Start with a photographic memory and build a memory palace

Chapter 5: As light as a swallow, flying over eaves and walls

……

"Master Jiu, you are truly amazing!"

Wu Wen approached and praised with respect.

Master Zhu Jiu looked calm. To him, this was just an ordinary tactic.

"When you truly master the essence of Crane Fist, you will be able to climb this rock wall as fast as a flying swallow like me."

Upon hearing this, Wu Wen nodded heavily.

When Jiu Ye said "as light as a swallow", to him now, it no longer simply meant to describe being light in weight.

Rather, it means that all parts of the body must be coordinated and the movements must be agile and smooth so that one can walk on such a smooth and steep rock wall as if on flat ground.

If you think about it carefully, it is true.

Those parkour masters and rock climbing masters that we have seen on the Internet are all people with strong physiques. They have extremely meticulous control over their body coordination. With the strength of two fingers, they can suspend their entire body in the air, which allows them to be at ease in various extreme environments.

"Let's go and take a look over there!"

Master Zhu Jiu took the lead and led Wu Wen deeper into the jungle.

The dense trees acted as a natural barrier, completely blocking the view of the surroundings. The weeds and dead branches and leaves underfoot were intertwined, leaving almost no trace after stepping on them. Looking up, I saw the blue sky looming between the mottled shadows of the trees, like dots of stars.

If you are not careful while traveling through these deep mountains and forests, you may get lost and unable to find your way home.

"Master Jiu, we won't get lost, right?"

Wu Wen felt uneasy and couldn't help asking.

Upon hearing this, Master Zhu Jiu turned around and looked at him with a smile: "Why, you can't tell the direction anymore?"

"Hmm..." Wu Wen nodded honestly.

He usually relied on paths, reference objects and the sky to determine direction, but now all these references were gone, so he naturally turned.

Master Zhu Jiu walked up to Wu Wen, raised the wooden stick in his hand, pointed at the forest ahead, and taught:
“If you want to avoid getting lost when walking in these deep mountains and forests, you must learn to read the terrain.”

Look at the terrain and veins of the mountains? Wu Wen couldn't help but become curious.

Jiu Ye then asked, "Do you remember what this Nanshan Mountain looked like before we entered the mountain?"

Wu Wen recalled, then stretched out five fingers, bent his middle finger and ring finger, and made a gesture: "It's probably like this."

"Ok!"

Jiu Ye nodded and continued, "This is the mountain you see. Our current location is the mountain represented by the raised finger in the middle. Now that we know the location, we need to look at the ground veins to determine the direction."

Jiu Ye squatted down, gently pushed away the fallen leaves on the ground with his fingers, revealing a thin layer of soil underneath, and dug a little deeper, pointing and saying:

"Look at the soil here. The colors are different and the textures are also different. This is because the different mountain terrains result in different degrees of sunlight exposure and rain erosion. We can determine the direction of the earth veins based on these subtle differences."

Wu Wen took a closer look and found that the color and texture of the soil were indeed different.

"Master Jiu, I didn't expect you to understand this!" Wu Wen praised sincerely.

Jiu Ye smiled slightly and stood up: "This is the experience passed down by the older generation. I also learned it from my master."

The two of them continued to go deeper.

Jiu Ye then explained the knowledge that one should master when collecting herbs in the mountains and forests.

From the types and growth habits of trees, to the traces and habits of wild animals, to how to predict the situation in the mountains and forests based on weather changes.

Wu Wen listened carefully and wrote down every word.

"Ouch~"

Suddenly, a long and low roar came from a distance.

Wu Wen was stunned, and Zhu Jiuye's expression also changed suddenly.

"Master Jiu, this is the roar of a tiger!" Wu Wen said nervously.

Master Zhu Jiu nodded and comforted him, "Don't be afraid, the sound of the big insect should come from far away, let's leave first."

The two quickened their pace and left in a hurry, returning to the shelter they stayed in last night as quickly as possible. "There were no big insects in Nanshan before, so they must have come here recently. Let's not stay and go down the mountain now." said Master Zhu Jiu.

"Yeah!" Wu Wen nodded in agreement.

On the way down the mountain.

Suddenly, I heard a dog barking.

Wu Wen turned his head and saw a strong hunting dog jumping out from the jungle. He looked closely and saw that it was the same one from last night. He looked back and indeed found the hunter Zhou Da Kui.

"Mr. Wu, we meet again." Zhou Da Kui ran over with a smile.

"Master Jiu!" When he saw Master Zhu Jiu, he greeted him respectfully.

Then he asked, "It's still early, and I see you're in a hurry. Is there anything going on?"

Wu Wen replied: "We were collecting herbs in the mountains and encountered a tiger."

Hearing this, Zhou Da Kui immediately put away his smile and asked seriously, "Where is it?"

"It's over there!" Wu Wen pointed in the direction they came from.

"I just felt that the atmosphere in the forest was a bit strange these days. I didn't expect that a big insect would come out from somewhere." Zhou Da Kui's tone was mixed with excitement.

"Master Jiu, Young Master Wu, by the time you get down the mountain, it will probably be late. It will be inconvenient to travel at night, so why don't you stay at my house for a night?"

Zhou Da Kui invited Wu Wen and Zhu Jiuye.

"Okay!" Master Zhu Jiu thought about it and nodded in agreement.

"Dahei, go home!"

Zhou Da Kui shouted to the hound, and it immediately ran ahead to lead the way.

The home of the hunter Zhou Dagui is located in the sunny area at the foot of the southern side of Nanshan Mountain.

When the sun was setting, the three of them arrived here.

"Dad, little sister, I'm back!"

Before he even got close to the house, Zhou Da Kui shouted loudly.

As soon as the gate of the fence was half opened, the hunting dog Dahei rushed in and circled around a short, skinny girl with dark skin.

"Dahei, stop making trouble."

The girl patted the hunting dog Dahei to let it go, then opened the gate to welcome Zhou Dagui.

"Brother, you are back."

Seeing Master Zhu Jiu behind him, she immediately smiled and greeted him, "Master Jiu, you're here too."

Then he looked at Wu Wen, whom he had never seen before.

Zhou Da Kui started to introduce: "Mr. Wu, this is my younger sister Zhou Tienan."

"Little sister, this is Master Jiu's disciple, Young Master Wu Wen."

"Hello, young master." Zhou Tienan bowed respectfully and then ran back to the yard immediately.

Tienan, what a good name!

Wu Wen secretly complained in his heart, for a girl with this name, he really didn't know what her father was thinking when he gave her the name.

"Master Jiu, please!" The three of them entered the yard together.

Wu Wen looked up and looked around.

The layout of this small courtyard is that it is surrounded by a fence, with two vegetable plots inside the fence and a small path in the middle for people to pass through.

At the end of the trail are two wooden houses. On the left side is a bamboo tent, and underneath is a stove for cooking.

……

(End of this chapter)