Guo Jing pulled the corner of the quilt over Yang Guo, saying with a chuckle:
"Guo'er, don't be in such a rush. Your Uncle Guo knows you want to practice martial arts in your heart."
"Once you've thoroughly understood the books of the sages, your Uncle Guo will personally build your foundation and pass down skills to you!"
Hearing this, the drowsiness in Yang Guo vanished in an instant.
With a swish, he flipped off the quilt and sat bolt upright!
His eyes widened round, staring intently at Guo Jing's face:
"Uncle Guo! Do you keep your word? Will you teach me the Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms?"
The Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms—that was the number one palm technique under heaven, supreme in rigidity and power!
It was the golden brand Hong Qigong used to roam the jianghu and Guo Jing used to make a name for himself. Who wouldn't drool over it?
However, the smile on Guo Jing's face froze instantly.
He coughed softly twice:
"Guo'er, it's not that your Uncle Guo is petty or selfish, holding back out of stinginess."
"It's just that the Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms is a secret passed down only within the Beggar Sect. When Master Seven made an exception to teach me back then, he had me swear a strict iron rule."
"Without his permission, even if I died ten thousand deaths, I could never privately pass on even half a stance."
Seeing Yang Guo's eyelids droop slightly, Guo Jing quickly tried to smooth things over:
"Guo'er, but don't worry!"
"Once we find Master Seven in the future, your Uncle Guo will definitely plead with him on your behalf for this!"
Guo Jing added with a serious expression:
"Besides, the Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms places heavy emphasis on inner force and foundation."
"If your inner force is lacking, forcibly practicing it won't necessarily be good for you."
"You're still young right now."
"You need to build a solid foundation. Learning martial arts cannot be rushed."
The flame inside Yang Guo's heart was instantly doused with a pssst.
His body went limp, and he lay back down.
Pulling the quilt up to cover half his face, he spat out a single word expressionlessly:
"Oh."
Fearing he had dampened Yang Guo's spirit, Guo Jing leaned forward, his tone notably excited:
"Guo'er! Don't lose heart!"
"Aside from Master Seven's palm technique, your Uncle Guo still has the signature skills of my seven masters, the Seven Heroes of Jiangnan!"
"Back in the day, the seven masters were famous throughout Jiangnan, each possessing unique, extraordinary skills!"
"In the future, your Uncle Guo can pass down all their top-secret martial arts to you first!"
Underneath the quilt, the corners of Yang Guo's eyes twitched violently.
He roared frantically in his heart, nearly grinding his back teeth to dust:
"Forget it."
"Back in the desert sands, you were tortured for ten whole years by that stew of a mess from the Seven Freaks of Jiangnan!"
"Practicing hidden weapons today, wielding a shoulder pole tomorrow, doing somersaults the day after!"
"Sabers, spears, swords, halberds, fists, kicks, hidden weapons—touching everything, practicing everything."
"Learning all eighteen types of weapons, only to end up with a mishmash that couldn't even beat a junior Taoist from the Quanzhen Sect!"
"If Daoist Ma Yu hadn't stepped in out of pity to force-feed you inner force like a cheat code, where would your future even be?"
"That acrobatics-style path will be the death of anyone!"
"Uncle Guo, I respect your growth path, but I won't be copying it."
Guo Jing didn't notice Yang Guo's dead-hearted state at all. He was still counting on his fingers as if listing priceless treasures:
"My First Master's Ke Family Demon-Subduing Staff Technique moves with immense force and weight, specifically countering long weapons!"
"Second Master Zhu Cong's Tendon-Splitting Bone-Dislocating Hand paired with his Empty-Hand Sleight is utterly unpredictable!"
"Third Master Han Baoju's Golden Dragon Whip targets blind spots below the horse..."
The more Guo Jing spoke, the more enthusiastic he became, his large hands gesturing fiercely in the air.
Just as he reached the peak of his excitement, he turned his head and froze on the spot.
Yang Guo was already sprawled out in the quilt, sound asleep.
Guo Jing smiled helplessly, shaking his head with a naive laugh.
He carefully tucked the quilt around Yang Guo and gently blew out the candle flame:
"This child must really be exhausted."
...
The next morning, a refreshing sea breeze blew.
Yang Guo opened his eyes. The thick quilt beside him was already neatly folded; Guo Jing had long gone down to the beach to practice.
Above him was a plain, neat fine-gauze canopy.
In his nostrils was the sun-baked grassy scent of sunned bedding.
Yang Guo lay straight on the bed, staring blankly at the carved bed beams.
He looked for quite a while.
Only then did he realize something after the fact.
Last night, he hadn't woken up startled even once.
No worrying about someone coming to steal his things.
No icy rain dripping through broken tiles onto his face.
This sleep had been the most peaceful and solid sleep Yang Guo had experienced since Mu Nianci passed away.
Right after breakfast was over.
Guo Fu dashed back to her room, grabbed her "Demon-Slaying Sword," and rushed in like a gust of wind.
