Under the fist

Chapter 21 The Golden Bell Cover is an Internal Martial Art
"Yan Lingyun?"

Lian Youming's eyes lit up. He had been thinking of going to find this girl when it got warmer, but he never expected to deliver himself to her doorstep.

Just in time.

Just as I was about to say hello, I saw that the other person didn't seem to mind the filth and walked straight over across the dam.

"Why are you here?" Lian Youming asked, a mixture of curiosity and wariness.

After all, there was the White Lotus Sect incident before, and this person could see through Lao Yao at a glance. He was really unsure if it was all an act.

Yan Lingyun seemed particularly afraid of the cold. She was wearing a brand-new blue cotton coat and large, thick cotton gloves that looked like two palm-leaf fans. She also had a cotton scarf covering her face, leaving only her big eyes exposed. Her curled eyelashes were covered with a layer of white frost. "Lian Zhiqing, I just came back from the hospital. Sister Qin asked me to bring you some things. She's too busy to get away."

Lian Youming was delighted to hear the clear, crisp voice. These past few days, apart from Liu the village doctor's snoring and teeth grinding, all he could hear was the old sow in the pen squealing. He didn't know if she was being fed poorly or if she was in heat, as she kept nudging him every day.

"Sister Qin? Which Sister Qin?"

"It's Sister Qin Hongxiu."

Okay.

They'd only met once, and she was already calling him "sister."

Seeing that Lian Youming didn't understand, the little girl quickly explained it to him carefully.

It turned out that Yan Lingyun was a skilled doctor, and since the head of her forest farm had a close relationship with Qin Yuhu, she took him to the hospital for a checkup. She had also met Qin Hongxiu before, and the two naturally became acquainted.

Upon hearing Qin Yuhu's name, Lian Youming's expression turned serious. "Is my uncle alright?"

Yan Lingyun stood outside the circle and gently hummed in agreement. "It's nothing serious. I gave him some acupuncture and also removed some old injuries from Director Qin's body. He should be able to get out of bed around the Spring Festival."

"That's fine then, thank you so much."

Lian Youming was delighted, and his gaze towards the little girl softened considerably.

"No trouble at all." Seeing that Lian Youming was busy, Yan Lingyun didn't say much. She took out the basic review materials that Qin Hongxiu had asked her to bring from her bag. "Then I'll be going."

As soon as he put his things down, the man turned around and left.

Watching the other person's retreating figure, Lian Youming's eyes flashed, and he quickly said, "Wait, I have something to tell you."

Upon hearing this, Yan Lingyun stood still, blinking her big eyes as if waiting for what would follow.

Lian Youming looked around and beckoned to the little girl, "Come here a little."

Yan Lingyun turned around and asked, "What's wrong?"

Lian Youming pondered for a moment, then took out the brocade with the words "Golden Bell Cover" written on it from his bosom, folded it in half to hide the words, leaving only the image of a person.

"Yan, could you help me take a look at these little paintings? There are some parts that I don't understand."

Yan Lingyun leaned closer for a look, and upon seeing it, her pretty eyes first showed a hint of confusion. After a moment of thought, she whispered under Lian Youming's hopeful gaze, "This seems to be a method of practicing internal martial arts."

Did you recognize it already?

Lian Youming's heart skipped a beat, and then he heard the little girl in front of him continue, "However, your kung fu is a bit strange. You need to master the twelve main meridians, which are the main body for circulating qi and blood, connecting the internal organs, and communicating between the upper and lower body, all of which are in the hands and feet. Do you see these twelve human figures? Each one has a different posture, some sitting, some lying down, some leaping into the air, some twisting their waists, which is like the stance training in internal martial arts."

Yan Lingyun also found it novel and seemed to be deep in thought, but after a while her eyes became serious again. "I think there should be a special breathing method to match it. Your kung fu is much more vigorous and powerful than ordinary internal martial arts. If you only practice according to the diagrams, your qi and blood will rush and your essence and energy will be depleted like water bursting its banks. Although you may achieve some success, you will not live past thirty."

Upon hearing these words, Lian Youming immediately recalled the "Three Yin Earthly Fiend Force" on another piece of brocade. That Qi-swallowing method accelerated the digestion and absorption of food by strengthening the five elements, thereby replenishing the body with essence and energy.

In retrospect, it is only when one is lost and the other is replenished, and the two are combined into one, that it becomes complete.

He then voiced his confusion, "Why do these muscles move inwards instead of outwards?"

This is something that Lian Youming has never been able to understand.

Having witnessed several battles and learned the "Silk Reeling Force" from the old man guarding the mountain, he understood that the power generated by these fist and palm techniques was always emanating from the inside out, and then channeled to the hands, feet, and limbs to achieve the wonderful effect of attack. However, the muscle movement of these figures was strange, as it was emanating from the outside in and the power was drawn inward.

Yan Lingyun was initially puzzled as well. She stared at the portraits, her brows furrowed, and remained silent.

Lian Youming was also puzzled. At first, he thought it was some kind of external martial art and thought about strengthening his muscles and bones and improving his physique every day. He never expected that the "Twelve Golden Bell Cover" was actually an internal martial art. He had fallen into a misunderstanding from the very beginning.

