you feeling today?"

Zhang Xiaohua was moved and said, "Brother Li, if you're busy, you don't have to come see me. My injury won't heal quickly. I still feel pain today."

Li Jinfeng sat by the bed and looked at Zhang Xiaohu, saying, "We came to Pingyang City together, so we have a connection. To be honest, my family is better off than yours, but not by much. I'm a few years older and study literature, not martial arts like you. I envy you for being able to live a free and easy life in the martial world. Moreover, I'm an only child, and seeing the good relationship between you and your brother, I envy you even more. So I want to get closer to you. Brother Xiaohu, you don't mind, right?"

Zhang Xiaohu was surprised and quickly said, "Brother Li, you're too formal. You're a scholar with a bright future. How can we compare to you? If you want to come more often, we would be delighted. Why would we mind?"

Li Jinfeng smiled, "Don't be so formal. Just call me by my name. I really want to chat with you more often."

Zhang Xiaohua said happily, "Sure, Brother Li, I love company. Come whenever you have time."

Li Jinfeng said happily, "Sure, Xiaohua. When you're away from home, it's really hard to find people you get along with."

"By the way, I saw some pastries on the street and bought some. I'm not sure if you can eat them with your injury," Li Jinfeng said, taking out a small cloth bag from his chest and pulling out the pastries.

"I can eat, I can eat, I can eat anything," Zhang Xiaohua said eagerly when he saw the pastries.

Zhang Xiaohu took them and carefully fed Zhang Xiaohua. Zhang Xiaohua was happy and said, "Thank you, Brother Li. These pastries are delicious. I've never had them before. I love to eat, and the doctor didn't say I couldn't eat anything. A good appetite means a good body."

Seeing Zhang Xiaohua enjoy the pastries, Li Jinfeng felt happy, as if he were seeing his younger self.

Then, he took out an old book from his chest and placed it on the bed, saying, "This is a fist manual I found in the academy. It seems someone left it behind. It's useless to me, so I brought it to you. You're resting, so you can read it when you're bored to pass the time."

Zhang Xiaohua, thinking it was something valuable, was disappointed when he saw it was a book. He said, "Why a book? Brother Li, I can't read. I learned a little before, but I can't read books well."

"Oh?" Li Jinfeng was also embarrassed, "I didn't think of that. However, Xiaohua, this is just a fist manual. I glanced through it, and it's not all text. There are many illustrations, and the text is minimal, just for explanation. Maybe you can understand it?"

"Fist manual?" Zhang Xiaohua was puzzled, "What's a fist manual?"

Hearing this, Li Jinfeng was also puzzled, "You don't know what a fist manual is?"

Zhang Xiaohua countered, "I don't know. Why should I know?"

Li Jinfeng laughed, "A fist manual is a book that records martial arts techniques. I thought all martial artists knew about it, but it seems not."

Zhang Xiaohua blushed, "I just started learning martial arts. Not everyone knows about fist manuals. There are always exceptions. Second Brother, do you know?"

"This, this, I've heard of it, so I know," Zhang Xiaohu's face also turned red.

Li Jinfeng knew the two brothers were from the countryside and didn't understand many things, so he didn't mock them. He said, "Although I don't practice martial arts, I've read a lot of legends and histories. I know that in the past, martial arts were passed down orally. This kept them secret, but if the successor didn't learn or learned incorrectly, or if the successor died before passing it on, the martial art would be lost. So, later, smart people recorded martial arts and techniques in writing and with illustrations to make it easier to pass them on. This led to the creation of fist manuals, and there are also manuals for swords, spears, legs, whips, and more, though I haven't seen them."

Zhang Xiaohua's eyes lit up, "Brother Li, have you seen a cultivation manual?"

Li Jinfeng was puzzled, "What's a cultivation manual?"

Zhang Xiaohua explained, "A book that records internal cultivation techniques."

Li Jinfeng shook his head, "I haven't seen one, but it might exist."

"Oh~" Zhang Xiaohua was disappointed. If there were such a "cultivation manual," wouldn't it be wonderful? He and his brother could learn internal cultivation techniques by following the book.

However, he was soon overjoyed. Even if he couldn't learn internal cultivation, learning martial arts was still good. He had been thinking about how to learn martial arts, and now Li Jinfeng had brought a fist manual. This was too good. With this manual, he could learn on his own without finding another teacher. All the problems were solved.