Start with a photographic memory and build a memory palace

Chapter 3: As Light as Wet Paper

……

The next morning.

Wu Wen got up early in the morning dew.

As soon as I opened the door, I saw Master Zhu Jiu already in the yard, dancing lightly with the morning glow.

Wu Wen walked up to Jiu Ye and started exercising with him.

This is a health-preserving exercise, and Jiu Ye practices it every morning.

In the first few days, Wu Wen just stood aside and watched. Later, when he had nothing to do, he began to follow and learn.

Over time, this habit will develop naturally.

As the sun rose, Wu Wen bathed in the warm sunshine and stretched his body to his heart's content, raising his neck as high as he could, as if he was a crane about to spread its wings and fly high.

Although Master Zhu Jiu did not tell Wu Wen the specific name of this set of health-preserving movements, after so many days of practice, Wu Wen had already guessed that this should be similar to the Five Animal Exercises, a health-preserving method that imitates the posture of a crane.

"The cranes dance to greet the morning light, spreading their wings and soaring high.

The neck is raised to the sky and the earth, and the waist and back are straight and full of energy.

His hands are like wings that gently flutter in the wind, and his footsteps are as light as walking on the clouds.

Breathe deeply and calm your mind, and harmony within and without will naturally fill you up.”

Suddenly, Master Zhu Jiu began to chant.

Wu Wen turned to look at him curiously and asked, "Master Jiu, what are you talking about?"

Jiu Ye stopped his movements, looked at Wu Wen with a smile, and explained: "This is the formula of 'Crane Form Fist'."

"Mnemonic?" Wu Wen muttered softly.

I pondered in my heart, and it seemed that I understood it, but at the same time, it seemed that I didn’t understand what the formula meant.

"You and I have been practicing this Crane Fist for some time. Although your movements seem to be the same as mine, you actually haven't grasped the essence of it."

Master Zhu Jiu spoke slowly, stretching his body while explaining the key points of the formula to Wu Wen sentence by sentence.

Cranes dance to welcome the morning light: adjust your mindset and get into the state.

Spread your wings and fly high, and the Qi will rise naturally: spread your arms to imitate spreading wings, and take a deep breath to promote the circulation of Qi and blood.

Lift your neck and connect to the world: lift your neck, straighten your back, and stretch your neck muscles.

Keep your back straight and never tired: Keep your back straight, strengthen your muscles, and enhance spinal stability.

Hands are like wings fluttering in the wind: Use your hands gently and powerfully, imitating the fluttering of wings, controlling the strength and rhythm.

Walking with light steps on the clouds: walking with light and steady steps, like a crane walking on the clouds, maintaining balance and coordination.

Breathe deeply and have a peaceful mind: breathe deeply and evenly, feel the flow of Qi and blood, and feel peaceful and calm.

Harmony between inside and outside leads to natural Qi filling: Movement, breathing and thoughts are harmoniously unified, allowing Qi and blood to flow smoothly inside and outside the body.

"Do you understand? Try again!"

Under the guidance of Master Zhu Jiu, Wu Wen started practicing Hexingquan again.

Seeing that his movements did not change, Master Jiu shook his head slightly.

"Wrong, wrong, you still haven't understood the meaning of the formula."

Uh~
Wu Wen suddenly felt a little confused and thought to himself, he was clearly practicing according to the formula, what's wrong?

Master Zhu Jiu raised his arms and danced lightly, just like a crane spreading its wings.

"Spread your wings and fly high, your energy will lift you up, your hands will be like wings that gently touch the wind."

“You have to imagine that you are a crane. Not only your movements, but also your body shape should be light and agile, not stiff.”

Seeing that Wu Wen was confused and didn't understand anything, Jiu Ye went to the chicken coop, picked up a fallen feather, and returned to Wu Wen.

"look!"

He held the feather in front of Wu Wen, then flipped his palm and the feather slowly fell.

"Do you understand?" asked Master Jiu.

What did he understand? Wu Wen not only did not understand, but became even more confused. Seeing this, Jiu Ye returned to the room, took out a piece of straw paper, and soaked it in water.

Then he ordered Wu Wen: "Pick it up."

Wu Wen looked down at the straw paper soaked in the basin.

This thing almost melts when soaked in water. It is not easy to pick it up.

He slowly stretched out his hands, extended his index finger and thumb respectively, gently pinched the two corners of the straw paper, and then lifted it up carefully, fearing that he would tear the straw paper if he was not careful.

After watching Wu Wen lift the straw paper out of the water, Master Zhu Jiu smiled and asked, "Do you feel it? This is the feeling of 'lightness'."

"Put the paper down and try again."

Wu Wen put the straw paper back into the water, then recalled the feeling just now and slowly raised his arms.

Seeing this, Jiu Ye shook his head slightly again.

"No, you still haven't found that 'light' feeling."

In response, Wu Wen once again carefully picked up the straw paper floating on the water, but this time, whether because of nervousness or for some other reason, he used too much force in his hands, and the straw paper broke directly and fell back into the water.

Wu Wen scratched his head in embarrassment.

"Let's leave it at that for now. It's getting late. Let's get ready and get ready to go."

"Okay, Master Jiu."

Today, he and Jiu Ye are going to Nanshan to collect herbs. Wu Wen first went to the kitchen to cook some rice porridge for the two of them to fill their stomachs, and then they took some dry food and set off.

In the kitchen.

Wu Wen was watching the porridge stewing over the fire when he couldn't help but catch a glimpse of a dry grass leaf floating into the water scoop.

Recalling that Jiu Ye had asked him to carry wet paper just now, he wanted to experience the feeling of "lightness".

Wu Wen came to the pharmacy, took out another piece of straw paper, soaked it in water, and carefully reached out to pick it up, while carefully observing and experiencing the changes and feelings in his body when picking up the wet paper.

Keep your mind calm and not nervous; keep your hands steady and don't use too much force.

Wu Wen found that when he raised his arms, the muscles in his entire back were affected, and there seemed to be some subtle changes.

This kind of lightness does not mean that less force is used, but that the whole upper body is in a linked state.

Wu Wen understood instantly that what Master Zhu Jiu meant by being as light as a crane did not mean that the movements were small or that the body used little strength, but rather the physical state when carrying the wet paper.

It’s like a feather falling from the sky. It’s not that there is no force, but that it is gentle.

This is the true essence of Crane Fist!
“No wonder Jiu Ye always said he was stiff, it turned out that he hadn’t found that feeling of physical connection.

True lightness and flexibility does not mean using less force or small body movements, but rather relaxing the body so that all parts of the body can be linked together.

Only in this way can one exude a sense of agility like a crane. "

Gululu~Gululu~
The sound of boiling water in the pot woke Wu Wen from his deep thoughts.

"Master Jiu, it's time to eat."

Wu Wen quickly turned off the fire and served the porridge.

After dinner, he packed up everything, closed the gate, and headed to Nanshan with Master Zhu Jiu.

"Master Jiu!"

"Master Jiu, go to Nanshan to collect herbs again!"

"..."

Along the way, the villagers met Master Zhu Jiu and greeted him respectfully.

Leaving the village, the two walked further and further into the wilderness.

Wu Wen looked around. Although the area was overgrown with weeds, he could still vaguely tell from the terrain that this was once a farmland. Unfortunately, it was now abandoned.

This scene can't help but remind him of an ancient poem:
"Once the rice fields were filled with fragrance, now the grass is lush after the war. The war has continued and people have changed, but the wasteland is still waiting for spring ploughing."

……

(End of this chapter)