I began to understand the myriad things by chopping wood

Chapter 23 Brothers, Taoist Priest, Kung Fu
Xie Yuan never expected to hear his elder brother's name from the mouth of a strange Taoist priest.

He looked at the middle-aged Taoist priest in surprise.

The Taoist was tall and thin, wearing a simple blue Taoist robe, with a black beard hanging down to his chest and a wooden hairpin on his head. He looked like a fortune-telling Taoist priest sitting in the countryside.

He had a gaunt face, with a fleshy mole at the corner of his mouth, which was quite conspicuous but not ugly. His calm expression revealed a peaceful temperament, and he stood there as if he had blended into the surroundings.

Xie Yuan took a look and felt that although his attire was ordinary, his temperament made people dare not underestimate him.

"Sheron's home... is here. I don't know who the head is. What do you want to see my brother for?"

Xie Yuan asked.

The Taoist's eyes were like a deep lake reflecting Xie Yuan's figure, and he was slightly surprised:
"So you are Xie Lun's brother."

"Master, do you know me?"

Xie Yuan was even more surprised.

The Taoist nodded:

"Of course, if it weren't for you, I don't think I would have made a special trip here again."

"what?"

Xie Yuan was confused and didn't understand even more.

The Taoist just smiled and asked:

"Where's your brother? Isn't he home?"

Xie Yuan was silent for a moment, then said:
"Taoist Master, please follow me."

In the woods, in front of a loess mound.

After Xie Lun left, he left nothing behind; Xie Yuan was penniless, but with the help and arrangements of Wang Lei and Li Lan, he barely built a grave mound, carved a stone tablet, and made a cenotaph. The few of them held a simple funeral for him.

The Taoist priest and Xie Yuan stood in front of the tomb, remained silent for a moment, and sighed softly:
"Fate is unpredictable."

After hearing this, Xie Yuan clenched his fists:

"Master, what is fate? My elder brother is kind to others and is well-known. He treats me kindly, like a brother and a father. Why did he end up being eaten by wild beasts and his body was mutilated?"

The Taoist shook his head:

"I'm afraid no one in the world can answer this question."

Xie Yuan stood still for a while before turning around and asking:

"Master, you haven't told me how you got to know my brother?"

The Taoist raised his head slightly:

"Years ago, I passed by here when I went into the mountains, and I ran into your brother in the woods.

"From a distance, I saw a young woodcutter with arms and waist like an ape and blood like a dragon. He was born to be a martial artist.

"I just hit a bottleneck and have been in hardship for ten years. Seeing your brother's one-in-a-million talent in martial arts, I suddenly had the idea of ​​taking a break and accepting a disciple to teach me martial arts."

Xie Yuan's eyes gradually widened when he heard this.

This, is this eldest brother's master?
Is it true that big brother’s talent in martial arts is so high?

The Taoist continued:

"I didn't expect your brother to say yes."

"Why?"

Xie Yuan exclaimed, totally unexpected.

Isn't this a classic scene in which a person meets a master on the road and is granted magical powers?

We were about to escape from the poor mountain village and rise up, so how could my brother refuse?
Unless... he could only think of one possibility.

Sure enough, the Taoist looked at him and said:
"I wanted to take your brother away, but your brother insisted on taking you with him. I had other important matters at the time, and taking on one apprentice was too much, let alone a weak boy, so our relationship as master and apprentice ended there."

Xie Yuan felt a strange feeling in his heart after hearing this, and slowly pursed his lips.

An opportunity to turn things around is right in front of Xie Lun. As long as he nods, he can rise rapidly and become a warrior that everyone admires.

But he refused.

In fact, based on Xie Yuan's understanding of his elder brother, he almost guessed the reason as soon as he heard it.

My eldest brother will definitely refuse.

I don’t want to abandon him, I don’t want him to be left alone to take care of his young and frail body…

Warrior, hunting, Li Lan, countless choices, the result is always the same. What is the meaning of "eldest brother is like a father"? Xie Lun made the best interpretation with his own choice.