Da Wu and Xiao Wu followed behind her with heads lowered submissively, looking like two dutiful gate-guarding general henchmen.
"Brother Yang! Let's go!"
Guo Fu grabbed Yang Guo's sleeve, her eyes sparkling.
Yang Guo looked at the wooden sword in her hand:
"Where to?"
"What demon are you slaying today?"
Guo Fu said with a smile:
"I'm taking you to Chaoyin Cave on the south side of the island! There are red fat crabs as big as fists, and..."
Before she could finish her sentence.
An elegant figure in green robes turned the corner from outside the door, properly cradling a blue-covered, thread-bound copy of 《The Analects》.
The moment Guo Fu saw that book cover, her little face fell completely.
"We're done for. Whenever this thing shows up, nothing good comes of it."
Huang Rong walked forward, looking gently at the children:
"Fu'er, nobody is allowed to run wild today."
"Da Wu, Xiao Wu, go find your master to practice."
"Fu'er, you go too, and practice the Maiden's Sword your father taught you three times from start to finish."
Guo Fu immediately pouted, her face full of defiance:
"Mother."
"Why do we all have to practice martial arts so hard, but Brother Yang doesn't have to?"
Huang Rong raised the thick volume in her hand and lightly tapped Guo Fu's forehead:
"Who said your Brother Yang doesn't have to work hard?"
"You all are going to train your limbs, muscles, and bones."
"Your Brother Yang is going to train his mind."
Yang Guo grumbled internally: "Why does it feel like Aunt Guo is insulting my intelligence?"
Guo Fu shuffled out of the room dejectedly.
Da Wu and Xiao Wu dutifully followed behind her.
As they stepped down the stairs, the frustration bottled up in Da Wu's heart finally found an outlet.
He leaned close to Guo Fu and sneered under his breath:
"Sister Fu, I bet Yang Guo barely knows a few big characters."
"If Master gave him a formula, he probably wouldn't even understand what it means. How could he practice martial arts?"
Xiao Wu immediately chimed in from the side, grinning maliciously:
"Exactly! A street beggar like him probably forgets half a sentence as soon as he recites one!"
Before he could finish.
Guo Fu, who was walking ahead, skidded to a sudden halt, her willow-leaf eyebrows raised in anger!
She whipped out the peach-wood sword at her waist, channeled her strength, and with a sharp snap, struck Da Wu hard on his right arm.
Da Wu jumped on the spot in pain, clutching his stinging arm while gasping for cold air.
The two brothers were terrified and hurriedly ran forward.
Da Wu cried out with a tearful voice:
"Sister Fu! We were fine, why did you hit me?"
Guo Fu held her wooden sword, her apricot eyes wide, chasing after the two with a flurry of strikes:
"I'm hitting you two! How dare you talk behind Brother Yang's back!"
"Brother Yang is so smart, how could he not understand a formula?"
"Say one more word, and see if I don't get my dad's real sword to hack you!"
Da Wu and Xiao Wu were scared out of their wits, their belts nearly coming loose as they ran, crying and shouting as they rushed toward the beach.
Huang Rong brought Yang Guo back to the room and sat down in front of the red sandalwood writing desk.
She neither assumed the stern authority of an elder nor used grand principles to pressure him, simply staring calmly at Yang Guo:
"Guo'er, do you know where the Ren Meridian and Du Meridian originate on the body, and where they run?"
In the 《Nine Yang Manual》, the meridians and acupuncture points were written with utmost clarity.
Over the past half year, Yang Guo had long memorized them backwards and forwards; he could run three minor circulations through all the body's meridians with his eyes closed.
Yet he pretended not to know, shaking his head.
He wanted to see what trick this Female Zhuge had up her sleeve.
Huang Rong asked again:
"Then, when manuals for fists or swords often mention 'emptiness and reality generating each other' or 'hardness and softness complementing each other,' if they were written on paper, would you understand the subtle mysteries within?"
Yang Guo continued biting his lip, shaking his head blankly.
Only then did Huang Rong retract her probing gaze, her expression turning solemn:
"Aunt Guo knows you've cultivated a bit of inner force in your body."
"Both your Uncle Jing and I saw it."
"I don't intend to interrogate you about your master's lineage."
"Precisely because you've already crossed the threshold, I wouldn't dare let you practice blindly."
Huang Rong pressed her slender fingers against the book roll, warning him seriously:
"Eighty to ninety percent of all top-tier inner force manuals in the world are derived from Taoist I Ching and Confucian classics."
"If a formula differs by a single word, or an acupuncture point is remembered off by half an inch—"
"—at best your meridians will be damaged, turning you into an invalid; at worst your qi and blood will reverse, leading to qi deviation and turning you into a crazy monster, neither human nor ghost, like Ouyang Feng!"
Huang Rong softened her tone, continuing gently:
"Aunt Guo teaching you to read the books of the sages today isn't meant to restrict you or treat you unfairly."
"Nor is it merely to teach you right from wrong."
"This is to sweep away the linguistic barriers for you, laying down the foundation for you to cultivate truly profound martial arts in the future."
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