Water elemental became a god, ultimately becoming the master of heaven, earth, mountains, and rivers

Chapter 9 You call this a poetry contest?
Two days later.

The sun had set over the furnace, but the courtyard still retained a restless warmth.

"call!"

"Hey!"

"call!"

"Hey!"

Chen Shunan, still dressed, was cultivating the "Flesh Immortal" technique in the courtyard.

His body was as straight as a pine tree. He lightly touched the plum blossom stakes in the courtyard with his feet, his toes slightly hooked, with only the tips of his shoes touching the edge of the stakes. But no matter how he moved and dodged, he remained as steady as Mount Tai, maintaining a certain balance.

Clothes flutter in the wind, disrupting the airflow, yet this too becomes a form of spiritual practice.

Chen Shunan's dantian energy filled his lower abdomen, flowed through his legs, and entered the Yongquan acupoint on the soles of his feet.

Whoosh!
A few fallen leaves were swept up by the strong wind.

His figure disappeared from the spot, and only the faint sound of footsteps could be heard on the plum blossom stakes.

He suddenly flipped over and hung upside down, his figure moving like a dragon soaring through the clouds, appearing and disappearing in an instant.

He skillfully and expertly performed various basic body movements, such as stepping, stomping, tapping, and leaping.

The cultivation of a light-body skill like "Flesh Immortal" requires many external tools and equipment.

Such as wooden stakes, arch houses, jumping platforms, iron armor, and lead tiles.

When Chen Shunan first started practicing, he had to tie 20 to 30 pounds of sandbags to his legs and persist for several years before he could barely get the hang of it.

We need plum blossom stakes now.

As for those of second-rate and above, they even need to use the Dragon Stakes, riverside reeds, and torrential rain as their training grounds.

suddenly!

Chen Shunan felt his heart pumping faster, and a surge of hot blood welled up, making the breath in his dantian burn as well.

He delivered a whip kick, producing a soft sound, and an invisible force reverberated outwards, forming a clear spiral pattern of airflow outside his trouser leg.

If it were to hit someone, it would undoubtedly be enough to fracture their bones!

Chen Shunan stopped what he was doing, feeling the power within his body, and a look of surprise appeared on his face.

"My breath is scorching hot, and my strength makes a resounding sound. Has my power returned to its peak?!"

Martial artists below the Grandmaster level are still made of flesh and blood, and their strength is affected by birth, aging, sickness, death, and even their current mental state.

The saying "Youth has the upper hand" is not just a saying.

Chen Shunan has been declining from his peak for many years.

And now, in less than three days, he has returned to his peak.

It will be a day faster than Chen Shunan expected!
Not only because my diet has been more nutritious lately, but mainly because...

[Divine Physiognomist Qing Ji] is still exerting his power!
His large veins are still growing and thriving!
It continued to climb and transform Chen Shunan's body structure at a slow but steady pace!
"At fifty, one should know one's destiny; I've grasped my own destiny."

Chen Shunan's heart was burning with excitement.

At this rate, Chen Shunan will be able to break through to the second level of cultivation and obtain the Jade Tree in three to five days at the earliest.

Combine the jade tree, and hang precious robes.

This is a concept from internal martial arts, where one internally observes the body, viewing the bones as a crystalline tree trunk and the muscles and fascia as loose clothing.

The precious garment hangs like a jade tree, and the muscles drape like a soft gauze garment. It can not only eliminate muscle tension, but also vibrate the joints, tempering bones and strengthening muscles!
It also implicitly contains elements of Taoist philosophy.

Even a second-rate martial artist can unleash a powerful strike with his bones and muscles resonating, displaying his full strength and unleashing the power of every part of his body!
It can be said that any second-rate martial artist who is not in poor condition can easily crush any third-rate martial artist.

Even geniuses won't do!
Unless this genius wields divine weapons, has archers supporting him, and has all the advantages of timing and location, trapping the second-rate warriors in an inescapable confinement, he has no chance of winning.

"Will I be able to join the ranks of Instructor Lin in three days? Probably not. Instructor Lin has already reached a high level of maturity, except for his skull which hasn't been tempered yet... He still needs to train!"

A burning ambition ignited in Chen Shunan's eyes.

But it quickly dimmed and subsided, returning to its original murky state without revealing its presence.

"Medicinal herbs. It's time to put medicinal baths on the agenda. They might even shorten the time to break through to the next level. Besides, after reaching the second level, taking various powerful medicines will be the norm."