Xie Yuan's eyes turned red and he clenched his fists with all his strength to avoid shedding tears in front of others.

The Taoist looked straight ahead, as if he hadn't noticed Xie Yuan's strange behavior:
“Although your brother refused, I was inspired by his talent, so I taught him a boxing technique. I hope he will come back to take a look after a while.

"If he's not good, then forget it; if he's good, then I'll take him in as my apprentice no matter what. But things are unpredictable... When did he leave?"

"It's the beginning of summer this year."

Xie Yuan said in a hoarse voice.

The Taoist nodded slightly:

"What a pity. If you are proficient in martial arts, why would you be afraid of mere wolves, tigers and leopards?"

After a long while, Xie Yuan finally calmed down.

He calmed down and thought about what the Taoist said. He couldn't help but feel curious:

"Master, you want to take my elder brother as your apprentice... His realm must be very high?"

The Taoist twirled his long beard:
“It’s not that high.”

"May I ask what realm it is?"

"Heh, what realm do you think I am in?"

The Taoist asked back.

"The three major martial arts schools in Panlong Town all have their masters at the second level of training, which shows that the level of training is required to open a school and recruit disciples. This Taoist priest looks quite a master, and seems to be more powerful than the master of the Tieyi Sect. Maybe he is at the third level of training?"

Xie Yuan thought for a moment, then lifted him up a little and asked tentatively:
"Fourth practice, bone barrier completed?"

The Taoist was stunned for a moment, then suddenly burst into laughter:
"Haha, you are a young man... you are still training outside, are you qualified to accept disciples?"

Huh? This... doesn't this mean that the Sect Master and the others are all being scolded?
Xie Yuan felt that the Taoist's temperament suddenly soared, and his tall and thin back seemed to rise infinitely, directly covering the towering iron poplars.

Seeing the Taoist's reaction, Xie Yuan realized that he seemed to have said something funny, and scratched his head in embarrassment:
"I don't know what realm there is after the fourth practice."

The Taoist stopped laughing and shook his head:
“These small sects can’t teach anything, and they can’t even tell the difference between realms.

"Listen carefully, 'Practice the Four Gates of External Training, Qi and Blood Transformation, Double Bridges of Heaven and Earth, and Integration of Internal and External', respectively refers to 'Practice the Four Gates of External Training', 'Three Transformations of Qi and Blood', 'Double Bridges of Heaven and Earth', and 'Inner and External Integration', the four realms."

This was the first time Xie Yuan had heard of the latter realm, and he quickly took note of it.

It turns out there are so many levels. He thought the second level of training was just enough. So the four levels of external training are just the entry level in terms of cultivation?

But Erlian can indeed walk sideways in Panlong Town;
If he completes the four levels of external training, he will probably become a powerful figure in Yunzhao County.

However, there are always people better than you, and there are always things better than you.

Xie Yuan couldn't help but sigh, the water in a small pond is shallow. If he hangs out in Panlong Town for his whole life, he would probably think that Erlian is the sky.

Only by going out can you realize how vast the world is.

Since we are born in this world, how can we be trapped in a mountain village?

Xie Yuan felt that a bigger world was slowly opening up, and he couldn't help but feel a desire in his heart.

He looked at the Taoist priest with a slightly inquiring look:

"Master, I feel like you are almost merging into one with the surroundings when you stand there. Does this correspond to the state of 'inner and outer unity'?"

The Taoist glanced at him and said with a noncommittal smile:

"You do have some inspiration, which is rare.

"Don't force yourself to practice those crude external skills, or your body will be completely ruined."

Xie Yuan was stunned. He didn't expect that the Taoist priest could see through his situation at a glance.

"Um... well."

Hearing Xie Yuan's hesitation, the Taoist looked at him, then looked at the stone tablet, and breathed a sigh of relief:

"If you insist on practicing...

“I originally modified a boxing technique and wanted to give it to your brother to cultivate his energy, but it’s a little too late.

"When the elder brother dies, the younger brother inherits the throne. This is karma."

He took out a booklet and handed it to Xie Yuan.

(End of this chapter)