Seeing the little girl deep in thought, he couldn't help but say, "I've practiced it twice, and I've noticed that the muscles tend to curl inwards."

Yan Lingyun suddenly widened her eyes, as if she understood something. "Have you ever seen how kung fu masters unleash their power? My grandfather practiced 'Five Animal Frolics,' and he said that kung fu masters can unleash power from a single point with every move. The most powerful can penetrate to the bone, injure the lungs, and kill without a trace." Upon hearing this, Lian Youming immediately thought of Xue Hen's wild and domineering fist techniques, which had extremely strong penetrating power, like arrows and cannons.

The little girl, beaming with excitement, explained, “Look at the muscles on this statue. They draw all the tendons and bones inward into a whole, which is exactly the opposite of what you’d expect. Since kung fu masters usually concentrate their power into a single point, the principle behind your kung fu is probably to distribute the force from that single point throughout the whole body, expanding from that point to neutralize external forces.”

Lian Youming understood the gist of it and replied, "Breaking a boulder on your chest?"

Yan Lingyun nodded, her face lighting up with delight, and said, "Yes, that's a very apt description. But these are all my deductions based on the muscle changes in these figures. As for whether they're true, you'll have to verify it yourself using the breathing technique."

Seeing that his thoughts had been exposed, Lian Youming blushed, but he wasn't embarrassed at all. Instead, he turned over the brocade and shamelessly showed off the recipes for nourishing foods.

Lian Youming understood that without breathing techniques, these things would not only be of no benefit to others, but would actually be of great harm, so he simply stopped trying to conceal them.

This recipe contains five portions, each corresponding to one of the five elements: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth, to strengthen the Qi of the five internal organs.

Yan Lingyun seemed very curious about these things as well. After glancing at them, she couldn't take her eyes off them. She became more and more fascinated and her eyes were shining.

"It's actually a method of dietary therapy."

But the little girl quickly sighed, "What a pity."

Lian Youming, suspecting there was something wrong with the recipe, couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong?"

Yan Lingyun kept staring at the brocade and said softly, "Each of these recipes incorporates more than ten ingredients. The others are fine, but the dosage of the main ingredient is harmful to ordinary people. It's like a potent medicine that can damage the lungs and internal organs at best, and cause sudden death at worst."

However, at this point, the girl raised her eyes and said, "But if your breathing technique can connect the Qi of the five internal organs, it can neutralize some of the medicinal effects, which can be considered as complementing each other."

Lian Youming's back was soaked with sweat. It turned out that internal martial arts were full of pitfalls. If he hadn't understood them and had secretly practiced them, he might not even know how he died.

He was terrified, but he didn't notice that Yan Lingyun in front of him had already blushed and buried her head almost in her chest.

The two huddled together, separated by a wooden stake, looking at the brocade. Before they knew it, their heads were touching. Feeling the intense masculine aura emanating from the young man in front of her, a blush of pink instantly crept up Yan Lingyun's cheeks and ears, burning hot.

In this relatively conservative era, many people would blush at just a glance, so such an action was already considered intimate. Moreover, Lian Youming was unaware that his name had already spread throughout the educated youth group.

Putting everything else aside, the fact that he single-handedly rescued Director Qin is a model for everyone to learn from. Although he made the mistake of individual heroism, it is precisely because of this that the story has become more and more exaggerated.

Furthermore, when Liu Da Nao goes to treat the livestock of various households, he doesn't keep his mouth shut. He spreads the word that Lian Youming is just like an animal, capable of doing the work of three or four people, and is simply a model of hard work and endurance.

Lian Youming was unaware of these things; he was preoccupied with his training and didn't notice the girl's unusual behavior.

Now that everything is clear, things are simple.

All is ready except for the opportunity.

After spring arrives, we can go to the mountains to get these ingredients and lay a solid foundation before returning to the city.

"Alright, Yan, you can go back now!"

Lian Youming looked at the brocade, muttered something to himself, and then turned and went back to the livestock shed.

"what?"

He turned his head away decisively, but didn't see the bewildered and surprised eyes behind him.

"Woooo..."

As soon as Lian Youming entered, he heard a sobbing sound coming from outside. When he looked over, he saw that Yan Lingyun had already run away, wiping away her tears. She was staggering and stumbled, and then she tripped and fell while crossing the dam. She seemed to be crying even more sadly.

"Sigh, she's already crying? She probably can't be a bad person."

Before I could finish speaking, snowflakes began to fall again from the sky.

As Lian Youming grew increasingly exhausted, the Lunar New Year's Eve drew closer, and Kaoshantun became festive. Two large, fat pigs were slaughtered, and thirty or forty households received several strings of meat, including the educated youth themselves.

Just before the Spring Festival, Lian Youming finally saw Qin Yuhu.

The man still had that stern face, his left hand driving the mule cart, his right sleeve empty.

The uncle and nephew looked at each other, and Qin Yuhu smiled freely, "Let's go, let's go back for the New Year!"

　Brothers, that's finally the setup done, let's get into the story...

　　
　
(End of this chapter)