"Phew! I'm afraid I'm going to lose all the money I've saved up for my funeral over the past ten years... But money is meant to be spent, and the faster I spend it, the faster my strength is improving!"

Chen Shunan was caught in a happy dilemma.

These past two days, I've been sending out blessed water and have accumulated 17 wishes, which is far from the 100 wishes needed.

Just as Chen Shunan had predicted, the customer did not buy water every day, and there were gaps in the water usage.

Fortunately, in the past two days, he used the excuse of helping out to deliver some remote and impoverished customers on behalf of the other three water spirits, and also delivered a few extra loads of blessed water.

It also made up for the deficit in daily wishes.

"This is still too unstable. It would be great if we could be like Instructor Lin and the others, responsible for delivering goods to wealthy families, restaurants and shops."

The daily water consumption is enormous yet consistent; I only need to develop one 'welfare recipient' to provide a stable daily source of motivation.

The moment the thought of impulsiveness arose, Chen Shunan immediately became alert.

"Haste makes waste; it's better to be slow than to rush. Take it slow and learn to befriend time."

Having endured countless hardships, Chen Shunan deeply understands that one must live to talk about the future, and only then can the future be unpredictable.

Be patient.

……

the next day.

On the day of Chou, the punishment is applied to Wei, and the Yin general is in charge.

There is a sign of being entangled by malicious people; avoid making impulsive decisions.

Twilight.

Instinct awakened Chen Shunan, who opened his eyes to a strange sensation.

A pillar supporting the heavens!
Chen Shunan was overjoyed and could hardly contain his laughter.

I got up, dressed, and went to the courtyard.

Cicadas chirped all night long, and the earth steamed with the heat of summer.

As the weather grew hotter, Wan Niang's clothing became increasingly revealing.

In particular, she didn't treat Chen Shunan as an outsider. She was wearing a thin plain dress, her hips swaying slightly, and her wheat-colored skin was covered with fine beads of sweat.

During the meal, Wan Niang noticed Chen Shunan's slightly burning gaze.

As usual, she had a mischievous glint in her eyes and grabbed Chen Shunan's hand.

"Brother, if you're going to do it, then—"

Wan Niang's voice stopped abruptly, as if she had grasped a hard lump.

Chen Shunan remained unmoved, his arm firmly planted. When she pulled suddenly, she stumbled instead.

Chen Shunan was secretly pleased, but his face showed a hint of helplessness.

"Wan Niang, you're such a grown-up, yet you're still so frivolous. I'm your brother."

After regaining her balance, Wan Niang immediately retorted, "A cousin. We're not related by blood."

Chen Shunan chuckled and said no more, then devoured the steamed meat, smoked fish, and cold egg porridge on the table.

Only then did he take out his pipe, hang the Tai Sui amulet pouch close to his body, and walk out the door with unsteady steps.

Chen Shunan walked to the stone steps at the door, paused, and suddenly spoke.

"Let's do it in a while then."

Wan Niang stared blankly at Chen Shun'an's retreating figure as it disappeared into the smoke and fire of the steamer.

She became increasingly confused.

"Why is my brother getting more and more assertive? Has he found a second spring in his life?"

……

After passing through Weiheng Street, we entered the alley.

The familiar noise and the wetness of splashing water greeted me.

Several water-related workers had already arrived early to take their shifts.

greet.

Push the cart and scoop water.

Ah Hua and his partner, who were on night watch, informed Chen Shunan and the others, and then left for the night.

Ahua looked energetic; the later he stayed up, the more energetic he became.

His partner, a boatman in his early forties, looked exhausted, his resentment and irritability almost overflowing.

“It’s great to be young…”

Chen Shunan sighed silently.

San Dezi has been acting mysteriously these past two days. He disappears without a trace after delivering water, and the two of them only briefly bump into each other.

Seeing that he looked healthy and radiant all day, and that his spittle flew out as he spoke, Chen Shunan didn't think he was starving, so he stopped bothering with him.

Inoue has not yet taken any action to retaliate against Usufa.

Or rather, it has already begun to take action, but has not yet affected ordinary novice fighters like Chen Shunan. This is because Chen Shunan keenly sensed that Instructor Lin's aura was becoming more profound and chilling day by day. Occasionally, when he practiced boxing in the well at noon, his punches were as sharp as knives, each punch more ferocious than the last.

He was wiping away his inner thoughts, gathering his fighting spirit, and preparing for something.

Walking through familiar streets.

Chen Shunan would occasionally stop to sing celebratory songs and serve water to his regular customers.

Soon, they arrived at Yinding Bridge, where a dilapidated tenement building came into view.

Ma Xiucai truly lived up to his reputation as a scholar; he was of excellent character and knew how to repay kindness.

These past two days, I've been talking about Chen Shunan's good qualities every day.

Without fail, I provide 2 points of wish, which is double what others receive!
Chen Shunan naturally took great care of Ma Xiucai, regarding him as a lush green leek, tending to him and nurturing him diligently every day.

"Um?!"

Suddenly, Chen Shunan's gaze sharpened, and his brows furrowed slightly.

Outside the courtyard, three grinning thugs, standing crookedly, casually swept the alleyway a few times with brooms before blocking the courtyard entrance and demanding "cleaning fees."

"It's Lao Song's pot from Xixian County."

Chen Shunan recognized the origins of the group.

Because the Grand Canal flows through Wuqing County in Tongzhou, the county is a melting pot of all sorts of people, from all walks of life.

Firewood guilds, porters, fish markets, treasure bureaus...

The Four Great Pots and Pots is one of them.

A "pot-pot" is a group of people who live together in a dilapidated house, huddled around an iron pot and a few stacks of broken bowls, making a living together.

The leader called himself the "Great Chieftain," and he had several generals under him, commanding hundreds of thugs, and calling themselves the local gang.

They changed their clothes and weighed the gold and silver.

Old Song from Xixian was one of the four chieftains, and he monopolized many of the risk-free businesses in Xixian that involved bullying and monopolizing the market.

They sweep the market, ask for good fortune, and sell junk. Some mountain villagers even hand over their mountain products to them for unloading and weighing before wholesaling them to various pharmacies and clinics, collecting the price difference between buying and selling, and demanding loading and unloading fees.

The neighbors could only retaliate with simple and direct insults—"If you have a son, he'll be born without an anus."

It is worth mentioning that these strange and monstrous figures, including the four major gangs, all liked to set up their headquarters in Banno Tsudo.

As a result, Sakano Tsudo not only became a commercially prosperous place, but also a melting pot of all kinds of people.

They are collecting cleaning fees.

The three thugs were startled when they suddenly saw Chen Shunan.

Then a young man with a small braid, a rebellious air, and only a few strands of hair on his head, but a face full of pockmarks, stepped forward, bowed three times to Chen Shunan, and said with a smile,

"The magpie called this morning, and sure enough, a distinguished guest has arrived! It turns out to be Master Chen from Weihang Street! Master Chen, may you be blessed, have you eaten yet!"

This guy's nickname is Green Skin Hemp, and Chen Shunan also knows him.

Chen Shunan smiled insincerely and said:

"Who do we have here? It's Master Ma. I dare not accept the title of Master Chen. You are the master. What's wrong? Why are you stopping me?"

Chen Shunan instinctively disliked this group of guys.

There's no other reason than that, although they are known as the water tyrants of their village, they are ruthless and daring in their daily lives.

At least follow the rules!
These thugs and hooligans don't follow the rules!

It was a contest of courage and ruthlessness; they were all vying to be thrown into boiling oil and rolled on nail beds one after another!
One moment they're calling you brother, the next they suddenly get the wrong idea and want to mess with you.

It's just so troublesome!
Chen Shunan dislikes trouble the most.

"Well, Mr. Chen, I have something to discuss with you."

Qingpi Ma grinned, seemingly oblivious to the unfriendly tone in Chen Shunan's voice.

"The families in this neighborhood, living in that tenement, are all poor. Could you collect the water fee later, after we've collected the cleaning fee, and then we can squeeze some oil out of them, okay?"

"You're the water tyrant of the capital! Nobody dares to owe you water money, but we hard-earned folks won't pay unless we come knocking on your door to ask for it!"

Green-skinned man rubbed his hands together, bent over, and wore a fawning smile.
"What do you say, Mr. Chen?"

Chen Shunan had not yet spoken.

At the entrance of the courtyard, Ma Xiucai, carrying a yellow cloth satchel and with several thread-bound books tucked under his arm, hurried along, head down.

He was muttering some poems to himself, as if he were going to attend a literary gathering.

"Did you pay? Get back here!"

A thug suddenly kicked out, and Ma Xiucai cried out "Ouch!" and fell face-first into the dirt, scattering various calligraphy brushes and stationery all over the ground.

Ma Xiucai felt a burning pain in his chest and hadn't even reacted yet.

But his wife, the old woman who had shared his hardships, immediately dropped her needlework, grabbed a kitchen knife, and charged at him with a fierce look on her face and clenched teeth.

"You dare hit my man? I'll risk my life today!!"

Upon seeing this, the two thugs flew into a rage.

These troublemakers not only refuse to surrender, but dare to resist?!

"okay!"

A furious roar came.

Everyone froze in place.

The two thugs turned to look.

Chen Shunan's face turned icy cold as he said,
"get out."

The man in front of him paused for a moment, his fawning smile freezing on his face.

"Alright, Mr. Chen, you collect the water fee, we'll head out now."

Qingpi Ma tried his best to maintain his expression, his lips twitching slightly, and turned to leave the alley.

Seeing this, the other two thugs didn't say anything more and slunk off.

"Thank you, Mr. Chen."

"Master Chen is kind and righteous... Oh, by the way, my family just ran out of murky water, I'll buy two buckets."

"That damn guy comes to collect a cleaning fee every few days. Does he even want people to live?"

After offering a few words of comfort to the neighbors and residents of the tenement, Chen Shunan helped Ma Xiucai, who had been sitting on the ground and unable to stand up for a long time, to his feet.

With a surge of energy, Chen Shunan gathered his qi and blood in his palm and patted Ma Xiucai's Jiaji, Dazhui, and Lieque acupoints in succession.

Scholar Ma sat on the stool, let out a long thud, and finally caught his breath.

"Sister-in-law Ma, put away the kitchen knife." Chen Shunan looked at the old woman.

Sister-in-law Ma sighed, then slowly and limped back into the house, where she poured a bowl of water for Scholar Ma.

"Brother Shun'an, I have to thank you again."

Scholar Ma, however, took it all in stride and picked up the books scattered on the ground.

Are you going out today?

"Yes, I had arranged to have a poetry contest with some fellow enthusiasts at the residence of the Ivanzo, but alas, I didn't check the almanac before leaving home today."

"Oh? Scholar Ma, you actually know Colonel Ivan?"

Chen Shunan was somewhat surprised.

This Yiwen Zuo Ling was a figure of moderate importance in Wuqing County. He was a descendant of a fallen imperial clan, whose ancestors were from Baishan. He held the position of Zuo Ling Yin, commanding three hundred men and in charge of matters related to land, housing, military registers, and lawsuits in the western part of Wuqing County.

Those were legitimate, officially appointed officials of the Holy Dynasty!

He is also one of the four wonders of Tongzhou City's "Five Eccentrics, Four Uniques, and Three Top Scholars"—the unparalleled spearman!
Scholar Ma: "I met him in my early years. He was not good at poetry and songs and was defeated by me. So every now and then he would invite me to his house to watch operas and compete in poetry. We were like fellow opera enthusiasts."

At this point, Scholar Ma said embarrassedly, "I also wanted to freeload some food and drink, you know..."

You have to be a scholar, that's what you call connections!
As for freeloading... can a scholar doing that be called freeloading?!

Chen Shunan shook his head and helped pick up the books and still-wet mounting paper from the ground.

suddenly,

Chen Shunan's gaze sharpened.

"The great furnace forges the body, melting and refining countless things; divine mechanisms transform from within, regulating the breath to listen to stillness and emptiness."

"Jade trees in the clouds hang dragon robes, six thieves vanish without a trace, the madman is slain."

"Something existed before heaven and earth, formless and originally silent, yet it can be the master of all things, and does not wither with the four seasons."

...

On the mounting paper were some mysterious sentences that looked somewhat familiar to Chen Shunan, yet were completely unfamiliar to him.

Just by glancing at them, Chen Shunan felt an overwhelming sense of awe, as if he were an ant looking up at the blue sky.

The furnace and the forge are the body?
Doesn't this resemble the Dachengquan style of boxing practiced by Instructor Lin?
The jade tree in the clouds, the six thieves vanished without a trace—doesn't this correspond to the second-rate and first-rate realms of martial arts?

And then there's the phrase 'There was something before heaven and earth…' Just reading it silently in Chen Shun'an's mind sparked a flash of inspiration, and boundless wisdom burst forth.

Chen Shunan looked at Ma Xiucai with a horrified expression.

"Wait! You're having a poetry contest, and this is what you're talking about?"

(End of this chapter)